Hey, at least we don't have to make a second set of picks this time.
Standings, (finals pick in parentheses):
Julia 38 (Heat over Lakers)
Sam 36 (Bulls over Lakers)
BJ 34 (Lakers over Bulls)
Katz 34 (Bulls over Lakers)
Neal 34 (Bulls over Thunder) OKC- Por-Chi- Bos
Andy 32 (Bulls over Thunder) OKC- Dal-Chi- Mia
Tristan 29 (Bulls over Thunder) OKC- LA- Chi-Mia
Ball is Life 27 (Lakers over Heat)
Will 25 (Bulls over Thunder) OKC- Por-Chi-Mia
Conall 22 (Bulls over Thunder) OKC-LA-Chi-Mia
Rick Reilly 22 (Bulls over Lakers) HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
A little analysis:
Julia- has a nice lead, but basically lives and dies with the Heat, but if Heat make it to the finals with anyone besides the Lakers, she's in good shape.
Sam and Katz- Separated by 2, and only have one different pick the rest of the way (Sam has the Heat, Katz has the Celtics). So the other is basically eliminated after that (unless Sam is perfect with the bonus points the rest of the way)
BJ and BiL- BiL doesn't have enough unique number of games to catch BJ if it's Lakers-Celtics or (God-forbid) Lakers-Hawks, so he needs Lakers over Heat at this point. Lakers over anyone else is all BJ.
Everyone with Bulls over Thunder- Neal needs Boston to win the next round to make up for having a little too much faith in the Blazers, and then it'll come down to bonus points with either me (with Lakers over Mavs) or Andy (vice-versa). The Blazers' ineptitude eliminates Will as well. Conall could be perfect from here on out and not catch me (direct all blame to New York).
Rick Reilly- Eliminated, thanks to jumping late on the Nuggets' bandwagon. Again: HAHAHAHA!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Update
Here are the current standings:
Katz 21
Conall 20
Tristan 15
Will 11
Make your next round picks by tonight! That's when Vancouver and Nashville starts.
East
Washington over TB in 7
I think the Capitals are firing on all cylinders right now. I fully expect this to be a close, high-scoring series, but I think Ovi and company will pull it out.
Boston over Philly in 6
I know Boston needs to find some more offense somewhere, but I've decided that I'm going to mostly go with the better goalie in these picks, and Tim Thomas is doing his thing right now.
West
Vancouver over Nashville in 6
Again, better goalie, as I think Borat is as good as any goalie in the league when he's not playing the Blackhawks.
Detroit over San Jose in 5
Sorry, Niemi, I still don't have faith in the team in front of you, and Detroit has found another gear in these playoffs. I think they keep it up.
Katz 21
Conall 20
Tristan 15
Will 11
Make your next round picks by tonight! That's when Vancouver and Nashville starts.
East
Washington over TB in 7
I think the Capitals are firing on all cylinders right now. I fully expect this to be a close, high-scoring series, but I think Ovi and company will pull it out.
Boston over Philly in 6
I know Boston needs to find some more offense somewhere, but I've decided that I'm going to mostly go with the better goalie in these picks, and Tim Thomas is doing his thing right now.
West
Vancouver over Nashville in 6
Again, better goalie, as I think Borat is as good as any goalie in the league when he's not playing the Blackhawks.
Detroit over San Jose in 5
Sorry, Niemi, I still don't have faith in the team in front of you, and Detroit has found another gear in these playoffs. I think they keep it up.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Credit Where Credit is Due- Bulls/Pacers Game 5
It's been said numerous times yesterday and today, but it bears repeating. That was the performance we were waiting to see from the Bulls. Suffocating defense, creative offense, consistent jumpers, and finally the kind of swagger that's been on display all season (not to mention someone finally making a physical statement back in Indiana's direction.) The Bulls were firing on all cylinders.
With one notable exception.
I'm really not trying to be the turd in the punchbowl right now, but it was staggering the difference between the Bulls with Boozer on the floor and the Bulls with Gibson. I probably exaggerated a little last night when I said that Boozer playing only 16 minutes was the only reason we won, the way everyone else was playing they probably could have won in spite of more Boozer action, but man the difference was incredible. With Taj, every shot was contested, he found his way to the offensive glass, and was halfway competent on the offensive end, too. ESPN somehow only has him with 1 recorded block, which can't possibly be right, I remember him getting more than one block on the same possession.
Boozer is now where Ben Gordon was at a few years ago, where I'm actively rooting for him to be in foul trouble so he'll be on the bench, because he isn't really helping on the court. That really isn't what you want from your highest paid player. But enough of the negativity, let's get to the credit:
Taj- 35%
Taj hasn't had the greatest series up to this point, although it could be in part because of the lack of minutes. Either way, it was nice to see the Taj we knew in the regular season here. For some reason it seems like TT doesn't have a great amount of confidence in Taj, so hopefully this game can be the start of him at least evening up Taj and Boozer's minutes (although I've said that before.)
Bogans- 25%
I hate to toot my own horn (did I say hate? I meant love,) but I was probably one of the few people in Chicago that thought the solution to our offensive problems was more Bogans. 5-7 from downtown, and it seemed like every one of them, from the opening shot one, was a momentum killer for the Pacers and/or a jumpstart for the Bulls. Bogans hitting that open jumper is key to keeping the lane open for Derrick, so it couldn't have come at a better time, either.
Derrick- 10%
Speaking of excellent timing, I was quite nervous about Derrick's shot after the first half, but him finding his 3 ball in the second half is a great sign heading into the next series. Plus having a little time to rest his ankle is a nice bonus.
Joakim- 10%
While the antagonizing and physical play was nice, Jo's getting credit for the energy and defensive play we haven't seen much from his since before the ankle injury. Heck, his left hand hook shot looked as good as it has since before the hand injury, too. If it's the Hawks in the next round, we're going to need Jo to keep his old teammate Horford frustrated. And if it's the Magic, get Howard T'd up at least 3 times over the course of the series.
Deng- 10%
This could be much higher, considering Deng's final line of 24/6/7, 3 steals, 1 block, +31 (2nd to Jo's +34). But I kind of expect this from Deng nowadays. That's a damn good sign considering how I felt about Deng before the season started.
TT- 6%
I suppose TT could get more credit for keeping Boozer's ass on the bench, but he was helped by the foul situation. I wonder if TT would have had the stones to do that if Boozer wasn't in foul trouble. We'll probably find out soon, unfortunately.
CJ Watson- 3%
6 points, 7 assists, and not too many egregious mistakes. We're screwed if Derrick's less than 100%, but if CJ can just come in and play his game for 12 minutes, it'll go a long way to keeping Derrick fresh for the whole playoff run.
Fredo- 1%
Just for taking it to the hole strong for once, Fredo's getting a point. I like it.
With one notable exception.
I'm really not trying to be the turd in the punchbowl right now, but it was staggering the difference between the Bulls with Boozer on the floor and the Bulls with Gibson. I probably exaggerated a little last night when I said that Boozer playing only 16 minutes was the only reason we won, the way everyone else was playing they probably could have won in spite of more Boozer action, but man the difference was incredible. With Taj, every shot was contested, he found his way to the offensive glass, and was halfway competent on the offensive end, too. ESPN somehow only has him with 1 recorded block, which can't possibly be right, I remember him getting more than one block on the same possession.
Boozer is now where Ben Gordon was at a few years ago, where I'm actively rooting for him to be in foul trouble so he'll be on the bench, because he isn't really helping on the court. That really isn't what you want from your highest paid player. But enough of the negativity, let's get to the credit:
Taj- 35%
Taj hasn't had the greatest series up to this point, although it could be in part because of the lack of minutes. Either way, it was nice to see the Taj we knew in the regular season here. For some reason it seems like TT doesn't have a great amount of confidence in Taj, so hopefully this game can be the start of him at least evening up Taj and Boozer's minutes (although I've said that before.)
Bogans- 25%
I hate to toot my own horn (did I say hate? I meant love,) but I was probably one of the few people in Chicago that thought the solution to our offensive problems was more Bogans. 5-7 from downtown, and it seemed like every one of them, from the opening shot one, was a momentum killer for the Pacers and/or a jumpstart for the Bulls. Bogans hitting that open jumper is key to keeping the lane open for Derrick, so it couldn't have come at a better time, either.
Derrick- 10%
Speaking of excellent timing, I was quite nervous about Derrick's shot after the first half, but him finding his 3 ball in the second half is a great sign heading into the next series. Plus having a little time to rest his ankle is a nice bonus.
Joakim- 10%
While the antagonizing and physical play was nice, Jo's getting credit for the energy and defensive play we haven't seen much from his since before the ankle injury. Heck, his left hand hook shot looked as good as it has since before the hand injury, too. If it's the Hawks in the next round, we're going to need Jo to keep his old teammate Horford frustrated. And if it's the Magic, get Howard T'd up at least 3 times over the course of the series.
Deng- 10%
This could be much higher, considering Deng's final line of 24/6/7, 3 steals, 1 block, +31 (2nd to Jo's +34). But I kind of expect this from Deng nowadays. That's a damn good sign considering how I felt about Deng before the season started.
