NBA TEAMS

1. Blogging is a very new element to learning in language arts class, and in school itself. Teachers always seek new ways to keep the interest of their students, and somehow can put themselves in the mind of the students themselves. Technology is a wonderful thing in our world, and computers really shine out to children everywhere around us. Ms. Rumford allowed us to use computers for our learning, which is probably the best method for schoolwork. I have used this year. By blogging on the computers, my classmates and I can also see each other’s work without being there in person, and can meet new bloggers and exchange opinions on any subject we want. Ms. Rumford is also a strong figure in the “Roots and Shoots” program, so blogs also save paper and can transmit assignments and other writing without printing. Besides all of this, there were many more good reasons to turn to blogging instead of regular classroom writing activities. Diagrams, charts, and other worksheets are nothing new to any of us, and bore us greatly since we use a pen and paper the entire day in other classes.

Blogging also opens up a new passage between students and teachers. Students are allowed to write about almost anything they want, which is probably how each student writes best. They are always most knowledgeable about their own hobbies and skills, and this is a great way to incorporate learning when people can allow things to fall into their own methods. We all learn easiest whenever we can relate to things in present-day and down-to-earth terms.

2. Since I first started blogging, I have made it through many struggles and am now a much more social blogger. I used to have trouble finding my way through edublogs, finding all of the website’s abilities, and even just logging in to my account/dashboard. Throughout the past two months, all of these problems have been fixed. I have learned to import pictures, videos, and recordings onto my blogs, and my communication with other students has also improved. I am able to see the blogs of students who I don’t know very well, and get to know how similar we really are. Others who are blogging on the same topic as myself can also communicate with me through our writing, and our conversations can be good solutions. Not only within school, but outside social relations have also improved through internet blogging in my writing.

3. There are always fundamentals to everything in our world. Blocks can’t be stacked without a strong base, so the base is basically the most important part of the entire structure. The key details in blogging are the general base in building a strong blogger’s perspective and mind. In this unit, I have learned two main concepts while you write through this passage. The first is using voice, which is what blogs are meant for. What good is writing with these new applications if you are just typing plain facts? Without any opinion or state of mind, blogs mind as well be called fact books. Incorporating your own beliefs is the key to gaining readers and getting more feedback on how you are writing. The second element to blogs is research. This is where you back up your voice. As I said, plain facts are no good, unless you are in a convincing argument. When voice and researchable facts are put together, you can prove your main points and get your ideas across the table to listeners without getting yourself doubted by others. Whether this could be videos, images, or sounds, you can attract attention to your website and gain popularity by letting your messages out to the world. If you were just writing plain essays anyway, you wouldn’t have any readers or listeners except your teacher, which is not what you want. If you are the kind of person who holds high expectations of themselves, you would want to get all of your writing to as many people as possible, and convince others into thinking what you think.

4. Education is the largest part of my life right now. It is the only thing that I am involved in everyday, and the only real need for a positive future. Blogs do teach skills that can relate to everyone’s future. If you turn professional in any sport, chances are, that hobby is probably one of your favorites. You are best at what is easiest and most enjoyable to you, and same goes for blogging. Businessmen and women who have debate speeches daily need voice in their discussions. They need to get their point across while still maintaining cold, hard, and true facts to get others on their sides. Even if you are a singer or cook, you enjoy what you do. You are always coming up with new songs and recipes, and don’t succeed as well as you would if you were under guidelines or instruction. Creativity and personal preference are usually what helps you to find jobs and making you the right person for them.

In my own future, I look forward to whatever may interest me in high school and college. Blogging can teach you many ways to succeed in very many jobs, but I need to know all of the methods now so I can be ready for whatever may come to me in the future. Blogging is like a virtual life in a virtual world; and life basically teaches you its principals to becoming successful in it. As long as you are always prepared to defend your beliefs and speak freely about anything you want, you can never be put down. Blogs have taught me to be able to loosen up my nerves and just feel safe to talk about my hobbies with mood, feeling, and voice, which will guide me to being comfortable doing anything in my future of adulthood.

