I'm currently in Tampa, Fla., covering the Southeastern Conference Tournament for the Kernel. We arrived on Wednesday night and proceeded to go out for what we'll call 'a few' beers and drinks. We arrived back at our hotel, the Tampa Marriot Waterside, when we saw Champion's Bar and Grill and decided to have one more beer.
The group I was with included Alex Hale, Eric Lindsey and Brad Luttrell. Upon entering we saw Tim Brando sitting at a table sipping on some sort of alcoholic drink. Now, let me preface this story with what happened last year at the SEC Tournament. Fellow Why So Serious creator, Dan Howarth and I were in Atlanta and scored tickets to Georgia Tech to watch UK lose to Georgia in the quarterfinals. At halftime Brando walked by us when Dan built up the courage to tell Brando he loves him and he uses his famous quote 'the iron unkind' in beer pong. Brando responded with 'anything I can do to help pop culture.' He instantly became a Park Boy favorite.
Now, this year Brando steps up from his table and begins to man hug everyone in sight, while he looks dishelved and flat out bombed. This time it was Hale who had the courage to go to talk to him. Hale, the Kentucky Boy himself, shook Brando's hand and told him it was a pleasure to meet him. Brando's response: "I'm going to bed." And then rolled into the hallway.
Simply put, Brando loves alcohol and being the man.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
LeBrick James No More?
I have been meaning to touch on this subject for some time but my studies (ha!) and other things have been keeping me away from posting. Brian Windhorst touched on this subject on his Cavs beat blog tonight, but its something I have been meaning to talk about as well.
I will go all Matthew Berry on you here.
Player A - 33.3% three point percentage
Player B - 33.9% three point percentage
Player C - 32.7% three point percentage
Player B is Kobe Bryant's three point percentage for the 08-09 season. Player C is Michael Jordan's three point percentage for his career. And Player A is LeBron James' three point percentage in 08-09.
When people talk about LeBron's game, his detractors quickly point out his jump shot or supposed lack of one. National media blowhards like Skip Bayless have even dubbed him "LeBrick." But what most of the national media is missing is that LeBron has quietly improved that area. Since January 30th, LeBron has gone 42-93 from deep for a Jason Kapono-esque 45.16%.
Expecting him to keep shooting 45+% from deep is pretty unreasonable. He still gets the ball too many times late in the shot clock and has to take too many difficult threes. I like to refer to these shots as "The Jodie Meeks Special." Also, he attempts too many heat check threes after big dunks or hitting several shots in a row. But if LeBron can hit in the 35-37% range on his threes in the playoffs and consistently knock down the shots the defense gives him within the rhythm of the offense, you can count on a Cavs championship.
I will go all Matthew Berry on you here.
Player A - 33.3% three point percentage
Player B - 33.9% three point percentage
Player C - 32.7% three point percentage
Player B is Kobe Bryant's three point percentage for the 08-09 season. Player C is Michael Jordan's three point percentage for his career. And Player A is LeBron James' three point percentage in 08-09.
When people talk about LeBron's game, his detractors quickly point out his jump shot or supposed lack of one. National media blowhards like Skip Bayless have even dubbed him "LeBrick." But what most of the national media is missing is that LeBron has quietly improved that area. Since January 30th, LeBron has gone 42-93 from deep for a Jason Kapono-esque 45.16%.
Expecting him to keep shooting 45+% from deep is pretty unreasonable. He still gets the ball too many times late in the shot clock and has to take too many difficult threes. I like to refer to these shots as "The Jodie Meeks Special." Also, he attempts too many heat check threes after big dunks or hitting several shots in a row. But if LeBron can hit in the 35-37% range on his threes in the playoffs and consistently knock down the shots the defense gives him within the rhythm of the offense, you can count on a Cavs championship.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Funniest NBA Trade
When the ESPN ticker scrolled across the screen and announced this trade, I literally laughed out loud. Larry Hughes to the Knicks with Jerome James and Tim Thomas heading to Chicago. I hope that the GM's did this move to give NBA fans like me a good chuckle.
This trade involves maybe the three most disinterested players ever to play in the NBA.
Jerome James - Has made $30 million dollars to sit on the Knicks bench and eat... a lot. Has played 15 minutes the last two years and is perfectly healthy. This viedo posted on this forum shows his Knicks career in a nutshell.
http://www.knicksonline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=85337
Tim Thomas - If you google "Tim Thomas lazy" you get 223,000 results. I think that defines his career.
Larry Hughes - Here are his quotes:
"I play to enjoy myself, some people take this the wrong way, but winning a championship is not what I base everything on."
"I wouldn’t take being unhappy and not being myself and winning."
"I was asked to sacrifice for the team to win and for everybody, I guess, get paid. That is what was told to me and I wasn’t happy with that."
I guess Larry Hughes going to play for Mike D'Antoni is a match made in heaven for him. D'Antoni loves to get up shots in "7 seconds or less" and Larry Hughes has not found a contested jumper in transition that he does not like. I give this trade an A+.... in comedy.
This trade involves maybe the three most disinterested players ever to play in the NBA.
Jerome James - Has made $30 million dollars to sit on the Knicks bench and eat... a lot. Has played 15 minutes the last two years and is perfectly healthy. This viedo posted on this forum shows his Knicks career in a nutshell.
http://www.knicksonline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=85337
Tim Thomas - If you google "Tim Thomas lazy" you get 223,000 results. I think that defines his career.
Larry Hughes - Here are his quotes:
"I play to enjoy myself, some people take this the wrong way, but winning a championship is not what I base everything on."
"I wouldn’t take being unhappy and not being myself and winning."
"I was asked to sacrifice for the team to win and for everybody, I guess, get paid. That is what was told to me and I wasn’t happy with that."
I guess Larry Hughes going to play for Mike D'Antoni is a match made in heaven for him. D'Antoni loves to get up shots in "7 seconds or less" and Larry Hughes has not found a contested jumper in transition that he does not like. I give this trade an A+.... in comedy.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Spring Break Odds
When a guy fantasizes about spring break, they think about chilling on the beach, pounding beer, and pulling in quality strange. For me this is the perfect opportunity to combine spring break with gambling odds.
One of my good buddies at home, Kerver, has gone through some rough patches since the prosperous summer and fall of 2006. Whether it be bad luck, bad game, or girlfriends that do not put out (yikes!), Kerver has gone through it all. But, this spring break he is looking to bust out.
Kerver has several things going for him. He is going to Fort Myers for a week and has a sizable house close to the beach. He is not setting his standards too high (anything 5 and above*) and is ready to unleash his game on the beaches and bars of the greater Fort Myers area. One con that he has working against him is that he has no connection to any ladies in the area. Thus any hookup will be completely strange.
A panel of nine members of US has estimated his odds of getting lucky at 4.64%.
The gambling line is set at 21-1. We encourage you to comment and say which side you would bet on.
* NOTE: A 5 on our 10 point scale of rating girls is defined as something you would not find attractive sober. It is something that is mediocre looking even at closing time of the bar but is not that horrible to settle for. You can easily defend this hookup by claiming wastedness and your buddies will not give you that much shit for it. This hookup is still 1.5x better than anything Matthews dates.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Dunk Contest: Lame
I look forward to the dunk contest every year. I was very excited for this years after Dwight Howard's performance last year. But last nights contest was a big letdown and incredibly lame. The winner, Nate Robinson, did a dunk Romona Robinson could pull off by jumping off someones back. However, all was not lost. LeBron is saying that he will do the contest next year, which will bring some necessary hype to the event. LeBron is easily the best in game dunker I have ever seen and has me salivating imagining the dunks he could do with a whole year to prepare. My bet is that he will dunk by taking off from several feet behind the free throw line.
My dream scenario for next years contest:
LeBron James
Andre Iguodala
Dwyane Wade
Demar Derozen (assuming he enters the NBA draft, if not then Josh Smith)
Let me know who you all would like to see in next years contest.
My dream scenario for next years contest:
LeBron James
Andre Iguodala
Dwyane Wade
Demar Derozen (assuming he enters the NBA draft, if not then Josh Smith)
Let me know who you all would like to see in next years contest.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Rivlary Talk
With this week being ESPN's 'Rivalry Week' headlined by of course Duke-UNC, careful somewhere Dicky V. heard this mention and got a little too 'excited.' While it is a great rivalry, is it the best in sports? Here's my list of top 5, and shocking to about everyone there will be no New York Giants reference in this.
5) Alabama vs. Auburn football
4) Army vs. Navy football
3) New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
2) Ohio State vs. Michigan
1) Duke vs. UNC
Okay, okay, I agree with ESPN. Why though? Because of the proximity, 8 miles separate these two, closer than any other rivalry. Unlike the Yankees and Red Sox they play only 2-3 times a year. The importance of the game as well. More often than not these two teams are in the top-10 if not higher. The same goes for OSU-Michigan usually. The third is the fan base. Sleeping out in a tent for 40-plus days, says something. You don't do that for a normal game. Let us know your lists.
5) Alabama vs. Auburn football
4) Army vs. Navy football
3) New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox
2) Ohio State vs. Michigan
1) Duke vs. UNC
Okay, okay, I agree with ESPN. Why though? Because of the proximity, 8 miles separate these two, closer than any other rivalry. Unlike the Yankees and Red Sox they play only 2-3 times a year. The importance of the game as well. More often than not these two teams are in the top-10 if not higher. The same goes for OSU-Michigan usually. The third is the fan base. Sleeping out in a tent for 40-plus days, says something. You don't do that for a normal game. Let us know your lists.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Cavs-Lakers Game Blog
Game Recap
- The Cavs got just flat out abused on the glass in the second half. That was a piss poor effort by the Cavs at blocking out Lamar Odom.