TT- 6%
I suppose TT could get more credit for keeping Boozer's ass on the bench, but he was helped by the foul situation. I wonder if TT would have had the stones to do that if Boozer wasn't in foul trouble. We'll probably find out soon, unfortunately.
CJ Watson- 3%
6 points, 7 assists, and not too many egregious mistakes. We're screwed if Derrick's less than 100%, but if CJ can just come in and play his game for 12 minutes, it'll go a long way to keeping Derrick fresh for the whole playoff run.
Fredo- 1%
Just for taking it to the hole strong for once, Fredo's getting a point. I like it.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Credit Where Credit is Due- Hawks/Nucks Game 6
Are the Hawks building us up just to dash our hopes? The good feeling I had after Smitty's shot went in lasted all of about an hour before I started worrying about the let down in Game 7. I shouldn't be this worried, after Game 3 I was completely ready to stop worrying about the Hawks and write this season off as the inevitability of our cap situation. But then Dave Bolland came back and re-energized the team, and the Hawks starting playing more physical, screening shots in front of Luongo and fighting for rebounds. (Jesse Rogers wants to give the credit to John Scott, which I'm pretty skeptical of.)
So I should really count this as a bonus. But I still want to win Game 7. Badly. I feel like if they can pull it off, it's all downhill from here, especially if the Sharks pull it out against the Kings. After the Canucks, the Sharks are supposed to scare me?
The Red Wings actually do scare me a little, so as long as the Hawks handle their business tomorrow night, I'll be rooting hard for the Sharks, and for the Preds to deal with the evil empire.
But first things first: win Game 7.
Credit:
Davey B.- 40%
I like how it's basically a given that if Bolland had been playing all series, it would be over by now. And it's not an exaggeration. Bolland's physical play led directly to the first goal and ability to be someone besides Kane/Toews/Sharp/Hossa to consistently finish led directly to the second goal. Ben Smith might have been the #1 star last night, since the guy with the winning goal almost always is, but the Hawks lose in regulation last night without Bolland.
Smitty- 25%
Right place, right time? Maybe, but hockey is all about being in the right place at the right time, and the great ones did it consistently. I'm not proclaiming Smitty the 2nd coming of the Great One, but I'm very excited for the rest of this playoff run, and seeing more of Smitty next year (Maybe on the Daydream Nation line? I like Sharp more at center anyway.)
Daydream Nation- 10%
The Canuck gameplan was obviously to shut down the superstars, as Toews wasn't able to get free all night. But both Toews and Kane more than made up for the ugly numbers in the scoresheet (-2 for JT, -1 for Kaner) by providing pressure and preoccupying the best Nuck defenders all night. There were a few missed opportunities (Toews had a chance to end the game about 5 minutes earlier but whiffed, I believe) but still a solid game overall.
Alain Vigneault- 10%
It's just a gut feeling I have, but I think we lose that game if he starts Luongo. Lu looked good for most of his time in the game, up until giving up that rebound at the end. And say what you will about Schneider, he made some good saves, but you know Luongo wouldn't have given up any goals like the first two by misplaying passes to defenders.
On top of that now Luongo has to start game 7 knowing his coach had no faith in him to win Game 6. Excellent.
Frolik- 5%
Not just for the penalty shot (although that was huge), but for flying all over the ice to the point Sam actually said "who is this kid...I like him!"
Also, please teach that double move to Kaner before next year's regular season, please.
Hossa- 5%
Yeah, Hossa didn't do much for most of the game, but the stick-handling to set up the winning goal was something not a lot of NHL players could pull off.
Craw- 5%
Anytime you get 12 saves in OT you deserve a little credit, even if all 3 of the goals were somewhat preventable. I still feel much better about the Hawks' goaltending situation than I'm sure anyone in Vancouver does right now.
I know I didn't have any blue liners on there, even though they played OK. Not spectacular like Games 4 and 5, though, so I just couldn't find any room. Next time, fellas.
So I should really count this as a bonus. But I still want to win Game 7. Badly. I feel like if they can pull it off, it's all downhill from here, especially if the Sharks pull it out against the Kings. After the Canucks, the Sharks are supposed to scare me?
The Red Wings actually do scare me a little, so as long as the Hawks handle their business tomorrow night, I'll be rooting hard for the Sharks, and for the Preds to deal with the evil empire.
But first things first: win Game 7.
Credit:
Davey B.- 40%
I like how it's basically a given that if Bolland had been playing all series, it would be over by now. And it's not an exaggeration. Bolland's physical play led directly to the first goal and ability to be someone besides Kane/Toews/Sharp/Hossa to consistently finish led directly to the second goal. Ben Smith might have been the #1 star last night, since the guy with the winning goal almost always is, but the Hawks lose in regulation last night without Bolland.
Smitty- 25%
Right place, right time? Maybe, but hockey is all about being in the right place at the right time, and the great ones did it consistently. I'm not proclaiming Smitty the 2nd coming of the Great One, but I'm very excited for the rest of this playoff run, and seeing more of Smitty next year (Maybe on the Daydream Nation line? I like Sharp more at center anyway.)
Daydream Nation- 10%
The Canuck gameplan was obviously to shut down the superstars, as Toews wasn't able to get free all night. But both Toews and Kane more than made up for the ugly numbers in the scoresheet (-2 for JT, -1 for Kaner) by providing pressure and preoccupying the best Nuck defenders all night. There were a few missed opportunities (Toews had a chance to end the game about 5 minutes earlier but whiffed, I believe) but still a solid game overall.
Alain Vigneault- 10%
It's just a gut feeling I have, but I think we lose that game if he starts Luongo. Lu looked good for most of his time in the game, up until giving up that rebound at the end. And say what you will about Schneider, he made some good saves, but you know Luongo wouldn't have given up any goals like the first two by misplaying passes to defenders.
On top of that now Luongo has to start game 7 knowing his coach had no faith in him to win Game 6. Excellent.
Frolik- 5%
Not just for the penalty shot (although that was huge), but for flying all over the ice to the point Sam actually said "who is this kid...I like him!"
Also, please teach that double move to Kaner before next year's regular season, please.
Hossa- 5%
Yeah, Hossa didn't do much for most of the game, but the stick-handling to set up the winning goal was something not a lot of NHL players could pull off.
Craw- 5%
Anytime you get 12 saves in OT you deserve a little credit, even if all 3 of the goals were somewhat preventable. I still feel much better about the Hawks' goaltending situation than I'm sure anyone in Vancouver does right now.
I know I didn't have any blue liners on there, even though they played OK. Not spectacular like Games 4 and 5, though, so I just couldn't find any room. Next time, fellas.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Blame Game- Bulls/Pacers Game 4
Let's get this out of the way before we start: I don't think there's any type of ref or league conspiracy or anything against the Bulls. It doesn't make sense at all. The Bulls are a MUCH bigger market and fan base, if anything the league should want the Bulls to advance and play the Magic (sorry, win a 3rd game before I believe in you, Hawks), and the Celtics/Heat winner. I think there were some bad calls made against the Bulls (both times Dunleavy went to the line for 3 shots, he wasn't fouled), and some against the Pacers (like when Derrick fell on his own on the way to the rim and they called it on Price). The refs weren't good, but they weren't to blame for this one. Who is to blame?
That God-Awful final play call- 35%
I know it's not fair to give a lot of blame to one play, that wouldn't even necessarily have won the game anyway, but there are so many levels of stupid on this play it's hard to swallow. Let me take you to my imaginary Harris Bank Telestrator.
Deng taking the ball out of bounds, the rest of the Bulls in a diamond shape with Korver at the top of the key, Derrick under the basket, and Noah and Booze on the elbows to set screens. (Go ahead and roll it) Derrick goes under Joakim's screen to the corner, Deng passes it to Jo on the wing. Question #1: Why is Derrick not getting the ball somewhere where he can work with the ball? Is this a play for a quick two, or a 3 all the way? Derrick sets Deng some kind of screen, then tries to get the ball from Noah, but Jones defends it well and now Derrick is sitting 5 feet behind the line with nothing to do, Deng is stuck in the corner, and Boozer and Fredo are hanging out on the other side of the court. Deng comes back, can't get the ball, and curls to the basket (alright, freeze it right there). Deng has the ball at the free throw line. Joakim and Derrick are useless on the near sideline, Fredo is open behind Deng but four feet behind the line. Boozer is wide open in the corner, because Jeff Foster is protecting the basket. Question #2: What is Boozer's purpose in this play? It can't possibly be for him to take a 3, right? He should be around the basket for rebounding purposes. If he was there right now, Deng and Boozer would basically have a 2-on-1 against Jeff Foster. Question #3: What if Rasual Butler was in there instead of Boozer? Foster couldn't leave him wide open (although I assume Vogel might have changed the personnel up in that case) and Deng would have an open lane to the basket. If the plan was to take a 3 the whole time, why wouldn't you have another spot up shooter out there? Hell, even Bogans would have been a good call there. (OK, go ahead and roll it) Deng lets Granger push him to the corner, Boozer takes a terrible 3, game over.
