The Family Sits Down to Watch AI in the Playoffs

Sitting down to watch the game, I thought, if Mr. Simmons can do it so can I. So I gave it a shot.

8:02 Here we go and Bill Walton is on board!
Mom, “Those uniforms are pretty.”

8:13 It’s ridiculous how many shots Camby has already taken. Always a bad sign. His shot is more ridiculous than Aaron McKie’s. He does it because he thinks it looks sweet, I swear.

8:15 Nene with the baseline spin and the beautiful lay-in. Hakeem Jr. As Magic said before game 1, he is the key to this series because the Spurs have no answer for him. Foul trouble will be his kryptonite.

8:19 Walton, “AND A 3-SECOND VIOLATION!!” Oh yeah, he is warming up.

8:20 “It is amazing to me how many people don’t realize the connection between nutritious eating and health.” Really Bill?

8:25 Just saw a commercial for the 11:00 news featuring a story about the underground Philadelphia porn industry. “Rich and compelling.”

8:28 George Karl got a T for being out of the coach’s box. When was the last time they called that one? I feel a slight favoritism for the Spurs. We shall see…

8:29 JR with the alley-oop!! Good to see him getting some burn here after very little in the first 2 games.

8:31 Mark Jones (Who!?) just said something about a “Melo man march” during the highlights before the commercials. He may challenge Bill for awesome comments tonight.

8:35 Allen just told Jacque Vaughn to get the hell off him without saying a word. Maybe Allen will step over Jacque after hitting one from the corner a la Tyrone Lue, game 1 ’01 Finals. Definitely one of the top 5 days of my life.

8:37 The Spurs just had a huddle at the free throw line a la the Dukies. Makes me sick. Hakeem Jr. spins baseline pump fake to get Oberto in the air, draws the foul, to the line for two. Lets go!

8:42 Slowski’s!! Mom, “I love these commercials! They should make a show out of them.” I agree mother.

8:45 AI finally gets to the line. And-1. Lets go!

8:48 Dad, “Well they have missed 11/12 and are still up one.” Agreed. Nuggets have fallen into one of their 5-10 minute funks where they take bad shots, miss lay-ups and stop driving to the basket. Where are you George Karl? Do you just coach before and after the games?


8:51 Tim Duncan with a block on JR. “That’s a goal-line stand on draft day!” Sorry Mark Jones (Who?! Who?! No really, who?), not buying that one.

8:58 Nuggets have 11 points in the quarter with 2+ minutes to go. They are narcoleptic the way their offense just shuts down. San Antonio plays the best D in the league, but come on fellas!

At least there are already commercials for Madden ’08. After the Sox won the World Series there is no stronger curse than the Madden curse. It will be interesting to see if Vince Young’s magic can overcome it. I am going with Madden on this one.


Halftime Analysis

It makes no sense that the Nuggets are only down 3 points. They were completely out played the entire second quarter. From giving up offensive boards to the Spurs, to taking bad shots and being stagnant on offense, they look unfocused and lazy. Melo is 3/7 from the line and missed his last 3 FTs looking like a head case. Iverson can’t get to the line and they have gone away from Nene (again!) after another strong first quarter. If the Spurs shot a little better this game wouldn’t be close.

All that said, it is a 3-point game.

Chubby Hubby is a great halftime treat. Pretzels and peanut butter in ice cream!? They would never come up with this stuff if they weren’t in Vermont.

9:27
Nice little commentary as we begin the half about Iverson’s kids making friends at their new school. Great to hear it. AI to the line for 2. Next possession, a pull up jumper in the lane, count it. LETS GO!

9:28 Another jumper from Ivey. 6 straight points! Those baby blue Question 1’s are on my birthday wish list. Kiddin’ me!? My brother got a youth large Iverson Nugget jersey because you can’t find the real ones anywhere.

9:34 Back-to-back emphatic blocks by Elson on Iverson and then Camby on Parker! Things are picking up here.

“THIS IS OURRR COUNTRYYY” F!#% you John Cougar, F!#% youuuu!!