     Here we go down the stretch; the Conference finals are here. My earlier predictions for the Mavericks and Denver Nuggets making it to the finals are crushed. Dallas was beaten last round 3-1 without putting up much of a battle, so it wasn’t very exciting. My two favorite teams, the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets, are also now out of the playoff tree. The final four teams are playing now, alone in the Conference finals for making it to the finals next round. In the East, it’s the Cleveland Cavaliers against the rookie Orlando Magic team, and the West has the Denver Nuggets and second place Los Angeles Lakers from last year’s finals against Boston. Because of this unpredicted situation of the playoffs, this week’s blog will describe important events in all four teams during their quest to win the Championship rings.

     To start off big, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in a spot which I would have never imagined them to be in. Going full force to becoming first seed in the regular season they also advanced 3-1 in the previous two rounds against the Detroit Pistons. LeBron James led them with scoring highs and Maurice Williams was an assist leader and speedy point guard. Delonte West was the heart of the team with his intensity and three-pointers, and it all combined into beating every team that got in their way. Their chances of winning are very high up on the scoreboard.

     Next, the Orlando Magic are probably the team that stunned me most with their position. After beating the tough Philadelphia 76ers with top-notch small forward Andre Igoudala, they went on to defeat the 2008 Champions in Boston. The Magic’s Dwight Howard averaged over 10 rebounds per game and over 20 points/game with the help of newly added Rashard Lewis from the Seattle/Oklahoma franchise. These two players will need to come up big in order to get past the first seed Cleveland Cavaliers.

     Not to forget, the Denver Nuggets were really a hard-working team to get as far as they did in the season. It was a great trade for their side to receive Chauncey Billups for the ball-hog Allen Iverson, who is now, hurt with the Detroit Pistons. Carmelo Anthony has become a scoring and team leader for all of Denver and has great plans to reach his dream of winning the NBA playoffs. He and Chauncey Billups had to make up more than half of the team’s points to win games, and there is only more expected of them now. They are definitely who I want to win this year, and my hopes and team spirit is with them.

     Last and least, I have always hated the classical Lakers. Los Angeles’ team plays very well together and always poses threats to all teams. Kobe Bryant always finds a way to come up big, Derek Fisher always assists Pau Gasol on the inside, and Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza always get their average number of blocks per game. With one of the highest scoring averages in the regular season, they are the most likely team to make it to the NBA finals. With historical successes, they are falling in the trails of where Earvin (Magic) Johnson left off with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar back in the 1980’s.

     Although I am indifferent for the most part for choosing sides, I am ready for a thrilling performance on my television by all teams that I watch. Every whistle and every drop of sweat on the floor will be entertaining and keep any average NBA fan interested in what’s going on. Turn your television on now, grab some popcorn and a soda, and have a joyful time watching these teams face off for the Championship rings.

            Through all of the fighting and energy all of the teams use, it all comes down to two teams in the finals. It doesn’t matter how the regular season went anymore, how hard you worked to get here, and no one cares about your feelings. There is something that all of this hard work does though. It shows how much you want to win the NBA Finals to your rivals and your fans. As a fan myself, I have seen how hard teams work to win and their will and determination through every second of the games, and I have reached a fair conclusion. The Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers are my predictions for the last matchup. Both teams have stood out this year, after hiding themselves for the last decade, and have shown their strengths. Their individual effects so far and how they compare are basically how you can decide the ultimate winner for this year’s NBA playoffs.

