I've had a lot of time this break to just chill and read and listen to music and whatnot. Over the past couple days, I've pretty much only been listening to two things. The first is a Taylor Swift playlist because...well, I don't really have a good explanation for that. Her music's good okay? And the other is Rick Ross's new mixtape Ashes to Ashes. I've really been enjoying both, even though (maybe because?) they're entirely different.
Sometimes I can't really explain why I like certain music (which maybe I shouldn't admit since I spent a semester in college writing album reviews for the school paper), but I guess that's kind of the nature of art and other subjective media. To me, one of the most fascinating aspects of music is mashup tracks. Again, I can't explain why I like some and not others, why some just seem to work well even when it's just two tracks thrown together and others just don't even if the creator has taken time to change the pace of the vocals and alter the instrumental.
Anyway, like I said, I've had a lot of time to just chill, so I looked up some Taylor Swift mashups, and again, I don't have a good explanation for this. I just thought it would be interesting to see what comes up. Here are some.
Of course, have to start with a Ross/Swift mashup. Hustlin vs. You Belong with Me
Here's one I've been listening to a while, an Usher/Taylor Swift mix, "Club Love" or as I like to say, "Love Story in this Club."
Black and Yellow's been stuck in my head for a while, so it makes sense that I'd look up a Wiz Khalifa/Taylor Swift mashup. "Mean Planes and Taylor Gangs" putting together This Plane and Mean.
And gotta represent two white people of course. Eminem/Taylor Swift, Stan over You're Not Sorry.
Anyway yeah. Pretty super random, but thought maybe someone out there would enjoy these as much as I did.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Common Bonds
Last Thursday saw the much anticipated return of the (self-titled former) king of sorts as Lebron James and the Miami Heat went to the Q to play the Cleveland Cavaliers. The reaction was actually more mild than I was expecting (I DVRed it in case a riot/murder occurred during the game. Seriously, I stopped watching the recording about 2 minutes into the first quarter), but still vicious with various taunting signs and, of course, thunderous boos aimed at Lebron the entire time.
It reminded me of the incident that happened shortly after Lebron's ill-fated Decision when a James fan and his girlfriend went to an Indians game. Nothing unusual, except he was wearing a Lebron Heat jersey.
The scene was ugly and security had to escort the couple out.
I remember when I first saw/heard about that incident, one of the things that stood out to me for whatever reason was that that guy's girlfriend was wearing an Indians jersey. If she's a big enough Cleveland fan to be wearing a jersey (and trust me, to rep any Cleveland team you have to love your city), shouldn't she have been able to have anticipated the reaction they'd receive? In fact, shouldn't she too have been disgusted by her boyfriend wearing the new uniform of the man who had stabbed the city's back on a national tv special?
Cleveland sports fans are a passionate bunch. They are extremely devoted to their teams despite the bleak outlook for all of them. They're probably more fatalistic and consistently, constantly depressed than any other fan base of any team, in any city, in any sport. Like, it is so bad. It is really bad. For real. Honestly, I can't imagine what they must have felt for their hometown hero to abandon them on live television.
The minute he uttered the words "take my talents to South Beach" there was a rift that separated him from the city of Cleveland. You simply cannot be a Lebron fan and a Cleveland fan because the two have been so fundamentally different post-Decision.
Maybe you think you can. Maybe you do enjoy watching the Indians play baseball every now and again. You could go to a sports bar and chat up the local fans there. But if you're a Lebron fan, you've aligned yourself with someone who (at least in their mind) has done that city so wrong that mentioning that fact about yourself will cause those you just met to shun you. At this point, Lebron and Cleveland are in complete opposition. To identify with both is to be confused and have a basic misunderstanding of either Lebron, Cleveland, the relationship between the two, or all of the above.
This whole thing made me think of 2 Corinthians 6:14-16a. It reads:
And for those of us who are followers of Christ, we do have to be careful about who we associate ourselves with. I'm not trying to come off as a snob saying we shouldn't hang out with non-believers. That's definitely not what I'm trying to say and not an accurate statement at all. But we do have to have an idea of the difference between pursuing friendship and ministry and just being absorbed and completely conforming.
It makes sense if you think about it. Our relationship with God should be the center of our existence, driving everything we do. For non-believers, their center is something else. Whether it's the pursuit of success, a desire for sensual satisfaction, or even an attitude of philanthropy, if it's not God-centered, it's going to lead them to a completely different place from us. The "equally yoked" phrasing of course brings to mind the image of beasts of burden plowing a field. Two animals can't be yoked together and headed in different directions. Again, at some point, something's to give.
It reminded me of the incident that happened shortly after Lebron's ill-fated Decision when a James fan and his girlfriend went to an Indians game. Nothing unusual, except he was wearing a Lebron Heat jersey.
The scene was ugly and security had to escort the couple out.
I remember when I first saw/heard about that incident, one of the things that stood out to me for whatever reason was that that guy's girlfriend was wearing an Indians jersey. If she's a big enough Cleveland fan to be wearing a jersey (and trust me, to rep any Cleveland team you have to love your city), shouldn't she have been able to have anticipated the reaction they'd receive? In fact, shouldn't she too have been disgusted by her boyfriend wearing the new uniform of the man who had stabbed the city's back on a national tv special?
Cleveland sports fans are a passionate bunch. They are extremely devoted to their teams despite the bleak outlook for all of them. They're probably more fatalistic and consistently, constantly depressed than any other fan base of any team, in any city, in any sport. Like, it is so bad. It is really bad. For real. Honestly, I can't imagine what they must have felt for their hometown hero to abandon them on live television.
The minute he uttered the words "take my talents to South Beach" there was a rift that separated him from the city of Cleveland. You simply cannot be a Lebron fan and a Cleveland fan because the two have been so fundamentally different post-Decision.
Maybe you think you can. Maybe you do enjoy watching the Indians play baseball every now and again. You could go to a sports bar and chat up the local fans there. But if you're a Lebron fan, you've aligned yourself with someone who (at least in their mind) has done that city so wrong that mentioning that fact about yourself will cause those you just met to shun you. At this point, Lebron and Cleveland are in complete opposition. To identify with both is to be confused and have a basic misunderstanding of either Lebron, Cleveland, the relationship between the two, or all of the above.
This whole thing made me think of 2 Corinthians 6:14-16a. It reads:
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belialb]">[b]? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?Lebron and Cleveland. The world and Christ. Yeah, you might think that you can have a foot in both, but that's simply not possible. If you say you're a Lebron and Cleveland fan, you're just a Lebron fan. True Cleveland fans won't want anything to do with you. Likewise, if you think you can be of this world and of Christ, sorry to say, you're mistaken. At some point, something's got to give.
And for those of us who are followers of Christ, we do have to be careful about who we associate ourselves with. I'm not trying to come off as a snob saying we shouldn't hang out with non-believers. That's definitely not what I'm trying to say and not an accurate statement at all. But we do have to have an idea of the difference between pursuing friendship and ministry and just being absorbed and completely conforming.
It makes sense if you think about it. Our relationship with God should be the center of our existence, driving everything we do. For non-believers, their center is something else. Whether it's the pursuit of success, a desire for sensual satisfaction, or even an attitude of philanthropy, if it's not God-centered, it's going to lead them to a completely different place from us. The "equally yoked" phrasing of course brings to mind the image of beasts of burden plowing a field. Two animals can't be yoked together and headed in different directions. Again, at some point, something's to give.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Geeks and Jocks
There's always been a certain kind of tension in the sports world between stat heads and traditional analysts. Every sport has a set of traditional knowledge, things that people who have played the game just know and understand as part of the game and how its supposed to be played. These insiders and analysts don't take too kindly when people focusing on stats, "quants" as they're sometimes called, come along and dispel or at least call into question things everyone already knows is right, no matter what or how many numbers and data sets they have to back it up.
A famous example would be Michael Lewis's Moneyball, a book discussing Oakland A's manager Billy Beane and how he used advanced and non-traditional statistics to find undervalued production. In the book, on base percentage is preached over batting average, walks are king and sacrifice bunts and stolen bases shouldn't be bothered with. There's a lot of detail and logical arguments supporting these ideas, mostly based around the fact that the most important thing on offense in baseball is to avoid making outs. Of course, you still see teams move guys over with bunts and send runners, and batting average is still prominently mentioned.
Who knows if there will ever be a perfect coexistence between the box score people and the "watch the game" people or even what that would look like, but there's no question that you need both. Just looking at stats often ignores elements that don't show up in any box score such as momentum, leadership, and a general understanding of the flow of a game. Not taking into account stats at all leaves someone vulnerable to small sample sizes and misinterpreting fluke occurrences as patterns. Neither is necessarily better than the other, rather, they inform and complete each other.
While Moneyball might be the most famous example, advanced stats are making a push in basketball as well. Often, these stats can validate or disprove certain things that observers notice through watching the game.
One of the biggest stories in the NBA this year has been the explosion of Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose. He established himself as a solid point guard in his first two years in the league, but has really busted out this year, averaging about 5 more points and 3 more assists a game while also raising his PER (player efficiency rating) from 18.60 to 22.72. While he's exceptionally fast and has incredible athleticism, the knock on him has been an inability to hit jump shots. He seemed to have worked on it over the summer, and last night's game against San Antonio led ESPN's Ric Bucher to tweet, "I try like heck not to be reactive, but it's time to stop talking as if Derrick Rose doesn't have a J. Or three-point range. He has both."
And based on last night's game, that's true. He was 5-6 from 16-23 feet (long twos) and 2-4 from 3 point range. But again, we're dealing with a really small sample size (one game). While his 3 point shooting has seemed to improve (up to 34.2% from 26.7%), his improvement from 16-23 ft has been marginal (2%) and he's shooting far worse from 10-15 ft (30%, a huge decrease from 50% last year).
Is his long range shooting better? Yes. But it should be noted that he's still in the bottom half of regular point guards in 3 point percentage, and the shot he improved most (long twos) is the most inefficient way to score in the game.
Don't get me wrong. This is no knock on Rose at all. He is a phenomenal player. It just strikes me as kind of ridiculous to make a disclaimer against being reactive, then proclaim his jump shot to be fixed based on one night. On the other hand, his improvement and the impact he has on this Bulls team can't be stated in any box score or statistical summary.
And this is where watching the games and tracking stats have to meet.
Stats courtesy of Hoopdata
A famous example would be Michael Lewis's Moneyball, a book discussing Oakland A's manager Billy Beane and how he used advanced and non-traditional statistics to find undervalued production. In the book, on base percentage is preached over batting average, walks are king and sacrifice bunts and stolen bases shouldn't be bothered with. There's a lot of detail and logical arguments supporting these ideas, mostly based around the fact that the most important thing on offense in baseball is to avoid making outs. Of course, you still see teams move guys over with bunts and send runners, and batting average is still prominently mentioned.
Who knows if there will ever be a perfect coexistence between the box score people and the "watch the game" people or even what that would look like, but there's no question that you need both. Just looking at stats often ignores elements that don't show up in any box score such as momentum, leadership, and a general understanding of the flow of a game. Not taking into account stats at all leaves someone vulnerable to small sample sizes and misinterpreting fluke occurrences as patterns. Neither is necessarily better than the other, rather, they inform and complete each other.
While Moneyball might be the most famous example, advanced stats are making a push in basketball as well. Often, these stats can validate or disprove certain things that observers notice through watching the game.
One of the biggest stories in the NBA this year has been the explosion of Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose. He established himself as a solid point guard in his first two years in the league, but has really busted out this year, averaging about 5 more points and 3 more assists a game while also raising his PER (player efficiency rating) from 18.60 to 22.72. While he's exceptionally fast and has incredible athleticism, the knock on him has been an inability to hit jump shots. He seemed to have worked on it over the summer, and last night's game against San Antonio led ESPN's Ric Bucher to tweet, "I try like heck not to be reactive, but it's time to stop talking as if Derrick Rose doesn't have a J. Or three-point range. He has both."
And based on last night's game, that's true. He was 5-6 from 16-23 feet (long twos) and 2-4 from 3 point range. But again, we're dealing with a really small sample size (one game). While his 3 point shooting has seemed to improve (up to 34.2% from 26.7%), his improvement from 16-23 ft has been marginal (2%) and he's shooting far worse from 10-15 ft (30%, a huge decrease from 50% last year).
Is his long range shooting better? Yes. But it should be noted that he's still in the bottom half of regular point guards in 3 point percentage, and the shot he improved most (long twos) is the most inefficient way to score in the game.
Don't get me wrong. This is no knock on Rose at all. He is a phenomenal player. It just strikes me as kind of ridiculous to make a disclaimer against being reactive, then proclaim his jump shot to be fixed based on one night. On the other hand, his improvement and the impact he has on this Bulls team can't be stated in any box score or statistical summary.
And this is where watching the games and tracking stats have to meet.
Stats courtesy of Hoopdata
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Random Opening Night Thoughts
Sitting here, bored, watching some NBA Countdown before the OKC/Chi game starts. Just had a couple random thoughts to put down here.
- Of course much has been made of the Miami Heat losing in the debut of the Big Three. They'll be fine, they just looked rusty and out of sorts on the floor. It looked kind of like street ball with really bad floor spacing and I didn't really see any offensive movements more complicated than a screen or pick and roll. They should be able to solve this with time, however, they also have to stop settling for ugly jump shots as well, especially since they have two of the best wings in the game who are both awesome at attacking the basket. Also problematic might be their lack of a back-to-the-basket scorer. Lebron, for all his size and athleticism, clearly is not comfortable working down low and Chris Bosh likewise is more of a face-up, jump shooting big man. We'll see how their offense works without a reliable scorer in the post.
- Lakers looked ugly most of the game but somehow found a way to pull out a win. Nice to see new additions Matt Barnes and Steve Blake make the contributions they were signed for, namely scrappiness, good decision making, and timely shots. Also, how about Shannon Brown with his late game heroics. Check out his PER of 34.75 after one game! Kidding aside, I feel like the game he had last night is exactly what the Lakers have been looking for from Sasha Vujacic with quick, disruptive defense and dead-eye shooting from 3. Those are valuable skills in addition to the athleticism and big dunks he already brings. It remains to be seen if he can keep this up over the course of 82 games (and more, hopefully), but if he can, he's going to be an extremely valuable guy off the bench.
- Steve Nash can't do it by himself. That much was clear last night. The Suns just need to hope that new additions Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Childress, and Hakim Warrick step up a lot more than last night. But their lack of size and rebounding is going to kill them (the Blazers had an offensive rebound rate of 43.9% WTF), especially if Robin Lopez gets into foul trouble early in games or hurt. What's Erick Dampier up to these days...
- I am so excited for tonight's nationally televised games. A few of the most electric young players (Durant, Rose, Griffin, Roy) is going to make for a fun night.
- Of course much has been made of the Miami Heat losing in the debut of the Big Three. They'll be fine, they just looked rusty and out of sorts on the floor. It looked kind of like street ball with really bad floor spacing and I didn't really see any offensive movements more complicated than a screen or pick and roll. They should be able to solve this with time, however, they also have to stop settling for ugly jump shots as well, especially since they have two of the best wings in the game who are both awesome at attacking the basket. Also problematic might be their lack of a back-to-the-basket scorer. Lebron, for all his size and athleticism, clearly is not comfortable working down low and Chris Bosh likewise is more of a face-up, jump shooting big man. We'll see how their offense works without a reliable scorer in the post.
- Lakers looked ugly most of the game but somehow found a way to pull out a win. Nice to see new additions Matt Barnes and Steve Blake make the contributions they were signed for, namely scrappiness, good decision making, and timely shots. Also, how about Shannon Brown with his late game heroics. Check out his PER of 34.75 after one game! Kidding aside, I feel like the game he had last night is exactly what the Lakers have been looking for from Sasha Vujacic with quick, disruptive defense and dead-eye shooting from 3. Those are valuable skills in addition to the athleticism and big dunks he already brings. It remains to be seen if he can keep this up over the course of 82 games (and more, hopefully), but if he can, he's going to be an extremely valuable guy off the bench.
