Four things we learned from All-Star weekend, besides that Charles Barkley used to stow Vaseline in his navel ("put the lotion in the bellybutton," we hear him saying, Silence of the Lambs-style):
1. It's a Paul world after all. The State Farm spokesman insured (see what we did there?) that the All-Star game was entertaining by circulating dimes like the Treasury. Paul paired 15 assists with 20 points to guide the West to its third straight win and garner MVP honors. Paul persuaded even Kobe Bryant not to pass up passing, as Bryant hoisted only one more shot (9) than he handed out helpers (8).
2. It was a showcase for two small school standouts. Rookie Damian Lillard, of Weber State (and we thought that school only produced great grills), Crunchwrapped up the Taco Bell Skills Challenge* and played the most minutes of anyone in the Rising Stars Challenge, while chipping in 18 points. Kenneth Faried, a Morehead State alum, poured in 40 points and 10 rebounds in the Team Chuck vs. Team Shaq showdown and when he stopped by the TNT set afterwards, admitted he had never before scored even 30 points in a game. Faried had a flurry of ferocious flushes in the game, more so than he managed in the Dunk Contest, although his energy and enthusiasm were evident in both. This was a chance for the non-nocturnal to appreciate Lillard and Faried in action.
3. There's nothing Kyrie Irving can't do. He was the MVP of the Rising Stars game last season and for his second stint wound up as the second-leading scorer, totaling 32 points. With his deft dribbling, he buckled Brandon Knight, bringing Knight to the floor and the crow to its feet. As if his handle wasn't impressive enough, he handled the competition in the Three-Point contest, despite being a long-shot to triumph against pure shooters such as Steve Novak and Stephen Curry. Irving synchronizes style and substance.
4. The Dunk Contest was a dud. Some delight in disparaging the event every year. We don't and even enjoy the props, but this one was sideways from the start. Firstly, the commentators weren't familiar with the contestants or the format. Even worse, a pair of participants failed to stuff successfully in the second round, bringing back bad memories of Birdman with his wings clipped in 2005. On Saturday night, another nifty nickname was wrecked. James "Flight" White should've stayed in his hangar because he dive-bombed as a rim-hanger. Finally and most unforgivably, Jeremy Evans' artistic touch went unappreciated. Evans, last year's winner, hopped over a covered canvas, which was revealed to be self-portrait of him slamming, then signed it. Somehow, fans brushed aside his brilliant brush strokes and voted for Terence Ross, who leaped over a lad it turns out is the tyke of Twitter's CEO. We smell as conspiracy. And we know just the team to investigate it: The crack CIA crew of Homeland, which is what Charles Barkley advised America on-air to watch instead of the remaining rounds. It makes sense. Since the players weren't putting on a show, viewers might as well put on Showtime.
*We expect payment for our promotion - straight Chalupas, homey.
Showing posts with label Kyrie Irving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kyrie Irving. Show all posts
Monday, February 18, 2013
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Heat Ring In the New Year
NBA (B)All Day's observations from opening night:
The Good: LeBron James shone like his dazzling 219-diamond championship ring, posting 26 points in 29 minutes of play. However, less predictable performance took place in previous province. Rebounding from a wrist injury that caused him to miss most of last season, Anderson Varejao racked up a career-high 23 rebounds and fell one point and one assist short of a triple-double, in a contest between teams with the second and third-worst records last season, that the league tried to bury on the schedule like it was NBC and Cavaliers-Wizards was Community. Today may be about Washington Irving, but yesterday belonged to Kyrie Irving, who scored a game-high 29 points and will continue causing onlookers to(Ichabod) Crane their necks.
The Bad: Not only did Dwight Howard foul out and the Lakers lose in his debut, his Mavericks counterparts, Elton Brand and Eddy Curry, also in new uniforms, combined to out-rebound him, 15-10, and were within 4 points of matching Howard's scoring total. The defeat at home, coupled with an 0-8 preseason, has caused some cries of "mayday," which is fitting since the Lakers last win was on a day in May.
The Ugly: It's obvious Kevin Garnett was shaken up by Ray Allen bailing on Boston, so he's going to great lengths to pull the rug out from under the carpetbagger, shaking off a handshake before the game. True, Allen was wearing white the night before Halloween, so maybe that's why Garnett treated him like he was a ghost. If this was a horror movie, it'd be titled The Grudge, although Garnett's activity is less paranormal and more passive-aggressive.
