suck it

Dwight Howard: This is a day-late WotN sent in by Jorag: "Hello, I'm sending this picture of Dwight Howard at MSG telling the camera to 'suck it.' I think he's channeling his inner D-Generation X. He knew the camera was on him and smiled right after doing it." To be honest, I wasn't familiar with the suck it gesture and had to look it up on Wikipedia. By the way, I love Wikipedia, I really do. Check out their full list of gestures. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to strut around the office doing "the peacock."

The Oklahoma City Thunder: Their plucky and inspired play sans Kevin Durant and Jeff Green seemed like years ago about midway though the first quarter of their home loss to the Lakers. The Thunder Kittens found themselves on the bad news end of a 17-point deficit (37-20) at the end of the first and were down 62-38 at halftime. And it was more or less "Game Over" at that point. Kobe Bryant didn't even have to put in a Mario's worth of lacktion in the fourth quarter...and Adam Morrison got let out of the doghouse for almost five minutes. Both are bad signs if you're a Lakers opponent.

Note that Kevin Durant "led" Oklahoma City with 24 points on 8-for-20 shooting (including 0-for-6 from downtown), but his team never got any closer than 17 points in the second half. Ironically, his plus-minus score was -24, and yes, that was the worst on the team. I know this was the Lakers and everything, but seriously, this squad was playing better when KD was out with injury. Who knows, maybe their Durant-less hot streak was just one of those quirky Wounded Tiger-type things. But it makes me wonder whether all his high-scoring efforts are really benefiting the team.

Earl Watson: Dig this: "[Thunder coach Scott] Brooks benched Earl Watson, inserting Chucky Atkins as his backup point guard six games ago. Watson hasn't played in any of the six games, including two blowouts in which several reserves have played in the fourth quarter." Wow, is Earl Watson really that bad? He can't even earn a Mario or maybe a trillion in garbage time?

The Detroit Pistons: Don't let the seeming closeness of the final score of their loss to the Derrick Rose-less Bulls -- 99-91 -- fool you for even a second. Chicago was up by 19 points (92-73) with just over six minutes remaining before going to sleep a little bit. Sure, the Pistons were without Rip Hamilton (groin strain), Rasheed Wallace (bum calf) and Allen Iverson (doesn't want to come off the bench), but that's hardly an excuse since the Bulls were missing Rose (bruised wrist), Luol Deng (stress fracture) and Tim Thomas (who was limited to only four minutes due to back spasms), forcing Vinny Del Negro to employ a Mike D'Antoni-like six-man rotation. (Unless you count Lindsey Hunter's brief cameo, which you don't.)

The Pistons have lost five of six -- and that one win was at home against the Clippers -- and they're 7-15 since February 8th. Think about that. Let it sink in. There's no point in denying it any longer: Detroit has become terrible and are in serious jeopardy of dropping to eighth or even (gulp) not making the playoffs at all. But hey, don't get on Joe Dumars' case. Like the Joker said in "The Dark Knight," it's all part of the plan. (Just try not to think about the fact that the Joker's plan totally failed in the end.)

The United Center: Kirk Hinrich stepped in for Derrick Rose and scored a game-high 24 points to go along with a team-high 8 assists. But, believe it or not, the United Center crowd -- what was left of them anyway -- actually booed Captain Kirk during his postgame interview. Seriously. His crime? Bonking a free throw with 17.9 seconds left that would have given the Bulls 100 points and "earned" the fans free grease-soaked Barth Burgers from McDonald's. I guess sometimes surging at the end of the season to possibly make the playoffs just isn't enough. That's what happens when free taco excitement gets out of hand. Fortunately, Hinrich -- who at this point is probably used to getting booed at home -- wasn't rattled. "I have thicker skin than that. Anytime you can get your fans involved like that, it's extra incentive."

(P.S. These are the same "fans" that were chanting "M-V-P!" for Kobe Bryant last Saturday. As always, I'm just sayin'...)

Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley: First they scoffed at Ernie Johnson for suggesting that the Bulls have a favorable schedule down the stretch because it featured eight games at home to only three on the road, proving that they have no idea whatsoever how well the Bulls have been playing at home. The only argument they had was that Chicago was (at the time) a 33-win team and that 33-win teams never have a favorable schedule. And that was it. That was their whole analysis. Look, the Bulls are a different team since they traded for John Salmons and Brad Miller. I would think that NBA "experts" would, I don't know, check into stuff like that. Honestly, I used to love these guys, but man, they've been off this season. Way off.

Speaking of which, you might remember that, back in November, Smith claimed that the Rockets were going to win the title. And he was being completely serious. He's backed off of tht stance for obvious reasons, but he said last night that Houston is "this close" to being a contender and that with Tracy McGrady they would be one already. Seriously, Kenny?!

Monta Ellis: He led the Warriors with 27 points (on 26 shots) but, with his team down one and a chance to win it, his final two shots were a 21-footer with five seconds left and then a running 28-footer at the buzzer. That's the best shot he could have gotten?! Not according to Don Nelson: "I thought Monte could have gotten to the rim, certainly in five seconds get to the rim. But anyways, that was what he chose to do." And by "that" Nellie of course means "chucking up a low-percentage shot under duress." I bet that, after the game, at least a few Warrior fans were silently wishing that the scooter would have killed him last summer.

Corey Maggette: Earlier this season, in a win over the New Orleans Hornets, Bad Porn said: "I think it's a mismatch every time, me personally. Whoever guards me I just think it's a mismatch because I'm just a person that tries to keep a person on their heels and attack them every which way." That quote was the first thing that popped into my head after his 1-for-8 clanker against the Spurs. I bet whoever was guarding him last night thought it was a mismatch too...just not the kind Corey was talking about.

Jamal Crawford: Here's the story behind his latest DNP-CD: "Golden State played again without Jamal Crawford, who missed his fourth straight game in what has become a bizarre subplot with Warriors coach Don Nelson. In the past week, Crawford has been benched, allowed back, and benched himself—all while being perfectly healthy. Nelson doesn't want Crawford back next season and sat him on March 17 in favor of playing youngsters. He wanted Crawford back into the lineup two games later, but Crawford said he wanted more practice time before jumping back in." You wouldn't think there'd be this much drama on a 25-win team. But there you have it. (And anyway, since when has Crawford ever needed practice to chuck up shots? The dude's a human catapult.)

The Houston Rockets: Well, that was a short stay at number two, huh? After a couple days of everybody getting all excited about their Knee-Mac-less rise in the standings, the Rockets got handled by the Jazz, who have sort of become Houston's arch nemesis the last couple years. Utah blocked a season-high 12 shots, stole the ball six times, forced 12 turnovers and held the Rockets to 34 percent shooting. Basically, the treated the Rockets like a chunk of hamburger and just ground them to bits.

Ron Artest: He had 11 rebounds and 7 assists, which are above-average numbers for him. But dear lord, his shooting was beyond dreadful. He scored 13 points on 22 shots. Of his 17 misses, five of them were stuffed by the Jazz. Has anybody registered heyronartestpleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com yet? Because it probably needs to happen. Just, you know, make sure Ron won't be able to track you down.

Lacktion report: Chris took a brief respite from scouring the thrift stores for Kings-related merchandise to you, dear readers, a lacktion quickie. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

Pistons-Bulls: Detroits' Walter Sharpe cut out the NES's lockout chip for a 52 second Mario that included a made shot and a board, while Lindsey Hunter put up a brick from the Sears Tower and a foul in 4:51 for a +2 suck differential.

Lakers-Thunder: Adam Morrison threw a piece of masonry for +1 in 4:50 for Los Angeles.
Kobe Bryant: Go ahead and add "arm nom" to his list of crimes against humanity. Thanks to Dan B. for the pic.

arm nom

The NBA marketing geniuses: Basketbawful reader j men wrote in to say: "Don't you find it funny that the NBA would put up a video called 'Coming Soon: Baron Davis in the 2009 playoffs'?" I assure you, he is not kidding, and yes, this comes from the official home of the NBA on YouTube:


Chris Bosh: So the "RuPaul of Big Men" is a deadbeat dad and his malfeasance might have caused the Craptors descent into oblivion? Wow. It's enough to make Toronto fans long for those halcyon days of the Vinsanity Era.