And that's your Harris Bank Telestrator.
Derrick? Or TT?- 30%
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop wrote an interesting piece this week on the topic of rest, primarily as it pertains to the Bulls. As a shooter sometimes you have an off day where everything is just a little off, but in various directions. And sometimes you have an off day where everything is just a little short. That's when you know you're tired. And as every single Derrick Rose jump shotst clanged off the front of the rim, I couldn't help think of that article, and all the times this season Derrick was still in the fucking game when we were up 20 on a team like the Raptors with 2 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. He did it with Luol, too. You can't blame the ankle, this has been happening all series. Derrick is now 5-29 from behind the arc in the series, and I'm willing to bet at least 20 of those 24 misses hit the front of the rim first.
The Bench Mob (except for Fredo)- 20%
Or should we call Foster, McRoberts, Price, Jones, and Dunleavy the new Bench Mob? Our guys have been outscored 128-84. Take away Fredo's points and they only have 45. Taj has been bad on both ends. TBN hasn't been doing TBN things since game 1. CJ has been playing tentative and scared. Big Sexy has been...well he's been about the same. I wonder how much of it has to do with the reduced minutes (especially in TBN's case. He doesn't seem to be in the flow of the game at all anymore, and I haven't seen him sneak along the baseline more than once this whole series.) Either way, this is supposed to be a strength, so they really need to step it up if we're going to compete for an Eastern Conference title.
The Bigs- 10%
Somehow, when all was said and done, the Bulls outrebounded the Pacers by 1 this game? Does that surprise you? It surprised the hell out of me. Jeff Foster pulled down 7 offensive rebounds, some of them with Boozer just standing there watching. And it wasn't just Boozer, he made Kurt and Joakim look bad when they were supposed to be boxing him out as well. The Pacers big men are a class beneath our guys. I will take Noah and Boozer over Hibbert and Hansbrough any day, but we're not really attacking them and making them play good D. Maybe some of that was Derrick's ankle today, but on one of the many Luol drives to the basket in the 4th I yelled at the TV "Why the FUCK haven't we been doing this all game?!?!?" Attacking the basket will always be there, so let's not get away from it in Game 5.
That 3-on-1 with 1:13 left- 5%
I know Derrick wants to accelerate and finish like normal, but he clearly couldn't today. So please, Derrick, recognize that you have two trailers and dish it to one of them. And trailers (Booze and Fredo), maybe let him know you're there. A basket there would have cut it to 5 with over a minute left, and they probably wouldn't have had to foul at all.
Absolved-
Luol Deng- What the hell else was he supposed to do? Except maybe start attacking the basket like that sooner.
Joakim- 21 and 14 and about all our heart, as usual. The silver lining of this loss is that I expect Joakim and Derrick to be so pissed about it they leave absolutely no doubt in Game 5.
Bogans- Bogans did everything he was supposed to do. I would have maybe liked to see them rotate to him a little more, since nothing else was working.
That God-Awful final play call- 35%
I know it's not fair to give a lot of blame to one play, that wouldn't even necessarily have won the game anyway, but there are so many levels of stupid on this play it's hard to swallow. Let me take you to my imaginary Harris Bank Telestrator.
Deng taking the ball out of bounds, the rest of the Bulls in a diamond shape with Korver at the top of the key, Derrick under the basket, and Noah and Booze on the elbows to set screens. (Go ahead and roll it) Derrick goes under Joakim's screen to the corner, Deng passes it to Jo on the wing. Question #1: Why is Derrick not getting the ball somewhere where he can work with the ball? Is this a play for a quick two, or a 3 all the way? Derrick sets Deng some kind of screen, then tries to get the ball from Noah, but Jones defends it well and now Derrick is sitting 5 feet behind the line with nothing to do, Deng is stuck in the corner, and Boozer and Fredo are hanging out on the other side of the court. Deng comes back, can't get the ball, and curls to the basket (alright, freeze it right there). Deng has the ball at the free throw line. Joakim and Derrick are useless on the near sideline, Fredo is open behind Deng but four feet behind the line. Boozer is wide open in the corner, because Jeff Foster is protecting the basket. Question #2: What is Boozer's purpose in this play? It can't possibly be for him to take a 3, right? He should be around the basket for rebounding purposes. If he was there right now, Deng and Boozer would basically have a 2-on-1 against Jeff Foster. Question #3: What if Rasual Butler was in there instead of Boozer? Foster couldn't leave him wide open (although I assume Vogel might have changed the personnel up in that case) and Deng would have an open lane to the basket. If the plan was to take a 3 the whole time, why wouldn't you have another spot up shooter out there? Hell, even Bogans would have been a good call there. (OK, go ahead and roll it) Deng lets Granger push him to the corner, Boozer takes a terrible 3, game over.
And that's your Harris Bank Telestrator.
Derrick? Or TT?- 30%
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop wrote an interesting piece this week on the topic of rest, primarily as it pertains to the Bulls. As a shooter sometimes you have an off day where everything is just a little off, but in various directions. And sometimes you have an off day where everything is just a little short. That's when you know you're tired. And as every single Derrick Rose jump shotst clanged off the front of the rim, I couldn't help think of that article, and all the times this season Derrick was still in the fucking game when we were up 20 on a team like the Raptors with 2 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. He did it with Luol, too. You can't blame the ankle, this has been happening all series. Derrick is now 5-29 from behind the arc in the series, and I'm willing to bet at least 20 of those 24 misses hit the front of the rim first.
The Bench Mob (except for Fredo)- 20%
Or should we call Foster, McRoberts, Price, Jones, and Dunleavy the new Bench Mob? Our guys have been outscored 128-84. Take away Fredo's points and they only have 45. Taj has been bad on both ends. TBN hasn't been doing TBN things since game 1. CJ has been playing tentative and scared. Big Sexy has been...well he's been about the same. I wonder how much of it has to do with the reduced minutes (especially in TBN's case. He doesn't seem to be in the flow of the game at all anymore, and I haven't seen him sneak along the baseline more than once this whole series.) Either way, this is supposed to be a strength, so they really need to step it up if we're going to compete for an Eastern Conference title.
The Bigs- 10%
Somehow, when all was said and done, the Bulls outrebounded the Pacers by 1 this game? Does that surprise you? It surprised the hell out of me. Jeff Foster pulled down 7 offensive rebounds, some of them with Boozer just standing there watching. And it wasn't just Boozer, he made Kurt and Joakim look bad when they were supposed to be boxing him out as well. The Pacers big men are a class beneath our guys. I will take Noah and Boozer over Hibbert and Hansbrough any day, but we're not really attacking them and making them play good D. Maybe some of that was Derrick's ankle today, but on one of the many Luol drives to the basket in the 4th I yelled at the TV "Why the FUCK haven't we been doing this all game?!?!?" Attacking the basket will always be there, so let's not get away from it in Game 5.
That 3-on-1 with 1:13 left- 5%
I know Derrick wants to accelerate and finish like normal, but he clearly couldn't today. So please, Derrick, recognize that you have two trailers and dish it to one of them. And trailers (Booze and Fredo), maybe let him know you're there. A basket there would have cut it to 5 with over a minute left, and they probably wouldn't have had to foul at all.
Absolved-
Luol Deng- What the hell else was he supposed to do? Except maybe start attacking the basket like that sooner.
Joakim- 21 and 14 and about all our heart, as usual. The silver lining of this loss is that I expect Joakim and Derrick to be so pissed about it they leave absolutely no doubt in Game 5.
Bogans- Bogans did everything he was supposed to do. I would have maybe liked to see them rotate to him a little more, since nothing else was working.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Bulls-Pacer Game 2 Liveblog
Stupid first round. This is the only game out of the first 4 I'm going to be able to watch live. This will change in the later rounds, at least.
First time? Be patient after your first comment, for me to set you up, but after that you should be able to comment at will.
First time? Be patient after your first comment, for me to set you up, but after that you should be able to comment at will.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Credit Where Credit is Due- Bulls/Pacers Game 1
I was all ready to write a blame game for this one. There was so much to go around, I was going to have to go to decimals.
Then Derrick Rose happened.
Again.
Don't get me wrong, Derrick's not getting all the credit, but there's no way we win that game without Derrick's trademark fire. You know what, fuck this not-comparing-him-to-Jordan crap. Let's bring it out. More than anyone since 23, when Derrick decides to win a game, only the basketball gods can stop him. Kobe does it sometimes, but Mr. 6-for-24 doesn't know how to do it while getting his teammates to rise to the occasion. Lebron looked like he might be able to do it around when he dropped 23 in a row on the Pistons, but then Delonte West met Gloria James, and we all know the rest.
In crunch time, Derrick changes everything about the game. It doesn't matter how hot you are, like Hansbrough and Granger learned tonight. You know exactly what's going to happen, and you can't stop it anyway.
