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.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
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.
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