Monday, May 25, 2009

Change Gone Come

Regularly blogging just isn't going to work.

Now stream of consciousness and completely random pointless articles about nothing.

And Charles McPiffenberry. More McPiffenberry.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Cavs in 6



And that still won't stop me from using a Dwight Howard picture!

Smart money says Cavs in 6, I'll take the smart money. I'm getting a little tired of some people saying the Cavaliers are going to sweep the Magic. I don't see it, they don't have the match-ups. Sweeping the Organization Formerly Known as The Pistons and the Hawks hardly means the same will happen to Orlando.

Cleveland is more disciplined. They have a better defense. They have LeBron James. Orlando has more weapons offensively. They do a great job spreading the floor. They have Dwight Howard. Dwight Howard is the key to this series. If he decides to be great, the Magic can steal this series. The same can't be said for anyone on the Pistons or the Hawks. The problem is Dwight hasn't shown he can be that guy that can take over a series and have a stretch of mind blowing days. I'm talking some 30/20 games that bring memories of a young Shaq. He's the best center in the league right now (Ming is injured to often), but not because he's at that level yet. He's soft of the best by default, the product of an extremely weak group of players that has career power forwards like Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire playing extended minutes at the position. Dwight can elevate his legacy now and regain some of that hype that he had during All Star Weekend. Now the Magic just have to actually get him the ball!

There isn't much to say about Cleveland. They are the best team in the playoffs right now, I can't see anyone stopping them. Both Denver and LA are capable of beating them, but we'll board that train when we get to it. LeBron James is just amazing, and he has his team believing they are good. Mo Williams is doing the exact same thing he did in Milwaukee, except people now care. He seems to be feeling himself a bit too much as well. (Not a Cavs fan. AT ALL.) Courtney Lee is a great defensive match-up for him, I'm looking forward to it. And as much as I'd like to see the Cavs lose, they are just too good. My worst fears might be realized, Cleveland with a major sports championship. Just disgusting. Please end my nightmare Orlando, please...

May 19 Was A Good Day



Got the Blackout 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Blackout 1, Blackout 2, and a small poster) and Relapse. They are pictured somewhere in this completely pointless, and borderline weird photo.

Clippers Win The Draft Lottery



The Clips are veterans of this thing, so they are rewarded with another #1 pick. Unfortunately for them it comes in a draft where the consensus top pick happens to play a position that the Clippers have plenty of players and a ton of money tied up in. Michael Olowokandi was the last consensus pick when they had the top pick in 2009, and that worked out well. Clippers could shock the world and go another direction here, but Blake is a solid pick. His size is often criticized, but height isn't everything.

It's more likely his career is already over. Grizzlies could reunite some young players from the Spanish national team by adding Rubio to Marc Gasol, that'd be interesting. It also would spell the end of Mike Conley's tenure as the future PG there. I'm interested to see how things will play out in the month leading up the draft.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Do Or Die: GAME 7

Got to love the Game 7. Captivating in any sport, especially basketball. Rockets/Lakers. Celtics/Magic. A blowout and a good game.

Rockets @ Lakers

The Rockets have been admirable winning 2 of 3 games without Yao Ming, but the Lakers aren't about to lose this one. They are simply the better team and Houston won't be able to just get by playing harder. As I type this, the Rockets are already down 11 and are 2/15 from the field. They are taking horrendous shots, missing lay-ups, and not attacking the basket. They don't have any scorer to get them out of these kind of ruts since Ron Artest has been offensively inept the last 3 games. Kobe's legacy is safe, for now. It still remains to be seen will the Lakers win a championship, they aren't looking like they can beat the Cavs right now. And I can't overlook the Nuggets, right?

On a side note, anyone else notice that Derek Fisher just isn't good anymore?

Celtics @ Magic

Orlando is the more talented team, but they don't have the heart or grit of the Celtics. It's carried Boston this far, but can it carry them to the Eastern Conference Finals? Orlando has struggled mightily to close out games in this series, so you have to wonder if they can close out the series. Dwight Howard needs to get his touches and they have to avoid falling in love with the three. Courtney Lee has to keep up the intensity and play well.

Really the Celtics just need Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to play well in the same game for once. Perk has done a good job bothering Dwight, and they are getting contributions from players like Glen Davis and Eddie House. I think they are tough to beat if that happens, but I really think Orlando's talent will win this game.

Then again, watching that same talent blow a game wouldn't be uncommon either.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Joell Ortiz Covers The Classics



Ever since the formation of Slaughterhouse, Joell (as well as Crooked I) has been growing on me. Joell Ortiz Covers The Classics is a "Jackin' for Beats" style mixtape where he just spits bar after bar on a ton of different tracks. Definitely you download this.

Grab it at OnSmash

Monday, May 11, 2009

May 19th Will Be A Good Day



I buy about one album a year, but that will change the week of May 19th. You get the much anticipated and recently leaked Relapse from Eminem, as well as another album from hip hop's most entertaining duo. Blackout 2? How about a How High 2? I love that movie. Tracks I've heard from the album have been promising, especially the cuts featuring Raekwon & Ghost and the track with UGK. Can't really go wrong with this album from 2 legends.

I've already heard (and downloaded...and burned) Relapse, but I will support good music and buy the actual disc. I don't feel like reviewing it, because I'd just be talking to myself, but it was a pretty good album. 3AM has grown on me since I've heard the entire thing, and Beautiful might be the best song on the album. Got to love the random Christopher Reeves shots on the CD. It's kind of strange seeing him talk about the same things he did almost 10 years ago, in terms of pop culture, but that's just Em. Nick Cannon recently caught feelings because of some lyrics about him and Mariah carry on the track entitled Bagpipes from Baghdad. Overall, I'd give the album a 4/5.
-----

Laying here trying to enjoy this Hawks/Cavs game. It's really not a game, Atlanta is scared of the Cavs.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Dead Hawks Walking



More like stumbling actually.

