Tag Archives: boston celtics

May 5, 2011

Playoffs Getting Interesting…

By chappy81

It’s been a entertaining NBA playoffs thus far. Teams that we thought were favorites aren’t turning out to be the powerhouses that we originally thought they were. Like I said back on 4/20, there’s a changing of the eras in the NBA. I didn’t think it would be this year, but thought it was on the horizon. More and more it’s looking like this year is the year of change. Another good thing is I don’t think any of these series are rigged so far. Well done Stern, usually we can tell!

Mavs 2, Lakers 0 –  As they say once the home team loses the series really starts. I think someone forgot to tell the Lakers that the series started after game 1. Last night’s Lakers game was disturbing to the fans down here in LA, much to my enjoyment. It’s fitting that this is the first year I was somewhat rooting for them because I didn’t want any of the Eastern Conference teams to win it all. I can’t believe I admitted that, but yes, I was rooting for the Lakers a little. I am enjoying that some Lakers fans said they would win the series in 3 games against this soft Mavs team. Obviously, that can’t happen, but it was an indication of how they overlooked Mavs in general. Maybe the players were listening to the radio shows and got full of themselves or maybe this team is just plain dysfunctional. I won’t call this series done, because the Mavs have a long history of choking in the playoffs when the pressure is at it’s highest. The pressure of closing the Lakers out is going to be big, and close to the pressure of closing the Heat out in the Finals four years ago. That Mavs team was much different though, they have only two players from that finals roster, and were much softer without Chandler. This version of the Mavs feels a lot better, but I won’t believe it until they close out this series. Either way, the winner will lose next round to one of the young guns in the changing of the guards.

Memphis 1, Seattle 1 – Everyone thought the young team that would make an impact out West was going to be the Supersonics when it’s really been the Grizzlies who have shocked the world. I didn’t pick the Grizz to win that first series against the Spurs, especially without Gay in the lineup, but did think they were a good team all the way back in November when I regretted leaving them off my playoff predictions. Both franchises have figured out how to build a contender, and they have one glaring thing in common, size. Size matters in the NBA, just ask Steve Nash. It was always the Lakers biggest advantage for the last three years, and what do teams have to do to knock them off? Get bigger. Memphis did that through free agency and trades (Gasol, Z-Bo). Seattle did the same (Perkins, Ibaka), and now both teams look like they could beat anyone with solid role guys and their stars knowing exactly what is needed of them to be successful. I’m going to say whoever wins this series will be representing the west in the finals. I’m rooting for it to be Memphis, because I still have a hard time rooting for Sam Presti to succeed on any front.

Miami 2, Boston 0 – The team I picked to represent the East is looking about as good as it has all season. I thought that Boston was in trouble before this series started. Wade ALWAYS gives Boston fits, and that’s going back to when Wade was the only player worth anything in Miami. Last year I think he dropped close to 50 one playoff game in Boston to help the Heat avoid getting swept. Now that he has Lebron and Bosh who can also give Boston fits, he no longer has to put up 50 to will his team to a win. What’s even scarier about this Miami team is they look more comfortable playing together than they have all year. The Celtics on the other hand look a lot like the Lakers this postseason. They haven’t really looked good for more than one or two games the whole second season. They know it’s their last shot with their great coach, and might be pressing a little too hard or could just be old. Is it a lame duck coaching situation for Boston and LA that’s getting them down? Are they not playing as hard because they know there’s a new coach on the horizon after this season? Probably not, but I have to throw it out there. I guess this series hasn’t started yet since the home team hasn’t lost, but this video seems to sum up how high people are on the C’s right now…

