-Keefe
The Celtics have officially hit the All-Star break, and at a league’s best 41-9 by the way. As promised here are a few quick thoughts about all of the festivities that take place during NBA All-Star Weekend. (Note: I am going to keep it regarding on the court activities, and not try to guess the next Adam “Pacman” Jones, although that could be fun too.) There are technically 6 different events, but I am only going to talk about 5, because the “shooting stars” is a waste of time for everyone involved. The schedule really gets going Friday night with the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge. You think we might see the D-Wade/ Barkley commercial a few times this weekend?
Rookie Challenge: The rookie roster (in order they were drafted this year): Kevin Durant (2nd), Al Horford (3rd), Mike Conley (4th), Jeff Green (5th), Yi Jianlian (6th), Sean Williams (17th), Juan Carlos Navarro (40th), Luis Scola (56th), and Jamario Moon (undrafted).
The roster starts out true to form with 5 of the top 6 players from this past June’s draft with the notable omission of the injured Greg Oden. After that you can start to see where teams may have stumbled in the draft. Just because you don’t make the rookie game after 50 games of your career doesn’t mean you won’t be a solid player, but chances are you won’t be on the team that drafted you. As a Celtics fan I thought Glen Davis would find his way on this team (before he hurt his knee last night), but I can’t take anyone of this list.
Sophomore team: Brandon Roy, Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Daniel Gibson, Paul Millsap, Andrea Bargnani, Jordan Farmer, and Ronnie Brewer.
Busy weekend for Gay (dunk), Gibson (3 point), and Roy (All-Star). It’s not going to matter as the sophomores always win this game, and usually big. I expect the same. Prediction: Sophomores
Saturday Night
Skills Challenge: Jason Kidd (who knows what jersey he’ll be wearing), Dwayne Wade (Who’s in your 5?), Deron Williams, and Chris Paul.
Williams is the only one making his first appearance in this skills game, and is the only one not playing in the game on Sunday. Kidd and Wade have both won it in the past. Not sure how you pick a winner here, but I’ll go with one of the best players from the first half. Prediction: Chris Paul.
Three Point Shootout: Jason Kapono (defending champ), Peja Stojakovic (2-time champ), Steve Nash, and 3 first timers in Kobe Bryant, Rip Hamilton, and Daniel ‘Boobie’ Gibson.
Pretty good cast here featuring 3 All-Stars. I’m interested to watch Kobe in action in this event. I think Boobie and Rip both struggle in their first competition. In the end I think Kapono defends his crown, and earns some of that money he got to go to Canada. Prediction: Jason Kapono
Slam Dunk Contest: Gerald Green (defending champion), Dwight Howard, and 2 first timers in Rudy Gay and Jamario Moon.
Gerald is still in the league? Or did they just ask him back as the defending champ? Could he be the first player to win both the NBA and D-League slam dunk contest? Some people around here were reluctant to include Green in the KG deal. I’m not sure he’ll even be in the league when his contract runs out. With all that said, he can dunk, and that’s the point on Saturday night. Dwight Howard wants to move the hoop up to 12 feet. Why not let him? His height is going to once again hurt him. Gay has had some unbelievable in game dunks this year, and no one is really talking about him in this. Prediction: Rudy Gay
Sunday’s All-Star Game:
East Starters: Jason Kidd (how does this work if he’s in Dallas?), Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett (Doc will make a decision here), and Dwight Howard.
Reserves: Paul Pierce, Chris Bosh, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Joe Johnson, Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler (injured), Rasheed Wallace (replacement), and Ray Allen (replacement).
West Starters: Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, and Yao Ming.
Reserves: Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire, David West, Brandon Roy, Carlos Boozer, and Dirk Nowitzki.
Really not sure what the deal is with Jason Kidd, but point guard play goes a long way in these games and with Nash and Paul running the show for the West I like their chances. Similar teams from 2007 and I think its going to be a similar result. Prediction: West
I am looking forward to all of these events, and a great second half of the NBA season, particularly in the Western Conference.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Why is Truck Day even a Day?
It’s one thing to be a fan of a team; it’s another to be a real-life Gil Renard.
But living in the midst of what is “Red Sox Nation,” I can’t help but scoff at the similarities in fanaticism that embolden both Renard and those that take the proverbial “Nation” to the next level.
Case in point: Truck Day.
Saturday afternoon marked the annual celebration of “Truck Day,” when Red Sox clubhouse employees load up the truck with all items necessary for the upcoming month and a half of spring training. The truck gets packed front-to-back, floor-to-ceiling and then embarks on the 24 hour trip to Ft. Myers. In most cities, I am willing to bet people don’t even know when spring training starts, or even thought about the fact that equipment has to be shipped to its team’s spring training facility. They probably just assume it’s already there. But in Boston, we have turned this into an annual celebratory event. To the point where the Globe and other media outlets feel compelled to send reporters there to cover it.
In fact, Globe photographer Steve Silva blessed the general public with a 36-shot photo album. Nevermind the fact that he was even there taking photographs, how in the hell did he find 36 ways to capture the day? Should we applaud his artistic creativity? Or question his need to take pictures of the same shot from several different angles with several different people? I choose the latter.
Yet his crowning achievement, a hidden jewel, if you will, was the two shots he took of Richard Fisher and his son Braden. Most people who outside Gate D were observing Truck Day were local fans that drove from within an hour of the city or happened to be passing by.
Not the Fishers. This father/son tandem flew in from Sneedville, TN to witness the front end of the truck’s annual pilgrimage. Let’s take that in again. This father/son tandem flew in from Sneedville, TN to witness the front end of the truck’s annual pilgrimage.
Are you kidding me?
