Very interesting day in the NBA. The tale of two great starts. Of course, the thing most people will be talking about is CP3 beating THE 3. While, of course, amazing and great and all that, what's more remarkable is that it's becoming less surprising what the Hornets are doing. The beginning of the season is usually bizarre, filled with teams in first that won't be in 3 weeks or so, and top teams still working out the kinks. But here's who the Hornets have beaten so far: Milwaukee, Houston, San Antonio, Denver and Miami. Every single one a playoff team, or in the case of Miami, not a playoff team yet, but expected to contend for the finals. This don't seem to be a flash in the pan. Ariza really seems to have upgraded their defense (5th best in the league), and Okafor is playing like a new man. Can't wait to actually see them play, but from a distance it's hard to argue with their wins.
A little closer in, both to my heart and geography, the Warriors beat the Jazz tonight to go to 4-1. Here's the thing: This was more than just an average win. The Warriors haven't beaten the Jazz for more than a year, and they outrebounded them (which probably hasn't happened in an even longer time). I'm going to repeat this in case you didn't catch it: The Warriors outrebounded the Jazz. In fact, they shot horribly, but made up for it with....yes, you guessed it, REBOUNDING! Lee and Biedrins had 35 rebounds just between the two of them, which I think is more than the entire team got in the first 5 games last year. Ellis had 7 steals, and not coincidentally, Deron had an uncharacteristic 8 turnovers. It's more possible the Warriors are fluke as this was the first real challenge of the year, but they aren't playing that way. Some wins have been gritty, and they don't seem to collapse down the stretch like last year. Maybe not having a lunatic screaming in your ear and pulling you out of the game everytime you scratch your ass might have something to do with that? David Lee has turned out to be the perfect player for them. It's true, he's not a very good defender, but he's not as horrible as advertised. And he makes up for it by being absolutely relentless on the boards. 5 games, 5 double doubles! I think he could be even better offensively, as they figure out more pick and pop plays with him, but for now he's getting most everything on his own off the boards. Beautiful.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Wade-ing In
Just as many times as I read Bill Simmons and say "Man, he's saying just what I'm thinking!", I am also quite sure that he is completely wrong. It's what made his book ultimately too exhausting for me to finish, and I think I've finally narrowed down the problem. When looking at NBA trends, shifts in basketball hoodoo and the way people are appearing on the grand stage, he's unmatched. When it comes to evaluating actual players and how teams work, he is more often so blinded (somewhat self-deprecatingly so) by his own prejudices, Celtics upbringing and skittering-instead-of-throrough thinking, that he is just out of the bounds of reality.
A great example is his recent article about Lebron James and Dwayne Wade and the new Heat. While making a great gut-feeling evaluation about the atmospherics on the floor, of the seeming joylessness of the team and their rough transition from beloved to hated, he makes an essential misjudgment about the actual basketball dynamics. He claims that the only way that team can win is if Wad realizes that Lebron is just better, and agrees to be his secondary player. It's stunning how quickly Simmons can pivot from the thoughtful to the completely inane. There are several levels at which this is completely off-base, the most obvious being what Wade did to prove him wrong in the 2nd and 3rd games of the season.
A great example is his recent article about Lebron James and Dwayne Wade and the new Heat. While making a great gut-feeling evaluation about the atmospherics on the floor, of the seeming joylessness of the team and their rough transition from beloved to hated, he makes an essential misjudgment about the actual basketball dynamics. He claims that the only way that team can win is if Wad realizes that Lebron is just better, and agrees to be his secondary player. It's stunning how quickly Simmons can pivot from the thoughtful to the completely inane. There are several levels at which this is completely off-base, the most obvious being what Wade did to prove him wrong in the 2nd and 3rd games of the season.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Playing Hoarse
Oh man...Wednesday was probably one of the top sports nights of my life...We watched the Giants game at Oracle (they opened early) in a little side area, surrounded by an ever-growing group of fans who, by the 5th inning were chanting loudly, and screaming our brains out. Meanwhile, shootarounds were happening just below, and the opening day excitement was growing. Brain felt nearly torn in half at times. In fact, we didn't make it to our seats until half way through the second quarter, and Monta already had 20 points! We finally decided it was ok to leave with the 9th inning, and a 7 run lead. We stopped for a hot dog, and on our way in, saw that Texas had already scored a run and had 2 on with no outs. Come on, let us watch some fucking basketball! We watched for a sec, as Ramon finally got an out, then went inside and watched the rest of the 2nd quarter while refreshing scores on our iphones. Meanwhile, on the court, wait a minute...a rag tag team of castoffs with a couple brilliant homegrown talents from the Bay Area was scoring at will against a defensive-minded team from Texas...wha??? Where am I?
There was a sequence in the fourth quarter with Curry and Monta going off simultaneously that just left you breathless. Holy shit. Curry hit about three of the prettiest jumpers you'll ever see, with increasing levels of difficulty, stole the ball, dished to Monta, drove for a great layup and then Monta took over and hit two nearly impossible shots. You had a feeling like, maybe the reason Monta thought they couldn't play together is because nothing like this has ever happened before. There just may not be a precedent for two guards like this, and suddenly it clicked in his mind that maybe that wasn't a problem. Maybe it was going to drive opponents bezonkers. Watching the Warriors right now is as exciting as it's ever been for me. Like the Giants, they made a thrilling run a few years ago with a bunch of players who were brought from other places. An exciting and improbable first round victory, but nonetheless, this is different. Monta, Curry and Biedrins are Warriors from the beginning. Lee is still young, just blossoming. That core is basically our team for the forseeable future, and we're gonna get to watch them discover who they are under a new coach, a new ownership team. And Curry and Monta have nearly limitless potential. Again, like the Giants' run, you get the sense that being able to say you saw Monta and Curry in those first couple years will be something touched with awe for grandchildren. They scored 73 points between the two of them on opening night. Curry had 11 assists. Monta was 16-24. That's the baseline.