            First of all, the mountain high city of Denver has always been a good competitor in the NBA. They have made it to quite a few playoffs but didn’t get too far after the first round. Ever since the arrival of Carmelo Anthony, the 6 foot 7 inch small forward out of Syracuse came in 2004, and Chauncey Billups’ trade from the Detroit Pistons last year occurred, the franchise has reached new records. Their scoring average, assists and teamwork all compiled into larger numbers and new limits too. After defeating the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the playoffs this year, they are now against the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks have been a huge offensive force this year thanks to the coming of Jason Kidd and his historical assist talents. Josh Howard, Jason Terry, Erick Dampier, and Dirk Novitzki have also come together to help this North Texas team stay strong through the year. As I have talked about recently though, not everything is based upon pure talent. Playing with heart and dedication is also important to winning championships. Your talent is of no use if you can’t constrain it within your teamwork and your effort. All of your practice means nothing unless you commit to everything you have learned for all 48 minutes on the basketball court. As every NBA coach says, “Leave everything on the court, and don’t take anything off of it.” What this means is to give your hardest work during the games with your heart in it, and not to bring any emotional struggles or feelings with you when you leave. This is what motivates teams to winning games and getting the NBA championship rings.

            For another look at it, you can compare these teams with their histories in the playoffs. The Dallas Mavericks made the finals in 2005, and have made it to the finals for many years straight in the past decade. They have never been forgotten by anyone dating all the way back to the 1960’s, and been a tough opponent to all teams which they have faced. The Denver Nuggets have been the opposite of them until recent years. Their throwback rainbow uniforms never made the cover of any magazine or even a short column, and they had no real players who could lead a successful team. Since the year 2001, they have really stepped up with new coaches and made themselves known around the nation. They have caught all the way up to being capable of winning an NBA championship in my eyes this very year.

            Now in present terms, the Mavericks and Nuggets are of equal strengths and hold high expectations of themselves this year. It all starts from the first whistle and tip-off, the half time discussions of the coaches getting to the players, and all comes down to the final seconds of the shot clock in the fourth quarter. Referees don’t care about anger, pain, or even blood. Everyone has to soldier on to shoot the last bullet in the war, to be that last student to come up from the water, and to throw that last shot up to the basket for the buzzer-beating trey. It all comes down to this; the fans are in it alongside the players in their hearts for another time again. It all has to be left out on the court and nothing outside the stadium. Dallas and Denver both know this, and it is what it takes to make it to the NBA Finals and to win on the spot.  

How dare the Los Angeles Lakers think they have a chance of beating the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semi-Finals? Do they actually think that they can compete with a team with such capabilities and historical successes? The Lakers are a very confident team who reached the NBA Finals last year, but now against the Rockets, I don’t feel like they have much of a chance. Sometimes, I feel like some teams have too much confidence and don’t play basketball with enough heart.

                To start, the Lakers are a very confident basketball club, which is essential for your players to succeed. Without confidence, where would the United States of America stand in history? Would we have been able to fight the British and showed them that we could stand alone as an independent nation? Would anybody have trust in themselves or even their closest friends? Trust can only be earned, and without having confidence in anyone, how can you trust them? Confidence is the major word always mentioned in every game, competition, or anything else that you may be involved in. Confidence seems like an un-ending stream of water from the river, but sometimes it can flood. The con to this is sometimes confidence can run the wrong way. It can lead to cockiness and distract your focus if you assume you can win. Another symptom of knowing you are too confident is when you do too much talking and not enough practicing or planning ahead. You have seen many different versions of the tortoise and hare, and the hare assumes he can win. Instead of talking though, he shows his cockiness by taking a nap in the middle of the race. Another example of too much confidence in the basketball situation is when a highly ranked team in the league gets upset by a much less talented team. The better team feels like they can have fun and just play around to score against the other team. This happened in the Celtics’ previous round against the Bulls, when they felt way too confident in themselves and had to fight under the pressure to win in Game 7. Going back to the Lakers’ situation, their franchise seems to be expected by everyone to make it to the Finals like they did last year. Everyone assumes that their skill level is high enough to make there simply by beating all of the teams that get in their way, and that they will dominate. Their fans and the people who watch the NBA are all in this assumption, bringing back memories of the novel, The Wave. Everyone is almost hypnotized into The Wave in the story, where this “Wave” is supposed to lead them and solve all of their daily problems as long as they stick together. This is a simple example of the Lakers being like The Wave and the fans representing the high school students.

