Links: You Want Links?

by Lang Whitaker

I guess LA’s not going to sweep after all, then. I’m going to leave most of the Finals talk to our guys on the ground out in Orlando, but I still think the Lakers are going to win this series. Dwight Howard is too mechanical, takes too much time to figure out what he wants to do with the ball, particularly against a team this good. And they need Dwight — or Duh-wight, as most of the announcers say it — to create space. Even Kareem said yesterday that Dwight’s still “kind of raw” and he lacks a go-to move. And then he probably tried to sell him one of those Skyhook t-shirts that he’s constantly hocking on Twitter.

Thinking back to Game 3, for a Magic fan, you had to love that play at the end of the game where the Magic worked the ball around the perimeter, probing for the open man, and then Rashard Lewis decided not to pass to an open Hedo, instead shooting over a defender and draining a long two. It was a shot that took some guts and nuts, and I was mildly surprised to see Rashard go up with such certainty.

I’m sticking with LA in five. Moving on…

• Speaking of Duh-wight, we posted the new cover of NBA Live 10 here. Also, I was playing Tiger Woods 09 last night and thinking that Tiger Woods 10 must be about to come out. And then today I got a package in the mail and it was Tiger Woods 10. I’m pretty sure I made that happen with my mind.

• Linkstigator Gabe out in LA writes…

My name is Gabe Yeh and my buddy Matt and I run a small design business out in Southern California. We’re big Laker fans and so recently we decided to launch a little community based street art project.

I made up an image of Kobe, we printed some posters and they made their way all over the streets of LA. Most of which had no logo or url or anything associated with them so its created a small buzz especially with the Finals coming up. (we made Eddie Cruz, from UNDFTD, twitter a few hours after the first batch of posters went up.)

Now we’re launching a site to go along with the whole projects and we printed a few REP KOBE tees as well. If you have a minute, please check out the site.

The main goal of the whole project is just to do something fun to get everyone out here pumped up for the Finals. The posters are available to download for free on the site so people can also print them at home, post them up at work or wherever and get involved in the whole thing too.

• The Sacramento Kings have hired Paul Westphal to continue their rebuilding process — the third coach in the last two years to get a shot at this. So there’s that. They could hire Red Auerbach to coach but unless they get some real players out there, they’re not rebuilding anything. I know Kings fans hate to hear this, and I’m not saying this just to be mean, but when Kevin Martin is your franchise player, it’s not much of a franchise.

I also like how Westphal basically got the job because nobody else wanted it. According to the Sacramento Bee, the gig was down to Westphal, Kurt Rambis and Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau. Then Thibodeau pulled out, and Rambis apparently couldn’t get a long enough contract offer…and the Kings had a new coach!

I’m reminded of the line from the great movie Beautiful Girls: “One comes to a decision based on what one wants, not based on what one doesn’t want. Got it?”

• If you can’t tell, I’m sorta out of it today. I not only can’t lift my arms above my shoulders, but I rode right past my subway stop this morning on the way to work, and then I missed the next stop, too.

My absent-mindedness is because I had to go yesterday and get a bunch of immunization shots for a trip Wifey and I have planned for July. And I probably shouldn’t have scheduled a trip to the eye doctor this afternoon. You’d think that by now, in 2009, they’d have some way to check out your eyes without dilating them. Or they could shrink them back after they dilate them. Or something.

I wear contacts, and I have a pair of glasses I wear at night, post-contacts. But if I have to get new glasses, I’m getting these.

• I don’t really get Toronto trading Jason Kapono for Reggie Evans. What, they had enough good outside shooting? And anyone else see that Alvin Williams is now an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors?

At least she’s hot.

• Remember the bacon shoes a few weeks ago? I’ve got something better: Bacon gumballs!

• Here’s a pretty cool cell phone power adaptor cable. I have about 10 cell phone power adaptors scattered throughout my suitcases and my crib because I’m always needing one. If I got this one I’m afraid I’d have to get 10. And then my apartment would look like Wrigley Field. Or I could get one of these new Nokia joints that recharges itself.

This is great. And so is this.

• Finally, a quick endorsement of the new “Man vs. Wild” episode with special guest Will Ferrell. I already liked Bear Grylls, but this episode with Ferrell to promote “Land of the Lost” was really hilarious. Here’s a quick clip to end on for today. Check your local listings (or Youtube) for the full show…