JSG: LAkers what what
Adam: dude, they are so set for so long maybe
The new spurs?
JSG: no shit, D fish is the only one over 30
and farmar will take over for him anyway
they should totally get chalmers
Adam: although, i dont necessarily go for all this jazz about the demise of the spurs - I mean, are they really just going to fall apart. Some media peeps are acting like the spurs are going to literally just break like china before our eyes.
chamlers on LA - that would be money
JSG: I don't know that shit did happen with Miami after all
but its a pretty different scenario
Adam: yea, but its diff
JSG: really all about manu being sub 100%
Adam: Spurs just weren't rocking shots like normal..they have to have some randish guy step up and hit some big 3's it seems...didn't happen this series
JSG: yeah, Horry is done though
finley probably also
oberto's nothing special
Adam: the best worst player ever = oberto
JSG: and Duncan will be good for a while but his dominance might be waning
seriously
but they are supposed to have a shed of good euros chomping at the bit
Adam: yea yea - i saw that, theyre always stockpiling euros...
it's humorous
me: smart as hell
Adam: Why are people not embracing the Lakers? like why is there such malice for Kobe
he's friggin sick dirty
JSG: i don't know, people are still caught up in Colorado or some shit
he is so fucking good
Adam: he'll grab your throat, break your windpipe, then cut out your heart for affect
JSG: its pretty sick that they can go down 17 or 20 and then just win
not even trying hard
dude just waits till the 4th and then unloads
Adam: I just don't understand why people can't roll with Kobe, so what if he's ego. He's super-smart, incredibly insanely good at bball,
JSG: and his connxn w/ pau is for real
Adam: he's like above everyone else in the nba on so many levels - and he knows it, so why shoudln't he be aloof
JSG: yeah, and he's not the little bitch he was when he came into the league
Adam: What's funnny is the NBA no flopping rule - kicking the spurs when they're down..ha
JSG: yeah, but the celts too, glen davis and rondo are all about that shit
Sheed dropped the knowledge on that
Adam: oh i know - Davis is like on the floor on every play
sheed is hilarious, the truth
JSG: He's one of the best dude's to watch in the NBA
his O repertoire is out of control
Adam: yes, but lately I feel like everyone has been on his tip, he's very very legit..but, his consistency or something just makes him so random
Everyone has been talking about how he's the best player in the league if he wantd to be....well, dude hates losing, so why shouldn't he step up and make it happen nite in nite out -
JSG: Yeah, he's getting old also
Adam: and to think he used to be a Hawk
JSG: I mean he came into the league with garnett, but out of college
he was at UNC with Stackhouse, he's old
that's why hes out at the perimeter so much now
but talking about the spurs and not going downhill- the pistons are the best talent scouts in the NBA
Adam: yea for serious
They're stacked
JSG: Stuckey, maxiell, Amir johnson, herrman
Adam: Stuckey, i thought we were looking at the beginning of his legacy the other nite when they were coming back...he hit free throws, then that 3, then he missed that free throw - i just felt he wasn't going to miss. He's got an aura
JSG: there was some shit on true hoop about how dumars sat down w/ management and decided who to activate for the series, they activated amir and he played same day
thats like 13 deep right there
Adam: yea, stacked
JSG: You could tell he was surprised when he missed the ft
Adam: Maxiell's blocks
JSG: or when he went up for 3 ally oops on three straight possesions
yo im on luch break i gotta go eat
take it easy
Adam: yea me too
later...i'm a try post this weekend. been slammed al week
JSG do it
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
The Worker and the Queen
In the last two nights Kendrick Perkins and Brent Barry had huge games, perhaps career games. And it reminds us of how good the NBA really is. And how hard.
KP is a big boy, he’s got skills, and he can outrebound a good rebounding team in the Pistons. Yet dude only averaged 6pts and maybe 8 boards during the regular season.
BBarry, similarly was WAIVED by Utah (or something) for cap space, yet exploded for 23pts against the Lakers and had the ball in his hands for the game winning opportunity Tuesday night.
What is amazing is that these guys have all the potential to be outstanding players, yet they will wallow in the mire of mediocrity for the rest of their careers. Is it that they lack some drive to pull these types of games off at this level consistently; did they get lucky; or is it rather a situational thing where they are willing to take a backseat to be on a better team. What, I guess, is the difference between KP and David West, or BB and T-Mac (Barry did win the dunk contest after all)?
Maybe it is really an issue of motivation at the intersection of skill, certainly one can compensate somewhat for the other, but you need to have both at a high level for true success in the League. Which brings us back full circle in questioning KP and BB, which of those two components do these guys lack?
KP is a big boy, he’s got skills, and he can outrebound a good rebounding team in the Pistons. Yet dude only averaged 6pts and maybe 8 boards during the regular season.
BBarry, similarly was WAIVED by Utah (or something) for cap space, yet exploded for 23pts against the Lakers and had the ball in his hands for the game winning opportunity Tuesday night.
What is amazing is that these guys have all the potential to be outstanding players, yet they will wallow in the mire of mediocrity for the rest of their careers. Is it that they lack some drive to pull these types of games off at this level consistently; did they get lucky; or is it rather a situational thing where they are willing to take a backseat to be on a better team. What, I guess, is the difference between KP and David West, or BB and T-Mac (Barry did win the dunk contest after all)?
Maybe it is really an issue of motivation at the intersection of skill, certainly one can compensate somewhat for the other, but you need to have both at a high level for true success in the League. Which brings us back full circle in questioning KP and BB, which of those two components do these guys lack?
LA-SA
This is going to be the best game of the playoffs. On one hand you have the defending champs against the wall, needing a win to keep playing. While across the court you have a Kobe, the reigning MVP, a group of kids that don’t know any better, and maybe the best coach of the modern era (which I’m certain Pop has something to say about).
It’s too hard to predict the outcome of this one, although Manu’s ankle will likely be the biggest factor in the game, which, to say the least, is sad.
It’s too hard to predict the outcome of this one, although Manu’s ankle will likely be the biggest factor in the game, which, to say the least, is sad.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Maybe and Never King
Lamar Odom was the difference last night. Lamar Odom will be the difference against Boston or Detroit. Lamar Odom is the toughest matchup in the NBA right now.
Too much you say? Admittedly, were LO the number one or two option, and you could play him with Pierce, Bowen or Tayshaun, then things would be different. But you can’t thanks to the Tree Leopard, and your best big man has to be on Pau (which is not to say they would be worthwhile on Odom anyway, I mean did you see when Oberto was on him? That was a laughably easy three point play).
Essentially what this boils down to is that you have to have your third best defender guarding a 6-10 small forward who actually does play like a 6-10 combo guard, and this is why the Lakers deep is deeper.
Boston’s Big 3 has become a Big 2, Ginobili’s ankle has given the Spurs a collective hobble, and Detroit’s Big 4 just doesn’t have the size to or speed to play with LAs 3.
Right now I see the Celtics rooting hard for the Spurs because they just can’t match up with LA. Detroit will roll with the punches and has as much of a chance against anybody, past present or future, which is not to say they have a chance in this series or the next. They are the true residue of our American generation, too talented to fail but too assured to take the throne.
Too much you say? Admittedly, were LO the number one or two option, and you could play him with Pierce, Bowen or Tayshaun, then things would be different. But you can’t thanks to the Tree Leopard, and your best big man has to be on Pau (which is not to say they would be worthwhile on Odom anyway, I mean did you see when Oberto was on him? That was a laughably easy three point play).
Essentially what this boils down to is that you have to have your third best defender guarding a 6-10 small forward who actually does play like a 6-10 combo guard, and this is why the Lakers deep is deeper.
Boston’s Big 3 has become a Big 2, Ginobili’s ankle has given the Spurs a collective hobble, and Detroit’s Big 4 just doesn’t have the size to or speed to play with LAs 3.
Right now I see the Celtics rooting hard for the Spurs because they just can’t match up with LA. Detroit will roll with the punches and has as much of a chance against anybody, past present or future, which is not to say they have a chance in this series or the next. They are the true residue of our American generation, too talented to fail but too assured to take the throne.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Living two lives
The Detroit-Boston series brings to the fore an interesting contrast in managerial efficiency. This contrast bodes exceedingly well for the Pistons while Boston fans will probably be a little disappointed at the ongoing outcomes of this whole playoffs.
While Boston has mortgaged young talent (Al Jefferson most clearly) for a rise to success, Detroit has kept together a championship nucleus for half a decade, continued winning, and still found a way to energize its reserve with players of unique and devastating ability. Both Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey are not only good, but more importantly these guys play with an abandon too talented to be reckless but loose enough to avoid quantification.
Maxiell in particular went crazy in a Ben Wallace circa 2003 manner on D (the blocks he’s had on Garnett in the last two games could well be on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in an enlightened future), while raining on O like the other Wallace(6-6 including flailing dunks on fast breaks and spot ups from the top of the key.