Chicago 1, Atlanta 1 – Of the teams left in the playoffs, I’ve probably watched these two teams the least. I’m not sure why, but I was never totally sold on Chicago. Derrick Rose’s ankle is what this series hinges on, and personally I think getting the MVP is a jinx. No guard since Jordan has won a title the year they won the MVP. This day in age only big men that win the MVP get championships. Like I said before, I haven’t watched Chicago a lot, but is there anyway their defense is overrated a little? Indiana and Atlanta aren’t exactly offensive juggernauts ranking in the middle of the pack in the NBA, but are putting up over 90 in the playoffs where scoring is usually down against the unbreakable Thibodeau defense. Atlanta is the toughest team for me to figure out. They blow teams out, and get blown out just as much. You’re never really sure what you’re going to get from them. I can’t figure out why they went away from Jeff Teague, who was lighting Chicago up in game 2, but that happened, and they didn’t come close to winning. I actually like a lot of Atlanta’s players, but for some reason just can’t seem to talk myself into rooting for them. Don’t they feel like they are Mavs of the East? Good enough to be in the playoffs every year, but not good enough to go very far…

16 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

April 20, 2011

Changing of the Eras in the NBA?

By chappy81

I’ve watched as much as I could of these NBA playoffs so far, and with every lower seed playing the higher seed tough it got me thinking about the state of the NBA. Make no mistake, t’s in a great state right now as every team in the playoffs looks good even some of the lower seeds. In basketball we usually don’t see a ton of surprises, because you don’t surprise any team four times in a series. That’s what basketball has right over all the other sports, they always get the true champion, because no road traveled is easy. That’s not really the case in every other sport. Coming to conclusions like this makes it even tougher as a Warriors fan…

I guess the first question that popped into my head is this one of the last chances for the “older” teams to win a championship? Maybe not this year, but it’s coming. This year we have the traditional favorites that you can’t really bet against like the Lakers, Celtics, and Spurs, but how much longer can their reign last? Most of their top-tier stars are well into their 30’s, and these teams are all stumbling a little already in this first round. I’m not saying that I’ve counted these teams out already for this year or next, because that would be ridiculously short sighted. I do find myself having a hard time seeing them continue their dominance beyond this year especially last years finals pairing. The Lakers and Celtics will have some huge questions to answer at the conclusion of the season. Both are going to be praying that their coaches stay, and Phil has already said he believes there will be a long lockout which is a reason he wants to retire. Doc might be thinking the same thing. New coach and new system doesn’t usually equal championships, but you can teach an old dog new tricks every once in awhile. The Spurs are finding it impossible to have their big three healthy and together when it matters for the past few seasons. Maybe the lockout would help them since they wouldn’t have to play nearly as many games, keeping these older guys fresh without a long regular season might be to their advantage, but at the same time I don’t see that making up for slowly eroding skills. The NBA is an era league, that started way back with Bill Russell dominating. More recently, we went from the Bird-Magic era to the current Kobe-Duncan era, so are we heading into a new era? Oh my the possibilities that are coming to light are enticing.

The East is stacked with young superstar talent as we all know. The Bulls, Knicks, and Heat are sure to be battling it out for years to come barring injury of course. Nearly all the superstars on those teams have had previous playoff failures, so in my eyes these teams aren’t as inexperienced as some would have you believe. The West isn’t as clear cut as the East in terms of power, but the Grizzlies are the second youngest team in the league, and have showed promise against the Spurs just like the Thunder did with the Lakers last year as an 8 seed. OKC is the seeming favorite to be the heir apparent to the Western Conference Throne, and I can’t argue with that. A side note on the Sonics, why doesn’t every GM follow the blueprint that they used? Get a superstar, have cap space to spend on the other players, build through the draft, and boom, you have an elite team. The Clippers have a solid core with a superstar that can only get better, oops, I shouldn’t ever put the Clippers in a championship post… Anyways you get the point, and my question is who’s era is it going to belong to?

28 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

December 15, 2010

Welcome Back New York

By mceezy

I’m watching this Knicks-Celtics game on ESPN and I can’t tell you how good it feels to see the Garden rocking again like it’s 1995. I’m not one to root for New York teams, but sometimes you get to a point where you need that hated team to be good again. It just makes the game more interesting. It’s been about 10 years since the Knicks were good. I rooted against them for all those years, but eventually, you want that team to be good again, so you can resume rooting against them. It’s just not as fun when teams like the Knicks, Lakers, and Celtics aren’t good. It helps that I have Amare Stoudemire and Wilson Chandler on my FIRST PLACE fantasy team (and Amare just threw down an emphatic dunk!), but it’s great to see Madison Square Garden getting loud for a game against the Boston Celtics. Guys like Amare and Raymond Felton are probably enjoying their best days as professional basketball players.