9:38 Announcers mention that Iverson said he ran a 4:20 mile (Sure it wasn’t a 4:19 or a 4:21? Coincidence? I think not) when he was in Philadelphia and has 5% body fat. Mom didn’t like that they called him a freak either. I had to explain it was a complement. She loves Allen.

9:41 Nene with the up and under. Hakeem Jr. Get him the damn ball! And where is Bill with his thunderous “Throw it doooown big man”? He has been pretty mellow tonight.

9:50 In response to JR’s erratic drive to the basket that ended up in a turnover:
“These guys are out of control. Honestly, they have no focus. Set up a play or something. I could tell them what to do better, really! All these hyper-active ADHD guys.” Get ‘em Ma!

9:54 “I like the Nuggets. They have a lot of glamor clothes. Those yellow shawls (towels) and the baby blue. Very fashionable.” She stays killin’.

10:03 It’s all falling apart here. Where did the offense go? Why haven’t they gone to Nene down low? Where is the help inside on D from the defensive player of the year? Even the isolations for Melo have disappeared. They look lost, I don’t understand.

Little fact here from Mark Jones (Who!?) just mentioned. Najera is the third highest endorsed athlete—and only Hispanic player in the league—on the Nuggets. What about Arroyo? I wonder what Najera’s endorsement ranking is the entire league.

10:14 Blake hits a deep 2! “Oh my! Where did they get this pale child?”
“Steve Blake, he has been playing the whole game.”
“Really? He looks like he is from Hare Krishna.” I had to look up that reference. Good stuff mom!

10:15 Tony Parker has taken over. He might have surpassed Iverson as quickest in the league. And then there is Eva. And again, why not.

Melo just hit a 3-pointer. 5-point game with 2 minutes left. I have no idea how. I think the scorekeeper is cheating.

10:24 Parker drives the lane, again! Camby and Nene don’t slide over to help and just swat at his shot. Lazy and selfish.

10:28 Big Shot Bob hits a fade-away from the corner, again. Game over. Walton remarks that Horry has never missed the playoffs in his entire career. Impressive.

10:30 Timmy D just skipped down the court after a turnover. The most emotion he has shown since laughing at Joey Crawford a few weeks ago.

10:32 “Here is this guy again. I feel sorry for him. He has no features. No contrast. Looks like a white little alien.”

“They say pressure makes diamonds and pressure breaks pipes. The San Antonio Spurs were 14K gold…” I have no idea what that means. Mark Who?! Mark Who!? Mark Jooooones! I didn’t even know this guy’s name before tonight. Who?! Ok I am done with that.

Recap- The Spurs defense knocked the wheels off the Nuggets’ offense for the second game in a row. Where were George Karl’s adjustments during the game to get his team’s offense working again? And where is the help D. Marcus Camby is a strong defensive player, but just because you lead the league in blocks doesn’t mean you win the award. Bruce Bowen was robbed once again and the tonight’s results are the proof in the pudding (did I use that saying correctly?). Next game is a must win for the Nuggets, but all signs are pointing to a loss. The Spurs have enforced their style of play and the Nuggets are not able to run and gun the way they like to. The Nuggets are clearly the more talented team, but can they get their flow back, help on D, hit lay-ups and get to the line?

5 things I don't like this weekend

1. The Eastern Conference Playoffs. Cleveland 2-0. Detroit 3-0. Chicago 3-0. Jersey 2-1. Ughhh. The only mildly entertaining series has been Chicago vs. Miami and it will be over by Sunday. Apparently, everyone forgot that the Heat only have two good players and one of them is playing with a dislocated shoulder.

2. LeBron. Ok, maybe this is too harsh. Perhaps it is because they are playing in the least exciting of the first round matchups. And I know Bron Bron is averaging 25 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 7 assists a game. But he is shooting an Eric Snow-like percentage right now and has done nothing remarkable thus far. Let's go Chosen One. Time to wake up. MJ was dropping 63 in the Garden right about now.

3. The NFL Draft. 15 minutes per pick!? You kidding me with that? Do you realize that the first round will take 480 minutes to finish! That is 8 hours. Rex Grossman lost the Super Bowl almost 2 and a half months ago, meaning that nearly all of these teams have 3 months to prepare for the draft. Please explain to me why they still need 15 minutes to decide who they want.

