Ernie Johnson begins TNT tonight by asking "What words can you use to describe this series?" in a rhetorical manner. Kenny's response?
"Parity."
Ernie, speaking for everyone with a brain: "I was thinking 'incredible,' 'extraordinary,' (a few other adjectives I can't remember)"
Kenny insists this can't be a good series because it's the first round, and that the freakin' MAVERICKS-WARRIORS from a few years ago was better.
Anyway, I have a lot to say about this game, but it's 11:30 and I have to work tomorrow.
I'm going to play NBA Jam tomorrow, play against the Rockets, and just smack Kenny Smith every time he gets the ball.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Blame Game- Bulls-Celtics Game 5
Another recurring feature: the blame game/credit where credit is due. They'll both come after important wins/losses (usually sooner than this one, but I'll get to the reasons for that in the official introduction post.) Anyway, the idea is to assign percent values to the players/coaches/officials/supernatural forces responsible for losing/winning. These numbers are scientific, ironclad, and not-to-be-debated.
Brad Miller- 25%
Part of it is the free throws, but not as much as you might think (I missed the front end of a one-and-one, up 2 with 30 seconds left in our playoff game Monday night, so I sympathize.) It's also the matter of the stupid turnovers (3 this game) and lack of defensive rotation. The only reason Miller is in there is for his offense, if he's not helping on that end, why not give more minutes to Tyrus?
VDN- 25%
I'm a Vinny hater. But I have to give him credit for the play he drew up at the end of the game. I mean, maybe it was Vinny's strategy to constantly draw up off-balance 3s for Ben all year, just so when he really needed to the Celtics would triple-team BG coming off the screen, just because Vinny can't come up with anything else. So there's that, but I'm still mad at Vinny for these 2 things:
1. It's the coaches job to keep his players egos in check. And I know BG needs his shots. But at some point, can't VDN tell BG to pass the damn ball and run the offense every once in a while?
2. Salmons isn't long enough to keep Pierce from getting his shot off whenever he wants to. But when it comes to the end of the game, and you have the ability to use offense-defense substitutions, and Salmons has been burnt twice, how about using Tyrus on Pierce?
Derrick- 25%
If we're winning this series, Derrick needs to start looking for his shot earlier. You don't have to just take it to the hole every time (where you are getting murdered, but I'll get to that in a second,) stop and take the pull-up j every once in awhile (it's been conspicuously absent the last few games.) Stop worrying about Salmons' and BG's egos and take over.
Also, stop with the stupid turnovers. We're holding you above rookie standards, whether that's fair or not.
BG- 15%
Did you see the look in Ben's eye after Miller missed the first free throw? His inner monologue was I don't care if all 5 Celtics were on me and I was falling out of bounds from 40 feet, I was hitting the game winning 3 if you passed me the ball. At some point the gun-slinger mentality you want in a shooter is a detriment to the team, and I think Ben crosses the line a lot (like in the 2nd overtime on Sunday, when he didn't pass the ball the first 4 possessions.) You have teammates, Ben, and just because your weird, off-balance shots fall in sometimes does not mean any shot they might take is a bad one.
Referees- 10%
The flagrant foul issue is story for another day. And I understand Celtics fans are just as mad as Bulls fans. But just once I want to see Derrick get the respect Rondo is getting when he goes strong to the hole.
Absolved:
Tyrus (didn't play enough down the stretch, took less bad shots this game.)
Kirk (kept us in it in the first half.)
Salmons (nothing great, nothing terrible. Played good D on Pierce, just nothing more he could have done.)
Joakim (been an absolute beast this series.)
Brad Miller- 25%
Part of it is the free throws, but not as much as you might think (I missed the front end of a one-and-one, up 2 with 30 seconds left in our playoff game Monday night, so I sympathize.) It's also the matter of the stupid turnovers (3 this game) and lack of defensive rotation. The only reason Miller is in there is for his offense, if he's not helping on that end, why not give more minutes to Tyrus?
VDN- 25%
I'm a Vinny hater. But I have to give him credit for the play he drew up at the end of the game. I mean, maybe it was Vinny's strategy to constantly draw up off-balance 3s for Ben all year, just so when he really needed to the Celtics would triple-team BG coming off the screen, just because Vinny can't come up with anything else. So there's that, but I'm still mad at Vinny for these 2 things:
1. It's the coaches job to keep his players egos in check. And I know BG needs his shots. But at some point, can't VDN tell BG to pass the damn ball and run the offense every once in a while?