The Knicks are like the Yankees, the Cowboys, or even the Cubs…. You hate them, but it’s just not as fun to hate them when they’re not good. So here’s hoping the Knicks make it back to the playoffs this year, but ONLY this year. They’ll probably need to pick up a few more guys I don’t like though. Because, all these former Warriors and guys on my fantasy team are making it hard.

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

June 15, 2010

Lakers Vs. Celtics Finals Game 6 Diary

By chappy81

Unfortunately, Mceezy and I weren’t able to watch any of the first five games, because China isn’t all that excited about teams that aren’t from Houston. Now, we found ourselves extra excited about game 6. So we decided it was only fitting to bust out a game diary while watching the game tonight, to take anyone unable to watch through the ups and downs of the game or maybe even give you some extra insights to what went down at Staples Center. Everybody seems to be picking the Lakers tonight, and I hope they are wrong, so I can break out the Celtics hat I bought in 08′  just to piss off co-workers!

Pre-game predictions,

Chappy: Boston wins. Rondo gets ridiculous with a triple double. Pau already has a flight booked to South Africa to watch Spain play tomorrow in the World Cup, Odom ate too many gummy bears, Artest is confused, so Kobe is on his own out there once again…

MCeezy: There hasn’t been a Game 7 in the NBA Finals in five years. The Lakers don’t want to watch Boston celebrate on their floor again – at least until Game 7. LA can’t match the heart and drive of Boston, but Kobe with his back against the wall outweighs the Celtics with a game to burn. The Lakers live to see another day.

9:08 Lakers up 9-6

MCeezy: The Lakers are winning the battle of the most fired up bench.

Chappy: I think both teams look pretty pumped up for this one, should be entertaining!

7:44 12-14 Lakers after an Allen 3 and Kobe 3

Chappy: The Celtics got their only win when Allen was on fire, good sign for the C’s… Fischer complaining about someone flopping!?!

5:58 18-12 Lakers on a run as Perkins gets shaken up

MCeezy: Kobe: More PASSES or Shot Attempts tonight?  I’ll bet more shots than passes, in the second half at least.

Chappy: I’d lean toward more shots, but I guess that depends on if anyone is else making them! Perk could be a huge loss if he can’t come back…

1:48 26-18 Lakers

MCeezy: 10 minutes in and the Lakers are clearly the aggressor. C’s just need to keep it within 10-12 at the half and they can grind it out in the second half.

Chappy: I guess my prediction of Artest looking confused is already out the window! Does he think he’s back in Houston?

28-18 End of the 1st quarter Continue reading

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

June 2, 2010

Anybody Else Feeling Another Lakers Title?

By dyslecix

Maybe you’ve figured out already that our two regular writers around here are die hard Bay Area sports fans. And generally speaking hate anything LA (despite  a certain “Chap” living down there), so for the next two weeks I’ll be doing my best to even things out around here as the Lakers embark on the quest for another title. On that note, here is the extended version of Derek Fisher’s assasin shot in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs.

Quick side note: I think Shaq drops one of his all time great quotes in this clip, brillant stuff from Superman.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

June 2, 2010

Delusional Thoughts on The NBA Finals

By chappy81

Kobe's game face isn't nearly as intimidating as his game has been the last two rounds.

In reality, I don’t like either of the teams in the Finals. Maybe it’s more their arrogant fans than the players, but either way it’s a great match up that I’m sure the NBA couldn’t have drawn up any better if it was planned. Well, maybe they could’ve had the refs force a couple game sevens, but the teams they wanted were winning, so they couldn’t pull a reverse Sacramento 2002 to give the underdogs a chance! I guess we did see it coming though, so we may as well enjoy what we can from it. The best part for me in this series, is how much the main guys want that title. Kobe and Garnett are as good as Jordan at getting their teammates motivated and focused. Kobe is truly reminding me of MJ this playoff run, and this is probably the first time I’ve ever openly admitted that those two could be on the same level. Since the infamous knee draining, I’ve never seen him playing out of his mind like this. Everything he puts up is going in, there’s no defense against him that really works. Ok, hopefully that’s the most I’ll talk about Kobe for awhile, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little while writing those last couple sentences. Anyways, Lebron taught us one thing this year, and that was you need the Championship type heart throughout your team, and both the Lakers and Celtics have that heart. Continue reading