Stuckey on the other hand plays like Rondo with twice the swagger plus the ability to hit jumpers. He doesn’t think about deferring: never, and more: Last night in the fourth he had a play that aged him 10 years: he was guarded one on one at the top right of the lane dribbles hard to the hoop, beats his man to draw the post guy off the block and then feinted in and pulled up for a jump pass to a lay-up. I mean he clowned the man D of the widely proclaimed best D in the League like he was Nash or Davis.
This is all to say nothing of the guys who are barely playing but will, Amir Johnson, Walter Herrman and who knows who else.
The Celts, meanwhile, are aged like the Spurs with none of the backstory, rather coming together 3 titles too late. They certainly have some young guys getting minutes in Rondo and Glen Davis, but both of these guys are only a little bit more than space. The talent is there but you don’t see these guys overcoming. This may be a little harsh in the case of Rondo who did have a few good games this playoffs, but Davis doesn’t have the athleticism to really be more than a body off the bench.
On the other side of the country the Spurs and the Lakers can hang with the Pistons in terms of reloading talent. The Spurs literally get their players fully formed from foreign leagues, while the Lakers have the drafting acumen of Dumars. The hope for the Lakers is that the Spurs are too late in the cycle, and that Gasol will have a breakout game on the road. If that happens the Lakers can wrap it up early, while if not 7 games can fall either way.
Another interesting thought is how big the Big Three are, but only by having garnered individual accolades as the Great Players on Bad Teams. How good could Parker or Ginobili have been had they been alone on the Sonics, Celts or Timberwolves? And is it their fault that a good team picked them up before they could go the way of French Reds, creating a legendary vintage through slowly aging in seclusion?
While Boston has mortgaged young talent (Al Jefferson most clearly) for a rise to success, Detroit has kept together a championship nucleus for half a decade, continued winning, and still found a way to energize its reserve with players of unique and devastating ability. Both Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey are not only good, but more importantly these guys play with an abandon too talented to be reckless but loose enough to avoid quantification.
Maxiell in particular went crazy in a Ben Wallace circa 2003 manner on D (the blocks he’s had on Garnett in the last two games could well be on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in an enlightened future), while raining on O like the other Wallace(6-6 including flailing dunks on fast breaks and spot ups from the top of the key.
Stuckey on the other hand plays like Rondo with twice the swagger plus the ability to hit jumpers. He doesn’t think about deferring: never, and more: Last night in the fourth he had a play that aged him 10 years: he was guarded one on one at the top right of the lane dribbles hard to the hoop, beats his man to draw the post guy off the block and then feinted in and pulled up for a jump pass to a lay-up. I mean he clowned the man D of the widely proclaimed best D in the League like he was Nash or Davis.
This is all to say nothing of the guys who are barely playing but will, Amir Johnson, Walter Herrman and who knows who else.
The Celts, meanwhile, are aged like the Spurs with none of the backstory, rather coming together 3 titles too late. They certainly have some young guys getting minutes in Rondo and Glen Davis, but both of these guys are only a little bit more than space. The talent is there but you don’t see these guys overcoming. This may be a little harsh in the case of Rondo who did have a few good games this playoffs, but Davis doesn’t have the athleticism to really be more than a body off the bench.
On the other side of the country the Spurs and the Lakers can hang with the Pistons in terms of reloading talent. The Spurs literally get their players fully formed from foreign leagues, while the Lakers have the drafting acumen of Dumars. The hope for the Lakers is that the Spurs are too late in the cycle, and that Gasol will have a breakout game on the road. If that happens the Lakers can wrap it up early, while if not 7 games can fall either way.
Another interesting thought is how big the Big Three are, but only by having garnered individual accolades as the Great Players on Bad Teams. How good could Parker or Ginobili have been had they been alone on the Sonics, Celts or Timberwolves? And is it their fault that a good team picked them up before they could go the way of French Reds, creating a legendary vintage through slowly aging in seclusion?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Wednesday Night Thoughts
Great Sports Day.
Watching the Champion's League final was a unique experience in humble. And then a Lazurus inspired return of Ronaldo's own fear of overcoming.
For the first 40 minutes of the game Cristiano was the dominant force in the game, he was the funnest player to watch, the most ready to step on the pitch, and the best able to execute his game (oh Tevez, how nearly you destroyed your club!). I mean really, dude came out dancing with the prettiest girl and took her right to bed.
But then Chelsea found the back of the net from a out of nowhere. And then from the best silence. That second half Ronaldo (and the rest of the team in all fairness) was nowhere to be found. And that miss on kicks was probably on of the most visible acts of choking you will ever see in sports. It's hard to make kicking a penalty look bad, but he did. He should have a thank-you card already on the way to Terry.
But anyway, he came out and proved me wrong, then proved me right, then walked away with a Champion's league trophy and a goal, so all will be forgotten and his march to history can continue.
And Kobe is SO FUCKING GOOD.
Watching the Champion's League final was a unique experience in humble. And then a Lazurus inspired return of Ronaldo's own fear of overcoming.
For the first 40 minutes of the game Cristiano was the dominant force in the game, he was the funnest player to watch, the most ready to step on the pitch, and the best able to execute his game (oh Tevez, how nearly you destroyed your club!). I mean really, dude came out dancing with the prettiest girl and took her right to bed.
But then Chelsea found the back of the net from a out of nowhere. And then from the best silence. That second half Ronaldo (and the rest of the team in all fairness) was nowhere to be found. And that miss on kicks was probably on of the most visible acts of choking you will ever see in sports. It's hard to make kicking a penalty look bad, but he did. He should have a thank-you card already on the way to Terry.
But anyway, he came out and proved me wrong, then proved me right, then walked away with a Champion's league trophy and a goal, so all will be forgotten and his march to history can continue.
And Kobe is SO FUCKING GOOD.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Reactions
Adam: welllllllllllll
spurs
JSG: surprise surprise
should bea good matchup
Adam: yea, i mean, like i wrote in my email, i don't like the spurs - but, they do have my respect
JSG: yeah
they're alright to watch, i just don't like how they win
they could've ran through NO,
Adam: actually, i know it's contradictary, but i do like the way the play often....I just get so annoyed with their whining
JSG: I just feel like the only part of their potential that they live up to is winning
they could do so much more as a team
Adam: yea - they're just weird sometimes. it's like they have to get inside their opponents heads' in order to win in a decisive fashion
JSG: like the suns win even though they lose
and the spurs lose even though they win
Adam: yea
agreed
it's like they should be in the east
JSG: yeah, but I mean the spurs would roll against the celts
Adam: How anticlimactic are Eastern conf games btw?
JSG: I don't know who I would go for in that match up
Adam: yea, they both annoy me
JSG: I think that there is some potential in the east matchup
i actually like the pistons
Adam: well...if you like halfcourt basketbal
JSG: im a huge rasheed and tayshaun fan
Adam: but i mean, i'd go watch a big ten game if i wanted to see that kind of bball
but of course i'll be watching
ha
JSG: well, its certainly not atl washington
hopefully in a few years it will be
but its become expected for good teams to lose early
Adam: are they truly good then?
JSG: right
Adam: i mean, i understand the concept of the spurs as this 'complete' team, etc etc....but, i just wish that certain teams that make you FEEL (like the suns, the lakers w/kobe) they inspire and make me at least not want to turn away....i just wish those types of teams could transcend what i feel is the almost boring nature of the 'team' concept the media harps on with teams like boston and the spurs
but, it really has yet to happen. gotta get past the spurs apparently
but do you know what i'm trying to convey?
JSG: yeah, i think itll happen soon
i mean back in the day the lakers were awesome (showtime)
and the bulls were good to watch also
Adam: yes, and the bulls w/ mj exemplified that to a degree
JSG: Maybe the lack of talent from 97-02 coming into the league made this happen
Adam: hmm. interesting
JSG: there seems to be so many good young players that things will pick up soon
I mean when its kobe in mid 30s, cp3 and derron lbj arenas in late 20s
and beasley durant rose oden in mid 20s
this league should be fire
Adam: yea
speakign of young stars - derron or cp3, who is it for you ?
JSG: hard to say
cp3 is better
but he can get a little testy in a bad way
i like Derrons style, but he doesn't step up enough
Adam: i dont konw....williams i just don't think is expected or asked to do as much as paul
i mean, there is no boozer on NO
JSG: well ask 10 people if they'd rather have west or boozer
i would probably say west for next season
Adam: ehh, that's a tough one too...different systems. Boozer fits in what Sloan wants to do. Utah could be for serious good next season
Brewer and Price off the bench...
JSG: yeah, millsap too, that guy can hop
Adam: another season of playing together, Williams and Boozer
yeaaaaa
JSG: yeah but ak and boozer have been getting worse over the past 15 mos, if u ask me
where was boozer against LA
Adam: just a bad stretch?
