The Erie BayHawks are scheduled to play two preseason games in a six-team jamboree hosted by the Texas Legends this weekend.

A week away from their Nov. 23 season opener at Fort Wayne, the BayHawks play Tulsa today and defending D-League champion Austin on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to start at 5 p.m. EST.

The BayHawks have 13 players on their training camp roster. The D-League affiliate of the New York Knicks must get its roster down to 10 by Nov. 21.

Earlier today, Erie native Julian Blanks competed in an open tryout for the Erie BayHawks at Family First Sports Park in Erie, Pa.

An Cathedral Prep graduate, Blanks has played overseas as well as in other minor leagues like the D-League. The BayHawks are the hybrid affiliate of the New York Knicks.

Kyle Goldcamp, who starred at Gannon and in the D-League with the Erie BayHawks, will play overseas in Russia this season.

Erie Times-News sports reporter Duane Rankin caught up with the power forward before he left last weekend.

Chris Bosh has become the emotional force of Miami's Big 3 as the Heat have taken a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder./AP Photo.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are oh so cool.

Anyone still wearing the flip-up glasses like D-Wade did after Game 4 or glasses without lenses as he and James have done in these playoffs are “smoothed out on the R&B tip with a pop feel appeal” like Bell Biv Devoe back in the 1990s.

However, Bosh has become that fire breathing dragon who lights the Heat’s emotional fuse.

He will always be the third wheel of Miami’s Big 3, but Bosh, who was the man in Toronto, is doing all the dirty work stars rarely do to help the Heat win a title: Dive on the floor for loose balls.  Get offensive boards. Block shots. Defend.

And when asked to score, Bosh can still knock down the jumper and finish pick-and-roll plays at the rim.

However, Bosh has become that emotional leader for Miami. He’s the one you see getting the crowd going by flexing and pumping his fist.

He’s the one barking at teammates and getting them pumped up right before play resumes.

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15 years ago, Kobe Bryant was a senior in high school looking to lead Lower Merion to an PIAA AAAA state championship.

On March 23, 1996 in Hershey, Pa., Cathedral Prep almost ruined it for Bryant and the Aces.

The Ramblers were up early, up late, but lost, 48-43, to Lower Merion in a truly entertaining game.

With Prep located in Erie, I wanted to take a trip back to memory lane. So we talked with key players from that Prep team in Keith Nies, Brian Szewczykowski and Julian  Blanks and its then-assistant, Jim Marnella.

I also went to Cleveland and interviewed Bryant about it before the Los Angeles Lakers played the Cavaliers last month. Erie is about two hours from Cleveland.

With that, we put together a video to recapture the game. Our video guy, Matt  Mead, is still trying to get it to fit perfectly, but you’ll get a chance to see how Bryant’s last high school game went before he bolted to the NBA.

If LeBron James' elbow goes haywire again later in this series against Boston, the schedule won't be in his favor.

Have you seen the playoff schedule for the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics starting Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland?

Take a look.

Game 1: Saturday at Cleveland, TBD (TNT)
Game 2: Monday at Cleveland, TBD (TNT)
Game 3: Friday, May 7 at Boston, TBD (ESPN)
Game 4: Sunday, May 9 at Boston, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
*Game 5: Tuesday, May, 11 at Cleveland (TNT)
*Game 6: Thursday, May 13 at Boston, TBD (ESPN)
*Game 7: Sunday, May 16 at Cleveland, 3:30 p.m. (ABC).
*If necessary.

Now I know many folks, including my guy, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, have complained about the playoff schedule in terms of too much time between games. I’d love to spend this entire blog post doing the same, but the sun is out here in Erie, Pa., so I’m going to look at this differently.

When I look at that Cavs-Celtics schedule, three things come to mind.

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