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37 Comments:
Anonymous Anonymous said...
early in the pistons/bulls game, tyrus thomas gave up an open J to pass to hinrich at the top. Reggie proceeded to say something about Thomas having to trust himself and take that J. Next time down, he bonks a J and Reggie goes "ok maybe he shouldn't be taking those". Apparently he doesn't realize that Thomas has no J.

Blogger Wild Yams said...
You better reign it in there, Mr. Bawful, or else you're gonna have Bill Simmons all over you for daring to question his man-crush Kevin Durant like that. The Thunder had been playing respectable ball lately, but I don't know what happened to them last night, they looked awful right out of the gate. Maybe they had money down on the Lakers or something. And hey, what do you know? The Lakers can actually hold a lead again!

Considering the Pistons are almost surely gonna waive Iverson and Sheed outright this summer, maybe they'd be better off if they missed the playoffs and got a lottery pick? If they end up in the 6th-8th spot, odds are they'll make a great 1st round series with either the Crabs, Celtics or Magic, especially since the Piston players will know this is really their "last dance" together.

Considering the "Bulls" crowd was chanting MVP for Kobe the other day and are now booing the lack of free food at the end of the game, maybe the Staples Center crowd are all just vacationing in Chicago while the Lakers are on their seven game road trip? After all, free taco excitement was coined due to those Laker fans. BTW, kudos on that You Can't Do That On Television reference, that one took me back :)

Charles Barkley will usually say that he tends to only pay attention to the best teams in the league, so maybe you can excuse his "expertise" when it comes to his take on the Bulls, but Kenny Smith is at least masquerading as an "expert" (when he's not interrupting comedy shows with his entourage, that is). Kenny is ridiculously blinded by his Houston Rocket days if he thinks that Houston is really right on the brink of being a contender, especially if he thinks Knee-Mac is the missing piece. They might get out of the first round this year, but that's as far as they're gonna go; and the only reason they have a shot of making it out of the first round is because The Second Round Virgin is on the shelf.

It's funny that Nellie would be upset at one of his players taking a low percentage shot while under duress. Isn't that basically the textbook definition for Nellieball? He's fine with the team taking nothing but those kinds of shots all game long, but is upset when they do it in the last 10 seconds of the game? Maybe Nellie's moved up his happy hour from the postgame press conference to halftime these days.

Blogger Ben said...
Oh man, why pick on the rockets like that? I think they played a GREAT game. Sure yao wasn't effective and artest was killing them with his poor choice of shots. But they were in the game till the the final 5 min.

if it weren't for 2 rushed possessions by VW and brooks. 2 stupid turnovers by Ron ron, one missed wide open three by shane, Rockets would have had this one.

K, I know its stupid to play what ifs. But I don't think its fair to say a team played like shit just cause they shot 34% They made up the bad shooting with offensive rebounding. They lost due to bad discipline, and no goto guy down the stretch (once yao was doubled. which Tmac may or may not have helped)

Btw, doesn't the spurs deserve WOTN mentions? Won by 1 point at HOME to the 20th best team in the League? A bench that shot 7/22 and 0/4 on threes. This is the team that was supposed to challenge the lakers in the west?

Anyways, keep up the great work !!

Blogger AnacondaHL said...
Women accusing star athletes have become kinda like steroids in baseball: it's hard choose who to believe anymore, almost guilty before proven innocent. Obviously this is all Kobe Bryant and Colorado's fault.

And "Hmmmmm..... You Got Served it is!" is perfect meme material, and must be attached to any paragraph or mention of Chris Bosh from now on. Probably just an entire post of pictures and videos of Bosh getting posterized with every caption the exact same. Obligatory low blow on a dual picture of Anucha Brown-Sanders/Isiah Thomas "You Got Served it is!".

