Lakers in 6.
The more intriguing question is: what's going to happen in the East. I'm a say this. Orlando can not (repeat, can not!), afford to lose tonight. At this very moment I think it's even odds that a) Orlando wraps up this series tonight b) they lose both games and join Dallas in the lineup of all-time, infamous playoff choke jobs. I really don't see an in-between. If they lose tonight, then the series resets to one game, winner-take-all in Cleveland. LeBron will win that game. Van Gundy will panic. All the pressure will be back on Orlando. And the whole choking under pressure thing is already out there. I don't see Orlando (who relies on 3's) going back to Cleveland and taking one, even if they are the better team. For them, everything is about tonight.
A Lakers-Orlando series could be interesting, but a LA-Cavs Finals after the drama of Cleveland coming back from 1-3 would be generational. I think I'd tape every game. I think I'd make Demetrius sit on my lap just so he could say he saw it.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Just When YouThought You Understood the World...
If Dwight Howard is an ignorant, softhearted devout religious person, and the King is a far superior person and teammate than Kobe and this is the official unveiling of the LeBron James era, why is Cleveland down 3-1 in this series?
How is this seemingly limited, questionably coached Orlando team derailing LeBron's MVP season and the narrative of inevitability that has permeated our collective consciousness? I mean, this team is on the ropes. It's gonna take a Herculean effort to win 3 straight games. LeBron's already been putting up 40 points a night and hitting every clutch shot he can muster.
My answer is the same reason why I keep protesting when you kill Kobe. This is a team sport. Your superstar matters. But so do his teammates. So does the coaching. So do the match ups. LeBron is doing absolutely everything you could ask him to do individually. General consensus has him as the best player in the league today, even though I disagree. But no one wins championships alone. Mike didn't. And neither will LeBron. The Cavs could possibly come out of this. It's not impossible, but I think this is a good thing for LeBron and the league. The last game was a chin check. He needs to face some adversity in his quest. When the Cavs got to the Finals against San Antonio it was a fluke and a lopsided series. This time they will have truly earned it if it happens. And if nothing else, no matter who they face, this shows it won't be no cakewalk. Everybody's ready to hand this dude the keys, but he's still got some more mountain to climb. That Cavs team was humming during the regular season. So much so you can forget how untalented they are player for player. It's a superstar, Mo Williams (who nobody has ever considered even close to an elite player), a couple of good role players (Sideshow and Delonte) and bunch of mediocre role players. This team would not even be sniffing the playoffs were it not for the awesome powers of King James. So, more work is to be done. I think even if LeBron can make a miracle happen, the Nuggets would have their way with this Cavs team, Gimp style. And I think Kobe and Co. might even prove too much for them having seen the chink in the armor. However, I would give them better odds against LA. Crazy thing is, we're much more likely to be talking about your boy D-Ho in the Finals. Was putting up 10 points in overtime killer enough for you?
Monday, May 18, 2009
Playoff Predictions, Conf. Finals
CAVS v. MAGIC
I was thinking about Dwight Howard earlier today. He’s a pretty smart kid. But he’s also a devout Christian who opted to skip college to enter the draft — which means he’s waaay undereducated, even by NBA standards. It’s dangerous to be intelligent but bury your head in religious sands. Least he could’ve done is gone to a secular college and given himself access to a great teacher or two who might’ve opened his eyes to different ways of looking at the world. Instead, he’s the franchise player of a major team, stepping into the cruel spotlight with a toothy smile that seems emblematic of his clueless worldview.
Even if we step away from all that for a moment and focus only on D-Ho’s court performance, I find myself vexed. Does he have the necessary grit to lay a straight beat down on his opponent? ‘Cause that’s what champions do. And not just once, but night after night, destroying another team’s front court like a rabid dog. Nice guys who love Jesus don’t know how to kill, and that’s a problem for a professional athlete. (MJ might smile while the Hanes cameras are rolling, but he was a cold-blooded beast on the court.) According to D., God granted Orlando its victory over the Cs. How’s D. gonna feel when he learns that God shined His light on Cleveland this time around? This kid has a serious existential crisis in his future.
(Cleveland in 6.)