Listen if you find some sort of solace in rooting for a particular sports team, emotionally hanging on every win and loss, then hey, that’s your prerogative. Although, no motive or rationale could convince me to agree with you. But when you fly in from 882.75 miles away, I have to question a myriad of things:
1) What does your wife (sister) think of this? If she has any sense of dignity, she took the time alone to pack her bags and move back in with her mother (older sister).
2) Can your kid even name three players on the current Red Sox roster outside of Big Papi, Ramirez, Schilling, and Beckett?
3) In fact, I’ll go one step further…does he know that Big Papi is not the real name of the team’s DH? Or that “ilis” follows “Youk?” Answer me that.
4) Are you going to follow Coco Crisp into a Turkish bath and kill him because he might take away valuable innings from Jacoby Ellsbury ala Juan Primo?
5) Do you sell knives for a living?
6) Can you afford a flight home, or did you not think of that?
I’m all for a group of people rallying around a sports team because it instills a sense of community and kinship, particularly for those without much else in life. But when it leads to someone chasing Kevin Youkilis a half mile down the road in his car, fans still standing outside the players parking lot over an hour after the game, or using the term “we” when referring the team, it’s officially crossed the proverbial line.
The 1996 movie “The Fan” was an adept, clever depiction of fan “fanaticism” and how one can mistakenly live vicariously through a player, team or community without any clear sense of reality. As pitiful and derisive as Robert Deniro’s character was, he truly animated an achievable extreme. As far as I’m concerned, Gil Renard would have found true solace as an active member of “Red Sox Nation.”
So next year, let’s trust that the truck will be packed and arrive safely in Fort Myers for the start of spring training. I’m willing to bet Red Sox employees don’t need you there to make sure.
But living in the midst of what is “Red Sox Nation,” I can’t help but scoff at the similarities in fanaticism that embolden both Renard and those that take the proverbial “Nation” to the next level.
Case in point: Truck Day.
Saturday afternoon marked the annual celebration of “Truck Day,” when Red Sox clubhouse employees load up the truck with all items necessary for the upcoming month and a half of spring training. The truck gets packed front-to-back, floor-to-ceiling and then embarks on the 24 hour trip to Ft. Myers. In most cities, I am willing to bet people don’t even know when spring training starts, or even thought about the fact that equipment has to be shipped to its team’s spring training facility. They probably just assume it’s already there. But in Boston, we have turned this into an annual celebratory event. To the point where the Globe and other media outlets feel compelled to send reporters there to cover it.
In fact, Globe photographer Steve Silva blessed the general public with a 36-shot photo album. Nevermind the fact that he was even there taking photographs, how in the hell did he find 36 ways to capture the day? Should we applaud his artistic creativity? Or question his need to take pictures of the same shot from several different angles with several different people? I choose the latter.
Yet his crowning achievement, a hidden jewel, if you will, was the two shots he took of Richard Fisher and his son Braden. Most people who outside Gate D were observing Truck Day were local fans that drove from within an hour of the city or happened to be passing by.
Not the Fishers. This father/son tandem flew in from Sneedville, TN to witness the front end of the truck’s annual pilgrimage. Let’s take that in again. This father/son tandem flew in from Sneedville, TN to witness the front end of the truck’s annual pilgrimage.
Are you kidding me?
Listen if you find some sort of solace in rooting for a particular sports team, emotionally hanging on every win and loss, then hey, that’s your prerogative. Although, no motive or rationale could convince me to agree with you. But when you fly in from 882.75 miles away, I have to question a myriad of things:
1) What does your wife (sister) think of this? If she has any sense of dignity, she took the time alone to pack her bags and move back in with her mother (older sister).
2) Can your kid even name three players on the current Red Sox roster outside of Big Papi, Ramirez, Schilling, and Beckett?
3) In fact, I’ll go one step further…does he know that Big Papi is not the real name of the team’s DH? Or that “ilis” follows “Youk?” Answer me that.
4) Are you going to follow Coco Crisp into a Turkish bath and kill him because he might take away valuable innings from Jacoby Ellsbury ala Juan Primo?
5) Do you sell knives for a living?
6) Can you afford a flight home, or did you not think of that?
I’m all for a group of people rallying around a sports team because it instills a sense of community and kinship, particularly for those without much else in life. But when it leads to someone chasing Kevin Youkilis a half mile down the road in his car, fans still standing outside the players parking lot over an hour after the game, or using the term “we” when referring the team, it’s officially crossed the proverbial line.
The 1996 movie “The Fan” was an adept, clever depiction of fan “fanaticism” and how one can mistakenly live vicariously through a player, team or community without any clear sense of reality. As pitiful and derisive as Robert Deniro’s character was, he truly animated an achievable extreme. As far as I’m concerned, Gil Renard would have found true solace as an active member of “Red Sox Nation.”
So next year, let’s trust that the truck will be packed and arrive safely in Fort Myers for the start of spring training. I’m willing to bet Red Sox employees don’t need you there to make sure.
Monday, February 11, 2008
NBA Players on the Move
-Keefe
With the NBA’s trade deadline quickly approaching on February 21st, I want to take a look at what teams have done so far. The league has been criticized in the past for boring deadlines where franchises are afraid to make a big splash and look stupid if the deal doesn’t work out for them. But this year has been a little bit different, thanks to one big trade that I have already discussed, as well as some big name players signing contracts. Also we have some time for perhaps Jason Kidd to find a new home, despite Mark Cuban saying he won’t be returning to where his career began, in Dallas.
So far Shaquille O’Neal has become a Sun, Shawn Marion is in Miami, Pau Gasol a Laker, Chris Webber back in Golden State, Damon Stoudamire plays for the Spurs, and Kyle Korver has joined the Jazz.
That’s a combined 24 All-Star selections changing uniforms during the season. Ok 14 of those All-Star nods come from Shaq, but still there’s some big names changing addresses. Toss out Marion going to the Eastern Conference, the worst team to boot, and you have 5 teams in the West making a move that they think can either get them over the top or solidify themselves as a championship contender. Let’s take them each one by one.