Your 2011 MVP- 50%
Because of a freezing cold track meet I had to watch the game on delay by myself at home. After deftly avoiding the score all day (any student who told me anything about the game today would be running the mile for the next 4 meets), I came home with the radio and my phone off and put the game on. Despite my complete isolation, when Derrick made the and-1 on Hibbert, then pounded his chest in front of the home crowd, I jumped around on the couch like a 5-year old that's why there are pillows everywhere, Sam), and could probably be heard at the bar down the street. Derrick turns you into a little kid watching basketball again. I love it. I love him. I have no qualms about announcing this to the world.
Luol Deng- 20%
All that being said, I think that maybe the most important moment in the game was Luol Deng picking up the tech when Hansbrough fouled Derrick with about 5 minutes left, and getting the crowd fired up. Jon Barry was right that it was just a good hard foul, not even that hard really, but was completely wrong about Deng needing to keep his cool. Deng brought the toughness that (most of) the Bulls used the rest of the game, and finally got a disappointingly quiet crowd to life, both of those factors would have been worth the point even if Collison had made the free throw.
Deng also gets credit for some clutch shots in the 2nd half and excellent individual D on Granger in the 1st half, but loses some for his help D. Too late on rotations in the first half.
Joakim Noah- 15%
The Bulls were outhustled in the first half, which is completely unacceptable. It changed when Jo started crashing the offensive boards and being the toughest guy on the floor on D. Jo beating everyone down the floor, and Derrick hitting him for the dunk to cut it to 4 was the point I knew we were winning this game. The Bulls need this Joakim every night (and hopefully for more than 30 minutes) to be able to beat the better Eastern Conference teams.
Fredo- 12%
Fredo is usually the +/- whipping boy, but he led the Bulls with a +13 tonight, in no small part due to his decent effort defensively on Paul George, and of course the 4 for 4 from beyond the arc.
Big Sexy- 5%
I think 24 minutes for Sexy is a little much, but he certainly picked up the defense and rebounding when he was in the game without outright hurting them offensively. There were a few slow rotations or jump outs on Hansbrough, but not nearly as much as Boozer, and I'd say his +11 shows he was certainly came out on the right side of the balance sheet.
TBN- 3%
Nothing about Ronnie's stat line will jump out, but he continued to do the little things, get loose balls, disrupt passing lanes, and do all the TBN things that make him valuable.
No Credit
TT's Rotations- While Big Sexy was good tonight, I still think 24 minutes for Kurt to 3 for Turkish might come back to hurt us later. We are going to need Asik to play big in the Orlando series (or the Atlanta series, if it comes to that.) Not to mention the Pacers were getting too many offensive rebounds. You know who has the best rebound rate on the Bulls after Noah? Turkish D.
TT's Defensive Strategy- TT is usually much better at adjusting his gameplan quickly. So why the hell did it take so long for the Bulls to stop letting Collison and Price go through screens completely free? After the 5th three-pointer, maybe they could have had someone show over the top? I think this is the big reason we were down the whole first half.
Negative Credit(like, I'm taking points from a previous assignment for this crap)
Carlos Boozer- -5% Savvy mathematicians would notice that the previous percentages add up to 105%. That's because they needed to overcome whatever the hell Boozer was doing on the court all day. 4-11 from the field (and those 7 misses were mostly dumb shots), 4 turnovers, 5 fouls, and someone of the worst defense I've seen Boozer play all year. Not even just slow or weak, but also disinterested, which is unacceptable. In the first quarter the Pacers get a fastbreak oop on a turnover where Paul George is about 20 feet behind Boozer when the break starts and beats him to the basket by a good 15 feet. Then the whole second half Hansbrough had open jumper after open jumper where Boozer gets caught in no man's land between helping and not. In a way, we might have had a Ben Gordon situation where his 5 fouls helped us, since he might have cost us this game if he played more than 26 minutes tonight. Get it together, Boozer. Quickly.
Game 2 Liveblog Monday night. Set your calendar accordingly.
Then Derrick Rose happened.
Again.
Don't get me wrong, Derrick's not getting all the credit, but there's no way we win that game without Derrick's trademark fire. You know what, fuck this not-comparing-him-to-Jordan crap. Let's bring it out. More than anyone since 23, when Derrick decides to win a game, only the basketball gods can stop him. Kobe does it sometimes, but Mr. 6-for-24 doesn't know how to do it while getting his teammates to rise to the occasion. Lebron looked like he might be able to do it around when he dropped 23 in a row on the Pistons, but then Delonte West met Gloria James, and we all know the rest.
In crunch time, Derrick changes everything about the game. It doesn't matter how hot you are, like Hansbrough and Granger learned tonight. You know exactly what's going to happen, and you can't stop it anyway.
Your 2011 MVP- 50%
Because of a freezing cold track meet I had to watch the game on delay by myself at home. After deftly avoiding the score all day (any student who told me anything about the game today would be running the mile for the next 4 meets), I came home with the radio and my phone off and put the game on. Despite my complete isolation, when Derrick made the and-1 on Hibbert, then pounded his chest in front of the home crowd, I jumped around on the couch like a 5-year old that's why there are pillows everywhere, Sam), and could probably be heard at the bar down the street. Derrick turns you into a little kid watching basketball again. I love it. I love him. I have no qualms about announcing this to the world.
Luol Deng- 20%
All that being said, I think that maybe the most important moment in the game was Luol Deng picking up the tech when Hansbrough fouled Derrick with about 5 minutes left, and getting the crowd fired up. Jon Barry was right that it was just a good hard foul, not even that hard really, but was completely wrong about Deng needing to keep his cool. Deng brought the toughness that (most of) the Bulls used the rest of the game, and finally got a disappointingly quiet crowd to life, both of those factors would have been worth the point even if Collison had made the free throw.
Deng also gets credit for some clutch shots in the 2nd half and excellent individual D on Granger in the 1st half, but loses some for his help D. Too late on rotations in the first half.
Joakim Noah- 15%
The Bulls were outhustled in the first half, which is completely unacceptable. It changed when Jo started crashing the offensive boards and being the toughest guy on the floor on D. Jo beating everyone down the floor, and Derrick hitting him for the dunk to cut it to 4 was the point I knew we were winning this game. The Bulls need this Joakim every night (and hopefully for more than 30 minutes) to be able to beat the better Eastern Conference teams.
Fredo- 12%
Fredo is usually the +/- whipping boy, but he led the Bulls with a +13 tonight, in no small part due to his decent effort defensively on Paul George, and of course the 4 for 4 from beyond the arc.
Big Sexy- 5%
I think 24 minutes for Sexy is a little much, but he certainly picked up the defense and rebounding when he was in the game without outright hurting them offensively. There were a few slow rotations or jump outs on Hansbrough, but not nearly as much as Boozer, and I'd say his +11 shows he was certainly came out on the right side of the balance sheet.
TBN- 3%
Nothing about Ronnie's stat line will jump out, but he continued to do the little things, get loose balls, disrupt passing lanes, and do all the TBN things that make him valuable.
No Credit
TT's Rotations- While Big Sexy was good tonight, I still think 24 minutes for Kurt to 3 for Turkish might come back to hurt us later. We are going to need Asik to play big in the Orlando series (or the Atlanta series, if it comes to that.) Not to mention the Pacers were getting too many offensive rebounds. You know who has the best rebound rate on the Bulls after Noah? Turkish D.
TT's Defensive Strategy- TT is usually much better at adjusting his gameplan quickly. So why the hell did it take so long for the Bulls to stop letting Collison and Price go through screens completely free? After the 5th three-pointer, maybe they could have had someone show over the top? I think this is the big reason we were down the whole first half.
Negative Credit(like, I'm taking points from a previous assignment for this crap)
Carlos Boozer- -5% Savvy mathematicians would notice that the previous percentages add up to 105%. That's because they needed to overcome whatever the hell Boozer was doing on the court all day. 4-11 from the field (and those 7 misses were mostly dumb shots), 4 turnovers, 5 fouls, and someone of the worst defense I've seen Boozer play all year. Not even just slow or weak, but also disinterested, which is unacceptable. In the first quarter the Pacers get a fastbreak oop on a turnover where Paul George is about 20 feet behind Boozer when the break starts and beats him to the basket by a good 15 feet. Then the whole second half Hansbrough had open jumper after open jumper where Boozer gets caught in no man's land between helping and not. In a way, we might have had a Ben Gordon situation where his 5 fouls helped us, since he might have cost us this game if he played more than 26 minutes tonight. Get it together, Boozer. Quickly.
Game 2 Liveblog Monday night. Set your calendar accordingly.
Friday, April 15, 2011
The New Unofficial Chitownsports Contributor
Her name is Mare Bear. She is awesome. Unfortunately she has disabled embedding on her video, so you'll have to click on the link.
Tell it like it is, Mare Bear. Tell it like it is.
Tell it like it is, Mare Bear. Tell it like it is.
Rick Reilly Has Entered the Pick Challenge!
I don't know what's worse: Reilly entered the pick challenge 4th, ahead of most of you lazy assholes, or the fact that his picks are remarkably close to my own.