The Good: LeBron James shone like his dazzling 219-diamond championship ring, posting 26 points in 29 minutes of play. However, less predictable performance took place in previous province. Rebounding from a wrist injury that caused him to miss most of last season, Anderson Varejao racked up a career-high 23 rebounds and fell one point and one assist short of a triple-double, in a contest between teams with the second and third-worst records last season, that the league tried to bury on the schedule like it was NBC and Cavaliers-Wizards was Community. Today may be about Washington Irving, but yesterday belonged to Kyrie Irving, who scored a game-high 29 points and will continue causing onlookers to(Ichabod) Crane their necks.
The Bad: Not only did Dwight Howard foul out and the Lakers lose in his debut, his Mavericks counterparts, Elton Brand and Eddy Curry, also in new uniforms, combined to out-rebound him, 15-10, and were within 4 points of matching Howard's scoring total. The defeat at home, coupled with an 0-8 preseason, has caused some cries of "mayday," which is fitting since the Lakers last win was on a day in May.
The Ugly: It's obvious Kevin Garnett was shaken up by Ray Allen bailing on Boston, so he's going to great lengths to pull the rug out from under the carpetbagger, shaking off a handshake before the game. True, Allen was wearing white the night before Halloween, so maybe that's why Garnett treated him like he was a ghost. If this was a horror movie, it'd be titled The Grudge, although Garnett's activity is less paranormal and more passive-aggressive.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Pop-ular Vote
Just because this blog will never win awards (unless "Least Read" is a category), doesn't mean we can't hand out accolades to others. Unlike the Chinese, we'll stop short of building a bronze statue for the honorees.
Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich. The extra 'g' is for "great," which is what San Antonio has been under his guidance. He has the lockout figured out, winning the title last time there was one and quietly steering the Spurs to the second seed in the West. Selective sitting senior starters has been a Socratic - and successful - strategy.
Defensive Player: Dwight Howard. Serge Ibaka rocks the block, but no player changes more shots - or his mind - more than Dwight Howard. First in rebounds per game, third in rejections. Numbers don't lie, even if he does about not advocating for Stan Van to be canned.
6th Man: Lou Williams. It's a hard choice to deny James Harden, since his ppg is slightly higher than Williams, but no other player in the league leads his team in scoring while coming off the bench like Lou and, unlike Harden, he hasn't started a single game.
Most Improved: Nikola Pekovic. Jeremy Lin was positioned to win this in a Lin-dslide, but then a left knee injury ended his season early, so we penalized him for Lin-ping to the finish line. In his second season, Pekovic's minutes have doubled and he's responded by more than doubling his scoring (13.5) and rebounding averages (7.0). Bravo, man from Montenegro.
Rookie of the Year: Kyrie Irving. "Kyrie" means 'Lord' in Greek and he has fittingly been a God among mere mortals, whether it's other first-year players or his teammates. Now, he can use this honor to lord it over them.
MVP: Kobe Bryant. Last year's bestowal of it on Derrick Rose is what we'd call "Bulls-shit." The Adidas ads bragged that he was "fast" and he sure pulled a fast one on the voters. Like a pre-pubescent prince, Rose was crowned too early. Honestly, we almost gave up on the association, like Lamar Odom appears to have. While LeBron James is averaging career-highs in field goal percentage and rebounds, the Heat have cooled off considerably after the All-Star break. Rajon Rondo likely won't be mentioned, but we believe he should be in the discussion for responding to tiresome trade talks with triple-doubles. Chris Paul deserves a nod for ensuring the Clippers were worthy of the cover stories and commendation that came their way in the pre-season. Kevin Durant belongs among this consummate clique, but he has heaps of help (see: runners-up in the defensive player and 6th man categories) If there was backlash against LeBron for "The Decision" among voters, surely Dwight Howard will face some for the indecision he became synonymous with. That leaves Kobe Bryant. Saddled with a soft, strange team that sent away his steadying influence in Derek Fisher, Kobe scored enough to lead the league, while also showing he can be a sympathetic teammate. He's supported a shell-shocked Pau Gasol and a short-circuiting Andrew Bynum, not to mention brushing aside the bizarre Metta World Peace and the blunt Matt Barnes. The Lakers would be lost and much closer to last without him. He held his tongue when new coach Mike Brown benched him and Odom was dealt at a discount to the champs, so when the regular season ends in ten days, Kobe should be holding the MVP trophy.