Seems as if the Cavs will walk to the conference finals and face the winner of Orlando/Boston. They will then end up in the finals, and I have to deal with another month of Mike Tirico hanging from LeBron's jock strap. He turns into a typical Cavs fan anytime LeBron does something semi-nice. Disgusting. Jeff Van Gundy wouldn't stand for that.

Boring, boring day. Relapse leaked, Wale's mixtape didn't come out (to my knowledge). Ahh well, I accomplished one key task today. I priced shampoos at Target.

And Now It Starts to Get Good

Some pretty chippy games tonight.



Eddie House had a career high 31 points tonight. Seems like Skip caught feelings and slapped him. But he slapped Eddie House like he was his little brother, and will now likely miss Game 3 because of it. Smart.



This sequence is amazing. Kobe elbows Ron Artest. Ron Artest gets the foul.



After pleading his case, Ron Artest takes the matter into his own hands and confronts Kobe face-to-face. I'm not exactly sure what happened here, but Ron Ron ended up out of the game and Kobe was free to bow again.



Derek Fisher is now definitely suspended because he just laid a Brian Dawkins like hit on Luis Scola. Scola did fold like a bad hand, but he sold it well. Luckily for the Lakers, Derek Fisher hasn't been good for about 2 years.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Rock The Bells is Coming to the D!




I will not have to drive to Chicago to catch this concert. Instead I can just make the little 20 minute drive to DTE. This is greatness, bask in it. This line-up is just piff. Charles McPiffenberry approves.

That reminds me, Charles McPiffenberry needs a logo. Hmmmm...

Once Again Back Is The....Oh Who Cares?



I suck at blogging and getting people to care about what I write, but apparently I'll continue to do it.

First off, what a relief that the Celtics escaped the Bulls. I hate when the teams I'm rooting for get upset. You have to hear about it for a year and see it all on ESPN, it's just annoying. But I assume just avoiding ESPN in general would leave me a lot less annoyed. Anyway, the Bulls put up a great fight and should be able to carry this experience into the next season much like Atlanta. I knew I could count on Ben Gordon to start feeling his own shot a little too much and start becoming a low percentage chucker. Plus you can't rely on John Salmons putting up 30-plus points every game. Ben Gordon hit all those shots and most likely won't get a long term deal with the Bulls because it's Kirk Hinrich has a hard to move contract and it's just easier to give Salmons his minutes. Now some other team is bound to overpay for some streak shooter. Funny how the business works.

Onto the 2nd Round Amigos:

Magic 95, Celtics 90

Tale of two games. The Magic looked good for about the first 32 minutes of this game, absolutely destroying the Celtics. They were up 28 and all of their outside shots were falling. And then someone told the Celtics the game counted, and they quickly mounted a comeback. Orlando's threes stopped falling, Dwight stopped getting the ball, and players such as Brian Scalabrine and Eddie House stepped up and hit big shots. Orlando dodged a couple of bullets when up only four in a Rondo turnover and a Ray Allen three that hit every part of the rim before falling out.

Now I'm well aware that the goal for Orlando was to win one of the first two games on the road, but they went from making a statement to looking extremely vulnerable. The pressure is still on Boston (and Ray Allen) to show up to Game 2 and win, but doubt has definitely been cast in my mind. Before the series I thought Orlando would take this in 6, but I now have some hope that Boston might be able to pull this series out. Orlando still goes away from Dwight Howard, far too often for my taste, to take bad threes. My bias towards everything KG won't let me pick against the Celtics, so give me Boston in 6.

Rockets 100, Lakers 92

When the Rockets first got Ron Artest, it was theorized that they could now compete with the Lakers because of their improved defense added to the tandem of T-Mac and Yao Ming. Subtract T-Mac, add in a motivated Ron Artest, and you have that same team that some experts (Scoop Jackson, mostly) predicted to win the championship. Now while I don't think the Rockets are capable, they can obviously bother the Lakers. No other team can throw a defender like Shane Battier to follow Kobe around, and switch him off with a guy like Ron Artest. Artest also gives them a guy who matches up beautifully with Lamar Odom. Add Yao Ming in the post, and it forces Pau Gasol a little bit further from the rim. It also makes Andrew Bynum more important, because he's the only real size that can bother Ming. The Rockets did a great job controlling the pace of the game, and forcing Kobe to shoot the ball 31 times for only 32 points. It's well known one of the ways to stop the Lakers is to force Kobe to be a volume shooter, and the Rockets did a great job of doing that in Game 1.

As much as I would like to see Houston pull the upset, it's just not likely. Kobe usually responds to a bad game with a really good one, and LA is still the superior team. When Kobe is finishing out a close game hitting clutch shots and drawing double teams, the Rockets really have no one to go to that can match him. Post players don't really thrive in those situations, and you can't really rely on Ron Artest to carry you offensively. The Rockets have all the tools to make this one interesting, but won't be able to pull it off in the end. I think the Lakers take this one in 6 or 7, but it will be better than most people initially anticipated.

The more games there are, the more Ron Artest soundbites we get. Much like cornbread, "ain't nothing wrong with that."

Cavaliers 99, Hawks 72

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind the Cavaliers will win this series. Atlanta might challenge them once or twice, and even steal a game, but they have no shot to win. They haven't shown near the level of consistency it would take for them to make this a competitive series, and they still struggle on the road in the playoffs (with the exception of Game 4 against Miami). The Cavaliers will make this one quick.

Congratulations for LeBron James for winning the MVP. He's the best player in the league right now, you have to respect that. I still despise the Cavaliers, but credit is given where it is due.

King James
Big Z, The Great
Daniel, The Manservant

Who can stop that?