Captcha: imbag. Yes. You are bag.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
a) I was at the UC during the Bulls vs Lakers. And I was disgusted by the blown lead, and the number of yellow jerseys outnumbering the red ones.

b)I heard Barkley brush off the Bulls. And I yelled. It's like they didn't acknowledge at all the improvements this team has made since Salmons and Miller have joined the lineup. Yes, they are a losing team. But as professionals, they should watch these guys play. It's like they had no idea what the Bulls can or can't do. Bulls are doing well damnit.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Bawful, thanks to your You Can't Do That On Television reference, you just caused me to waste 45 minutes on Wikipedia reading about other early late 1980s/1990s Nickelodeon shows. (Does anyone else find it kind of funny that you truly can't do that on television anymore in a kid's show? The firing squad gag, etc. would never, ever get by the censors for a show aimed at kids today)

Anonymous Anonymous said...
i thought every wrestling fan - scratch that - every male creature should know d generation x

shame on you mr bawful

Blogger Michael Hsu said...
On the topic of wikipedia and unintentional dirty quotes. Did you know there is a superhero name elongated man?

No Joke
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elongated_Man

With the Crawford drama and S-Jax (The [giggle, snort] team captain) shutting it down for the year with a [giggle, snort] problematic toe, it looks like we'll be seeing more of lacktion superstar Anthony Morrow

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=rotowire-tephenacksonouldehut&prov=rotowire&type=fantasy

Blogger chris said...
Dan B. - Give it up for Eureeka's Castle and The World of David The Gnome. :p And don't forget Double Dare!

Anonymous Anonymous said...
As a Jazz fan, I'm gonna start a website called "heyronletitrain.com."

Catchy, to the point, and good prep for a one and done in the playoffs.

I hate the rockets.

Blogger Junior said...
Shaq in his twitter:

THE_REAL_SHAQA ttention all twitterers I'm a tweet at halftime and not get fined like vill a new wave a whteva his name is

Blogger Junior said...
And Maggette did a 1-10 against the Hornets on sunday

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Hey AnacondaHL- great video yesterday :D Math Bus, me likey.


It's really amazing that anybody thinks the Rockets are going ANYWHERE in the playoffs this year. Im just not sold on them.

The very first time Ron Artest touched the ball in yesterday's game, he jacked up a 3- and it went in. My first reaction was "wow... he actually made it..." followed by "I bet he's going to think he's on fire now and spend the rest of the game jacking up 'heat checks'" ...and that's about how it went.

Kenny/Barkley aren't exactly batting 1.000 this year, but the two of them together through their semi-unintelligible babbling came up with a good point (much the same way that a chimp with a hammer pounding on a keyboard accidentally might play a Chopin piece): The reason Houston is playing better with McGrady out is because without him, they are forced to play through Yao, posting him up and running the offense through the center. When McGrady is in the game, they run lots of iso's for him and don't get enough easy baskets off of cutting players and spot-up 3's when Yao is double-teamed.

Huh. Makes sense, right? Share the ball, go inside-out, use your 7-6 big man who can pass. That sounds better than "throw the ball to a crippled ball-hog who will dribble into traffic and jack up a low-percentage shot".

Still, I think the Rockets are too thin to win. If Brent Barry was 10 years younger, they would be very very dangerous. If McGrady accepted a role and didn't try to take on more than he should, and wasn't so injury-prone, they would be very very dangerous. Alas, those are alternate realities. In our universe, the Rockets are doomed to fall to Utah or New Orleans.

Blogger Austen said...
Anyone else catch that unintentionally dirty quote last night early in the Rockets-Jazz game? Williams had just made an open jumper, and one of the commentators quipped "..and Boozer is the wood!" I don't remember when exactly this happened and I didn't record the episode, but surely someone else heard that.

There was something terribly funny last night seeing the Rockets running in a panic in that second half...and the guy Adelman sent out to calm the team down and get them back into their game is Ron Artest. And if I'm not mistaken, I think Yao got blocked on a shot last night. Aren't we keeping a season-long total on that or something?

Anonymous Anonymous said...
i was sitting near the court for both raptors-magic hm playoff games last yr and was heckling d-howard, he gave me about 20 suck-its over that 2-game span, it was pretty hilarious

Blogger anne said...
I think even Charles made fun of Kenny way back when he made the Rockets prediction. I like Charles even though it's obvious that he doesn't know what he is talking about 3/4 the time. However, Kenny needs to go. It was a lot more enjoyable when C-Webb filled in for him. I don't know, I guess I'm still pissed off about the comment he made at the Dunk Contest about Spanish players being amateurs. Uh, hello Kenny, but the Lakers probably wouldn't be the top west seed and headed to the finals if it wasn't for a Spanish "amateur" (even if he did screw up Rudy's dunk attempt). /rant over