- Steve Nash can't do it by himself. That much was clear last night. The Suns just need to hope that new additions Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Childress, and Hakim Warrick step up a lot more than last night. But their lack of size and rebounding is going to kill them (the Blazers had an offensive rebound rate of 43.9% WTF), especially if Robin Lopez gets into foul trouble early in games or hurt. What's Erick Dampier up to these days...
- I am so excited for tonight's nationally televised games. A few of the most electric young players (Durant, Rose, Griffin, Roy) is going to make for a fun night.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Stressed, Thankful
I tried to think of another adjective that described how I was feeling right now that started with "u" but couldn't do it.
Anyway as the title implies, I'm pretty stressed right now but also thankful. The two sort of go hand in hand.
I've got two tests tomorrow, mostly free response. For me, multiple choice is generally straightforward and not too hard because I have developed a lot of experience and skill in the art of guessing (see: my SAT score). Free response is a whole other animal though, and I actually have to study for those portions. I still have several articles to read/re-read tonight so I'm familiar enough to answer these questions. Not so fun, and it's already almost 10 which means I should sleep soon since I have an early start tomorrow.
And I have an early start because I have an interview at 7:30 at school. We had a couple career events the past couple days and I'm very thankful that I got several interviews scheduled for tomorrow. This is unusual (not the "u" word I was looking for but close) for me since I think I've only had maybe three or four total interviews the past two years. Regardless of what happens, I'm really grateful just that I can go and talk to these companies and recruiters. I feel like as far as career stuff, God has really blessed me and put opportunities in front of me even when I don't think they'll be available.
So that's it. Just wanted to throw something about that up here. And just wanted to procrastinate too.
By the way, one of the very first posts I ever had on this blog was this one: http://uniquelygeneric.blogspot.com/2009/03/pet-peeve.html
I was basically complaining about people misusing the word "literally" because, yeah, I'm that much of a stickler. Anyway, theoatmeal.com basically said the same thing, in a much more succinct manner and with cooler pictures.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/literally
Anyway as the title implies, I'm pretty stressed right now but also thankful. The two sort of go hand in hand.
I've got two tests tomorrow, mostly free response. For me, multiple choice is generally straightforward and not too hard because I have developed a lot of experience and skill in the art of guessing (see: my SAT score). Free response is a whole other animal though, and I actually have to study for those portions. I still have several articles to read/re-read tonight so I'm familiar enough to answer these questions. Not so fun, and it's already almost 10 which means I should sleep soon since I have an early start tomorrow.
And I have an early start because I have an interview at 7:30 at school. We had a couple career events the past couple days and I'm very thankful that I got several interviews scheduled for tomorrow. This is unusual (not the "u" word I was looking for but close) for me since I think I've only had maybe three or four total interviews the past two years. Regardless of what happens, I'm really grateful just that I can go and talk to these companies and recruiters. I feel like as far as career stuff, God has really blessed me and put opportunities in front of me even when I don't think they'll be available.
So that's it. Just wanted to throw something about that up here. And just wanted to procrastinate too.
By the way, one of the very first posts I ever had on this blog was this one: http://uniquelygeneric.blogspot.com/2009/03/pet-peeve.html
I was basically complaining about people misusing the word "literally" because, yeah, I'm that much of a stickler. Anyway, theoatmeal.com basically said the same thing, in a much more succinct manner and with cooler pictures.
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/literally
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Quick Hits: UFC 118
UFC 118 took place over the weekend so this is sort of late, but I've been a little busy trying to catch up on school/just being lazy, thus this post comes nearly a week after the event itself. But we press on...
Anyway, Preston and I went to Boston last weekend to catch the UFC Fan Expo, and it was fantastic. There were so many MMA companies and fighters there and it was cool to see so many people there just hanging out and checking out the exhibits. But of course the highlight was getting to meet those involved with MMA, fighters or otherwise. We got to meet pretty much everyone we had wanted to, from former Pride great Wanderlei Silva to ring girl Arianny Celeste. There were just a couple people on our list who either weren't there or just too busy, but overall it was a success. I put up a bunch of pics on Facebook so you can go check those out there.
After the festivities, we went to (of all places) Applebees on Saturday night to watch the fights. Some impressions.
- Dan Miller won his fight over John Salter with a second round guillotine choke, his third career win by guillotine and sixth by choke in 16 pro fights. Miller's a great midlevel middleweight who's exciting to watch, and has one of the nastiest guillotines I've ever seen.
- Another great middle of the pack fighter was on display when Joe Lauzon dominated Gabe Ruediger for a couple minutes before finishing him off with an armbar. I love seeing TUF 5 alumni since that was my favorite seeing, and while it's nice to see Gabe back in the UFC after his embarrassing showing on the show, he's clearly not up to par quite yet. Lauzon's a solid young fighter, but I don't think he'll ever be good enough to crack the top echelon of lightweights. Still, he always puts on a show and has a diverse skillset that will help him stick around for a while.
- Speaking of TUF 5 alumns, Nate Diaz had a solid win over Marcus Davis, his second in a row in his new weight class of 170. He's a fantastic submission artist and his cockiness is always entertaining, but I'm not sure how much a win over Davis really says, who's now lost three of his past four fights. Davis is likely done, mostly just being used as a stepping stone from here on out and a guy the UFC can count on to throw leather.
- Although Demian Maia didn't get the finish, he put on a show against Mario Miranda. He made that fight a personal grappling clinic and at times seemed unsure about which of his many submissions he wanted to go for. Exciting guy who seems to have put the memory of his lackluster loss to Anderson Silva behind him.
- A big theme of the night was wrestlers as Nik Lentz, Gray Maynard, and Frankie Edgar basically wrestled their way to victory. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a totally valid way to win, and dictating where the fight occurs is one of the best strategies in the game. However it's not the most exciting, and anyone who saw Lentz basically spend 15 minutes trying to drag Andre Winner to the ground and not much else can attest to that.
It seems to me as if overwhelming wrestling just doesn't seem as dominating as overwhelming skills in other areas. We think of guys like Anderson Silva, who makes opponents look foolish with his standup game as he weaves in and out before brutalizing the other fighter with punches, kicks and knees. There's also Shinya Aoki, who takes over fights with his submission skills, playing with his opponents as if they were grappling dummies before locking in a choke or joint lock for the win. When we get to guys like Maynard or Edgar, it seems to be not about dominating the opponent, but rather neutralizing and controlling. And while a win is a win, I can't help but want more from them. Even the champions of the past we associate most with wrestling (Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz) had much more than just suffocating takedowns to win their fights. Hughes would dominate his opponents after he took the fight to the mat, striking them until the ref stopped it or he saw an opening for a submission. Ortiz had some of the best ground and pound in MMA history, often doing significant, fight-ending damage from still within his opponent's guard. Out of 18 combined fights, Edgar and Maynard have 14 decisions. Let's see some finishes boys.
- Still, it's sort of unfair to fault them for going out their and fighting their fight in order to win. Their opponents have to be able to stop the takedowns and/or do damage off their back. Kenny Florian, Maynard's victim, simply could not stop Maynard's relentless attack and had very little to offer from his guard except for a couple feeble submission attempts. If he wants to keep rising as a lightweight, he'll have to be able to fight on his terms.
Much more surprising was BJ Penn's inability to do anything in his rematch against Edgar. It wasn't until the 4th round when he took Edgar down, seemingly content to get hit and taken down himself. But the biggest surprise to me was his lack of offense from his back. BJ is one of the best jiujitsu players in MMA, so to see him attempt so few submissions or use his lethal rubber guard left me confused. Was BJ simply uninterested or is he past his prime? He'll have to answer these questions.
- And finally, the Randy Couture/James Toney fight. Anyone who bought this as a true MMA vs boxing fight is simply deluded. Toney, a talented but aging boxer, can't be expected to fare well in MMA against Couture, a talented but aging mixed martial artist, any better than Couture would against Toney in the boxing ring. The takeaway wasn't that MMA is better than boxing, just that bringing one skillset into the octagon won't cut it, something we already knew.
Anyway, Preston and I went to Boston last weekend to catch the UFC Fan Expo, and it was fantastic. There were so many MMA companies and fighters there and it was cool to see so many people there just hanging out and checking out the exhibits. But of course the highlight was getting to meet those involved with MMA, fighters or otherwise. We got to meet pretty much everyone we had wanted to, from former Pride great Wanderlei Silva to ring girl Arianny Celeste. There were just a couple people on our list who either weren't there or just too busy, but overall it was a success. I put up a bunch of pics on Facebook so you can go check those out there.
After the festivities, we went to (of all places) Applebees on Saturday night to watch the fights. Some impressions.
- Dan Miller won his fight over John Salter with a second round guillotine choke, his third career win by guillotine and sixth by choke in 16 pro fights. Miller's a great midlevel middleweight who's exciting to watch, and has one of the nastiest guillotines I've ever seen.
- Another great middle of the pack fighter was on display when Joe Lauzon dominated Gabe Ruediger for a couple minutes before finishing him off with an armbar. I love seeing TUF 5 alumni since that was my favorite seeing, and while it's nice to see Gabe back in the UFC after his embarrassing showing on the show, he's clearly not up to par quite yet. Lauzon's a solid young fighter, but I don't think he'll ever be good enough to crack the top echelon of lightweights. Still, he always puts on a show and has a diverse skillset that will help him stick around for a while.
- Speaking of TUF 5 alumns, Nate Diaz had a solid win over Marcus Davis, his second in a row in his new weight class of 170. He's a fantastic submission artist and his cockiness is always entertaining, but I'm not sure how much a win over Davis really says, who's now lost three of his past four fights. Davis is likely done, mostly just being used as a stepping stone from here on out and a guy the UFC can count on to throw leather.
- Although Demian Maia didn't get the finish, he put on a show against Mario Miranda. He made that fight a personal grappling clinic and at times seemed unsure about which of his many submissions he wanted to go for. Exciting guy who seems to have put the memory of his lackluster loss to Anderson Silva behind him.
- A big theme of the night was wrestlers as Nik Lentz, Gray Maynard, and Frankie Edgar basically wrestled their way to victory. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a totally valid way to win, and dictating where the fight occurs is one of the best strategies in the game. However it's not the most exciting, and anyone who saw Lentz basically spend 15 minutes trying to drag Andre Winner to the ground and not much else can attest to that.
It seems to me as if overwhelming wrestling just doesn't seem as dominating as overwhelming skills in other areas. We think of guys like Anderson Silva, who makes opponents look foolish with his standup game as he weaves in and out before brutalizing the other fighter with punches, kicks and knees. There's also Shinya Aoki, who takes over fights with his submission skills, playing with his opponents as if they were grappling dummies before locking in a choke or joint lock for the win. When we get to guys like Maynard or Edgar, it seems to be not about dominating the opponent, but rather neutralizing and controlling. And while a win is a win, I can't help but want more from them. Even the champions of the past we associate most with wrestling (Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz) had much more than just suffocating takedowns to win their fights. Hughes would dominate his opponents after he took the fight to the mat, striking them until the ref stopped it or he saw an opening for a submission. Ortiz had some of the best ground and pound in MMA history, often doing significant, fight-ending damage from still within his opponent's guard. Out of 18 combined fights, Edgar and Maynard have 14 decisions. Let's see some finishes boys.
- Still, it's sort of unfair to fault them for going out their and fighting their fight in order to win. Their opponents have to be able to stop the takedowns and/or do damage off their back. Kenny Florian, Maynard's victim, simply could not stop Maynard's relentless attack and had very little to offer from his guard except for a couple feeble submission attempts. If he wants to keep rising as a lightweight, he'll have to be able to fight on his terms.
Much more surprising was BJ Penn's inability to do anything in his rematch against Edgar. It wasn't until the 4th round when he took Edgar down, seemingly content to get hit and taken down himself. But the biggest surprise to me was his lack of offense from his back. BJ is one of the best jiujitsu players in MMA, so to see him attempt so few submissions or use his lethal rubber guard left me confused. Was BJ simply uninterested or is he past his prime? He'll have to answer these questions.
- And finally, the Randy Couture/James Toney fight. Anyone who bought this as a true MMA vs boxing fight is simply deluded. Toney, a talented but aging boxer, can't be expected to fare well in MMA against Couture, a talented but aging mixed martial artist, any better than Couture would against Toney in the boxing ring. The takeaway wasn't that MMA is better than boxing, just that bringing one skillset into the octagon won't cut it, something we already knew.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Catherine Keener looks exactly like Mary Steenburgen
Has anyone else noticed this? Seriously, it's weird.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Grown Man Move
With all due respect to Mark Jackson.
It's been several days, but somehow I've been sick of the Lebronocalpyse for several years already. I hate everything about how he handled this situation. I hate how it seems like the trio planned their teaming up years ago yet still led several teams on this off-season even though, realistically, Miami was the only possible location for their union. I hate how after the Cavaliers got booted out of the playoffs by the Celtics, Lebron talked about how he and his team would implement their game plan for free agency (shouldn't you have tried to implement a game plan for, you know, the game?). I hate the one hour television special (and I hate that it took him 30 minutes to get to a decision he promised in 10). I hate how he said that wearing a Heat jersey "feels right." I hate his assertion that the three of them could lead a winning team with Pat Riley as their point guard. I hate that claims that they're looking to win "not one, not two...not six, not seven" championships when Adam Morrison has more rings than the three of them put together. But one thing I do love is the nickname for them that's been floating around: the Three Miami-egos.
But do I hate Lebron? Unless his ego has finally taken over as a sentient entity, a possibility I don't discount, no I don't. Do I even hate that he's teaming up with Wade and Bosh in Miami? No, and in fact it excites me and I'm going to look to buy Suns/Heat tickets when the NBA schedule comes out. Like I said before, while I don't think they should be praised for this move, they shouldn't be vilified either.
The whole situation in general has been covered to death. But Lebron really has taken a beating in the last few days, and I don't think it's right. Let's be real here. He's 25. What 25 year old wouldn't want to play basketball for a hundred million dollars with two of his best friends while living in Miami? Look, I don't want to say he "earned" the right to leave because I think that whole idea is stupid. The whole point of free agency is that a player can go play where he wants to play and where he feels like he's being paid what he's worth. Lebron doesn't "owe" Cleveland any more than Dwyane Wade "owes" his hometown of Chicago. How many times do owners and GM use the defense of "it's a business" to justify when they treat players like crap or send them off in trades or waive them? A player's duty to a city and an organization is done once they've fulfilled their contract. From there, it's up to management to create a situation in which that player wants to come back. Granted, it's a different situation if a player promises to come back and still jump ship. However, this was not the case at all with Lebron. I believe that yes, he would love to stay in his home state and bring Ohio a championship. But he had to consider all the other factors and evidently decided that the grass was greener, the ocean bluer, and the sun brighter in Miami (and he would be right, literally and metaphorically). As much as I don't like Lebron, I can't pile on him for this decision and, to some extent, for how he handled it either. It was completely unnecessary, but it's who he is. No one's ever accused Lebron of being understated in anyway.
The one thing that's been far more disgusting than Lebron's ego has been Dan Gilbert's antics. His now infamous letter ripping Lebron is the ultimate example of sour grapes. It's childish, condescending, and doesn't make a lick of sense. He's not fooling anyone by releasing this letter claiming that Lebron is a farce who quit and can't win a championship the minute he realizes he's not getting him. His use of hyperbole, ALL CAPS, and Comic Sans font makes it so ridiculous that many people thought it was a fake or parody.
Lebron's doing what he thinks is best for him and his family. Critics may disagree on the basketball implications of his decision, but no one can say, "You can't/shouldn't do that" just because it's not what they wanted him to do. You'd expect the owner of the team that Lebron turned from nothing into a contender and brought countless extra revenue to to take the high road, to thank Lebron for what he's done. But no, the person who claims that Lebron is teaching kids the wrong lesson by...well, I was never really clear on that, proved himself to be the biggest kid of all.