- The Cavs offense bogged down in the second half. LeBron held the ball way too long looking to try and make plays. Also, LeBron didn't finish in the lane as well as he usually does.
- I feel like the Cavs were hot in the first half and fell in love with their jumpers in the second half. If they are to beat LA in the finals, they need to not have such a disparity in points in the paint.
- Not having Delonte West hurt the Cavs in that they could not slide LeBron over to cover Lamar Odom. LeBron had to stick on Kobe and the other Cavs were getting abused by Odom.
Second Quarter
- Varejao's activity has been key. He has absolutely controlled the defensive boards.
- Daniel Gibson's jump shot looks off. His balance with his legs and feet looks like it is different than last year.
- The Cavs were +2 with LeBron on the bench. The Lakers bench is generally regarded as the best in the league and the Cavs won that battle in this quarter.
- Good thing there are not 1-and-1's in the NBA. Lamar Odom misses the first free throw more often than any other player I have ever seen.
First Quarter
- Pau Gasol can pretty much get whatever shot he wants. Cleveland is playing him straight up in the post and not bringing a double.
- LeBron has not forced too much so far and is letting the game come to him. He is getting his teammates involved but look for him to attack more the second half of quarter number 2.
- Having Z to stretch the floor is huge. He will get at least 15 shots today with how the Lakers play defense.
Pregame
- The roles have reversed since the last time these two teams met in LA. The Cavs were woefully undersized inside without Z and Andrew Bynum was healthy for the Lakers. Bynum was able to overwhelm Varejao and Wallace with his sheer size. Pau Gasol is a much better defensive matchup for Varejao.
- The Cavs will be able to successfully use their small lineup today (LeBron playing some 4) as LeBron is able to handle Lamar Odom defensively.
- Not having Delonte West really hurts against the Lakers. He is the Cavs best perimeter defender and would guard Kobe til crunch time when LeBron will take over that duty.
- The under/over for times Kobe and LeBron's MSG performances will be mentioned on ABC's telecast is set at +/- 387.
- In the story line everyone is following, Shannon Brown makes his vengeful return to Cleveland.
Prediction: It will be a tight game thoughout the first three quarters. Being at home, Cleveland and LeBron will get favorable calls down the stretch and end up winning by about 10.
- The Cavs got just flat out abused on the glass in the second half. That was a piss poor effort by the Cavs at blocking out Lamar Odom.
- The Cavs offense bogged down in the second half. LeBron held the ball way too long looking to try and make plays. Also, LeBron didn't finish in the lane as well as he usually does.
- I feel like the Cavs were hot in the first half and fell in love with their jumpers in the second half. If they are to beat LA in the finals, they need to not have such a disparity in points in the paint.
- Not having Delonte West hurt the Cavs in that they could not slide LeBron over to cover Lamar Odom. LeBron had to stick on Kobe and the other Cavs were getting abused by Odom.
Second Quarter
- Varejao's activity has been key. He has absolutely controlled the defensive boards.
- Daniel Gibson's jump shot looks off. His balance with his legs and feet looks like it is different than last year.
- The Cavs were +2 with LeBron on the bench. The Lakers bench is generally regarded as the best in the league and the Cavs won that battle in this quarter.
- Good thing there are not 1-and-1's in the NBA. Lamar Odom misses the first free throw more often than any other player I have ever seen.
First Quarter
- Pau Gasol can pretty much get whatever shot he wants. Cleveland is playing him straight up in the post and not bringing a double.
- LeBron has not forced too much so far and is letting the game come to him. He is getting his teammates involved but look for him to attack more the second half of quarter number 2.
- Having Z to stretch the floor is huge. He will get at least 15 shots today with how the Lakers play defense.
Pregame
- The roles have reversed since the last time these two teams met in LA. The Cavs were woefully undersized inside without Z and Andrew Bynum was healthy for the Lakers. Bynum was able to overwhelm Varejao and Wallace with his sheer size. Pau Gasol is a much better defensive matchup for Varejao.
- The Cavs will be able to successfully use their small lineup today (LeBron playing some 4) as LeBron is able to handle Lamar Odom defensively.
- Not having Delonte West really hurts against the Lakers. He is the Cavs best perimeter defender and would guard Kobe til crunch time when LeBron will take over that duty.
- The under/over for times Kobe and LeBron's MSG performances will be mentioned on ABC's telecast is set at +/- 387.
- In the story line everyone is following, Shannon Brown makes his vengeful return to Cleveland.
Prediction: It will be a tight game thoughout the first three quarters. Being at home, Cleveland and LeBron will get favorable calls down the stretch and end up winning by about 10.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The pressure of being a college basketball coach
Here's my story in today's Kernel about the pressure facing Gillispie to win at Kentucky. What do you think? I'll respond later with my input on most UK fans and the team:
Three games. That’s all it takes in Lexington to go from the pinnacle of the Southeastern Conference to hearing the sound of boos.
He came in as a savior. Three well-documented, surprising losses and a 20-second ESPN halftime interview later, UK men’s basketball head coach Billy Gillispie has remained in the media spotlight. And one day after his third consecutive loss, he is faced with more pressure and a new challenge.
On Wednesday, Darrell Bird of CatsPause.com reported that Patrick Patterson said players verbally confronted each other in the locker room following Tuesday’s loss.
Patterson told Bird that Gillispie stood in the locker room and let the players say what was on their minds. UK Athletics spokesman John Hayden said there was no comment on the story.
“Patrick just came out and started talking, and I asked him if Gillispie was in the locker room,” Bird said in a phone interview. “He said, ‘Oh yeah, (Gillispie) was there.’ Pat just spoke, said there was a heart-to-heart talk after a three-game losing streak.”
Big Blue Nation has grown restless, shown by the chorus of boos at halftime during UK’s 66-57 loss to Mississippi State on Tuesday, but the fans aren’t necessarily putting the blame on Gillispie.
Former UK head coach Joe B. Hall said such behavior is caused by the tradition of UK basketball.
“Boos happen during a bad run. I heard them too,” said Hall, who went 13-13 in his second season at UK. “Kentucky fans are that demanding because of the tradition here. You just need to win.”
Gillispie and his Cats won’t get a chance to win again until Feb. 10 against rival Florida. Former UK basketball great Tony Delk said winning is the cure to the boo birds.
While Delk never experienced jeers at Rupp Arena, he said he understands how Gillispie feels. During the 1993-1994 season, Delk’s sophomore year, the Cats lost two consecutive games. He remembers the team making sure they defeated Louisiana State to stop the streak and keep the fans happy.
“Fans do expect great things out of our team,” Delk said in a phone interview with the Kernel. “We’re that kind of team and program. The fans are trying to be patient but we also want instant success out of him and the team.”
While that could turn a lot of heads in Lexington, Clayton Barrett, a finance sophomore and UK fan, said he doesn’t have a problem with the story of a locker room confrontation.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Barrett said. “They showed their emotion and hopefully that can translate over to the court now.”
While every UK fan has his or her own belief of what will turn the Cats’ losing ways around, Delk is convinced it’s quite simple: win.
“What cures everything is winning. You have to put what happened behind you,” Delk said. “But we need to focus on defense and everything will fall into place. We have to control the ball and value the ball.
“Nothing is more important than winning though.”
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Quick reactions to UK-MSU
Wow, what a difference three games can make. Two weeks ago the Cats were a Top-25 team, and a potential 4-6 seed in March. Now, they are an average SEC team, in a very average league. Everybody seemed to lose the ability to score, dribble and most importantly rebound. Some quick notes I saw during the game.
-Why not go small? Mississippi State played four guards and Varnado. Why in the hell did UK keep sending Stevenson and Patterson out there. You had Stevenson on a guard! A point guard nonetheless! Why not go with a team of Liggins, Meeks, Porter, Miller and Patterson. Rotate Patterson, Stevenson and Harrellson in for each other. If you bring in Harrellson with the four guards, his shooting ability would bring Varnado out of the post. Then with the guards you can just run a platoon of those listed above, Harris and Galloway. You could switch anything between those four then.
-For the love of God UK, get in the gym and do nothing but basic shooting drills. They shot a mere 35 percent from the field. When teams are going to dare you to shoot, hit it. It's as simple as that. They sagged so far off of Porter, Miller, Liggins and Harris that it was like they were simply shooting warming up. No one was near them.
-Defend the three. UK had no defensive answer for Mississippi State who hit 14 from long distance. I know a lot of them were deep, but they had to see some of that on tape. Often times though UK didn't even get a hand in their face.
-Does anyone in America have a bigger green light than Meeks? He might have a bigger one than Curry. Some of his shots are so bad. He tries to take the team on his shoulders, which I understand why he does, but he tries too much.
-The key to this teams success in running. They are a terrible half-court team. They need to get back to that. Get the ball, quick outlet and run. In the half court, they really need to get Patterson touches and go inside out. Don't settle for the three.
-They have a week off now until Florida next Tuesday. Let's see what happens then. It's going to be a week, I'm happy not to be a part of Gillispie's team.
-Why not go small? Mississippi State played four guards and Varnado. Why in the hell did UK keep sending Stevenson and Patterson out there. You had Stevenson on a guard! A point guard nonetheless! Why not go with a team of Liggins, Meeks, Porter, Miller and Patterson. Rotate Patterson, Stevenson and Harrellson in for each other. If you bring in Harrellson with the four guards, his shooting ability would bring Varnado out of the post. Then with the guards you can just run a platoon of those listed above, Harris and Galloway. You could switch anything between those four then.
-For the love of God UK, get in the gym and do nothing but basic shooting drills. They shot a mere 35 percent from the field. When teams are going to dare you to shoot, hit it. It's as simple as that. They sagged so far off of Porter, Miller, Liggins and Harris that it was like they were simply shooting warming up. No one was near them.