Nuggets 117, Mavericks 105

For the second time, a close game gets blown wide open in the 4th quarter by a big Denver run. Josh Howard went out early, and Dallas never really had a chance in this one. The Mavericks' opporitunity to pull an upset likely went out the window the same time Josh Howard went out with an injury. I'll admit, I thought this was the year that the Mavericks overachieve and Dirk diverts some of the criticism he's been getting pummeled with since the 2006 Finals. Sadly, that does not appear to be the case. The Nuggets are playing the best basketball of any team in the West, the Mavericks don't look to be the team. But it's too early to count them out, Dallas is a pretty good home team. They also have a nice little 3 day layoff before their next game, so Howard can get heal up an extra couple of days.

The Nuggets are such a feast or famine team in my eyes, because of their erratic play. JR Smith can either bury you with threes, or bury the Nuggets forcing them up. They can make some pretty dumb turnovers between Birdman and K-Mart, and Anthony Carter can play like Anthony Carter. Chauncey Billups really helps this team calm down, and his impact shouldn't be ignored. He's well on his way to his 7th consecutive conference Finals.

Nuggets take this one in 5, but Dirk proves his worth to a small segment of people.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Holy S***

I'm going to destroy something if the Celtics don't win this damn series.

But my god, this is the greatest playoff series I can remember since Golden State/Dallas. Just WOW. WOW.

WOW!
WOW.
WOW??

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Kobe MAD!



Hornets 95, Nuggets 93

Missed the game. The Hornets are good enough to win another at home, but I think that will be their last of the season.

Heat 107, Hawks 78

The Hawks continue their trend of getting slaughtered on the road. There was one stretch in this game where they went to Jermaine O'Neal with Al Horford on him 3 straight times. He overpowered him to the rim for an easy bucket twice, and got a good look on the last one. The Hawks can't win this series if Jermaine O'Neal is having flashbacks to his 20/10 days. It's already no secret that they cannot stop Wade. Joe Johnson is going to have to step up and start matching him if they want a chance in this series.

Mavericks 99, Spurs 90


Tony Parker tied a Spurs record for points in a half with 31, and by the 4th quarter they were down 12. They just don't have it anymore. Mavericks may seal this one in 5 at San Antonio.

Lakers 108, Jazz 94


38 points for Kobe on 16-24 shooting. Just utter domination. Kobe doesn't have two bad games in a row, especially against Ronnie Brewer. The Jazz are finished.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

More Fiyah!

Cavaliers 79, Pistons 68



76ers 96, Magic 94

Orlando played from behind for most of this game, and when they caught up, started taking horrible shots. A three point lead doesn't mean you have to take 4 straight three point shots. The last of which was an actual solid attempt by Rashard Lewis that tied the game at 86. Dwight Howard also gave Theo Ratliff a vicious facial late in the game. Dwight's imposing presence still didn't stop Thad Young from going right at him, and getting a little flip shot to fall with 2 seconds to go that ultimately won the game for the Sixers. It looked like a travel to me, but it's still a solid play. Thad Young is a very promising young player, much better pro than college player. He's definitely a guy to look out for.

Rockets 86, Blazers 83

Nope. I refuse to give an analysis of this game. Not after what Steve Blake did. Allow me to set it up. Rudy Fernandez hits a heavily contested three from the corner that cuts the Rockets lead to one. The Rockets come down and hit the 2 free throws, then hilarity ensues. Steve Blake decides that with 17 seconds left on the clock, he's going to run full speed down the court and jack a shot. Not just any shot, a leaning 26 foot three. He didn't look for anyone. Not the hot Rudy Fernandez who is one of the leagues better perimeter shooters and was obviously feeling it. He decided to do it by his self. By the time the shot hit the rim, there was still 10 seconds left on the clock. Game. Set. Match. Still a 7 game series.

Friday, April 24, 2009

It's 80 degrees!

Nice weather outside. Maybe that means I should leave my dorm.

Celtics 107, Bulls 86
Missed most of this game as I was actually in the gym playing basketball. Checked the score at halftime on my phone, and I obviously didn't miss much. The Bulls didn't have anyone on fire (Rose in Game 1, Gordon in Game 2) and they got thumped because of it. I feared that Chicago wouldn't be able to compete without monster performances, and I might have been right. Paul Pierce seems to have come back alive, which doesn't bode well for the Bulls either. I'm rooting heavily for the Celtics (KG!) but the Bulls need to play with some pride at home. This has the potential of an amazing series, don't let us down now Chicago. Then again, you're still relying on Tyrus Thomas...

Mavericks 88, Spurs 67
No NBATv and that streaming website that carries my name sake wasn't being very friendly to my computer last night. Even without seeing the game, I don't think the Spurs are going to win this series. They have been that overlooked underdog for so long, I think they are actually starting to get too much credit. Even though Parker is playing like the 2nd best PG in the league (Sorry Deron), Duncan is a step slower and the Spurs are a year older. Not having Ginobili really hurts this team, I think it will be too much to overcome. They had 49 points a couple of minutes into the 4th quarter. You won't win games like that.

Plus Dallas has underachieved for so long, it's about time they overachieve. Right?

Jazz 88, Lakers 86
It took Kobe going 5 for 24 just for the Jazz to squeak out a victory at the end of the game. That doesn't bode well for the Jazz, but at least they aren't going to get swept. This was a pretty good game. Jazz came out beasting early, mainly because Carlos Boozer had something like 9 points and 11 rebounds in the first quarter. Then the Lakers take the lead, get up about 12, and the Jazz start storming back thanks to their role players. Even Brewer hit a couple of jumpers. They traded leads a couple of times, Boozer and Gasol traded clutch dunks down the stretch. But the game winner came when Deron Williams isolated at the top of the key, drove to the lane, and hit a nice little fall away jumper with 2 seconds to go. Not even the great Kobe could save them. Then again, he couldn't hit anything.

