Mak's Christmas Special

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the crib, not a creature was stirring, except Mak’s dog, Big.  He was shitting & sniffing, poking around like a cute little runt.  While your boy Mak was sitting & drinking, smoking his holiday blunt.  The stockings were hung by the chimney in a jiff, laid out some cookies and gin and Santa’s annual spliff.  Mak and Big nestled in their beds, with visions of money & bitches (female dogs) danced in their heads.  When down the stairs there arouse such a clatter, Mak sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. 

With Mak’s trusty Rottweiler by his side, he descended the stairs with a graceful glide.  Amused by it all, the dog gave Mak a loving lick, then was suddenly startled by the fat man Saint Nick.  “Ho Ho Ho Mak!!” From his belly he shouted. “Now where is that chronic, Santa wants to get clouded!!” Handed Santa some Kush and his favourite gin, “Ho Ho Ho he chuckled,” and gave me a big grin.  Santa drank and smoked, even had a 10 minute nap, then awoke refreshed with a Rottweiler in his lap.  He filled the stockings with a glorious flash, even passed behind the back dog treats to Big and looked like Steve Nash. 

Without even asking he knew what Mak desired, “You know money isn’t everything Mak, don’t you ever get tired?”  “No!” replied Mak with passion and gusto. “Ok Ok your annual Christmas NBA picks are in the stockings just don’t bet it all and go busto.” Santa loves his NBA, but hates the Ref.  So Mak and the Redman shook hands like Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff. “Until next year my man Mak” said Santa laying his finger aside his nose.  And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.  He stumbled to his sleigh, to his reindeer gave a whack.  And away they all flew, looked sort of like Superman on crack.  But I heard him exclaim as he steered out of sight. “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!!” 

It’s good to be back fellas!! And I will be back posting consistently.  Going to take some time off from the hustle and relax a bit when it comes to business.  More time doing things I love for the next month and you all know how much I love the NBA and writing so I will be here trying to make some dough with all of you.  Unit amounts are going to be progressively changing, please keep an eye out for that.  Looking forward to exchanging thoughts and opinions with you guys in the next coming weeks.  Hope you liked my Christmas special today, hope you all have a safe and happy holiday.  Drink as much as you want, have fun with family and friends but please do not drink and drive, it just ain’t worth the risk.  Take care and have a very Merry Christmas gents.  Peace out - - - MAK

MIAMI HEAT @ LOS ANGELES LAKERS

PICK: NO PLAY

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me.  FIVE GOOOOOLLLDDDDEEEEN RINGSSS !!!  As I reached into my stocking the first thing I pulled out was five beautiful golden rings.  Santa has some good taste, I can spread these babies amongst some of my lady friends.  I however would rather not take Santa’s advice and subtle hint to take 5 time champion Kobe on Christmas day.  Although I seriously doubt the mental state of anyone who wants to bet against Kobe and a Lakers team off what could be their most embarrassing home loss in 2 years.  I lean heavily on the Champs in this game but I cannot find it in me to actually back them against a hungry Miami team that actually matches up decent against the Lakeshow.  I am going to name two players here and you all may laugh at me, but I cap this Heat team a lot differently than most of you.  Carlos Arroyo and Eric Dampier.  Now Damp isn’t really getting much time, but the acquisition of Damp gives them much needed size off the bench.  Just because Eric is not filling up stats does not mean he is not a very important part of this Miami Heat 2nd unit.  Carlos Arroyo is a lot better than a lot of you think.  He is a solid pro point guard who has range, playmaking ability and is very low-turnover prone.  Not having a healthy Udonis Haslem in the rotation is what will hurt the Heat against the top-tier teams in the NBA this season.  What I don’t like though is hearing how Lebron has silenced all the critics and haters this season and this game will be yet another example of his greatness....really?  What has he proved?  He went into a hostile Cleveland arena early, made a few early shots and got into an awesome groove.  Ok.  He went into MSG and had a huge triple-double...impressive.  But tonight he won’t be guarded by Jamrio Moon, Anthony Parker, Danilo Gallinari or Landry Fields.  Tonight he will have to face Lamar Odom, Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant.  As much as all the players try to blatantly lie and state that this game doesn’t mean much to them, it most certainly does.  I believe it means much more to Miami.  The Lakers are used to playing on Christmas; it is a constant for them and more of an inconvenience than anything else.  For Miami they want this game so bad that they sat Dwayne against the Suns, they want to silence all the critics that say they haven’t beat a contender as of yet.  I called Miami to be the best team in the East record wise at the start of the season, I still stand by it.  But the fact of the matter is Lebron & Chris have still not shown me that they can come though in big game situations consistently in their careers, look at Lebron’s shooting percentage in his last 10 games.  Not that impressive.  The Heat lost to Dallas twice as well as Boston twice.  Their best win this season against a top tier team was at Utah and that was against a team that doesn’t have a bench.  This Lakers team is packed, pissed and poised to remove the bad taste in their mouths.  I think the more experienced team takes it today.       