4. Julian Tavarez pitching in Yankee Stadium on Sunday. If the Sox had a fifth pitcher, Joe Torre might be out of a job on Monday. That being said, he was part of one of the funniest moments of the season thus far.

5. Michael Vick. Listen, Mike. Michael. Superman. Ron Mexico. You are 27 years old. You have played in the NFL for 6 seasons now. Your career QB rating is among the worst for all starting QBs. Your backup is now Joey Harrington, another colassal bust (and one of the corniest QBs in the league. You came in the league and you were supposed to revolutionize the league. Now, you're just the guy who is the news for neglecting dogs and carrying James-Bond like water bottle containers (pretty cool idea, actually). But most importanly Tom Brady, who by the way was selected with 198 picks after you a year earlier, has won more Super Bowls than you have playoff games.

And 5 things I do like this weekend

1. The Western Conference playoffs. Every one of these matchups is incredibly compelling (I may be pushing it wth the Houston-Utah series, but both of the teams still happen to have be very good teams). The Warriors and Nuggets are making us happy that the first-round was expanded to 7 because this may be the first year that the number 1 and 2 seeds need all seven just to advance. The only bad thing is that the best player in the universe may not advance to the second round, which would be a shame (Hey Lakers, go out and get KG. We get it, Kobe can't win by himself. Now get him some help.)

2. The Red Sox. OK, I know that the standings in April mean as much as a one-run lead with Mariano Rivera in the game right now, but this is fun. The Sawx have the most wins in the league. The Yankees have the second fewest And the Bombers have blown four straight leads in baseball's version of the Peloponnesian war. I am enjoying every minute of this and eagerly looking forward to when Steinbrenner goes Jerry Jones on us.

3. The NFL Draft. Yes, despite how long the draft is, it fills us with plenty to talk about. JaMarcus Russell in silver and black. Tony Kornheiser letting us know how miserable he is sitting there. The Patriots adding to their already-chamionship-caliber squad. This classic video (too bad the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS wised up and took a playbook from the Pats by hiring Belichick's protege or else that video would have needed a 2007 upgrade). And probably my new favorite... the annual which WR are the Detroit Lions going to take with their first round pick (by the way, as I write this, Calvin Johnson is just finding out he is being selected by the, surprise, surprise Detroit Lions. Is Matt Millen the George Bush of NFL GM's or vice versa? I don't know). And on that topic, two final thoughts.

3b. This gem of a clip deserves its own topic. Welcome USC Strength Coach Chuck Berry and his "unorthodox" teaching methods..

4. JaMarcus Russell vs. Brady Quinn. Add this one to the Bledsoe-Mirer, Manning-Leaf, Carr-Harrington (Ok, forgot the last one) QB battles. And this one may be the most intriguing one for so many different reasons. This is the ultimate battle: pretty-boy vs. African-American quarterback. We will hear about Quinn's intelligence and smarts while Russell is pigeonholed into the stereotypical role of the black quarterback (ironic since if anyone watched the Sugar Bowl, it was Russell who made good decision after good decision, while Quinn floundered). I actually think both are going to be pretty good, but then again, I also thought Joe Don't-Forget-The-Y Harrington was also going to be a great.

5. Mel Kiper Jr. This guy is a classic and should be forced to analyze everything from politics to movies. Are you telling me he wouldn't immediately make any telecast that much more exciting. He should even be hired to analyze individual people. You could make a fortune analyzing everything in the world Mel, why limit yourself?

Shawn Kemp Slamma Jamma In Your Mug

Remember when this guy was the most unstoppable player in the league? Me too.

Starting Five

1. Yanks and Sox- Best rivalry in sports right now, period. Pete: "I think Papelbon might be an evil robot." Me: "Yeah, I don't know if I should cry or laugh with that death stare of his."

2. AI+Melo=Killaduo- They looked pretty strong in their game 1 victory and they are definitely the more talented team. We shall see if they can keep their composure. Magic took the Nuggets in this series and Charles said if they played together all season they probably would be a 2 or 3 seed. I don't know about that, but I like it Charles.