It's been several days, but somehow I've been sick of the Lebronocalpyse for several years already. I hate everything about how he handled this situation. I hate how it seems like the trio planned their teaming up years ago yet still led several teams on this off-season even though, realistically, Miami was the only possible location for their union. I hate how after the Cavaliers got booted out of the playoffs by the Celtics, Lebron talked about how he and his team would implement their game plan for free agency (shouldn't you have tried to implement a game plan for, you know, the game?). I hate the one hour television special (and I hate that it took him 30 minutes to get to a decision he promised in 10). I hate how he said that wearing a Heat jersey "feels right." I hate his assertion that the three of them could lead a winning team with Pat Riley as their point guard. I hate that claims that they're looking to win "not one, not two...not six, not seven" championships when Adam Morrison has more rings than the three of them put together. But one thing I do love is the nickname for them that's been floating around: the Three Miami-egos.
But do I hate Lebron? Unless his ego has finally taken over as a sentient entity, a possibility I don't discount, no I don't. Do I even hate that he's teaming up with Wade and Bosh in Miami? No, and in fact it excites me and I'm going to look to buy Suns/Heat tickets when the NBA schedule comes out. Like I said before, while I don't think they should be praised for this move, they shouldn't be vilified either.
The whole situation in general has been covered to death. But Lebron really has taken a beating in the last few days, and I don't think it's right. Let's be real here. He's 25. What 25 year old wouldn't want to play basketball for a hundred million dollars with two of his best friends while living in Miami? Look, I don't want to say he "earned" the right to leave because I think that whole idea is stupid. The whole point of free agency is that a player can go play where he wants to play and where he feels like he's being paid what he's worth. Lebron doesn't "owe" Cleveland any more than Dwyane Wade "owes" his hometown of Chicago. How many times do owners and GM use the defense of "it's a business" to justify when they treat players like crap or send them off in trades or waive them? A player's duty to a city and an organization is done once they've fulfilled their contract. From there, it's up to management to create a situation in which that player wants to come back. Granted, it's a different situation if a player promises to come back and still jump ship. However, this was not the case at all with Lebron. I believe that yes, he would love to stay in his home state and bring Ohio a championship. But he had to consider all the other factors and evidently decided that the grass was greener, the ocean bluer, and the sun brighter in Miami (and he would be right, literally and metaphorically). As much as I don't like Lebron, I can't pile on him for this decision and, to some extent, for how he handled it either. It was completely unnecessary, but it's who he is. No one's ever accused Lebron of being understated in anyway.
The one thing that's been far more disgusting than Lebron's ego has been Dan Gilbert's antics. His now infamous letter ripping Lebron is the ultimate example of sour grapes. It's childish, condescending, and doesn't make a lick of sense. He's not fooling anyone by releasing this letter claiming that Lebron is a farce who quit and can't win a championship the minute he realizes he's not getting him. His use of hyperbole, ALL CAPS, and Comic Sans font makes it so ridiculous that many people thought it was a fake or parody.
Lebron's doing what he thinks is best for him and his family. Critics may disagree on the basketball implications of his decision, but no one can say, "You can't/shouldn't do that" just because it's not what they wanted him to do. You'd expect the owner of the team that Lebron turned from nothing into a contender and brought countless extra revenue to to take the high road, to thank Lebron for what he's done. But no, the person who claims that Lebron is teaching kids the wrong lesson by...well, I was never really clear on that, proved himself to be the biggest kid of all.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The 64th Match
I'm pretty excited for the Netherlands/Spain final tomorrow. Full disclosure: I'm not a soccer fan, I don't watch the MLS or Bundesliga or UEFA or the Champions' League or whatever else is out there and I don't plan to after this. However, I do love international competitions and the World Cup is the best of the best.
This year's been really fun to watch and follow and there have been some great moments and games as always. Martin Tyler and Ian Darke have been both been excellent play-by-play guys and have had some really memorable calls on goals (off the top of my head, Donovan and Bradley's goals, Maicon's sharp angled shot, Carlos Tevez's "electric" goal against Mexico, Von Bronckhorst's "firecracker" against Uruguay, and many more).
The talent level has been amazing, which is to be expected at the World Cup, but the interesting thing is it hasn't been stars like Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, or Cristiano Ronaldo that have really stood out. David Villa and Wesley Sneijder, very good but less heralded players, have arguably been the biggest stars and have led their nations into the finals. Thomas Mueller's been a revelation for the German team as the 20 year old has scored 5 goals in the tournament.
I think Team USA's run made it much more interesting for us stateside viewers. It was magical and exhilarating as the Yanks came back from behind countless times as they played their way into the knockout round before falling to Ghana. But now that the tournament is coming to a close, I'll just say it straight out. The Americans underperformed. Of course the results were great and they avoided the worst case scenario of the sport taking a step back in the US. However, this US team was loaded with talent (relatively speaking, compared to the Euro or South American powers it was still weak) as we had several world class players, something that hasn't been all that common. But they struggled, notably surrendering early goals in almost every game. In fact, the only time Team USA led in the entire tournament was the few minutes after Donovan scored against Algeria. It's been said many times that the Yanks thrive as the underdogs but struggle as favorites, and it rang true in this year's World Cup. To succeed, they're just going to need more consistency. As great as Donovan and Dempsey were, they faded and failed to impact the game at times. Tim Howard had some great moments, but also allowed goals that he has to stop to keep the USA in games. And strikers will need to score. No American forward has scored in the past two World Cups. But the future is bright as these players will get more match experience, hopefully improving over the next four years and build on the successful result of this 2010 World Cup.
As for the final, I really like the Dutch team. Their bright orange jerseys are a fun sight to see running around the pitch, and their offense has been able to carve through most of the teams they've played. But I worry that they might just be a little too "sexy." What I mean is that the German team was also very sexy going into their semifinal match against Spain. They had been playing with typical German efficiency and Mueller, Mesut Ozil and Miroslav Klose had been leading a strong offense. Spain, the pre-tournament favorite, stumbled out of the gates with a 1-0 loss to Switzerland and just hadn't looked all that spectacular. With strong performances throughout, Germany was favored in that game. I liked them to win, but I was worried that Spain might be able to shut them down early, drag on the game, then steal it with a late goal off a set play. Carles Puyol's header in the 72nd minute ended up winning the game as they punched a ticket to their first final with a 1-0 win. So basically, I'm worried that they might be able to do this to the Netherlands as well. The Dutch have had some struggles on defense, and if Villa or any of Spain's excellent midfield corps can break through early, it may be a long night for the Dutch. Even though they showed wonderful resiliency coming back against Brazil, it's always important to get that first goal and set the tone.
It's going to be a great final tomorrow, and nothing (not even those vuvuzelas) is going to change that.
This year's been really fun to watch and follow and there have been some great moments and games as always. Martin Tyler and Ian Darke have been both been excellent play-by-play guys and have had some really memorable calls on goals (off the top of my head, Donovan and Bradley's goals, Maicon's sharp angled shot, Carlos Tevez's "electric" goal against Mexico, Von Bronckhorst's "firecracker" against Uruguay, and many more).
The talent level has been amazing, which is to be expected at the World Cup, but the interesting thing is it hasn't been stars like Wayne Rooney, Lionel Messi, or Cristiano Ronaldo that have really stood out. David Villa and Wesley Sneijder, very good but less heralded players, have arguably been the biggest stars and have led their nations into the finals. Thomas Mueller's been a revelation for the German team as the 20 year old has scored 5 goals in the tournament.
I think Team USA's run made it much more interesting for us stateside viewers. It was magical and exhilarating as the Yanks came back from behind countless times as they played their way into the knockout round before falling to Ghana. But now that the tournament is coming to a close, I'll just say it straight out. The Americans underperformed. Of course the results were great and they avoided the worst case scenario of the sport taking a step back in the US. However, this US team was loaded with talent (relatively speaking, compared to the Euro or South American powers it was still weak) as we had several world class players, something that hasn't been all that common. But they struggled, notably surrendering early goals in almost every game. In fact, the only time Team USA led in the entire tournament was the few minutes after Donovan scored against Algeria. It's been said many times that the Yanks thrive as the underdogs but struggle as favorites, and it rang true in this year's World Cup. To succeed, they're just going to need more consistency. As great as Donovan and Dempsey were, they faded and failed to impact the game at times. Tim Howard had some great moments, but also allowed goals that he has to stop to keep the USA in games. And strikers will need to score. No American forward has scored in the past two World Cups. But the future is bright as these players will get more match experience, hopefully improving over the next four years and build on the successful result of this 2010 World Cup.
As for the final, I really like the Dutch team. Their bright orange jerseys are a fun sight to see running around the pitch, and their offense has been able to carve through most of the teams they've played. But I worry that they might just be a little too "sexy." What I mean is that the German team was also very sexy going into their semifinal match against Spain. They had been playing with typical German efficiency and Mueller, Mesut Ozil and Miroslav Klose had been leading a strong offense. Spain, the pre-tournament favorite, stumbled out of the gates with a 1-0 loss to Switzerland and just hadn't looked all that spectacular. With strong performances throughout, Germany was favored in that game. I liked them to win, but I was worried that Spain might be able to shut them down early, drag on the game, then steal it with a late goal off a set play. Carles Puyol's header in the 72nd minute ended up winning the game as they punched a ticket to their first final with a 1-0 win. So basically, I'm worried that they might be able to do this to the Netherlands as well. The Dutch have had some struggles on defense, and if Villa or any of Spain's excellent midfield corps can break through early, it may be a long night for the Dutch. Even though they showed wonderful resiliency coming back against Brazil, it's always important to get that first goal and set the tone.
It's going to be a great final tomorrow, and nothing (not even those vuvuzelas) is going to change that.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
LeBron to the Miami Heat: Quick Hits
- LeBron claims he didn't plan on this all along, but then what was up with that rumor that they all planned this back in 2008 at the Olympics? Bill Simmons thinks it was all planned and they strung us all along. I tend to agree.
- Who's the main playmaker on that team? Who has the ball? Who takes the last shot? I'm really interested to take a look at the advanced stats for that team next year, and of course, it's a problem that every coach would love to have.
- Now the interesting thing to look at is how do the numbers work? Does LeBron or Bosh come to Miami in a sign and trade so that they all have maxes? If so, what happens to Beasley? He's become somewhat of an albatross that no one wants. Alternatively, there's been talk of them all taking pay cuts. Less of a big deal than you might think since Florida has no state income tax. Also, there have been reports that Miami has already offered Mike Miller a deal around the mid-level exception. If the big 3 take paycuts, Beasley stays and Miller comes, that's already a huge upgrade from the expected 9 minimum contract guys expected to be on the roster.
- There kind of seems to be two extreme reactions. One is that they're going to win five straight championships because of their massive star power. The second is that they won't win anything because of their massive lack of talent behind the big 3. Both have grains of truth. Obviously this union of two superstars and an All-Star is a big deal. On the other hand, they potentially may only have 4 NBA players surrounded by the equivalent of 9 second round picks. Now they won't dominate five in a row. Clearly, it's so difficult to win in the NBA, much less repeat. There are still many good teams out there who will put up a fight and beat them, especially early on before they fully mesh and accumulate talent. However, they won't be scrubs either. Too much talent and they can probably have a rotation where one of their stars is on the floor at all times. They can probably get a couple veterans on the cheap (a la 08 Celtics with Leon Powe and PJ Brown), pick up more talent that gets waived during the season, and use their exceptions next free agency. Make no mistake, this team will be a force to be reckoned with for years but not an unstoppable juggernaut. So much depends on what happens next, who they add, how they play together and how the coaching is.
- It's going to be unbelievably weird to see LeBron in a Heat uniform next year. So freakin weird.
- In other news, now that LeBron has not come to the New York Knicks, PF David Lee is going to the Golden State Warriors in a sign and trade with a package including Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, and Kelenna Azubuike heading east.
- With that news, I sort of like where the Knicks are going. Donnie Walsh is finally almost done cleaning up the mess Isaiah Thomas created. They have a legit scoring option in Amare and now have some young pieces. It's not as bleak as it may seem. They're still going to suck next year though.
- Back to LeBronland, if they do win multiple titles, I don't think it should be held against them. It's perfectly clear that you need help to win titles. Players always look at who they'll be playing with when they sign with new teams. Of course this is a bit of an extreme situation, but overall, not much different than usual.
- However, people will point out things like Jordan/Pippen, Kobe/Shaq, Magic/Kareem to say that the rings would not be diminished at all. I also disagree with this. In my opinion, it's much different to stay with a team and have guys brought in and a team built up than it is to purposely go out and team up with other big stars in one spot to try to win.
- And as a third point, people will say the Big 3 in Boston did the same thing. To an extent this is true, however, all of them were older, ringless and pretty much desperate for a shot at a title. LeBron and Bosh don't have that same desire that comes from playing in the league for so long without winning. Also, they were pretty that the relative unknowns Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins turned out to be an elite point guard and a solid defensive force, respectively.
- Are fans in Cleveland rioting and/or burning things yet? And are Knicks fans rushing the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, CT to get at LeBron?
- The Heat desperately need a defensive center. Chris Bosh is nothing special inside (he played on an absolutely atrocious team last year, advanced metrics put him on the same level as Amare freaking Stoudemire) so they're going to need help. Unfortunately for them, they won't have much money to do it with. Maybe Shaq returns to South Beach for a reunion? That would be a sight.
- LeBron said he wanted to wear #6. Mario Chalmers, one of the only Heat players left on the roster, currently wears #6. Of course he'll give it up, but it's just amusing.
- This team is going to be a beast to play as in NBA 2k11 and NBA Elite 11. Not going to lie, I am very excited.
- For next year, this feels like a team that's going to be a regular season beast that will fade in the playoffs, where depth really matters. These guys will probably play monster minutes. That being said, the watch for the first team to beat the Big 3 will be fun.
- And at the end of the day, this is something pretty much unlike what we've seen. How can you not be excited to see how these guys are going to play together? It might be maddening now, but on the court it will be electrifying.
- Who's the main playmaker on that team? Who has the ball? Who takes the last shot? I'm really interested to take a look at the advanced stats for that team next year, and of course, it's a problem that every coach would love to have.
- Now the interesting thing to look at is how do the numbers work? Does LeBron or Bosh come to Miami in a sign and trade so that they all have maxes? If so, what happens to Beasley? He's become somewhat of an albatross that no one wants. Alternatively, there's been talk of them all taking pay cuts. Less of a big deal than you might think since Florida has no state income tax. Also, there have been reports that Miami has already offered Mike Miller a deal around the mid-level exception. If the big 3 take paycuts, Beasley stays and Miller comes, that's already a huge upgrade from the expected 9 minimum contract guys expected to be on the roster.
- There kind of seems to be two extreme reactions. One is that they're going to win five straight championships because of their massive star power. The second is that they won't win anything because of their massive lack of talent behind the big 3. Both have grains of truth. Obviously this union of two superstars and an All-Star is a big deal. On the other hand, they potentially may only have 4 NBA players surrounded by the equivalent of 9 second round picks. Now they won't dominate five in a row. Clearly, it's so difficult to win in the NBA, much less repeat. There are still many good teams out there who will put up a fight and beat them, especially early on before they fully mesh and accumulate talent. However, they won't be scrubs either. Too much talent and they can probably have a rotation where one of their stars is on the floor at all times. They can probably get a couple veterans on the cheap (a la 08 Celtics with Leon Powe and PJ Brown), pick up more talent that gets waived during the season, and use their exceptions next free agency. Make no mistake, this team will be a force to be reckoned with for years but not an unstoppable juggernaut. So much depends on what happens next, who they add, how they play together and how the coaching is.
- It's going to be unbelievably weird to see LeBron in a Heat uniform next year. So freakin weird.
- In other news, now that LeBron has not come to the New York Knicks, PF David Lee is going to the Golden State Warriors in a sign and trade with a package including Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf, and Kelenna Azubuike heading east.