                Secondly, you are usually committed to everything you do. If you are a successful person, I know you are committed to your job or hobby. It is very hard to do well in something which you don’t enjoy or just aren’t interested in succeeding in. Determination is probably the largest part in commitment. In basketball terms, this determination is labeled as having heart. This heart isn’t the heart that pumps your blood and beats a million times a day. This kind of heart is having a will and a drive to win or do well, and it leads good character.  The Los Angeles Lakers are a very talented team. Their players are very hard working, fit, and skillful. I believe the reason why they didn’t win the NBA Finals last year is because they didn’t play with heart. Kobe Bryant was the only one who showed his willingness to win the series against the Boston Celtics, but one person alone is rarely enough to win anything. Now in the Western Conference Semi-Finals, they are facing off against my neighborhood team, the Houston Rockets. Houston’s past has all been very emotional during wins and losses, even though they aren’t the most talented team. The reason why I chose to compare these two teams is so I can predict their outcome in this series. These two clubs are opposite in terms of strengths and weaknesses, but I feel that heart is always a trump in any card game. What good are all of your skills if you don’t have a purpose on the basketball court? How do you think you will shoot in the long run if you can’t feel the ball itself and dedicate yourself to making the shot? All of your strengths will always be outran in the marathon by heart and dedication put together to accomplish success.

                To conclude this note, I feel like the Rockets will win this series. I feel that they have had enough experience from historical games and be able to fix their mistakes now. I am a fan of Houston, and I have heart myself even though I’m not in the game. I am determined to do everything I can to help the Rockets win right in front of my television. I have my trust in this team to do well to make it all the way to the finals, but it is up to them. By incorporating determination and heart together into the same cup, the solution will be the best on the market.   

          “If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter,” quoted by inventor and American speaker Benjamin Franklin. Freedom of speech is a currently functioning unalienable right in the United States. I feel that the 1st amendment describing freedom of speech and press is the most important part of the Constitution for many reasons. It helps all court and jury trials to be run fairly, creates equal opportunities for all, and helps the final product of anything that includes this right to be as representative and true to fact as possible. These are probably the three most important ideas that freedom of speech stands for, and the three which fit my opinion best.

     First of, the sixth amendment quoted from the Bill of Rights in the Constitution states, “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been commited.” This amendment says that any accused citizen can go to a free and fast trial to defend themselves. If you were to go to the trial, ready and confident about your side of the argument, how could you speak for yourself if you had no freedom of speech? How could you let your opinion or side of the story be known to the  jury if you couldn’t speak for yourself? Nothing would be fair to either side if they couldn’t speak their own knowledge themselves, and we couldn’t come to any conclusions. Courts couldn’t get anything done without freedom of speech, and the people wouldn’t be happy as citizens of the country they represent. Not all countries allow for freedom of speech, but run monarchies instead. The pursuit of happiness in being proud of your nation is the most important part of being an American citizen.

     Next, most of us bloggers writing come from pretty fortunate, hard-working families. Generation after generation comes one after another, and somehow the chain keeps coming endlessly from somewhere. If you were to take a guess, the answer is from equal opportunities. Equality is what keeps us away from racism, segregation, and hate. As American citizens, we all have political independence, free will, and you are able to take whatever career you choose.

    After you are allowed individual opportunity, representing yourself is the final step of using your freedom of speech to its full power. In courts, you can have someone else speak for you, but nothing that is said about you can be used against you or towards you unless you say it yourself. When voting every four years for a new president you represent yourself, and your vote represents your country. The most important part that representation probably plays is making sure that your final conclusion includes inputs of all of the people involved. If you’re taking a survey, you want to test everybody in the room or in the area. If you’re playing a basketball game in the NBA Finals, you need the dedication and commitment of all five players on the court at that exact moment. If you are voting for a new president, you want everyone’s choice to represent America. Representation is what makes us all uniquely different but combines into an excellent solution and blend.

     In final thought, freedom of speech is really an option in society. Nobody can force an opinion upon you or from you, but it must come from you and yourself only. Your trial rights, chances in life, and individualism can’t be controlled by anyone else, so everything is in your own full control. If you expect the best out of your societies, organizations,or countries, consider your answer carefully next time you are asked anything by one of your peers.