-Defend the three. UK had no defensive answer for Mississippi State who hit 14 from long distance. I know a lot of them were deep, but they had to see some of that on tape. Often times though UK didn't even get a hand in their face.
-Does anyone in America have a bigger green light than Meeks? He might have a bigger one than Curry. Some of his shots are so bad. He tries to take the team on his shoulders, which I understand why he does, but he tries too much.
-The key to this teams success in running. They are a terrible half-court team. They need to get back to that. Get the ball, quick outlet and run. In the half court, they really need to get Patterson touches and go inside out. Don't settle for the three.
-They have a week off now until Florida next Tuesday. Let's see what happens then. It's going to be a week, I'm happy not to be a part of Gillispie's team.
Alex Boone: Sorry I'm not Sorry
Alex Boone, the St. Edwards and Ohio State drinking legend, has continued his partying ways. His legend started back when he was a freshmen at tOSU. After getting arrested for a DUI after plowing into a stopped car, he famously described his drinking habits to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "I’d have one beer, and it would lead to 24 or 36 — there were weekends when in one night I’d be putting down 40."
Well, Alex is back at it again.
If only he could of handled SEC defensive lineman as well as he pounds Natty Lights...
My Best Cleveland Game Experience
By Randy Kern
So Dan assigned me to write about my favorite game that I’ve ever attended. The problem is, I’m a Cleveland fan, so I don’t really have much to chose from. Therefore, I’m going to cheat a little and discuss a game that I wasn’t technically at (but I might as well have been). But before I get to that, I’ll list my honorable mentions:
- Run William Run. The best moment in new Browns history (how pathetic is that?). Atlanta had already clinched a playoff birth, something they kept reminding them of over the loudspeaker. I speculate that had they needed that win, they would’ve ran with Vick in the red zone and we’d have lost. Anyways, I refrained from drinking any sodas before the game because I didn’t want to have to urinate during it. I was with my brother in law in his yuppy-ass upper deck seats so the crowd experience was nothing special. At least it was loud by the new stadiums standards.
- 00 Win over the Steelers in week 3. Steelers got screwed, the clock should’ve been stopped when they were rushing their kicker onto the field and couldn’t get it off (I forget the logistics but I remember the league apologized for it). I will always remember this because it was my first Browns game, and it was a win over the Steelers. I went home and listened to “Who Let the Dogs Out” for the rest of the afternoon.
- Two games I attended with Blackie in the Dawg Pound in 04. The first was our home opener against the Ravens, the only one we’ve one since our return. I can’t believe how convincing we were that game. Memorable because of the rowdy middle aged guys around us, especially the one with an Eric Turner jersey who called me “Skippy”. If I ranked my honorable mentions, this would probably be #1 Browns game because it was a meaningful win (at the time) and I was in an ideal environment.
The second was week 4 after our season had already been decimated by injuries. We beat the Redskins in a lousy game. This was when my infamous “piss towel” was waved. I love peeing my pants in the Dawg Pound. Especially at the Bills blizzard game in 07 when I did so 6 times.
- Moving onto the Indians. I was at the game where Jim Thome hit 3 homeruns. He was my favorite player so this was a big deal. I think that was 2000. Another great one was a day game I went to with Kerver and Snakes with last minute tickets that were given to us. The seats were great, right behind home plate. My new favorite Indian, Fausto Carmona, pitched an absolute gem.
- I went to two Indians playoff games in 07 with Blackie. They kind of run together in my mind, but the first was the game 1 victory over the Yankees. The second was the game 4 win against the Red Sox. I was impressed by the crowd, particularly do to the fact that I had completely written off Indians fans when they couldn’t sell out the divison clinching win during nice weather a couple weeks earlier.
- The Tigers game at Comerica in 07 deserves a mention simply because it’s the only out of town game I’ve ever attended. The Indians won (obviously, or it wouldn’t be on the list) and the Tiger fans were solid, better than the flimsies you’d find at the Jake. I mean they atleast threw shit at us when we were rubbing it in. Makeshift beer pong in the motel afterward and Howarth’s sleep walking adventure round out a worthwhile trip.
- There’s only one Cavs game that deserves a mention (for now). That would be when the Chosen-King-L-Train danced down the baseline for the buzzer beating layup vs the Wizards in a pivotal game 5. I was sitting in the very top row with Ron, and the crowd was as fired up as I could realistically ask for. While I’m at it, I’ll give an honorable-honorable mention to games 3 and 4 of the Detroit series that same year. This is when I coined “DE-TROIT SUCKS MY BALLS” while patrolling the concourse of the Q before the game.
My favorite Cleveland gaming experience is definitely when the Cavs won the East in 2007. I wasn’t at the game but as downtown for the Party at the Plaza. Basically it was a bunch of big screen TV’s surrounded by a sea of Cavs fans.
Howarth cut his finger off earlier in the day, so he was damned to watching the game with the then mangled Arbaugh under the soupy influence of pain killers.
Most of us were drunk before we were even downtown. Riedle was too embarrassed to walk by the masses when we got on the rapid. I can’t reinterate enough how drunk and baffoonaried the Kerver brothers were for this event. Brett Kerver got into a verbal spat with a Tigers fan on the subway. Krusty would just charge ahead yelling incoherent isms about how Detroit sucks. I’ll never forget when Brett screamed “FUCK!” at the top of his lungs after the Cavs missed their inaugural jump shot of the game.
I recall there being two fairly attractive ladies near us in the crowd. Riedle ended up getting some digits. Me and a few others found their presence to be rather distracting. Kerver was like “if you can’t stop looking at her, just switch to where I’m standing”. Thanks, Kerver..
As the game carried on, the crowd began rearing its blue collared edge. Just constant screams, epiphets, drinking, and excess celebrations for everything the Cavs did. When Boobie started raining 3’s, it was one moshpit after another. Once we wrapped it up, there was a lot of hugging. Full fledged bear hugs with random strangers. Euphoric black dudes who declared they were “WALKING TO SAN ANTONIO, DAMNIT!” People running around in the streets aimlessly.. I can’t count how many ‘De-troit sucks my balls” chants there were. This night was everything I dreamed of a Cleveland sporting event being.
Riedle kind of decided to be a vag at the end and we ended up leaving the “scene” earlier than we would’ve wanted to, but looking back, we celebrated to the nights fullest merit. All we really did was win a very weak conference, its good that we saved some room to grow for when we bring home our first ring.
So Dan assigned me to write about my favorite game that I’ve ever attended. The problem is, I’m a Cleveland fan, so I don’t really have much to chose from. Therefore, I’m going to cheat a little and discuss a game that I wasn’t technically at (but I might as well have been). But before I get to that, I’ll list my honorable mentions:
- Run William Run. The best moment in new Browns history (how pathetic is that?). Atlanta had already clinched a playoff birth, something they kept reminding them of over the loudspeaker. I speculate that had they needed that win, they would’ve ran with Vick in the red zone and we’d have lost. Anyways, I refrained from drinking any sodas before the game because I didn’t want to have to urinate during it. I was with my brother in law in his yuppy-ass upper deck seats so the crowd experience was nothing special. At least it was loud by the new stadiums standards.
- 00 Win over the Steelers in week 3. Steelers got screwed, the clock should’ve been stopped when they were rushing their kicker onto the field and couldn’t get it off (I forget the logistics but I remember the league apologized for it). I will always remember this because it was my first Browns game, and it was a win over the Steelers. I went home and listened to “Who Let the Dogs Out” for the rest of the afternoon.
- Two games I attended with Blackie in the Dawg Pound in 04. The first was our home opener against the Ravens, the only one we’ve one since our return. I can’t believe how convincing we were that game. Memorable because of the rowdy middle aged guys around us, especially the one with an Eric Turner jersey who called me “Skippy”. If I ranked my honorable mentions, this would probably be #1 Browns game because it was a meaningful win (at the time) and I was in an ideal environment.
The second was week 4 after our season had already been decimated by injuries. We beat the Redskins in a lousy game. This was when my infamous “piss towel” was waved. I love peeing my pants in the Dawg Pound. Especially at the Bills blizzard game in 07 when I did so 6 times.
- Moving onto the Indians. I was at the game where Jim Thome hit 3 homeruns. He was my favorite player so this was a big deal. I think that was 2000. Another great one was a day game I went to with Kerver and Snakes with last minute tickets that were given to us. The seats were great, right behind home plate. My new favorite Indian, Fausto Carmona, pitched an absolute gem.
- I went to two Indians playoff games in 07 with Blackie. They kind of run together in my mind, but the first was the game 1 victory over the Yankees. The second was the game 4 win against the Red Sox. I was impressed by the crowd, particularly do to the fact that I had completely written off Indians fans when they couldn’t sell out the divison clinching win during nice weather a couple weeks earlier.
- The Tigers game at Comerica in 07 deserves a mention simply because it’s the only out of town game I’ve ever attended. The Indians won (obviously, or it wouldn’t be on the list) and the Tiger fans were solid, better than the flimsies you’d find at the Jake. I mean they atleast threw shit at us when we were rubbing it in. Makeshift beer pong in the motel afterward and Howarth’s sleep walking adventure round out a worthwhile trip.
- There’s only one Cavs game that deserves a mention (for now). That would be when the Chosen-King-L-Train danced down the baseline for the buzzer beating layup vs the Wizards in a pivotal game 5. I was sitting in the very top row with Ron, and the crowd was as fired up as I could realistically ask for. While I’m at it, I’ll give an honorable-honorable mention to games 3 and 4 of the Detroit series that same year. This is when I coined “DE-TROIT SUCKS MY BALLS” while patrolling the concourse of the Q before the game.