- With that news, I sort of like where the Knicks are going. Donnie Walsh is finally almost done cleaning up the mess Isaiah Thomas created. They have a legit scoring option in Amare and now have some young pieces. It's not as bleak as it may seem. They're still going to suck next year though.
- Back to LeBronland, if they do win multiple titles, I don't think it should be held against them. It's perfectly clear that you need help to win titles. Players always look at who they'll be playing with when they sign with new teams. Of course this is a bit of an extreme situation, but overall, not much different than usual.
- However, people will point out things like Jordan/Pippen, Kobe/Shaq, Magic/Kareem to say that the rings would not be diminished at all. I also disagree with this. In my opinion, it's much different to stay with a team and have guys brought in and a team built up than it is to purposely go out and team up with other big stars in one spot to try to win.
- And as a third point, people will say the Big 3 in Boston did the same thing. To an extent this is true, however, all of them were older, ringless and pretty much desperate for a shot at a title. LeBron and Bosh don't have that same desire that comes from playing in the league for so long without winning. Also, they were pretty that the relative unknowns Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins turned out to be an elite point guard and a solid defensive force, respectively.
- Are fans in Cleveland rioting and/or burning things yet? And are Knicks fans rushing the Boys and Girls Club in Greenwich, CT to get at LeBron?
- The Heat desperately need a defensive center. Chris Bosh is nothing special inside (he played on an absolutely atrocious team last year, advanced metrics put him on the same level as Amare freaking Stoudemire) so they're going to need help. Unfortunately for them, they won't have much money to do it with. Maybe Shaq returns to South Beach for a reunion? That would be a sight.
- LeBron said he wanted to wear #6. Mario Chalmers, one of the only Heat players left on the roster, currently wears #6. Of course he'll give it up, but it's just amusing.
- This team is going to be a beast to play as in NBA 2k11 and NBA Elite 11. Not going to lie, I am very excited.
- For next year, this feels like a team that's going to be a regular season beast that will fade in the playoffs, where depth really matters. These guys will probably play monster minutes. That being said, the watch for the first team to beat the Big 3 will be fun.
- And at the end of the day, this is something pretty much unlike what we've seen. How can you not be excited to see how these guys are going to play together? It might be maddening now, but on the court it will be electrifying.
Quick Conspiracy Theory
LeBron to Miami feels too much like misdirection. Somehow he gets out that he's going to go there when he's been clamping down so hard? I doubt it. But now that Cleveland's spirits are down, he will be seen as a city god if he announces he goes back.
Also the kicking Cleveland in the nuts thing. I just don't see it.
Also the kicking Cleveland in the nuts thing. I just don't see it.
It's the King's Court...
...and we're all just in it. I mean really, there is no other professional athlete that could hold the sporting world in this kind of suspense. And with the kind of coverage that's available nowadays with Twitter and TMZ and all those outlets in addition to the sports news stations, it's insane.
I don't even have to mention his name (or name-related puns, which I was looking forward to actually) and this subject of this post will still be abundantly clear to probably 90% of whoever reads this.
"The Decision," as has been greatly publicized, will be an hour long special tonight on ESPN at 9 PM ET. Shamelessly, I will be watching to see what this man does with his career. He has announced that he will inform us of his decision within the first 10 minutes of the telecast, leaving the remaining time presumably for interviews and analysis. I've got a couple ideas of how it should go down.
I definitely think that ESPN should begin coverage 30 minutes early, maybe with NBA Fastbreak or a similar show. It should be a studio show hosted by Stuart Scott along with a slew of black NBA analysts (Michael Wilbon, Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose) but of course with Jon Barry for diversity. They can cut over to J.A. Adande and Chris Broussard in a separate area (hosted by...who else is black? Jay Harris? Stan Verrett?) who can discuss the latest rumors and intel they've heard right up until "The Decision."
My vision of "The Decision" is a kind of unholy cross between a college selection press conference, the Academy Awards, and a presidential national address, with maybe a little bit of The Bachelor thrown in. It can start in on him, sitting at a desk, introducing himself and why he is here tonight (as if we needed a reminder). It can then cut to a highlight package for the teams in question and show him in a room, deep in thought and looking at the logos of each team. Of course while this is going on, ESPN should have coverage at each of the cities in play (I'm guessing Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Newark/Brooklyn, New York City, and Cleveland), interviewing fans and possibly team management.
He can then change rooms again, now in a suit, greeted by cardboard cutouts of players from the teams he's choosing from (assuming my guesses on teams are right, it can be Baron Davis, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Brook Lopez , Amare Stoudemire, and...himself). He will then present a rose to the final three teams left in the running as the remaining cardboard cutouts are escorted out or maybe just burned in the fireplace.
And the fun begins as he moves back to his original desk, which now has three caps on it, one for each remaining team. As he prepares to announce his team, ESPN can show fans at each location waiting intently in split-screen Oscar style, with him in the middle. He will then select a hat, put it on, and then cut to the winning (or "winning") city with fans going wild. And then...well I'm sure ESPN has a plan for what to cover after that.
The whole situation and surrounding hoopla is a little bit of a joke and yet there's something about it that's irresistible. Believe me, I'd love to not care and not pay attention at all, but I just can't turn away. So much has been made of this, trying to read into "The Decision" but I think we can only say a few things.
1. Location is irrelevant. I think. Greenwich, CT may seem to indicate Knicks, or perhaps that he's just en route to Carmelo Anthony's wedding this weekend. For all intents and purposes, it's a neutral (enough) site.
2. He would have to be even more deluded and full of himself to not pick Cleveland. It's one thing to hold a press conference, but to announce to a enormous television audience watching live on ESPN that you are leaving your hometown team and fans would be a tremendous kick in Cleveland's nuts. Although as a sports city, it would sort of fall in line with what they expect.
3. It's hard to believe that anyone genuinely knows his decision. Some people will be correct I'm sure and their sources will have given information that turns out to be accurate, but I just can't see this player coming this far only to have Broussard or someone on Twitter break the news of where he's signing before he announces it on his show.
And all the while, Kevin Durant goes about his business quietly.
Let me tell you, I've been becoming more and more of a fan of Durant throughout this past year. Admittedly, it began when I picked him up on one of my fantasy basketball teams. But watching him play (a little, not that much since OKC doesn't get a lot of national coverage) and seeing how he handles himself made me gain a lot of respect for him.
On the court, he's a beast. "The Durantula" is a lanky 6'9" forward (7'4" wingspan, 9'2" (!!!) standing reach) who is extremely talented. For my money, he's one of the best pure scorers in the game today. This year, he greatly improved his defense as well, perhaps spurred on by some numbers last year that implied that his impact wasn't as great as his scoring output implied. He is undoubtedly a superstar, and, at only 21, became the youngest player to lead the NBA in scoring with 30.1 points a game last year.
But off the court, he's something special. As I said, he's only 21, which blows my mind. He's a very humble guy who loves basketball and wants to win for the fans who support him. I mean, you kind of have to be to want to play in Oklahoma City, let's be real. It's not at all disingenuous either, from all accounts he really just is that nice. Durant's all about family and team, and it's pretty clear that when he and his OKC teammates call each other "bros," they really do act like siblings. And yes, I'll admit, I think his crush on Keri Hilson is pretty hilarious.
So why mention him now? Unlike the media circus surrounding most of the other players angling for big money, Durant's been working on his contract extension in the background. When he finally signed, he didn't go on SportsCenter, he didn't hold a press conference, he simply tweeted it:
But Durant won't take credit for this at all. In between watching his teammates play in the Summer League and cheering them on with genuine fervor, he threw up this tweet today:
I don't even have to mention his name (or name-related puns, which I was looking forward to actually) and this subject of this post will still be abundantly clear to probably 90% of whoever reads this.
"The Decision," as has been greatly publicized, will be an hour long special tonight on ESPN at 9 PM ET. Shamelessly, I will be watching to see what this man does with his career. He has announced that he will inform us of his decision within the first 10 minutes of the telecast, leaving the remaining time presumably for interviews and analysis. I've got a couple ideas of how it should go down.
I definitely think that ESPN should begin coverage 30 minutes early, maybe with NBA Fastbreak or a similar show. It should be a studio show hosted by Stuart Scott along with a slew of black NBA analysts (Michael Wilbon, Magic Johnson, Jalen Rose) but of course with Jon Barry for diversity. They can cut over to J.A. Adande and Chris Broussard in a separate area (hosted by...who else is black? Jay Harris? Stan Verrett?) who can discuss the latest rumors and intel they've heard right up until "The Decision."
My vision of "The Decision" is a kind of unholy cross between a college selection press conference, the Academy Awards, and a presidential national address, with maybe a little bit of The Bachelor thrown in. It can start in on him, sitting at a desk, introducing himself and why he is here tonight (as if we needed a reminder). It can then cut to a highlight package for the teams in question and show him in a room, deep in thought and looking at the logos of each team. Of course while this is going on, ESPN should have coverage at each of the cities in play (I'm guessing Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Newark/Brooklyn, New York City, and Cleveland), interviewing fans and possibly team management.
He can then change rooms again, now in a suit, greeted by cardboard cutouts of players from the teams he's choosing from (assuming my guesses on teams are right, it can be Baron Davis, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Brook Lopez , Amare Stoudemire, and...himself). He will then present a rose to the final three teams left in the running as the remaining cardboard cutouts are escorted out or maybe just burned in the fireplace.
And the fun begins as he moves back to his original desk, which now has three caps on it, one for each remaining team. As he prepares to announce his team, ESPN can show fans at each location waiting intently in split-screen Oscar style, with him in the middle. He will then select a hat, put it on, and then cut to the winning (or "winning") city with fans going wild. And then...well I'm sure ESPN has a plan for what to cover after that.
The whole situation and surrounding hoopla is a little bit of a joke and yet there's something about it that's irresistible. Believe me, I'd love to not care and not pay attention at all, but I just can't turn away. So much has been made of this, trying to read into "The Decision" but I think we can only say a few things.
1. Location is irrelevant. I think. Greenwich, CT may seem to indicate Knicks, or perhaps that he's just en route to Carmelo Anthony's wedding this weekend. For all intents and purposes, it's a neutral (enough) site.
2. He would have to be even more deluded and full of himself to not pick Cleveland. It's one thing to hold a press conference, but to announce to a enormous television audience watching live on ESPN that you are leaving your hometown team and fans would be a tremendous kick in Cleveland's nuts. Although as a sports city, it would sort of fall in line with what they expect.
3. It's hard to believe that anyone genuinely knows his decision. Some people will be correct I'm sure and their sources will have given information that turns out to be accurate, but I just can't see this player coming this far only to have Broussard or someone on Twitter break the news of where he's signing before he announces it on his show.
And all the while, Kevin Durant goes about his business quietly.
Let me tell you, I've been becoming more and more of a fan of Durant throughout this past year. Admittedly, it began when I picked him up on one of my fantasy basketball teams. But watching him play (a little, not that much since OKC doesn't get a lot of national coverage) and seeing how he handles himself made me gain a lot of respect for him.
On the court, he's a beast. "The Durantula" is a lanky 6'9" forward (7'4" wingspan, 9'2" (!!!) standing reach) who is extremely talented. For my money, he's one of the best pure scorers in the game today. This year, he greatly improved his defense as well, perhaps spurred on by some numbers last year that implied that his impact wasn't as great as his scoring output implied. He is undoubtedly a superstar, and, at only 21, became the youngest player to lead the NBA in scoring with 30.1 points a game last year.
But off the court, he's something special. As I said, he's only 21, which blows my mind. He's a very humble guy who loves basketball and wants to win for the fans who support him. I mean, you kind of have to be to want to play in Oklahoma City, let's be real. It's not at all disingenuous either, from all accounts he really just is that nice. Durant's all about family and team, and it's pretty clear that when he and his OKC teammates call each other "bros," they really do act like siblings. And yes, I'll admit, I think his crush on Keri Hilson is pretty hilarious.
So why mention him now? Unlike the media circus surrounding most of the other players angling for big money, Durant's been working on his contract extension in the background. When he finally signed, he didn't go on SportsCenter, he didn't hold a press conference, he simply tweeted it:
Exstension for 5 more years wit the #thunder....God Is Great, me and my family came a long way...I love yall man forreal, this a blessing!He signed for 5 years, $86 million (a number that I think will go up since the salary cap is higher than expected) and intentionally didn't negotiate an opt-out clause to demonstrate his dedication to the city and the team. It's funny when you see guys like Carlos Boozer and Rudy Gay get similar contracts and they're basically only borderline All-Star players. Even Joe Johnson's contract (a 5 year, $123 million piece of crap) looks dumber now, which I didn't think was possible when he signed it. Of course, I understand Durant's maximum is not as high because of the amount of time he's been in the league, but it's crazy that Johnson will get about $40 million more coming off a year where he led his team to an embarrassing 2nd round sweep where he didn't put up a fight.
But Durant won't take credit for this at all. In between watching his teammates play in the Summer League and cheering them on with genuine fervor, he threw up this tweet today:
I really don't deserve this praise for handling my deal the way I did...plenty of guys did it the way I did...And while it may be true, he does deserve praise as it's a stark contrast to what players of similar, or even lesser, ability and stardom are doing this summer. All our attention is turned away, grabbed by the ones who so badly desire the spotlight and feed off of it. But Kevin Durant just toils away (as much as someone who makes that much money can "toil"), because he knows that soon enough that spotlight is going to be his.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Empire State of Optimism
Random poll that was on ESPN.com's front page asked, "Which team's fans have more reason for optimism at the moment?" It was Knicks vs Nets, and apparently 68% of SportsNation feels that Knicks' fans should have the sunnier outlook.
I'm just not quite sure why. I don't hold the Knicks signing of Amare Stoudemire against them. He's not a 5 year, $100 million dollar player to be sure, but he's a great scoring option, something the Knicks needed, so I can't blame them for locking him up. He may be an injury risk, but he's a fantastic offensive weapon and, in my opinion, the second best big man available in free agency this summer.
But beyond that, I just don't know what they have. It's looking more and more likely that both the Knicks and Nets will strike out in free agency when it comes to the big 3 (or really, the big 2 + 1) of James, Wade, and Bosh.
Personally, I think that the Nets have a better outlook because not only do they have better pieces in place right now, they're better prepared to move forward as well. The Knicks have several guys who I think can be ballers (Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler) or intriguing backups and role players (Toney Douglas, Bill Walker). But I'm more concerned about their strategy of gutting their roster to go after big name free agents. I mean they're already talking about chasing Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker in 2011.
The Nets have young players and a lot of potential across their roster. Yes, of course they threatened the league's worst record in history with 12 wins last season. Still, their backcourt of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee is very solid and they've got two big men who can be stars. Brook Lopez is almost at that level already and he should keep improving. Derrick Favors, their first round draft pick this year, has a ton of athleticism and potential. Of course this doesn't always translate, but if he pans out, he and Lopez will be a devastating combo. In addition, Terrence Williams looks like he'll be a solid player after a strong second half last year (trust me, had him on my fantasy team). The way they're building is also encouraging. This summer they've already been able to dump Chris Douglas-Roberts (solid season, but apparently caused some trouble in the locker room) and Yi Jianlian (kind of a big, Chinese waste of physical and salary cap space). They've already committed not to spending big just because they have the money and cap room and say they're going to instead build through the draft and middle tier free agents.
These teams have had a rough go of it in recent years. Obviously the Nets struggled mightily last year while the Knicks have been toiling in futility for even longer. Both franchises can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but in my opinion, the light is closer and brighter for the New Jersey Nets. And plus, their new owner is a cool Russian billionaire and Jay-Z also has a stake in the franchise. They win.
I'm just not quite sure why. I don't hold the Knicks signing of Amare Stoudemire against them. He's not a 5 year, $100 million dollar player to be sure, but he's a great scoring option, something the Knicks needed, so I can't blame them for locking him up. He may be an injury risk, but he's a fantastic offensive weapon and, in my opinion, the second best big man available in free agency this summer.