But just because we agree on most of the outcomes doesn't mean Reilly's not going to express his picks quite stupidly. Just watch.
But just because we agree on most of the outcomes doesn't mean Reilly's not going to express his picks quite stupidly. Just watch.
NBA playoffs: Predictions and dreams
These are happy days.
Not when you keep insisting on writing basketball articles for some strange reason.
For one thing, I get to type the phrase "Barry Bonds, convicted felon" the rest of my life.
Technically, yes, and I'm not a Barry Bonds fan either, but he was only convicted on the least of the charges. He'll probably just get a few months of home confinement. Not worth gloating over, really.
For two, I'm quite sure I'll never need to spell the name Charl Schwartzel again.
Now I know less about golf than Reilly does about basketball, but how are you absolutely certain the guy is never going to do anything important again? Is he Mormon?
For three, I can chart exactly how the NBA playoffs are going to go down. I'm about to make your bookie drink Natty Lights until Christmas. You're welcome.
FIRST ROUND
New Orleans Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers -- Forget it. Without David West, even Chris Paul on a "Limitless" pill can't win two games in this series. Lakers in 5, and Paul calls Student Movers the next day.
I had to google "Limitless". That movie passed entirely below my consciousness. You're 0 for 1, Reilly.
Did I dream that? In a gesture of reconciliation toward national gay and lesbian rights groups, Kobe wears Nike Rainbow Dunks.
0 for 2. The first time I read through this, I didn't get the hook of the article until about halfway through. These weren't even registering as jokes.
Denver Nuggets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder -- The Thunder, everybody's cool new kid in class, is about to get a wedgie in front of the whole playground. Since the Nuggets traded Melo on Feb. 21, they've been the third-winningest team in the league (.720). They have double-kick-start Tar Heel point guards who can drive, score or feed to six other scorers. Who you gonna guard on the last shot? Nuggets in 7, proving George Karl should've been Coach of the Year.
Ho.Ly. Crap. You are really going to do that less than two months after this? You ripped one of those two Tar Heel point guards, and three of those six other scorers. You called them "The four best mountain climbers in Nebraska". Has your tune changed now that you've actually, I don't know, seen them play? Maybe you shouldn't have written a knee-jerk reaction piece with no research done whatsoever. But that would require actually doing some work.
Did I dream that? So many points are scored at Oklahoma City Arena in Game 2, everybody gets eight tacos.
So they're going to score 800 points? You do know the Thunder are much improved on defense with Kenrick Perkins now, right? Or am I just informing you Kendrick Perkins was traded to the Thunder?
Or do you not even know who Kendrick Perkins is? I'm going with this one.
Memphis Grizzlies vs. San Antonio Spurs -- Never pick a team with Zach Randolph on it. He has an extra punk chromosome. What's remarkable is that Memphis coach Lionel Hollins looked like a guy TRYING to lose so he could play the Spurs in the first round. Hollins is like Phil Mickelson with two drivers. He thinks too much. Spurs in 6.
Golf reference #2, along with more insightful basketball analysis from 2003. I'm sure you haven't seen Zach Randolph play this year, but for whatever reason he's actually trying. And Memphis wasn't shy at all about the fact that they'd rather match up with the Spurs than the Lakers. The Spurs are a little banged up right now (and Bynum wasn't hurt at the time).
Did I dream that? Manu Ginobili flops so bad in Game 5 he gets a yellow card.
Let's see if Reilly can shoehorn in a reference to every other sport in this column somewhere.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Dallas Mavericks -- What do Oasis, Winona Ryder and the Mavericks have in common? They're massive underachievers. When Dallas loses this one, it'll be four first-round punch-outs in the last five playoffs. Portland in 7, and let's see if anybody in Dallas has the nerve to call out Mark Cuban, cyberbully.
Oasis and Winona Ryder. That's what the whippersnappers are talking about these days, right?
Did I dream that? In attempting to break an attendance record, Cuban gets arrested by the Dallas Fire Department for using Jerry Jones' temporary Super Bowl seats.
What did Cuban do to Reilly? No, seriously.
Indiana Pacers vs. Chicago Bulls -- Indiana relies on Roy Hibbert. Chicago relies on Derrick Rose. Roy Hibbert leaves his feet and you can almost get a magazine under his shoes. Derrick Rose leaves his feet, makes a ham-and-cheese omelette, and still gets the hoop. Derrick Rose is the most thrilling player in the NBA and this is a very delicious era in the NBA. Chicago in 4.
So of all the matchups in this series, you decided the deciding one would be Derrick Rose's jumping ability vs. Roy Hibbert's? Not Deng vs. Danny Granger on the wing? Not whether Boozer shows up on D against Hansbrough in the post? No, it's coming down to Rose's hops. Take it to your Natty Lite drinking bookie!
Did I dream that? An angry Michael Jordan announces his comeback at halftime of Game 2, spurred by Rose not saying hello to him during warm-ups.
...huh?
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat -- The Heat are fueled by emotion more than any other team in the league. The world will be watching them in this series. Every time the Heat have been written off, they've gathered themselves. They've won eight of their last 10 and are rolling -- for now. Miami in 5, and then it gets nasty.
...You can't name a single player on the 76ers, can you?
Did I dream that? At the Philadelphia Four Seasons, Gloria James' car is retrieved in record time.
I don't get this one, either.
Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic -- Two odd teams. Orlando shoots jumpers even though it has Dwight Howard.
And a bunch of very good three point shooters.
Atlanta shoots jumpers even though it has Josh Smith.
Yeah, they probably shouldn't.
Atlanta is the quittingest team in the league. Orlando in 6.
Did I dream that? At halftime of Game 4, Howard balances 18 Taipei gymnasts on his shoulders.
These Eastern Conference jokes are the opposite of funny.
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics -- Boston is the John McCain of these playoffs. Great story, good ideas, too old. If New York had just one more big, it could win this, but it insisted on Chauncey Billups instead. Plus, Rajon Rondo is a god. Boston in 6, Southies throw wicked rager.
I thought Chauncey Billups was the key to all that is good and holy in Denver, and could do no wrong. And Timothy Mozgov, the "one more big" you mentioned, doesn't actually exist. You wrote these things two months ago.
Did I dream that? Knicks guard Landry Fields has five steals in the game, two of them from Carmelo Anthony.
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
Denver vs. San Antonio -- The Spurs were a great dynasty, but they are collapsing from within. Their center cannot hold. Tim Duncan will be 35 by this series and wearing down, bone on bone, spitting sawdust, tilting as he walks. The New Nuggets, growing stronger with every week they're together, take the No. 1 offense in the NBA and make it better. Denver's Psychology Today centerfold J.R. Smith can either be a disaster or a miracle in this series, but here he parts the seas. Denver in 7, David Stern pukes.
That 2nd to last sentence is the worst thing ever written. And why do you think Stern would puke? You think he wants San Antonio and their small market in the finals every year, no matter what he may say publicly? Everyone is jumping on the Denver bandwagon, they're a great story. I'm sure the NBA would love a Denver-Chicago final over anything other than LA vs. Chicago/Boston/Miami/New York.
Did I dream that? Carmelo's request to be traded back is denied.
Portland vs. Los Angeles -- Yes, Portland is long, but have you seen the Lakers? It's like trying to shoot in the Muir Woods. Their two 7-footers make Brandon Roy weep for Greg Oden. Look out -- the Lakers are getting better as the playoffs get deeper, as usual. Lakers in 5.
Golf reference #3, I think? And I'd take Aldridge over Gasol at this point. The Lakers will win because of Kobe, not Gasol. And I'd be a little worried if I was the Lakers here.
Did I dream that? Lakers forward Lamar Odom takes time during Game 2 to quickly smooch fiancée reality-star Khloe Kardashian, only to realize it's actually Blazers forward Luke Babbitt.
You looked Luke Babbitt up. Don't lie, Reilly.
Orlando vs. Chicago -- Chicago was 10 games better than the Magic in the regular season. Granted, this isn't the regular season, which is the point. Rose gets more hell-bent in the playoffs. And do you really want to bet on a team that reserves a significant role for Gilbert Arenas? Chicago in 6.
Did I dream that? In Game 3, Rose scores 42 points, 11 of them after being Tasered by Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy.
Is this because Van Gundy looks vaguely like a cop? Because of the stache? Lazy effort.
Boston vs. Miami -- The showcase series of the playoffs. So many stars, some are in the third row. Rondo locks up Dwyane Wade, but LeBron, making up for the hot mess he put on in the 2010 playoffs, averages 38 and 8 and three new dance moves a night. Boston might've won this if it'd known Shaq was going to be the first superstar to retire and still show up for games. Miami in 7.
They really shouldn't have relied on Shaq. That was pretty stupid.
Did I dream that? Kevin Garnett bangs his forehead on the stanchion afterward.
CONFERENCE FINALS
Denver vs. Los Angeles -- This one is as one-sided as The Falkland Islands War. The Nuggets are toast from two seven-game series and the Lakers still haven't been pushed to a sixth game. Lakers in 5.