Shaq, although I still don’t agree with the move, gives Phoenix a low post threat and allows Amare Stoudemire to play his natural position. Can these guys make it work? How many games will Shaq play? In his first practice with Phoenix he was exhausted. Will the games be different? It’s going to be interesting no matter what happens.
Pau Gasol has been a force with the Lakers and they look great. Even with Bynum still sidelined LA is 5-1 with Pau in the lineup and the big Spaniard is averaging an even 20 points a game playing with Kobe. Do they now have a chance to win the whole thing? With Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Bynum, and whoever else they want to throw out there… yes, yes they do.
Chris Webber is back in the Bay Area, and playing for Don Nelson like he did when he won Rookie-of-the-Year back in ’93-’94. What kind of impact can he have? Well in 2 games C-Webb has only played an average of 13.5 minutes, so it’s hard to say. Doesn’t fit their style at this stage of his career, similar to Shaq, but he is an excellent passer who can maybe open it up finding Davis, Jackson, and Ellis for free threes.
Damon Stoudamire will split back up point guard duties once Tony Parker returns to the lineup. For now, he and Jacque Vaughn, yes Jacque Vaughn, are running the show for the Spurs. Stoudamire is looking for his first ring, and although he’s now a member of the defending champs, they could win it again… with or without him.
Kyle Korver actually was traded to the Jazz at the very end of 2007. This move has not been discussed much as Korver doesn’t even start in Utah, and some thought the fans needed another player to relate too. Hey take a look at the roster in the team’s most successful season in franchise history. You’ll find the likes of John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek, Greg Ostertag, Adam Keefe, and Greg Foster. That’s an all- American white wash. But as far as on the court is concerned the Jazz are 17-3 with Korver and now lead the Northwest division. Probably the most underrated move so far. I love the Jazz’s chances in the West with Deron Williams, Boozer, Okur, AK-47, Ronnie Brewer, Harping, and now Korver.
The East should and will come down to Detroit and Boston, unless LeBron James and get a little more help and he just goes crazy for a series or two. The West is going to be a fantastic finish. The 10 teams who have hopes of winning the whole thing: Phoenix, New Orleans, Dallas, Utah, Lakers, San Antonio, Denver, Golden State, Houston, and Portland. Who needs to make a move and who can stand pat? Half of these teams have already added pieces that will factor in their playoff run. What will happen in the next week or so?
I will break down all the festivities that make up All-Star weekend before they kick off on Friday. I’m talking rookie- sophomore game, 3 point contest, dunk, the damn skill competition, and of course the game.
Keep reading and tell your friends.
With the NBA’s trade deadline quickly approaching on February 21st, I want to take a look at what teams have done so far. The league has been criticized in the past for boring deadlines where franchises are afraid to make a big splash and look stupid if the deal doesn’t work out for them. But this year has been a little bit different, thanks to one big trade that I have already discussed, as well as some big name players signing contracts. Also we have some time for perhaps Jason Kidd to find a new home, despite Mark Cuban saying he won’t be returning to where his career began, in Dallas.
So far Shaquille O’Neal has become a Sun, Shawn Marion is in Miami, Pau Gasol a Laker, Chris Webber back in Golden State, Damon Stoudamire plays for the Spurs, and Kyle Korver has joined the Jazz.
That’s a combined 24 All-Star selections changing uniforms during the season. Ok 14 of those All-Star nods come from Shaq, but still there’s some big names changing addresses. Toss out Marion going to the Eastern Conference, the worst team to boot, and you have 5 teams in the West making a move that they think can either get them over the top or solidify themselves as a championship contender. Let’s take them each one by one.
Shaq, although I still don’t agree with the move, gives Phoenix a low post threat and allows Amare Stoudemire to play his natural position. Can these guys make it work? How many games will Shaq play? In his first practice with Phoenix he was exhausted. Will the games be different? It’s going to be interesting no matter what happens.
Pau Gasol has been a force with the Lakers and they look great. Even with Bynum still sidelined LA is 5-1 with Pau in the lineup and the big Spaniard is averaging an even 20 points a game playing with Kobe. Do they now have a chance to win the whole thing? With Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Bynum, and whoever else they want to throw out there… yes, yes they do.
Chris Webber is back in the Bay Area, and playing for Don Nelson like he did when he won Rookie-of-the-Year back in ’93-’94. What kind of impact can he have? Well in 2 games C-Webb has only played an average of 13.5 minutes, so it’s hard to say. Doesn’t fit their style at this stage of his career, similar to Shaq, but he is an excellent passer who can maybe open it up finding Davis, Jackson, and Ellis for free threes.
Damon Stoudamire will split back up point guard duties once Tony Parker returns to the lineup. For now, he and Jacque Vaughn, yes Jacque Vaughn, are running the show for the Spurs. Stoudamire is looking for his first ring, and although he’s now a member of the defending champs, they could win it again… with or without him.
Kyle Korver actually was traded to the Jazz at the very end of 2007. This move has not been discussed much as Korver doesn’t even start in Utah, and some thought the fans needed another player to relate too. Hey take a look at the roster in the team’s most successful season in franchise history. You’ll find the likes of John Stockton, Jeff Hornacek, Greg Ostertag, Adam Keefe, and Greg Foster. That’s an all- American white wash. But as far as on the court is concerned the Jazz are 17-3 with Korver and now lead the Northwest division. Probably the most underrated move so far. I love the Jazz’s chances in the West with Deron Williams, Boozer, Okur, AK-47, Ronnie Brewer, Harping, and now Korver.
The East should and will come down to Detroit and Boston, unless LeBron James and get a little more help and he just goes crazy for a series or two. The West is going to be a fantastic finish. The 10 teams who have hopes of winning the whole thing: Phoenix, New Orleans, Dallas, Utah, Lakers, San Antonio, Denver, Golden State, Houston, and Portland. Who needs to make a move and who can stand pat? Half of these teams have already added pieces that will factor in their playoff run. What will happen in the next week or so?