Coach of the Year: Gregg Popovich. The extra 'g' is for "great," which is what San Antonio has been under his guidance. He has the lockout figured out, winning the title last time there was one and quietly steering the Spurs to the second seed in the West. Selective sitting senior starters has been a Socratic - and successful - strategy.
Defensive Player: Dwight Howard. Serge Ibaka rocks the block, but no player changes more shots - or his mind - more than Dwight Howard. First in rebounds per game, third in rejections. Numbers don't lie, even if he does about not advocating for Stan Van to be canned.
6th Man: Lou Williams. It's a hard choice to deny James Harden, since his ppg is slightly higher than Williams, but no other player in the league leads his team in scoring while coming off the bench like Lou and, unlike Harden, he hasn't started a single game.
Most Improved: Nikola Pekovic. Jeremy Lin was positioned to win this in a Lin-dslide, but then a left knee injury ended his season early, so we penalized him for Lin-ping to the finish line. In his second season, Pekovic's minutes have doubled and he's responded by more than doubling his scoring (13.5) and rebounding averages (7.0). Bravo, man from Montenegro.
Rookie of the Year: Kyrie Irving. "Kyrie" means 'Lord' in Greek and he has fittingly been a God among mere mortals, whether it's other first-year players or his teammates. Now, he can use this honor to lord it over them.
MVP: Kobe Bryant. Last year's bestowal of it on Derrick Rose is what we'd call "Bulls-shit." The Adidas ads bragged that he was "fast" and he sure pulled a fast one on the voters. Like a pre-pubescent prince, Rose was crowned too early. Honestly, we almost gave up on the association, like Lamar Odom appears to have. While LeBron James is averaging career-highs in field goal percentage and rebounds, the Heat have cooled off considerably after the All-Star break. Rajon Rondo likely won't be mentioned, but we believe he should be in the discussion for responding to tiresome trade talks with triple-doubles. Chris Paul deserves a nod for ensuring the Clippers were worthy of the cover stories and commendation that came their way in the pre-season. Kevin Durant belongs among this consummate clique, but he has heaps of help (see: runners-up in the defensive player and 6th man categories) If there was backlash against LeBron for "The Decision" among voters, surely Dwight Howard will face some for the indecision he became synonymous with. That leaves Kobe Bryant. Saddled with a soft, strange team that sent away his steadying influence in Derek Fisher, Kobe scored enough to lead the league, while also showing he can be a sympathetic teammate. He's supported a shell-shocked Pau Gasol and a short-circuiting Andrew Bynum, not to mention brushing aside the bizarre Metta World Peace and the blunt Matt Barnes. The Lakers would be lost and much closer to last without him. He held his tongue when new coach Mike Brown benched him and Odom was dealt at a discount to the champs, so when the regular season ends in ten days, Kobe should be holding the MVP trophy.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Puffy and Pass
Here's what we liked about All-Star Saturday:
Chase Budinger taking a feed from Puff Daddy and flying over him to flush it to open the Slam Dunk Contest and affirm that white men can jump...over short (not Jermaine Dupri short) rap impresarios. The only thing that would've made the jump better was if it was over Kriss Kross. Congratulations to another unexpected Jeremy - Jeremy Evans - who pleaded to be included by posting videos of himself hopping on YouTube, then proceeded to win it, Jazzing up a jump by donning a Karl Malone uniform, then hurdling Kevin Hart dressed as a mailman. Paul George glowed, but then he glowered in the days after, insulting the fans' intelligence - this from the guy who called Larry Bird "Larry Brown" before his last dunk - and criticized the competition. Well, Furious George, the weekend is for the fans and fans deserve to cast the deciding votes, which they did for the first time. Still, for a leap year, the Dunk Contest was a disappointment.
The elder statesman prevailing in the Skills Challenge. The third time was the charm for Tony Parker, who came in last the previous two times he participated. Kyrie Irving might've showed some of his fatigue from Friday, when he was the MVP of the Rising Stars game (swishing all 8 of the 3-point attempts), finishing at the back of the pack. We must point out that Parker is a decade older than Irving.