KOBE “5 GOLDEN RINGS” BRYANT - - - 

DENVER NUGGETS @ OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

PICK: THUNDER – 5.0 (-120) - - - 5 UNITS

The 2nd thing I pulled out of my stocking was a plastic tarantula.  I saw a clip of numerous NBA players being asked what they thought the most difficult arena to play in the NBA was and I was surprised to hear a lot of players answer Oklahoma City.  The Thunder are a very high tempo, exiting, young and exuberant ball club and their run to the post season last year including their hard-fought series vs the Lakers have opened eyes across the league.  It is a privilege to play on Christmas day, although young, their leader is a very mature 22 year old who has humility and intelligence beyond his years.  He and his teammates will appreciate the opportunity and take advantage.  I believe they will come out with some intensity and the crowd will be with them throughout the game.  This bet is of course contingent upon the status of Mello.  Because of the death in his family he is doubtful for this game but if he somehow decides to join the team then I would buy out of this wager.  Without Mello I just do not see the Nuggets keeping up with OKC.  Matchup wise OKC has their number.  The Sefolosha factor is in effect.  Whenever I see teams that OKC matches up with I always look to see if the Sefolosha factor is in play.  Let me explain what this is.  Thabo is one of the most if not the most underrated defender in the NBA.  At 6’7 he is able to guard any 3 man in the NBA but his lateral quicks allow him to defend the best 2 guards in the NBA as well.  Tonight the only way Denver keeps it close is if J.R Smith or Afflalo go off for 30+ points, that just will not happen with Sefolosha on the floor.  Coach Brooks loves to take advantage of the mismatch that Jeff Green causes defences.  At the 4 position he is usually way too quick for starting power forwards to handle and OKC always looks to exploit any matchup they can.  Tonight Green will own Kenyon.  Martin is actually an undervalued defender, but just coming back from injury he will play a minimal role and Jeff should have no problem breaking him down off the dribble and causing fouls.  Ibaka is a big bad man who can guard anyone, Nene will find trouble scoring over Ibaka’s length, and may find it difficult to find post position in the low block because of Ibaka’s girth, size & strength.   KD will be pumped and look to rebound from his team’s performance at MSG.  Westbrook is slowly becoming one of my favourite point guards in the league.  He is leaps and bounds better than Tyreke Evans and I hate the comparisons.  Westbrook is a new breed of PG, him and Williams are apart from the rest.  The speed of R Dub will be too much for Billups to handle, and his size and strength will be too much for Lawson to handle.  Chris Anderson and Al Harrington are two tough covers off the bench but Nick Collison is #1 in the NBA at taking charges off the bench and he is also a very subtle defender who does the dirty work.  If James Harden can limit his turnover and provide some offense off the bench, this baby should be won easily in what should be a passionate Christmas crowd in Oklahoma City.

5 UNITS RUSSELL “RUDOLPH THE RED” WESTBROOK - - -

BOSTON CELTICS @ ORLANDO MAGIC

PICK: NO PLAY

The 3rd thing I picked out of my stocking was a 4 leaf clover.  I disagree with the fat man on this one, I lean Orlando.  The Celtics changed the landscape of the NBA.  No longer is there a batman & robin.  Two can no longer tango in the association, now it is all about the big three in the NBA.  We have a lot of big three’s in the NBA, some prolific ones we all know.  We have the young ones in Miami and OKC and we have the Old Guys in Boston & San An....well guess what.  In terms of +/- the best big three in the NBA is Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.  I think Rondo has a lot to do with that, but I find it impressive that these 3 guys just keep on doing it, night in and night out.  The Celtics were my pick to hoist the trophy before the season started and I am even more confident in my predication as the season has progressed.  They have continued their dominance even without 5 rotational players.  Once this team is 100%....no one will be able to stop them.  For now Jermaine’s return will help depth, but Orlando is confident after that win over the Spurs.  I actually backed them against the Spurs and was confident they would find their rhythm eventually.  This team is just too talented to not succeed.  Dwight Howard, when his career is done I think will be regarded as the second most dominant big man to ever play the game.  Surround him with even a miniscule amount of talent and you will succeed.  With this new found free flow offense, Orlando is capable of beating any team on any given night.  It will be interesting to see how they respond against an immaculate defense.  Celtics own the best streak in the NBA, can he streak-busters do it again?  I am not willing to bet on it and neither should you in my honest opinion.  I may enjoy watching this game more than the Heat and Lakers, this is my game of the day for sure.  Should be a great one.