And on the subject of the Rockets, I was watching The Beat last night on NBA TV, and was pleased to see that 3/4 of the "analysts" agreed that Houston is better without T-Mac. Even GP was saying it. It's surprising because most of these fools are afraid to admit that T-Mac absolutely makes the Rockets worse. He just seems.... I don't know, depressed all the time? I guess that is because he looks like a sad little turtle out there on the court. And it's like he doesn't put in the extra work to get to the next level like a LeBron or Kobe (as Bawful has noted on here before). I read an article the other day about LeBron doing yoga to help cut down on injuries. I can't see T-Mac putting in effort like that to avoid injuries. I don't really dislike him (despite my profile pic...he is good as a punchline), but I just don't understand the dude.

However, even without T-Mac, I agree with AK Dave's take on the Rocket's playoff chances.

Blogger Wild Yams said...
I still contend that the Rockets could make it out of the 1st round depending on who they are matched up against, but they're not a real threat to do much of anything this year. Artest really is a subtraction by addition kind of player who just can not accept his limitations offensively and stay in a role more suited to his strengths. Having him on the team is like having Kobe Bryant on the team when Kobe is having a really poor shooting night, except Artest is always like that. Having a high volume shooter who is incredibly inefficient is going to undermine even the best of teams (see Iverson & Detroit).

To me the West is pretty boring this year. It's really just a question of which three teams are gonna get whipped by the Lakers before LA goes on to see if they can triumph or fail in The Finals. The Eastern playoff bracket should be much more interesting.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Not so sure of that Yams...I really think Utah, San Antonio, and yes, possibly even Portland, could give the Lakers a tough series that could go either way depending on the breaks.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
"I still contend that the Rockets could make it out of the 1st round depending on who they are matched up against"

Way to go out on a limb, there, Yams :D

I'm assuming they will finish 2,3, or 4, so they will have home court advantage in the 1st round. No problem- they've had that before and blown it. That means they will face either New Orleans, Utah, or Portland.

If they draw Utah, it's over in 5 or 6

If they draw New Orleans, they lose in 6 or 7, because CP3 can put that team on his back and the Hornets are bigger, stronger, faster, and have stronger mojo than Houston. I look at matchups too: David West on Luis Scola (Ad: NO), Aaron Brooks on CP3 (/stifled laughter), Yao on Chandler (stalemate), Artest on Posey (I'd rather have Posey on my team). I just don't see Houston winning that series.

If they play Portland, they MIGHT have a shot because Portland is such a lousy road team, but if Portland steals ONE GAME in Houston, it's over in 6. My money is on Portland here in any case.

So... under what circumstances could Houston get out of the first round?

Blogger Unknown said...
I have to agree with Ben that the Spurs are belonged to the WotN. I believe it's a stat curse by Mr. Longoria after he stated before Lakers game: "We love to play close games, because we know we can stop people at the end of games. We know we can guard them." Kenny Smith elevated: "Spurs are going to keep closed and just choke you." Well, by looking at their last 4 losses. 2, 3, 2 and 7(a lot of closer than the number). First, they couldn't stop anybody; Second, they regularly got choked at the end.

Blogger Wild Yams said...
La Dolce Vita, Portland might give LA some trouble, just because they're so good at home and the Lakers seem to have a lot of trouble in Portland; but the Blazers having no playoff experience combined with them being a very poor road team makes me think they don't stand a chance of beating LA. Utah and San Antonio probably represent the toughest challenges for the Lakers, but I don't see either of them actually beating LA. In fact I'd say it's far more likely LA would beat either Utah or San Antonio in 5 or fewer games than it would be that the Lakers could lose to either of them. Utah is also a really poor road team, and I'm not sure how healthy the Spurs are ever going to be this year.

AK Dave, I went into this yesterday, so here's what I said: "I could see them beating Denver and Dallas for sure, and maybe New Orleans as well. Portland's gonna be a tough out for whoever gets them in the 1st round, but the Blazers' inability to play well on the road combined with their overall youth and inexperience means they're most likely going home in Round One. Utah and the Spurs are gonna be much tougher, and though I don't see Houston falling to the 8th seed, if that happens they stand virtually no chance of beating the Lakers unless LA has a major, major injury or two."