I will break down all the festivities that make up All-Star weekend before they kick off on Friday. I’m talking rookie- sophomore game, 3 point contest, dunk, the damn skill competition, and of course the game.
Keep reading and tell your friends.
Friday, February 8, 2008
C’s adjusting w/o KG; can they adjust upon his return?
For the first 41 games of the 2007-08 NBA season, the Boston Celtics were playing a defensive-minded, possession style basketball that led them to a 34-7 start. Through those first 41 games, they had allowed only 88 ppg, best in the NBA. While the offense was wavering in the teens as far as NBA ranking with a 99 ppg clip, it didn’t matter because opponents couldn’t score in a peach basket the size of a hot tub.
But that was all with “The Big Ticket” in the house, cluttering up the paint alongside Kendrick Perkins and forcing teams to find creative ways to score. It was a system that was working for Doc Rivers and company. Focus on defense first, protect the basketball on offense and spread it around the floor, creating opportunities off double teams on Garnett, Pierce and Allen. The result? The Celtics have the largest division lead over the second place team and last place team today.
However, since Garnett went down in that emotional home win over Minnesota a couple weeks ago, the Celtics have had to adjust to life without The Big Ticket. Thus far, the likes of Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe have stepped up to contribute meaningful minutes and solid stat lines. The entire offense has benefited from a new, up-tempo style that has seen the Celtics utilize the fast break more, playing like a team that belongs in the Western Conference.
In turn, the teams ppg has risen seven points over the last five games, averaging 106 per night. And it’s been exciting to watch, as Rondo has arguably gotten even better with Garnett out. His ability to drive the lane, create shots and finish has raised the collective eyebrows of opposing defenses. This has given him the opportunity to dish it underneath to Perkins and Powe or kick it out to Allen and Pierce for some wide-eyed, Reche Caldwell type looks.
Although the offense has been drastically better in the last five games, it should be somewhat alarming that they are only 3-2 since KG went down in spite of this. Sure they’ve played some tough opposition and the two losses were by a combined four points. What’s so startling is that the defense has been like a slice of Swiss; teams could drive Noah’s Ark through that lane it’s so wide open. The defense has been terrible, at times non-existent.
As mentioned earlier, it was allowing a league-low 88 ppg in the first 41 games. In the last five? Try 97.4 a night. Ouch. Before the injury, the C’s had held opponents to under 90 points in 22 of 41 games. They have done it once in the last five, that being to a Miami Heat team that might be one of the last four out in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology.
Let’s face it, defense wins in the Eastern Conference. And defense wins NBA Championships, plain and simple. The Detroit Pistons, who have won over 50 games the last six seasons and are well on their way to a seventh, have allowed only 89.2 ppg since 2001-02 (excluding this season). Since the Lakers 3-peat ended in ’01-’02, four of the last five NBA champions have allowed fewer than 90.5 ppg. The lone exception was the Miami Heat in ’05-’06, shocking the Mavericks in six games.
Don’t get me wrong here. It’s been encouraging to see the Celtics actually score more with Garnett out. And since the team got off to such a torrid start, I actually believe they should continue to sit out Garnett until he is as close to healed as possible. There’s no reason to put a guy out there who is as physically and emotionally dedicated night in and night out as KG is when he’s not ready. Professional athletes are never 100% over the course of an entire season, but with such a sizeable lead, why rush it?
My only concern, however, is if the Celtics can once again adjust back to the style of play with KG in the lineup when he returns. They didn’t start out 34-7 playing like the Suns, that’s for sure. When he returns, he’ll bring that same defensive minded, possession style dynamic back to the court that at one point made people wonder if the ’95-‘96 Bulls’ season was in danger.
Barring a complete meltdown, the chances of the C’s missing the playoffs are as good as the Heat, Clippers, Knicks, Timberwolves, SuperSonics and Grizzlies actually making the second season. But if Rondo and the backcourt continue to play this new, offensive style game, everything the C’s developed as far as team chemistry and dynamic early on will go right out the window. It will be important for Doc Rivers to make sure his team slows the game back down and emphasizes ball movement. And once again, the offensive numbers of Pierce, Allen, Rondo, Perkins and Powe will inevitably take a slight dive. Not just because KG will score his 20 points every night, but because they won’t be taking as many opportunities every night. The focal point and strength of this team is it’s ability to shut teams down and move the ball around until someone has a high percentage shot. If Mike D’Antonio preaches “7 seconds or less” to his Suns team, Doc Rivers should preach that, too…getting across half court.
But that was all with “The Big Ticket” in the house, cluttering up the paint alongside Kendrick Perkins and forcing teams to find creative ways to score. It was a system that was working for Doc Rivers and company. Focus on defense first, protect the basketball on offense and spread it around the floor, creating opportunities off double teams on Garnett, Pierce and Allen. The result? The Celtics have the largest division lead over the second place team and last place team today.
However, since Garnett went down in that emotional home win over Minnesota a couple weeks ago, the Celtics have had to adjust to life without The Big Ticket. Thus far, the likes of Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe have stepped up to contribute meaningful minutes and solid stat lines. The entire offense has benefited from a new, up-tempo style that has seen the Celtics utilize the fast break more, playing like a team that belongs in the Western Conference.
In turn, the teams ppg has risen seven points over the last five games, averaging 106 per night. And it’s been exciting to watch, as Rondo has arguably gotten even better with Garnett out. His ability to drive the lane, create shots and finish has raised the collective eyebrows of opposing defenses. This has given him the opportunity to dish it underneath to Perkins and Powe or kick it out to Allen and Pierce for some wide-eyed, Reche Caldwell type looks.