In my view, the game of basketball is a sport and a reflection of life itself on the courts. Basketball teaches you patience, teamwork, social order, communication skills, and etiquette all in the same game. I look at it as a map sometimes, and it always tells me the right way to go. I try to incorporate the moves and decisions I make on the court into current decisions I must make in my life to help me by assigning roles to the players. Usually, I will use my imagination put family members and reliable friends on my team, and we will play against enemies from school or competitors around me. This blog’s purpose is mainly just to introduce my understanding and relationship I share with basketball to the world around me. My two big topics I have to examine are how basketball came to me, and how I accept it into my life now.

As a toddler, basketball encompassed me. It was on the television, in the magazines, in the family, and even in me. My relatives would always shoot around for a little while together, and let me join in on their fun. All through elementary school, I would play on small community teams and in basketball camps, and was exposed to a whole world of the sport. I got an Xbox game in second grade called NBA Inside Drive 2003, which is where the national league appealed to me. All of the great players and everything that they could do on the court inspired me, and helped me to feel and experience their lives as NBA players. To explain this, I couldn’t really see into their personal lives, but I could almost tell their mood from the games. Growing up, this was a strong factor in helping me to develop my voice as a writer and revealing my intentions to the readers.

To clear things up after having a little understanding of this blog, basketball isn’t my first love. I share my sporting life between golf and basketball, now almost through middle school. Golf is a leisure activity which I involve myself in for calm entertainment and peaceful discussion and socializing with family and friends. Basketball is where you can really win and lose those discussions, which may even turn into disputes and arguments. I accept this sport into my life as a guide. It represents the driver in my cab, the light in the cave, and the buried treasure in the desert. I treat it almost as a family member too because of how often I come to it to consult with. I feel like it will always be here for me to talk to when I’m hurt, and that it will always stay with me and never leave. NBA channels around the world interview players with the same stories about falling in love with basketball as children just as I have now. College basketball star OJ Mayo was interviewed by the Star Tribune in the United States about his inspirations as a child. He described how grand of a role that his mother played in his life, and about the inspiration NBA star LeBron James was to him in late middle school to early high school. You can see how easy it is to develop a love for this game the way this basketball player and I have. The best metaphor to represent the relationship that I have with basketball is as follows: “Basketball is the bookmark in my story which I am the author of.” The game marks my place where I left off last time, it holds the place which I am so eager to reach the climax of, and it always helps me find my way in all of the identical pages. Basketball has developed to become my best friend over my recent years in childhood, and it always guides me through those thick forests in the rainy swamps whenever I need it most.

To finish off this reflection, I want readers to be able to establish connections with their hobbies the way I have with basketball. The people around the world whose moods are low, joyous, or even those who display poker faces can all find a refuge the way I have. It all starts out from a little enjoyment of the activity you love, and to stay with what you have found and trust it.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/wolves/21628239.html?location_refer=Timberwolves:highlightModules:2

     For the last couple weeks in the National Basketball Association, the league has become more aggresive in the eyes of its players. Many teams have fought against enemies and historical rivals, and new teams have reached new experiences in making the playoffs. This week’s blog will analyze all of the teams that made it to the playoffs, specific players who have made a difference in the league, and my own personal opinion on a game held recently involving my favorite team.