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

May 23, 2010

Suns Are Keeping Me Interested

By chappy81

A couple weeks ago, I wrote how the playoffs have been a snoozefest, and was hoping the Conference Finals would bring a little drama. So far, not so much. After watching about two and a half quarters of the Boston-Orlando game 3 Saturday, it was clear that the Magic didn’t have any Chris Angel in them. It felt like they didn’t even care that they were losing. I guess they decided that they only wanted to sweep or be swept, and as AP wrote, they don’t have a backbone and would rather be at Disneyland. Superman disappeared, and looked powerless against a big baby. Pretty much the whole team decided to lay down, even Jameer, who I always thought was a gamer. Vince was probably the only one that looked like he was even trying to compete, and that’s a really bad sign for a team, when he looks like the only guy that cares!! I think we can safely say Rondo is Boston’s best player now, and will give any opposing guard fits on offense and defense. All those other guys they have aren’t too shabby themselves, and know what their roles are. I’m hoping that the Celtics can wrap it up in game four so they have plenty of time to rest before the finals. They should give the Lakers one tough battle in a wet dream matchup for the NBA with Lebron out of the picture (here’s to hoping that will jinx the Lakers with that comment).

The Suns are who I’ve been pulling for all along, and tonight, they at least showed that they weren’t going to lay down to an obviously better Lakers team. The thing I found so strange about this game is I thought that Phoenix’s bench would be the reason they’d win a game. This wasn’t the case, as the bench was held to minimal production, and if it weren’t for Amare getting back into his game (42 points, 11 rebounds), the sun would’ve set on their season tonight. Robin Lopez played well, and on this rare occasion the Lakers bigs weren’t the story of the night.  I’m not sure if the Suns really won this game as much as the Lakers lost it. Odom, who had huge games in the first two made his usual disappearing act following a couple big performances. Hopefully that will last for a couple games. Bynum was just a big guy handing out fouls as offensive players streaked by him to the rim. Fischer might have been their third best player on the court. I don’t think I’ve said that about him since he was on the Jazz! Kobe will always be Kobe, and just missed a triple double by a rebound. Doug Collins and Marv Alberts seemed to think that the zone D the Suns were playing was slowing Kobe down, but they must not have looked at his stat line (36pts, 9 rebs, 11 assists).

All in all, this game has me feeling like the Suns have a good shot to even this series up on Tuesday. I still wouldn’t bet on them to win, but the most promising part about tonight’s game is that they didn’t really play their best. Nash wasn’t spectacular, their bench didn’t help out, they shot the three ball horribly, and the barometer of the Suns success, J-Rich, didn’t score 20! Looking down the need to do list before the game, I figured they would need to do a combo of all of these things for them to win, and even though none of them panned out, they still pulled out victory. I think the real question now becomes is Amare satisfied with putting up his one big game or will he come back for more? If he is done, the Suns will have a tough road ahead. If he isn’t, we could be in for a great series! I hope tonight doesn’t make him feel like he showed us he can do it, and he disappears like he did in LA for the first two games. The Suns won’t win another game if that’s the case. I’m hoping he wasn’t just “lucky” tonight!

13 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

May 19, 2010

Rondon’t You Wish Your Point Guard Was Hot Like Me?

By By

Looks like he's holding a peach.

Ladies and gentlemen, if I were to ask you who the MVP of the 2010 NBA Playoffs would be heading into the Conference Finals, who would you assume?

  • Kobe Bryant?  Good choice, he’s definitely in the discussion, but no.
  • LeBron James?  Numbers wise, perhaps, but he won’t be getting any more numbers anytime soon now will he?
  • Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade?  You kidding me –

People, the answer is RAJON RONDO.  Yes, I didn’t stutter.  Rajon Rondo.  The BEST point guard in the NBA now.  He’s moved up big-time.  Move over Deron Williams, move over Chris Paul, move over Steve Nash.  Rondo is top dog.