But beyond that, I just don't know what they have. It's looking more and more likely that both the Knicks and Nets will strike out in free agency when it comes to the big 3 (or really, the big 2 + 1) of James, Wade, and Bosh.
Personally, I think that the Nets have a better outlook because not only do they have better pieces in place right now, they're better prepared to move forward as well. The Knicks have several guys who I think can be ballers (Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler) or intriguing backups and role players (Toney Douglas, Bill Walker). But I'm more concerned about their strategy of gutting their roster to go after big name free agents. I mean they're already talking about chasing Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker in 2011.
The Nets have young players and a lot of potential across their roster. Yes, of course they threatened the league's worst record in history with 12 wins last season. Still, their backcourt of Devin Harris and Courtney Lee is very solid and they've got two big men who can be stars. Brook Lopez is almost at that level already and he should keep improving. Derrick Favors, their first round draft pick this year, has a ton of athleticism and potential. Of course this doesn't always translate, but if he pans out, he and Lopez will be a devastating combo. In addition, Terrence Williams looks like he'll be a solid player after a strong second half last year (trust me, had him on my fantasy team). The way they're building is also encouraging. This summer they've already been able to dump Chris Douglas-Roberts (solid season, but apparently caused some trouble in the locker room) and Yi Jianlian (kind of a big, Chinese waste of physical and salary cap space). They've already committed not to spending big just because they have the money and cap room and say they're going to instead build through the draft and middle tier free agents.
These teams have had a rough go of it in recent years. Obviously the Nets struggled mightily last year while the Knicks have been toiling in futility for even longer. Both franchises can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but in my opinion, the light is closer and brighter for the New Jersey Nets. And plus, their new owner is a cool Russian billionaire and Jay-Z also has a stake in the franchise. They win.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Music and Worship
I was recently browsing music on Amazon when I came upon this thread.
Amazon was probably one of the last sites I would have thought that I would find a religious/theological discussion on. I didn't even know they had forums/discussion boards aside from product reviews.
Anyway, it was an interesting topic (though I'll admit I didn't read all, or even most, of the comments) and I've kind of been thinking about worship music and singing in church and stuff like that. First off, I have to say that it does annoy me when people say or refer to "worship" and they just mean "singing." As far as I've seen, it's pretty prevalent and I'll admit to slipping into it at times. But still, I find it a little disconcerting (and amusing for some reason) when we talk about "worship leaders" and "worship time" like it's some isolated thing that someone takes us through where we play music and sing and then boom, worship is over. The reality is, while singing songs of praise is great and a wonderful way of worshiping God together, we have to remember that it's just that. A form of worship, not worship itself. Our whole lives should be worship and glory to God.
And sometimes, I don't even know if using the term "worship" is appropriate to some of the singing times I've seen. This isn't me trying to be a cranky, curmudgeony person saying how loud music is bad and rock music is corrupting our youth. Not at all. However, I've experienced sessions purporting to be a time of worship but instead coming across as a performance. Much like the original thread linked above (Why did God give us music) is wondering about the role of music, I have to wonder about the role of song leaders. Singing time is generally supposed to be corporate worship. Therefore, the song leaders need to make sure that they're actually leading, that what they're playing and singing is conducive to instilling a sense and spirit of worship among those listening. How the band or leader sounds takes (should take, at least) a backseat to whether or not they and the group they're supposed to be leading is actually worshiping with their songs. I should stop and point out that I am not musically inclined at all and really don't know what I'm talking about as far as the instrumental and vocal stuff is concerned. Still, while I understand that people want to sound good when they're doing their think in front of an audience, as long as they're leading people in worship, that's all that matters. I get the concern that sounding bad and messing up can distract people from worshiping, but can't too much artistry and flair also take away from people's focus on God?
I sometimes find myself skeptical when people talk about how great the worship songs were because of how they made them feel. But can't great songs of any kind drive people to feel the same way? Can't you have "the warm fuzzies" from listening to a band you really like? I know I can. Far be it for me to question someone's emotions, but I don't believe that the heart of worship is something to be "felt," at least not in the same way you can feel from a secular song. Personally, when I really connect with a worship song, it's a sense of conviction, a focus on the lyrics and making sure I mean what I sing. When I connect with another song, it's more just, "Wow, this song is really great." I don't necessarily think about the lyrics too often because I really don't care to know who Drake knows here right now that he didn't know last year.
Sorry, this sort of turned into more of a rant than I intended. I will say that everything that goes on this blog is pretty rough. I kind of just throw down a couple sentences and then see what happens without planning it out too much beforehand. And sometimes (as was the case here), I'll type something out, delete the blog, then either come back and try it again, or just leave the idea dead or pending.
I'll close with something I read off a cd slip I got from a church I've been going to while I've been out here in Illinois. This is what it says:
Amazon was probably one of the last sites I would have thought that I would find a religious/theological discussion on. I didn't even know they had forums/discussion boards aside from product reviews.
Anyway, it was an interesting topic (though I'll admit I didn't read all, or even most, of the comments) and I've kind of been thinking about worship music and singing in church and stuff like that. First off, I have to say that it does annoy me when people say or refer to "worship" and they just mean "singing." As far as I've seen, it's pretty prevalent and I'll admit to slipping into it at times. But still, I find it a little disconcerting (and amusing for some reason) when we talk about "worship leaders" and "worship time" like it's some isolated thing that someone takes us through where we play music and sing and then boom, worship is over. The reality is, while singing songs of praise is great and a wonderful way of worshiping God together, we have to remember that it's just that. A form of worship, not worship itself. Our whole lives should be worship and glory to God.
And sometimes, I don't even know if using the term "worship" is appropriate to some of the singing times I've seen. This isn't me trying to be a cranky, curmudgeony person saying how loud music is bad and rock music is corrupting our youth. Not at all. However, I've experienced sessions purporting to be a time of worship but instead coming across as a performance. Much like the original thread linked above (Why did God give us music) is wondering about the role of music, I have to wonder about the role of song leaders. Singing time is generally supposed to be corporate worship. Therefore, the song leaders need to make sure that they're actually leading, that what they're playing and singing is conducive to instilling a sense and spirit of worship among those listening. How the band or leader sounds takes (should take, at least) a backseat to whether or not they and the group they're supposed to be leading is actually worshiping with their songs. I should stop and point out that I am not musically inclined at all and really don't know what I'm talking about as far as the instrumental and vocal stuff is concerned. Still, while I understand that people want to sound good when they're doing their think in front of an audience, as long as they're leading people in worship, that's all that matters. I get the concern that sounding bad and messing up can distract people from worshiping, but can't too much artistry and flair also take away from people's focus on God?
I sometimes find myself skeptical when people talk about how great the worship songs were because of how they made them feel. But can't great songs of any kind drive people to feel the same way? Can't you have "the warm fuzzies" from listening to a band you really like? I know I can. Far be it for me to question someone's emotions, but I don't believe that the heart of worship is something to be "felt," at least not in the same way you can feel from a secular song. Personally, when I really connect with a worship song, it's a sense of conviction, a focus on the lyrics and making sure I mean what I sing. When I connect with another song, it's more just, "Wow, this song is really great." I don't necessarily think about the lyrics too often because I really don't care to know who Drake knows here right now that he didn't know last year.
Sorry, this sort of turned into more of a rant than I intended. I will say that everything that goes on this blog is pretty rough. I kind of just throw down a couple sentences and then see what happens without planning it out too much beforehand. And sometimes (as was the case here), I'll type something out, delete the blog, then either come back and try it again, or just leave the idea dead or pending.
I'll close with something I read off a cd slip I got from a church I've been going to while I've been out here in Illinois. This is what it says:
These songs have been written for corporate worship by songwriters and worship leaders....Our intention is that you find these Biblically grounded songs gloriying to God when sung by passionate followers of Him.Don't know about you guys, but I thought that was a nice, succinct way of putting it.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
'Tis the Season
With the NBA Draft impending and free agency coming up, I was thinking of some scenarios I'd like to see play out, either for entertainment or practical purposes. So here we go.
I'd like to see the Indiana Pacers draft Butler's Gordon Hayward with the #10 overall pick tonight. GM Larry Bird has a reputation (deserved or not) of favoring/picking up white players, an idea only solidified when he picked UNC's Tyler Hansbrough last year. Hayward is easily the best white player in this draft and both wouldn't be a reach and could realistically fall to the 10 spot. The Pacers are also his hometown team, so it would be a feel-good story all around. Maybe the most realistic scenario I'm going to list so I'm crossing my fingers.
I'd like to see the Los Angeles Clippers trade the #8 overall pick to Chicago for Luol Deng and the #17 overall pick. This trade was floating around last night but was pretty much killed today. It's unfortunate, because the Clips' most glaring hole is at the SF position and Davis-Gordon-Deng-Griffin-Kaman would be a solid starting five for the other LA team. The #17 pick would be good enough to add a rotation player (despite the Clippers' horrific draft history), but for now, it looks like they'll try to fill their need by picking up a swingman at #8 (likely Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu but also possibly Hayward or Nevada's Luke Babbitt).
I'd like to see the Clippers sign LeBron James. This would be by far the funniest possible outcome (on par with the Minnesota Timberwolves drafting more point guards) and actually would make a lot of sense on all sides if not for the ownership of Donald Sterling.
I'd like to see the Lakers shore up their bench. Aside from sixth man Lamar Odom, the champions had very little depth. I'm pretty excited about the rumors floating around, namely that they're looking to add another guard (possibly Raja Bell or Steve Blake) and a big man (Drew Gooden and Brad Miller among others) in free agency. That would definitely be an improvement over the two-headed monster (for opponents at Staples, for the Lakers on the road) of Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmer as well as the bigs Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga.
I'd like to see the Lakers land the dream combination of Byron Scott and Chris Paul. This might be more unrealistic than James going to the Clippers, but honestly it's too much of a game-changer for me not to entertain it. An idea was kicked around with Phil Jackson retiring, Scott taking over as head coach and Paul and Emeka Okafor coming over in a trade for Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Sasha Vujacic. Actually nearly any scenario that gets Vujacic off the Lakers would be nice.
Should be an interesting night and few more days leading up to the fabled Summer of '10.
I'd like to see the Indiana Pacers draft Butler's Gordon Hayward with the #10 overall pick tonight. GM Larry Bird has a reputation (deserved or not) of favoring/picking up white players, an idea only solidified when he picked UNC's Tyler Hansbrough last year. Hayward is easily the best white player in this draft and both wouldn't be a reach and could realistically fall to the 10 spot. The Pacers are also his hometown team, so it would be a feel-good story all around. Maybe the most realistic scenario I'm going to list so I'm crossing my fingers.
I'd like to see the Los Angeles Clippers trade the #8 overall pick to Chicago for Luol Deng and the #17 overall pick. This trade was floating around last night but was pretty much killed today. It's unfortunate, because the Clips' most glaring hole is at the SF position and Davis-Gordon-Deng-Griffin-Kaman would be a solid starting five for the other LA team. The #17 pick would be good enough to add a rotation player (despite the Clippers' horrific draft history), but for now, it looks like they'll try to fill their need by picking up a swingman at #8 (likely Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu but also possibly Hayward or Nevada's Luke Babbitt).
I'd like to see the Clippers sign LeBron James. This would be by far the funniest possible outcome (on par with the Minnesota Timberwolves drafting more point guards) and actually would make a lot of sense on all sides if not for the ownership of Donald Sterling.
I'd like to see the Lakers shore up their bench. Aside from sixth man Lamar Odom, the champions had very little depth. I'm pretty excited about the rumors floating around, namely that they're looking to add another guard (possibly Raja Bell or Steve Blake) and a big man (Drew Gooden and Brad Miller among others) in free agency. That would definitely be an improvement over the two-headed monster (for opponents at Staples, for the Lakers on the road) of Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmer as well as the bigs Josh Powell and DJ Mbenga.
I'd like to see the Lakers land the dream combination of Byron Scott and Chris Paul. This might be more unrealistic than James going to the Clippers, but honestly it's too much of a game-changer for me not to entertain it. An idea was kicked around with Phil Jackson retiring, Scott taking over as head coach and Paul and Emeka Okafor coming over in a trade for Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Sasha Vujacic. Actually nearly any scenario that gets Vujacic off the Lakers would be nice.
Should be an interesting night and few more days leading up to the fabled Summer of '10.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Team USA and You-Know-Who
I've never shied away from making comparisons between people's appearances. Previously in this blog, I've already touched on a similarity I saw between a sports figure (loosely used in that example) and a character from a fantasy series for tweens.
Anyway I was watching the USA vs Algeria soccer match today and boy was it entertaining. The Yanks had plenty of scoring chances before Landon "Captain America" Donovan finally scored in stoppage time to send the US to the next round. Among those chances were also some tense moments as well as questionable calls. We got to see a lot of US coach Bob Bradley on the sidelines and he got quite animated at times. Seeing him staring and yelling made me thinking that he looked like someone but I just couldn't put a finger on it.
However, now that I'm seeing a replay of the game, I think I finally realized who he looks like. Take a look.
Eh? Anybody?
Anyway I was watching the USA vs Algeria soccer match today and boy was it entertaining. The Yanks had plenty of scoring chances before Landon "Captain America" Donovan finally scored in stoppage time to send the US to the next round. Among those chances were also some tense moments as well as questionable calls. We got to see a lot of US coach Bob Bradley on the sidelines and he got quite animated at times. Seeing him staring and yelling made me thinking that he looked like someone but I just couldn't put a finger on it.
However, now that I'm seeing a replay of the game, I think I finally realized who he looks like. Take a look.
Eh? Anybody?
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Trendy Trending Topics
One of the most interesting things on Twitter is its Trending Topics. It's basically a feature that gives users an idea of what topics are popular among recent tweets. For example "world cup" and "E3" have been popular lately with the big soccer tournament and gaming convention taking center stage the past couple days.
Of course, with Game 6 of the NBA Finals tonight, many of them were basketball related. Examples include "Kobe Bryant," "Rasheed Wallace," "Lamar Odom," and..."Candace Parker." Pretty odd. I wondered what the tweeples would have to say about her.
Aaronstampler @thehawk38 Believe it or not, but Shelden Williams (#13) is married to Candace Parker, the hottest WNBA player
KrysLynn23 Shelden Williams: Candace Parker's unathletic husband....haha, wow! Poor guy!
AlwaysLegitGirl I'm thinking the Celtics should trade Shelden Williams for Candace Parker
Byrdman_jr Sheldon Williams just needs to be a stay at home dad. Candace Parker clearly has all the game in that family
freddiebtv I think candace parker lost a bet and had to marry sheldon williams cuz she lost
DjTj513 And the #Celtics Should REALLY TRADE sheldon williams for CANDACE PARKER! @least she can dunk unlike her dude #cosign #pathetic!
Poor Sheldon.
Of course, with Game 6 of the NBA Finals tonight, many of them were basketball related. Examples include "Kobe Bryant," "Rasheed Wallace," "Lamar Odom," and..."Candace Parker." Pretty odd. I wondered what the tweeples would have to say about her.
Aaronstampler @thehawk38 Believe it or not, but Shelden Williams (#13) is married to Candace Parker, the hottest WNBA player
KrysLynn23 Shelden Williams: Candace Parker's unathletic husband....haha, wow! Poor guy!
AlwaysLegitGirl I'm thinking the Celtics should trade Shelden Williams for Candace Parker
Byrdman_jr Sheldon Williams just needs to be a stay at home dad. Candace Parker clearly has all the game in that family
freddiebtv I think candace parker lost a bet and had to marry sheldon williams cuz she lost
DjTj513 And the #Celtics Should REALLY TRADE sheldon williams for CANDACE PARKER! @least she can dunk unlike her dude #cosign #pathetic!
Poor Sheldon.
Shannon Brown: Huge Vertical and...not much
Shannon Brown's been with the Lakers for a couple years now, and there's no doubt he's a super athletic bench player who can electrify any crowd with his high flying dunks.