And as for the Giants, yeah, what can you say at this point? I finally had settled myself in for understanding what to expect from the Giants. A couple runs, some intense pitching, a huge hit and that's all she wrote. Now that they've scored 8 runs on the best pitcher in postseason history, it almost hurts. Like, oh my god, we have to hope for that too now? On Freddy's last hit, I actually fell to my knees, asking for mercy...is this possible? Do we have to take our fandom to yet another level? I don't know if my psyche can handle it!
Suffice it to say, that last night was beautiful. I still get shivers thinking about it. I actually think many people here would openly weep if the Giants won the series. When I saw them in their first playoff run at Pac Bell park, against the Mets, and JT Snow hit the game-tying 3-run homer that just crawled over the fence in left field, amongst the jumping and screaming I saw a man actually weeping behind me. Of course, we'd all be weeping the next inning when the Mets went back ahead and won, but still. That was nothing compared to a World Series, with these guys, now. For the first time I've actually had to confront the possibility that they might win this thing. I haven't, I don't think, allowed myself to dwell for even a moment on them going any farther than each round they've been in. But the winner of game 1 of the World Series has won 6 of the last seven series', and beating Cliff Lee is just a devastating blow. Doesn't mean the Giants are going to win by any means, they are certainly no sure thing, but the POSSIBILITY they might win is finally undeniable. I can no longer exclude it from my mind, which kinda sucks. Like the most beautiful woman in your class finally taking a long, luscious look at you and you finallly realize she might actually be interested but now that means you have to believe and maybe get hurt and say something stupid and oh my god.
There was a sequence in the fourth quarter with Curry and Monta going off simultaneously that just left you breathless. Holy shit. Curry hit about three of the prettiest jumpers you'll ever see, with increasing levels of difficulty, stole the ball, dished to Monta, drove for a great layup and then Monta took over and hit two nearly impossible shots. You had a feeling like, maybe the reason Monta thought they couldn't play together is because nothing like this has ever happened before. There just may not be a precedent for two guards like this, and suddenly it clicked in his mind that maybe that wasn't a problem. Maybe it was going to drive opponents bezonkers. Watching the Warriors right now is as exciting as it's ever been for me. Like the Giants, they made a thrilling run a few years ago with a bunch of players who were brought from other places. An exciting and improbable first round victory, but nonetheless, this is different. Monta, Curry and Biedrins are Warriors from the beginning. Lee is still young, just blossoming. That core is basically our team for the forseeable future, and we're gonna get to watch them discover who they are under a new coach, a new ownership team. And Curry and Monta have nearly limitless potential. Again, like the Giants' run, you get the sense that being able to say you saw Monta and Curry in those first couple years will be something touched with awe for grandchildren. They scored 73 points between the two of them on opening night. Curry had 11 assists. Monta was 16-24. That's the baseline.
And as for the Giants, yeah, what can you say at this point? I finally had settled myself in for understanding what to expect from the Giants. A couple runs, some intense pitching, a huge hit and that's all she wrote. Now that they've scored 8 runs on the best pitcher in postseason history, it almost hurts. Like, oh my god, we have to hope for that too now? On Freddy's last hit, I actually fell to my knees, asking for mercy...is this possible? Do we have to take our fandom to yet another level? I don't know if my psyche can handle it!
Suffice it to say, that last night was beautiful. I still get shivers thinking about it. I actually think many people here would openly weep if the Giants won the series. When I saw them in their first playoff run at Pac Bell park, against the Mets, and JT Snow hit the game-tying 3-run homer that just crawled over the fence in left field, amongst the jumping and screaming I saw a man actually weeping behind me. Of course, we'd all be weeping the next inning when the Mets went back ahead and won, but still. That was nothing compared to a World Series, with these guys, now. For the first time I've actually had to confront the possibility that they might win this thing. I haven't, I don't think, allowed myself to dwell for even a moment on them going any farther than each round they've been in. But the winner of game 1 of the World Series has won 6 of the last seven series', and beating Cliff Lee is just a devastating blow. Doesn't mean the Giants are going to win by any means, they are certainly no sure thing, but the POSSIBILITY they might win is finally undeniable. I can no longer exclude it from my mind, which kinda sucks. Like the most beautiful woman in your class finally taking a long, luscious look at you and you finallly realize she might actually be interested but now that means you have to believe and maybe get hurt and say something stupid and oh my god.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Um, this game tomorrow might be worth watching
A quote after the Magic beat the Wizards by nearly 40 points:
"Honestly, I'm sick of listening every hour about Miami -- Miami that, how great they are, how big they are, what kind of record they gonna have," said backup center Marcin Gortat, who had eight points and seven rebounds. "I get every day interviews back in Poland, people calling me about Miami, Miami, what you think about Miami? What you think about Big Three? I'm going to say the same thing: they are a great team, they have three superstars, they got a couple good role players on the team.
"They looking good on the paper, but they got to start winning."
"Honestly, I'm sick of listening every hour about Miami -- Miami that, how great they are, how big they are, what kind of record they gonna have," said backup center Marcin Gortat, who had eight points and seven rebounds. "I get every day interviews back in Poland, people calling me about Miami, Miami, what you think about Miami? What you think about Big Three? I'm going to say the same thing: they are a great team, they have three superstars, they got a couple good role players on the team.
"They looking good on the paper, but they got to start winning."
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
A new era
Well, watched a good portion of Miami vs Boston and a bit of Houston vs Lakers to celebrate the start of NBA season, which really gets underway tomorrow with Dino and I at the Oracle after being tortured by the Giants for a couple hours!
A couple random thoughts...
Firstly, Miami looked almost exactly like Cleveland to me. I know they all have to play together more, and Wade has to get into game shape and all that, but it really felt eerily similar. Good, scrappy defense, no real offensive flow, and the revelation that any team is going to be at least close at the end with Lebron. They really put a scare into Boston after looking dead in the water to start, but ultimately the Celtics dragged a win from the swamp of fairly ugly basketball. I imagine at some point we'll start oooing and ahhing at the Heat, but this wasn't one of those nights. Perhaps when they play the Wizards, or someone else that doesn't match up so perfectly with them.