AK i agree with, i have no idea why he is such a weird player....i don't know, maybe he needs a defined role
JSG: Im not sure if AK really likes basketball, thats what it seems like sometimes
spurs
JSG: surprise surprise
should bea good matchup
Adam: yea, i mean, like i wrote in my email, i don't like the spurs - but, they do have my respect
JSG: yeah
they're alright to watch, i just don't like how they win
they could've ran through NO,
Adam: actually, i know it's contradictary, but i do like the way the play often....I just get so annoyed with their whining
JSG: I just feel like the only part of their potential that they live up to is winning
they could do so much more as a team
Adam: yea - they're just weird sometimes. it's like they have to get inside their opponents heads' in order to win in a decisive fashion
JSG: like the suns win even though they lose
and the spurs lose even though they win
Adam: yea
agreed
it's like they should be in the east
JSG: yeah, but I mean the spurs would roll against the celts
Adam: How anticlimactic are Eastern conf games btw?
JSG: I don't know who I would go for in that match up
Adam: yea, they both annoy me
JSG: I think that there is some potential in the east matchup
i actually like the pistons
Adam: well...if you like halfcourt basketbal
JSG: im a huge rasheed and tayshaun fan
Adam: but i mean, i'd go watch a big ten game if i wanted to see that kind of bball
but of course i'll be watching
ha
JSG: well, its certainly not atl washington
hopefully in a few years it will be
but its become expected for good teams to lose early
Adam: are they truly good then?
JSG: right
Adam: i mean, i understand the concept of the spurs as this 'complete' team, etc etc....but, i just wish that certain teams that make you FEEL (like the suns, the lakers w/kobe) they inspire and make me at least not want to turn away....i just wish those types of teams could transcend what i feel is the almost boring nature of the 'team' concept the media harps on with teams like boston and the spurs
but, it really has yet to happen. gotta get past the spurs apparently
but do you know what i'm trying to convey?
JSG: yeah, i think itll happen soon
i mean back in the day the lakers were awesome (showtime)
and the bulls were good to watch also
Adam: yes, and the bulls w/ mj exemplified that to a degree
JSG: Maybe the lack of talent from 97-02 coming into the league made this happen
Adam: hmm. interesting
JSG: there seems to be so many good young players that things will pick up soon
I mean when its kobe in mid 30s, cp3 and derron lbj arenas in late 20s
and beasley durant rose oden in mid 20s
this league should be fire
Adam: yea
speakign of young stars - derron or cp3, who is it for you ?
JSG: hard to say
cp3 is better
but he can get a little testy in a bad way
i like Derrons style, but he doesn't step up enough
Adam: i dont konw....williams i just don't think is expected or asked to do as much as paul
i mean, there is no boozer on NO
JSG: well ask 10 people if they'd rather have west or boozer
i would probably say west for next season
Adam: ehh, that's a tough one too...different systems. Boozer fits in what Sloan wants to do. Utah could be for serious good next season
Brewer and Price off the bench...
JSG: yeah, millsap too, that guy can hop
Adam: another season of playing together, Williams and Boozer
yeaaaaa
JSG: yeah but ak and boozer have been getting worse over the past 15 mos, if u ask me
where was boozer against LA
Adam: just a bad stretch?
AK i agree with, i have no idea why he is such a weird player....i don't know, maybe he needs a defined role
JSG: Im not sure if AK really likes basketball, thats what it seems like sometimes
Back to the Future
Last night’s game was the outcome expected and hoped against. It brought the mountains to the valleys and affirmed a respect for the defending champs that I had been too keen to ignore. Chris Paul fell short of his own legend but certainly tried his best to be a Spur, with all the toughness but none of the flair that we had hoped for.
Moving into the western conference finals the matchup calls for our rapt attention, and for the first time we have capable bearers of opposing styles into the ring together. For a long time I have thought of the Spurs as a sort of chameleon, adapting to the surroundings and then conquering by slowly adopting a new style. The problem with the coming matchup is that even a chameleon can’t mirror a singularity; Kobe’s talent falls from the sky and eludes the grasp of finest shape shifter.
Sure, the Spurs have player(s) capable of outbursts of 35, maybe even 40, but over the course of the series they are going to have to oppose an earthquake with the finest balance, not an easy task but entertaining to watch. Which is more impressive, a pinnacle or a plateau, the answer will by this series be determined.
Pistons-Celtics
Tonight in the Garden a mirror will see itself for the first time. Veterans and defense, experience and inevitability, all of these are on the table in spades for this series. Tayshaun Prince of Compton will be on a talent that survived a stabbing, KG will be down low with Rasheed, Blue and Orange, Ray and Rip, the best spot up shooter against the best off picks, and Chauncy and Rajon, a father and a son.
That’s all too easy, but for real these teams are so similar that attrition may be the best we can ask for.
Moving into the western conference finals the matchup calls for our rapt attention, and for the first time we have capable bearers of opposing styles into the ring together. For a long time I have thought of the Spurs as a sort of chameleon, adapting to the surroundings and then conquering by slowly adopting a new style. The problem with the coming matchup is that even a chameleon can’t mirror a singularity; Kobe’s talent falls from the sky and eludes the grasp of finest shape shifter.
Sure, the Spurs have player(s) capable of outbursts of 35, maybe even 40, but over the course of the series they are going to have to oppose an earthquake with the finest balance, not an easy task but entertaining to watch. Which is more impressive, a pinnacle or a plateau, the answer will by this series be determined.
Pistons-Celtics
Tonight in the Garden a mirror will see itself for the first time. Veterans and defense, experience and inevitability, all of these are on the table in spades for this series. Tayshaun Prince of Compton will be on a talent that survived a stabbing, KG will be down low with Rasheed, Blue and Orange, Ray and Rip, the best spot up shooter against the best off picks, and Chauncy and Rajon, a father and a son.
That’s all too easy, but for real these teams are so similar that attrition may be the best we can ask for.
Monday, May 19, 2008
One and the World
I’m sure many of you saw Game 7 last night, light shining like headlights on a summer day, where Pierce and Lebron steered the ball into the rim for a combined 86 points. We here, many of us, are KU alum and should have Paul’s knife wounds deep in our souls.
But a game where the lead doesn’t change hands after the first minute only inspires so much confidence in sheer power.
I don’t love this Celtics team for what it was yesterday; how were they different last night than a year ago save for context. PP took the load on his European shoulders and hung his team in there. KG played like a Frankenstein of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace, Ray Allen raced to the bottom as hard as he could with Wally, Delonte played the fiddle to Rondo’s violin while Stratovarius wept for the absence of craft. The game was a shining sea of mediocrity overwhelming the best intentions of two scorers. Paul Pierce carried a mediocre team past the mediocrity that is Cleveland, and we will be paid in a pound of hype.
As for tonight I’m certain we will see the counterpoint to last night’s game, antipathy yielding to anxiety and a son fulfilling his legend to conquer the father. CP3, for lovers and haters, carries the genetic mettle of the, all of them, Spurs in his wily game and hardened mind. A punch in the balls for a drive through the lane, a pirouette after a nudge for a clutch clutch game; the dude is in one what the Spurs are in many.
What will determine the outcome, though, is how the cast responds. Will Julian, in his college spirit, carry forth with 5(2-3), 3, 2, 1, 2 or be silent; will David West’s broken back quiet Horry like so many CCs of novocaine; will Tyson Chandler play like he didn’t go to college or will he play like HE DIDN’T GO TO COLLEGE!.
As for the Spurs it is not who they are (after all ADS let us know that) but it is what they are, and they are steel souled assassins with a barrel full of timely threes and nitroglycerine in their jowl. And for that tonight will be what Bos-Cle was not.
But a game where the lead doesn’t change hands after the first minute only inspires so much confidence in sheer power.
I don’t love this Celtics team for what it was yesterday; how were they different last night than a year ago save for context. PP took the load on his European shoulders and hung his team in there. KG played like a Frankenstein of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace, Ray Allen raced to the bottom as hard as he could with Wally, Delonte played the fiddle to Rondo’s violin while Stratovarius wept for the absence of craft. The game was a shining sea of mediocrity overwhelming the best intentions of two scorers. Paul Pierce carried a mediocre team past the mediocrity that is Cleveland, and we will be paid in a pound of hype.
As for tonight I’m certain we will see the counterpoint to last night’s game, antipathy yielding to anxiety and a son fulfilling his legend to conquer the father. CP3, for lovers and haters, carries the genetic mettle of the, all of them, Spurs in his wily game and hardened mind. A punch in the balls for a drive through the lane, a pirouette after a nudge for a clutch clutch game; the dude is in one what the Spurs are in many.
What will determine the outcome, though, is how the cast responds. Will Julian, in his college spirit, carry forth with 5(2-3), 3, 2, 1, 2 or be silent; will David West’s broken back quiet Horry like so many CCs of novocaine; will Tyson Chandler play like he didn’t go to college or will he play like HE DIDN’T GO TO COLLEGE!.