I don't think I made enough of Boozer's performance. This guy would have had a solid NBA game if he didn't see the court after the 1st quarter. Then he goes and finishes the game with 23 points, 22 rebounds? Monstrous. I wouldn't mind seeing a guy like him in Detroit next season, but I don't think it's the smartest thing for him to opt out in this financial market. Time will tell.

The Pistons "play" today. Watch them get blown out at home at 7pm on ESPN. WOO HOO!

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

No Cable!

I missed the games last night (studying of all things), so no recap. I did catch the end of the end of the Pistons game and found it hilarious that the 2nd unit came in and cut a 29 point deficit to a 7 point deficit. Then 2 of the starters (Rip and McDyess) came in, and the run immediately ended. That should tell you something about how finished this core group of guys is. Brandon Roy went off for 42 points and showed why he's right up there with some of the best in this league.

I'm missing all the games now because the cable is out in my dorm room. During Finals week no less. Just terrible.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

A Double Dose of Goodness



More games, more thoughts. Took a day off because well, I never update this thing regularly. Plus no one reads it.



Lakers 113, Jazz 100
Hawks 90, Heat 64
Nuggets 113, Hornets 84


BLOWOUTS! Well, the Jazz game ended a bit well but it was still a blowout. They just made the score look better at the end. They were just getting destroyed for the most of it. With no Okur, the Jazz might only win 1 game. I'm not sure how long he is out though. I honestly don't remember this game, so I will now move on...

I have maintained that the Heat/Hawks series would be one of the best series' in the playoffs if the Heat role players show up. Well they definitely didn't do it on Sunday. Beasley was having a terrible game, making every rookie mistake in the world. O'Neal was his typical non-factor self. And Dwyane Wade was looking like Famous Amos out there, just handing out cookies (8 turnovers). When Wade doesn't have any kind of help, it can be painful to watch. Mario Chalmers had a -27 +/-, just horrible. All these young guys (and JO's knees) are going to have to step up and put Wade in a position to take over, which he is very capable. Otherwise you'll continue to see Josh Smith getting 20+ points on a bunch of breakaway dunks. I'm starting to really like this Hawks team. They definitely have carried their experience over from last year, and Joe Johnson has quietly become a 2nd-tier superstar (1st tier is the Kobe, Bron types). Should be a good series, I still want this to go 7.

I think the Nuggets are one of the dumbest, mistake prone teams in the playoffs. But there is absolutely no doubt, when they are on, they are ON. Chauncey Billups was Mr. Big Shot for the first time since the 2005 Finals and JR Smith got into his rhythm and hit his shots. It's nice to see Billups actually showing up in the playoffs. As a Pistons fan, you haven't been use to that lately. He finally is playing hungry, as opposed to the overconfident Chauncey. Not much to say about the Hornets, they didn't show up at all. If Tyson Chandler isn't healthy, they don't have much of a chance to win.

76ers 100, Magic 98
Dwight Howard dominated this game as expected, and it didn't matter. 31 points, 16 rebounds, yet still down the stretch they go to Hedo Turkoglu. I don't get it, perimeter guys always seem to have something against feeding the big man down the stretch. He's the best player, he should have the ball. Iguodala stepped up big after blowing 2 free throws to hit a heavily contested step back jumper. I honestly didn't know he was capable of such a move. Louis Williams quietly had a solid game off the bench as well. But the game changer was Donyell Marshall, as awkward as that sounds. He had 3 triples, the biggest of which tied the game up with less than a minute to play. And I forgot to mention that the Magic were up 18 late into this game. I stopped watching around then so I don't know how they lost it, but they completely blew that lead. It was toe-to-toe of the last 2-3 minutes of that game. After a loss like that, Orlando should wake up and beat Philly down. But the 76ers have proven they aren't a joke.

Celtics 118, Bulls 115
Unfortunately I spent most of this game in class. Late classes are just as bad as early class, except you miss good television as well as being extremely fatigued. Class actually went well despite my group being unprepared. When in doubt, throw the guy who isn't there under the bus. And keep backing up over him.

Back to the game, the Bulls once again scared the Celtics. Ray Allen was dead until he went to the locker room, popped in a VHS of He Got Game, and came out in the 2nd half as Jesus Shuttlesworth. That man was on fire, 28 points in a half is impressive. And the most impressive thing about the performance, it took some attention off the fact that he was getting absolutely flamed on defense. Ben Gordon was hitting almost everything he put up, and went toe-to-toe with Allen. That three at the end for "Jesus" was beautiful.

Not good news for the Celtics that they didn't look like the home team or the defending champs at any point during these first 2 games. You know the United Center (I think that's the name) is going to be rocking because these Bulls fans think they have a chance. And they are more than right. Leon Powe is now out with ACL tear, so the Celtics have to rely on Mikki Moore as a backup big man. As Bernie Mack said in Playa's Club "It's bout to be some trouble, trouble."

Spurs 105, Mavericks 84
I didn't watch this game. It was a blowout from the beginning. At no point during the game did the Mavericks consider stopping Tony Parker. He was just walking to the hole. Nothing else to say. I got finals to study for.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

40(-4) Games in 40(-1) Nights



40 Games in 40 Nights is TNT's motto for the NBA playoffs. Well even though no games have come on TNT yet, 4 games are over and 1 night of the NBA playoffs is done. A quick run-down of each game:

Bulls 105, Celtics 103 - OT
Who knew that the first game of the NBA Playoffs in 2009 would be a duel between Rajon Rondo and Derrick Rose? And that Tyrus Thomas' jumper would be the reason the Bulls upset the Celtics in overtime? Amazing game, by far the best of the day. Derrick Rose looked like a future superstar, even if the announcers kept pounding the fact that he was a rookie down the views throat, to the point where it became counter-productive. It's great to give his amazing performance the proper perspective (36 points, 10 assists is disgusting), but stop saying the same sentence. He absolutely dominated that game though, and got wherever he wanted to on the court. He's going to have a great series, but he can't stop Rondo either, making for an interesting match-up.