I made a random comment on Facebook saying I thought he was more of a waste than Sasha Vujacic. It's been something I've been observing throughout the playoffs, but I was wondering if I was right. I'm not talking about his fit in the triangle or how he doesn't really fit as a point guard, but just looking at his stats, I was looking for some vindication.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2010.html
Taking a look at his playoff stats is...interesting. I don't pretend to be a statistician or even good at statistics, but still I think a basic look can tell us something.
Of the 13 players on the roster, eight have played over 200 minutes. Of those players, Brown has the lowest PER (a decent enough measure of per-minute production) and effective field goal percentage (which adjusts for 3-pointers being worth more than a 2-pointer). His total rebound rate and true shooting percentage are both second worst (in front of Derek Fisher and Ron Artest, respectively). He also has the lowest offensive rating of all 13 players except Luke Walton. There's also WS/48, which is an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player per 48 minutes. The league average is 0.1000. Once again, Shannon is behind everyone except Luke Walton with a WS/48 of 0.031. To put that in perspective, he is far behind everyone on the Boston Celtics, including Marquis Daniels (0.066), Tony Allen (0.098), and Glen "Big Baby" Davis (0.156).
Simply put, I feel vindicated. I really think that, in this case, the numbers do confirm what the naked eye observes. Which is a slightly less harsh version of my assertion that Shannon Brown is a waste of flesh, bone and fast twitch muscle.
I made a random comment on Facebook saying I thought he was more of a waste than Sasha Vujacic. It's been something I've been observing throughout the playoffs, but I was wondering if I was right. I'm not talking about his fit in the triangle or how he doesn't really fit as a point guard, but just looking at his stats, I was looking for some vindication.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAL/2010.html
Taking a look at his playoff stats is...interesting. I don't pretend to be a statistician or even good at statistics, but still I think a basic look can tell us something.
Of the 13 players on the roster, eight have played over 200 minutes. Of those players, Brown has the lowest PER (a decent enough measure of per-minute production) and effective field goal percentage (which adjusts for 3-pointers being worth more than a 2-pointer). His total rebound rate and true shooting percentage are both second worst (in front of Derek Fisher and Ron Artest, respectively). He also has the lowest offensive rating of all 13 players except Luke Walton. There's also WS/48, which is an estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player per 48 minutes. The league average is 0.1000. Once again, Shannon is behind everyone except Luke Walton with a WS/48 of 0.031. To put that in perspective, he is far behind everyone on the Boston Celtics, including Marquis Daniels (0.066), Tony Allen (0.098), and Glen "Big Baby" Davis (0.156).
Simply put, I feel vindicated. I really think that, in this case, the numbers do confirm what the naked eye observes. Which is a slightly less harsh version of my assertion that Shannon Brown is a waste of flesh, bone and fast twitch muscle.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The Rapid Descent
Basketball fans, notably fans of the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, know that in Game 2 of the current NBA Finals, Ray Allen broke a record for most three pointers made in a Finals game. His line was ridiculous as he carried his team early on, finishing with 32 points on 11-20 shooting (8-11 from downtown). The previous record was seven, held by himself, Kenny Smith and Scottie Pippen. To break away from that group is an impressive accomplishment.
However, Allen followed it up by taking a massive dump on the court in Game 3 shooting 0-13 (0-8 from downtown) and finishing with a paltry two points in 42 minutes of play. He went from a complete stud to a total non-factor in one game. How does something like that happen? Who knows, but our small sample size suggests that it might not really be that uncommon.
Ray Allen (Game 2, 2010 Finals): 43 min, 32 pts, 11-20 FGM-A, 8-11 3PM-A, 2-2 FTM-A, 3 reb, 2 ast,
Ray Allen (Game 3, 2010 Finals): 42 min, 2 pts, 0-13 FGM-A, 0-8 3PM-A, 2-2 FTM-A, 4 reb, 2 ast
Kenny Smith (Game 1, 1995 Finals): 42 min, 23 pts, 8-13 FGM-A, 7-11 3PM-A, 0-0 FTM-A, 3 reb, 9 ast
Kenny Smith (Game 2, 1995 Finals): 19 min, 0 pts, 0-2 FGM-A, 0-1 3PM-A, 0-0 FTM-A, 0 reb, 1 ast
Scottie Pippen (Game 3, 1997 Finals): 40 min, 27 pts, 7-13 FGM-A, 7-11 3PM-A, 6-9 FTM-A, 4 reb, 4 ast
Scottie Pippen (Game 4, 1997 Finals): 47 min, 16 pts, 7-16 FGM-A, 1-4 3PM-A, 1-2 FTM-A, 12 reb, 4 ast
(Note: Ray Allen's previous seven three pointer game was in the series clincher in 2008 so there was no game following it)
Interestingly, all three players cooled off significantly from three point range. That may have been the case of tighter defense, although not Allen's as he had sufficient room to shoot last night and just missed. In fact, Pippen was the only one to hit a single three in the game following his record setting night as well as the only one to put up a respectable stat line overall.
Of course, it's Scottie Pippen, one of the greatest ever to play the game so that's to be expected. Honestly I don't really know if there's anything to this data, maybe they have too much belief in the hot hand and are too consumed with looking for three point shots? Who knows. But after the horrific game Ray Allen played tonight, I wanted to see how the other guys followed up their rain-making nights. More pressing is how he'll follow up this stink bomb in a pivotal Game 4.
Stats courtesty of Basketball-Reference.com
However, Allen followed it up by taking a massive dump on the court in Game 3 shooting 0-13 (0-8 from downtown) and finishing with a paltry two points in 42 minutes of play. He went from a complete stud to a total non-factor in one game. How does something like that happen? Who knows, but our small sample size suggests that it might not really be that uncommon.
Ray Allen (Game 2, 2010 Finals): 43 min, 32 pts, 11-20 FGM-A, 8-11 3PM-A, 2-2 FTM-A, 3 reb, 2 ast,
Ray Allen (Game 3, 2010 Finals): 42 min, 2 pts, 0-13 FGM-A, 0-8 3PM-A, 2-2 FTM-A, 4 reb, 2 ast
Kenny Smith (Game 1, 1995 Finals): 42 min, 23 pts, 8-13 FGM-A, 7-11 3PM-A, 0-0 FTM-A, 3 reb, 9 ast
Kenny Smith (Game 2, 1995 Finals): 19 min, 0 pts, 0-2 FGM-A, 0-1 3PM-A, 0-0 FTM-A, 0 reb, 1 ast
Scottie Pippen (Game 3, 1997 Finals): 40 min, 27 pts, 7-13 FGM-A, 7-11 3PM-A, 6-9 FTM-A, 4 reb, 4 ast
Scottie Pippen (Game 4, 1997 Finals): 47 min, 16 pts, 7-16 FGM-A, 1-4 3PM-A, 1-2 FTM-A, 12 reb, 4 ast
(Note: Ray Allen's previous seven three pointer game was in the series clincher in 2008 so there was no game following it)
Interestingly, all three players cooled off significantly from three point range. That may have been the case of tighter defense, although not Allen's as he had sufficient room to shoot last night and just missed. In fact, Pippen was the only one to hit a single three in the game following his record setting night as well as the only one to put up a respectable stat line overall.
Of course, it's Scottie Pippen, one of the greatest ever to play the game so that's to be expected. Honestly I don't really know if there's anything to this data, maybe they have too much belief in the hot hand and are too consumed with looking for three point shots? Who knows. But after the horrific game Ray Allen played tonight, I wanted to see how the other guys followed up their rain-making nights. More pressing is how he'll follow up this stink bomb in a pivotal Game 4.
Stats courtesty of Basketball-Reference.com
Friday, May 28, 2010
The NewFC
UFC 114 is rapidly approaching (as in it's tomorrow night) and it's been getting a lot of coverage from the mainstream media, notably ESPN. Part of it is because of the big feud between Quinton Jackson and Rashad Evans, whose bout is the main event, but it's also because MMA and the UFC in particular are getting more attention. UFC president Dana White's been all over ESPN from MMA Live to Rome is Burning to The Sports Guy Bill Simmons's podcast. Sportscenter did a short preview on tomorrow night's main event. This kind of coverage was unthinkable in the not so distant past.
I started following the sport fairly recently, maybe around four or five years ago. I attended an event (UFC 59) with my brother, and soon after I started reading Sherdog. To this day I still don't remember how I found that site, but it's where I learned most of what I know about MMA and its history. For some reason I just loved it and started looking for videos of past fights, whether it be UFC, Pride (its main competitor at the time) or even smaller shows like Rumble on the Rock or Strikeforce (which has grown into the UFC's current competitor).
At that time MMA was beginning to grow in popularity, spurred largely by the UFC's reality show The Ultimate Fighter. Still, it wasn't mainstream at all, so it was jarring for me to be watching ESPN and all of a sudden hear Sage Steele talk about how Rampage Jackson would deal with Rashad's speed and wrestling and the title implications of this fight.
It's a good first step, but it will definitely take time. Honestly I still know very little about the tactics and mechanics of MMA, so I'm sure sports anchors will need time to learn about it until they get to a level where they can go into a more detailed discussion as they would for basketball or football.
It's been an interesting journey to see MMA grow up in a sense and really start to make its mark on the sport and entertainment industries. Even as a relatively late adopter, I've seen a huge transformation in how MMA is viewed and presented. I'm excited to see where it goes from here.
But...if I could ask for one thing, one thing that would really indicate to me that it's been more accepted and understood, I'd love to hear the anchors and talking heads pronounce the Brazilian names correctly. I didn't get this for the longest time, but apparently R's (or maybe just the first R? I don't know) are pronounced as H's. With guys on top right now like Shogun Rua and legends like Royce Gracie, it's a small but very noticeable detail. As dumb as it sound even as I'm typing it out, that little change will make a big difference in my mind.
I started following the sport fairly recently, maybe around four or five years ago. I attended an event (UFC 59) with my brother, and soon after I started reading Sherdog. To this day I still don't remember how I found that site, but it's where I learned most of what I know about MMA and its history. For some reason I just loved it and started looking for videos of past fights, whether it be UFC, Pride (its main competitor at the time) or even smaller shows like Rumble on the Rock or Strikeforce (which has grown into the UFC's current competitor).
At that time MMA was beginning to grow in popularity, spurred largely by the UFC's reality show The Ultimate Fighter. Still, it wasn't mainstream at all, so it was jarring for me to be watching ESPN and all of a sudden hear Sage Steele talk about how Rampage Jackson would deal with Rashad's speed and wrestling and the title implications of this fight.
It's a good first step, but it will definitely take time. Honestly I still know very little about the tactics and mechanics of MMA, so I'm sure sports anchors will need time to learn about it until they get to a level where they can go into a more detailed discussion as they would for basketball or football.
It's been an interesting journey to see MMA grow up in a sense and really start to make its mark on the sport and entertainment industries. Even as a relatively late adopter, I've seen a huge transformation in how MMA is viewed and presented. I'm excited to see where it goes from here.
But...if I could ask for one thing, one thing that would really indicate to me that it's been more accepted and understood, I'd love to hear the anchors and talking heads pronounce the Brazilian names correctly. I didn't get this for the longest time, but apparently R's (or maybe just the first R? I don't know) are pronounced as H's. With guys on top right now like Shogun Rua and legends like Royce Gracie, it's a small but very noticeable detail. As dumb as it sound even as I'm typing it out, that little change will make a big difference in my mind.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Badge Story
So I started my internship with Motorola last week.
One of the first things I had to do was get a badge so I could get into the campus and buildings and walk around looking all official. While I was waiting to take my picture, I noticed the photographer didn't instruct the people to smile or not. I've had it both ways so I guess this was sort of nice.
For some reason I got it in my head that I should just not smile and stare at the camera. Well actually that's not true. I got it from this video. Anyway yeah I thought it would be funny because it's really not me. At all.
But for whatever reason when it was my turn, I couldn't do it. I think it's because next to the camera they had a picture of a gorilla telling you to smile. I have to admit, it was pretty funny. So my attempt to mean mug failed and so I ended up with some silly looking smile.
Luckily the guy let me retake it, and I stared at the camera best I could. Afterwards, the guy straight up said, "So you're going for the hard Asian look huh?"
It was pretty epic fail, but that somehow makes it funnier. He then told me just to say that he had pissed me off during the picture. But whatever the case, it's done, and now when I walk around with that badge clipped on, people know I mean business. Or something like that.
One of the first things I had to do was get a badge so I could get into the campus and buildings and walk around looking all official. While I was waiting to take my picture, I noticed the photographer didn't instruct the people to smile or not. I've had it both ways so I guess this was sort of nice.
For some reason I got it in my head that I should just not smile and stare at the camera. Well actually that's not true. I got it from this video. Anyway yeah I thought it would be funny because it's really not me. At all.
But for whatever reason when it was my turn, I couldn't do it. I think it's because next to the camera they had a picture of a gorilla telling you to smile. I have to admit, it was pretty funny. So my attempt to mean mug failed and so I ended up with some silly looking smile.
Luckily the guy let me retake it, and I stared at the camera best I could. Afterwards, the guy straight up said, "So you're going for the hard Asian look huh?"
It was pretty epic fail, but that somehow makes it funnier. He then told me just to say that he had pissed me off during the picture. But whatever the case, it's done, and now when I walk around with that badge clipped on, people know I mean business. Or something like that.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Quick Hits: UFC 113
Just as a brief note, I didn't actually get to watch the card tonight, just saw the main event. Most of this is just from reading play-by-plays. Anyhow.
- Biggest story has to be the return of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Here's a guy who looked sloppy in his first two UFC fights but has been slowly climbing up the ladder ever since. To me, this is as good and as dominant as he's looked in several years. Just for some context, this guy was a killer back in the glory days of Pride. He never wore their 205 lb belt as he deferred to then teammate and champ Wanderlei Silva, but his run in the 2005 grand prix over Rampage Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem, and Ricardo Arona still stands as one of the most dominant in history. I mean you're talking about consecutive wins over three then top 10 guys and another top 15 fighter in a single tournament. Doesn't get much better than that. He finished out his Pride career with a few other good wins and a gruesome injury loss, but this is easily the best he's looked since coming to the UFC.
- Another note for some context. Around the time Shogun won that tournament and for a couple years to come, he was one of the three men whose name was thrown around as the best light heavyweight fighter in the world. The debate was always between Shogun, and the two major champions Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva. And really, you could have made a strong, defensible case for any of those guys. However, Chuck and Wand are clearly in the twilight of their careers. They can still throw down, but age and the evolution of MMA have caught up to their respective striking-based styles. On the other hand, Shogun isn't even 30 yet and, now that he has the belt, has the opportunity to truly begin his reign.
- Machida will bounce back. Count on it. He got caught by a better fighter tonight, which can always happen especially for counter-fighters. I found it interesting that Shogun was the one to give Machida his first loss. Shogun is known for a wilder style of striking, as are most of the fighters who were affiliated with the Chute Boxe camp at one time. Machida was known for dodging and countering wild strikes. Clearly, Shogun is much more precise and calculated than one might give him credit for.
- Now that his teammate no longer holds the belt, hopefully Anderson Silva will be willing to make the jump to 205 to fight for the title. That is, assuming his head is back in the game.
- Other than Anderson, there are definitely many intriguing matchups to be made. I'd love to see a rematch between Shogun and Rogerio Nogueira. Their fight in 2005 was a barnburner and still one of the most exciting bouts I've ever seen. Lil Nog's got to take care of business in his upcoming fight first, then we'll see if Dana White sets that up or makes him string together a couple more victories before his shot. Other fights that may have title implications are Rashad Evans/Quinton Jackson and Chuck Liddell/Rich Franklin. Also waiting in the wings is the up-and-coming Jon "Bones" Jones. Definitely no shortage of possible matchups.
