Perkins: LeBron James is the best, and he keeps getting better

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Heat Ring tiltMIAMI – This was the best player of his generation doing what he now does best – win.

When Heat superstar LeBron James drove the lane against Indiana and made a game-winning layup with no time left to give Miami a 103-102 Game 1 Eastern Conference finals victory in overtime, he sent the crowd at AmericanAirlines Arena into a frenzy and the Pacers into a stunned funk.

“He continues to amaze, I think, the game of basketball, the world of basketball,” guard Dwyane Wade said.

That’s not easy when you’re already the consensus Best Player on the Planet.

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Podcast: From Pat Riley’s aborted NFL career to why Dwight Might Leave L.A.

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The NFL Draft is upon us, which means some poor 340-pound sucker is going to spend 4 hours in the green room or eight hours at home with relatives and friends waiting for his name to be called. Mel Kiper will come out of his burrow. People will stay glued to their television sets for hours waiting for the next left tackle from Podunk State to be picked.

I don’t get it.

The NBA does the draft right. Just a couple minuts between first-round picks, then they race through the second round like hyenas.

What does this have to do with the NBA playoffs?

Well, back in 1968, Pat Riley was an 11th-round draft opick of the Dallas Cowboys — even though he had not played college football (although he was a star quarterback in high school in Rome, N.Y.) Safe to say he made the correct choice choosing basketball over football, and it’s about time we give him some credit for turning LeBron James into the superforce he has become.

I spoke a lot about Riley on the Big O show on 640-AM in Miami this evening, and we went around the league touching on everything from the purity of Stephen Curry’s shot to the unfairness of living on the East Coast and having to sacrifice sleep to see the best of the eight playoff series.

The interview touches on a ton of things, including the matter of Prop 30 in California (the new millionaire’s tax) that I believe will have an impact on Dwight Howard’s free agency choice this summer. Hope you enjoy.

Listen to internet radio with Sheridan Hoops Radio on Blog Talk Radio
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Sheridan: “Birdman” Being Trademarked; More on J.R. Smith Free Agency

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If you take Chris “Birdman” Andersen’s stats and project them over 48 minutes, the NBA’s most colorfully tattooed player would be averaging about 36 points and 22 rebounds in the playoffs. Of course, “Birdman” is not a 48-minute player, but an argument can be made that he’ll se a serious uptick in playoff minutes as the Miami Heat continue to advance.

And on a side note, Andersen is trying to trademark the name “Birdman” with the U.S. Patent Office — much like Jeremy Lin did with “Linsanity” last season. If successful, Birdman would donate the proceeds from trademarked apparel to underprivileged children.

So Birdman is making a name for himself in these NBA playoffs, as is Paul George of the Indiana Pacers as they make things look easy against the Atlanta Hawks, holding a 2-0 lead. Those two, and Serge Ibaka, have been three of the biggest standout performers through the first five days of NBA playoff games.

And then there is the matter of J.R. Smith’s uncertain future with the New York Knicks.

Put it this way, is it worth it for Smith to risk more than $30 million to stay with New York for an extra season? The Knicks would not be able to match any offer above $5 million and change if Smith declines a player option and becomes an unrestricted free agent, so we could be witnessing his last days in blue and orange.

As for the men in green from Boston? Is this their “last hurrah?”

My answer is below in this interview with CineSport’s Tara Petrolino:




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Perkins: Heat’s bench rises again, outplays the Bucks

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MIAMI – The 12-0 run.

That was all it took to separate the men from the boys in the Miami Heat’s 98-86 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in Tuesday’s Game 2 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at AmericanAirlines Arena.

And two bench players – forward Chris Andersen, a.k.a. the Birdman, and guard Norris Cole – led the way. Not LeBron James, not Dwyane Wade and not Chris Bosh.

“It’s not surprising,” James said. “That’s what they bring, that’s what our bench brings, they bring that energy and effort.”

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Sheridan: Birdman the Missing Link For Heat

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I touched on this in yesterday’s MVP rankings, and I did it again in this interview with CineSport’s Noh Coslov.

I called Chris Andersen the “missing link” for the Miami Heat, and you can add your own joke if you like.

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