The big news for the Celtics was Ray Allen's seeming annual disappearing act in the playoffs. 1-12? That last shot had no chance, I knew it was off when it left his hands. Pierce missing a FT that would have gave them the lead and likely the game was not a good look. Noah's foul was horrendous, and he got bailed out by PP choking.

Even though the Bulls took this one, I don't think the Celtics are in too much trouble. Ray Allen should hit more than one shot in a game, and Derrick Rose isn't likely to sustain such an amazing level of play. I've always thought the Bulls would make this a series, but the Celtics should win this one in 6.

Cavaliers 102, Pistons 84

The Cavaliers are arguably the best team in the league. The Pistons are arguably the most disappointing team in the league. This really wasn't a game, or a series worth watching. LeBron is going to destroy and bury Detroit. Hell, Mo Williams might destroy and bury Detroit. I'd be surprised if one of these games is even competitive, the Pistons are a shell of their former selves. I love Rasheed going down low and abusing Joe Smith, then hanging out near the perimeter when he apparently got tired of being a big man.

The Cavs already have their brooms ready. This is not a series.

Mavericks 105, Spurs 97
The Mavericks are my upset pick of the first round. After years of woefully underachieving, it's about time they overachieve. With the Spurs' age and lack of Ginobili, I think it ends here. I just don't think they have what it takes anymore. Tony Parker and Tim Duncan still have match-up advantages, but the X-factor of the series is Josh Howard. With no Ginobili, the Spurs have no swingman that can match his output. You get a good series from Josh Howard, I'm confident you will get a Mavericks victory.

I'm taking the Mavs in 6.

Rockets 108, Trailblazers 81
I think playoff "experience" is the most overrated thing that will be pounded into the viewers heads over the next 2 months. But in the case of this series, it may mean something. The Blazers didn't look like they belonged on the floor with the Rockets at any point during this game. Yao just dominated, and even Aaron Brooks was putting in work. The problem the Rockets will run into either in this series or sometime down the line, is their lack of a real closer. You can dump it in to Yao for points down the stretch, but when the D locks down on that, what perimeter player can you rely on to get you points or get to the line? Ron Artest? I don't think so. I still think the best sub-plot for their playoff run is possibly making it out of the 1st round without T-Mac. I think you'd almost have to trade him then.

As for the Blazers, they need to wake up and get into this series. Roy and Aldridge need to have coming out parties, and Rudy needs to provide some key 3 point shooting. They are such a "deep" team, you'd think someone will step up. Travis Outlaw is going to have to play well, since he opens up things for everyone else on the floor when he can hit that 18 foot jumper.

I took the Blazers in 7, but I'm not so sure anymore.


Now, time to watch the Lakers "game".

Thursday, April 9, 2009

James White Update




Little late on this one but.....

HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets have signed guard James White to a multiyear contract.

The 6-foot-7 White originally signed a 10-day contract with the Rockets on March 3, then signed a second 10-day contract on March 13. He signed his new deal Tuesday.

White had been playing in the NBA's developmental league for the Anaheim Arsenal, where he averaged 25.9 points, five rebounds and 2.5 assists in 34 games.

He's played one game for Houston, scoring five points with an assist and a steal in the Rockets' 107-88 win over Minnesota on Friday.


Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press


From reading Paul Shirley's hilarious book, Can I Keep My Jersey?, I know multi-year means nothing. It's unlikely they gave him a guarenteed contract, just something so he can play in Summer League for them and they can get a closer look. I've always been a fan of his, since the McDonald's All American Dunk Contest way back. He never really lived up to his potential, but hopefully he can stick around in the league for at least another season.

James White in the D-League Dunk Contest this past year:

Do You Like Fish Sticks?




Do you like fish sticks?
Do you like to put them in your mouth?

If your answer to both of the questions above is yes, have you ever considered that you may be a gay fish?

Or at least that's what South Park would like you to believe. That's basically the premise around the new episode is a joke created by Jimmy and Cartman (kind of). They do a great job poking fun at Carlos Mencia's tendency to steal jokes (and inability to be funny) and satirizing Kanye West's recent antics over the last year. The cartoon Rockwell haircut is spot on. They even get his crew to look as ridiculous as they do in the photo up top. World Star Hip Hop has video up of all the Kanye scenes, with the story line set-up at the beginning.

Kanye West on South Park

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

I Missed The Madness

Oh I've been watching the tournament, just not blogging about it. Because I'm that lazy. Yeah.

I can say I'm rooting for Michigan State at this point, considering both my parents attended and all of my brackets are completely and utterly destroyed.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

To Tweet or Not To Tweet?

By now, everyone knows about Twitter. It is taking over pop culture, with it's membership ranging from "the kid next door" to Shaquille O'Neal. Even Diddy used it to inform the world of his tantric sex sessions. Even the extremely popular social networking website Facebook has redesigned to give it a more Twitter-esque feel (Bad move Facebook).

Add Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva (better known in the Twitterverse as @CV31) to the list of famous Twitter users. CV sent this "tweet" out during halftime of the recent Bucks/Celtics match-up:

In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We're playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up.
10:17 AM Mar 15th from TwitterBerry


Seems innocent enough. I'd call 15 points in the 2nd half against the Boston Celtics in route to a victory stepping it up. Of course with a coach like Scott Skiles, it is unlikely Villanueva will do it again. Though there was no formal action taken against CV, Skiles was quoted in the AP saying, "My personal opinion is, it doesn't have any place in the locker room". That's a relatively mild response from Skiles, this is the same guy that banned headbands as the coach of Chicago.