Although the offense has been drastically better in the last five games, it should be somewhat alarming that they are only 3-2 since KG went down in spite of this. Sure they’ve played some tough opposition and the two losses were by a combined four points. What’s so startling is that the defense has been like a slice of Swiss; teams could drive Noah’s Ark through that lane it’s so wide open. The defense has been terrible, at times non-existent.
As mentioned earlier, it was allowing a league-low 88 ppg in the first 41 games. In the last five? Try 97.4 a night. Ouch. Before the injury, the C’s had held opponents to under 90 points in 22 of 41 games. They have done it once in the last five, that being to a Miami Heat team that might be one of the last four out in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology.
Let’s face it, defense wins in the Eastern Conference. And defense wins NBA Championships, plain and simple. The Detroit Pistons, who have won over 50 games the last six seasons and are well on their way to a seventh, have allowed only 89.2 ppg since 2001-02 (excluding this season). Since the Lakers 3-peat ended in ’01-’02, four of the last five NBA champions have allowed fewer than 90.5 ppg. The lone exception was the Miami Heat in ’05-’06, shocking the Mavericks in six games.
Don’t get me wrong here. It’s been encouraging to see the Celtics actually score more with Garnett out. And since the team got off to such a torrid start, I actually believe they should continue to sit out Garnett until he is as close to healed as possible. There’s no reason to put a guy out there who is as physically and emotionally dedicated night in and night out as KG is when he’s not ready. Professional athletes are never 100% over the course of an entire season, but with such a sizeable lead, why rush it?
My only concern, however, is if the Celtics can once again adjust back to the style of play with KG in the lineup when he returns. They didn’t start out 34-7 playing like the Suns, that’s for sure. When he returns, he’ll bring that same defensive minded, possession style dynamic back to the court that at one point made people wonder if the ’95-‘96 Bulls’ season was in danger.
Barring a complete meltdown, the chances of the C’s missing the playoffs are as good as the Heat, Clippers, Knicks, Timberwolves, SuperSonics and Grizzlies actually making the second season. But if Rondo and the backcourt continue to play this new, offensive style game, everything the C’s developed as far as team chemistry and dynamic early on will go right out the window. It will be important for Doc Rivers to make sure his team slows the game back down and emphasizes ball movement. And once again, the offensive numbers of Pierce, Allen, Rondo, Perkins and Powe will inevitably take a slight dive. Not just because KG will score his 20 points every night, but because they won’t be taking as many opportunities every night. The focal point and strength of this team is it’s ability to shut teams down and move the ball around until someone has a high percentage shot. If Mike D’Antonio preaches “7 seconds or less” to his Suns team, Doc Rivers should preach that, too…getting across half court.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Matrix for the Diesel?
-Keefe
As the deal for Shaquille O'Neal to the Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks seems more and more likely I have to say, what the hell? What are the Suns doing? They have done all they can to get rid of bad contracts like Kurt Thomas, and sell draft picks so they wouldn't have to pay 1st round guaranteed money. So why bring in a guy making 20 million a year and who will celebrate his 36th birthday in less than a month? Shaq fits in about as well with the Suns fast paced offense as Sophia Coppola did with the cast of Godfather Part III. Shaq has missed 14 games this year and is averaging fewer rebounds than Jason Kidd so far this year.
The deal doesn't make sense to me in any respect. Ok so Shawn Marion wanted out of Phoenix before the year began. But the Matrix hasn't been playing any worse putting up solid numbers once again, just shy of 16 points and 10 rebounds on a team where they don't run any plays for him. He's also only missed 1 game all season. They are going to miss this guy more than they know. Not sure what Steve Kerr was thinking. Who is going to rebound for this team that takes and allows a ton of shots? Amare is not a great rebounder, and thats putting it nicely, and Shaq is no longer a double-double guy himself. Marion has led the Suns in rebounding 7 of the last 8 years, and that's not the only thing he brings to the court. One of the most overlooked aspect of Marion's game is his defensive abilities. He is a cameleon of sorts. Watch Marion play against the Spurs and on three separate trips he could be matched up with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. How many guys in the league can do that? And who on the Suns now can guard any of those guys beside Raja Bell?
One arguement for trading away Shawn Marion would be that the Suns haven't won anything with him, in fact they have not even made it to the NBA Finals, so why not mix it up? That's fine, but not for Shaq. It makes zero sense to me to bring Shaq, who has over 1000 regular season games under his belt for the fastest moving team in the game. "7 Seconds or Less" has been the mantra for the Suns with coach D'Antoni, does Shaq make it to half court by 5? If the Suns wanted a true center someone like Tyson Chandler or Marcus Camby would have made a lot more sense because of their athletic ability, but both the Hornets and Nuggets are in the hunt and won't part with either of them.
Miami gets out of Shaq's contract, assuming this deal goes through, and that's a huge plus for them. Marion can opt out after next year, and if he really wants to me the man on a team, he won't be that with D-Wade in South Beach, he may be on 3 teams in less than a calender year. I know Marion wanted out of Phoenix but to go from a team with 34 wins (3rd best record) to a team with 9 (worst in NBA) is awful. It is a good move for the future of the Heat, but I still can't understand it for the Suns.
Phoenix's starting five right now would be Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, and Shaq, with Barbosa and Diaw coming off the bench. Is that better? Does that give them a better chance to win the NBA Championship? Marion may not have been the perfect fit off the court or in the locker room for this team, but he was on. I think his game suffers, as would anyones away from Nash, but so does the Suns overall game. Two of the four players they will be heavily leaning on are both currently 35 years old (Hill and Shaq) and very injury prone. Very surprising move to me as you can tell. The Suns currently have the best record in the West, but I would be shocked if they were a top 3 seed going into the playoffs. I hope they are, as I love the way they play... but I don't think they will be able to continue that up and down pace if this move goes through. Good luck.
