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By Michael Lopez

Talk about a success story. Alex Meruelo, the son of Cuban immigrants, is now set to become the first Latino NBA team owner in history. This Monday, the deal for him to purchase the Atlanta Hawks was officially announced and when it came time for Alex to take the podium, emotions ran high.

"It means a lot," a tearful Meruelo said. "Me being Hispanic, being first is really touching…I hope to do the right thing. I just want to make sure I make them proud."

Completely self-made, Alex earned his fortune with the launch of the popular La Pizza Loca restaurant chain. Founded in 1986, his quick-serve pepperoni slices caught on like wildfire. Eventually he was able to franchise out his business to 50 locations and expanded his financial portfolio to include commercial real estate.

Now Meruelo has vowed to bring an NBA trophy to Atlanta. And frankly, the Hawks are due for some championship rings at the moment. The last time the team won a title was back in 1958, though they did make it to the Semifinals last season.

Though Alex's deal isn't exactly finalized, he is set to take a controlling interest in the Hawks and oversee operating rights at Philips Arena. No exact numbers were released as of yet, but Meruelo did recently purchase a Nevada casino for $42 million, so we're sure he has plenty of cash.

When asked about his strategy on making the team more successful, he said in Spanish,

"I'm not the best, but I'll do my best. I will work my tail off."

Of course the big question that came up was how devoted to the Hawks Alex really was. Seeing how he was raised in Los Angeles and still has his headquarters there, many wondered if he is actually a closet Laker fan.

Assuring everyone in the room, he said,

"I'm a Hawks fan, 1,000-percent Hawks fan."

It all sounds good to us and we get the feeling that Atlanta residents will be pleased with the deal too. Not only will Meruelo breathe new life into the team, he may also throw in some free pizza slices for the die-hard fans.

Are you excited to see a Latino NBA team owner? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Alex Meruelo, Atlanta Hawks, basketball, Blogger: Michael Lopez, Cultura, Hawks, NBA, Sports

By Sharmaine Jones

We're only three days into the NBA Playoffs but the excitement factor is already at an all-time high! We're psyched to see that first-round games have been highly competitive with some resulting in upsets, but we're extremely proud of the significant roles Latinos have been playing in the series.

Thus far, the Eastern Conference games have been pretty close. The Chicago Bulls, the team with the best record in the 2010-2011 season, took a commanding two games to one lead over the 8th seed Indiana Pacers with a 5.5 point average margin of victory.

The (#2) Miami Heat also won the first two games in convincing fashion against the (#7) Philadelphia 76ers. Argentinean Andres Nocioni hasn't been an impact for his Philadelphia team –0 points in game 1 and DNP in game 2– but if his aggressiveness on the offensive end in the last two games of the season is any indication of what he can bring in the playoffs, he may see more playing time moving forward.

The (#3) Boston Celtics defeated the (#6) New York Knicks 85-87 in a nail-biting game 1. Afro-Latino Carmelo Anthony had a disappointing game, ending with a measly 15 points. The Knicks forward picked up two early fouls and never seemed to get his game on track. In more disturbing news, Knicks veteran point guard Chauncey Billups suffered an injury and will not play in game two tonight. 'Melo will really be tested but we have no doubt that he'll come up big!

Despite (#4) Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard's impressive 46 points and 19 rebounds, the (#5) Atlanta Hawks pulled off a 103-93 upset. Atlanta's top three scorers were Joe Johnson (25 points), Jamal Crawford (23 points) and Dominican forward Al Horford (16 points).

In the West, as expected, (#3) Dallas Mavericks defeated (#6) Portland Trailblazers 81-89. Mavs guard J.J. Barea from Puerto Rico had a rough night with 4 points on 1-7 shooting but Spaniard Rudy Fernandez of the Blazers shot well, hitting 2-3 shots for 6 points.

(#4) Oklahoma City Thunder defeated (#5) Denver Nuggets in a close 107-103 game 1. The Nuggets were led by Brazilian center Nene's 22 points and 8 rebounds but they couldn't withstand OKC forward – and NBA leading scorer – Kevin Durant's 41 point onslaught. If Nene continues to dominate in the paint, OKC is in for a long series.

The biggest surprises thus far are the series between the two best and the two worst playoff teams in the West. (#1) San Antonio Spurs lost to (#8) Memphis Grizzlies 101-98. Argentinean Manu Ginobili (elbow injury) and Brazilian Tiagi Splitter of the Spurs did not play. The Spurs will undoubtedly miss Manu's 17 points per game and will benefit from incorporating size of the 7 foot Splitter against Grizzlies center Marc Gasol in game 2. Gasol, brother to fellow Spaniard Pau Gasol, had his way against the front line of the Spurs scoring 22 points, on 9-10 shooting, and grabbing 9 rebounds.

(#7) New Orleans Hornets gave the defending champion (#2) Los Angeles Lakers all they could handle, and then some. Hornets point guard Chris Paul filled up the stat column and was only 3 rebounds short of a triple-double (33 points, 14 assists, 7 rebounds). Lakers guard Kobe Bryant contributed 34 points but his supporting cast wasn't much help. Lakers center Pau Gasol scored only 8 points on 2-9 shooting. If the Lakers are hoping to repeat, Gasol needs to be a dominant inside presence.

Here's a look at the upcoming NBA Playoffs Schedule:

New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics (game 2) tonight 7PM
Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic (game 2) tonight 7:30PM
Portland Trailblazers vs Dallas Mavericks (game 2) tonight 9:30PM

Denver Nuggets vs Oklahoma City Thunder (game 2) Wednesday (4/20) 8PM
Memphis Grizzlies vs San Antonio Spurs (game 2) Wednesday (4/20) 8:30PM
New Orleans Hornets vs Los Angeles Lakers (game 2) Wednesday (4/20) 10:30PM

Chicago Bulls vs Indiana Pacers (game 3) Thursday (4/21) 7PM
Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers (game 3) Thursday (4/21) 8PM

Tags 76ers, Al Horford, Andres Nocioni, basketball, Carmelo Anthony, Celtics, Grizzlies, Hawks, J.J. Barea, Knicks, Lakers, Latino Players, Manu Ginobili, Marc Gasol, Mavericks, NBA, Nene, Nuggets, Pau Gasol, Playoffs, Rudy Fernandez, Spurs, Tiago Splitter, Trailblazers