- Josh Koscheck earned a title shot and a date with Georges St. Pierre with his decision victory over Paul Daley. Dominating wrestling performance, which really is no surprise. That's Kos's bread and butter and he's extremely tough to stop. We'll see if he can establish his wrestling against GSP unlike in their first fight where he was pretty much stuffed and manhandled for 15 minutes. He also won a coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighter 12 across from GSP. Nothing against those guys, but I just don't think they have enough drama/charisma to make things interesting. Think Tito Ortiz/Ken Shamrock in season 3, BJ Penn/Jens Pulver in season 5, or Rampage/Rashad in season 10. It's not necessary and can feel contrived at times, but that rivalry and hatred does add an interesting dimension to the show that can't be replicated.
- Looks like Kimbo Slice and Daley are out of the UFC. Kimbo seems like a good guy and eager to learn, but at this point he really is just a draw. His game is progressing but still isn't at the UFC level. He's an older fighter, so it's up to him whether he wants to keep going and try to fight his way back up the ladder or just call it a career. As for Daley, I wish he hadn't pulled those stupid antics after his loss. He's an explosive striker and fun to watch, but there's no place for sucker punches in the UFC.
- Good win for Alan Belcher who pushes his record in his last five fights to 4-1. He won't challenge for the title, but he's a solid fighter finding his stride. He can be a dangerous opponent for most of the 185 division.
- Even in the victory, I'm not too impressed by Marcus Davis. He really let a round get away from him before he was able to (arguably) finish a guy who's known for having a subpar chin. He had some hype in the past, but aside from the Chris Lytle fight, every step up in competition he's faced has resulted in a loss. I'm not too sure Davis will ever be anything more than a gatekeeper at 170.
- Get better soon Jason MacDonald. He suffered a nasty leg injury in his fight with John Salter. He's a good fighter who's strung together a few wins since being cut by the UFC. Hope to see him back in the Octagon soon.
- Biggest story has to be the return of Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Here's a guy who looked sloppy in his first two UFC fights but has been slowly climbing up the ladder ever since. To me, this is as good and as dominant as he's looked in several years. Just for some context, this guy was a killer back in the glory days of Pride. He never wore their 205 lb belt as he deferred to then teammate and champ Wanderlei Silva, but his run in the 2005 grand prix over Rampage Jackson, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Alistair Overeem, and Ricardo Arona still stands as one of the most dominant in history. I mean you're talking about consecutive wins over three then top 10 guys and another top 15 fighter in a single tournament. Doesn't get much better than that. He finished out his Pride career with a few other good wins and a gruesome injury loss, but this is easily the best he's looked since coming to the UFC.
- Another note for some context. Around the time Shogun won that tournament and for a couple years to come, he was one of the three men whose name was thrown around as the best light heavyweight fighter in the world. The debate was always between Shogun, and the two major champions Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva. And really, you could have made a strong, defensible case for any of those guys. However, Chuck and Wand are clearly in the twilight of their careers. They can still throw down, but age and the evolution of MMA have caught up to their respective striking-based styles. On the other hand, Shogun isn't even 30 yet and, now that he has the belt, has the opportunity to truly begin his reign.
- Machida will bounce back. Count on it. He got caught by a better fighter tonight, which can always happen especially for counter-fighters. I found it interesting that Shogun was the one to give Machida his first loss. Shogun is known for a wilder style of striking, as are most of the fighters who were affiliated with the Chute Boxe camp at one time. Machida was known for dodging and countering wild strikes. Clearly, Shogun is much more precise and calculated than one might give him credit for.
- Now that his teammate no longer holds the belt, hopefully Anderson Silva will be willing to make the jump to 205 to fight for the title. That is, assuming his head is back in the game.
- Other than Anderson, there are definitely many intriguing matchups to be made. I'd love to see a rematch between Shogun and Rogerio Nogueira. Their fight in 2005 was a barnburner and still one of the most exciting bouts I've ever seen. Lil Nog's got to take care of business in his upcoming fight first, then we'll see if Dana White sets that up or makes him string together a couple more victories before his shot. Other fights that may have title implications are Rashad Evans/Quinton Jackson and Chuck Liddell/Rich Franklin. Also waiting in the wings is the up-and-coming Jon "Bones" Jones. Definitely no shortage of possible matchups.
- Josh Koscheck earned a title shot and a date with Georges St. Pierre with his decision victory over Paul Daley. Dominating wrestling performance, which really is no surprise. That's Kos's bread and butter and he's extremely tough to stop. We'll see if he can establish his wrestling against GSP unlike in their first fight where he was pretty much stuffed and manhandled for 15 minutes. He also won a coaching gig on The Ultimate Fighter 12 across from GSP. Nothing against those guys, but I just don't think they have enough drama/charisma to make things interesting. Think Tito Ortiz/Ken Shamrock in season 3, BJ Penn/Jens Pulver in season 5, or Rampage/Rashad in season 10. It's not necessary and can feel contrived at times, but that rivalry and hatred does add an interesting dimension to the show that can't be replicated.
- Looks like Kimbo Slice and Daley are out of the UFC. Kimbo seems like a good guy and eager to learn, but at this point he really is just a draw. His game is progressing but still isn't at the UFC level. He's an older fighter, so it's up to him whether he wants to keep going and try to fight his way back up the ladder or just call it a career. As for Daley, I wish he hadn't pulled those stupid antics after his loss. He's an explosive striker and fun to watch, but there's no place for sucker punches in the UFC.
- Good win for Alan Belcher who pushes his record in his last five fights to 4-1. He won't challenge for the title, but he's a solid fighter finding his stride. He can be a dangerous opponent for most of the 185 division.
- Even in the victory, I'm not too impressed by Marcus Davis. He really let a round get away from him before he was able to (arguably) finish a guy who's known for having a subpar chin. He had some hype in the past, but aside from the Chris Lytle fight, every step up in competition he's faced has resulted in a loss. I'm not too sure Davis will ever be anything more than a gatekeeper at 170.
- Get better soon Jason MacDonald. He suffered a nasty leg injury in his fight with John Salter. He's a good fighter who's strung together a few wins since being cut by the UFC. Hope to see him back in the Octagon soon.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
The Catch, The Shot, The...Elbow?
http://twitter.com/lebronselbow
I am by no means a LeBron James fan. I'm sure part of that is because I'm a Lakers fan, but there's also the part of me that is just rubbed the wrong way by his cocky demeanor. The part that bothers me isn't so much his dancing during games or not shaking hands, but it's his overall disconnect with why people would even be offended or have a problem with those things. And then there's his choice of nicknames (King James, The Chosen One), his choice of marketing campaigns (We Are All Witnesses, LBJ/MVP ripping off of Run DMC), and other things that leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Still, he's a transcendent talent in the NBA today. His combination of speed, skill and brute force is something to see. And that's why, even though I'm a LBJ hater, I'd still like to see him explode in these playoffs, beginning with this Boston Celtics series which is currently tied at 1-1.
In the closeout game of Round 1, LeBron hurt his elbow near the end of the game. Even though it caused him to shoot a free throw left-handed in the closing seconds of a four point game (he missed, but they still won), he said after the game that it wasn't that bad. He's since been diagnosed with a sprained elbow and bone bruise and has had several MRIs since then.
The weird thing about it all is that his play and talk aren't quite matching up. Clearly, he's being affected by it. Other than that leftie free throw, he just hasn't quite been as aggressive as we're accustomed to seeing. Now it's possible, and in fact my opinion, that he's being a bit of a baby about it. After all, he himself said that he's good to go and not too affected by it. Is all this injury talk just a ploy to make fans and media fawn over what a warrior he is?
Whatever the case, his elbow is one of the biggest subplots of this postseason. As much as I hate to admit it, I'd love to watch him rise above it and take over his team. On a recent podcast, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons mentioned that he considers it a skill to be able to play injured. I totally agree. Some of the most enduring moments in sports are athletes overcoming adversity, both physical and emotional, to shine their brightest. Think Brett Favre passing for nearly 400 yards the night after his father died. Think Michael Jordan scoring 38 (15 in the 4th) in a crucial Game 5 while playing through the flu. Think Kirk Gibson limping to the plate and homering off Dennis Eckersley in the World Series. And even in today's NBA, think of the great players bound for the Hall of Fame. Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan. They're all great players and all have put up very good performances playing through pain.
If LeBron can't fight through what may or may not be a minor elbow injury, what does that mean for him? Certainly at 100%, he's one of the best to have touched a basketball. But injuries happen to everyone. Isn't durability part of the game? Isn't fighting through pain part of what it means to be a professional athlete, much less a superstar? LeBron's a special talent. I want to see him have that extra switch, the one he can flip on even when he's hurt and say, "F this, I'm taking over anyway."
He doesn't have a real sidekick on this team. There's no Jordan/Pippen, Shaq/Kobe, Dream/Glide dynamic at all. They might as well change their name to the Cleveland LeBrons (or Crabs I guess). If he can't find that switch, it's a distinct possibility that he'll be sitting at home, watching the next round of the playoffs. Not quite the throne the King was hoping for.
I am by no means a LeBron James fan. I'm sure part of that is because I'm a Lakers fan, but there's also the part of me that is just rubbed the wrong way by his cocky demeanor. The part that bothers me isn't so much his dancing during games or not shaking hands, but it's his overall disconnect with why people would even be offended or have a problem with those things. And then there's his choice of nicknames (King James, The Chosen One), his choice of marketing campaigns (We Are All Witnesses, LBJ/MVP ripping off of Run DMC), and other things that leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Still, he's a transcendent talent in the NBA today. His combination of speed, skill and brute force is something to see. And that's why, even though I'm a LBJ hater, I'd still like to see him explode in these playoffs, beginning with this Boston Celtics series which is currently tied at 1-1.
In the closeout game of Round 1, LeBron hurt his elbow near the end of the game. Even though it caused him to shoot a free throw left-handed in the closing seconds of a four point game (he missed, but they still won), he said after the game that it wasn't that bad. He's since been diagnosed with a sprained elbow and bone bruise and has had several MRIs since then.
The weird thing about it all is that his play and talk aren't quite matching up. Clearly, he's being affected by it. Other than that leftie free throw, he just hasn't quite been as aggressive as we're accustomed to seeing. Now it's possible, and in fact my opinion, that he's being a bit of a baby about it. After all, he himself said that he's good to go and not too affected by it. Is all this injury talk just a ploy to make fans and media fawn over what a warrior he is?
Whatever the case, his elbow is one of the biggest subplots of this postseason. As much as I hate to admit it, I'd love to watch him rise above it and take over his team. On a recent podcast, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons mentioned that he considers it a skill to be able to play injured. I totally agree. Some of the most enduring moments in sports are athletes overcoming adversity, both physical and emotional, to shine their brightest. Think Brett Favre passing for nearly 400 yards the night after his father died. Think Michael Jordan scoring 38 (15 in the 4th) in a crucial Game 5 while playing through the flu. Think Kirk Gibson limping to the plate and homering off Dennis Eckersley in the World Series. And even in today's NBA, think of the great players bound for the Hall of Fame. Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan. They're all great players and all have put up very good performances playing through pain.
If LeBron can't fight through what may or may not be a minor elbow injury, what does that mean for him? Certainly at 100%, he's one of the best to have touched a basketball. But injuries happen to everyone. Isn't durability part of the game? Isn't fighting through pain part of what it means to be a professional athlete, much less a superstar? LeBron's a special talent. I want to see him have that extra switch, the one he can flip on even when he's hurt and say, "F this, I'm taking over anyway."
He doesn't have a real sidekick on this team. There's no Jordan/Pippen, Shaq/Kobe, Dream/Glide dynamic at all. They might as well change their name to the Cleveland LeBrons (or Crabs I guess). If he can't find that switch, it's a distinct possibility that he'll be sitting at home, watching the next round of the playoffs. Not quite the throne the King was hoping for.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
2 Truths and 1 Lie
Fun game. We played in Sunday school today. Pretty self-explanatory. Anyway.
1. I like fried chicken
2. I like watermelon.
3. I like Kool-Aid
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Global Warming: The perfectly designed problem
I've been reading this book called Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. It's great and I've enjoyed it a lot so far. Very interesting read.
But to back up a little, I participated in an experiment several weeks ago for some people's thesis project. It was a paid experiment, which was nice. Anyway, they were studying cheating and kind of drew their inspiration from Ariely. A few weeks later, I went to see their thesis defense, mainly just to find out what the heck the experiment was all about and also because Ariely was coming to speak.
Here's one of his TED talks: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_on_our_buggy_moral_code.html
He passed out books after his lecture and I've been slowly making my way through that. Anyway, now that that roundabout explanation is out of the way, I figure I'd share something he said that I found interesting during his lecture.
Ariely spoke about global warming and how it was perfect...if you wanted to design a problem that nobody cared about. He listed a few reasons, and they all made sense. It's a problem that won't have major ramifications in our lifetime. Not only that, but every effort we make to fight it is just a drop in the bucket. Also, we don't know the victims. Of course we know conceptually that it will be our descendants (or rather our descendants' descendants), but we can't even attach a name or face to any of them because they're so far off.
Not that I personally care too much about global warming, but it was interesting to think about it from this perspective. Honestly, I found most of what Ariely had to say, both in his lecture and book, to be really fascinating because of the way he approaches things as a behavioral economist. Why do placebos work? How do our expectations affect our perceptions? Why do we go crazy over anything and everything that's free? I'd definitely recommend checking it out.
Happy Earth Day!
But to back up a little, I participated in an experiment several weeks ago for some people's thesis project. It was a paid experiment, which was nice. Anyway, they were studying cheating and kind of drew their inspiration from Ariely. A few weeks later, I went to see their thesis defense, mainly just to find out what the heck the experiment was all about and also because Ariely was coming to speak.
Here's one of his TED talks: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_on_our_buggy_moral_code.html
He passed out books after his lecture and I've been slowly making my way through that. Anyway, now that that roundabout explanation is out of the way, I figure I'd share something he said that I found interesting during his lecture.
Ariely spoke about global warming and how it was perfect...if you wanted to design a problem that nobody cared about. He listed a few reasons, and they all made sense. It's a problem that won't have major ramifications in our lifetime. Not only that, but every effort we make to fight it is just a drop in the bucket. Also, we don't know the victims. Of course we know conceptually that it will be our descendants (or rather our descendants' descendants), but we can't even attach a name or face to any of them because they're so far off.
Not that I personally care too much about global warming, but it was interesting to think about it from this perspective. Honestly, I found most of what Ariely had to say, both in his lecture and book, to be really fascinating because of the way he approaches things as a behavioral economist. Why do placebos work? How do our expectations affect our perceptions? Why do we go crazy over anything and everything that's free? I'd definitely recommend checking it out.
Happy Earth Day!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Justin Bieber: Rappers like me! YAY! *turns back to her coloring books*
I was reading a certain basketball blog today and I came across something called the Dunning-Kruger Effect (full disclosure: it was used to refer to Paul Pierce). From the abstract:
People tend to hold overly favorable views of their abilities in many social and intellectual domains. The authors suggest that this overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it.
My attempt at breaking it down and simplifying it is this: sometimes, people suck too much and are too stupid to realize how much they suck/how stupid they are. Not only that, but their suckiness/stupidity also causes them to believe that other people (who don't suck as much/aren't as stupid) are actually suckier/stupider than they actually are. Boy that paragraph was fun to type.
Anyway, the point is it's a vicious cycle of basically not know what is going on.
What could this possibly have to do with Justin Bieber?
http://amygrindhouse.com/justin-bieber-overestimating-street-cred.html
People tend to hold overly favorable views of their abilities in many social and intellectual domains. The authors suggest that this overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it.
My attempt at breaking it down and simplifying it is this: sometimes, people suck too much and are too stupid to realize how much they suck/how stupid they are. Not only that, but their suckiness/stupidity also causes them to believe that other people (who don't suck as much/aren't as stupid) are actually suckier/stupider than they actually are. Boy that paragraph was fun to type.
Anyway, the point is it's a vicious cycle of basically not know what is going on.