     In the NBA, it is always a huge success to make it to the playoffs. All teams are proud of their accomplishments during the regular season and pre-season to make it this far. One young team, the Portland Trail Blazers, are probably the most improved team. I call them a young team even though their franchise has exsisted for many decades, because of their players’ youth. The entire roster is developed from players who have never played together before, and their lineups are all from new athletes out of colleges and across the world. I think this is good because the best teams are usually developed from the most varieties of people. The television show, NBA live, shows Portland’s struggles just to make it to the playoffs. It shows the young stars such as Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, and Rudy Fernandez who have made an impact on the team’s attitude, and they have made a better impression on the Trail Blazers’ underdogged team. NBA.com has short clips of the important part that the fans and community play in supporting the franchise as well. They have videos of Greg Oden running basketball camps and Brandon Roy reaching out to the more unfortunate families and their children. They are just ordinary adults who have decided to take a step in helping those around them in the communities, just to give back aid and support which they have received in their basketball games. Their purpose in connecting us all is only from their willingness and their open hearts, which we all hold sacred between each other; love. This is just one story of a young basketball team who has made it to the NBA playoffs. Other teams that have made it this far are among much more exerienced rosters. In the Eastern Conferenc, there are the Detroit Pistons, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Philidelphia 76ers, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, and the Boston Celtics, the NBA Finals winners. In the Western Conference, there are the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, and their state rival San Antonio Spurs. One of these teams will make it far enough to take the trophy at the end of the season.

     I feel like the most important match was the game between the Chicago Bulls and the Boston Celtics last week. In Game 6, the series was 3-2 Boston, which meant that Boston had won three games, while the Bulls had won two. This game took place in Chicago, where the Bulls had home advantage. The entire game, the lead was continuously traded between both teams, where finally Boston pulled away to a 99-91lead with two and a half minutes left. The Bulls came back at the end, with a couple field goals, and a clutch three-pointer by Brad Miller, the 6 foot 10 inch. center. With Boston up 102-100, Miller again drove to the basket for an aggressive lay-up to tie the game at 102. The game continued on through the first overtime, tied by Chicago’s John Salmons’ three-pointer, through the second overtime, tied by the Celtics’ three-pointer by Ray Allen. In the third overtime, Rajon Rondo on the Celtics shot a fadeaway jumpshot, which was blocked by rookie Derrick Rose, at the buzzer. My favorite team in the NBA is the Boston Celtics, and I feel like I should defend them in the loss of this game. Their all-star power forward Kevin Garnett is injured for the rest of the NBA finals, so his team was at a loss for rebounds, blocks, and points near the basket. Throughout the regular season, Kevin Garnett has been the leader for this team. He has become their captain over the rough seas, their teacher in the classroom, and their mentor on the basketball court. This is what I love so much about this team. Paul Pierce is another figure in the shadows who has stepped up with this team. Before the 2007-2008 season, he was the only experienced player on the team. He was the only all-star who could bring his team to the playoffs, but never past the first round. Last season is when his emotions and attitude rose. Kevin Garnett had just come to their team from the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Ray Allen had just come from the Seattle Supersonics. At this stage, new hope came from the holes beneath the ground. The sun threw its shine through the thick, heavy clouds, and the stars glowed their lights in the night sky. The floods washed down into the sewages, the plants and trees grew to their limits, and the Boston Garden basketball stadium was a whole new era. Even though the Celtics had lost that important playoff game, they can still save themselves in Game 7, where one team must only reach four wins to go on to the next round. My faith and trust stands with them, which is as strong as I feel to be an American citizen. The struggles that this team is going through is just a heavy storm in the middle of a desert, soon to leave with a bright sunny day the next morning.

     In my last words of this blog, my goal was to give the outside world an idea of how connected I feel I am to the NBA. Its purpose was to give an inside look of the recent games in the playoffs, and couple team situations going on right now at this very moment in the NBA. I felt the need to share with others experiences that the franchises are going through, and how it connects to our daily lives as people on this earth.

This blog will be an introduction to the current updates going on in the NBA, and analyzations about its players wordwide. It will give you an inside look of what goes on in American basketball for those who don’t know much about it. I take a huge interest in this sport, which is my refuge to get away from school, or anything that may bother me over the course of my lifetime. Check here every once in a while to learn new things about the NBA, and advance your learning in the world.

I really think it is important to enjoy life and have fun whenever you can, while still following the rules. Basketball is my game, my refuge, and that’s what I’m here to write about. In my following blogs, I will discuss the happenings in the NBA, judge and rate teams, and give you a little background with how I like to chat. I’ll come up with the latest trades, games, and news that I can get, and help you to hopefully learn more about me and basketball together.

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