2. Salmons isn't long enough to keep Pierce from getting his shot off whenever he wants to. But when it comes to the end of the game, and you have the ability to use offense-defense substitutions, and Salmons has been burnt twice, how about using Tyrus on Pierce?
Derrick- 25%
If we're winning this series, Derrick needs to start looking for his shot earlier. You don't have to just take it to the hole every time (where you are getting murdered, but I'll get to that in a second,) stop and take the pull-up j every once in awhile (it's been conspicuously absent the last few games.) Stop worrying about Salmons' and BG's egos and take over.
Also, stop with the stupid turnovers. We're holding you above rookie standards, whether that's fair or not.
BG- 15%
Did you see the look in Ben's eye after Miller missed the first free throw? His inner monologue was I don't care if all 5 Celtics were on me and I was falling out of bounds from 40 feet, I was hitting the game winning 3 if you passed me the ball. At some point the gun-slinger mentality you want in a shooter is a detriment to the team, and I think Ben crosses the line a lot (like in the 2nd overtime on Sunday, when he didn't pass the ball the first 4 possessions.) You have teammates, Ben, and just because your weird, off-balance shots fall in sometimes does not mean any shot they might take is a bad one.
Referees- 10%
The flagrant foul issue is story for another day. And I understand Celtics fans are just as mad as Bulls fans. But just once I want to see Derrick get the respect Rondo is getting when he goes strong to the hole.
Absolved:
Tyrus (didn't play enough down the stretch, took less bad shots this game.)
Kirk (kept us in it in the first half.)
Salmons (nothing great, nothing terrible. Played good D on Pierce, just nothing more he could have done.)
Joakim (been an absolute beast this series.)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A Moron Says What?
So this blog isn't really supposed to launch yet, and would like to start it with a more formal introduction than the first part of a recurring feature, but I just heard something too stupid to let slide. Anyways, A Moron Says What? is going to be our FJM-style post where we call out idiots who are paid to write or talk about sports for imbecelic, indefensible opinions. There's no shortage of these out there to be found, but this is the worst I've heard in some time:
Petros Papadakis (introduced as a "TV and radio personality") on LeBron James:
You know me, I don't show up a sporting event, unless I'm being paid to be there.
Who the hell is paying you to be at sporting events?
Unless, LeBron James is in town, because I want to watch him! Because he's so big, he's so physical, he's like Natrone Means!
He just compared LeBron James to Natrone Means in a way that is supposed to be flattering to LeBron. Even Jim Rome (who I forsee becoming a regular part of this feature,) clowned him a minute later by asking "What, Marion Butts didn't want a piece that action?" Petros, however, was oblivious to the ridiculousness of his comparison.
In case you didn't grow up a Chargers fan in the mid-90s, here are Natrone Means' career numbers (all-time ranks in parentheses):
Yards: 5,215 (95, one behind Willis McGahee)
Rushing TDs: 45 (T-72)
Yards per Attempt: 3.7 (the list on pro-football reference stops after 4.0)
Yeah, that sounds like an apt comparison for a man with the potential to go down as the best player ever in his sport.
So, anyway, I apologize that the first post ever for this blog has nothing whatsoever to do with Chicago, and without other writers (some of whom don't even know they're writing for this blog yet.) I'm still aiming for a mid-May launch.
Petros Papadakis (introduced as a "TV and radio personality") on LeBron James:
You know me, I don't show up a sporting event, unless I'm being paid to be there.
Who the hell is paying you to be at sporting events?
Unless, LeBron James is in town, because I want to watch him! Because he's so big, he's so physical, he's like Natrone Means!
He just compared LeBron James to Natrone Means in a way that is supposed to be flattering to LeBron. Even Jim Rome (who I forsee becoming a regular part of this feature,) clowned him a minute later by asking "What, Marion Butts didn't want a piece that action?" Petros, however, was oblivious to the ridiculousness of his comparison.
In case you didn't grow up a Chargers fan in the mid-90s, here are Natrone Means' career numbers (all-time ranks in parentheses):
Yards: 5,215 (95, one behind Willis McGahee)
Rushing TDs: 45 (T-72)
Yards per Attempt: 3.7 (the list on pro-football reference stops after 4.0)
Yeah, that sounds like an apt comparison for a man with the potential to go down as the best player ever in his sport.
So, anyway, I apologize that the first post ever for this blog has nothing whatsoever to do with Chicago, and without other writers (some of whom don't even know they're writing for this blog yet.) I'm still aiming for a mid-May launch.
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