It’s amazing how the point guard nobody wanted two years ago is now the man in Boston.  When the Celtics won it all in 2008, Rondo’s job was to not mess up.  Now Rondo carries this team on his wide-set shoulders, and because of him, and the newly re-established defensive team prowess, the Celtics strike fear into their opponents.  If the Lakers win tonight, I can’t help but think they’ll be paying attention to Boston in their rear-view mirror, because they must know they’ll be in for a real fight.  Things ’bout to get physical real soon for them.

But back to Rondo, because he’s quickly developed into one of my favorite players in the league, if not the favorite behind Stephen Curry.  No one controls a team like Rondo, and all of a sudden he’s hitting free-throws and jump shots.  If you think about it, those two things were the only holes in his game, and it seems he’s got them plugged now.  What that means is, he’s essentially perfect on the floor.  He’s unguardable, and he’s a defensive menace, as he led the league in steals this season.

Lastly, Rondo is doing this during money time.  You create your legacy during the post-season, and right now he’s finally garnering a lot of the attention he deserves.  I was a Rondo critic, but now he’s turned me.  As Magic Johnson’s been saying during this post-season, there’s no longer a “Big Three” in Boston.  It’s now the “Big One, and the Little Three.”  The Celtics leave their future in good hands once Pierce, Garnett and Allen retire.  Very good, huge hands.

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

May 17, 2010

Lakers – Celtics Inevitable

By mceezy

We’re only one game into each series. Technically, game one isn’t even over in Los Angeles, but watching Jason Richardson and Louis Amundson fight with each other for a rebound en route to a 26 point deficit five minutes into the fourth doesn’t really spark much optimism. The Lakers are headed to dominant defeat of the Suns in the opening game of the Western Conference Finals, and we all know what happened in the first game of the Boston-Orlando series. The Conference Finals look like nothing more than a formality at this point. Sure, a lot of people are convinced that the Magic made proper adjustments in the second half against the Celtics and appear poised to strike back in game two, but I’m not convinced. Granted, I didn’t catch game one due to my watching the Amgen Tour of California ride down the Auburn streets that I used to stomp on in my younger days, but it’s clear the Magic just can’t  match up with a more driven Celtics team. Everyone thinks the Magic will adjust their game plan, but what’s to say the Celtics won’t. The Big Three know that the window is closing; meanwhile, Rajon Rondo is busy establishing himself as one of the premier players in the league. I’ll be the first to admit I was a huge Rondo doubter coming out of Kentucky. I thought he’d be nothing more than a role player at best. But four years later, I’m ready to give the kid his due. I’m sorry, but 29, 18, and 13 in any game, let alone a pivotal postseason game, is enough to convince me that he’s for real. I was all but ready to post about Rondo last Sunday had it not been for Dallas Braden’s perfect game. As stacked as the Magic are, they simply won’t be able to outlast the Celtics this time.

Back to the West Coast, it seemed like Phoenix would at least be able to hang with the Lake Show. After watching this debacle tonight, I’m not so sure. The Suns have the same problem they seem to have every year. They’re talented, they can run, and they have plenty of firepower, but they just don’t have the drive and competitiveness. The Lakers are simply to big and even too fast. There’s no debating that Amare Stoudamire is a beast down low, but no combination of Suns can stop the trio of Gasol, Bynum, and Odom. It might be a different game in Phoenix, but they’ll likely be down 0-2, so they’ll be lucky to head back to Southern California with anything better than a 3-1 deficit. Thus, it seems pretty much inevitable that we’re going to see a Boston-LA rematch of the 2008 NBA Finals. Boston got the best of LA last time, but the Lakers are clearly better. Can we really say the same about the Celtics? I’m not so sure.

11 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

May 12, 2010

The NBA Playoffs, Where is the Drama?