As for the Spurs it is not who they are (after all ADS let us know that) but it is what they are, and they are steel souled assassins with a barrel full of timely threes and nitroglycerine in their jowl. And for that tonight will be what Bos-Cle was not.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
To be or you aren't
Clutch and the mentality of greatness is the issue that I’m hoping to address today. Especially as this relates to C. Renaldo. It would be a fool’s errand to argue against the poetic skill of the 23 year old Renaldo; his surname alone seemingly ensures his spot in the pantheon. What irks me about his talent though is his willingness to hide his ability, to guard his brilliance until success and applause are ensured. Those of you who watch the premiership certainly understand this: C. Ronaldo will bide his time and fill a role until his team secures a 1-0 lead, he’ll then unleash his vast array of baroque footwork and incisive passing.
A player with such talent should perform on a high level at all times. The manner in which he is emboldened by leads is the first and most damning critique of his mettle. His performance throughout the premiership, his monumental stats, are little more to me than a reflections across an ocean of another superlative regular season talent, Alex Rodriguez. Time and time again Ronaldo falls short in the clutch, the world cup, the euro cup, the champion’s league, he has in these events no hardware to boast of. There is no doubt that he has a chance to serve his doubters this week, but he must.
To add a little about what being talked about here of recent, Robert Horry is the one Spurs player who plays as if he is a real person. Having learned his game from other greats, rather than Duncan and David Robinson, he has the guts and the glory, not just the latter for the soul of the former.
A player with such talent should perform on a high level at all times. The manner in which he is emboldened by leads is the first and most damning critique of his mettle. His performance throughout the premiership, his monumental stats, are little more to me than a reflections across an ocean of another superlative regular season talent, Alex Rodriguez. Time and time again Ronaldo falls short in the clutch, the world cup, the euro cup, the champion’s league, he has in these events no hardware to boast of. There is no doubt that he has a chance to serve his doubters this week, but he must.
To add a little about what being talked about here of recent, Robert Horry is the one Spurs player who plays as if he is a real person. Having learned his game from other greats, rather than Duncan and David Robinson, he has the guts and the glory, not just the latter for the soul of the former.
Notes on a Scandal
Everything is bigger in Texas, including the non-stories.
Naturally, the headline “Report: Arthur’s Grades Altered” on KUSports.com gave many Jayhawk fans mild arrhythmia.
The story is this: a Dallas TV station, in performing its solemn duty as a watchdog, talked to a local algebra teacher, Winford Ashmore, who claimed Darrell Arthur had his grades altered by the principal and basketball coach to ensure his eligibility. This is nothing new for Oak Cliff high school, as it has forfeited games in the past few years due to academic irregularities.
The Dallas station, WFAA, clearly had a well-documented, polished news package. But it lacked a news peg.
So it got a little creative, played loose with the facts and raised all-in. The video montage evolves from shots of Arthur playing at Oak Cliff to Arthur soaring for alley-oops in a Jayhawk uniform and hoisting the national championship trophy. WFAA closed the broadcast with a statement dripping with suggestion: “the NCAA rules state that if a player is ineligible, a penalty can be forfeiture of any and all games.”
Bravo.
I nearly had to change my pants.
Until, that is, I regained my senses. The one answer that seemingly devastates the story is that the NCAA declared Arthur eligible to play for KU. It is not the responsibility of any collegiate coach to perform his own investigation to double-check the NCAA. As long as there are no fingerprints on this story from the KU athletic department, it will eventually waft into the ether.
But it does bring up an interesting topic: Is it really that bad that Arthur had a little help on the way to achieving his dream?
Now before you saddle up the high horse, I’m not advocating special treatment for anyone. I certainly don’t feel that all athletes should be given a free ride due to their ability outside of the classroom.
But we’re talking about a one-in-a-million type of talent in this situation. Would you have denied Mozart a spot in music class because he was borderline in home ec? Face it, you don’t want Mozart serving you crème brulee any more than you want Darrell Arthur working a shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral.
So what would have happened if Arthur’s principal and coach had not intervened? Winford Ashmore would have gotten his jollies by making Arthur hate algebra more than anything on earth. Arthur would have lost the one thing that mattered, the one thing at which he was unparalleled. He may have persevered and developed into a well rounded student athlete. Or he may have become frustrated, withdrawn, and yet another depressing story about wasted talent.
But we’re starting to get off-track.
What’s surprising about this grade-changing scandal is that it’s actually called a scandal in Dallas. Dallas, Texas. Home of the 40,000 seat stadiums that are virtual shrines to pubescent athletics.
There is something fundamentally troubling about sports culture today. 8th graders are now declaring their allegiances to colleges. O.J. Mayo appears to have more or less struck an agreement with an agent before half-heartedly skipping off to USC for a year. The game has gotten so big, the paychecks so large, that “the next best thing” seems to be getting younger and younger each year. There’s too much money involved for there not to be corruption.
Arthur’s story isn’t nearly as dispiriting as Mayo’s. With Mayo, it was about money, and it was about 40-year old men stalking teenage boys in gymnasiums for 15% of their future income.
It looks now like Arthur had some people in his corner, in that his coach and his principal—either for him or for the school—wanted to see him succeed in that at which he excelled. They got two state championships in the process, but part of me is naïve enough to believe that they also wanted to see doors remain open for him at the next level.
Whatever the case may be it is unfortunate that the story comes out now. Winford Ashmore should have said something about Arthur’s eligibility issues before he left Oak Cliff. Instead, he decides to wait until Arthur declares for the NBA? Very odd.
Until you consider that it’s Sweeps Week.
Then it begins to make a little more sense. WFAA was hurting for a story, and finally had some semblance of a news peg with KU winning the championship. Ashmore (putting on my psychologist cap here) may have been bitter about devoting his life to the quadratic equation, as Arthur, who can put a ball in a basket, will become a multi-millionaire in a couple weeks. Who knows?
Everything is bigger in Texas, especially the non-stories. This non-story came during baseball season, which was enough to make me lose half a morning tilting at windmills.
-Nathan Rodriguez
Naturally, the headline “Report: Arthur’s Grades Altered” on KUSports.com gave many Jayhawk fans mild arrhythmia.
The story is this: a Dallas TV station, in performing its solemn duty as a watchdog, talked to a local algebra teacher, Winford Ashmore, who claimed Darrell Arthur had his grades altered by the principal and basketball coach to ensure his eligibility. This is nothing new for Oak Cliff high school, as it has forfeited games in the past few years due to academic irregularities.
The Dallas station, WFAA, clearly had a well-documented, polished news package. But it lacked a news peg.
So it got a little creative, played loose with the facts and raised all-in. The video montage evolves from shots of Arthur playing at Oak Cliff to Arthur soaring for alley-oops in a Jayhawk uniform and hoisting the national championship trophy. WFAA closed the broadcast with a statement dripping with suggestion: “the NCAA rules state that if a player is ineligible, a penalty can be forfeiture of any and all games.”
Bravo.
I nearly had to change my pants.
Until, that is, I regained my senses. The one answer that seemingly devastates the story is that the NCAA declared Arthur eligible to play for KU. It is not the responsibility of any collegiate coach to perform his own investigation to double-check the NCAA. As long as there are no fingerprints on this story from the KU athletic department, it will eventually waft into the ether.
But it does bring up an interesting topic: Is it really that bad that Arthur had a little help on the way to achieving his dream?
Now before you saddle up the high horse, I’m not advocating special treatment for anyone. I certainly don’t feel that all athletes should be given a free ride due to their ability outside of the classroom.
But we’re talking about a one-in-a-million type of talent in this situation. Would you have denied Mozart a spot in music class because he was borderline in home ec? Face it, you don’t want Mozart serving you crème brulee any more than you want Darrell Arthur working a shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral.
So what would have happened if Arthur’s principal and coach had not intervened? Winford Ashmore would have gotten his jollies by making Arthur hate algebra more than anything on earth. Arthur would have lost the one thing that mattered, the one thing at which he was unparalleled. He may have persevered and developed into a well rounded student athlete. Or he may have become frustrated, withdrawn, and yet another depressing story about wasted talent.
But we’re starting to get off-track.
What’s surprising about this grade-changing scandal is that it’s actually called a scandal in Dallas. Dallas, Texas. Home of the 40,000 seat stadiums that are virtual shrines to pubescent athletics.
There is something fundamentally troubling about sports culture today. 8th graders are now declaring their allegiances to colleges. O.J. Mayo appears to have more or less struck an agreement with an agent before half-heartedly skipping off to USC for a year. The game has gotten so big, the paychecks so large, that “the next best thing” seems to be getting younger and younger each year. There’s too much money involved for there not to be corruption.
Arthur’s story isn’t nearly as dispiriting as Mayo’s. With Mayo, it was about money, and it was about 40-year old men stalking teenage boys in gymnasiums for 15% of their future income.
It looks now like Arthur had some people in his corner, in that his coach and his principal—either for him or for the school—wanted to see him succeed in that at which he excelled. They got two state championships in the process, but part of me is naïve enough to believe that they also wanted to see doors remain open for him at the next level.