Also, I was really baffled by Rondo's play. I think that dude is seriously altered in the head. He's so immensely talented, and yet I think, like Artest, that part of his edge comes from being erratic. There is not a player on the Heat who can come close to slowing him down, and yet he was remarkably passive. I mean, it's hard to call a 17 assist game passive, but a lot of those assists came from just dealing to Ray Allen off of screens. Part of that was Wade playing defending him from about 20 feet sagged under the basket, but I also wondered about the psychology of being cut from the FIBA team. Is he sulking? Or perhaps confidence hurt? In fact, why WAS he cut from the FIBA team in the first place? Couldn't beat out Eric Gordon fer chrissake? This a a guy who was one of the 5 most terrifying players in the playoffs last year. Anyway, he didn't have a horrible game, but he just looked out of sorts some how. Weird.
I realized after Dino's post about the Heat a little while back, that I am, in fact, a hater. And the more I thought about it, I realized I have always been a Lebron hater. "Hate" in the street sense, of course. I don't actually HATE the guy. I just have always been skeptical, and almost always have been proven wrong. I really like the Free Darko Almanac piece about him, and I think maybe that's what turned me off a little. He has Jordan's dedication to business and himself in a way that feels a little hollow. I never got hooked into rooting for his improvement. But I also think it's something about me, that I can't really get behind obvious prodigy genius. I need someone to be a bit ragamuffin, to work harder, like choosing Beethoven over Mozart. I've always rooted for him to fail. There, my secrets out.
A couple random thoughts...
Firstly, Miami looked almost exactly like Cleveland to me. I know they all have to play together more, and Wade has to get into game shape and all that, but it really felt eerily similar. Good, scrappy defense, no real offensive flow, and the revelation that any team is going to be at least close at the end with Lebron. They really put a scare into Boston after looking dead in the water to start, but ultimately the Celtics dragged a win from the swamp of fairly ugly basketball. I imagine at some point we'll start oooing and ahhing at the Heat, but this wasn't one of those nights. Perhaps when they play the Wizards, or someone else that doesn't match up so perfectly with them.
Also, I was really baffled by Rondo's play. I think that dude is seriously altered in the head. He's so immensely talented, and yet I think, like Artest, that part of his edge comes from being erratic. There is not a player on the Heat who can come close to slowing him down, and yet he was remarkably passive. I mean, it's hard to call a 17 assist game passive, but a lot of those assists came from just dealing to Ray Allen off of screens. Part of that was Wade playing defending him from about 20 feet sagged under the basket, but I also wondered about the psychology of being cut from the FIBA team. Is he sulking? Or perhaps confidence hurt? In fact, why WAS he cut from the FIBA team in the first place? Couldn't beat out Eric Gordon fer chrissake? This a a guy who was one of the 5 most terrifying players in the playoffs last year. Anyway, he didn't have a horrible game, but he just looked out of sorts some how. Weird.
I realized after Dino's post about the Heat a little while back, that I am, in fact, a hater. And the more I thought about it, I realized I have always been a Lebron hater. "Hate" in the street sense, of course. I don't actually HATE the guy. I just have always been skeptical, and almost always have been proven wrong. I really like the Free Darko Almanac piece about him, and I think maybe that's what turned me off a little. He has Jordan's dedication to business and himself in a way that feels a little hollow. I never got hooked into rooting for his improvement. But I also think it's something about me, that I can't really get behind obvious prodigy genius. I need someone to be a bit ragamuffin, to work harder, like choosing Beethoven over Mozart. I've always rooted for him to fail. There, my secrets out.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Commence the Delusion
Last night they had Lakers vs Warriors preseason on ESPN, and man was it fun! Incredible to see the difference without Nelson there. The most noticeable thing is the obvious chemistry and coherence on offense. They run all kinds of set plays with multiple options, the ball whipping around unselfishly. One caveat on that, of course, Monta was having an unbelievable game and was justified in just taking the ball himself several times. 27 points, 2 missed shots in the first half.
I was really impressed with David Lee, too. He has a really complimentary offensive game, great passer in the style of Webber, sweet shooting touch from outside, and banged inside for a couple post moves too. He and Monta had a couple great handoff/cut/bouncepass/layup moments that just dazzled the Lakers. Curry was sitting out with a mildly tweaked ankle, so it was Monta's show, and he didn't disappoint. A reminder to everyone (like me) who've crowned Curry as the new king of the Warriors. Oh yeah, that guy is pretty damn good.
I was really impressed with David Lee, too. He has a really complimentary offensive game, great passer in the style of Webber, sweet shooting touch from outside, and banged inside for a couple post moves too. He and Monta had a couple great handoff/cut/bouncepass/layup moments that just dazzled the Lakers. Curry was sitting out with a mildly tweaked ankle, so it was Monta's show, and he didn't disappoint. A reminder to everyone (like me) who've crowned Curry as the new king of the Warriors. Oh yeah, that guy is pretty damn good.
Friday, October 22, 2010
last minute predictions
Regular season final standings (i think playoff predictions at the beginning of the reg season are a little insane)
East:
1. Chicago (#1 of my 3 'i'm so daring' picks)
2. Miami (a fair number of losses in the first half of season and a ton of wins in the second half)
3. Orlando
4. Boston (pacing themselves as usual)
5. Milwaukee
6. Atlanta
7. New York
8. Washington (it doesn't take more than wall, arenas and javale mcgee to get the 8th spot in the east)
West:
1. Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters
2. Houston (#2 - scola will kick booty, two headed center miller/yao will be solid, backcourt dangerous, chemistry great, adelman COY)
3. OKC (maybe not as amazing as expected thru reg season, but come playoffs...)
4. San Antonio (one last gasp for spurs cuz parker will return to form for contract year)
5. Dallas
6. Portland
7. Sacramento (#3 - big mean frontcourt, with a shot blocker, a pissed off rookie sensation, and tyreke avoiding the soph slump because of the new help)
8. Phoenix
MVP: Howard
COY: Adelman
DPY: Lebron
Saddest game of the year: Toronto vs Cleveland this Friday night.