As the deal for Shaquille O'Neal to the Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks seems more and more likely I have to say, what the hell? What are the Suns doing? They have done all they can to get rid of bad contracts like Kurt Thomas, and sell draft picks so they wouldn't have to pay 1st round guaranteed money. So why bring in a guy making 20 million a year and who will celebrate his 36th birthday in less than a month? Shaq fits in about as well with the Suns fast paced offense as Sophia Coppola did with the cast of Godfather Part III. Shaq has missed 14 games this year and is averaging fewer rebounds than Jason Kidd so far this year.
The deal doesn't make sense to me in any respect. Ok so Shawn Marion wanted out of Phoenix before the year began. But the Matrix hasn't been playing any worse putting up solid numbers once again, just shy of 16 points and 10 rebounds on a team where they don't run any plays for him. He's also only missed 1 game all season. They are going to miss this guy more than they know. Not sure what Steve Kerr was thinking. Who is going to rebound for this team that takes and allows a ton of shots? Amare is not a great rebounder, and thats putting it nicely, and Shaq is no longer a double-double guy himself. Marion has led the Suns in rebounding 7 of the last 8 years, and that's not the only thing he brings to the court. One of the most overlooked aspect of Marion's game is his defensive abilities. He is a cameleon of sorts. Watch Marion play against the Spurs and on three separate trips he could be matched up with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. How many guys in the league can do that? And who on the Suns now can guard any of those guys beside Raja Bell?
One arguement for trading away Shawn Marion would be that the Suns haven't won anything with him, in fact they have not even made it to the NBA Finals, so why not mix it up? That's fine, but not for Shaq. It makes zero sense to me to bring Shaq, who has over 1000 regular season games under his belt for the fastest moving team in the game. "7 Seconds or Less" has been the mantra for the Suns with coach D'Antoni, does Shaq make it to half court by 5? If the Suns wanted a true center someone like Tyson Chandler or Marcus Camby would have made a lot more sense because of their athletic ability, but both the Hornets and Nuggets are in the hunt and won't part with either of them.
Miami gets out of Shaq's contract, assuming this deal goes through, and that's a huge plus for them. Marion can opt out after next year, and if he really wants to me the man on a team, he won't be that with D-Wade in South Beach, he may be on 3 teams in less than a calender year. I know Marion wanted out of Phoenix but to go from a team with 34 wins (3rd best record) to a team with 9 (worst in NBA) is awful. It is a good move for the future of the Heat, but I still can't understand it for the Suns.
Phoenix's starting five right now would be Steve Nash, Raja Bell, Grant Hill, Amare Stoudemire, and Shaq, with Barbosa and Diaw coming off the bench. Is that better? Does that give them a better chance to win the NBA Championship? Marion may not have been the perfect fit off the court or in the locker room for this team, but he was on. I think his game suffers, as would anyones away from Nash, but so does the Suns overall game. Two of the four players they will be heavily leaning on are both currently 35 years old (Hill and Shaq) and very injury prone. Very surprising move to me as you can tell. The Suns currently have the best record in the West, but I would be shocked if they were a top 3 seed going into the playoffs. I hope they are, as I love the way they play... but I don't think they will be able to continue that up and down pace if this move goes through. Good luck.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Is This Payback?
-Keefe
Following the events this past Sunday known as Super Bowl XLII, I had to wonder. Is there a reason why the NFL went with Roman Numerals and no one else? Interesting choice to me, but I guess it works, people for the most part seem to enjoy it. It was fun with the I’s, V’s, and X’s, then a couple years ago we all got to learn a new one in the L. Despite popular belief the L is actually 50 not 30. So you take the X (10) and subtract that from the L (50) to = 40. Fast forward to 2016 and we can all get excited for Super Bowl L. That’s the big one, L. Who cares? This really wasn’t what I was wondering about anyway.
Did the Patriots use up their good luck winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years? It was hard to say especially after watching them have the first perfect 16 game regular season in NFL history and 2 more wins in the playoffs before taking their 18-0 record into Glendale. But they have now lost 2 straight “Big Games” (the AFC title game last year to the Colts, and Super Bowl XLII), both to teams quarterbacked by Manning’s. I’ll get more into that in a minute. After their 3rd Super Bowl victory in franchise history the Pats have still won at least 10 games in the regular season, and always advanced to the 2nd round or further in the playoffs. Pretty impressive stuff. In the last 7 years with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as the full time QB New England has won 86 regular season games. I’ll do the math for you and say that’s an average of over 12 a year. Despite those great stats the last 3 years have all ended in disappointment.
The unsettledness I have felt at the culmination of each of the past 3 seasons has been even worse than merely seeing another team capture the Lombardi trophy. Everyone has their favorite teams in each sport. Most people root for 1 team and 1 team only. Some will pick a team from the other Conference or League, or you may even find yourself watching a team for their style of play, because the team who you support, who you still watch may not be the best brand out there. (This can be the Phoenix Suns rule. They are so enjoyable to watch, despite zero affiliation with them I find myself rooting for them against every team other than the Celtics the last few years.) And like many fans I have a select group of players in each sport that I support far more than any others, and similarly a group of players who I despise more than any other. So if the Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, and New York Giants winning championships weren’t bad enough, take a look at their signal callers.
Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Eli Manning. I don’t have three players in football I hate more than these three. There is a variety of reasons why each one of these guys bothers me.
Roethlisberger is wildly overrated now. He throws 32 TD passes this year and all of a sudden he’s a top 5 QB. Give me a break. He’s a lot like Ben Affleck. He can give you a great performance, say in Mallrats, but just know that there’s a Pearl Harbor right around the corner. Also you can win with both Ben’s as long as you don’t ask them to do too much. Affleck played it safe in Good Will Hunting. They didn’t rely on him to carry the movie and he, and the team came through. Exactly like Roethlisberger when he “won” the Super Bowl. Pitt didn’t want him to do anything. Antwaan Randle El threw more TDs in that game than Big Ben. For those of you who don’t follow the game closely, Randle El is a wide receiver and only threw the ball once in that game, 20 times fewer than the QB who tossed 2 INTs and completed less than 10 passes, but he still goes down as a Super Bowl winning quarterback. Seriously? This was his first year out of four with decent stats; let’s not go crazy just yet.