LAKERS v. NUGGETS
As I was intially writing that last paragraph, I began to type that Dwight Howard might be the most intriguing figure in the modern NBA. But then I remembered Kobe. First of all, I love that he’s now forced to play three games in this series — the toughest one of these playoffs, btw — in the city of “the alleged incident.” But more importantly, I couldn’t be more excited because this is the series that will define Kobe’s career. As Alec Baldwin said in Glengarry Glen Ross, “It’s f**k or walk”; this is, in all likelihood, Kobe’s last chance to win it all sans Shaq. And in the end, he will fail. Spike Lee’s “documentary” is going to be flat-out laughable after this.
A champion has two basic qualities: 1) killer instinct (which Kobe has), and 2) a warmth of character the draws people to you, earns their trust, and brings a squad together. Magic, Bird, MJ, Dream, Duncan, even LeBron — they all have this latter quality. Kobe doesn’t. We’ve all hoped he would eventually mature and emerge from this dark disposition; he hasn’t, and he won’t. His story is, in a sense, already written; this series will be a highly entertaining formality. Consider this: The Lakers are LOADED. If they’re playing D and executing the triangle effectively, they should be virtually unstoppable. But they let a depleted Rockets’ squad take them to 7 games? Seriously?
(Denver in 7.)
P.S. Because this is Kobe’s Last Stand, there is a very strong chance that at least one game in this series will become ESPN Classic-worthy. Which means that when I’m watching that game 20 years from now, “Birdman” Andersen will still have that haircut. And that’s the kind of comedy that ages like a bottle of super tuscan.
I was thinking about Dwight Howard earlier today. He’s a pretty smart kid. But he’s also a devout Christian who opted to skip college to enter the draft — which means he’s waaay undereducated, even by NBA standards. It’s dangerous to be intelligent but bury your head in religious sands. Least he could’ve done is gone to a secular college and given himself access to a great teacher or two who might’ve opened his eyes to different ways of looking at the world. Instead, he’s the franchise player of a major team, stepping into the cruel spotlight with a toothy smile that seems emblematic of his clueless worldview.
Even if we step away from all that for a moment and focus only on D-Ho’s court performance, I find myself vexed. Does he have the necessary grit to lay a straight beat down on his opponent? ‘Cause that’s what champions do. And not just once, but night after night, destroying another team’s front court like a rabid dog. Nice guys who love Jesus don’t know how to kill, and that’s a problem for a professional athlete. (MJ might smile while the Hanes cameras are rolling, but he was a cold-blooded beast on the court.) According to D., God granted Orlando its victory over the Cs. How’s D. gonna feel when he learns that God shined His light on Cleveland this time around? This kid has a serious existential crisis in his future.
(Cleveland in 6.)
LAKERS v. NUGGETS
As I was intially writing that last paragraph, I began to type that Dwight Howard might be the most intriguing figure in the modern NBA. But then I remembered Kobe. First of all, I love that he’s now forced to play three games in this series — the toughest one of these playoffs, btw — in the city of “the alleged incident.” But more importantly, I couldn’t be more excited because this is the series that will define Kobe’s career. As Alec Baldwin said in Glengarry Glen Ross, “It’s f**k or walk”; this is, in all likelihood, Kobe’s last chance to win it all sans Shaq. And in the end, he will fail. Spike Lee’s “documentary” is going to be flat-out laughable after this.
A champion has two basic qualities: 1) killer instinct (which Kobe has), and 2) a warmth of character the draws people to you, earns their trust, and brings a squad together. Magic, Bird, MJ, Dream, Duncan, even LeBron — they all have this latter quality. Kobe doesn’t. We’ve all hoped he would eventually mature and emerge from this dark disposition; he hasn’t, and he won’t. His story is, in a sense, already written; this series will be a highly entertaining formality. Consider this: The Lakers are LOADED. If they’re playing D and executing the triangle effectively, they should be virtually unstoppable. But they let a depleted Rockets’ squad take them to 7 games? Seriously?
(Denver in 7.)
P.S. Because this is Kobe’s Last Stand, there is a very strong chance that at least one game in this series will become ESPN Classic-worthy. Which means that when I’m watching that game 20 years from now, “Birdman” Andersen will still have that haircut. And that’s the kind of comedy that ages like a bottle of super tuscan.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Spike and Skip Bayless
I'm not sure if this is the video you wanted me to see, but watching Skip Bayless trying (and failing) to do his schtick is priceless.