My favorite Cleveland gaming experience is definitely when the Cavs won the East in 2007. I wasn’t at the game but as downtown for the Party at the Plaza. Basically it was a bunch of big screen TV’s surrounded by a sea of Cavs fans.
Howarth cut his finger off earlier in the day, so he was damned to watching the game with the then mangled Arbaugh under the soupy influence of pain killers.
Most of us were drunk before we were even downtown. Riedle was too embarrassed to walk by the masses when we got on the rapid. I can’t reinterate enough how drunk and baffoonaried the Kerver brothers were for this event. Brett Kerver got into a verbal spat with a Tigers fan on the subway. Krusty would just charge ahead yelling incoherent isms about how Detroit sucks. I’ll never forget when Brett screamed “FUCK!” at the top of his lungs after the Cavs missed their inaugural jump shot of the game.
I recall there being two fairly attractive ladies near us in the crowd. Riedle ended up getting some digits. Me and a few others found their presence to be rather distracting. Kerver was like “if you can’t stop looking at her, just switch to where I’m standing”. Thanks, Kerver..
As the game carried on, the crowd began rearing its blue collared edge. Just constant screams, epiphets, drinking, and excess celebrations for everything the Cavs did. When Boobie started raining 3’s, it was one moshpit after another. Once we wrapped it up, there was a lot of hugging. Full fledged bear hugs with random strangers. Euphoric black dudes who declared they were “WALKING TO SAN ANTONIO, DAMNIT!” People running around in the streets aimlessly.. I can’t count how many ‘De-troit sucks my balls” chants there were. This night was everything I dreamed of a Cleveland sporting event being.
Riedle kind of decided to be a vag at the end and we ended up leaving the “scene” earlier than we would’ve wanted to, but looking back, we celebrated to the nights fullest merit. All we really did was win a very weak conference, its good that we saved some room to grow for when we bring home our first ring.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Holmes' catch great, not amazing
I just read Gregg Doyel's column, who is an idiot by the way, who said Santonio Holmes' game-winning catch was the best EVER. It's not even the best in Steelers franchise history. I'm sorry it was a great catch, but it's one that should be made by an NFL receiver. Take a look at players like Marvin Harrison and Amani Toomer, who have made names for themselves making catches tip-toeing the sideline. It was a better throw than catch if anything. Being part of the media, I understand how things get blown out of proportion, but this is getting out of control. Let me know what you all think as the best catch or your list of best catches ever.
My list includes: The Helmet Catch, Immaculate Reception, Lynn Swann's diving catch then 'The Catch.'
My list includes: The Helmet Catch, Immaculate Reception, Lynn Swann's diving catch then 'The Catch.'
Are the Steelers the best franchise in sports?
I got quite irritated last night listening to ESPN ask this question. The answer is an obvious no. They are nowhere near the best franchise in sports. They are not even the best in franchise in the NFL. I'm not knocking their six Super Bowl titles, but there's more to being the best franchise than six Super Bowl titles. Especially when you were around during the NFL Championship era. Here, in no particular order are franchises I believe are hands down better than the Steelers.
Here notable Steelers stats: a record of 520-488-20. Have appeared in 7 Super Bowls winning, six. They never won an NFL Championship. Their first championship appearance came in 1974, 41 years after being founded. That's not the making of the best franchise ever. In fact they only made the playoffs once before 1972, that came in 1947. Recent history isn't AMAZING either, they've made the playoffs six out of ten years. Not bad, not the best.
1) Boston Celtics-17 NBA Championships in 20 appearances. They were founded in 1946, roughly 13 years after the Steelers. They have recorded a .591 winning percentage and 16 seasons.
2) New York Yankees- 26 World Series titles. 39 Pennants. Founded in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles, they have won 57 percent of their games. In my opinion, and I hate saying this, probably the best franchise in all of sports.
3) Dallas Cowboys- founded in 1960 and have made eight Super Bowls, winning five. A record of 423-309-6. They have won their division 20 times in 48 years.
4) If you want to call these franchises, UCLA men's basketball and a handful of college football teams.
I'm sorry but the media sucks off Pittsburgh way too much for some reason. Hines Ward is creeping up on KG and Ray Lewis as an 'intensity' guy. They are becoming the Duke of the NFL. They seem to get a lot of the calls and a random bounce goes their way. I'm sorry ESPN I love you, but you're nowhere near the right answer in saying they are the best franchise in sports.
And last night's Super Bowl was NOT the best of all-time. But that's for a later argument...
Here notable Steelers stats: a record of 520-488-20. Have appeared in 7 Super Bowls winning, six. They never won an NFL Championship. Their first championship appearance came in 1974, 41 years after being founded. That's not the making of the best franchise ever. In fact they only made the playoffs once before 1972, that came in 1947. Recent history isn't AMAZING either, they've made the playoffs six out of ten years. Not bad, not the best.
1) Boston Celtics-17 NBA Championships in 20 appearances. They were founded in 1946, roughly 13 years after the Steelers. They have recorded a .591 winning percentage and 16 seasons.
2) New York Yankees- 26 World Series titles. 39 Pennants. Founded in 1901 as the Baltimore Orioles, they have won 57 percent of their games. In my opinion, and I hate saying this, probably the best franchise in all of sports.
3) Dallas Cowboys- founded in 1960 and have made eight Super Bowls, winning five. A record of 423-309-6. They have won their division 20 times in 48 years.
4) If you want to call these franchises, UCLA men's basketball and a handful of college football teams.
I'm sorry but the media sucks off Pittsburgh way too much for some reason. Hines Ward is creeping up on KG and Ray Lewis as an 'intensity' guy. They are becoming the Duke of the NFL. They seem to get a lot of the calls and a random bounce goes their way. I'm sorry ESPN I love you, but you're nowhere near the right answer in saying they are the best franchise in sports.
And last night's Super Bowl was NOT the best of all-time. But that's for a later argument...
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Super Bowl Prediction
As a Browns fan this is tough to take seeing our arch rival make it to the Super Bowl for the second time in four years. The Steelers play exactly how I want the Browns to play. They play with an incredibly physical defense, solid run game, and a quarterback that can get out of the pocket and make occasional big plays. And Mike Tomlin is one of my favorite coaches in pro sports. I would love to play for him. Basically, you can say I hate the Steelers but am very jealous of their success.
A couple quick predictions....
1. Arizona will put up more total yards than Pittsburgh.
2. Pittsburgh will have 4+ sacks.
3. Pittsburgh will score a defensive touchdown.
Prop Bets I like
1. Tails on the coin toss.
2. Edgerrin James (+39.5 yards rushing) vs. Willie Parker
3. Larry Fitzgerald (-30.5 yards receiving) vs. Hines Ward
Who will win?
Arizona will move the ball some between the 20s but Pittsburgh defense will stiffen up and make all the big plays. Roethlisberger will get outside the tackles and hit a couple big plays in the passing game taking advantage of overaggressiveness of the Cardinals safeties. Plus, the Steelers fans will make this seem like a home game just like Detroit.
PS Matt Millen picked the Cardinals, obviously I need to go the other way.
Pittsburgh 31
Arizona 17
A couple quick predictions....
1. Arizona will put up more total yards than Pittsburgh.
2. Pittsburgh will have 4+ sacks.
3. Pittsburgh will score a defensive touchdown.
Prop Bets I like
1. Tails on the coin toss.
2. Edgerrin James (+39.5 yards rushing) vs. Willie Parker
3. Larry Fitzgerald (-30.5 yards receiving) vs. Hines Ward
Who will win?
Arizona will move the ball some between the 20s but Pittsburgh defense will stiffen up and make all the big plays. Roethlisberger will get outside the tackles and hit a couple big plays in the passing game taking advantage of overaggressiveness of the Cardinals safeties. Plus, the Steelers fans will make this seem like a home game just like Detroit.
PS Matt Millen picked the Cardinals, obviously I need to go the other way.
Pittsburgh 31
Arizona 17
Best Super Bowls ever
Will today go down as one of the best Super Bowl games ever? I highly doubt it. There will be no 'Helmet Catch,' no Lynn Swan diving catch and no field goal with a second left. But here is my list of the top 5 Super Bowls of all-time. Call me a homer but you can guess what number 1 is.
5) Giants-Broncos (Super Bowl XXI in 1987)- Giants 39-20 Perhaps the most underrated Super Bowl of all-time. Phil Simms goes 22-25 for 268 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 25 yards on three carries. There was the Big Blue Wrecking Crew's goal line stand, Mark Bavaro and Joe Morris. On Denver's first drive in the second quarter they get to the Giants 1-yard line. The Wrecking Crew then forced them to lose a yard over the next three plays, resulting in a missed field goal by Rich Karlis. This game was also the coming of a young John Elway, who would later turn into the Elway we all know.
4) 49ers-Bengals (Super Bowl XXIII in 1989) 49ers-20-16 The true showing of Joe Cool by Montana. Trailing 16-13 3:20 left Montana enters the huddle and the first thing he says is "Hey, isn't that John Candy over there?" Over the next three minutes he puts together an 11 play, 92-yard drive to win the game with 39 seconds left.
3) Rams-Titans (Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000) Rams 23-16- The Greatest Show on Turf vs Air McNair. But what will be remembered is a defensive play. McNair hits Kevin Dyson on a slant and gets to the one-yard line before Mike Jones grabs him by the leg to bring him down with no time left. Warner, Bruce, Holt and Faulk showed why they were a great offensive team, but a tackle is what everyone will remember.