By chappy81

I’ve really been trying to get into the NBA playoffs this year, and have enjoyed some of the games/series. This past round however should be called The NBA, Where Blowouts Happen. There’s been an amazing lack of drama that the NBA thrives on, which has had me hitting the snooze button on lots of games. And by snooze, I mean, change the channel for 10-15 minutes, and check back. Once I check back, and see its still a blowout, I’ll jump back to baseball or golf and not look back. It’s sad the playoffs have been losing out in the channel surfing rotation, because most years it doesn’t. It’s going to be tough, but Im going to try to pull together a few things that are intriguing me in the 2010 Playoffs. Continue reading

29 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

April 25, 2010

Four Game Fours, Four Series at 3-1

By mceezy

(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Sunday featured a full docket of NBA Playoff games to keep fans busy. I’m a little over 7/8 of the way through the quadruple header, and I’m going out on a limb to assume the Jazz will hold on to their 20 point lead at the time of posting. First, Miami was able to stay alive thanks to the heroic effort of Dwyane Wade. I got a sense of overexposure dating back to the Heat’s last Championship run – Wade was everywhere and got all the calls. But now that his team is a lower seed again, I’ve come to appreciate, once again, the will and ability of one of the game’s great players. D-Wade single-handedly took over the fourth quarter with a barrage of clutch baskets. He finished with 46 to make sure the Heat held on to this one to send the series back to Boston for at least one more game.

In Chicago, the Cavs ran away from the Bulls despite a monstrous effort from Joakim Noah. I had all the doubts in the world about this kid coming out of Florida. I didn’t see him ever becoming anything more than a role player, but today, he was the Bulls best player on the floor. Noah put up 21 points to go with 20 rebounds, and repeatedly came up with big buckets when other Bulls couldn’t. Problem is, too often were the times no one else could come through. On the other side of the ball, Lebron James was dominant once again, posting his fifth career postseason triple-double with 37 pts, 12 reb, and 11 ast. Mo Williams chipped in a couple huge three pointers and finished with 19.

In San Antonio, the 7th seed Spurs took a stronghold on their series with the Mavs, notching a 92-89 win to send the series back to Dallas with the home team in a 3-1 deficit. George Hill had a breakout game with 29 points to lead the way for the Spurs. The Mavs meanwhile looked like the same familiar disappointing team that continually fails to show up in the postseason. Jason Terry led a respectful comeback attempt, but the Spurs showed that they’re still the better team when the games mean something.

There’s still a lot of basketball left to be played in Utah, but barring a miraculous fourth quarter, the Jazz look poised to take a 3-1 lead back to Denver with three chances to close out the series. Deron Williams is building upon his legacy, further cementing his status as one of the top point guards in the league. Also, Carlos Boozer is showing that he can still be a dominating force in the post, something that teams with cap space will certainly be looking to add to their roster in the upcoming offseason.

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

March 4, 2010

Doin NBA Power Rankings

By chappy81

Thank you Fanhouse! You’ve given me the inspiration to do some power rankings. I couldn’t believe what their power rankings looked like, I mean really!?! I’m as big of a Laker hater there is out there, but putting the Mavs at numero uno over the Cavs and the Lake show is a little bold!! I’m not sure what Brett over at Fanhouse is smoking, but I need to get some! Anyways, here’s how I see the top 16 teams in the league at this point in the season.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers – They don’t have the best record in the league, but having Kobe sit out for a little will help them. Not missing a beat in the win column keeps them atop these rankings. They will most likely cruise to the Western Conference finals before they are truly tested. John Canzano at the Oregonian might have convinced me that they could be tested by the Blazers in the first round, but I won’t get my hopes up at this point of an early Lake Show exit.

#2 Cleveland Cavaliers – Best record in the league, and a very close 2nd to the champs. Is it a big deal that Shaq is out? No, but in case anyone forgot, they have Lebron. You could put him on the Bucks right now, and get through the first couple playoff rounds, so I’m not buying that the loss of the Diesel is that big of a deal at this point. If he ends up missing more time than expected, that might be another story. Lebron is playing in a different league than everyone else, he doesn’t need Shaq.

#3 Orlando Magic – Vince looks like he finally is fitting in, and the Magic are playing their best basketball of the year. If they keep playing like they have, they could be just as scary as Cleveland in the Eastern Conference. Stan Van Gundy reminds me of Rex Ryan in the NFL. He’s a little unpredictable and unstable, but if you were caught in a fight you would gladly take them on your side.