In terms of the LeBron era, count me among the unexcited. I guess I feel like when an era is about to occur, we're not supposed to know about it. There shouldn't be numerous articles detailing its nature before it occurs. It's usually never common knowledge. Predictions of how many titles the King will get before he's won one.... In 91, you knew Mike was a fantastic ball player, then he just took it to another level. You didn't know it was going to happen; that the GOAT was about to start separating himself from the others. How the f#ck would you know that?! I don't think historic moments work this way. When Obama won, part of the thing that made it so awe inspiring was that you weren't sure it was going to happen until it actually did. LeBron's a great player. He's still got a lot of work to do on his game. He's never faced a serious injury (not that I want him to), or even completely entered his prime yet. He hasn't dealt with free agency yet. There's so much here we don't know about what's going to happen. I think all the prophesying about the inevitability of his reign has less to do with his incredible potential than it does with sports people thinking they know something about what's going to happen before it happens. Whenever something with this many variables has an assumed narrative, one should beware. I'm not unexcited cus I don't like LeBron, I'm unexcited cus I'm not sure the storm that's coming is really the storm of the century. The other reason is: thecavs are a boring ass team. Watching them 18 out of the possible 25 Sundays on ABC next season makes me very unexcited.
Friday, May 8, 2009
It’s time.
We’re here. It happened. I was hoping like hell it would happen, and now it has. It’s time. It’s time to start drawing the comparisons. This is his 1991. The LeBron Era has officially begun. It is ON.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Guess we know what this means. Bye, ‘Dre.
From ESPN.com:
76ERS' MILLER, RATLIFF NO-SHOWS TO MEETING
PHILADELPHIA -- Andre Miller's ironman streak for the Philadelphia 76ers does not extend to team meetings.
The veteran point guard who has played an NBA-high 530 straight games didn't show for the Sixers' final team meeting on Friday, something his agent blamed on miscommunication between Miller and the team.
At the final roll call of the Sixers' season, center Theo Ratliff joined Miller on the unexpected absentee list.
Both veterans are unrestricted free agents and the no-shows at the team meeting further soured the mood of a franchise that was embarrassed a night earlier in a Game 6 season-ending playoff loss at home against the Orlando Magic.
Coach Tony DiLeo and team president Ed Stefanski stewed over the whereabouts of two leaders they expected to know better than to blow off a team meeting.
Stefanski considered the absences unexcused.
"I don't know if that's sending us a message or what," Stefanski said of Miller's truancy.
Miller's agent, Andy Miller, said he talked with Andre Miller and the guard was not taking a stance. Miller thought the meetings were optional.
76ERS' MILLER, RATLIFF NO-SHOWS TO MEETING
PHILADELPHIA -- Andre Miller's ironman streak for the Philadelphia 76ers does not extend to team meetings.
The veteran point guard who has played an NBA-high 530 straight games didn't show for the Sixers' final team meeting on Friday, something his agent blamed on miscommunication between Miller and the team.
At the final roll call of the Sixers' season, center Theo Ratliff joined Miller on the unexpected absentee list.
Both veterans are unrestricted free agents and the no-shows at the team meeting further soured the mood of a franchise that was embarrassed a night earlier in a Game 6 season-ending playoff loss at home against the Orlando Magic.
Coach Tony DiLeo and team president Ed Stefanski stewed over the whereabouts of two leaders they expected to know better than to blow off a team meeting.
Stefanski considered the absences unexcused.
"I don't know if that's sending us a message or what," Stefanski said of Miller's truancy.
Miller's agent, Andy Miller, said he talked with Andre Miller and the guard was not taking a stance. Miller thought the meetings were optional.
Friday, May 1, 2009
“We suck,” etc.
Disgusted. Completely, utterly disgusted. By 25? On your home floor? Without D-Ho? And...(I can barely stand to type this)...to...(good God almighty)...J.J. REDDICK?!?
We suck. All right? We suck, dude. I don’t even want to talk about this team anymore. F the Sixers. (Give me a month and I’ll cool down. But for now, and for the immediate future, F the Sixers.)
All right, onto something else...
As my wand went a-wandering this morning, it started to piece together a little theory. Check it out:
What if “Billie Jean” was never intended to be a song about a girl who wronged a dude? What if Michael — having come off success found ridiculously early as the cute little frontman of the Jackson 5, followed by the huge breakout solo hit he had with Off the Wall — was starting to feel the pressure?