2) Giants-Bills (Super Bowl XXV in 1990) Giants 20-19- Wide Right. I shouldn't have to say more, but think about it. Last second field goal to win for Norwood and the Bills and he shanks it. But, there was also O.J. Otis Anderson vs. Thurman Thomas. The Juice puts up 102 yards to win MVP, however Thomas almost became the second player ever to win MVP from the losing team as he had a combined 190 yards and single-handily brought the Bills back. But, Jeff Hoestettler and the the Juice were too much.
1) Giants-Patriots (Super Bowl XLII in 2008) Giants 17-14 It was impossible. Everything about the game. The Pats were too good, their offense wouldn't be stopped, Eli was too inconsistent, the Giants were too big of underdogs. But in the end it was the biggest underdog of them all, Eli and Tyree making the play. People forget how Eli got out of the tackle, then Tyree made the greatest catch ever. No denying that. Plax caught the game winner and the Giants D held on one last time. D-coordinator Steve Spagnolo drew up the perfect game, getting to Brady all the time. It stopped the Patriots dream season and sent Strahan out on the high horse. People say the first three quarters were dull, it was just low scoring. An amazing defensive game, then the lights came on in the fourth. It'll be a while until a game tops this.
Honorable mention: Jets-Colts in Super Bowl III in 1968-Namath guarantees victory
Rams-Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002-Hello Tom Brady and Adam Vinaterri
Patriots-Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004-back and forth, Vinaterri again with 4 seconds left, game-winner.
5) Giants-Broncos (Super Bowl XXI in 1987)- Giants 39-20 Perhaps the most underrated Super Bowl of all-time. Phil Simms goes 22-25 for 268 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 25 yards on three carries. There was the Big Blue Wrecking Crew's goal line stand, Mark Bavaro and Joe Morris. On Denver's first drive in the second quarter they get to the Giants 1-yard line. The Wrecking Crew then forced them to lose a yard over the next three plays, resulting in a missed field goal by Rich Karlis. This game was also the coming of a young John Elway, who would later turn into the Elway we all know.
4) 49ers-Bengals (Super Bowl XXIII in 1989) 49ers-20-16 The true showing of Joe Cool by Montana. Trailing 16-13 3:20 left Montana enters the huddle and the first thing he says is "Hey, isn't that John Candy over there?" Over the next three minutes he puts together an 11 play, 92-yard drive to win the game with 39 seconds left.
3) Rams-Titans (Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000) Rams 23-16- The Greatest Show on Turf vs Air McNair. But what will be remembered is a defensive play. McNair hits Kevin Dyson on a slant and gets to the one-yard line before Mike Jones grabs him by the leg to bring him down with no time left. Warner, Bruce, Holt and Faulk showed why they were a great offensive team, but a tackle is what everyone will remember.
2) Giants-Bills (Super Bowl XXV in 1990) Giants 20-19- Wide Right. I shouldn't have to say more, but think about it. Last second field goal to win for Norwood and the Bills and he shanks it. But, there was also O.J. Otis Anderson vs. Thurman Thomas. The Juice puts up 102 yards to win MVP, however Thomas almost became the second player ever to win MVP from the losing team as he had a combined 190 yards and single-handily brought the Bills back. But, Jeff Hoestettler and the the Juice were too much.
1) Giants-Patriots (Super Bowl XLII in 2008) Giants 17-14 It was impossible. Everything about the game. The Pats were too good, their offense wouldn't be stopped, Eli was too inconsistent, the Giants were too big of underdogs. But in the end it was the biggest underdog of them all, Eli and Tyree making the play. People forget how Eli got out of the tackle, then Tyree made the greatest catch ever. No denying that. Plax caught the game winner and the Giants D held on one last time. D-coordinator Steve Spagnolo drew up the perfect game, getting to Brady all the time. It stopped the Patriots dream season and sent Strahan out on the high horse. People say the first three quarters were dull, it was just low scoring. An amazing defensive game, then the lights came on in the fourth. It'll be a while until a game tops this.
Honorable mention: Jets-Colts in Super Bowl III in 1968-Namath guarantees victory
Rams-Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002-Hello Tom Brady and Adam Vinaterri
Patriots-Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004-back and forth, Vinaterri again with 4 seconds left, game-winner.
Predictions
It's Super Bowl Sunday and that can only mean a few things, 1) some good commercials 2) a lot of angry fans and 3) predictions. We all know the background stories of both the Steelers and Cardinals. Now it's time to hear what you all think.
I'm going Cardinals 24-21. It's been too weird of a football season for the Steelers to run away with it.
I'm going Cardinals 24-21. It's been too weird of a football season for the Steelers to run away with it.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Quick Reactions UK-USC
Wow, that was a tough loss to handle. If you are Kentucky you cannot lose at home to South Carolina. This game puts us squarely on the tournement bubble in my opinion. Perry Stevenson's free throws and Downeys jumper are going to be brought up as why we lost, but there are more alarming trends in this game. Here are some thoughts on the game.
- Rebounding absolutely killed UK today. The stats say UK outrebounded USC 38-33. That is incredibly misleading. South Carolina got 18 offensive rebounds that led to wayyyy too many second chances points. In conference play, South Carolina was the 11 ranked team in the SEC in rebounds per game. For a team that is as big and athletic as Kentucky, giving up 18 offensive rebounds is inexcusable.
- Patrick Patterson had a great game offensively today. He had 28 points on only 16 shots and was perfect at the foul line. I was particularly encouraged by him posting up on the right block for once. Also, he showed a drop step today along with a move to his left and the middle. However he has to get some of the blame for the horrendous defensive rebounding performance.
- A questionable decision of taking Meeks out just before there 4 minute mark. I usually agree with trying to get players extra rest in and around the tv timeouts... in the first half. While Meeks was out, UK's offensive possesion consisted of a step back jumper by Darius Miller early in the shot clock.
- This leads me to my next point. UK gives away countless possessions. Im not only talking about the excessive turnovers but some horrible shot selection. DeAndre Liggins pull up 3 in transition and Miller's step back jumpers are flat out possesion giveaways that loom large in one point losses.
- However, the trio of Liggins, Harris, Miller cut down there three point attempts from 15 at Ole Miss to 3 today. That is a positive.
- The inbound play that got Stevenson fouled. Yes, he was open but Meeks or Patterson HAS to get the ball in that situation. Especially with timeouts still in hand. That is poor execution.
- This is the second game in a row that UK was killed on the offensive boards and out coached. Disturbing trends as they enter the heart of conference play.
- Rebounding absolutely killed UK today. The stats say UK outrebounded USC 38-33. That is incredibly misleading. South Carolina got 18 offensive rebounds that led to wayyyy too many second chances points. In conference play, South Carolina was the 11 ranked team in the SEC in rebounds per game. For a team that is as big and athletic as Kentucky, giving up 18 offensive rebounds is inexcusable.
- Patrick Patterson had a great game offensively today. He had 28 points on only 16 shots and was perfect at the foul line. I was particularly encouraged by him posting up on the right block for once. Also, he showed a drop step today along with a move to his left and the middle. However he has to get some of the blame for the horrendous defensive rebounding performance.
- A questionable decision of taking Meeks out just before there 4 minute mark. I usually agree with trying to get players extra rest in and around the tv timeouts... in the first half. While Meeks was out, UK's offensive possesion consisted of a step back jumper by Darius Miller early in the shot clock.
- This leads me to my next point. UK gives away countless possessions. Im not only talking about the excessive turnovers but some horrible shot selection. DeAndre Liggins pull up 3 in transition and Miller's step back jumpers are flat out possesion giveaways that loom large in one point losses.
- However, the trio of Liggins, Harris, Miller cut down there three point attempts from 15 at Ole Miss to 3 today. That is a positive.
- The inbound play that got Stevenson fouled. Yes, he was open but Meeks or Patterson HAS to get the ball in that situation. Especially with timeouts still in hand. That is poor execution.
- This is the second game in a row that UK was killed on the offensive boards and out coached. Disturbing trends as they enter the heart of conference play.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Curry is the MOST valuable player to his team
This is a debate about the most valuable player to his team this NCAA basketball season. This does NOT mean they are the best player in the NCAA or will win National Player of the Year. But, Stephen Curry of Davidson is the most valuable player to his team. I do believe Blake Griffin will win the National Player of the Year but here is why Curry is the most valuable to his team.
-First, might be the most obvious. Look who he is playing with. No disrespect to Andrew Lovedale, Will Archambult or Bryant Barr, but who are these guys? Only Lovedale and Archambult average double-digits. Lovedale averages 11.9 and Archambult averages 10.1. I'm sorry but I've seen these guys play and it's nothing special. Lovedale is their 'post' player and shoots less than 50 percent, from inside the paint.
-Here are Curry's stats: 29 ppg, 6.5 assists per game and 4 rebounds per game. He leads the Wildcats in points (obviously) and assists and is third on the team in rebounds, as a point guard.
-Unlike the other Naismith Award contenders, Griffin, Luke Harrangody, Tyler Hansbrough and even Jodie Meeks, they all have players around them. With the exception of maybe Harrangody, every other team—Oklahoma, UNC and UK—are arguably top 25 teams. Without Curry, Davidson might be a .500 team in the Southern Conference.
-Davidson has a gameplan and it's a simple one: get Curry the ball. Davidson revolves around Steph, they don't have another player that can take over a game quite like he can. OU has Austin Johnson, Willie Warren and a slew of other players that can go off, Notre Dame has the weed dealer himself Kyle McAlarney and Torrie Jackson and UK has Patrick Patterson. Almost every play is designed for Curry and those that are not are designed for him to have the ball in his hands and make the pass. Seriously, watch a Davidson game and just watch Curry on offense.
