The Western Conference...what a pack of excitement. I'm only going to talk about the remaining teams and series.
First, the Rockets v. Lakers game last night, game 2, was more than completely incredible, it was an eye-opener, it was one of those AHA! Moments (Oprah, I won't pay you, shut up)...
There were 4 or 5 events in game 2, I'll highlight some, in random order:
1. Von Wafer was kicked off the Rockets bench by Adelman, a coach I really respect and admire, and that was amazing, I thought. I love the bravery it shows (in the sports sense) to kick out a key player to your team. It was a rather amazing moment, and unfortunately it spoke to the breakdowns the Rockets were having v. the Lakers, but it also spoke to the emotion in last night's game.
2. My highlight moment may have been post game when Artest was explaining his actions of going after Kobe when called for the personal foul. Artest was called for a completely BS foul, after Kobe fouled him, and in frustration, he earned a technical foul for arguing...upon recieving that, he went over to Kobe to demand respect and tell Kobe that you cannot elbow me in the throat, which Kobe was doing - Artest was then ejected.
After the game, Artest was recalling a game he played as a kid in a pickup environment in which someone was mad and went after another person with a hollow lead leg of a table, and one of the guys ended up with the leg of the table through his heart and died - a clearly horrible story. However, the highlight was when Artest told that whole story, then admitted, "I know the NBA isn't like that..." which was hilarious, that he felt compelled to explain a distinction between lead pipes through the heart and the NBA...
3. Also in last night's game was the most cowardly hit I've seen in years on a court, by Derek Fisher. Fisher is someone I used to really love to watch - he was a key player on a lot of good Laker teams, but now I feel like he is nothing out there. I don't think he hit a shot from January to the end of the season, and his charm is completely gone. I know I have no real basis for saying this, but he sorta weaseled his way out of his Utah contract by using his child's cancer as a way to get out, and then went right back to the Lakers and didn't get called out...I thought that was suspicious.
But last night, all of my suspicions on what Fisher has become came true on his completely cheap shot on Luis Scola on the screen. Sportscenter this morning, in its infinite wisdom and arrogant glory, decided to say Scola flopped, which I don't think he did. Fisher checked him like a hockey player, for no reason at all, and then played victim when he managed to gash a hole in his head in the process. There was a clip on TNT a little while later about "being manly" and how some people are whimps and just stupid macho bullcrap that the game's greatest never ever get caught up in....but Fisher does, of course.
He gave Scola a completely cheap shot, it was embarrassing and stupid, and he is suspended for it. Thank God.
That was all game 2!!!
I think the Rockets have a huge uphill battle to climb, but the winner of this series could win the whole thing - I type that, but I know that Cleveland is going to win this year, I just know it...
But anyway, The Rockets, from the opening tip, need to take advantage of the PG situation given both Farmar and Ariza have taken steps backwards this year, and they need to win 2 at home. Anything short of that is a Lakers series victory.
As far as Dallas v. Denver goes, this is a far less compelling series. Dallas' offense under Jason Kidd really has grown to become pretty stale, I can't stand watching it very much, and the Nuggets are a collection of very unlikeable players, Billups excluded. Personally, I think Kenyon Martin is a sociopath, and he smells like Indian Food. Birdman is a walking joke, he is 1 tattoo shy of looking like the wall Will Smith was chucking graffiti up on in the opening credits of Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and I do not want any part of JR Smith either. Billups is awesome, he deserves every ounce of credit he gets, an I am looking forward to seeing them challenge the Lakers, at least physically.
Back to the Eastern Conference a bit, just a few snippets:
> I think Boston has this series wrapped up, a home Game 3 loss by Orlando is likely with Johnson as your PG and it has been 3 straight halves they have been outplayed by the C's. I don't think that's going to end.
> Lebron is dominating the Hawks, and the Cavs look so strong. 6 straight playoff wins - does anyone think they are going to lose a game to the Hawks? I'd like to be 8-0 instead of whatever the C's will be in that series. What a battle.
Lastly, my list of players I have a tough time watching right now, no order:
1. Vujacic
2. Varajao
3. Kobe - sorry, he is amazing, but his arrogance makes me puke a bit. But he is so friggen amazing
4. Kidd
5. K-Mart
5 comments:
I think the Rockets are the second best team in the West. I wish they didn't have to play the Lakers now. It would be so much more interesting if we could watch the Rockets vs. the Nuggets right now and just let the Lakers dismiss the Mavs, who got too much hype beating a depleted Spurs team.
I'm glad someone else agrees with me about Chris Anderson. Not only are his tattoos a joke, but he's becoming wildly overrated. He's a good roleplayer who defends well off the bench, but if you played him for 30 minutes, your team would get killed. People are celebrating and hyping him like he's one of the stars of this playoff season. His story's great, I guess, but why is it better to have used and quit than never to have used at all?
That is the "Behind the Music" phenomenon, where we were supposed to always be amazed by rock stars and singers who went through drug trials and turbulations - its so predictable and stupid and boring.
I can't take it either, Anderson should be looked at as a player who is constantly walking on thin ice, and now he has the biggest safety net out of everyone in the league - he can do no wrong.
And you're right, the reality is if you play him a lot, and if he was a key player on a team, the team would stink. Glen Davis has shown the opposite, you can start him, make him a key player, and your team doesn't suffer.
Role players are awesome to have, but the hope is always that they become more, like Manu as an example...role player to All-star in like 2 seasons, now the Spurs need him to be good. Role players who are destined to stay 100% role players are not success stories, and add that to a history of Drug Addiction, I am not sure what makes him a hero.
The awful hair, maybe?
Hey Nick - 1st off great piece, but I disagree with some of your shots @ Anderson. Granted he's getting far too much praise, and guys like Davis aren't getting nearly enough, but the important thing to remember about Anderson and his "role player" status is the energy he brings to a team cannot be quantified. Whether it's through his blocks (absurd bc he always hits them out of bounds), his hair (just all around absurd), etc, you can't deny that he does a great job at getting both the crowd and teammates more into the game, and at this level, every extra advantage helps. Also worth mentioning - I feel like blocks are one of those rare stats that carry a bit of extra respect with it, since you either need to be really really tall or have a real special niche talent for never giving up on the play, to be talented at.
With all that being said - I completely agree about the durggies getting far too much praise.
Please read the ESPN.com piece on Chauncy Billups (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=090511/billups), it makes me want to get a Chauncy jersey, and it also makes me think JR Smith (who I thought was a lost cause) and 'Melo have a chance. 'Melo is so lucky that Coach K and Chauncy have entered his life this year.
I saw that title and got excited for some Blackhawks-Canucks Wings-Ducks talk. Bummer.
Good article Jeff, but I am not gonna like them till reebok makes an inspirational commercial about them.
Post a Comment