East:
1. Chicago (#1 of my 3 'i'm so daring' picks)
2. Miami (a fair number of losses in the first half of season and a ton of wins in the second half)
3. Orlando
4. Boston (pacing themselves as usual)
5. Milwaukee
6. Atlanta
7. New York
8. Washington (it doesn't take more than wall, arenas and javale mcgee to get the 8th spot in the east)
West:
1. Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters
2. Houston (#2 - scola will kick booty, two headed center miller/yao will be solid, backcourt dangerous, chemistry great, adelman COY)
3. OKC (maybe not as amazing as expected thru reg season, but come playoffs...)
4. San Antonio (one last gasp for spurs cuz parker will return to form for contract year)
5. Dallas
6. Portland
7. Sacramento (#3 - big mean frontcourt, with a shot blocker, a pissed off rookie sensation, and tyreke avoiding the soph slump because of the new help)
8. Phoenix
MVP: Howard
COY: Adelman
DPY: Lebron
Saddest game of the year: Toronto vs Cleveland this Friday night.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Superman and The Dream
Bill Simmons linked to this video, and a whole host of impressions cascaded over me:
First of all, I miss Hakeem! Watching him explain to Dwight, in a kind of muffled cryptology about some moves to try, he'd demonstrate them himself, and they're still shockingly sweet to watch. What he did with that dream shake is pretty tough to teach. He'd say something like "Dwight, you move your feet like this". And you'd think "Hunh, that doesn't sound like much, I bet I could even do that." And then he'd do it himself, and visions of David Robinson came twirling through my head. There just isn't any big man in the game like that any more. Dwight was being attentive, and even doing a good job of following direction, but he's like a big block of wood where Hakeem was a panther. It almost looked like he could fake a guy out by just rippling a pectoral muscle. And seeing the two of them together, Dwight joking, and then celebrating himself after a particularly nice move, you are reminded again of Hakeem's purity of presence on the court. Look at all the ex-stars of his era...Jordan mired in divorces, bad basketball management, a terrible hall of fame speech, gambling. Charles Barkley ballooning into a caricature of himself. Isaiah leaving paths of destruction and scandal through the Knicks, etc. Have we ever heard one bad or scandalous or even mildly annoying thing about Hakeem? Ever? The only quotes I remember are things like Mario Elie saying "Every guy in this locker room would walk through a brick wall for that guy."
Not to say Dwight is the ultimate contrast with him. Hakeem started out a bit of a hothead, and didn't become the devastating offensive player we know now until the second half of his career. Dwight isn't a hothead, but he's a goof. I imagine one or two more undressings by the Celtics or Lakers might cure him of that too. Or maybe he'll do his own DECISION and get everyone mad at him and then get mad and then we'll be mad cause now he's mad at us for being mad about him being mad and then use that anger to drive himself to greatness. Either way, it's hard to know if going to this camp with Hakeem signals a new dedication to the sport, but it was hard not to respect HIS respect for The Dream. And he did make some pretty sweet jumpers in that video. As I've always said, and I'm sure Hakeem pounded into his head, make three jumpers per game, and no one will ever be able to stop you again. That's what's so tantalizing and frustrating about that guy. He still gets 20 points, 13 rebounds basically with one arm tied behind his back.
I know you dislike Orlando, Dino, but I actually am always pulling for Dwight to evolve like Hakeem, because basically he's got the same team around him that Hakeem did. If he could play otherworldly like that, quadruple doubles and shit, they would have the perfect Rockets redux. The point guard who's not really a point guard. Three point shooters. Dirty work guys. Rashard Lewis is basically Robert Horry without quite the hops. Maybe after walking in the shadow of the dream, he'll have inhaled enough of the fumes of greatness to go there himself.
Also, by the way, Free Darko is doing an entire week of celebrating the '94-'95 Rockets! Each writer doing a different take on Hakeem's world. I haven't had a chance to plunge all the way through, but it's enough to make you drool...
First of all, I miss Hakeem! Watching him explain to Dwight, in a kind of muffled cryptology about some moves to try, he'd demonstrate them himself, and they're still shockingly sweet to watch. What he did with that dream shake is pretty tough to teach. He'd say something like "Dwight, you move your feet like this". And you'd think "Hunh, that doesn't sound like much, I bet I could even do that." And then he'd do it himself, and visions of David Robinson came twirling through my head. There just isn't any big man in the game like that any more. Dwight was being attentive, and even doing a good job of following direction, but he's like a big block of wood where Hakeem was a panther. It almost looked like he could fake a guy out by just rippling a pectoral muscle. And seeing the two of them together, Dwight joking, and then celebrating himself after a particularly nice move, you are reminded again of Hakeem's purity of presence on the court. Look at all the ex-stars of his era...Jordan mired in divorces, bad basketball management, a terrible hall of fame speech, gambling. Charles Barkley ballooning into a caricature of himself. Isaiah leaving paths of destruction and scandal through the Knicks, etc. Have we ever heard one bad or scandalous or even mildly annoying thing about Hakeem? Ever? The only quotes I remember are things like Mario Elie saying "Every guy in this locker room would walk through a brick wall for that guy."
Not to say Dwight is the ultimate contrast with him. Hakeem started out a bit of a hothead, and didn't become the devastating offensive player we know now until the second half of his career. Dwight isn't a hothead, but he's a goof. I imagine one or two more undressings by the Celtics or Lakers might cure him of that too. Or maybe he'll do his own DECISION and get everyone mad at him and then get mad and then we'll be mad cause now he's mad at us for being mad about him being mad and then use that anger to drive himself to greatness. Either way, it's hard to know if going to this camp with Hakeem signals a new dedication to the sport, but it was hard not to respect HIS respect for The Dream. And he did make some pretty sweet jumpers in that video. As I've always said, and I'm sure Hakeem pounded into his head, make three jumpers per game, and no one will ever be able to stop you again. That's what's so tantalizing and frustrating about that guy. He still gets 20 points, 13 rebounds basically with one arm tied behind his back.