Whatever the case may be it is unfortunate that the story comes out now. Winford Ashmore should have said something about Arthur’s eligibility issues before he left Oak Cliff. Instead, he decides to wait until Arthur declares for the NBA? Very odd.
Until you consider that it’s Sweeps Week.
Then it begins to make a little more sense. WFAA was hurting for a story, and finally had some semblance of a news peg with KU winning the championship. Ashmore (putting on my psychologist cap here) may have been bitter about devoting his life to the quadratic equation, as Arthur, who can put a ball in a basket, will become a multi-millionaire in a couple weeks. Who knows?
Everything is bigger in Texas, especially the non-stories. This non-story came during baseball season, which was enough to make me lose half a morning tilting at windmills.
-Nathan Rodriguez
“…like the Pythagorean theorem”
I open this post with a bit of trivia. Who are the only group of players to have winning records in the playoffs against Bird, Magic, and Jordan? Answer: The Bad Boys.
The funny thing is that these Bad Boys were not only hated because of their overly physical play, but also for their ‘flopping’ to get opposing players in foul trouble.
A common thread has been developing in previous posts, which I will attempt to introduce in this post. This thread is the evolutionary approach to athletic genius. In my opinion, our definition of athletic genius as embodied in a single individual is flawed. This flawed definition does not allow us to see genius in the Bad Boys or the Cobra-Kai Spurs. Evolution attempts to explain heritability through time in terms of populations, not individuals. There is no doubt that contemporary neo-Darwinian studies are crafting a rhetoric for dealing with individuals, however, the population determines heritability, not the individual.
Why reduce the definition of athletic genius to certain freakish talents like Kobe, Lebron, or CP3? It seems we must broaden this definition to include groups of people (teams) that will do whatever it takes to ensure their ‘fitness’ in no matter what ‘niche’ they may encounter. No two teams have ensured their fitness during our lifetimes better than the Bad Boys or Spurs. We must applaud their genius, not admonish it!
Kobe’s MVP acceptance speech was very telling. It was the team that actually facilitated his first MVP! Genius is not sustainable without the team. If asked what teams they admire, I am confident that most of the individual geniuses of today would mention the Bad Boys or Cobra-Kai Spurs.
We will not remember the Spurs as whining floppers, but a major contribution to the modern game. They are the platypus of basketball. They are ugly as hell, but their design ensures their successful genetic fitness. We should be more awestruck by their genius than that of Kobe, Lebron, or CP3.
However, if they lose game 7, then their time has passed, for good. Yet, their success will ensure that another team with their genius will arise soon. Evolutionarily speaking, this is the kind of genius that can be copied and replicated easier than it can from a single individual that can score 81 points in a game.
I’d rather be a bitch with rings [sporting a mullet and dressed in a skeleton costume] than a genius that does not know how to operationalize his talent.
--the fire-crotched sensei
The funny thing is that these Bad Boys were not only hated because of their overly physical play, but also for their ‘flopping’ to get opposing players in foul trouble.
A common thread has been developing in previous posts, which I will attempt to introduce in this post. This thread is the evolutionary approach to athletic genius. In my opinion, our definition of athletic genius as embodied in a single individual is flawed. This flawed definition does not allow us to see genius in the Bad Boys or the Cobra-Kai Spurs. Evolution attempts to explain heritability through time in terms of populations, not individuals. There is no doubt that contemporary neo-Darwinian studies are crafting a rhetoric for dealing with individuals, however, the population determines heritability, not the individual.
Why reduce the definition of athletic genius to certain freakish talents like Kobe, Lebron, or CP3? It seems we must broaden this definition to include groups of people (teams) that will do whatever it takes to ensure their ‘fitness’ in no matter what ‘niche’ they may encounter. No two teams have ensured their fitness during our lifetimes better than the Bad Boys or Spurs. We must applaud their genius, not admonish it!
Kobe’s MVP acceptance speech was very telling. It was the team that actually facilitated his first MVP! Genius is not sustainable without the team. If asked what teams they admire, I am confident that most of the individual geniuses of today would mention the Bad Boys or Cobra-Kai Spurs.
We will not remember the Spurs as whining floppers, but a major contribution to the modern game. They are the platypus of basketball. They are ugly as hell, but their design ensures their successful genetic fitness. We should be more awestruck by their genius than that of Kobe, Lebron, or CP3.
However, if they lose game 7, then their time has passed, for good. Yet, their success will ensure that another team with their genius will arise soon. Evolutionarily speaking, this is the kind of genius that can be copied and replicated easier than it can from a single individual that can score 81 points in a game.
I’d rather be a bitch with rings [sporting a mullet and dressed in a skeleton costume] than a genius that does not know how to operationalize his talent.
--the fire-crotched sensei
Friday, May 16, 2008
they are who we thought they were
My first 2ndsport contribution - expect a frustrated, incomprehensible rant. Maybe even made-up words, definetily some stream of consciousness. Most of the vitriol and sarcasm is directed at ATG....My hatred of the Spurs grows with each flop and incredulous face I see.
Well, Austin, ole' BoB Horry certainly came through when they needed him most. As Horry leaned both elbows into David West's back in what was ALREADY a foregone conclusion (Spurs up 21), game 7 may have been swung toward The Cobra-Kai Spurs. Cheap Shot Bob had struck again, and an integral part of the Hornets was leaving in a body bag.
Granted, the Spurs are the epitome of a team, superb passing, excellent fundamentals, not complaining about teammates as you mentioned, but this is because the Spurs spend most of their time whining about officiating and how they've been slighted. Perhaps your comments on the multi-cultural Spurs do shed light on the flopping and complaining phenomenon. With each European or Latin American that passes through the clutches of Popovich, new levels of 'bitchness' are achieved. Maybe it's the soccer backgrounds of many of these players that limits their tenacity or true toughness. They grew up learning the art of the flop, the art of the "What, you called that foul on me?" face.... However, that background in no way excuses such play. If being a bitch is the product of 'our isolationist imperialism,' then count me as an isolationist until the end.
Am i not progressive enough, am I too American because my desire is to see an NBA that reflects the freedom of expression, the artistry in motion that a certain gold and purple clad MVP can generate each time he touches the ball? I prefer wins and losses to be generated via the actual play on the court, not via dirty play and bending the rules. There is something to be said for admiring the spectacular, and disdaining the lack of truth emanating from the Spurs. You will have to excuse me if I have fallen out of step with the times.As for reinvention, that very MVP took it upon himself to make certain changes to his game, when to pick his spots, when to pick up his teammates, and when to defer. These changes led to the best record in the West, and no one saw that coming.
"To create a franchise built on the fundamentals of basketball, those past and those future." Certainly, the Spurs are the standard by which the rest of the NBA must be measured. The Suns and Mavs, for example, have not been able to pass the litmus test that is the Spurs. However, if the questionable tactics that denigrate the success of the old-school fundamentals so extraordinarily displayed by the Spurs is the future of basketball, I don't believe I'm alone in being turned off by such a product. For all of their superbness, I can not get past their, and again, for lack of a better word, bitchness. Each and every Spur drinks the kool-aid that is their bitchiness. True champions just win. True champions are not bitches.
"they are who we thought they were"
-ADS- hopefully my next contribution will expound on the NBA theme in a more cohesive manner. Something like an SAT analogy - NBA : jazz
Well, Austin, ole' BoB Horry certainly came through when they needed him most. As Horry leaned both elbows into David West's back in what was ALREADY a foregone conclusion (Spurs up 21), game 7 may have been swung toward The Cobra-Kai Spurs. Cheap Shot Bob had struck again, and an integral part of the Hornets was leaving in a body bag.
Granted, the Spurs are the epitome of a team, superb passing, excellent fundamentals, not complaining about teammates as you mentioned, but this is because the Spurs spend most of their time whining about officiating and how they've been slighted. Perhaps your comments on the multi-cultural Spurs do shed light on the flopping and complaining phenomenon. With each European or Latin American that passes through the clutches of Popovich, new levels of 'bitchness' are achieved. Maybe it's the soccer backgrounds of many of these players that limits their tenacity or true toughness. They grew up learning the art of the flop, the art of the "What, you called that foul on me?" face.... However, that background in no way excuses such play. If being a bitch is the product of 'our isolationist imperialism,' then count me as an isolationist until the end.
Am i not progressive enough, am I too American because my desire is to see an NBA that reflects the freedom of expression, the artistry in motion that a certain gold and purple clad MVP can generate each time he touches the ball? I prefer wins and losses to be generated via the actual play on the court, not via dirty play and bending the rules. There is something to be said for admiring the spectacular, and disdaining the lack of truth emanating from the Spurs. You will have to excuse me if I have fallen out of step with the times.As for reinvention, that very MVP took it upon himself to make certain changes to his game, when to pick his spots, when to pick up his teammates, and when to defer. These changes led to the best record in the West, and no one saw that coming.
