2011 NBA Playoffs: American Idol

Did Haley pull off Adele's 'Rolling in the Deep?'

Just as I blogged two weeks ago, this is the time of the year that entertainment begins to shift into a higher gear. The NBA Playoffs enter the first round while “American Idol” is at its peak as the contestants usually deliver the best performances of the year. Ever since the NBA changed to a seven-game format in the first round, it has produced great drama. Yes, the seed disparity is a lot but because this era has a lot of great talent, even a #8 or #7 team upsetting a top team is possible. Just look at the amazing first round series in the past few years: Dallas Mavericks versus Golden State Warriors in 2007, San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns in 2007, Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks in 2008, Atlanta Hawks vs. Miami Heat in 2009, Boston Celtics vs. Chicago Bulls in 2009 and LA Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder last year. A five-game series would have shortened the drama. Yes, there are lopsided and predictable matchups but given the fact that fans are so psyched at the start of the playoffs, these “boring” games are just fine.

This year features a plethora of talented teams that make the struggle for power more interesting and less predictable. We have intriguing teams like the villainous Miami Heat and the old bully Boston Celtics. It is interesting to know how the young and vastly talented Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma Thunder would fare. And of course, we have the teams of 2000’s (Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs) mightily perched in the top of the West. This year is one of the most interesting playoff seasons of all-time. My only concern: my favorite team (Utah Jazz) did not even reached it.

As NBA rides with its vast talent, the other TV giant – “American Idol” – is boasting one of the deepest and most talented contestants this year. As early as the Top 6, all of the fodders have been eliminated. There is still a gender imbalance (shown by the fact that Pia Toscano was shockingly booted early on) but at least the male contestants are legit. James Durbin has been the most exciting and most consistent thus far. He has pitch issues but David Cook also had them anyway. Casey Abrams, the resident Jazz singer, has had stellar performances and has always been interesting. Haley Reinhart – who we once thought was a fodder – has shockingly rose to the top by delivering the best performances of the year (“Bennie and the Jets,” “Moanin’” and… wait for it… we’ll get to that later). Scotty McCreery, even if he has been boring, has the potential to give a momentous performance because of his unique voice. Lauren Alaina seemed to have stopped trying to improve but we all know that she has the pipes for a big song. Lastly, Jacob Lusk – even if he is annoying at times – can deliver a great performance. There are no contestants like Aaron Kelly, Michael Lynche and – to a lesser extent – Casey James.

This year has been a fun year in “American Idol.” If you do not have a huge favorite, you will find the show very entertaining because the best performers change every night. Heck, I did not even care that much that Pia Toscano was eliminated. Hey, she got her record deal anyway. Everybody wins! Just to give a picture of whom had been the best (in my opinion), shown are the stellar performances this year:

Top 24: Casey Abrams – “I Put A Spell On You” / Pia Toscano – “I’ll Stand By You”
Top 13: Pia Toscano – “All By Myself” / James Durbin – “Maybe I’m Amazed”
Top 12: Pia Toscano – “Where Do Broken Hearts Go”
Top 11: Jacob Lusk – “You’re All I Need to Get By”
Top 11 Redux: Haley Reinhart – “Bennie and the Jets”
Top 9: Casey Abrams – “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” / James Durbin – “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
Top 8: James Durbin – “Heavy Metal”
Top 7: Haley Reinhart – “Rolling in the Deep”

Yes, Haley Reinhart stole the show again!

There have been few trainwreck performances as well. Heck, I even like listening to Paul McDonald’s songs even if they have little range. Stefano Langone, even if I wanted him eliminated as early as Top 11, had an excellent performance – “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.” However, what made the past few weeks amazing were the emergence of Haley Reinhart and James Durbin. I have mentioned that Top 10 to Top 6 are critical because these are the times when the crooners get to have the best performances of the show. Usually, this is the time when the underdogs get to shine. And boy, did Haley bring it. My 25 splitted votes to her when Pia was eliminated were worth it. Last week, she delivered the performance of the night even with little fanfare from the judges. Yes, the producers are keen on bussing her that is why we will see her getting eliminated this week or next week. The good thing about her is that she just does not seem to care. Her performance of “Rolling in the Deep” had some pitch issues but hey, it is hard to pull off an Adele song! Jennifer Lopez said it best when she observed that Haley brought her own flavor with the growls at the middle part of the performance. It added something to the song. Lastly, Haley’s raspy voice is awesome. She produces the best studio versions because of her voice.

As for James, all I got to say is that he has been off the charts since Top 9 Week. He has been either the best or second-best performer of the night. He has what it takes to be the dark horse who can seize it from Scotty McCreery’s inevitable win. As much as I like Haley, she has zero chance of winning. But as for James? There is a chance.

Top 7 Performance Night Rankings:
1.    Haley Reinhart – “Rolling in the Deep”
2.    James Durbin – “Uprising”
3.    Lauren Alaina – “Born to Fly”
4.    Jacob Lusk – “Dance With My Father”
5.    Casey Abrams – “Harder to Breathe”
6.    Scotty McCreery – “Swingin”
7.    Stefano Langone – “Closer”

Overall Power Rankings:
1.    James Durbin
2.    Haley Reinhart
3.    Casey Abrams
4.    Lauren Alaina
5.    Scotty McCreery
6.    Jacob Lusk
7.    Stefano Langone

Because both the NBA playoffs and “American Idol” have been oozing with talent, I took some time to think of the counterparts of some of the NBA Teams to the “American Idol” contestants. The comparisons are sometimes surreal.