I know you dislike Orlando, Dino, but I actually am always pulling for Dwight to evolve like Hakeem, because basically he's got the same team around him that Hakeem did. If he could play otherworldly like that, quadruple doubles and shit, they would have the perfect Rockets redux. The point guard who's not really a point guard. Three point shooters. Dirty work guys. Rashard Lewis is basically Robert Horry without quite the hops. Maybe after walking in the shadow of the dream, he'll have inhaled enough of the fumes of greatness to go there himself.
Also, by the way, Free Darko is doing an entire week of celebrating the '94-'95 Rockets! Each writer doing a different take on Hakeem's world. I haven't had a chance to plunge all the way through, but it's enough to make you drool...
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Heat are Ready
Courtesy of The Onion:
HURLBURT FIELD, FL—After two weeks of intense twice-a-day practices, sources within the Miami Heat organization are reporting that players are already in midseason pregame introduction form. "We spent the first week working on the basics, mostly running out of the tunnel, jumping into one another, and rocking back and forth in a big circle," said newly acquired forward Chris Bosh, still catching his breath Tuesday from a high-five/low-five drill. "But working with guys like LeBron [James] and Dwyane [Wade], it's amazing how quickly we got the feel for one another's preferences. Like just yesterday, Wade and I caught eyes in practice and I instinctively knew he was going to jump into the ring of us starters, and that we should all explode like he was a missile crashing into us." Bosh added that while the Heat is firing on all cylinders, team members are in no position to get complacent, as they could always find more ways to incorporate flames into the introduction.I have nothing else to add.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
teams to watch this year, literally
i'm going to re-up my nba broadband season pass again this year, the one that lets you choose 7 teams. you get to see all their games that are not televised nationally or in your area. so now i'm in the process of choosing which seven teams, and it's no easy task. you have to kind of predict where the action is going to be, which teams will be fun to watch, possible developments, etc. last year i was stung by an injury - i chose the hornets and they lost chris paul. without paul there is nothing at all to see there. so there are potential hazards to try to avoid. the process of choosing forces you to make predictions about how the season is going to go. so here are my season predictions, tied to the teams i'm considering for my watch list:
1. uh. miami. haters can skip to #2. i boldly predict there will be some action and entertainment there.
how do i predict their performance? not having wade right now is pretty bad actually. they are going to lose that first game against boston, and possibly the next one against orlando. the chemistry is not there, not even close. but i boldly predict they'll be a good team and win lots of games. but meshing is going to be the dominant issue for the first half of season. it's already become lebron's team, and he's developing chemistry with bosh and others. how does wade fit into the offense and how will it feel for him to even have to fit in, this was his team for chrissakes!
2. thunder. another obvious choice. this was one that i made the mistake of not choosing last year, won't do that again. but the challenge now is predicting what will be the next surprise rise. (see #3)
i don't have any unique predictions about thunder, like most i think they are great but still a notch or two below lakers. i will say that in the mvp race i'm leaning towards dwight howard this year, tho it could be very close. it'll depend on wins. okc has tougher competition in the west, more tough games. orlando can crush everyone except a small handful of teams during the reg season. assuming howard ups his game and goes on a rampage, as i predict he will. this is van gundy's last season if howard and the team falter. this seemed like a good opportunity to talk about orlando, since i don't want them on my list, and i don't have anything interesting to say about the thunder.
3. sacto. my pick to be the surprise rise. at the very least they have players i want to see, and a kind of oddly intriguing combo: tyreke evans, a passed over and pissed off cousins, underestimated carl landry and dalembert. a loaded but unpredictable frontcourt, and tyreke in the backcourt. gotta see how that plays out.
could they maybe edge out phoenix for second in the pacific? i say yes, they could.
4. chicago. hesitating a little now after stupid boozer's ridiculous tumble. still, this is one of the big offseason developments and i want to see it play out, cuz they have mega potential. can't wait to see what rose can do surrounded with more offensive talent. i think they could nudge their way into the top three in the east, and join the ranks of mega teams. and rose is so damn fun to watch, this could be a team i end up rooting for.
5. wizards. slightly hesitant after arenas' naughty little boy behavior with he fake injury. what an adolescent dumbass! the danger now is that the wizards will be so sick of it that they make a desperate move to get rid of him. but provided they don't, another wild combo of players that could be really amazing to see. three guards, wall - arenas - hinrich, egads. and that javale guy could be great.
and i gotta say this is just one of a few small fast dynamic backcourts that i'm excited about this season. there's wiz, brooks and martin in houston, and monta and curry in oakland.
those five i'm pretty certain about, the next two spots are up for grabs.
6. new york? it could go either way for knicks, this is a little risky. and amare is injury prone. it could be disastrous. Or it could be really fun, the dantoni insanity, a lot of players that could blossom, amare on a mission to prove he's one of the greats with or without nash. plus there's always the possibility they pull some sort of blockbuster trade mid-season, then i'll really regret not choosing knicks. i need advice on this one.
7. houston? yao? it would be great to see him play again. if he can be yao again for 25 min/game, this could be the second best team in the west. luis scola was a superstar at fiba, that's gotta carry over and hopefully adelman will give him a bigger role. brooks and martin backcourt, fast and fearless, great scorers, but both featherweights physically, not great shooters. oh and brad miller now, sharing minutes with yao.
8. phoenix? how can i not choose phoenix? they've been fun every single year, except maybe the shaq year. for some reason i'm hesitant. they made really good moves to offset losing amare, yet something doesn't feel right with this lineup, and the age, nash and grant hill, hedo is 31, even richardson is 29. as much as i love nash, i don't think the force is with this team anymore, the momentum. does anyone on the team really think they have a chance to come out of the west? that might affect the level of effort and confidence this team has now. all the other western powers have some glimmer of hope that they could break thru. the window hasn't completely closed on spurs, dallas, houston, but it think it has with phoenix. so the question is can they still overachieve, again, and win 50+ games? maybe the lesson to be learned from amare going to new york will be twofold, how much nash meant to amare, but also how much amare meant to the suns.
other possibilities are milwaukee (but bogut may not healthy), portland (but actually they're kinda boring), grizzlies (up and coming talents, but they ranked 29th in assists, which means not fun to watch), and hornets, simply because i love to watch chris paul, but me thinks they're going to stink.
any suggestions or alternate top sevens? (can't choose warriors, they're blacked out)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
over and under
i admit i'm immersing myself in every bit of news from heat land, the training camp and first practices, looking for clues, scouring interviews. i'm the reason there is so much media attention on everything they do, it's cuz of people like me. and i keep oscillating over whether we're all over or under estimating how good they'll be.
it goes like this:
we're overdoing it, they'll underwhelm, because
-having two great perimeter penetrators on the same team has not been a recipe for success. just like having two great post up players, like barkley and hakeem, they basically take turns, it doesn't add up to something better.