I only bring this up because I find Twitter slightly strange. It's essentially a bunch of random updates about peoples lives, mixed with what I'd call public text messaging. It's weird that we have gotten to a point where an NBA player would sneak to post an update during an actual game, but that's the nature of Twitter. Knowing exactly what someone is thinking at random points during the day. I can't lie, I enjoy following some celebs on Twitter. Phonte' of Little Brother is hilarious. I don't know where this phenomenon will end up going, but I do know someone needs to get Shaq a bigger keyboard.

Shaq's fingers + Blackberry keys = Spell Check's worst nightmare.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Ya Heard? Probably Not.



The ranking of post-season college basketball tournaments for Division I schools goes something like this:

1. NCAA Tournament
2. NIT
3. Women's NCAA Tournament
4. College Basketball Invitational
5. WNIT
6. CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament

Luckily for me, Oakland just happens to have teams in the latter two. Today there was a home game where the Grizzlies took on Kent State in a tournament I've never heard of for a website I didn't know existed. I figure I should give a quick recap.

----

Oakland came out of the gate completely flat. Aside from Keith Benson dunking on someone something vicious, they looked like they didn't want to be out there. Maybe it was hangover from letting an NCAA tournament berth slip through their fingers, but none of the players really looked like they cared what was going on. Players were just starring at loose balls and making dumb decisions. Kent State's half-court trap was rather effective, but the 2nd half proved it could be broken.

Their lack of effort was really evident for about the last 3 minutes of the 1st half, where they just let a 4 point game balloon into a 27-40 half time deficit with very little resistance.

The reality of the situation must have set in for the players at halftime, because they came out focused. After giving up 2 free throws, the Grizzlies went on a 20-4 run. Much of that was due to more effective ball movement, and Eric Kangas hitting 3 triples. In fact, Kent State's 4 points in that came off of a beautiful 4-point play by guard Tyree Evans, or "Agent Zero" as someone sitting near me in the stands affectionately called him. It fits pretty well given his number and his propensity to launch a shot just about as soon as he catches it.

Right after that run, Kent State hit a three pointer to take their last lead of the game. Oakland quickly responded and it was pretty much a wrap from then on. The energy in the building was crazy, I've never seen it that hype. Senior, and often team firecracker, Dan Waterstradt wrapped up a rebound getting the Grizzlies possession on a jump ball then randomly let out an emotional yell. If there was one moment that symbolized Oakland's mentality in the 2nd half, it was that. Mind you I laughed because it was completely random, but his team rallied around him. The crowd also rallied around the team for the entire half. The O'Rena was far from packed, but I have never seen it that emotionally invested in a game. The severity of the moment was not lost upon them. For the maybe 1000 people in attendance, the place was rocking! I wish all Oakland games were like that.

Now the Grizzlies go on to play a team to be determined later in a location to be determined later on Monday. This is normally where I'd put up a bracket, but none exists. Just as the gimmick for the CBI is the 3 game series to determine it's champion (Terrible Idea), the CIPT (?) reseeds after every round. That's a better idea than the CBI, and works for a small tournament since it rewards the better teams with home court, but let's hope they'd never consider that in the NCAA's. It'd ruin it completely.

Tomorrow, we tackle the "real" tournament.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

This Time With More Positivity

Not much to say today so I figured I'd post a video of someone getting their legs taken from underneath them.



That's just sick. Another one, not so devastating but still get's results.



Deron Williams is the second best point guard in the league, and he still hasn't made an All Star Team? Next year, let's fix that.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Noooooooooooooooooo

In 3 years as an Oakland student:

-I took an L because I pay to attend this wack school.
-I took an L because I never transferred.
-I had to watch the Men's and Women's basketball teams lose to Oral Roberts in the Conference Finals in 2007.
-I just had to watch both the Men and Women blow 10 point leads to teams from Dakota. DAKOTA. Both North AND South. This is disgusting.

I just have to deal with the fact that the program is nothing but empty promises and broken dreams. Of course they look great for next year, but they will find a way to blow it. They always do.

This is how I feel right now:
http://darthno.ytmnd.com/

Go Grizzlies!



It's not often I big up Oakland. The school has mad flaws, including a lack of social events sponsored by any student body. I need to change that, it's not that hard. This is coming from the guy who spends most of his time in his dorm. All of that is irrelevant now. For the 2nd time since I've been here, both the men's and women's basketball teams have made it to the conference championship.

The men will be taking on North Dakota State (Regular Season Conference Champs) at 8pm on ESPN2. Should be a good game, hopefully Oakland can keep Woodside and Winkleman in check. Woodside hasn't really lit up the Grizzlies like he has other teams, and Jonathon Jones is definitely talented enough to outplay him. Kangas' injury will be big, the team definitely needs his outside shooting unless freshman like Kush and Maynard can step it up. I think if they can get the ball down low to Keith Benson early and he's hitting shots, they will be tough to beat. A big game from Will Hudson or Dan Waterstradt would go a long way to a tournament appearance.

On the other side of things, the women will be taking on the national ranked (#14) South Dakota State. Like the men in their match-up, they split their regular season meetings giving SDSU one of it's two losses. I can't sit hear and analyze the game, but I didn't catch any women's games this year.

I'm hoping it doesn't turn out like it did last time, with both teams getting sent home by Oral Roberts. We can't be getting sent home by the Dakota's, that's just not "whoa". I think at least one team will pull it out, my money is on the men.

GO GRIZZLIES!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Unmotivated...AGAIN

You'd think break would motivate me to restart the rest of the school year. Not at all. I haven't been excited in a minute.

Well, Watchmen coming out this weekend excites me. That's about all I can think right now. It's like 4am anyway, I just like to blog to make it seem like I accomplished something tonight. Homework definitely wasn't one of them. At some point, I'm going to have to develop a work ethic. Might help my sleeping patterns.