Another timely reference there, Reilly. Now shoehorn some more golf in, somehow.
Did I dream that? Phil Jackson, on the brink of retiring, loses his cool afterward, barking, "Do you realize I'm going for my fourth three-peat? That means I'll have had four times as many three-peats as Coach of the Year Awards! Nice going, writers. You morons could screw up a Cuban election."
Aren't you a writer? God I hope you don't actually have a vote.
Miami vs. Chicago -- With home-court advantage, the Bulls weather the wave after wave of attacks on Rose. Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer dominate the Heat's weakness in the paint. Pat Riley is so upset he actually gets a gray hair. Bulls in 7. Bye, bye Superfriends.
Did I dream that? To mock LeBron James' continued failures with buzzer-beaters, thousands of Cleveland fans attend Game 5 and hold up a giant "The Frozen One" banner.
There's no way there will be thousands of tickets available for a Game 5 in Chicago, but if there were, I hope the citizens of Cleveland could come up with a better joke than that.
FINALS
Los Angeles vs. Chicago -- The Lakers fall apart like a Jenga tower. Andrew Bynum's legs give out. Kobe's shoulder gives out. Pau Gasol's knee gives out. Rose is so quick and full of energy against the Lakers, he looks like a squirrel trapped inside an assisted living home. Bulls in 6, Rose in full bloom.
Don't need to dream that.
I only have three series different than Reilly, Thunder over Nuggets, then Spurs, then Lakers. I almost want to go back and change all my other picks now. Great.Thursday, April 14, 2011
NBA Pick Challenge
Alright, here's the one you've been waiting for.
Finally a league that doesn't reseed, and we can pick every round in advance, then sit back and enjoy. Scoring is 5 points times the round, so 5-10-15-20, for you non-math-minded folk. Also pick how long every series will last for 2 bonus points. As there's an excellent chance everybody will pick a similar champion whose name rhymes with the schmicago pulls, it will probably come down to bonus points. You need to get the team correct in order to get the bonus points, but in later rounds, the team they beat does not necessarily have to be correct. (for example, you picked the Lakers over the Spurs in 6 for the western conference finals, and the Lakers end up beating the Thunder in 6, you still get the bonus points.)
Make your picks in the comments by Saturday morning. I'm way too tired right now to provide analysis, but it's coming later.
Round 1 West
Spurs over Grizzlies in 7
Thunder over Nuggets in 7
Blazers over Mavs in 6
Lakers over Hornets in 6
Round 1 East
Bulls over Pacers in 4
Magic over Hawks in 6
Celtics over Knicks in 6
Heat over Sixers in 5
Round 2 West
Thunder over Spurs in 7
Lakers over Blazers in 6
Round 2 East
Bulls over Magic in 6
Heat over Celtics in 6
Conference Finals
Thunder over Lakers in 6
Bulls over Heat in 7
Finals
Bulls over Thunder in 6
Finally a league that doesn't reseed, and we can pick every round in advance, then sit back and enjoy. Scoring is 5 points times the round, so 5-10-15-20, for you non-math-minded folk. Also pick how long every series will last for 2 bonus points. As there's an excellent chance everybody will pick a similar champion whose name rhymes with the schmicago pulls, it will probably come down to bonus points. You need to get the team correct in order to get the bonus points, but in later rounds, the team they beat does not necessarily have to be correct. (for example, you picked the Lakers over the Spurs in 6 for the western conference finals, and the Lakers end up beating the Thunder in 6, you still get the bonus points.)
Make your picks in the comments by Saturday morning. I'm way too tired right now to provide analysis, but it's coming later.
Round 1 West
Spurs over Grizzlies in 7
Thunder over Nuggets in 7
Blazers over Mavs in 6
Lakers over Hornets in 6
Round 1 East
Bulls over Pacers in 4
Magic over Hawks in 6
Celtics over Knicks in 6
Heat over Sixers in 5
Round 2 West
Thunder over Spurs in 7
Lakers over Blazers in 6
Round 2 East
Bulls over Magic in 6
Heat over Celtics in 6
Conference Finals
Thunder over Lakers in 6
Bulls over Heat in 7
Finals
Bulls over Thunder in 6
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Baseball Games Should be Black Tie Only! And Other Stupidity...
By now I'm sure you've heard about Giants fan who was beaten into a coma by drunken idiots at a Dodgers game. As it's a few days later now, you might have also heard about this article from a different kind of idiot that will try to place the blame squarely on the jersey. Maybe even more than the Reilly articles, this one is going to break my online thesaurus here when it comes to looking up synonyms for "stupid".
It's probably safe to say that the two "Dodgers" were high on something or things, but somewhere in their sick, juvenile minds, they probably also thought they were doing their duty as Dodger fans.
Know when you've outgrown the uniform
Maybe it's time for sports fans to grow up.
I know, right? It's not like sports is about tapping into your inner child or anything. Sports is to be enjoyed maturely, like a snifter of brandy (I don't know what that means).
I know, right? It's not like sports is about tapping into your inner child or anything. Sports is to be enjoyed maturely, like a snifter of brandy (I don't know what that means).
As I'm writing this, Bryan Stow, a 42-year-old paramedic with two kids from Santa Cruz, is in a medically induced coma in a Los Angeles hospital with a fractured skull and serious brain injuries.
Part of his skull had to be removed to allow for the swelling of his brain.
Stow went to the Los Angeles Dodgers' home opener on April 1 wearing a San Francisco Giants jersey. That was obviously too much for two 20-something men wearing Dodger blue to handle. Witnesses say that after the game, they came up on Stow from behind in the parking lot, knocked him down and kicked him as they spewed expletives about the San Francisco Giants.
Indefensible, you say? Sounds like a challenge to John Steigerwald.
They were protecting Dodger turf.
(chomps cigar)"yah, see, we gotta defend our turf from dem boot-licking Giants fans and theys shenanigans. The whole lotta dem is a box a muffins"
Just before he was beaten to within an inch of his life, Stow texted some friends and said that he was "scared inside the stadium."
As he should have been for having the audacity to support his team, right Steigerwald?
Maybe someone can ask Stow, if he ever comes out of his coma, why he thought it was a good idea to wear Giants' gear to a Dodgers' home opener when there was a history of out-of-control drunkenness and arrests at that event going back several years.
Since when are the Dodgers the baseball Oakland Raiders? I thought the m.o. of the Dodgers was that their fans didn't show up until the 3rd and left in the 6th, not that they like to beat fans senseless for no good reason.
Remember when it was the kids who were wearing the team jerseys to games? It was a common sight to see an adult male coming through the turnstile dressed as a regular human being with a kid dressed in a "real" jersey holding his hand.
Cute.
I'm 29, but as far back as I remember, adults have been wearing jerseys to games. I will say it's a higher percentage than it used to be (I'd estimate between 50-75%, if you count jersey t-shirts). But it sounds like Steigerwald is pining for the days when everyone came to the game dressed in suits:
Are the 42-year-olds who find it necessary to wear their replica jerseys to a road game, those kids who are now fathers who haven't grown up?
Can't you all be mature like John Steigerwald, and wear fedoras everywhere?
Are there really 40-something men who think that wearing the jersey makes them part of the team? It was cute when a 10-year-old kid got that feeling by showing up at Three Rivers Stadium in a Pirates jersey, but when did little boys stop growing out of that?
Yes, I'm sure that's why Stow, and all other adults, wear baseball jerseys. I certainly feel like it when I put my Cubs gear on, walk into Wrigley Field, and head straight to the Cubs' dugout.
Here's tip for you if you actually think that wearing your team's jersey makes you a part of the team:
It doesn't.
Wait, what?
The team is those guys down on the field, ice or court who are, you know, actually playing the games. They like the noise you make as a group, and they love playing in front of you. If you're an adult, and you approach them in a replica game jersey with their name on it and your face is painted, you scare them.
Actually, I think you only scare them if you're the type of fan that likes to beat people into comas, which is still fortunately less than 0.0000001% of all baseball fans.
If you don't put that jersey on in the locker room with them and have your own name on your jersey, you're not one of them.
1. I had to read this sentence three times to figure out what you were trying to say.
2. You've made this point repeatedly already.
3. In case my sarcasm above wasn't perfectly clear, WE GET IT. We're not on the team. That's NOT the point of wearing a jersey. Wearing a jersey to a game is about supporting your team, and sometimes getting a kick out of seeing the random fan in the throwback Shawon Dunston jersey.
Let's review: If you're sitting in the stands, you're a spectator, a fan. If you're down on he field, you're part of the team.
"Garbage in garbage can. Hmm, makes sense." (I just spent way too long looking for the picture that goes with that quote, to no avail.)
Obviously, not every fan who wears his team's jersey to a game is looking for someone from "the enemy" to beat up. But maybe somebody should do a psychological study to find out if all those game jerseys have contributed to the new mob mentality that seems to exist in the stands these days.
So it's just jerseys, huh? Could there be any other factors that might contribute to fan violence at the end of a game?