Since we agree that Utah, the Spurs and the Lakers would beat Houston, but we disagree on New Orleans' chances against them, I'll tell you why I think Houston might be able to win a series with the Hornets. For one thing, Chandler vs. Yao is not at stalemate, not at all. Yao will be a lot for New Orleans to handle, because New Orleans doesn't have any size at all outside of Chandler, and Chandler does not have the bulk to handle Yao for a series. Second (and most importantly), I don't know how well Chris Paul will be able to carry his team against Houston's defense. Houston doesn't have to put Aaron Brooks on Paul just because they're both PGs, they could very easily put Shane Battier on him if they wanted to. Similarly Houston could put Ron Artest on David West since West isn't a post player anyway. To me a Houston-NO 1st round matchup might just come down to which team has home court. I don't think it's as clear cut as you're making it out to be.

Blogger stephanie g said...
A couple days ago during the Detroit-Miami game they showed a sideline reporter hanging on Rip's arm during a lull in the action (I want to say it was Lisa Salters) and she asked "so Rip, how's your groin feeling?"

My inner 13 year old never died.

Also, during the Chicago-Detroit game Reggie Miller said Tyrus Thomas should be a threat to average a triple double in points, rebounds, and...blocks. And he was serious. His coworkers tried to explain why that would be incredibly unlikely but Reggie kept saying that Tyrus was such an athlete with incredible timing that he should be able to get 8-10 blocks every game. He eventually relented after another minute or two of convincing but said he was just trying to light a fire under these talented young players who have so much potential. Riiight. Cheryl is better than Reggie in both basketball and analysis. But any game with Reggie as a commentator is a comedy bonus. His voice when he tries to sound excited absolutely kills me. "Are you OK Reg?"

Blogger tonious35 said...
EPIC AIR GROPING, AND TY THOMAS is perplexed!

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3999/photos;_ylt=ArQ6bdEsaGr2xSMYRw06qfxGPaB4?slug=ba23824c36f07eebaa4c0d9ed5764206-getty-83007935sd016_detroit_pisto

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Hey, maybe Bosh isn't a deadbeat dad. Maybe the guy just wanted to break up with his ex due to the fact that she helps the Raptors lose games. I think we can all remember this incident involving Bosh's (now) ex-girlfriend where she ticked off LeBron one too many times...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLTOJB0FGPo&feature=player_embedded

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Wait, wait wait... Houston's answer for CP3 is... Shane Battier?

They're going fishing for SURE. It doesn't matter who you throw on Paul, he's going to get 25 and 12 in the playoffs or better.

I see what you're saying about Yao, but really, I think Chandler & Co can hold him to about 17pts and 9rebs/game, and Yao isn't all that known for taking over playoff games or scoring at the end of the 4th quarter. In fact, none of the Rockets are. I think the Rockets' only chance is if Von Wafer can burst into a raging ball of fire and hit like 50% from 3 for the series. Otherwise, I just don't see where the points are going to come from in the playoffs when defenses ratchet down.

Anyway, it's all academic until the playoffs start- I just wanted to hear why you thought Houston stood a chance. And really, as long as they're IN the playoffs they have a chance, but if I were a betting man I'd give odds that they get bounced in the first round as usual.

Feel free to mark this post and nominate me for a WoTN later when my analysis proves totally wrong.

Blogger Ben said...
I personally think Houston is capable of kicking off Portland or NO.

AK Dave: Are you REALLY suggesting that Chandler = Yao? REALLY? That's the argument? I don't even know what to say. Yao will DESTROY NO just like CP3 will destroy the rockets. At least rockets has more options to throw at CP3. Ontop of which, I think most people will take artest over posey. I'm not saying it'll be a walk in a park, but I'd say houston would be the favourites in that series.

Wild Yams: Looks like you beat me to the argument

Anne: I'm pretty sure it was reggie that made the "immaturity of spain" comment during the allstar game. I mean, I think kenny sucks too, but I don't think that one's on him.