Casey should play more bass

Boston Celtics: Casey Abrams. Both Boston and Casey lost something along the way. The Celts lost their best post-up defender, Kendrick Perkins while Casey almost lost his chance to be the “American Idol.” Thus, it tarnished both their frontrunner status. People were pegging the C’s to win the East and Casey to be a Top 3 contender before the unexpected moments. Because of this, both the Celtics and Casey had to resort on mainstream and less ballsy moves. Getting Jeff Green was a move to make the Celtics faster and more perimeter-oriented than to be an old-school team. Casey had to remove his growls in his next two performances. However, both the C’s and Casey have been coming into their usual form lately. It’s just that their previous setbacks have caused people to underrate them.

I am not threatened by this Big Three anymore

San Antonio Spurs: Jacob Lusk. Both the Spurs and Jacob started out strong. Jacob’s crying pre-semifinal performance had Randy Jackson’s orgasmic statement that it was the best performance. The Spurs took the NBA by storm by being the best in the West. But deep down, we know that the Spurs and Jacob are not the threats that they used to be. The Spurs have been floundering lately because they are not that strong defensively anymore. The Grizzlies even took a 2-1 series lead. I always hated the Spurs because they were threats but I found myself a bit indifferent this year. Their winning formula – threes – is not the best strength that champions need in the playoffs. Also, we know that defense wins championships. As for Jacob, I do not want to sound racist but the fact that he is black and (appears to be) a gay has squandered his chances just like the female contestants did.

Los Angeles Lakers: Scotty McCreery. Easy comparison: they will win it all this year. Other comparison: they have been coasting a lot recently. Also, I still do not think that they will be eliminated soon. Man, this is so easy.

Disappointing Lauren fact: she sang worse than Miley

Miami Heat: Lauren Alaina. There is no huge villain in “American Idol” this year but someone has to be the Miami Heat, right? Here is how I put it: there was so much promise on Lauren at the start of the show. JLo pegged her to win it all during the auditions. Remember Jeff Van Gundy’s startling statement on the Heat’s regular season record? Then when the Finals began, Lauren hit her first big road block: the dreaded first spot and mediocre judge reviews. If I am not mistaken, she almost cried. Miami Heat hit their road block when they almost hit .500. And, they also cried. Hahaha! They have been strong in the regular season but they did not stand out that much like Chicago did. However, their reputation still brought them to where they are. Lauren’s reputation also led her to where she is. She has not even been in the Bottom Three even if her awesome performance was just “Candle in the Wind.” But still, there is that high possibility that she will reach the Finals because she is a country/pop singer. But just like Miami Heat, she has a problem. LeBron-led teams have a hard time winning it all. As for Lauren, let’s just say that female contestants have not won for a long time.

Will Durant stand atop this June?

Oklahoma City Thunder:Haley Reinhart. Who would have seen it coming that they are so strong right now? Although OKC is supposed to reach the playoffs, I never envisioned how huge a threat they are at this point of the competition. They have one of the best lineups for the future. Alpha Dog: Kevin Durant. Sidekick: Russell Westbrook. Third Scoring Option: James Harden. Defensive Big Guys: Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka. And have I forgotten to mention that Ibaka can produce points as well? Damn, that team is a powerhouse! My favorite thing is that they all can defend well. All they need is a decent bench. As for Haley, all I can say is that she has the best arsenal thus far. She did rock, R&B, country, and pop. She has that raspy, distinct voice. She pulled off an Adele song. She has the best performance of the year. She did all these even if I never expected her to last beyond Top 11. She has zero chance of winning it all but if she ever did, it would be the biggest “American Idol” come-from-behind victory. I would absolutely love it. Ditto for Oklahoma City winning the title. Unfortunately, I have loved Haley’s songs too much that it has put a curse on her. Just like Oklahoma City, expect Haley to get eliminated some time before the grand finale.

James, please beat Scotty in the finale

Chicago Bulls: James Durbin. When I first saw James’ rendition of a Judas Priest, I was shocked. It was awesome. It was the second best performance of the night but I did not envision James to be the eventual winner yet. When I first saw the Chicago Bulls’ lineup, I was amazed. I was mentioning it a lot before: LeBron James should have picked Chicago. He will easily have a sidekick which would define a clear pecking order on the team. Joakim Noah is satisfied being the defender while Carlos Boozer is easily an elite third scoring option. The bench was also very good with role players like Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer. I should know because I am a huge Jazz fan. Then as the season goes along, both the Bulls and James Durbin have been stellar. They stole the spotlight and were promising. They possess the best quality needed: defense for the Bulls, and versatility and artistry for James. The Bulls are the league-leading team while I have James as the #1 guy in my personal power rankings. They are that promising. But deep down, I have a feeling that they won’t win it all.

I may not want who ends up winning it (although I do like the Lakers getting the title), but I don’t care. It’s the journey that matters. The next few weeks would be awesome for both the NBA and “American Idol.”

NBA Prediction:
Finals: Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Winner: Los Angeles Lakers
Regular Season MVP: Derrick Rose
Coach of the Year: Tom Thibodeau