The trio of tie-breakers. There was one in the Skills Challenge and a duo of draws in the 3-point shooting contest, which prompted players to give a greater effort and made the events more competitive. Anthony Morrow's retro Nets jersey wasn't just a throwback, it was a tribute to the late Drazen Petrovic. There aren't a lot of Nets worthy of being honored, so kudos to Morrow for knowing the franchise's history. For older fans, it was a trip(le) down memory lane.
Chase Budinger taking a feed from Puff Daddy and flying over him to flush it to open the Slam Dunk Contest and affirm that white men can jump...over short (not Jermaine Dupri short) rap impresarios. The only thing that would've made the jump better was if it was over Kriss Kross. Congratulations to another unexpected Jeremy - Jeremy Evans - who pleaded to be included by posting videos of himself hopping on YouTube, then proceeded to win it, Jazzing up a jump by donning a Karl Malone uniform, then hurdling Kevin Hart dressed as a mailman. Paul George glowed, but then he glowered in the days after, insulting the fans' intelligence - this from the guy who called Larry Bird "Larry Brown" before his last dunk - and criticized the competition. Well, Furious George, the weekend is for the fans and fans deserve to cast the deciding votes, which they did for the first time. Still, for a leap year, the Dunk Contest was a disappointment.
The elder statesman prevailing in the Skills Challenge. The third time was the charm for Tony Parker, who came in last the previous two times he participated. Kyrie Irving might've showed some of his fatigue from Friday, when he was the MVP of the Rising Stars game (swishing all 8 of the 3-point attempts), finishing at the back of the pack. We must point out that Parker is a decade older than Irving.
The trio of tie-breakers. There was one in the Skills Challenge and a duo of draws in the 3-point shooting contest, which prompted players to give a greater effort and made the events more competitive. Anthony Morrow's retro Nets jersey wasn't just a throwback, it was a tribute to the late Drazen Petrovic. There aren't a lot of Nets worthy of being honored, so kudos to Morrow for knowing the franchise's history. For older fans, it was a trip(le) down memory lane.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Making HeadLINes
Here's what you might've missed while watching the Lincomparable Jeremy Lin record a career-high 13 assists in leading the Knicks to their season-best 7th consecutive win:
The Spurs stretched out the league's longest winning streak to nine games, but they understand why the spotlight is shining elsewhere. "There's no bigger story than Jeremy Lin right now. I'm happy for him. [...] You want him to make every shot," said
Tony Parker, who torched Toronto for 34 points and 14 assists. Manu Ginobli, in his third game back after missing a month due to a broken hand, had 11 points and was equally gracious about the Linsation sweeping the nation, "I think New York deserves all the attention [...] They draw attention from me: The New York game finishes and I go to see what they did."
Meanwhile, the Bobcats are playing like a bunch of pussies. The return of D.J. Augustin wasn't enough to prevent Charlotte from falling for the 16th straight time. Paul Silas couldn't even pronounce the name of a player who pushed them around, Nikola Pekovic (he called him "Pep-a-vich" in his post-game comments), who posted 21 points and 11 rebounds. Cat got his tongue, perhaps? The Bobcats haven't won in over a month (their last victory was January 14). Their seasons is officially a catastrophe.
Elsewhere, Kyrie Irving returned from a concussion and scored a game-high 22 as the Cavs beat the Pacers; Kevin Martin recovered from his first scoreless game since his rookie season to pour in 32 points and help the Rockets hang on at home against the Thunder; and Ryan Anderson rained threes, connecting on 7 of 10 attempts, in the Magic's win over the 76ers. Anderson leads the NBA in three-pointers made, yet after the game, crabby coach Stan Van Gundy criticized Anderson for his lack of rebounds.
Lest we forget to Linform you, on Sunday, Lin and the Knicks will appear in a nationally televised game against the defending champion Mavericks on ABC at 1 p.m. If Obama is following him (the President loves a well-executed bailout), you should be too.
The Spurs stretched out the league's longest winning streak to nine games, but they understand why the spotlight is shining elsewhere. "There's no bigger story than Jeremy Lin right now. I'm happy for him. [...] You want him to make every shot," said
Tony Parker, who torched Toronto for 34 points and 14 assists. Manu Ginobli, in his third game back after missing a month due to a broken hand, had 11 points and was equally gracious about the Linsation sweeping the nation, "I think New York deserves all the attention [...] They draw attention from me: The New York game finishes and I go to see what they did."