Peyton Manning is the only one on this list that I at least respect as a player. He and Brady are in a class by themselves. The reason he bothers me, aside from the barrage of commercials is more his team’s success than anything. The Colts have become the Yankees to the Pats. Derek Jeter is similar to Peyton in my mind. I recognize their talents, but would not be caught dead cheering for them. If Peyton goes 0-16 next year only a 0-162 out of Jeter would make me happier. He’s the only 1 of the 3 QB’s that his ability is part of the reason why I can’t stand them. He is also hurt because he is the older brother to my least favorite athlete on the planet.
Eli Manning cemented himself as an unlikable player before he even took a snap in the NFL. I hated him the second the 2004 draft began. The San Diego Chargers wanted to take him #1 overall to be their QB of the future, but Eli didn’t want to play for them, and wouldn’t sign. The Bolts took him anyway as Eli moped on stage while every other college player sweated it out to see where they would go. He held the Chargers jersey with as much excitement as Kristie Alley eating a salad. The Giants traded picks with San Diego to get Manning. What San Diego got back was Philip Rivers, Shawn Merriman, and Nate Kaeding. I could always say that was a horrible trade until Super Bowl XLII.
These losses by the Patriots have been bad, but watching these 3 players and their teams capitalize on their collapses have made it that much worse. There is 31 starting QB’s I would rather have win it than Eli Manning, 30 more than Peyton, and 29 more than Ben. I don’t know who my 4th least favorite quarterback is in the league, but as soon as I figure it out I’m taking his team to win the Super Bowl XLIII. Maybe keep an eye on Jay Cutler and Vince Young.
Following the events this past Sunday known as Super Bowl XLII, I had to wonder. Is there a reason why the NFL went with Roman Numerals and no one else? Interesting choice to me, but I guess it works, people for the most part seem to enjoy it. It was fun with the I’s, V’s, and X’s, then a couple years ago we all got to learn a new one in the L. Despite popular belief the L is actually 50 not 30. So you take the X (10) and subtract that from the L (50) to = 40. Fast forward to 2016 and we can all get excited for Super Bowl L. That’s the big one, L. Who cares? This really wasn’t what I was wondering about anyway.
Did the Patriots use up their good luck winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years? It was hard to say especially after watching them have the first perfect 16 game regular season in NFL history and 2 more wins in the playoffs before taking their 18-0 record into Glendale. But they have now lost 2 straight “Big Games” (the AFC title game last year to the Colts, and Super Bowl XLII), both to teams quarterbacked by Manning’s. I’ll get more into that in a minute. After their 3rd Super Bowl victory in franchise history the Pats have still won at least 10 games in the regular season, and always advanced to the 2nd round or further in the playoffs. Pretty impressive stuff. In the last 7 years with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady as the full time QB New England has won 86 regular season games. I’ll do the math for you and say that’s an average of over 12 a year. Despite those great stats the last 3 years have all ended in disappointment.
The unsettledness I have felt at the culmination of each of the past 3 seasons has been even worse than merely seeing another team capture the Lombardi trophy. Everyone has their favorite teams in each sport. Most people root for 1 team and 1 team only. Some will pick a team from the other Conference or League, or you may even find yourself watching a team for their style of play, because the team who you support, who you still watch may not be the best brand out there. (This can be the Phoenix Suns rule. They are so enjoyable to watch, despite zero affiliation with them I find myself rooting for them against every team other than the Celtics the last few years.) And like many fans I have a select group of players in each sport that I support far more than any others, and similarly a group of players who I despise more than any other. So if the Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, and New York Giants winning championships weren’t bad enough, take a look at their signal callers.
Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Eli Manning. I don’t have three players in football I hate more than these three. There is a variety of reasons why each one of these guys bothers me.
Roethlisberger is wildly overrated now. He throws 32 TD passes this year and all of a sudden he’s a top 5 QB. Give me a break. He’s a lot like Ben Affleck. He can give you a great performance, say in Mallrats, but just know that there’s a Pearl Harbor right around the corner. Also you can win with both Ben’s as long as you don’t ask them to do too much. Affleck played it safe in Good Will Hunting. They didn’t rely on him to carry the movie and he, and the team came through. Exactly like Roethlisberger when he “won” the Super Bowl. Pitt didn’t want him to do anything. Antwaan Randle El threw more TDs in that game than Big Ben. For those of you who don’t follow the game closely, Randle El is a wide receiver and only threw the ball once in that game, 20 times fewer than the QB who tossed 2 INTs and completed less than 10 passes, but he still goes down as a Super Bowl winning quarterback. Seriously? This was his first year out of four with decent stats; let’s not go crazy just yet.
Peyton Manning is the only one on this list that I at least respect as a player. He and Brady are in a class by themselves. The reason he bothers me, aside from the barrage of commercials is more his team’s success than anything. The Colts have become the Yankees to the Pats. Derek Jeter is similar to Peyton in my mind. I recognize their talents, but would not be caught dead cheering for them. If Peyton goes 0-16 next year only a 0-162 out of Jeter would make me happier. He’s the only 1 of the 3 QB’s that his ability is part of the reason why I can’t stand them. He is also hurt because he is the older brother to my least favorite athlete on the planet.