Continue reading

6 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

February 16, 2010

RFP of the Day: Dee Brown

By mceezy

While Dee Brown may be long forgotten these days, with the exception of an annual memory or two around the All-Star break, back in the mid-90s, he was the man. Brown is mostly remembered for one thing: his arm over the eyes dunk in the 1991 NBA dunk contest. Those with superior memories might also remember the sight of him bending over to pump up his Reeboks before a dunk attempt in that same contest. As a former short guy, I was a big fan of Dee Brown. I even remembered today for the first time in at least a decade, that I used to have one of those t-shirt jerseys with #7 and Brown across the back. I’m pretty sure my affinity for him lasted about as long as his time in the limelight. While his performance in the dunk contest was memorable, not much else was.

He was drafted #19 by the Celtics in the 1990 Draft. He played seven and a half seasons in Boston before being traded to Toronto along with Chauncey Billups, Roy Rogers, and John Thomas for Kenny Anderson, Zan Tabak, and Popeye Jones. He then played two and half seasons in Toronto, where somehow, in 98-99, he led the NBA in both 3pt FG made and attempted. What makes it even crazier is that he did it in just 49 games. He jacked up over 7 three point attempts per game that year, converting on 2.8 of them. I’d be surprised if anyone knew that fact off the top of their head. Dee spent his final two seasons in Orlando, where he played a total of 14 games those two years.

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January 8, 2010

Doin NBA Power Rankings

By chappy81

Surprisingly we haven’t done any power rankings for hoops this year, so we were about due for this post! We’re approaching the halfway point in the season, and this is how we think the top 16 looks as of today.

1. Los Angeles Lakers – As negative as we are about the Lakers on Doin Work, we respect them. Aside from losing to their freeway rivals Wednesday, the Lake Show still have the best record in the league, and only have 7 losses on the season. I watch them more than I want to, and they’ve had a few injuries, but if Kobe is in the lineup they seem to find a way to win. Their defense might be a concern going forward, but when Ron and Pau are both healthy and back in the lineup they should be solid in the defensive department again. Bynum has been stepping up in a major way.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers – I’m not really sure how the Cavs lost to Charlotte, but other than that mini-speed bump they’ve been very consistent since destroying the Lakers on Christmas. I have a feeling that Nike could get their lame MVPuppet match up this year. It’s sad that I think beginning to be less of a Lebron fan because of those commercials!

3. Boston Celtics – No contending team outside of Portland has more injuries to key guys than the Celtics. Even without Rondo, KG, and Pierce they somehow beat a Toronto team that is playing surprisingly well lately. I guess it’s not a surprise for the leagues oldest team is having injury problems. I’m sure they’re just hoping that they are healthy at the right time.

4. Dallas Mavericks – If the playoffs started today, the Mavs would have the #2 seed. I was actually surprised to see this, but it’s true! Cuban has reigned over the Mavs for a decade now, and seems like he’s pushing the right buttons with his squad this year. They may have stunk up the court against the Lakers, but they beat all the teams they are supposed to and are deeper than I imagined they would be.

5. Orlando Magic – Matt Barnes has been playing some great ball since being put in the starting rotation. Unfortunately for the Magic, he has been their best player as of late and they don’t look like a very deep team anymore. Coach Van Gundy thinks they are in a rut, and it seems like he’s right as they’ve lost three straight. If guys don’t know their roles on the team, it always leads to unhappy players…

6. Denver Nuggets – I’m not sure how the Nuggets are hanging onto their division lead, but they are without Chauncey and Melo. The refs gave them a gift of a foul against the Warriors. They better watch out though, because the Blazers are closing in fast, and have overcome many more injuries than these Nuggets.

7. Portland Trailblazers – Can you say enough good things about Brandon Roy. He’s the ultimate team player. He didn’t have huge stats in the beginning of the year because the team didn’t need him as much. Now that 80% of the team is on the IR he’s playing with D-Leaguers and still has this Blazers team hunting down Denver for the division lead. Roy put up a stinker against the Clips, but if Kobe gets a pass, so does he!