3. B. Diddy is back!- I watched the second half of the Warriors-Mavs game and it was nuts! The Warriors have a extra small line up with 6'9" Al Harrington playing center and they just run. They play a similar style to the Suns, but wilder. Baron Davis looks like he did a few years ago with his vicious cross-overs and powerful drives to the basket. He is also rocking the realest beard since Freeway. They probably won't upset the Mavs, but it will be fun to watch them try.

4. Timing is Everything- In looking over the box scores from the NBA games this weekend, New Jersey and Chicago were the only teams to win and have more than 7 players with more than 10 minutes. Washington was the only team to lose and play 7 players for more than 10 minutes. With the spaced out scheduling of the playoffs shallower teams can run their top players longer and harder.

5. Summertime- It is waterice season. There is no better hot weather treat. Mango and Strawberry lemonade gelati please.

It's the dynasty as promised

From 1956 to 1969, the Boston Celtics won 24 of 26 playoff series. The NBA's equivalent to the Corleone family later touted a 24-10 record in the playoffs from 1979 to1992 during some of the pinnacle years of basketball talent and entertainment.

Alas injuries, tragedy, and inept management crumbled the empire as quickly as it was built. In the Post-Bird years, the Celtics have made the playoffs only six times, triumphant in just three playoff series and endured four first-round exits. Even more depressing is the now 12 of 16 seasons that the once proud franchise have failed to finish above .500.

For years, the late Red Auerbach took advantage of NBA owners and general managers, who were in such awe and fear of the Celtics' President that they cowered in his presence and succumbed to his tactics.

• Oct. 14, 1951: Trades for the rights to Bill Sharman, who most teams thought would play baseball, from Detroit. Sharman quits baseball and signs with the Celtics.
• April 29, 1956: Trades Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan to St. Louis for a first-round draft pick, used to draft Bill Russell.
• March 26, 1962: Drafts John Havlicek with the ninth pick in the first-round.
• June 9 1978: Drafts Larry Bird through a loophole that allowed the Celtics to select him if they could sign him before the 1979 draft. Bird signed on June 8, 1979.
  
• June 9, 1980: Sends the 1st and 13th overall picks in the draft to Golden State for center Robert Parish and the 3rd overall pick. With the third pick, Auerbach selected Kevin McHale.
• June 27, 1983: Deals Rick Robey to Phoenix for Dennis Johnson.
• Sept. 6, 1985: Trades Cedric Maxwell to the LA Clippers for Bill Walton.

As Red's role in the Celtics diminished, the team failed to replace him anyone remotely capable of bringing in as much talent as he was able to. Much of this is due to a salary cap that was designed to create parity, yet individuals such as Jan Volk, Dave Gavitt, M.L. Carr, Don Gaston, Rick Pitino, and Chris Wallace were what truly destroyed this team. What irony that an organization that thrived on preying on inadequate basketball minds would be victimized by the same fate that many others suffered.

4 years ago, Danny Ainge came to save the team and it seemed to be a match made in heaven. He was the heir apparent. It was always a first name basis between Danny and Celtic fans. The red-haired guard, famous for his daring shots that always seemed to be poor decisions but routinely fell through the net as if he knew exactly what he was doing, was going to re-build the franchise and we embraced him then as we did during the years he wore the green and white jersey. Gone was the slow and plodding pace that was in place from Coach Obie. Gone were the defensive-minded, offensively-limited veterans. Gone was Employee #8. In was uptempo basketball with athletic young basketball players.

And thus Celtic nation began a torturous period of time where Ainge has toyed with the roster, failed to develop a set plan, yet continued to bring talent that somehow would slip through the cracks of the league. 2006-07 was supposed to be the year it all came together. A healthy Paul Pierce coming off his best season in years. A Bob McAdoo-clone in Al Jefferson. Three young point guards, including two with gamebreaking speed. Depth at the wings.