-they are coming into existence in a league that already has three superpowers, and all three of them have massive and talented and tall 4s and 5s, something the heat lack. the lakers are also an all star team, with 4-5 all stars / potential all stars, they're champs and also got better during offseason.
-can mike miller handle the pressure? if he shoots poorly the whole thing drops a few notches.
-they signed juwan howard
it goes like this:
we're overdoing it, they'll underwhelm, because
-having two great perimeter penetrators on the same team has not been a recipe for success. just like having two great post up players, like barkley and hakeem, they basically take turns, it doesn't add up to something better.
-they are coming into existence in a league that already has three superpowers, and all three of them have massive and talented and tall 4s and 5s, something the heat lack. the lakers are also an all star team, with 4-5 all stars / potential all stars, they're champs and also got better during offseason.
-can mike miller handle the pressure? if he shoots poorly the whole thing drops a few notches.
-they signed juwan howard
hmm. maybe we're under hyping them, and overly qualifying our praise
-when you really think about what they can do offensively it makes your brain vibrate. both wade and lebron, and bosh to a degree, have put up huge numbers against defenses completely keyed to stopping them and only them. now all three players will consistently be getting the ball in good situations, against unset defenses, with cracks and openings aplenty.
-their core three are very versatile and multi-talented, meaning the most diverse and unpredictable offense perhaps ever.
-when you really think about what they can do Defensively, it makes your brain bubble. wade and lebron are probably the greatest shot blocking 2 and 3 in nba history, and extremely good defenders. with less scoring burden on both players they should have more energy for D (bosh too). spoelstra, from riley, is a defense coach, and the heat were quite good last year. a few of the key D pieces are back, chalmers, haslem and joel anthony. anthony is undersized (6'9") but was third in the league last year in blocks per 48m.
-early signs are that lebron will indeed be more of a playmaker, spoelstra said he'll have lebron play some pg and some pf as well. it's looking more like wade and lebron could actually be more complementary than we thought. in the first practice scrimmages apparently lebron led a team of bench players and dominated the other squads, without scoring much himself.
-they have dwayne wade. he can do what lebron couldn't do against teams like boston and orlando - find the seams in their defense and do damage in the midrange, between the shot blockers and perimeter defenders.
-14,000 alley oops
-the chemistry thing, these are chemistry players. they've played together before. wade famously volunteered to come off the bench (!) in the olympics in deference to kobe. lebron was born a team player, never had to be taught to trust his teammates. he transmits his own confidence with each pass, like nash does, and thus increases his teammates shooting %.
-incredible speed and athleticism with anthony and chalmers on the court, or chalmers and miller with bosh at the 5. explosive fastbreak team with the greatest finishers in the world and great passing and great shooters and a big who can run and handle the ball. holy crap my brain is vibrating again.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Melo's Journey
One of the more fascinating stats in the NBA is the clutch shooter stat they have over at 82games.com. In 2008-2009, somewhat surprisingly, the highest percentage of shots made in the last 5 minutes of either the 4th quarter or overtime, neither team leading by more than 5 points, belonged to Carmelo Anthony (among players with more than 25 shot attempts in those moments). He didn't just lead the league in the category, but he shot an astonishing %56 from the field during those times. That's actually a measure better than his OVERALL field goal percentage. Nipping at his heels was Lebron James, at %55.
But for a real shocker, look at the list of best last second shot-makers...the data sample is from 2003-2006, including postseason, so not real recent. But Carmelo leads there too, in shots made (11) and his shot percentage goes up by another factor, to %65! Now wrap your head around that, the man wins games more the 2/3 of the times he tries. The next guy on the list, Ray Allen, made 8 such shots, but at only a %44 clip. %20 lower than Carmelo! Here's another stunner, Kobe Bryant? They guy everyone fears at the ends of games? He made %22 of those shots! Big Shot Billups? %19!
Ok, enough with the exclamation points.
My "point", however, is that Carmelo Anthony is a lot of things, sweet-faced, powerful, a born scorer...but he never gets mentioned in those converstations about clutch players, great winners. Why is that? He's never won a title, so maybe he hasn't done it on the very biggest stage. Kobe misses way more than he does, but perhaps he made one shot that the entire world saw, and now we fear him. But there's also something personally about Carmelo that doesn't claim that space. With Lebron and Wade and Kobe sucking up so much of the airspace these days, it's helpful to remember, as Carmelo's own melodrama starts to unfold (with the same posse of hangers on whispering in his ear), that he's in the same echelon, and in important ways, actually better than those guys. Maybe he doesn't have the fire to win a championship (though he won the NCAA championship as a fresman!), or is not a great defender, but maybe that's also why he's the guy you want with the ball in his hands at the end of a game. He cares, but not enough to cloud his mind with shadows of former greats and histories and legacies and shoe sales and everything else. It's just him, ball and basket.
The only trade I've read about I wouldn't do is the Bulls trading Noah for him. Guys like Noah are just too few, and the chemistry they have on that team is too rare. Melo needs to come to a place where he can warp the fabric, and that's a good thing. I hope he ends up in the right situation, as it'll be fascinating to see what emerges.