HEDO “TURKEY” TURKOGLU - - -

CHICAGO BULLS @ NEW YORK KNICKS

PICK: NEW YORK KNICKS MONEYLINE (-120)  - - - 5 UNITS

The 4th thing I picked out of the stocking was a big apple.  Backed the Knicks vs the Thunder and was amazed at how potent and confident this unit is when it comes to offense so I will take Santa’s advice here and back the Knicks.  I am just a huge fan of the shortened rotation.  I love it when coaches find 5-7 guys they trust and just run a very tight, strict rotation with minimal exceptions.  Basketball is a game of rhythm and once a unit of 5 men get into a rhythm with the system and each other, things start clicking regularly and players start expecting to win and expecting good things to come.  Felton is playing some exceptional basketball at the point.  In his last 5 games he is averaging almost 18 points and 13 assists a game with about 2 threes a game.  With all that ball handling and production you would think Raymond would turn the ball over often but is terms of top-tier point guards in the NBA with the ball in their hands for a majority of the game, he is the best at taking care of the ball.  Landry Fields is the top rebounding guard in the NBA.  I cannot say enough about this rookie.  The things he does on the court are so smart, nothing flashy, just an excellent decision maker.  10ppg, 8rpg, 2apg and about a three a game...coming from your starting rookie guard....awesome.  I think Wilson Chandler is one of the most underrated overall ballers in the NBA.   He has a very overlooked offensive game, an excellent shot and is a very good perimeter weak side defender.  There is a reason that Knicks upper management do not want to trade Wilson and Galo for one of the best scorers in the NBA.  These two guys are key to the Knicks success thus far.  Amar’e has just been ridiculous.  Statistically you are looking at the best center in the NBA, 27 and 10 with over 2 blocks a game and shooting 53% from the field.  His face up jump shot looks a lot better and more consistent than it was in Phoenix and with that in his arsenal he becomes even more dangerous.  Off the bench you only have 2-3 guys getting some run.  Turiaf who is perfection for this Knicks team, a hustler and garbage man down low who provides energy for them.  Tony Douglas has offensive skill and has the ability to break guys off the dribble as well as shoot the rock.  Shawne Williams is an overall talent with size and range to spread the floor.  Talent + speed = spacing and this Knicks team has both allowing them to space the floor very well.  They also  get out in transition better then any team in the East.  The Bulls were very stagnant vs Washington and at one point in the 4th quarter were without a field goal for almost 9 minutes.  If you do that versus the New York Knicks you will be down by double digits.  Prime time basketball is officially back at MSG and a Christmas day game proves it.  Look for intensity in the building and the Knicks to feed off that for 48 minutes this afternoon.

5 UNITS TIMOFEY “THE GRINCH” MOZGOV - - -

PORTLAND TRAIL-BLAZERS @ GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

PICK: NO PLAY (CURRENTLY)

The last thing I got in my stocking was a teddy-bear with a gold tooth stuck in his elbow.  I got the subtle hint from old Saint Nick.  I may decide to add a 5 unit play on the Warriors.  Tonight maybe the debut of the real Golden State Warriors.  A full healthy unit may dress for this game and if so I am ready to start backing them.  This team has yet to play together as a healthy unit.  Curry may return from an ankle injury as well as Biedrins.  Both will rejoin the starting five with Ellis, Lee and Wright.  That right there is a potent, explosive starting 5 that can be very dangerous offensively.  Now with some health, suddenly this Golden State bench starts looking pretty dangerous as well.  Reggie Williams was injected with some confidence after getting some playing time due to Curry’s injuries.  Reggie is a legit two guard who can score in bunches and has the size and speed to defend.  Lou Amundson is an all-around energy guy who may not fill up the stat sheets but plays the game the right way and helps his team when on the court.  Their rookie Udoh looks very impressive.  A very long and lanky forward with some serious size and a massive wingspan.  He is an NBA player that can easily grab 7 rebounds in a game just because of his body type.  I like his game and am excited to see what type of player he becomes.  Wright and Gadzuric may return and even A.C Law, Radmanovic and Carney have shown some positive things this season.  I like this Golden State roster a lot but it all depends on how shot distribution is implemented as well as rotation and minutes.  Keith Smart is an intelligent coach and I am sure he will work a cohesive rotation over some time.  The Golden State Warriors are a team to watch out for in the next coming weeks.

DAVID "FROSTY THE SNOWMAN" LEE - - -

BOL Mak.. been following you for  years.. have a merry xmas bro.. im with you on my knicks 

mak

the best xmas story I've ever read.

marry xmas and good luck

whats up mak maine!! like the knicks. just wanted to say merry christmas to you and your fam!! 

Wood, always appreciate hearing from long time followers.  Really appreciate the post.  Your name and avatar of Stacy work very well together my friend.  Have a very merry xmas as well.  Be safe.

Thanks for the post Burt.  Have a safe and happy holiday.

Merry Christmas

Love the writeups.

LOL, thanks man, really appreciate that.  Have a very safe and happy holiday buddy, good luck with your wagers as well.

Thanks Aniki, I appreciate that.  Merry Christmas to you are your family as well. 

Always appreciate hearing that bud, thank you.  Have a safe and happy holiday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UysRKy93ryA

And to all A Good X-MASS...

Writer, poet and capper......................welcome back !!!!!!!!

gl.............

Good stuff!

that was awesome to wake up to. BOL Mak

 

 

the DON......merry xmas and pass the blunt around...