Eli Manning cemented himself as an unlikable player before he even took a snap in the NFL. I hated him the second the 2004 draft began. The San Diego Chargers wanted to take him #1 overall to be their QB of the future, but Eli didn’t want to play for them, and wouldn’t sign. The Bolts took him anyway as Eli moped on stage while every other college player sweated it out to see where they would go. He held the Chargers jersey with as much excitement as Kristie Alley eating a salad. The Giants traded picks with San Diego to get Manning. What San Diego got back was Philip Rivers, Shawn Merriman, and Nate Kaeding. I could always say that was a horrible trade until Super Bowl XLII.
These losses by the Patriots have been bad, but watching these 3 players and their teams capitalize on their collapses have made it that much worse. There is 31 starting QB’s I would rather have win it than Eli Manning, 30 more than Peyton, and 29 more than Ben. I don’t know who my 4th least favorite quarterback is in the league, but as soon as I figure it out I’m taking his team to win the Super Bowl XLIII. Maybe keep an eye on Jay Cutler and Vince Young.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Shocked
Editor's note: Brian Jalbert is a Dartmouth, MA resident, avid Boston sports fan and a friend of The Sports Brief. Moving forward, Brian will join TSB as a contributing writer and content specialist. Due to his intense passion and fervor for Boston sports, we here at TSB thought this would be a good opportunity for BJal, as we call him, to vent and share with you the frustration and depressive nature of yesterday's loss that ensued. We hope you enjoy as much as we did...
Let's flash back about 4 and a half years ago. There I was, a college student at Bridgewater State College, sitting in my dorm room with a few select friends, watching Game 7 of the ALCS. Yankees, Red Sox, it couldn't get any better. Leading 5-2 going into the 8th, we were a sure lock to finally get back to the World Series and erase the curse. Then, with the blink of an eye, it was tied, and, well, the rest is history. Aaron Boone sent us into year 86 of The Curse with one swing of the bat. There I sat, on a Thursday night in college, in my dorm room with one of the worst feelings I had ever felt in my entire life. I had relationships end, arguments with my family, and fights with my friends, yet nothing had felt quite this awful. Of course, we all know, a year later, the Sox completed the greatest comeback in sports history and all was well in New England.
Flash forward now to the current time. I sit here, a day after the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants, and I have that same awful feeling that I had in 2003. Did it really happen? Did a New York team really just take away a championship from my beloved New England team? Yes, it did happen, except this time it's different. This time, it's worse.
The Patriots can't comeback next year and win a Super Bowl and cure every awful feeling we have right now. They have to come back and do what no team has ever done before, and no team will be doing for the foreseeable future. They have to come back and go 19-0. That's the only way this feeling can go away. This wasn't just another championship for New England, this was "The One". This was the one that would cement them into the history books forever. This was the one that would have everyone saying "Greatest Team of All Time" when their name was mentioned. This was the one that nobody could ever top. The first team to go 19-0.
We're left with so many questions, so many "what ifs", and never will we get any answers. What if we held onto Eli on that 3rd and 5 late in the game? What if, on that same play, his receiver wasn't able to make one of the most amazing catches I've ever seen in my entire life? What if that ball doesn't slip through Asante's hands? What if the offense had shown up at any point other than the last drive? All these questions, and no answers at all.
But, give credit where credit is due. The Giants played a great game, and they deserved to win. There were no questionable calls, there was no dirty play, just a hard fought football game that was won by the team that played better that evening.
I'm sure I'll get by just fine. Baseball season will come, the Red Sox will get me through the summer, along with the re-energized new look Celtics. I just can't seem to get that awful feeling out of my stomach. All the "what ifs", and all the questions of there ever being an undefeated season.
This was "The One", it got away, and we can realistically say that there may never be a chance to get it back.
Let's flash back about 4 and a half years ago. There I was, a college student at Bridgewater State College, sitting in my dorm room with a few select friends, watching Game 7 of the ALCS. Yankees, Red Sox, it couldn't get any better. Leading 5-2 going into the 8th, we were a sure lock to finally get back to the World Series and erase the curse. Then, with the blink of an eye, it was tied, and, well, the rest is history. Aaron Boone sent us into year 86 of The Curse with one swing of the bat. There I sat, on a Thursday night in college, in my dorm room with one of the worst feelings I had ever felt in my entire life. I had relationships end, arguments with my family, and fights with my friends, yet nothing had felt quite this awful. Of course, we all know, a year later, the Sox completed the greatest comeback in sports history and all was well in New England.
Flash forward now to the current time. I sit here, a day after the New England Patriots lost the Super Bowl to the New York Giants, and I have that same awful feeling that I had in 2003. Did it really happen? Did a New York team really just take away a championship from my beloved New England team? Yes, it did happen, except this time it's different. This time, it's worse.
The Patriots can't comeback next year and win a Super Bowl and cure every awful feeling we have right now. They have to come back and do what no team has ever done before, and no team will be doing for the foreseeable future. They have to come back and go 19-0. That's the only way this feeling can go away. This wasn't just another championship for New England, this was "The One". This was the one that would cement them into the history books forever. This was the one that would have everyone saying "Greatest Team of All Time" when their name was mentioned. This was the one that nobody could ever top. The first team to go 19-0.
We're left with so many questions, so many "what ifs", and never will we get any answers. What if we held onto Eli on that 3rd and 5 late in the game? What if, on that same play, his receiver wasn't able to make one of the most amazing catches I've ever seen in my entire life? What if that ball doesn't slip through Asante's hands? What if the offense had shown up at any point other than the last drive? All these questions, and no answers at all.
But, give credit where credit is due. The Giants played a great game, and they deserved to win. There were no questionable calls, there was no dirty play, just a hard fought football game that was won by the team that played better that evening.
I'm sure I'll get by just fine. Baseball season will come, the Red Sox will get me through the summer, along with the re-energized new look Celtics. I just can't seem to get that awful feeling out of my stomach. All the "what ifs", and all the questions of there ever being an undefeated season.
This was "The One", it got away, and we can realistically say that there may never be a chance to get it back.
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