But for a real shocker, look at the list of best last second shot-makers...the data sample is from 2003-2006, including postseason, so not real recent. But Carmelo leads there too, in shots made (11) and his shot percentage goes up by another factor, to %65! Now wrap your head around that, the man wins games more the 2/3 of the times he tries. The next guy on the list, Ray Allen, made 8 such shots, but at only a %44 clip. %20 lower than Carmelo! Here's another stunner, Kobe Bryant? They guy everyone fears at the ends of games? He made %22 of those shots! Big Shot Billups? %19!
Ok, enough with the exclamation points.
My "point", however, is that Carmelo Anthony is a lot of things, sweet-faced, powerful, a born scorer...but he never gets mentioned in those converstations about clutch players, great winners. Why is that? He's never won a title, so maybe he hasn't done it on the very biggest stage. Kobe misses way more than he does, but perhaps he made one shot that the entire world saw, and now we fear him. But there's also something personally about Carmelo that doesn't claim that space. With Lebron and Wade and Kobe sucking up so much of the airspace these days, it's helpful to remember, as Carmelo's own melodrama starts to unfold (with the same posse of hangers on whispering in his ear), that he's in the same echelon, and in important ways, actually better than those guys. Maybe he doesn't have the fire to win a championship (though he won the NCAA championship as a fresman!), or is not a great defender, but maybe that's also why he's the guy you want with the ball in his hands at the end of a game. He cares, but not enough to cloud his mind with shadows of former greats and histories and legacies and shoe sales and everything else. It's just him, ball and basket.
The only trade I've read about I wouldn't do is the Bulls trading Noah for him. Guys like Noah are just too few, and the chemistry they have on that team is too rare. Melo needs to come to a place where he can warp the fabric, and that's a good thing. I hope he ends up in the right situation, as it'll be fascinating to see what emerges.
Monday, September 20, 2010
O Iceland!
So, part of the inspiration for my moniker was a long-time emotional relationship to the only Icelandic (and first European drafted) player to linger in the NBA for a little while, Petur Gudmundsson. Interestingly, like Swen, he ended up at the Spurs near the end of his career, which seems to have always been friendly to the foreigners.
Anyway, aside from my having some Icelandic blood, he also haunts my memories of early basketball playing.
I went to an alternative school in Portland, Oregon, and despite our teachers' best attempts at teaching us competition-free New Games (various excruciating activities like !Holding a Giant Earth Up Together! and !Parachute Flapping!), my friends and I played intense football and basketball games during lunch. Most of my early fights and emotional victories revolved around those various hippy playing fields. For football, we were mostly on our own, free to mash each other into the grass, and mostly in the same age range. But there was only one basketball court, and it being a K-12 school, there was quite a mix for the hoops games, including teachers. I was a chunky kid, but slightly taller for my age, and could hold up my end enough to get into a few runs, but not as a genius scorer. Rebounds, defense, etc. There was this older guy, probably just a freshman in high school, but at the time he seemed like a very mature adult, with slight peach fuzz and long hair, and he good-naturedly taunted me by yelling out "Gudmundsson!" everytime I missed a shot. I have no idea how he came upon that taunt for me, except that Petur had recently been drafted by the Trail Blazers, and his clumsy ways were probably more apparent to us than most NBA fans. I'm sure he didn't know I was part Icelandic. In fact, I'm not sure I knew I was Icelandic.
Anyway, as we prepared to do this blog, Swen got me to thinking of other awkwardly named players, and I was reminded of ole Petur. I tried to find out what he was up to these days, and came up with this archival tidbit from 1986:
So poor Petur was sent back home. But wait, was he? Searching a little further, I found a Linked In profile! Here's what he's up these days, up in Seattle:
Anyway, aside from my having some Icelandic blood, he also haunts my memories of early basketball playing.
I went to an alternative school in Portland, Oregon, and despite our teachers' best attempts at teaching us competition-free New Games (various excruciating activities like !Holding a Giant Earth Up Together! and !Parachute Flapping!), my friends and I played intense football and basketball games during lunch. Most of my early fights and emotional victories revolved around those various hippy playing fields. For football, we were mostly on our own, free to mash each other into the grass, and mostly in the same age range. But there was only one basketball court, and it being a K-12 school, there was quite a mix for the hoops games, including teachers. I was a chunky kid, but slightly taller for my age, and could hold up my end enough to get into a few runs, but not as a genius scorer. Rebounds, defense, etc. There was this older guy, probably just a freshman in high school, but at the time he seemed like a very mature adult, with slight peach fuzz and long hair, and he good-naturedly taunted me by yelling out "Gudmundsson!" everytime I missed a shot. I have no idea how he came upon that taunt for me, except that Petur had recently been drafted by the Trail Blazers, and his clumsy ways were probably more apparent to us than most NBA fans. I'm sure he didn't know I was part Icelandic. In fact, I'm not sure I knew I was Icelandic.
Anyway, as we prepared to do this blog, Swen got me to thinking of other awkwardly named players, and I was reminded of ole Petur. I tried to find out what he was up to these days, and came up with this archival tidbit from 1986:
By the standards of his native Iceland, Petur Gudmundsson, a 7-foot-2-inch center for the Kansas City Sizzlers of the Continental Basketball Association, is a pretty fair basketball player. By the standards of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service, he is nothing special.
Not special enough, anyway, to qualify for a special work permit given to aliens of ''distinguished merit and ability.'' In rejecting Gudmundsson's application for such a permit, the service indicated that playing in the C.B.A. was proof of his undistinguished merit. ''The C.B.A. is a good league,'' said Ron Sanders, the I.N.S. district director in Kansas City, ''but the players aren't of the same caliber as the N.B.A. And if he did have distinguished ability he wouldn't be in the C.B.A.''
So poor Petur was sent back home. But wait, was he? Searching a little further, I found a Linked In profile! Here's what he's up these days, up in Seattle:
I currently work in the commercial dispatch dept where we tend to trouble issues that come up at the fitness locations nationwide by dispatching contracted service techs to those locations. I also trouble shoot issues such as payment problems and monitor certifications of current contracted techs as well as interview potential new service techs on the phone.So interesting to think of this guy who lived only as a taunt now working in a cubicle somewhere, answering tech calls. Perhaps I'll have the courage to get in touch with him some time, let him know I did my best to make those taunts into compliments.