And just 24 wins later, the 06-07 season ended just as so many others in recent history have. Yet this year left a strange taste in the mouths of many. Bizarre injuries. Strange coaching decisions. The Celtics suddenly reverted back to the ML Carr days, playing not for victories, but for a draft pick. And strangely enough, the fans didn't abandon the team. Attendance barely changed and the team actually became more relevant in both the local and national media. The reason for which the Celtic fans didn't start donning paper bags for hats and holding signs demanding a scapegoat was because we somehow agreed with what was going on the TD Banknorth Garden. We watched the highlights and the clips of a 7'0'' throwback center and a 6'9'' do-it-all kid, and we realized that for the greater good of the franchise, we HAD to sacrifice the season.

Why? Because the Celtics are not supposed to mediocre. For years, they haven't been bad. They have suffered a fate even worse; they were irrelevant. The NBA was built upon rivalries between the Celtics and teams like the Lakers, the Knicks, and 76ers. The Celtics had to somehow abandon the mediocrity and embrace futility for the hopes of greatness. They recognized that simply bringing in young under appreciated players in the draft and mixing them with a couple veterans wasn't working. Other teams have caught up and no longer were tricked by superior management (although Isiah Thomas, Kevin McHale, Billy King, and Billy Knight, to name a few may disprove that statement). Boston no longer was a enviable destination for free agents and under the current rules, few quality free agents ever leave their own organization.

The Celtics are resting the fate of the franchise on a 40% chance. Cite divine intervention, the luck of the Irish, the watchful spirit of Red Auerbach if you will, but if the Celtics are smiling on May 22nd, it will simply because of the a number that is the same as Sebastian Telfair's career shooting percentage (slightly depresssing considering that he is about the last player you would want to hit a jumper to save the franchise).

Tanking? Sure, call it what you may. But had the Celtics won 35, 36 games, heck, even if they made the playoffs, the goal of winning a championship would remain light years away. Now, all it will simply take is a few ping pong balls bouncing the right way and the dynasty will be restored. Yes, the organization that was built brick by brick will now rely on the odds.

Now, it may not play out this way. The Celtics could end up with the third, or fourth, or fifth pick (which may not be a terrible thing by the way- three years ago, every team was praying for a high schooler named LeBron. Now, a Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh later, the situation hardly seems as dire), and the entire season will seem a waste. But Celtic fans will never abandon the team and the re-building process will just have to take a little longer.

But in the meantime, we still can enjoy imagining either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant donning Celtic green and restoring the relevancy of this once-proud franchise. And that is why neither I, nor any member of the Celtic organization, have any regrets about what happened this season.

Did the Sixers Really Blow It?

Well, they blew it. Or so it appears. After trading away their superstar in November and then releasing their washed up, yet semi-effective-has-been, the Sixers put themselves in perfect position to tank and capitalize on a blown year. So why didn't they? What did they accomplish by winning so many games in the second half of the season besides ruining a great opportunity to draft a sure superstar?

From Iguodala to Louis Williams this team has improved and more importantly they have gained confidence in themselves. As much as I love Allen Iverson, his style of play and presence can be difficult for players to mesh with. Pure scorers like Kyle Korver and Willie Green--who dropped 37 last night in the season finale--emerged this year because they finally got the opportunity to find a rhythm on the court without wondering if they should really be shooting instead of Allen every time they heaved up a shot. Iggy got the opportunity to show us all, and more importantly prove to himself that he can take over late in the fourth. A probable All-Star next season Andre emerged from a high flying dunker to an impressive all around player at both ends of the court. The Sixers established their niches on the court and found positive chemistry in the locker room. There is no substitute for confidence and chemistry on a team.

This may be the old Iggy, but I still love it.

I don’t think Billy King deserves to still have his job, but I tip my hat for not putting restraints on his team’s growth this season. So much emphasis has been put on getting a top two pick in the draft this year, but nothing is guaranteed in the draft. 14 0f 24 All-Stars this year were selected 9th or higher. This doesn’t mean that Oden and Durant won’t be great, but there are certainly other All-Stars-to-be out there. With three first round picks and one second round pick, even with Billy King calling the shots the odds are still good to land a few ballers in this deep draft (there is also a good chance that King will take McRoberts with one of these four picks. McRoberts and Randolph on the same team will be hard for me to deal with to say the least).