"To create a franchise built on the fundamentals of basketball, those past and those future." Certainly, the Spurs are the standard by which the rest of the NBA must be measured. The Suns and Mavs, for example, have not been able to pass the litmus test that is the Spurs. However, if the questionable tactics that denigrate the success of the old-school fundamentals so extraordinarily displayed by the Spurs is the future of basketball, I don't believe I'm alone in being turned off by such a product. For all of their superbness, I can not get past their, and again, for lack of a better word, bitchness. Each and every Spur drinks the kool-aid that is their bitchiness. True champions just win. True champions are not bitches.
"they are who we thought they were"
-ADS- hopefully my next contribution will expound on the NBA theme in a more cohesive manner. Something like an SAT analogy - NBA : jazz
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
From Russia with Hooligan Love:
This and the previous from Erick Robinson
Football (proper, e.g. Futbol, Voetbal, etc.) is the best representation of greed in modern sport. It is particularly difficult to be a fan. Before my move to England I considered the Premiership my possible medication for the lack of Jayhawks, Sooner football, the Mets, and the NBA. On my first day I realized that I would have to pay the equivalent of $300 for four channels with only FA cup and Champions League matches.
For the just the third time, the Champions league final will be played by two teams from the same country. If it were not for Vladimir Putin showing a bit of warmth, most of the Chelsea and Man U fans would not have acquired visas for the final in Moscow. On top of this, the cheapest tickets are 900 euro. Today Man U warned their fans not to travel to Moscow without tickets.
The comparison of extraordinary athleticism with that of artistic genius is appropriate. The accessibility of fans to art and sport is also an important comparison to explore. One thing that particularly bothers me about academics and artists (can a clear difference be made) is that they see sport as unworthy of artistic valuation. While there is no doubting the social significance of art and sport, it seems that people can no longer associate sport with being accessible to all social classes. Can we access the genius of Christiano Ronaldo as easily as that of Bernini or Caravagio?
--an ex-roughneck of Mr. Abromovich
Football (proper, e.g. Futbol, Voetbal, etc.) is the best representation of greed in modern sport. It is particularly difficult to be a fan. Before my move to England I considered the Premiership my possible medication for the lack of Jayhawks, Sooner football, the Mets, and the NBA. On my first day I realized that I would have to pay the equivalent of $300 for four channels with only FA cup and Champions League matches.
For the just the third time, the Champions league final will be played by two teams from the same country. If it were not for Vladimir Putin showing a bit of warmth, most of the Chelsea and Man U fans would not have acquired visas for the final in Moscow. On top of this, the cheapest tickets are 900 euro. Today Man U warned their fans not to travel to Moscow without tickets.
The comparison of extraordinary athleticism with that of artistic genius is appropriate. The accessibility of fans to art and sport is also an important comparison to explore. One thing that particularly bothers me about academics and artists (can a clear difference be made) is that they see sport as unworthy of artistic valuation. While there is no doubting the social significance of art and sport, it seems that people can no longer associate sport with being accessible to all social classes. Can we access the genius of Christiano Ronaldo as easily as that of Bernini or Caravagio?
--an ex-roughneck of Mr. Abromovich
The Self-ish gene?
In parlance with our times, evolutionary theory has been extended to yet another ‘selectively neutral’ aspect of human existence: the sporting world. How did this discussion arise from mention of a player that comprises an ephemeral blip in the collective memory of the jayhawk nation?The evolution of individual greatness depends on the appropriate feedback from the particular niche in which the organism develops. JWs development in a phogy niche is not comparable to geniuses like Magic, Jordan, or Duncan, who impeccably willed their teams to victory in all niches. The greatness of the latter three came from their flexibility being couched within what was expected of them in the unique contexts of their particular teams.
Has a dangerous meme developed in which greatness comprises a couple of flash-in-the-pan highlights and a nice signing bonus? Greatness is about being a part of something great, not actively setting your self apart from it in order to hone “individual excellence”.
It is only fitting that I return to this post two days into the O.J. Mayo controversy, where it seems that the appropriately labelled “University of Spoiled Children” has yet again tampered with the sporting world we adorn with such lofty rhetoric (cf. Reggie Bush 2006). In an average article today on the negative academic and athletic impact of the ‘one-and-done’ approach to college basketball, Andy Katz (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/columns/story?columnist=katz_andy&id=3393470&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab6pos1) included a quote by K-State (yes, that’s right!) dean of education and athletic-academic liason Mike Holen, which I agree with:
“I have encouraged the coaches that if they are going to recruit kids with a low probability of staying for the long haul, then be careful what kind of kid…We know a young man like Michael won’t be here for two or three years, but we don’t want the kid to embarrass the institution and athletic program”.
Okay, now we are talking about embarrassment and K-State basketball here. Consider a program with as much tradition as Kansas.
Now, JW is clearly an okay and was not a negative impact on our program. What scares me is that he represents a bad omen for KU basketball in the Self-era. Sure, JW leaves and we win a championship, but the dangerous thing is that our program might digress into one like Connecticut, Syracuse, or Ohio State, which have had to deal with peaks and troughs due to having tons of talent one year, then losing the core of the team the next. I am not implying that this will happen with Bill Self, but as fans we must be concerned with the makeup of our team and the integrity of our program. How many players have gone early in the Self era compared to the entire history of the program? Is our program facilitating a selfish or Self-ish meme?
I hope I am making a point here. It seems tough to do so in a blog. I guess the blog is a challenging niche from which we carry out the 2nd sport.
--Lester Earl’s ghost of Jayhawk past (00:15, May 13)
As a late addition to this post I'll add a segment of an interview with Julian Wright from TrueHoop.com
[So you left the Kansas team that then went on to win a national championship, does that sting a little bit?
No, not at all. I came down to San Antonio to watch the game. I was moved by the fact that they actually they wanted me up on the podium celebrating with them and in the locker room and hotels. Things like that. This is a family. I left at the time I left, I didn't know what I was leaving. But you just make a grown man decision at the time. I felt it was time to move on. I wished them the best of luck for the season. I knew they had a great shot at winning. That's what you do.
When you make the decision you have to make it. It's immature to make a decision and then want the best, the other half of it, the good parts of it. So I was definitely excited for them. I just kept encouraging them talking to them throughout the year. And they're definitely deserving. It's a lot of work that comes to winning that championship. But they deserve it, anything that came their way after this year.
I know when top players like you leave, everyone at the college ends up thinking that it's going to be like the death of the basketball program. But I guess they did pretty well for themselves, right?
Yes, guys stepped up. I was saying, we are saying that if they win, or if they don't win, it was because I left, like saying they needed me to be there. No, like that's not the mentality or the attitude that was created, that was presented to me.
I talked to my teammates. I was there in September, for a weekend last year. And everyone is so focused. They all got behind each other and they made this run for this year. That's how it is every year. That's what happens when guys leave and graduate. The coaching staff puts the players in a best situation that year to win. The guys who they have, from boot camp on to the tournament time, have to produce.]
Crime and Punishment
“I had (a) little experience playing against McGrady in the first series, but right now, it’s whole different story, even though they’re pretty much same players. It’s different type of guarding and it’s … it’s … hell. Whole time you’re playing against [Bryant], you’re expecting something. You can’t really get close. You can’t really give him a space, so it’s a game. It’s It’s like (in a) casino, I always try to guess, and it’s like 50-50 you’re going to get it.”
-AKirilenko (via Quotemonger)
-AKirilenko (via Quotemonger)
Monday, May 12, 2008
Descent with Modification
Many of you reading this now plunge headlong into the dialectical undertaking that encompasses fanhood. As such you not only have certain visceral, umbilical ties to given teams (look to the right for a reason why this is awesome) but, in some ways more importantly, you also have an analytical interest in the creation of athletic artistry, both as active participants as well as active observers.
It is into this analytical interest that I hope to dig. In the latest New Yorker Malcolm Gladwell tackles the issue of genius and invention, approaching an issue near and dear to my own interest in the delineation between artistic and scientific discovery. He, as many, considers the former a monumental and unique progeny of individual genius and particular milieu, while the latter is the sluggish outcome of inevitability. My personal feeling about this topic is for another forum, but I will say that there is a certain progression to the history of art, and a particular magic to iterations of scientific achievement.
Before I lose your attention I’ll bring this ramble back a bit: where does the individual athlete fit into this schema. I know the answer coursing through every mind- certainly the athlete is akin to the artist; AI’s silky game bears the ink of unjust prosecution while Carmelo remorselessly shoots as if in the commons of the Wire. Well, tell me that Lebron James wasn’t inevitable.
Monday night, vacationing from school, I watched LBJ play a game that really was the product of what came before him. There were no wild eyed screams of selfishness as he hoisted up short after long after off-right, rather a pleased understanding that ‘shooters have to shoot’. And when he elevated through the vaunted Celtics D with that dunk, there was no amazement, only a nod that the universe had realigned.