My rankings for most valuable players to their team:
1) Curry-Davison
2) Patty Mills-St. Mary's
3) James Hardin-Arizona State
4) Jack McClinton-Miami
5)Blake Griffin-Oklahoma
As always, let me know your thoughts and rankings.
-First, might be the most obvious. Look who he is playing with. No disrespect to Andrew Lovedale, Will Archambult or Bryant Barr, but who are these guys? Only Lovedale and Archambult average double-digits. Lovedale averages 11.9 and Archambult averages 10.1. I'm sorry but I've seen these guys play and it's nothing special. Lovedale is their 'post' player and shoots less than 50 percent, from inside the paint.
-Here are Curry's stats: 29 ppg, 6.5 assists per game and 4 rebounds per game. He leads the Wildcats in points (obviously) and assists and is third on the team in rebounds, as a point guard.
-Unlike the other Naismith Award contenders, Griffin, Luke Harrangody, Tyler Hansbrough and even Jodie Meeks, they all have players around them. With the exception of maybe Harrangody, every other team—Oklahoma, UNC and UK—are arguably top 25 teams. Without Curry, Davidson might be a .500 team in the Southern Conference.
-Davidson has a gameplan and it's a simple one: get Curry the ball. Davidson revolves around Steph, they don't have another player that can take over a game quite like he can. OU has Austin Johnson, Willie Warren and a slew of other players that can go off, Notre Dame has the weed dealer himself Kyle McAlarney and Torrie Jackson and UK has Patrick Patterson. Almost every play is designed for Curry and those that are not are designed for him to have the ball in his hands and make the pass. Seriously, watch a Davidson game and just watch Curry on offense.
My rankings for most valuable players to their team:
1) Curry-Davison
2) Patty Mills-St. Mary's
3) James Hardin-Arizona State
4) Jack McClinton-Miami
5)Blake Griffin-Oklahoma
As always, let me know your thoughts and rankings.
More reactions to the Ole Miss-UK game
I agree with Dan on all his points and here are some more observations I picked up from watching the game and the Cats this season.
-Not only did Ole Miss do a good job of not letting Meeks catch and shoot but they played D on him the way I believe teams should start playing D. It's a makeshift triangle and 2 on him and Patterson basically. If you watched Ole Miss play defense off the ball on Meeks, whoever was guarding him —Huertas and White usually—denied him the ball. The other thing they did was whoever was guarding Harris/Miller would drop down and play in the post doubling up on Patterson. This is where Patterson needs not only a secondary move like Dan mentioned, but to utilize his 12-15 foot jumper, which he can hit and then force the defense out of him.
-If I'm an SEC team getting ready to play UK, I also switch my defense's up, much like Ole Miss. Not only would I run the makeshift triangle and 2, run a zone against this team, with a shadow on Meeks. Make Porter/Harris/Miller/Liggins hit the deep shots to beat you.
-The one thing that scares me about watching UK on defense now, is they seem to be too relaxed and relying on the shot blocking ability, mainly by Patterson and Stevenson. While UK is second in the nation in blocks, there still needs to be better perimeter defense, something which lacked tonight.
- The last thing I ponder is did the top 25 ranking and the media talk start to get to this teams head? I don't think so. Personally, I think it was the fourth road game in 2 weeks, and fourth game in nine days, just took a toll on this team. But it's something to worry a little about. We'll see how they do with a home game against a dangerous South Carolina team, we saw what they did to Florida.
In the meantime, Harris, Miller, Liggins, Porter, Galloway, get in the gym and start working on your long range jumpers. Meeks work on smarter drives, he starts to get out of control and has been forcing A LOT. Patterson work on your left hand and 12-15 footers.
I still think this team is dangerous come tourney time and could make a run to the Sweet 16 and win the SEC Tournament as well, but time will only tell.
-Not only did Ole Miss do a good job of not letting Meeks catch and shoot but they played D on him the way I believe teams should start playing D. It's a makeshift triangle and 2 on him and Patterson basically. If you watched Ole Miss play defense off the ball on Meeks, whoever was guarding him —Huertas and White usually—denied him the ball. The other thing they did was whoever was guarding Harris/Miller would drop down and play in the post doubling up on Patterson. This is where Patterson needs not only a secondary move like Dan mentioned, but to utilize his 12-15 foot jumper, which he can hit and then force the defense out of him.
-If I'm an SEC team getting ready to play UK, I also switch my defense's up, much like Ole Miss. Not only would I run the makeshift triangle and 2, run a zone against this team, with a shadow on Meeks. Make Porter/Harris/Miller/Liggins hit the deep shots to beat you.
-The one thing that scares me about watching UK on defense now, is they seem to be too relaxed and relying on the shot blocking ability, mainly by Patterson and Stevenson. While UK is second in the nation in blocks, there still needs to be better perimeter defense, something which lacked tonight.
- The last thing I ponder is did the top 25 ranking and the media talk start to get to this teams head? I don't think so. Personally, I think it was the fourth road game in 2 weeks, and fourth game in nine days, just took a toll on this team. But it's something to worry a little about. We'll see how they do with a home game against a dangerous South Carolina team, we saw what they did to Florida.
In the meantime, Harris, Miller, Liggins, Porter, Galloway, get in the gym and start working on your long range jumpers. Meeks work on smarter drives, he starts to get out of control and has been forcing A LOT. Patterson work on your left hand and 12-15 footers.
I still think this team is dangerous come tourney time and could make a run to the Sweet 16 and win the SEC Tournament as well, but time will only tell.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Quick Reactions UK-Ole Miss
- Much to do in the media and blogs has been made about Kentucky's lack of third scorer. I am not a believer that Kentucky needs a "third scorer" but guys that can knock down open jump shots. Darius Miller - 22%, DeAndre Liggins - 17%, and Ramon Harris 17% for the season on 3 pointers. They were close to their season percentages today as they shot a combinerd 3-15 on threes. Harris and Miller also pass up countless other open threes. Kentucky does not need another 15ppg scorer just guys that can make threes in the 35% range.
- Ole Miss finally played defense the way I thought a team should against UK. Take away Meeks catch and shoot and force him into drives that have other defenders running at him. UK's lack of other perimeter shooters and his questionable decision making when attacking lead to numerous turnovers or low percentage shots from Meeks or those mentioned above.
- Patrick Patterson did score 24 points tonight on 8-12 shooting. However it seems like he gets a lot of his points in the garbage variety. He is not a dominating half court presence as everyone would have you believe. He really needs to develop some secondary moves and not everything going to his right. When is the opposition going to realize this??
- Jodie Meeks showed why he will not translate that well to the NBA right now. He stands only 6'4, short for NBA 2's, and David Huertas could get his shot off over him whenever he wanted.
- Although the boxscore on ukathletics says Ole Miss only outrebounded us 45-40, the number seemed way greater than that. Absolutely dismal team effort rebounding the basketball.
- Even though Ole Miss is now 41-5 at home under Andy Kennedy, this still is a team that is missing 3 of its best 4 players. Give credit to Ole Miss. They executed a great gameplan, shot the jumpers well, and outhustled UK. If UK ends not winning the SEC East they can look to this dismal effort as a reason why.
- Ole Miss finally played defense the way I thought a team should against UK. Take away Meeks catch and shoot and force him into drives that have other defenders running at him. UK's lack of other perimeter shooters and his questionable decision making when attacking lead to numerous turnovers or low percentage shots from Meeks or those mentioned above.
- Patrick Patterson did score 24 points tonight on 8-12 shooting. However it seems like he gets a lot of his points in the garbage variety. He is not a dominating half court presence as everyone would have you believe. He really needs to develop some secondary moves and not everything going to his right. When is the opposition going to realize this??
- Jodie Meeks showed why he will not translate that well to the NBA right now. He stands only 6'4, short for NBA 2's, and David Huertas could get his shot off over him whenever he wanted.
- Although the boxscore on ukathletics says Ole Miss only outrebounded us 45-40, the number seemed way greater than that. Absolutely dismal team effort rebounding the basketball.
- Even though Ole Miss is now 41-5 at home under Andy Kennedy, this still is a team that is missing 3 of its best 4 players. Give credit to Ole Miss. They executed a great gameplan, shot the jumpers well, and outhustled UK. If UK ends not winning the SEC East they can look to this dismal effort as a reason why.
My Tim Brando Story
Most everyone that is a college sports fan is familar with Tim Brando. He does play-by-play for Raycom/JP/LF sports for ACC and SEC basketball along with hosting the CBS College Football Halftime show. He also gets to call ACC Sunday Night Hoops on Fox Sports. He is generally regarded as one of the best announcers in the business. The reason why I like him so much is due to his catch phrase, "the iron unkind" that he uses whenever a key shot gets an unfriendly roll off the rim. I now use it with annoying regularity during beer pong games whenever my opponent bricks a shot.
For the 2008 SEC tournament our 3 on 3 intramural team got invited to play in the SEC 3 on 3 challenge. We got put up with a free hotel and tickets to the SEC tournament down in Atlanta along with playing in the tournament. We were sitting in the upper deck when this occurred...
Well anyways the UK-Georgia game got rescheduled for the next day on Georgia Tech's campus. We finagled our way into that game as three of the 1000 people there. At halftime, Tim Brando went to go to the concession at the same time we did. I was standing next to him and I could not resist telling him about how he has impacted my beer pong career. After introducing myself we had this interaction.
Me: "Mr Brando, I would just like to tell you that your phrase, 'iron unkind' is my most popular line for a missed shot in beer pong."
He does a double take and has a hearty chuckle and says, "Well, I am just glad I can make a contribution to the culture."