I just know he is going to take another Dukie...

My first instinct for this post was to discuss how tanking is morally wrong when it is done in a shameless, overt manner. Tanking can damage fan relations and it may be tough for a father to explain to his 9 year old son why the better players aren't playing in the fourth quarter, which can lead to tough questions like 'But don't they want to win?'. 'Well son...' Yet, those damages can be repaired and true fans are stuck with the teams they have. The real harm in tanking games is the damage it does to the players, especially young players. Just look at one young player's frustration with his team. Tanking is completely understandable, but in the case of the Sixers it wasn't the best move for the team. I was rooting for the Sixers to lose after Iverson left, but after watching the team transform they won me over. They will go into next season with confidence, positive chemistry, free of the expectations that will come with a top 2 pick, and ok, I’ll say it, karma on their side.

We shall see how the lottery balls fall on May 22nd.


Now onto my first round Playoff picks.

The East:

Miami over Chicago 4-2
Chicago ended their season when they gave up the #2 seed with a loss to NJ in the last game of the regular season. They will now have to go through Miami and Detroit just to make it to the Conference Finals.

Toronto over New Jersey 4-2
I am not buying that NJ can just turn it on because of their star power and experience. Toronto is legit and Bosh is ready to put himself on the map with his draft mates.

Cleveland over Washington 4-1
This would have been a great series between Gilbert and Bron Bron. No chance for the Wiz.

Detroit over Orlando 4-1
Maybe Jameer will hit a game winner.


The West:

Houston over Utah 4-3
This should be a dandy between two well balanced teams.

Phoenix over Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
I want to pick Kobe here, but they have just been too cold the past month.

Denver over San Antonio 4-3
Yes, this is probably a pure passion pick. Yeah it is. Doesn’t mean it can’t happen.

Dallas over Golden State 4-2
This will be closer than anticipated, but not that close. Golden State is hot and Nelly knows his old team well. That is enough for two wins. On a side note Dirk should be the MVP this year.

Who wins?

vs.

10 things the NBA needs to bring back

1. Glasses and goggles. You telling me that this and this wouldn't make the league more enjoyable to watch?

2. #00. Greatest number ever.

3. Everday throwback jerseys. I like the moves by teams like Golden State and Cleveland by bringing back their old jerseys as alternates as much as anyone but shouldn't we able to see Denver, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia playing with these jerseys everyday?

4. The Charlotte Hornets. You can move the Hornets back to Charlotte and combine the Grizzlies with the Bobcats and more the Grizzlycats to Las Vegas. Kill two birds with one stone.

5. The Bullets. Change Washington Wizards back to the Washington Bullets. Removing the "violent" name didn't change that much in the city.

7. Five game series in the first round.

8. Big cities having great teams. It is a sad day when Boston, New York, and Philadelphia are sitting outside the Eastern Conference playoffs and the Lakers are just one game ahead of their sister team Clippers. Trust me, when the finals is between Cleveland and San Antonio, you will agree too.

9. This guy. Look how young he looks. That was just a few years ago. Larry Legend looks like he hasn't slept in months. Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson have destroyed not only the Pacers, but Legend as well. Get him off of the team, promote him to some special role in the NBA. And on that note...

10. Not this commercial. According to this story, the commerical is going to feature D-Wade and Bron Bron matching shot for shot to re-create the classic Bird vs. MJ duel. Unless the commerical ends with Larry Legend or MJ coming off of nowhere to make shots that the young kids can't make, I won't watch it.

Those Roping Dopes

It’s going on now. Right now, before our eyes, athletes all around the world are hiding their true talents so that we think they are human after all. Some of the finest athletes of our generation are waiting for the perfect time to show they can fly, spit fire or just straight up take over the world. Here’s a few:

LeBron James
Did you see him go through the regular season? Yeah, he’s started 77 games so far this year, but that doesn’t mean he’s played in all those games. LeBron coasted through much of the regular season, but just wait until the playoffs when you’re watching him body up against an exhausted Tayshaun Prince. It happened last year, except now the guy’s all rested up after shooting his threes flat-footed all season.