(From the Archives) The King Chronicles
This discussion occurred over the weeks between June 20 and July 10, encompassing a certain fateful Decision. From time to time, we'll post our past email conversations as a way to center us historically, to be reminded of how our addled prognostications and failed assumptions brought us to this place...
Gudmundsson Challah
Some report says it'll be Bosh and James signing with Bulls. Damn, that'd be a formidable team. Another report, though, says Bosh has made up his mind to go to Miami. Either way, I think we'll find out how badly James really wants to win titles with this signing. In Chicago, aside from Rose and Noah and playoff experience, they also now have room to sign another max player. If it's not Bosh, it could be Joe Johnson, Amare, Boozer, who really cares? Any one of those plus that core would be four times the talent he's ever had, plus playoff seasoning. If he's worried about legacies, about being famous, about making more money, about partying in the big apple, he'll sign elsewhere. But no other team can now come even close to offering him such ready-made championship possibilities. Two max contracts plus Rose and Noah. In fact, if Lebron doesn't sign there, he'll be allowing them to be an intense rival for the rest of his career, with Joe Johnson and one of Boozer/Bosh/Amare, or some other combo therein.
Miami, meanwhile, adding Bosh would suddenly be very good. It's funny how everyone's obsessed with where Lebron will go, and who would be his best running mate, and forgetting about Wade. You think that drives him crazy? You could ask the same question about him, when has he ever had a talent like Bosh/Boozer/Amare around? And they'll have room to sign another big ticket player, though not quite max. If he can win a title with a past-prime Shaq, they will be very good. I'd think a free agent might be tempted to play with Wade instead, as anyone who plays with Lebron will always be the guy that got him HIS title. In Miami, there's probably a better chance of a Celtics-like situation, of several players joining forces to get that title.
Gabe
yeah, as a devoted wade fan (i wear his shoes for chrissake!) i will be really excited when he is paired with any of those PFs (hoping for bosh) and has a team that can actually do something other than wait for him to score 40 (while grabbing 9 rebounds and 4 blocks and 5 steals and hoping someone makes some shots so he has 8 assists too). and as i like to point out, unlike lebron (who has also played with more talent this year than wade's 06 team), wade has...um.... WON already. ....but lebron/rose/noah/goodPF/piece of styrofoam could probably beat anything.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Warrior/ Poet
Meschery retired long before big salaries...and had various jobs before getting a degree and ending up as a schoolteacher in Reno. He continued to write, and published a poetry collection in 1999: "Nothing We Lose Can Be replaced". It has a segment of NBA memory poems, and this one struck me the most:
"TOM MESCHERY"
I admit sleeping late at the Hilton,
ordering room service,
handing out big tips while other men
are opening their lunch buckets. I know
you would have scolded me:
'What kind of work is this for a man?'
Old immigrant, I admit all of this
too late. You died before I could explain
newspapers called me a journeyman.
They write I roll up my sleeves
and go to work. They use words
like hammer and muscle to describe me.
For three straight years on the job
my nose collapsed. My knees ached,
and I could never talk myself out of less
than two injuries at a time. Father,
you would have been proud of me:
I labored in the company of large men.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Ouch
From hero to villain, so fast your head spins:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5575810
I wonder how well liked Barkley was? Or Bill Russell? Should anyone outside of a real competitor's city genuinely like a player? I certainly hated Magic Johnson throughout his career, but that was mostly due to his success against my team (The Blazers). He was certainly one of the most likable players in the NBA, and I can see that now. I guess I've never been one of those guys that easily likes a player that might hurt my team. There have been a few exceptions, and when your team is horrible it's much easier to like other players as you switch rooting to a less horrible team for postseason, or to avert your gaze from ongoing tragedy (The Warriors). But generally speaking, why would I ever answer that I "liked" Lebron James, as long as he's destroying my home team? I guess there are lots of places where there is no home team, or where people are more attached to players than teams. This is part of an argument I'm having with Bethlehem Shoals over at Free Darko in my head, which I'll elaborate on later. His focus on the individual's expression over all other narratives seems limited to me.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5575810
I wonder how well liked Barkley was? Or Bill Russell? Should anyone outside of a real competitor's city genuinely like a player? I certainly hated Magic Johnson throughout his career, but that was mostly due to his success against my team (The Blazers). He was certainly one of the most likable players in the NBA, and I can see that now. I guess I've never been one of those guys that easily likes a player that might hurt my team. There have been a few exceptions, and when your team is horrible it's much easier to like other players as you switch rooting to a less horrible team for postseason, or to avert your gaze from ongoing tragedy (The Warriors). But generally speaking, why would I ever answer that I "liked" Lebron James, as long as he's destroying my home team? I guess there are lots of places where there is no home team, or where people are more attached to players than teams. This is part of an argument I'm having with Bethlehem Shoals over at Free Darko in my head, which I'll elaborate on later. His focus on the individual's expression over all other narratives seems limited to me.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
It's Always Been You
(From a series of sonnets that slipped out of Dwayne Wade's carry-on during a routine airport search, signed only The King)
IV
There is a pass that has already gone
A jump shot that will never drop through twine
A crossover that feels completely wrong
A heart that is breaking, and it is mine
This may be no-look, but yet still I see
In the sweltering south, your savage game
Ev'ry time you hit the floor it breaks me
Cause for our future I endured such shame
There is no I in TEAM, nor in US
I never dreamed friendship could cause a fuss
IV
There is a pass that has already gone
A jump shot that will never drop through twine
A crossover that feels completely wrong
A heart that is breaking, and it is mine
This may be no-look, but yet still I see
In the sweltering south, your savage game
Ev'ry time you hit the floor it breaks me
Cause for our future I endured such shame
There is no I in TEAM, nor in US
I never dreamed friendship could cause a fuss
Autumn Leaves
from the lost and recently uncovered Haikus of Swen Nater:
the sharp crunching sounds
of autumn leaves remind me
of unseld's elbow
the sharp crunching sounds
of autumn leaves remind me
of unseld's elbow
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