There's an outside chance that alcohol plays a role but apparently, the teams have ruled that out and continue to sell $9 beers.
Great! Cleared that up! Teams are going to continue to sell beer, so that can't be the culprit! Let's go back to blaming the jerseys.
If you're one of two or three guys wearing Steelers jerseys sitting in the middle of the Dawg Pound in Cleveland, guess what? The Steelers players can't see you and even if they could, they're not really getting a lot of inspiration from you.
But...I thought my Neal Anderson jersey was solely responsible for the Bears postseason run this year...so disillusioned.
If you're set upon by a bunch of drunken adults wearing dog costumes, you probably shouldn't expect any help from the guys on the field who are wearing the jerseys that look just like yours.
But to be clear, the reason they're being belligerent is the "dog costume" aspect of the equation, not the "drunken" part?
Why not just go to the Browns game in Cleveland dressed as a regular human being? When did it become necessary to wear a uniform to the game?
Necessary? Not at all. Fun and harmless in 99.99999% of all instances? Yes. The underlying cause of a wave of mob violence across the country at sports venues everywhere? Not even remotely you sensationalist, holier-than-thou piece of crap.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Stanley Cup Playoffs Pick Challenge
Somehow I suspect this contest will be less popular than the one that will go up later in the week...
I debated between doing this contest like I traditionally do the basketball one (5 points per winner x the round number, 2 points for getting the number of games right.) But since the NHL reseeds after each round, you could have your conference finalists playing in the 2nd round. I don't want to do it like the NFL one though, since we should still have the fun of picking the number of games in each series. So here's the compromise.
First round: 3 points per correct winner, 1 bonus point per correct number of games (winner needs to be right to earn bonus point)
Second round: 5 points per correct winner, 1 bonus point per blah blah blah...
Third round: 7 points per correct winner, 1 bonus point
Finals: 10 points, 1 bonus point
I like this since it allows the opportunity to come back in the later rounds even if you don't do great in the beginning. In addition, make your cup final picks now. 10 bonus points for picking the winner correctly, 5 for picking the correct loser (but you get 5 if your winner makes it but loses. If you somehow get the right teams in the finals but the wrong team wins, you get 10. So it's really like 5 for the two entrants in the finals, and 5 for the winner, I guess.)
Anyways, make your first round picks and your cup finals pick in the comments. If you don't sign in through gmail first, make sure to put your name somewhere in the comment. If you want to make all your picks now, that's fine, just don't come crying to me when you leave points on the table later.
My picks:
Capitals over Rangers in 6 (I was tempted, but I think the Capitals will get the playoff monkey off their back this time)
Flyers over Sabres in 5 (Flyers seem like a better team than the one we beat last year, I don't think they'll have trouble yet...)
Bruins over Canadiens in 6 (I like what I've seen from the Bruins this year. I haven't seen as many Eastern Conference games as I have Western, but every time I watch the Bruins I see a team that plays simply and doesn't make mistakes.)
Lightning over Penguins in 6 (I think the Lightning are the wildcard of the East, could get hot and just mess everything up)
Canucks over Hawks in 5 (I don't care how many voodoo dolls we shake in Luongo's direction, have you seen anything over the course of the last month that indicates we're capable of taking 4 from the best team in the NHL? I haven't. Hope I'm wrong.)
Kings over Sharks in 7 (Don't think the Sharks get their playoff monkey off their back. And I have a feeling about this Kings team, at least until they run up against the Canucks.)
Coyotes over Red Wings in 6 (Despite today's result, still don't have a lot of faith in the Red Wings, either. I feel like they're a team going in the wrong direction.)
Ducks over Preds in 5 (The Ducks are hot. A Canucks-Ducks Western Conference Final could be the Bulls-Heat of the NHL)
Stanley Cup pick: Canucks over Bruins.
I debated between doing this contest like I traditionally do the basketball one (5 points per winner x the round number, 2 points for getting the number of games right.) But since the NHL reseeds after each round, you could have your conference finalists playing in the 2nd round. I don't want to do it like the NFL one though, since we should still have the fun of picking the number of games in each series. So here's the compromise.
First round: 3 points per correct winner, 1 bonus point per correct number of games (winner needs to be right to earn bonus point)
Second round: 5 points per correct winner, 1 bonus point per blah blah blah...
Third round: 7 points per correct winner, 1 bonus point
Finals: 10 points, 1 bonus point
I like this since it allows the opportunity to come back in the later rounds even if you don't do great in the beginning. In addition, make your cup final picks now. 10 bonus points for picking the winner correctly, 5 for picking the correct loser (but you get 5 if your winner makes it but loses. If you somehow get the right teams in the finals but the wrong team wins, you get 10. So it's really like 5 for the two entrants in the finals, and 5 for the winner, I guess.)
Anyways, make your first round picks and your cup finals pick in the comments. If you don't sign in through gmail first, make sure to put your name somewhere in the comment. If you want to make all your picks now, that's fine, just don't come crying to me when you leave points on the table later.
My picks:
Capitals over Rangers in 6 (I was tempted, but I think the Capitals will get the playoff monkey off their back this time)
Flyers over Sabres in 5 (Flyers seem like a better team than the one we beat last year, I don't think they'll have trouble yet...)
Bruins over Canadiens in 6 (I like what I've seen from the Bruins this year. I haven't seen as many Eastern Conference games as I have Western, but every time I watch the Bruins I see a team that plays simply and doesn't make mistakes.)
Lightning over Penguins in 6 (I think the Lightning are the wildcard of the East, could get hot and just mess everything up)
Canucks over Hawks in 5 (I don't care how many voodoo dolls we shake in Luongo's direction, have you seen anything over the course of the last month that indicates we're capable of taking 4 from the best team in the NHL? I haven't. Hope I'm wrong.)
Kings over Sharks in 7 (Don't think the Sharks get their playoff monkey off their back. And I have a feeling about this Kings team, at least until they run up against the Canucks.)
Coyotes over Red Wings in 6 (Despite today's result, still don't have a lot of faith in the Red Wings, either. I feel like they're a team going in the wrong direction.)
Ducks over Preds in 5 (The Ducks are hot. A Canucks-Ducks Western Conference Final could be the Bulls-Heat of the NHL)
Stanley Cup pick: Canucks over Bruins.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Blame Game: Hawks-Wings
Whether the Wild give the Hawks a charity trip to the playoffs to lose to Vancouver or not, this loss was disgusting, but representative of the whole Hawks season. Completely outhustled, stupid turnovers leading to goals, and relying on flashes of talent to save them, coming up just short.
Q- 40%
Had this discussion with Conall the other day. The way they played the first period on Friday night should be the norm, not the exception. In a game where the season is on the line, there is no excuse for being 2nd to every loose puck, or give up untouched rebounds in front of the goal.
Also, Sharp was clearly not 100%, and was a little out of sync with Toews and Hossa the entire time. At some point, when we really needed a goal, I would have rather seen Kaner and Sharp switched.
Jake Dowell- 20%
Dowell was -3 along with Bickell and Pisani, but I'm putting this all on Dowell because those guys set him up with at least 3 good scoring chances that I saw, and he whiffed on all three. I know they weren't asking you guys to be great, just halfway competent, and you really weren't today.
Stahlberg- 10%
Stahl played well, but that lazy-ass pass that led to the first Red Wing goal would have been inexcusable at any point in the season.
Hammer- 10%
Botched clear led directly to the 4th goal. Again, unacceptable at any point in the season.
Defensive Lapses in general- 10%
I'm thinking especially of that rebound on Wing goal #2. Last year you could count on the Hawks clearing that.
Hossa- 5%
I know he assisted on goal #3, but for the most part I felt like Hoss was invisible against his former club. The first line was quiet in general, and while some of that I put on Q above, I also think Hossa could have skated with a little more urgency before the 3rd period.
Craw- 5%
Probably nothing he could have done about 1 and 4. 2 and 3 were a little cheaper than we've come to expect from Craw this year, though. I wonder if he gets Niemi'd in the offseason...
Oh well. Thank God the Bulls are the Bulls right now.
Also, Lovie Smith, that's how you eliminate a rival to keep them from biting you in the playoffs.
Q- 40%
Had this discussion with Conall the other day. The way they played the first period on Friday night should be the norm, not the exception. In a game where the season is on the line, there is no excuse for being 2nd to every loose puck, or give up untouched rebounds in front of the goal.
Also, Sharp was clearly not 100%, and was a little out of sync with Toews and Hossa the entire time. At some point, when we really needed a goal, I would have rather seen Kaner and Sharp switched.
Jake Dowell- 20%
Dowell was -3 along with Bickell and Pisani, but I'm putting this all on Dowell because those guys set him up with at least 3 good scoring chances that I saw, and he whiffed on all three. I know they weren't asking you guys to be great, just halfway competent, and you really weren't today.
Stahlberg- 10%
Stahl played well, but that lazy-ass pass that led to the first Red Wing goal would have been inexcusable at any point in the season.
Hammer- 10%
Botched clear led directly to the 4th goal. Again, unacceptable at any point in the season.