The New York Yankees
They do it every fucking year. Steinbrenner starts yelling about Torre and then their left fielder gets injured. They bring up Shane Spencer from AAA and he starts his career better than Babe Ruth. By the time he’s cooled off, Hideki Matsui is back and the Yankees have won 8 of 10 and just slipped past everyone. This is not to say I like the Yankees.

Jay-Z
Not sports, I know, but we’ve all heard Kingdom Come and you can’t tell me next album he’s not gonna talk about how he Ali’d all of us a year ago. Just wait. That’s what great ones do.

Chris Webber
I’m sure one night Chris sat down with Jimmy King for dinner one night, and King started going off on this great idea that had been brewing in his head. “Chris,” he said. “Chris, just take fadaway fifteen footers all game. Rebounds? Who needs ‘em. Before you know it they’ll dump you and send you someone in need of a steady big guy.” Fool proof plan. Rope the dope.

Shaq
I’m telling you, in June when Shaq’s on the line with a chance to extend the finals another night he’s gonna make those foul shots. Swish. Swish. Like clockwork.

Why Sports?

Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.
-Shakespeare

"A-Rod is one of the greatest players to ever play the game. By the time he retires his stats will stand alone." '
"No way! He isn't a winner. He flops every post-season. He just isn't one of the greatest."

It is an age old argument. What makes a player great? What makes a player one of the greatest? It is a combination of statistics, style of play, character, and how they perform when it matters most. There is no set formula for determining how great a player is and every player is different, which makes this whole thing so goddamn fun. Alex Rodriguez is on pace to be the best baseball player ever, but one can argue that until he shows he can win when it matters he just isn't one of the greatest because what else really matters? Robert Horry aka Big Shot Bob--thank you Timmy D, your nicknames are even boring--has innumerable clutch shots that were essential to winning numerous championships, but he was never a dominant player or All-Star. Yet, he has 6 rings more than 99% of players ever. Check this out: Steve Kerr, another stud in the clutch, were apart of every NBA championship from '93-'94 to '02-0'3 without ever playing on the same team. Winning doesn't mean anything if you can't do it when it counts. These two were not the cornerstones or superstars on any of their championship teams, yet one could argue that they were great players because of their timely heroics and essential roles in each of their teams' championships.

The real question is what is greatness? How do we define it? Can we? The answer comes from each individuals values and how this translates into how they perceive a player or maybe more accurately, how they want to perceive a player. We all have different values so how will we ever reach an agreement?

Allen Iverson is one of the greatest players to ever play basketball, but people would disagree with me for numerous reasons. Growing up in Philadelphia AI I saw him play every night through middle school and high school. The Sixers' run to the Finals in 2001 was the most exciting event ever to happen to me as a sports fan at the time. I will never forget running down South street after they won game 1 against the Lakers. People were insane running in traffic, high fiving passengers and drivers who were honking their horns and screaming in pure jubilation. Philadelphia is still very, very hungry, but that topic is for another day. To me AI is one of the greatest ever because of all this and beyond. I love his image and I even love how people don't understand him and what that reveals about who they are as people.

Larry Bird is the greatest ever for Celtics fans and his aura pervades through generations. I understand all of this, but I just can't get past Bird's corniness, boringness, ok fine, even though it is a little weird saying it, his whiteness. To me his greatness is exacerbated by playing in Boston, the perfect market for him, as well as playing on championship teams with currently 3 other Hall of Famers. Likewise, many people can't stand Iverson, they even hate him. They can't get past his cornrows, tattoos, and hardness. My dislike for Bird is rooted in superficial observations I developed as a kid, I admit this, but it's sports and it's fun to argue with a Larry Bird fan. Likewise, I love telling people how great Allen Iverson is, what he stands for, and why.

This is the beauty of sports. Our deepest opinions, values, dreams, biases, and passions are revealed through following sports and our reactions to it. You can watch one game with a stranger and know if you are going to like them as a person. Sports is that revealing and reflective of us and that alone is enough to follow along.