Lebron James is inevitable, the power and skill, the media embrace, all as expected as the re-birth of realist art in the 15th century or the relativity of Einstein’s genius.
It is into this analytical interest that I hope to dig. In the latest New Yorker Malcolm Gladwell tackles the issue of genius and invention, approaching an issue near and dear to my own interest in the delineation between artistic and scientific discovery. He, as many, considers the former a monumental and unique progeny of individual genius and particular milieu, while the latter is the sluggish outcome of inevitability. My personal feeling about this topic is for another forum, but I will say that there is a certain progression to the history of art, and a particular magic to iterations of scientific achievement.
Before I lose your attention I’ll bring this ramble back a bit: where does the individual athlete fit into this schema. I know the answer coursing through every mind- certainly the athlete is akin to the artist; AI’s silky game bears the ink of unjust prosecution while Carmelo remorselessly shoots as if in the commons of the Wire. Well, tell me that Lebron James wasn’t inevitable.
Monday night, vacationing from school, I watched LBJ play a game that really was the product of what came before him. There were no wild eyed screams of selfishness as he hoisted up short after long after off-right, rather a pleased understanding that ‘shooters have to shoot’. And when he elevated through the vaunted Celtics D with that dunk, there was no amazement, only a nod that the universe had realigned.
Lebron James is inevitable, the power and skill, the media embrace, all as expected as the re-birth of realist art in the 15th century or the relativity of Einstein’s genius.
Buying Credibility
D’Antoni to the Knickerbockers, and I don’t know how to feel about it. But I certainly welcome D’Antoni as the purveyor of a style diametric to the grind it out Celtics (or should I say ground it down, as in grinding down the likeability of Garnett, Allen and Pierce, I mean these guys make lay ups a moment to rejoice) up in the northeast, the perfect foil to revive a rivalry long dead. And, really, D’Antoni’s moustache has been dying to play the role of villain for years.
Alkaline Flats
For such a aesthetic polyglot like yourself, your xenophobia scares me. You berate the Spurs for incredulous, unsportsman-like actions - which I find among most players I watch in the NBA - and fail to acknowledge the depths of your true Texan loathing. Maybe why the Spurs cannot - not will not - be loved and revered as one of the most dominant sports franchises, thus given the respect they deserve in the US is because of their un-American demeanor.
Ours is a country of showmanship, slam dunks and RBI. A torrid place that scoffs at the base on balls and the assist. We desire not only Kobe's on-court prowess but also his off-court exploits. This is where the Spurs fail miserably. Not only do they come from southern Texas - an ironic locale for such a multi-cultural team - but they fly so low under the radar, we lose sight of Coach Pop's global domination strategy. To create a franchise built on the fundamentals of basketball, those past and those future. If the Dream Teams of the present have taught us anything is that our isolationist imperialism is having a much more worrisome effect on our lives than high oil cost. It has seeped into the one aspect of culture we as Americans can all agree on: Sports kick ass.
Why the Spurs are sucessful is the same reason Europe will never shed blood on the battlefield again, though their hatred and mistrust of the Germans looms greater than our fear of Islam. They - like the Spurs - see a world in flux, constantly reinventing itself. A troop surge is no different than the Yankees payroll and Steinbrenner is no different than Cheney. They both are out-dated and will remain on the losing side of their respective battles until they begin to adopt a more bi-partisan or maybe tri-partisan strategy. The Spurs don't throw money at the problem, they take pay-cuts. Instead of whining about their teammates and each one's lack of respect, the Spurs dish off to the guy with the open shot. Each one of those players serves a specific purpose in a master plan. Similar to the days of MJ and Scottie but without the greatest basketball player of all-time, happily trading that for the most dominant TEAM of the 21st century.
Horry will come through right when they need him most...
-Austin Gangel
Ours is a country of showmanship, slam dunks and RBI. A torrid place that scoffs at the base on balls and the assist. We desire not only Kobe's on-court prowess but also his off-court exploits. This is where the Spurs fail miserably. Not only do they come from southern Texas - an ironic locale for such a multi-cultural team - but they fly so low under the radar, we lose sight of Coach Pop's global domination strategy. To create a franchise built on the fundamentals of basketball, those past and those future. If the Dream Teams of the present have taught us anything is that our isolationist imperialism is having a much more worrisome effect on our lives than high oil cost. It has seeped into the one aspect of culture we as Americans can all agree on: Sports kick ass.
Why the Spurs are sucessful is the same reason Europe will never shed blood on the battlefield again, though their hatred and mistrust of the Germans looms greater than our fear of Islam. They - like the Spurs - see a world in flux, constantly reinventing itself. A troop surge is no different than the Yankees payroll and Steinbrenner is no different than Cheney. They both are out-dated and will remain on the losing side of their respective battles until they begin to adopt a more bi-partisan or maybe tri-partisan strategy. The Spurs don't throw money at the problem, they take pay-cuts. Instead of whining about their teammates and each one's lack of respect, the Spurs dish off to the guy with the open shot. Each one of those players serves a specific purpose in a master plan. Similar to the days of MJ and Scottie but without the greatest basketball player of all-time, happily trading that for the most dominant TEAM of the 21st century.
Horry will come through right when they need him most...
-Austin Gangel
Friday, May 9, 2008
Acid Rain
I’ve been ruminating on a post about CLUTCH, but as fate would have it there have been no inspirational instantiations since TD sent the Suns to a fiery grave (and how painful!). So while those ideas ferment I’m going to try to tackle the Spurs as the perfectly negative image of excitement. There have been few teams that raise such bile among fans of any sport in the past decade or so. Sure you can talk about the Patriots or the Yankees, maybe Manchester United, but these teams, while hated, all drew their power to repel from something outside of the game, whether that be insufferable fans, senile yet wealthy management or a rancid combination of the two. The players, on the other hand, were always innocent bystanders to the corrupt logos of the team.
But the Spurs. By all accounts these guys should be a team that we can tolerate winning: they have a dominant big man who can step outside and dance in the paint, they have a lethal duo at guard, arguably the best 2 slashers to be paired together since Jordan and Pippen, they dig deep into the international ranks to find interesting bodies (Scola, and the two guys they have waiting in the wings), and they have some great defensive stoppers (TD and Bowen), and they have clutch (Big Shot Bob).
Yet there is something about each of these guys that is the slightest bit off, kinda like a cute girl from the trailer park, something you can’t quite put a finger on but that is nonetheless seriously off putting. We can point to the obvious flopping and whining about no calls, the wide eyed incredulity followed by sulking down the court that starts to get under skin. Similarly, their style follows this pattern of passive aggressive needling; rather than asserting their will on the powerless, the Spurs play the role of the meek inheriting the earth, walking around as the victim only to overcome at the last instant. There is something of Janus in these guys, refusing to embrace who they could be because their skin is so damn malleable.
We hope for greatness in the great, we WANT to see Jordan leading his team to 70 wins and then rolling through the playoffs. We want to see teams winning to win, for the love of the game, because it feels good to see a zenith. But the Spurs attack that very notion of dominance with the guile of Karl Rove, waiting in wings and culling the margins to win while losing. Maybe the best parallel is Bush with a 30% percent approval, yet MOTHERFUCKER IS STILL PRESIDENT. But that is taking something away from the Spurs: they’ve mastered their craft yet will shoot their friends in the face just to remind us that they’re still there.
Bring Back the Living!; Raze NEW Orleans!; Raise New Orleans!
But the Spurs. By all accounts these guys should be a team that we can tolerate winning: they have a dominant big man who can step outside and dance in the paint, they have a lethal duo at guard, arguably the best 2 slashers to be paired together since Jordan and Pippen, they dig deep into the international ranks to find interesting bodies (Scola, and the two guys they have waiting in the wings), and they have some great defensive stoppers (TD and Bowen), and they have clutch (Big Shot Bob).
Yet there is something about each of these guys that is the slightest bit off, kinda like a cute girl from the trailer park, something you can’t quite put a finger on but that is nonetheless seriously off putting. We can point to the obvious flopping and whining about no calls, the wide eyed incredulity followed by sulking down the court that starts to get under skin. Similarly, their style follows this pattern of passive aggressive needling; rather than asserting their will on the powerless, the Spurs play the role of the meek inheriting the earth, walking around as the victim only to overcome at the last instant. There is something of Janus in these guys, refusing to embrace who they could be because their skin is so damn malleable.
We hope for greatness in the great, we WANT to see Jordan leading his team to 70 wins and then rolling through the playoffs. We want to see teams winning to win, for the love of the game, because it feels good to see a zenith. But the Spurs attack that very notion of dominance with the guile of Karl Rove, waiting in wings and culling the margins to win while losing. Maybe the best parallel is Bush with a 30% percent approval, yet MOTHERFUCKER IS STILL PRESIDENT. But that is taking something away from the Spurs: they’ve mastered their craft yet will shoot their friends in the face just to remind us that they’re still there.
Bring Back the Living!; Raze NEW Orleans!; Raise New Orleans!