Joe knew how special his boy was. This one was no Tito, was no Marlon, Jackie or Jermaine. No. THIS KID was his meal ticket. So he and Young Michael’s producer began conspiring behind the scenes, figuring ways to leverage his charm and talent for their own purposes. They were going to make him a super-duper-star...even if Michael had no idea what that would mean, had no idea what kind of nuclear impact it would have on his life.
So now Michael is in the studio recording tracks for the would-be Thriller album. And between takes, in a private moment, he turns to his producer and begins to spill his guts; he speaks of his nervousness being at such a pivotal point in his career, and of his reluctance to have his star rise any higher. He’s already had his childhood virtually stolen from him, has already spent more than a decade with zero privacy. And now he’s just not sure if —
“Shh, shh,” Quincy tells him. “Everything’s gonna be all right, Michael. Listen —” And off he went, telling him just how it’s gonna be all right.
Michael wakes up that night in a cold sweat, a song in his head. He scrambles to find a paper and pencil, and scratches out these lyrics:
He told me his name was Quincy D,
As he caused a scene.
I said, “Don’t mind, but what do you mean,
‘I am the one’?”
(Gonna dance, on the floor, in the round)
He said I am the one.
(Gonna dance, on the floor, in the round)
And there it was. A story of a manipulated entertainer, forced to sing and dance despite his relunctance, despite his unexplored and unresolved existential crisis.
Who knows what happened after that. Who made the change. (Michael himself, before ever showing it to anyone? Or did he trust Quincy “Delight” Jones with the song, despite its content, only to have his hand forced later?) But maybe, just maybe, this song was Michael’s subconscious wish to free himself from his dubious producer — and by extension, from his father — and jump off of the path he’d been put on.
Ironically, this would become the very song that ignited the rocket-like launch of his soul-crushing super-duper-stardom.
Just a theory.
-G
We suck. All right? We suck, dude. I don’t even want to talk about this team anymore. F the Sixers. (Give me a month and I’ll cool down. But for now, and for the immediate future, F the Sixers.)
All right, onto something else...
As my wand went a-wandering this morning, it started to piece together a little theory. Check it out:
What if “Billie Jean” was never intended to be a song about a girl who wronged a dude? What if Michael — having come off success found ridiculously early as the cute little frontman of the Jackson 5, followed by the huge breakout solo hit he had with Off the Wall — was starting to feel the pressure?
Joe knew how special his boy was. This one was no Tito, was no Marlon, Jackie or Jermaine. No. THIS KID was his meal ticket. So he and Young Michael’s producer began conspiring behind the scenes, figuring ways to leverage his charm and talent for their own purposes. They were going to make him a super-duper-star...even if Michael had no idea what that would mean, had no idea what kind of nuclear impact it would have on his life.
So now Michael is in the studio recording tracks for the would-be Thriller album. And between takes, in a private moment, he turns to his producer and begins to spill his guts; he speaks of his nervousness being at such a pivotal point in his career, and of his reluctance to have his star rise any higher. He’s already had his childhood virtually stolen from him, has already spent more than a decade with zero privacy. And now he’s just not sure if —
“Shh, shh,” Quincy tells him. “Everything’s gonna be all right, Michael. Listen —” And off he went, telling him just how it’s gonna be all right.
Michael wakes up that night in a cold sweat, a song in his head. He scrambles to find a paper and pencil, and scratches out these lyrics:
He told me his name was Quincy D,
As he caused a scene.
I said, “Don’t mind, but what do you mean,
‘I am the one’?”
(Gonna dance, on the floor, in the round)
He said I am the one.
(Gonna dance, on the floor, in the round)
And there it was. A story of a manipulated entertainer, forced to sing and dance despite his relunctance, despite his unexplored and unresolved existential crisis.
Who knows what happened after that. Who made the change. (Michael himself, before ever showing it to anyone? Or did he trust Quincy “Delight” Jones with the song, despite its content, only to have his hand forced later?) But maybe, just maybe, this song was Michael’s subconscious wish to free himself from his dubious producer — and by extension, from his father — and jump off of the path he’d been put on.
Ironically, this would become the very song that ignited the rocket-like launch of his soul-crushing super-duper-stardom.
Just a theory.
-G
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