What could this possibly have to do with Justin Bieber?
http://amygrindhouse.com/justin-bieber-overestimating-street-cred.html
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The Rules of Engagement
UFC 112 went down this past weekend and while I won't bore you with results, I do want to talk about the main event, which saw middleweight champion Anderson Silva win a bizarre decision over challenger Demian Maia. By "bizarre" I mean a 25 minute fight featuring stretches of inactivity, taunting by Silva, and an unwillingness to engage in general. Sadly, this wasn't the first time we've seen this from the man they call The Spider.
Just for a little background, Silva is one of the most dynamic strikers in mixed martial arts and, in my opinion, the best striker MMA has had ever. Of course, I have only been following MMA for maybe 5 or 6 years so I didn't see the primes of many of the old school guys. But what I know is this: Silva has remarkable accuracy, landing punches and kicks at a higher percentage than any one I know of. He also has incredible power which, combined with his accuracy, helps him score many quick knockdowns and knockouts. His movement is superb as he dances (sometimes literally) around the ring/octagon, moving his feet and head quickly to not only avoid getting hit, but also put himself in the best position to counter. And finally, he has a diverse striking game. From his fearsome boxing to his deadly muay thai clinch to his lightning fast kicks and knees, Silva has it all.
His UFC reign has reflected as much. He debuted in 2006 against Chris Leben, dispatching him without missing a single punch while also not getting hit. His next fight was for Rich Franklin's title, and Silva's been champion ever since, not having lost a fight in over 4 years (6 if you disregard the DQ).
So how do you explain yet another odd, lackluster performance? Well, I believe it starts with Dana White and Joe Silva. White is the outspoken president of the UFC and Joe Silva is the organization's matchmaker. Originally this title shot was supposed to go to wrestler Chael Sonnen, but after he got hurt, they selected Maia to fill in. This is not really a fight fans wanted to see. We wanted Silva to rematch Nate Marquardt or possibly change weight classes to fight stiffer competition. With all due respect, Maia is a jiujitsu ace and poses no threat to Silva as neither his standup nor wrestling is good enough to force the fight to the mat where he has an advantage. The last time Silva was matched up against a pure jiujitsu fighter was UFC 97 against Thales Leites, and the result was much the same with Silva resorting to playground tactics and messing around, even throwing a leg punch in the middle of the fight.
Briefly, I think this issue is a big problem in MMA and one of the reasons I hesitate to call it a sport. There's no official ranking system and sometimes the guys who are best prepared for and capable of a successful title shot aren't always the guys who deserve it or have earned it and vice versa. A lot of the matchmaking is purely subjective and used to build certain guys up or put together matches fans want to see. I'm not saying this is a bad thing but it does make it harder to rank guys.
Unlucky injury and questionable matchmaking aside, Demian Maia also has to shoulder some of the blame. Good for him for not being baited by Silva, but at the same time, his lack of a standup game and his fear of striking with Silva (well-warranted as it may be) contributed to Silva's lack of interest. I hate to generalize, but there have been many Brazilian jiujitsu-based fighters who seem to have either an inability or an unwillingness to improve their striking. While their ground game is still amazing to watch, this lack of well-roundedness doesn't lend itself well to higher level fights or any fight where their opponent can keep the fight on its feet. In the end, the challenger is the one who's supposed to take the fight to the champion, not wait and hope the champ falls into his guard.
But there's no doubt that the majority of the blame for this main event which Dana White called a "disgrace" and an "embarrassment" falls on Anderson Silva himself. I don't really get his post-fight apology or his assertions that Maia disrespected him somehow. Silva said that to punish him, he wanted to make him feel vulnerable. What could make a man feel more vulnerable than a violent barrage of fists and knees? Silva is well equipped to deliver this assault and showed in the early rounds that he could batter Maia with whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Yet he was content with dancing outside striking range, taunting Maia to come forward. White made a Mike Tyson reference saying that to best show your dominance, just finish your opponent as fast as possible instead of circling for 25 minutes.
While it would help if the matchmaking put tougher opponents in front of Silva, ultimately it's up to him (and to a lesser extent his camp) to get him motivated for each and every fight. When he shows up with the mindset of attacking his opponent and finishing the fight, he is the most exciting fighter in the game (see his fights with Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, Carlos Newton and Tony Fryklund for some examples). But the problem is he doesn't always bring it, he doesn't always come out with that same fire that the great champions had. And as he grows more and more uninterested, so do we.
Just for a little background, Silva is one of the most dynamic strikers in mixed martial arts and, in my opinion, the best striker MMA has had ever. Of course, I have only been following MMA for maybe 5 or 6 years so I didn't see the primes of many of the old school guys. But what I know is this: Silva has remarkable accuracy, landing punches and kicks at a higher percentage than any one I know of. He also has incredible power which, combined with his accuracy, helps him score many quick knockdowns and knockouts. His movement is superb as he dances (sometimes literally) around the ring/octagon, moving his feet and head quickly to not only avoid getting hit, but also put himself in the best position to counter. And finally, he has a diverse striking game. From his fearsome boxing to his deadly muay thai clinch to his lightning fast kicks and knees, Silva has it all.
His UFC reign has reflected as much. He debuted in 2006 against Chris Leben, dispatching him without missing a single punch while also not getting hit. His next fight was for Rich Franklin's title, and Silva's been champion ever since, not having lost a fight in over 4 years (6 if you disregard the DQ).
So how do you explain yet another odd, lackluster performance? Well, I believe it starts with Dana White and Joe Silva. White is the outspoken president of the UFC and Joe Silva is the organization's matchmaker. Originally this title shot was supposed to go to wrestler Chael Sonnen, but after he got hurt, they selected Maia to fill in. This is not really a fight fans wanted to see. We wanted Silva to rematch Nate Marquardt or possibly change weight classes to fight stiffer competition. With all due respect, Maia is a jiujitsu ace and poses no threat to Silva as neither his standup nor wrestling is good enough to force the fight to the mat where he has an advantage. The last time Silva was matched up against a pure jiujitsu fighter was UFC 97 against Thales Leites, and the result was much the same with Silva resorting to playground tactics and messing around, even throwing a leg punch in the middle of the fight.
Briefly, I think this issue is a big problem in MMA and one of the reasons I hesitate to call it a sport. There's no official ranking system and sometimes the guys who are best prepared for and capable of a successful title shot aren't always the guys who deserve it or have earned it and vice versa. A lot of the matchmaking is purely subjective and used to build certain guys up or put together matches fans want to see. I'm not saying this is a bad thing but it does make it harder to rank guys.
Unlucky injury and questionable matchmaking aside, Demian Maia also has to shoulder some of the blame. Good for him for not being baited by Silva, but at the same time, his lack of a standup game and his fear of striking with Silva (well-warranted as it may be) contributed to Silva's lack of interest. I hate to generalize, but there have been many Brazilian jiujitsu-based fighters who seem to have either an inability or an unwillingness to improve their striking. While their ground game is still amazing to watch, this lack of well-roundedness doesn't lend itself well to higher level fights or any fight where their opponent can keep the fight on its feet. In the end, the challenger is the one who's supposed to take the fight to the champion, not wait and hope the champ falls into his guard.
But there's no doubt that the majority of the blame for this main event which Dana White called a "disgrace" and an "embarrassment" falls on Anderson Silva himself. I don't really get his post-fight apology or his assertions that Maia disrespected him somehow. Silva said that to punish him, he wanted to make him feel vulnerable. What could make a man feel more vulnerable than a violent barrage of fists and knees? Silva is well equipped to deliver this assault and showed in the early rounds that he could batter Maia with whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Yet he was content with dancing outside striking range, taunting Maia to come forward. White made a Mike Tyson reference saying that to best show your dominance, just finish your opponent as fast as possible instead of circling for 25 minutes.
While it would help if the matchmaking put tougher opponents in front of Silva, ultimately it's up to him (and to a lesser extent his camp) to get him motivated for each and every fight. When he shows up with the mindset of attacking his opponent and finishing the fight, he is the most exciting fighter in the game (see his fights with Rich Franklin, Forrest Griffin, Carlos Newton and Tony Fryklund for some examples). But the problem is he doesn't always bring it, he doesn't always come out with that same fire that the great champions had. And as he grows more and more uninterested, so do we.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
112-101
Well the game was fairly entertaining to watch, but let's take stock of that list I put up yesterday.
- Amar'''''''''e Stoudemire posterizing a Spur
Didn't happen, although he threw down some pretty vicious looking dunks.
- DeJuan Blair posterizing a Sun
- DeJuan Blair grabbing 15+ rebounds
Don't think he even dunked at all and he only grabbed 8 rebounds. However, he also only got 15 minutes of playing time so that's pretty darn impressive. It did seem like he had magnets on his hands while he was out there.
- Jared "JMZ" Dudley catching fire and hitting 5+ 3 pointers
Sadly, it didn't happen as he only hit 1 of his 3 three point attempts. Roger Mason of the Spurs came close, as he hit 4 3s in 9 tries. When he first stepped on the floor, he couldn't miss.
- Manu Ginobili dropping 40+ points
- Anyone yelling "GINOBILI" like Charles Barkley
- Manu Ginobili demolishing somebody going up for a dunk
Also sadly, Manu put up somewhat of a clunker tonight. 5-14 shooting, didn't earn a single trip to the line and only 3 rebounds and 4 assists. So basically there weren't very many opportunities to yell his name. Disappointing.
- Any moment where Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess or Tim Duncan tries to do something only to leave the impression, "Man, they look ooooooooooold"
Jefferson and McDyess actually had pretty decent games. Jefferson put up 17 on 60% shooting from the field while McDyess pulled down 7 rebounds and dished out 4 assists in 21 minutes of playing time. Duncan however, did look a bit off. His final line actually looks kind of decent, but far from Duncan-esque.
- Taylor Griffin getting playing time.
Well, he got assigned to the D-League before the game so...no.
- Jason Richardson slamming a monster dunk
- Jason Richardson missing a dunk
No misses, and he did slam down a big two-hander. However, it was sort of disappointing since I was really hoping for a 360 or a windmill or something more exotic given that it happened on a 5-on-0 fastbreak. He had another fastbreak opportunity a bit later but threw down an even more vanilla dunk. Maybe that miss was still in his head, who knows.
- Goran Dragic faceplanting again after a dunk
Not even a dunk from Goran. He had a chance I thought could possibly have worked, but he just went for a layup instead. Yawn.
- Eva Longoria (Parker)
Pretty sure she wasn't in attendance. Not that we sat close enough to be able to see anyway but yeah.
So clearly, if this list was a game of BINGO I would have been nowhere close to finishing, but that's alright. It was still a good game to watch and close for the most part until the Suns started pulling away. We'll see what this 112-101 victory means for both teams in the end. For now, it allows the Suns to keep pace with Dallas and Denver, who both won tonight, as the three of them pull slightly ahead of Utah, who also played tonight but lost in Houston. As for the Spurs, they fall into a three-way tie at the 6-8 spots with Portland, who beat the Clippers, and the Oklahoma City Zombie Sonics, who lost to Denver. Aside from the Laker's 4.5 game cushion, the whole Western Conference playoff picture is extremely tight, and each remaining game has huge playoff implications riding on it. Should be fun to watch.
- Amar'''''''''e Stoudemire posterizing a Spur
Didn't happen, although he threw down some pretty vicious looking dunks.
- DeJuan Blair posterizing a Sun
- DeJuan Blair grabbing 15+ rebounds
Don't think he even dunked at all and he only grabbed 8 rebounds. However, he also only got 15 minutes of playing time so that's pretty darn impressive. It did seem like he had magnets on his hands while he was out there.
- Jared "JMZ" Dudley catching fire and hitting 5+ 3 pointers
Sadly, it didn't happen as he only hit 1 of his 3 three point attempts. Roger Mason of the Spurs came close, as he hit 4 3s in 9 tries. When he first stepped on the floor, he couldn't miss.
- Manu Ginobili dropping 40+ points
- Anyone yelling "GINOBILI" like Charles Barkley
- Manu Ginobili demolishing somebody going up for a dunk
Also sadly, Manu put up somewhat of a clunker tonight. 5-14 shooting, didn't earn a single trip to the line and only 3 rebounds and 4 assists. So basically there weren't very many opportunities to yell his name. Disappointing.
- Any moment where Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess or Tim Duncan tries to do something only to leave the impression, "Man, they look ooooooooooold"
Jefferson and McDyess actually had pretty decent games. Jefferson put up 17 on 60% shooting from the field while McDyess pulled down 7 rebounds and dished out 4 assists in 21 minutes of playing time. Duncan however, did look a bit off. His final line actually looks kind of decent, but far from Duncan-esque.
- Taylor Griffin getting playing time.
Well, he got assigned to the D-League before the game so...no.
- Jason Richardson slamming a monster dunk
- Jason Richardson missing a dunk
No misses, and he did slam down a big two-hander. However, it was sort of disappointing since I was really hoping for a 360 or a windmill or something more exotic given that it happened on a 5-on-0 fastbreak. He had another fastbreak opportunity a bit later but threw down an even more vanilla dunk. Maybe that miss was still in his head, who knows.
- Goran Dragic faceplanting again after a dunk
Not even a dunk from Goran. He had a chance I thought could possibly have worked, but he just went for a layup instead. Yawn.
- Eva Longoria (Parker)
Pretty sure she wasn't in attendance. Not that we sat close enough to be able to see anyway but yeah.
So clearly, if this list was a game of BINGO I would have been nowhere close to finishing, but that's alright. It was still a good game to watch and close for the most part until the Suns started pulling away. We'll see what this 112-101 victory means for both teams in the end. For now, it allows the Suns to keep pace with Dallas and Denver, who both won tonight, as the three of them pull slightly ahead of Utah, who also played tonight but lost in Houston. As for the Spurs, they fall into a three-way tie at the 6-8 spots with Portland, who beat the Clippers, and the Oklahoma City Zombie Sonics, who lost to Denver. Aside from the Laker's 4.5 game cushion, the whole Western Conference playoff picture is extremely tight, and each remaining game has huge playoff implications riding on it. Should be fun to watch.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Where Amazing Happens?
Going to a Suns/Spurs game tomorrow night. It should be pretty fun. I enjoy watching basketball and both those teams are pretty solid and still have something to play for so it should be good. However, I don't particularly like either team, and I don't dislike either of them more than the other enough to root against them. So instead of trying to pick one to cheer for for the night, there are just some specific events that I think would be cool to see and I'll be rooting for those. Maybe it's because it would be good in a basketball sense, or it might just be something that I think would be entertaining and/or funny. In no particular order:
- Amar'''''''''e Stoudemire posterizing a Spur
- DeJuan Blair posterizing a Sun
- DeJuan Blair grabbing 15+ rebounds
- Jared "JMZ" Dudley catching fire and hitting 5+ 3 pointers
- Manu Ginobili dropping 40+ points
- Anyone yelling "GINOBILI" like Charles Barkley
- Manu Ginobili demolishing somebody going up for a dunk
- Any moment where Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess or Tim Duncan tries to do something only to leave the impression, "Man, they look ooooooooooold"
- Taylor Griffin getting playing time.
- Jason Richardson slamming a monster dunk
- Jason Richardson missing a dunk
- Goran Dragic faceplanting again after a dunk
- Eva Longoria (Parker)
- Amar'''''''''e Stoudemire posterizing a Spur
- DeJuan Blair posterizing a Sun
- DeJuan Blair grabbing 15+ rebounds
- Jared "JMZ" Dudley catching fire and hitting 5+ 3 pointers
- Manu Ginobili dropping 40+ points
- Anyone yelling "GINOBILI" like Charles Barkley
- Manu Ginobili demolishing somebody going up for a dunk
- Any moment where Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess or Tim Duncan tries to do something only to leave the impression, "Man, they look ooooooooooold"
- Taylor Griffin getting playing time.
- Jason Richardson slamming a monster dunk
- Jason Richardson missing a dunk
- Goran Dragic faceplanting again after a dunk
- Eva Longoria (Parker)
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