Hopefully I'll put some more stuff up here soon. I want to actually have a 20 post month. I don't know if I have the content to do it, but I'll try.

I do a radio show that no one knows about on a station no one listens to and a blog that no one cares about and few people know exists. If I'm trying to get attention, I'm failing miserably.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Who Doesn't Love Snacks & Shhh

http://www.snacksandshit.com/

Found this link snooping around Facebook/Twitter (something I should touch on later). Really funny site taking completely absurd rap lyrics and rightfully questioning what the hell the artist was thinking when he said them. The quips under the lyrics are just as funny. Hopefully they keep updating that site, mad potential!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Larry Hughes Welcomed With Boos

If you didn't pay attention to the very disappointing NBA Trade Deadline (which mirrored my weekend, tons of potential that never materialized), one of this blog's favorite players was traded. That's right, the Bulls found a taker for Larry Hughes and sent him packing to New York. Of course his debut for the NY 2010ers was fantastic....

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Mixtape Review - So Far Gone



1. Lust For Life
2. Houstatlantavegas
3. Successful feat. Trey Songz & Lil' Wayne.
4. Lets Call It Off feat. Peter Bjorn & John
5. November 18th Produced by DJ Screw
6. Ignant Shit feat. Lil' Wayne Produced by Just Blaze
7. A Night Off feat. Lloyd
8. Say What's Real Produced by Kanye West
9. Little Bit feat. Lykke Li
10. Best I Ever Had Produced by Boi-1da
11. Unstoppable feat. Santogold & Lil' Wayne Produced by Diplo
12. Uptown feat Bun B & Lil' Wayne Produced by Boi-1da, Northern Profit
13. Sooner Than Later Produced by D10
14. Bria's Interlude feat. Omarion
15. The Calm
16. Outro
17. Brand New Produced by D10


Drake, if you didn't already know, has had the internet buzzing with his latest mixtape release So Far Gone. Given the hype, I had to check it out. And for what it is, it does not disappoint. Much if his style is that of a rapper/singer with immense commercial appeal. Unlike a Chamillionaire, his singing voice is actually bearable and he can make quality R&B tracks.

If you just look at the track list, you can see the frequent partnership with Lil Wayne. He's been closely linked, although not signed to, Lil Wayne's Young Money imprint and you can hear Wayne's influence in the way he raps. It's actually not a bad thing. Wayne is more than solid in each song he's featured in, including two of my favorites, Successful and Uptown. Successful is an aptly titled chill track with Trey Songz assisting quite nicely on the chorus. And the way Wayne comes in after the song fades out is kind of cold. Uptown is Drake's southern-esque track featuring Wayne and Bun-B, accompanied by an organ heavy beat.

My other favorite tracks on this mixtape include November 18th (His ode to Houston/Chopped & Screwed records), Say Whats Real (Him ripping over the Kanye Song), and Best I've Ever Had (An amazing chick song that would actually have crazy single potential). Recently the latter is the song I'm feeling the most, maybe it's the Spring time.

So Far Gone is a great mixtape to just cruise to, it have a very chill vibe to it. Drake definitely benefits from some album quality production. This is one of those CDs you can play in the car with your boys, or more appropriately, when entertaining a breezy. Drake has slowly made me a fan, and I'm almost positive he's going to blow up when his debut album drops. Especially if his mixtapes are this quality.

Grade: 4/5

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Nothing Much Here


"You got to score da ball to win da game!"

-I was almost disappointed in the Super Bowl, but the 4th quarter was amazing. Very exciting, great pass by Big Ben and great catch by Santonio Holmes. I almost felt bad for Arizona, but I'll take my +.500 record in these playoffs and get over it.

-LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have officially made the New York Knicks the team that you go for 50 on, at their place. MSG may be still referred to as the "Mecca of Basketball", but they better get used to a lack of defense. It will all work itself out at some point, but remember the Suns never got over that hump because they couldn't make key stops.

-Editing music is not the most exciting thing to do in the world. Especially when an artist doesn't cuss often, but just likes saying the N-word. And it's not Narnia.

Oh, and editing out the "Diddy's" are the worst. The ad-lib profanity is always in the middle of the verse and never sounds right when it is edited out.

-Valentine's Day falls on All-Star Saturday. Hmmm. I know which one of those I will be enjoying already.

-Random Curren$y track:
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=53293997055&h=8E1Re&u=wwONr

Fire. This song actually has single potential. Well, aside from the fact that it is Curren$y.

-I started writing this with a purpose, I no longer have one.

P.S. Michael Curry still sucks.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

My Super Bowl Picks


Brothers from another

Playoff Record: 5-5

I'm taking the Steelers. There are plenty of reasons why, the defense, the lack of belief in the Cardinals, Ben Roethlisberger's winning history, Omar Epps as the coach. But the most importantly, my mom likes them. And like D-Wade says, if my mama like it, I like it.

Steelers 28 Cardinals 21

Pistons
Losses to the Celtics and just recently the Cavs. Yeah, they aren't a good team anymore. Nothing else I need say on this situation. Blowing a 4th quarter lead with LeBron on the bench because you refuse to close out on Danielle Gibson (aka Damon Jones 2.0) and can't guard a pick and roll is inexcusable. Nice to see Mike Curry finish the game with a completely different line-up each time. I just want him to do something smart once.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Me in the Studio




Being a radio DJ is fun.

Peep the new template son, it looks nice.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Late Picks...

Mid-Day nap so refreshing.

Anyway on the radio I picked Philly over Arizona and Pittsburgh over Baltimore. Of course Philly is already losing right now, but that nice statistic that says teams that score for are 2-6 makes me feel better.

Then again, I'm 4-4 with my picks so far going .500 each round. That probably won't change.

In Other News...