8. Phoenix Suns – This might be too high for the Suns, but screw it. They have beat the best in the league and seem to lose to the worst. I really don’t know what to make of them, since they are so inconsistent, but as long as Nash is running the show they will win. If Richardson can get a little bit more consistent, I like where this team is going.

9. San Antonio Spurs – The Spurs started off the year slow, but as is the case every year, they’re right in the thick of things now. Winners of 12 of their last 15, the Spurs haven’t been flashy, but rank second in the league in FG% and third in 3PT%. Tim Duncan is averaging nearly 20 and 10.

10. Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks have stumbled as of late, dropping 5 of their last 7, but they have plenty of talent to carry them into the playoffs. With Josh Smith continuing to mature with each game, and Jamal Crawford finding his stride as a bench player, they simply need to keep pace in the top half of the Eastern Conference standings and they can be a dangerous playoff team once again.

11. Utah Jazz – It’d be easy to chalk up the Jazz’ early struggles to injuries, but they haven’t really had many. Carlos Boozer has played all 35 games, while Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur have missed a combined 7 games. As long as Williams’ wrist injury doesn’t linger all season long, Utah should find themselves right in the thick of the playoff race.

12. Houston Rockets – The Rockets have been proving doubters wrong all season so far, and despite their current three game losing streak, they’re sitting pretty at 20-16. Those three losses have come at the hands of the Hornets, Lakers, and Suns, all on the road. They’ve been beating the teams they’re supposed to. In this league, if you do that, you’ll find yourself in playing in the postseason. Houston currently sits in the 7th spot, but only by a half a game. In fact, only 3 games separate them from the 12th spot right now.

13. Oklahoma City Thunder – A trendy preseason pick to make the playoffs, the Sonics have not disappointed. Kevin Durant has carried the load, leading the team in scoring, rebounding, steals, and blocks. Their 19-16 record is impressive enough, but what really stands out is their 10-8 record on the road. The only teams in the West with worse home records are Minnesota and Golden State. It’s too bad they’re in OKC, as I’m sure the Seattle fans would provide them a much better home court advantage.

14. Miami Heat – The Heat were hot, no pun intended, to start the season but have since cooled off. Nonetheless, they’re still lingering around the .500 mark, which historically would get you in the playoffs in the East. Dwyane Wade should also garner some MVP attention should Miami finish in the top half of the standings. He’s averaging 27 pts, 5 reb, and 6 ast per game.

15. New Orleans Hornets – Riding a four game win streak, the Hornets are now over .500 for the first time this season at 17-16. That’s not good enough for the playoffs in the Western Conference, but with Chris Paul back healthy, they’ve got to like their chances to pass up Houston and/or Oklahoma City before the season ends.

16. Toronto Raptors – Let’s face it, this could be any team here at #16. The Raptors haven’t exactly impressed this season, but they’re still right in the thick of things. The Chris Bosh farewell tour is going strong. Now, if only Jose Calderon could regain his form, Toronto could have a good shot at knocking off a higher seed in the first round of the playoffs. I wouldn’t count on it though.

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November 2, 2009

Rondo is Gettin Paid

By chappy81

Rajon Rondo CelticsRajon Rondo has agreed to an extension with the Celtics reportedly worth $55 million over 5 years. I guess I kind of forgot how players should really go about getting a contract, and he showed that sometimes they don’t cause a lot of distractions. I really couldn’t figure out why Boston wasn’t sold on him. He’s pretty much done everything possible to win a franchise over, and the fans have appreciated him, but they seemed to be fairly sluggish in doing it. I still don’t see why it took so long, and if they were going to do it why wait till the last minute. I sounded like maybe they were scared of his lack of leadership or his label as a “loner”, but he’s only 23 so that can only improve with maturity. He also came into the season bulked up and ready to go. I haven’t seen him do anything on the court NOT worthy of making him the franchise point for years to come. Nor has anyone on the team shown any problems with how he’s gone about his business. They seem to have no problem throwing money at aging starts, so it’s got to feel comforting for Boston fans that they locked up what limited young guys they do have. Now that he’s getting paid he can start picking fights with guys like CP3 without being scared of how that fine will affect his salary!

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