Blogger Wild Yams said...
AK Dave, like I said, it's really going to come down to who Houston matches up with and whether they have home court or not. I'm just not that sold on New Orleans, against Houston or anyone else, because they're a relatively small team with very little depth. They'll go as far as Chris Paul can take them. If they do play Houston in the 1st round though, don't be surprised if you see Shane Battier guarding CP3 from time to time. Battier's a great defender and might be able to use his size advantage to slow Paul down a bit.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Ben- allow me to go into "Cortez Mode" for a moment:

"Are you REALLY suggesting that Chandler = Yao? REALLY? That's the argument?"

No, that's you misinterpreting me saying that their matchup is a stalemate.

I am REALLY suggesting that Chandler can defend Yao, yes, and that neither side has a significant advantage there.

Does Chandler = Yao? No. Chandler is not an offensive threat. He's in there for rebounding and mop-up duty, along with the occasional pick-and-roll. But Chandler CAN defend Yao on the perimiter or in the post, and can beat him down the floor 10 out of 10 times.

Also, more importantly, Yao isn't a "take over a game" kinda guy, let alone a "take over a series" kinda guy.

"I think most people will take artest over posey"

Well, you can have Artest, and I'll take Posey. I HATE James Posey. But he's good, and doesn't jack up a bunch of crappy shots. I.E.- he doesn't hurt his team EVER. Artest is a ticking time bomb. You can have him- let me know how that works out for you. I can tell you how it's worked for the Bulls... and the Pacers... and the Kings...

Anyway, you know, that's just sorta like, my opinion man.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Bosh's girl just copying Wade's ex wife

Blogger AnacondaHL said...
You all get WotN nominations.

Chris Paul has 7 games this season of 25-12 or better, going 6-1, loss to the Lakers.

Chris Paul has a career 12 Playoff games in one year, NOH went 7-5. Averaged 24-11.

Chris Paul against the Rockets this year: 1-2, Avg 22-11. Playoff year 2-2, Avg 23-11.

Tyson Chandler vs Yao: 6-7 overall, 4-2 as a Hornet. Yao averages against Chandler as a Hornet: 22-11-1BLK. Chandler: 11-10-1.

Yao in the post-season: 21-8.5-1.5, record 7-12.

Yao in the post-season clutch: lol.

Key matchup if NOH faced HOU: Aaron Brooks vs Chris Paul.

Von Wafer: is a raging ball of fire.

Therefore, both teams will lose if they play each other. This makes sense, because it keeps Houston's choke in the 1st round streak alive, while proving it's McGrady's fault that the streak exists. QED. Screw you all. (Suns still at 29% odds to make playoffs, roflcopter)

Anonymous Anonymous said...
heres the video of dwight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RbZ-cvCINQ

Anonymous Anonymous said...
Yeah, I saw a similar instance against the Raptors and then had it on my blog back in January and it got on the 10-man @ Ball Don't Lie:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/The-10-man-rotation-starring-Kobe-and-Shaq-tog?urn=nba,132554

Some dude on the sidelines kept chanting "HOOOOOO-WARD, HOOOOOO-WARD" during free throws which sparked the gesture.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
this seems real, well, not good
Former housekeeper sues Kobe Bryant, his wife

My favorite line (kinda obvious): In one instance, Maria Jimenez says Bryant’s wife ordered her to put her hand in a container of dog waste to retrieve the price tag of a blouse.

I'm wondering if it is ok to laugh at this??

Blogger DDC said...
More Kobe Bryant hijinks ......

Blogger DDC said...
StottsEra, I'm laughing like a mofo at this latest Kobe mess.

Anonymous Anonymous said...
I'm filing a worst-of nomination for the Utah Jazz: for their clutch ability to give up fast break points to the Suns. On three consecutive possessions, the Suns got easy plays at the basket off fast breaks (J-Rich boned a dunk, though). That wouldn't be so bad, except that Shaq beat the entire Jazz team down the court for a fast break dunk.

This came at the end of the game, when the Suns were making me incredibly tense every time they went into a half court set. They almost never got it into Shaq. Instead it'd be some isolation for a wing player. Amazingly, the wing player (Hill against Korver and Barnes against Brewer) would make the basket, but it wasn't pretty.

Anyway, I've been lax in my Suns-related Worst-of nominations recently, so just dropping by.