The Pistons are terrible since Richard Hamilton came back and they went to small ball. Starting a 4th quarter letting the Thunder score 13 unanswered is kind of bad. Letting the Hornets score 9 straight in the same situation in your next game is just sad. 0-4 since the return of Rip and Small Ball. It obviously works.

I thought Curry was hired because the players respected him. Given the way RaShooting Guard and Rip don't always bring their A games, or his complete unwillingness to make the big decision (Rip or A.I. off the bench) what is that respect really worth? Maybe they have good locker room conversations or something. It's disgusting.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Well There You Have It

Charlotte 80
Detroit 78

There you have it. Do the right thing!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

How Could You Be So Heartless?

Michael Curry: Richard Hamilton, Allen Iverson both to start tonight vs. Charlotte Bobcats
by A. Sherrod Blakely
Tuesday January 13, 2009, 12:43 PM


The biggest question facing Detroit Pistons coach Michael Curry has been about how he would handle Richard Hamilton's return to action.

Would Hamilton keep his pre-injury spot in the starting lineup? Or would Allen Iverson keep starting alongside Rodney Stuckey?

Well, contrary to recent speculation, it's going to be both, Curry said at practice today. At least for now.

Hamilton, who has been sidelined for eight games due to a partial groin tear, will finally be back on the floor tonight for the 7:30 p.m. tip against the Charlotte Bobcats, who are led by former Pistons coach Larry Brown.

Because of comments made by Hamilton to the Detroit media that he was unwilling to come off of the bench, many saw the shooting guard's return as a potential land mine for the Pistons and the continuity they achieved during their recently snapped seven-game winning streak.


My fears about the Pistons have been confirmed. Michael Curry is a mediocre coach who is more concerned with keeping his players happy than making the tough decision that puts the Pistons in the best situation to win. They won 7 straight games without Rip in the line-up, I don't think that is a coincidence. It's not that Richard Hamilton is the problem, but small ball just doesn't work for this team. When you think a textbook shooting guard, Rip is one of the guys that comes to mind. He has no business at SF, he will get handled defensively. And Tayshaun as a 4 just takes away the advantage of his length and allows him to become a liability to get posted up against teams with interior scoring.

Rip came out Saturday and said there was no chance that he came off the bench, and I actually agree he shouldn't. The answer should be to try to convince Iverson to come off the bench. Unlike Hamilton, A.I. can actually set players up and can carry a team offensively if they want to run a defensive line-up with guys like Aaron Afflalo in the game. It gives the Pistons a dynamic bench player unmatched by anyone the Celtics, Magic, Cavaliers, or Hawks can trot out. The problem is convincing him to come off the bench. A good coach knows how to balance a 3 guard line-up and still get each around 30 minutes a game. I fear Michael Curry isn't that coach, and that he will ultimately fail like Flip Saunders before him.
-----
My reaction to the return of small ball and the complete medicrity of my playoff picks can be summed up in one moment with Jake Delhomme:

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Back in the USA

I made these picks earlier in the car with a friend who can vouch for me. I may be posting this as the Ravens are at Tennessee's goal line with the game tied 7-7, but I assure you (my make believe readers) that I picked these at a Sunoco gas station.

Divisional Round Picks
Ravens over Titans
Panthers over Cardinals
Giants over Eagles
Steelers over Chargers

Oh, nice job by featuring Matt Millen as an analyst last week NBC. I do remember that he was considered the replacement to John Madden before he butchered the Lions, but O.J. Simpson was considered by some to be the greatest running back then he "allegedly" killed two people. No one wanted anything to do with him after that.

I'm not saying Millen (I can't think of a word that accurately describes killing a franchise over the span of 8 years) is in the same class as a murder, but I am.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Rambling

-Pistons lost today. I think Rip is secretly happy, because they look better without him. Most likely because Mike Curry is forced to use a line-up that doesn't involve Rip or Iverson on the bench.

-I went 2-2 on my playoff picks, sad. I really wanted to act like I knew what I was talking about, but I don't think anyone saw Darren Sproles coming.

-Oklahoma/Florida tonight. I don't like Florida. I think it's the "Tebow is the hardest working player ever" crap you get from ESPN. I know he's supposedly a great kid, but how about the random walk-on who made some major conference team who wasn't born with such physical attributes as Tebow? I'd reckon he had to work harder.

Florida probably will win, I will be sad.

-Ohio State lost another bowl game. They take more L's than I do. Self depreciating humor. Fun.

-It's 5:21am and I have no interest in doing anything right now. I have 5 hour old chicken sitting on my desk though, I might want to throw it away. But I haven't gotten out of this chair in a couple of hours.

-Best cure for insomnia = Youtube. Where else would I go from listening to Shyne to Steve Wonder?

-Attractive women =/= Engineering students at Oakland. Someone please prove me wrong.



-For no particular reason, I'm listening to this song. Reminds me of high school.

-After disgracing my race with that atrocious attempt at a dunk on Youtube, I have discovered if I just run up from the baseline (or wing) I dunk 3x easier. Not really sure why, but I now need to try this out in a pick-up game.

-Andre 3000 is an AMAZING MC. Like, really good. I say that just in case you didn't catch the amazing.

-Nothing more to say.

Transmission over.

Saturday, January 3, 2009

New Year, New Name

Larry Hughes' Contract Year is now "The Contract Year". It's a much better name, and it's unfair to single out Larry Hughes. How can we forget such players like:

Mike James
Jerome James
Tim Thomas (about 3 times)
Shaun Alexander
Simeon Rice

I'd have more, but I'm drawing a blank right now. That's unfortunate. But they will not be forgotten or overlooked.

NFL Playoff Picks
Colts over Chargers
Ravens over Dolphins
Vikings over Eagles
Cardinals over Falcons

Blog redesign coming when I decide not to be lazy.