Constipation: It's Serious BusinessUka pointed this out in WOTN comments:
So Marc Stein is not basketbawful reader. Not surprisingly given the nature of this blog and the fact that Marc Stein is the huge NBA player ass-kisser
"Not sure if he's the first to say it, but the new nickname for Roy, Oden & Co. spotted in John Canzano's column in the Oregonian -- Frail Blazers -- rings as harsh as it is true. Just like Jail Blazers from another era to forget."
How disappointing. I don't claim that we invented the nickname, since I'm sure 800 other people have used it at some point or another (it's so obvious!). However, how can you be that out of touch, Stein?
I called him out on Twitter -- we'll see if he responds.
Worst of the Weekend in Pictures: "Mmm... Snuggle fresh..." "Why did I take this job again?" "And why did I take this job again?" If I had to guess which game would have a picture like this... I guess the phrase "For Nothing" is implied in that poster? "Been awhile since I celebrated, don't remember how, gotta concentrate..."Nationally Televised Games:Mavericks at Heat, NBA TV, 7:30pm: Just a reminder: the last time these teams met was the "LeBron bumps into Spoelstra" game. Revenge game possibilities, anyone?
All the Other Games:Magic at Hawks, 7pm: Hey Orlando, I'm truly sorry, but I
have to say it: Ball.
Jazz at Cavaliers, 7pm: The Jazz have gotten into the "zig-zag" pattern that Vegas sharps love to bet in the playoffs. Win one, lose one. Win one, lose one. Do they not realize they have a few months to go before it's even time for the playoffs? Anyone looking for a last-minute Christmas gift for the Jazz, get them a calendar.
Hornets at Pacers, 7pm: Let's just say this game isn't giving me the itch to order NBA League Pass.
Bobcraps at Wizards Generals, 7pm: All right, Washington. You finally got rid of Gilbert Arenas' awful contract! And in return you got... Rashard Lewis' likewise awful contract and five to seven fewer points per game. Hurray? Well, less chance of gun-related arrest action, so you've got that going for you, which is nice.
Suns at Spurs, 8:30pm: When I first saw the news about the Suns/Magic trade, I was disgusted. Then the more I thought about it, I began to convince myself maybe it's not the end of the world. They're not a championship contender this year anyway. Why not get rid of Hedo and his contract for any other warm body? Plus, Pietrus's catch-and-shoot threes are a good fit and maybe he can play some defense, and Gortat could give them the inside presence they need if he can handle playing lots of minutes. And Vinsanity's an expiring contract from what I understand, so maybe that won't be too bad? Am I just delusional and lying to myself at this point?
Bucks at Frail Blazers, 10pm: We have officially reached the point where it's nearly impossible to come up with new ways to say "the Blazers are a goddamn trainwreck of injuries."
Rockets at Warriors, 10:30pm: Good news, Houston fans! The Rockets have won seven of their 10 games this month. Bad news? They're still three games under .500 at this point. If they were in the Leastern conference, that wouldn't be so bad. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
Timberwolves at Clippers, 10:30pm: The Clippers have stopped being who we thought they were for a brief time, and are riding a two game winning streak. National media begins referring to them as "surging" in three... two... one...
Labels: Bawful After Dark, Hedo Turkoglu, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers
Conspire, really? A 22-4 team at home needed some sort of advanced trickery to beat a team they already beat on the road weeks before? A team with 8 losses against good teams winning one on the road was supposed to happen, I guess.
Seriously, Jason Terry lit up the Heat in the 4th. Can't that be the headline. You know, something clever like "JET blows by/burns the Heat." But no, ESPN's chosen wang-sucking team needed a good team to CONSPIRE to beat them.
Just wanted to make sure you included the quote from Mr. Obvious:
"Two good teams playing and going back and forth the entire game," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The sequence where Miami got over 9000 offense boards was pretty funny. I wonder what the record for that in a single trip down the floor is.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3863958&id=94471021099
Stop looking at Stats for a goddamn change. It was a competitive game in the 2nd half with the lead flip-flopping. Jason Terry got hot and Heat missed a few looks down the stretch. It was a good fucking game K?
When Pat Riley sold his soul in 06.... I MEAN THE MAVS ARE A GOOD TEAM WHO OUTPLAYED US. NBA it's FAAAAAN-tastic
So this leaves 4 guys to cover the same area of paint. Lebron tries to bull rush his way in and suddenly there are 2 guys waiting for him. So he takes a jumper and (more often than not) clanks it.
Lebron's Cavs teams were always Lebron + multiple shooters. Fewer guys in the paint, more room for Lebron to charge--I mean rush--the paint. Side note: this is why national commentators (like Simmons) all notice that Lebron is "energized" when Wade goes off the court. It's not sharing the ball that's the problem as much as the fact that whoever comes on from Wade will be a better 3 point shooter, so Lebron suddenly gets more room to do his thing.
Either one of Lebron/Wade has to become a consistent 3 point shooter, or Lebron has to learn some post moves in order to stop this scheme.
Look at the bright side: Fans form Poland and France will be voting for Phonix players to all star games ;>
http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/fran_blinebury/12/20/24-second-thoughts/index.html
Quote :
"16 -- Uh-oh. Maybe they are good. The Heat just have to finish up 52-1 to still break the Bulls' record of 72 wins. Who's gonna beat them?"
Dammit!
LeBron seems to settle for jumpers too often, he couldn't miss when I saw him burn the Knicks but seriously, when you are built like that, surely you gotta take it to the hoop just a little more often?
Really Tom, really? Does he seriously think he can play Scal regularly in his rotation? He knows him from his Boston years...
At one point in the game last night, LeBron had Barea on him down on the block and immediately passed the ball.
I believe it was one of his "no-look" passes where he's looking at his teammate the whole time until snapping his head away halfway through his passing motion.
DeJuan Blair gets blocked at the rim far too much, he needs to learn some Millsapian/Boozerian moves to counteract that.
Great Bawful sequence last night: Gary Neal is scooting down to the corner, off the ball, with a Spurs big in the area - possibly Blair, possibly Duncan. Instead of letting his teammate guard Neal in the corner, Robin Lopez gently shoves him to guard the big, effectively calling a switch - for no discernible reason, as nobody was moving too quickly - saying "No no, I got Gary Neal". At the 3-point line. The next pass goes to Neal, he blows by Lopez on the baseline for the hoop and the harm.
Gee, you mean plodding Robin Lopez can't guard quick wings on the perimeter? Who knew?!?
FAIL.