Defensive Lapses in general- 10%
I'm thinking especially of that rebound on Wing goal #2. Last year you could count on the Hawks clearing that.
Hossa- 5%
I know he assisted on goal #3, but for the most part I felt like Hoss was invisible against his former club. The first line was quiet in general, and while some of that I put on Q above, I also think Hossa could have skated with a little more urgency before the 3rd period.
Craw- 5%
Probably nothing he could have done about 1 and 4. 2 and 3 were a little cheaper than we've come to expect from Craw this year, though. I wonder if he gets Niemi'd in the offseason...
Oh well. Thank God the Bulls are the Bulls right now.
Also, Lovie Smith, that's how you eliminate a rival to keep them from biting you in the playoffs.
Friday, April 1, 2011
How About Them Coconuts? 4/1
I decided the roundup posts needed a more creative name, so in honor of Joakim Noah's second job choice, we're going to call it How About Them Coconuts from here on out.
Bulls
Wanted to pass along the following exchange between Ethan (posing as Piet, for some reason) and KC Johnson:
"I read your article about Carlos Boozer's declining offensive
production. I am far more concerned with what seems to be his blatant
lack of effort on the defensive end. He doesn't move his feet to keep
defensive position. He swats at the ball as his man drives past and
then players behind him are forced to foul. Everyone else has bought
into a team defensive scheme predicated on working hard. We see him
yelling and communicating, but it really seems he's unwilling to try
harder. Does Coach T get on him about this? -- Piet, Chicago
It's always dangerous to question players' effort. I think it's fair
to call Boozer a poor defender and unfair to question his effort. I
also think he has battled conditioning issues all season with the
preseason injury and the two sprained ankles. Those aren't excuses for
him. He needs to defend better. And remember when he repeatedly got
beat downcourt by Kris Humphries at New Jersey in early January,
Thibodeau benched him for the fourth quarter. I think it will be very
interesting to see the big-man rotation come playoff time, when
defense is at a premium."
It sounds a little like KC is suggesting TT would pull Boozer in the same situation in the playoffs. Don't see it happening. I love what TT has done in 95% of aspects of the game, but I still worry about the frontcourt rotations, especially in crunch time. It's become clea at the end of games (I'm talking final 2 minutes here) it's going to be all Derrick, all the time. In situations like that, unless Boozer has a clear mismatch, I'd rather see Taj in there for defensive/rebounding/screening purposes. If Boozer is in the game, they need to be more courageous about actually going to him in the last two minutes. Which brings me to the #1 thing I'm worried about for when the playoffs come around: Our over-reliance on Derrick at the end of the game. Everything I've been reading lately has been about how Derrick is the extent of our offense, which isn't true. Boozer can create his own shots, Deng can create his own shots, and the Fredo curl play is very effective when run properly. The Bulls need to get into the habit now of using all these options at the end of games, so good defensive teams (like, say, the Celtics) can't cheat on Derrick.
Also, as much as I like TBN, if Fredo is going to be on the floor in crunch time, I want him getting a few more minutes during the rest of the game. If he's going to be asked to hit clutch shots, I want him a little more warmed up than he sometimes is in the 4th quarter.
Also, ha, the Pistons retired Vinny Johnson's #15? That's like if the Bulls retired BJ Armstrong's number. (I realize BJ's # is already retired in honor of Bob Love, but still, that's the closest equivalent I can think of.)
Blackhawks
I have very little to say about the Hawks right now. At this point I'd consider it a decent season if they get past the first round. Especially since it looks like they're going to be the 8 seed and play Vancouver in the first round. They need to get some things straightened out in the offseason, but I'm going to have to read up on free agents and whatnot to figure out exactly what that is (other than getting rid of Thomas Kopecky. I'm sick of watching him fuck up. He sucks.)
Cubs
I wanted to write a Cubs season preview, but didn't have time this week, and won't probably have time until sometime next week, so I'll make my predictions here, and hopefully flesh them out further at a later date.
I think the Cubs are going to be around .500 this year. They could be really good if Soriano and Ramirez and Pena hit like they're capable of and Zambrano avoids any more mental breakdowns and Randy Wells reverts to rookie form and Kerry Wood stays healthy to set The Usher up and Matt Garza doesn't continue his horrible spring. As my students learned during the probability unit, the more ands you have in a problem, the lower your chances are. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised (like I was with the Bears this season,) but I still think they're going to get worse before they get better (and will need to rid themselves of a couple really bad contracts, too.)
Bears
I think of all big time non-golf-or-Nascar related sports events, the one I care the least about is the NFL draft. I just don't have the time to care that much when there are so many other exciting things going on in other sports. I got nothing for ya, Bears. Draft an offensive lineman from a decent college (but not too decent, so that he's an egotistical jackass.)
Fire
I just started trying to be a MLS fan last year, and when I watched the first Fire game this year, I recognized about 3 players. Is there always this much turnover? Or is it because the Fire had so many players that probably could have been in better leagues? Either way, it's a little frustrating, and is making me less excited about them.
Bulls
Wanted to pass along the following exchange between Ethan (posing as Piet, for some reason) and KC Johnson:
"I read your article about Carlos Boozer's declining offensive
production. I am far more concerned with what seems to be his blatant
lack of effort on the defensive end. He doesn't move his feet to keep
defensive position. He swats at the ball as his man drives past and
then players behind him are forced to foul. Everyone else has bought
into a team defensive scheme predicated on working hard. We see him
yelling and communicating, but it really seems he's unwilling to try
harder. Does Coach T get on him about this? -- Piet, Chicago
It's always dangerous to question players' effort. I think it's fair
to call Boozer a poor defender and unfair to question his effort. I
also think he has battled conditioning issues all season with the
preseason injury and the two sprained ankles. Those aren't excuses for
him. He needs to defend better. And remember when he repeatedly got
beat downcourt by Kris Humphries at New Jersey in early January,
Thibodeau benched him for the fourth quarter. I think it will be very
interesting to see the big-man rotation come playoff time, when
defense is at a premium."
It sounds a little like KC is suggesting TT would pull Boozer in the same situation in the playoffs. Don't see it happening. I love what TT has done in 95% of aspects of the game, but I still worry about the frontcourt rotations, especially in crunch time. It's become clea at the end of games (I'm talking final 2 minutes here) it's going to be all Derrick, all the time. In situations like that, unless Boozer has a clear mismatch, I'd rather see Taj in there for defensive/rebounding/screening purposes. If Boozer is in the game, they need to be more courageous about actually going to him in the last two minutes. Which brings me to the #1 thing I'm worried about for when the playoffs come around: Our over-reliance on Derrick at the end of the game. Everything I've been reading lately has been about how Derrick is the extent of our offense, which isn't true. Boozer can create his own shots, Deng can create his own shots, and the Fredo curl play is very effective when run properly. The Bulls need to get into the habit now of using all these options at the end of games, so good defensive teams (like, say, the Celtics) can't cheat on Derrick.
Also, as much as I like TBN, if Fredo is going to be on the floor in crunch time, I want him getting a few more minutes during the rest of the game. If he's going to be asked to hit clutch shots, I want him a little more warmed up than he sometimes is in the 4th quarter.
Also, ha, the Pistons retired Vinny Johnson's #15? That's like if the Bulls retired BJ Armstrong's number. (I realize BJ's # is already retired in honor of Bob Love, but still, that's the closest equivalent I can think of.)
Blackhawks
I have very little to say about the Hawks right now. At this point I'd consider it a decent season if they get past the first round. Especially since it looks like they're going to be the 8 seed and play Vancouver in the first round. They need to get some things straightened out in the offseason, but I'm going to have to read up on free agents and whatnot to figure out exactly what that is (other than getting rid of Thomas Kopecky. I'm sick of watching him fuck up. He sucks.)
Cubs
I wanted to write a Cubs season preview, but didn't have time this week, and won't probably have time until sometime next week, so I'll make my predictions here, and hopefully flesh them out further at a later date.
I think the Cubs are going to be around .500 this year. They could be really good if Soriano and Ramirez and Pena hit like they're capable of and Zambrano avoids any more mental breakdowns and Randy Wells reverts to rookie form and Kerry Wood stays healthy to set The Usher up and Matt Garza doesn't continue his horrible spring. As my students learned during the probability unit, the more ands you have in a problem, the lower your chances are. I hope I'm pleasantly surprised (like I was with the Bears this season,) but I still think they're going to get worse before they get better (and will need to rid themselves of a couple really bad contracts, too.)
Bears
I think of all big time non-golf-or-Nascar related sports events, the one I care the least about is the NFL draft. I just don't have the time to care that much when there are so many other exciting things going on in other sports. I got nothing for ya, Bears. Draft an offensive lineman from a decent college (but not too decent, so that he's an egotistical jackass.)
Fire
I just started trying to be a MLS fan last year, and when I watched the first Fire game this year, I recognized about 3 players. Is there always this much turnover? Or is it because the Fire had so many players that probably could have been in better leagues? Either way, it's a little frustrating, and is making me less excited about them.
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