Meanwhile, the Bobcats are playing like a bunch of pussies. The return of D.J. Augustin wasn't enough to prevent Charlotte from falling for the 16th straight time. Paul Silas couldn't even pronounce the name of a player who pushed them around, Nikola Pekovic (he called him "Pep-a-vich" in his post-game comments), who posted 21 points and 11 rebounds. Cat got his tongue, perhaps? The Bobcats haven't won in over a month (their last victory was January 14). Their seasons is officially a catastrophe.
Elsewhere, Kyrie Irving returned from a concussion and scored a game-high 22 as the Cavs beat the Pacers; Kevin Martin recovered from his first scoreless game since his rookie season to pour in 32 points and help the Rockets hang on at home against the Thunder; and Ryan Anderson rained threes, connecting on 7 of 10 attempts, in the Magic's win over the 76ers. Anderson leads the NBA in three-pointers made, yet after the game, crabby coach Stan Van Gundy criticized Anderson for his lack of rebounds.
Lest we forget to Linform you, on Sunday, Lin and the Knicks will appear in a nationally televised game against the defending champion Mavericks on ABC at 1 p.m. If Obama is following him (the President loves a well-executed bailout), you should be too.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Waiting for an Linvitation
There is a glaring omission from Rising Stars Challenge (formerly known as the Rookie-Sophomore game) on February 24, which pits first and second-year players against each other: Five-game phenom Jeremy Lin. He's an overnight sensation, but he can not - and should not - be overlooked, when the NBA's best convene in Orlando in 11 days. The league must find a way to Linclude him.
Celebrity coaches Shaq and Charles Barkley, never shy about sharing their opinions, need to lobby on Lin's behalf. As does his Knicks teammate and participant (and study buddy) Landry Fields. No one will tune in to see Tiago Splitter or Gordon Hayward, to name two of the second-year players selected, but fans would watch to see Lin square off against John Wall again or Ricky Rubio for a second time or take on rookie of the year front-runner Kyrie Irving. What fan wouldn't be excited by the prospect of Lin lobbing to Blake Griffin? And with Griffin wavering on whether he'll defend his dunk title, the NBA could use another player people passionately pay attention to.
Lin doesn't just prompt fans to rise from their seats, he fills seats, too. He helped sell out a T-Wolves game on the road, giving Minnesota its largest crowd since 2004, so the stands in Orlando would likely be at capacity for a secondary contest. Lin has scored more points in his first four starts than an player since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. The league must find a way to Lincorporate him in the All-Star Weekend festivities. We don't want to see him on camera, we want to see him on the court If it's asking too much to place him in a game in which the participants have already been determined, at least Linsert him into the Skills Challenge competition. Maybe we've gone Linsane in the membrane, but we'd watch him criss-cross dribble through cones and bounce pass into buckets and be curious to compare how well he does it with Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
Adding Lin doesn't even have to come at the expense of removing another player from the Rising Stars roster; make an exception for a player who lately has been as exceptional as anyone in the league. David Stern, extend an invite, we Linsist.
Celebrity coaches Shaq and Charles Barkley, never shy about sharing their opinions, need to lobby on Lin's behalf. As does his Knicks teammate and participant (and study buddy) Landry Fields. No one will tune in to see Tiago Splitter or Gordon Hayward, to name two of the second-year players selected, but fans would watch to see Lin square off against John Wall again or Ricky Rubio for a second time or take on rookie of the year front-runner Kyrie Irving. What fan wouldn't be excited by the prospect of Lin lobbing to Blake Griffin? And with Griffin wavering on whether he'll defend his dunk title, the NBA could use another player people passionately pay attention to.
Lin doesn't just prompt fans to rise from their seats, he fills seats, too. He helped sell out a T-Wolves game on the road, giving Minnesota its largest crowd since 2004, so the stands in Orlando would likely be at capacity for a secondary contest. Lin has scored more points in his first four starts than an player since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976. The league must find a way to Lincorporate him in the All-Star Weekend festivities. We don't want to see him on camera, we want to see him on the court If it's asking too much to place him in a game in which the participants have already been determined, at least Linsert him into the Skills Challenge competition. Maybe we've gone Linsane in the membrane, but we'd watch him criss-cross dribble through cones and bounce pass into buckets and be curious to compare how well he does it with Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
Adding Lin doesn't even have to come at the expense of removing another player from the Rising Stars roster; make an exception for a player who lately has been as exceptional as anyone in the league. David Stern, extend an invite, we Linsist.
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