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Inhabiting new niches
He was recruited as a 3 after playing the 1 as a senior in high school, he then went on to play the 4 for 2 years at KU before the experience of the previous 3 years yielded to the reality of his absurdly whole-some game- Julian Wright, SF NOLA Hornets.
There are many out there who look on with chagrin at a player leaving his alma mater short of earning a degree (read: playing out his eligibility) to test his fortunes in the draft. This supreme selfishness by ‘fans’ denies both the evolution of the team and the genesis of individual greatness. In Julian’s case, the very fans who called him out for leaving are the ones who complained endlessly during the season of his inconsistency. What slides by the foggy perception of those who called for his return was that the college game had become nothing more than a prison holding as captive the endless skills of JW.
To wit: KU won the title this year as a result of precisely defined roles, and outstanding players inhabiting them. But in the NBA Magic Johnson wins game 6 by starting at center, Duncan consistently whines about being called a 5 and Jordan started winning titles by taking his game down to the post or out into the perimeter as the matchup dictated. Well, JWs skill yearn for that flexibility. Consider him in these playoffs: In the deciding game against Dallas he got his points inside and at the line and came away with three steals, while he came back in game two against the Spurs by draining threes to keep the game within reach before yielding to the starters.
Although it would be hard to argue that KU would’ve been worse with Julian, I think the reality that he was too free for the college game makes precisely that claim.
There are many out there who look on with chagrin at a player leaving his alma mater short of earning a degree (read: playing out his eligibility) to test his fortunes in the draft. This supreme selfishness by ‘fans’ denies both the evolution of the team and the genesis of individual greatness. In Julian’s case, the very fans who called him out for leaving are the ones who complained endlessly during the season of his inconsistency. What slides by the foggy perception of those who called for his return was that the college game had become nothing more than a prison holding as captive the endless skills of JW.
To wit: KU won the title this year as a result of precisely defined roles, and outstanding players inhabiting them. But in the NBA Magic Johnson wins game 6 by starting at center, Duncan consistently whines about being called a 5 and Jordan started winning titles by taking his game down to the post or out into the perimeter as the matchup dictated. Well, JWs skill yearn for that flexibility. Consider him in these playoffs: In the deciding game against Dallas he got his points inside and at the line and came away with three steals, while he came back in game two against the Spurs by draining threes to keep the game within reach before yielding to the starters.
Although it would be hard to argue that KU would’ve been worse with Julian, I think the reality that he was too free for the college game makes precisely that claim.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
The Spirit Freed?
Tonight will be an interesting window into the soul of Kobe. For a player who has always struck me as somewhat contrived the MVP can serve as the ultimate catharsis, cleansing the self doubt cultivated from a life in the shadow of giants and liberating the greatest player of a generation: the transcendent spirit finally released from the shackles of earthly expectations.
MVP as LAA
Much ado about this topic has been bandied about over the past few days/weeks: on one side people argue that the MVP must in no way acknowledge a players life history, on the other side people agree with this and then do it anyway. Well I am here to take the opposite tack, just embrace the premise that the MVP will inevitably be a lifetime achievement award and then go from there.
This year’s award can easily and by all criteria be narrowed to 4 players: KBB, LBJ, CP3 and KG. From there I’m going to look at each players qualification for the MVP(LAA).
Kobe- Mamba or Leopard, falling from trees or attacking from the ground, Kobe stands out as the player who has honed his game to the finest edge over his career. In conventional terms he ought to garner the award: three rings, two scoring titles, 5 first team all defense. But through his career he has never been that outstanding player on his team that could will a victory over the course of an NBA playoff series. This may be the year, but with the midseason addition of Pau, it’s difficult to tell who’s making who better.
Chris Paul- Well, I might as well tell you right now that the MVP(LAA) is not limited by short NBA careers, and I’ll take the liberty to project lifetimes based moments. The conjuring of spirits and the mastery of alchemy propels CP3 candidacy to the fore; he brings together the alpha and the omega of NBA PG prowess, the improvisational scoring of AI with the wily machinations of Nash. His fourth quarter drive in game II of SA-NOLA, where he drove left, hard dribble over Ginobili, two steps under Duncan and high off the glass falling away to the right was the perfect example of the institutional playground style that really makes CP3 a valid MVP(LAA)
LBJ- After about a decade of talk about the next MJ LBJ may be the answer to the question. From his bland corporate persona to domination of a single aspect of the game (MJ's competitive desire, as much of a cop out as that is*) accompanied by high proficiency in every other aspect of the game, Lebron’s crowning achievement may be his ascendance to the throne. But more: Shaq has (had) crowed endlessly about being the MDP, but, with all due respect to Dwight Howard, Lebron is now the running away winner of MDP (AS A SG/F!), to be as physically dominant in the open court as Shaq was in the post, if for 5 games let alone 3 seasons, is enough for the MVP(LAA).
KG- What is there to say? KG’s claim the award is that he is, far and away, without a doubt, the greatest role player in NBA history. And that’s not intended to be a slight. I mean, you ask someone who the greatest one man show in NBA history and you’ll get a plethora of possibilities as a reply, but the greatest addition to a team you could ask for?: KG, KG, KG.
So the winner? Well, that’s really for you to decide but it may be a tie breaker that CP3 is the only one of this group who made it through a year of College.
[*Much has been made about this Jordan mythology, but let me put it this way: They say that CDR from Memphis has never lost a game of one-on-one, and I think his style refects as much. MJ is the younger brother to CDRs perfected old brother stylings, losing time and again, beating the shit out of himself about it, and then rising above and through the ceiling on the sheer hatred of losing over and over again.]
This year’s award can easily and by all criteria be narrowed to 4 players: KBB, LBJ, CP3 and KG. From there I’m going to look at each players qualification for the MVP(LAA).
Kobe- Mamba or Leopard, falling from trees or attacking from the ground, Kobe stands out as the player who has honed his game to the finest edge over his career. In conventional terms he ought to garner the award: three rings, two scoring titles, 5 first team all defense. But through his career he has never been that outstanding player on his team that could will a victory over the course of an NBA playoff series. This may be the year, but with the midseason addition of Pau, it’s difficult to tell who’s making who better.
Chris Paul- Well, I might as well tell you right now that the MVP(LAA) is not limited by short NBA careers, and I’ll take the liberty to project lifetimes based moments. The conjuring of spirits and the mastery of alchemy propels CP3 candidacy to the fore; he brings together the alpha and the omega of NBA PG prowess, the improvisational scoring of AI with the wily machinations of Nash. His fourth quarter drive in game II of SA-NOLA, where he drove left, hard dribble over Ginobili, two steps under Duncan and high off the glass falling away to the right was the perfect example of the institutional playground style that really makes CP3 a valid MVP(LAA)
LBJ- After about a decade of talk about the next MJ LBJ may be the answer to the question. From his bland corporate persona to domination of a single aspect of the game (MJ's competitive desire, as much of a cop out as that is*) accompanied by high proficiency in every other aspect of the game, Lebron’s crowning achievement may be his ascendance to the throne. But more: Shaq has (had) crowed endlessly about being the MDP, but, with all due respect to Dwight Howard, Lebron is now the running away winner of MDP (AS A SG/F!), to be as physically dominant in the open court as Shaq was in the post, if for 5 games let alone 3 seasons, is enough for the MVP(LAA).
KG- What is there to say? KG’s claim the award is that he is, far and away, without a doubt, the greatest role player in NBA history. And that’s not intended to be a slight. I mean, you ask someone who the greatest one man show in NBA history and you’ll get a plethora of possibilities as a reply, but the greatest addition to a team you could ask for?: KG, KG, KG.
So the winner? Well, that’s really for you to decide but it may be a tie breaker that CP3 is the only one of this group who made it through a year of College.
[*Much has been made about this Jordan mythology, but let me put it this way: They say that CDR from Memphis has never lost a game of one-on-one, and I think his style refects as much. MJ is the younger brother to CDRs perfected old brother stylings, losing time and again, beating the shit out of himself about it, and then rising above and through the ceiling on the sheer hatred of losing over and over again.]
Welcome
The inertia of sports in my life has finally driven me to start a blog. I am lucky enough to have a wealth of intelligent friends who share my interest in sports and I hope that they will all contribute to making this blog a forum for analytical as well as opinionated banter on any and all salient sports issues.
As for the name- I'm not sure if it's kosher to divulge the genesis (my wishes may not come true?)- but I see discussion as an immediate successor to the act of watching sports. And I think we can all agree that fanhood (interested observation of sports) quickly becomes a dialectical act capable of as much excitement and intrigue as the match itself.
Anyway...enough of all that, let the games begin.
As for the name- I'm not sure if it's kosher to divulge the genesis (my wishes may not come true?)- but I see discussion as an immediate successor to the act of watching sports. And I think we can all agree that fanhood (interested observation of sports) quickly becomes a dialectical act capable of as much excitement and intrigue as the match itself.
Anyway...enough of all that, let the games begin.
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