We soon parted ways but I have no doubt that everytime he utters that phrase on tv he has to think about all the people in Lexington and Bay Village, OH that have been so pissed off hearing that phrase as they lose to me in beer pong.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
My most hated athletes of all time
5. Eli Manning - He seems like he is constantly whining and blaming everyone else for his horrid throws. He is always flailing his arms around and acting like a bitch on the field. Plus, Bobby makes excuses for him everytime he throws a god awful pass. If Asante Samuel could catch, he would of gagged away the Super Bowl.
4. Kevin Garnett - His "intensity" really pisses me off. Stop running around beating your chest incessantly. His game is soooo soft. All he does is shoot turn around jumpers and beat his chest. This video explains my loathing of this prick. http://ballhype.com/video/kevin_garnett_greatest_fights_smacks_and_screens_a/
3. Andres Nocioni - I just flat out hate this guy. His hair, his leg tattoo and goatee just piss me off. Not to mention he plays dirty and kind of sucks.
2. Ray Lewis - Another "intense" guy on my list. Leads the NFL annually in jumping on piles late and celebrating like he made the play. Plays for the Ravens. Murdered people.
1. Larry Hughes - Maybe the biggest prima donna in all of sports. This quote sums him up, "I was asked to sacrifice for the team to win and for everybody, I guess, get paid. That is what was told to me and I wasn’t happy with that." I had to watch this stiff for 2.5 years in Cleveland. He is allergic to contact and in love with his horrible jumper. Easily one of the most painful players to watch play basketball and he could care less about winning. He tops my list by a considerable margin.
Honorable Mentions - Paul Pierce, Dustin Pedroia, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Youkilis, Bobby Jenks, AJ Pierzynski, Pau Gasol (if the Cavs play the Lakers in the Finals), Joey Porter, Brett Favre, and Tim Couch
4. Kevin Garnett - His "intensity" really pisses me off. Stop running around beating your chest incessantly. His game is soooo soft. All he does is shoot turn around jumpers and beat his chest. This video explains my loathing of this prick. http://ballhype.com/video/kevin_garnett_greatest_fights_smacks_and_screens_a/
3. Andres Nocioni - I just flat out hate this guy. His hair, his leg tattoo and goatee just piss me off. Not to mention he plays dirty and kind of sucks.
2. Ray Lewis - Another "intense" guy on my list. Leads the NFL annually in jumping on piles late and celebrating like he made the play. Plays for the Ravens. Murdered people.
1. Larry Hughes - Maybe the biggest prima donna in all of sports. This quote sums him up, "I was asked to sacrifice for the team to win and for everybody, I guess, get paid. That is what was told to me and I wasn’t happy with that." I had to watch this stiff for 2.5 years in Cleveland. He is allergic to contact and in love with his horrible jumper. Easily one of the most painful players to watch play basketball and he could care less about winning. He tops my list by a considerable margin.
Honorable Mentions - Paul Pierce, Dustin Pedroia, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Youkilis, Bobby Jenks, AJ Pierzynski, Pau Gasol (if the Cavs play the Lakers in the Finals), Joey Porter, Brett Favre, and Tim Couch
Most hated athletes
The next two posts will be lists of our most hated athletes of all-time. Let us know your lists and what you think.
1) Jeffrey Maier- for those of you don't know this name he was the little douche that stole the Orioles franchise over the head of Tony Tarasco in the 1996 ALCS. To recap the play it was the bottom of the 8th inning with the O's ahead 4-3 and Derek Jeter at bat. Jeter connected on a ball to right field where Tarasco was going up for the ball just short of the wall where this little shit reached over and took it. The Yankees went on to win the game and series and then beat Atlanta in the World Series and the O's have not had a winning season since.
1a) Rich Garcia- the piece of shit umpire that ruled the homerun, despite clear evidence it was not. He is the reason there is replay in baseball now. I would love to kick both him and Maier in the shins repeatedly.
2) Reggie Miller-the biggest flop artist in the NBA history. Pushed Greg Anthony on May 7, 1995 in his famous 8 points in 8.9 seconds. He then turned to Spike Lee and gave the choke sign. Well Reggie, that's what I want to do to you. Choke you. Easily the most hated guy.
3) Ray Lewis-he is probably doing some sort of dance as I write this, but he is by far the most over-hyped football player of all-time. Don't get me wrong he's not a bad player, but he is not even in the same level as Lawrence Taylor for best linebacker of all-time. This guy, much like Kevin Garnett, gets too much credit for 'intensity.' I'm sorry but if I run my mouth and do a dance will I be in the race for best of all-time? He's not even the best linebacker on his team anymore, that goes to Bart Scott. Media talks him up too much, he gets pancaked blocked and the media talks about how he took up a lineman. Plus on top of all that, he killed a guy. Literally. He stabbed them. Should be in jail, and if anyone references him as the best linebacker of all-time I will personally punch you and do his dance over you in honor of being over-hyped.
4) Michael Jordan- I respect this guy, and he is obviously the best basketball player of all-time, but he broke my heart way too many times. As a Knicks fan, I had to live through him putting his nut sack all over Patrick Ewing's face. The Knicks never beat Jordan-led Bulls squad in the playoffs as he defeated the Knicks three different times. It was incredibly hard to watch him dismantle the Knicks season after season to go on to be the best player ever, while the Knicks, who will probably never be as good again as they were in the mid-1990's, suffered heartbreak after heartbreak. Mr. Jordan, I would like to put my nut sack in your face as I dunk on you just for some redemption.
5) Joakim Noah- this might be too easy. Name someone on this Earth that isn't Yannick or his incredibly hot mom that doesn't want to punch this guy in the face over and over again. From his days at Florida where he was the cocky asshole with his little shimmy after every basket, to leading the stands with the Gator Chomp. Again, had to suffer with him during my days here at UK, watching him beat up on the Cats and win two National Championships. Then on Draft Day had to watch him in that outfit. Well Joakim, I hope your mom ends up at my house sometime soon and your dad hits tennis balls at your face repeatedly.
Honorable mention: Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens, Tony Romo, Troy Aikman, Terrell Owens, Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter, Grievas Vasquez, Brett Favre and Hines Ward.
Here is my list, Dan's will be posted above mine. Let us know if you agree with our selections, disagree and who you hate.
1) Jeffrey Maier- for those of you don't know this name he was the little douche that stole the Orioles franchise over the head of Tony Tarasco in the 1996 ALCS. To recap the play it was the bottom of the 8th inning with the O's ahead 4-3 and Derek Jeter at bat. Jeter connected on a ball to right field where Tarasco was going up for the ball just short of the wall where this little shit reached over and took it. The Yankees went on to win the game and series and then beat Atlanta in the World Series and the O's have not had a winning season since.
1a) Rich Garcia- the piece of shit umpire that ruled the homerun, despite clear evidence it was not. He is the reason there is replay in baseball now. I would love to kick both him and Maier in the shins repeatedly.
2) Reggie Miller-the biggest flop artist in the NBA history. Pushed Greg Anthony on May 7, 1995 in his famous 8 points in 8.9 seconds. He then turned to Spike Lee and gave the choke sign. Well Reggie, that's what I want to do to you. Choke you. Easily the most hated guy.
3) Ray Lewis-he is probably doing some sort of dance as I write this, but he is by far the most over-hyped football player of all-time. Don't get me wrong he's not a bad player, but he is not even in the same level as Lawrence Taylor for best linebacker of all-time. This guy, much like Kevin Garnett, gets too much credit for 'intensity.' I'm sorry but if I run my mouth and do a dance will I be in the race for best of all-time? He's not even the best linebacker on his team anymore, that goes to Bart Scott. Media talks him up too much, he gets pancaked blocked and the media talks about how he took up a lineman. Plus on top of all that, he killed a guy. Literally. He stabbed them. Should be in jail, and if anyone references him as the best linebacker of all-time I will personally punch you and do his dance over you in honor of being over-hyped.
4) Michael Jordan- I respect this guy, and he is obviously the best basketball player of all-time, but he broke my heart way too many times. As a Knicks fan, I had to live through him putting his nut sack all over Patrick Ewing's face. The Knicks never beat Jordan-led Bulls squad in the playoffs as he defeated the Knicks three different times. It was incredibly hard to watch him dismantle the Knicks season after season to go on to be the best player ever, while the Knicks, who will probably never be as good again as they were in the mid-1990's, suffered heartbreak after heartbreak. Mr. Jordan, I would like to put my nut sack in your face as I dunk on you just for some redemption.
5) Joakim Noah- this might be too easy. Name someone on this Earth that isn't Yannick or his incredibly hot mom that doesn't want to punch this guy in the face over and over again. From his days at Florida where he was the cocky asshole with his little shimmy after every basket, to leading the stands with the Gator Chomp. Again, had to suffer with him during my days here at UK, watching him beat up on the Cats and win two National Championships. Then on Draft Day had to watch him in that outfit. Well Joakim, I hope your mom ends up at my house sometime soon and your dad hits tennis balls at your face repeatedly.
Honorable mention: Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Derek Jeter, Roger Clemens, Tony Romo, Troy Aikman, Terrell Owens, Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter, Grievas Vasquez, Brett Favre and Hines Ward.
Here is my list, Dan's will be posted above mine. Let us know if you agree with our selections, disagree and who you hate.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Patrick Patterson will stay in school
With the ascent to stardom by UK's Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, the question around campus is whether the duo will be in Lexington next season. In this post I will tackle why Patrick Patterson will and should stay in school.
He is 6 feet 8 inches. No matter what kind of stats Patterson puts up he cannot change this fact. He will be an undersized 4 in the NBA. Even with the success of some undersized bigs (ie Paul Millsap), NBA execs do not take undersized bigs in the lottery. Even this year, in a very weak draft, Patterson is not projected by most publications to be a lottery pick. Also, historically, name the last time someone that a "small" 4 got drafted in the top 10? Charles Barkley?
With the fact that he is undersized there are several skills he can improve before making the leap to the league.
First, he is extremely right handed dominant. According to Synergy he drives or uses his right 90% of the time. His primary post moves involve turning over his left shoulder and shooting a little jump hook or turn around jump shot. He needs to develop his dropstep and the ability to finish with his left around the basket. With being undersized it would help him greatly to have more dexterity to his game.
Secondly, his midrange game, which has the potential to be very good, needs to be on display more. He has nice touch from the free throw line meaning his midrange jumper should follow suit. I would like to see him develop a turn and face game in the post ala Tim Duncan's bank jumper. Next season with Daniel Orton, he could play some high post and develop his mdrange game.
I think Patrick Patterson has a bright future in the NBA as a solid role player. He has great hands and the ability to rebound the basketball. But, there are areas he needs to improve before he can make a significant impact. With the ability to improve and Patterson's love for being BMOC, I see him in Lexington next season.
These guys are still in college?
Everyone watches a college basketball game and wonders, how has this guy not graduated yet? Here is the starting five with honorable mention for the 2008-2009 season of just that question. Throw in your lists.
Guard-Tyrese Rice (Boston College)
Guard-Levance Fields (Pitt)
Guard/Forward-Josh Shipp (UCLA)
Guard/Forward-Danny Green (North Carolina)
Forward/Center-Jeff Adrian (UCONN)
6th man and captain-David McClure (Duke)
Honorable Mention- Jessie Sapp (Georgetown) Michael Roll (UCLA) Walter Hodge (Florida) Connor Atchley (Texas) Ronald Steele (Alabama) Josh Heyfvelt (Gonzaga)
Guard-Tyrese Rice (Boston College)
Guard-Levance Fields (Pitt)
Guard/Forward-Josh Shipp (UCLA)
Guard/Forward-Danny Green (North Carolina)
Forward/Center-Jeff Adrian (UCONN)
6th man and captain-David McClure (Duke)
Honorable Mention- Jessie Sapp (Georgetown) Michael Roll (UCLA) Walter Hodge (Florida) Connor Atchley (Texas) Ronald Steele (Alabama) Josh Heyfvelt (Gonzaga)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Why the Cavs will WIN the NBA Finals
Wow, really Bobby? The Cavs won't win the NBA title because their 5-8 scorers combine to average 28 points and JJ Hickson and Sasha Pavlovic are the 9th and 10th men? Also, you failed to mention the Orlando Magic. Moving on from your useless dribble. The Cavs gutted out a road win last night in Portland while missing two starters. On that note, here are several reasons why the Cavs will win the NBA title.
1. Homecourt Advantage - The Cavs are a league best 20-0 at home. It is not just the record that is impressive but the way the Cavs are dismantling teams on their home floor. The average margin of victory is 16.4 points per game. As for one of your contenders, the Celtics, the last time Boston beat Cleveland in Cleveland was Dec. 18, 2004. Plus, Quicken Loans Arena has turned into one of the loudest arenas in the NBA. I was there for a December game against the Rockets, and the crowd was as rowdy as would be expected for a playoff game.
2. Point Differential - Before embarking on their current road trip, the Cavs held a point differential of +11.95 per game - the fourth highest in NBA history. The three teams (71-72 Lakers, 70-71 Bucks, and 95-96 Bulls) with higher point differentials all won the NBA title.
3. Bench - In comparing the top 3 teams in the Eastern Conference the Cavs have by far the superior rotation coming off the bench. Orlando's bench consists of Courtney Lee, JJ Redick, Keith Bogans, Tony Battie, and Anthony Johnson. This bench is 3 shooting guards who vary from a rookie (Lee) to horrendous (Redick). Also, there backup bigs are headlined by Tony Battie. Yikes. Bostons consists of Leon Powe, Eddie House, Glen Davis, and Tony Allen. Bill Simmons said in his podcast that he thinks Glen Davis and Tony Allen are the worst two NBA players at their respective positions playing at least 10 minutes a game. Besides from Leon Powe, this might be the worst bench in the NBA. As for the Cavs their top 3 off the pine are a 3 point marksman, Daniel Gibson, an annoying, charge taking big, Anderson Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak. Which leads me to my next point.
4. Szczerbiak's Expiring Contract - The most attractive trade chip to teams looking to unload future payment obligations as the trade deadline approaches. Names being floated around in rumors are Vince Carter (Yuck), Brad Miller, Marcus Camby, Mike Miller (along with Brian Cardinal's contract) just for the Cavs 8th man. Imagine how much stronger this 32-8 team would be with the addition of one of those players.
5. Defense - The Cavs under Mike Brown have been built to win tough low scoring playoff games when defensive stops are a necessity. This year the Cavs are giving up a league low 89.6 points per game. Not only that they are second in the league in defensive rating which takes into account pace of play.
6 LeBron plays 48 minutes - Right now, LeBron is averaging slightly over 37 minutes per game. According to John Hollinger PER rating, LeBron is having the most efficient and productive regular season of anyone... in the modern era (yes, this includes Jordan). The reason the Cavs have played significantly better in the playoffs the last several years is because there is no limiting LeBron's minutes. How many more wins and how big would the blowouts be if LeBron played a full 48 every night of the year.
The Cavs were PJ Brown's 4th quarter scoring explosion in Game 7 from a repeat trip to the finals last year (they would of beat Detroit). This year Cavs are significantly better as a team, have the best player in the world, and the ability to get better at the trade deadline. Now, you know why they will be celebrating on West 6th this June.
1. Homecourt Advantage - The Cavs are a league best 20-0 at home. It is not just the record that is impressive but the way the Cavs are dismantling teams on their home floor. The average margin of victory is 16.4 points per game. As for one of your contenders, the Celtics, the last time Boston beat Cleveland in Cleveland was Dec. 18, 2004. Plus, Quicken Loans Arena has turned into one of the loudest arenas in the NBA. I was there for a December game against the Rockets, and the crowd was as rowdy as would be expected for a playoff game.
2. Point Differential - Before embarking on their current road trip, the Cavs held a point differential of +11.95 per game - the fourth highest in NBA history. The three teams (71-72 Lakers, 70-71 Bucks, and 95-96 Bulls) with higher point differentials all won the NBA title.
3. Bench - In comparing the top 3 teams in the Eastern Conference the Cavs have by far the superior rotation coming off the bench. Orlando's bench consists of Courtney Lee, JJ Redick, Keith Bogans, Tony Battie, and Anthony Johnson. This bench is 3 shooting guards who vary from a rookie (Lee) to horrendous (Redick). Also, there backup bigs are headlined by Tony Battie. Yikes. Bostons consists of Leon Powe, Eddie House, Glen Davis, and Tony Allen. Bill Simmons said in his podcast that he thinks Glen Davis and Tony Allen are the worst two NBA players at their respective positions playing at least 10 minutes a game. Besides from Leon Powe, this might be the worst bench in the NBA. As for the Cavs their top 3 off the pine are a 3 point marksman, Daniel Gibson, an annoying, charge taking big, Anderson Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak. Which leads me to my next point.
4. Szczerbiak's Expiring Contract - The most attractive trade chip to teams looking to unload future payment obligations as the trade deadline approaches. Names being floated around in rumors are Vince Carter (Yuck), Brad Miller, Marcus Camby, Mike Miller (along with Brian Cardinal's contract) just for the Cavs 8th man. Imagine how much stronger this 32-8 team would be with the addition of one of those players.
5. Defense - The Cavs under Mike Brown have been built to win tough low scoring playoff games when defensive stops are a necessity. This year the Cavs are giving up a league low 89.6 points per game. Not only that they are second in the league in defensive rating which takes into account pace of play.
6 LeBron plays 48 minutes - Right now, LeBron is averaging slightly over 37 minutes per game. According to John Hollinger PER rating, LeBron is having the most efficient and productive regular season of anyone... in the modern era (yes, this includes Jordan). The reason the Cavs have played significantly better in the playoffs the last several years is because there is no limiting LeBron's minutes. How many more wins and how big would the blowouts be if LeBron played a full 48 every night of the year.
The Cavs were PJ Brown's 4th quarter scoring explosion in Game 7 from a repeat trip to the finals last year (they would of beat Detroit). This year Cavs are significantly better as a team, have the best player in the world, and the ability to get better at the trade deadline. Now, you know why they will be celebrating on West 6th this June.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Why the Cavs won't win the NBA Finals
Welcome to the first debate of Why so serious? The debate is whether the Cavs will win the NBA Finals or not. To further break Howarth's and the rest of Cleveland's hearts, the Cavs will NOT, I repeat, NOT win the NBA Finals. Are they capable to? Yes. But will they? No. Here are some reasons why and who I think can and will beat the Cavs. First a slew of teams I think are the biggest challengers to the Cavs and who will beat them given the chance.
1) Boston Celtics- can the Cavs beat them? I don't think in a 7 game series.
2) Los Angeles Lakers
3) San Antonio Spurs
The Cavs have made improvements in their roster by brining in Mo Williams. Delonte West is having a great year and Lebron is will Lebron. But what's there other than that? I'm not sold on Z yet. He does a great job of extending the defense by being able to hit the jumper, but can he stay healthy? I'm banking on no. Or if he is healthy, will he come back and be able to play the way he's used to? That might be a bigger no. The same goes for West, who suffered a fractured wrist after that nasty fall with Derrick Rose. I'm not taking anything away from West, who is tough as hell, he was shooting around at halftime of that same game, but a fractured wrist is a fractured wrist.
After those four, where does the scoring come? Anderson Verajo? Wally? Gibson? Ben Wallace? Okay, sorry about the last name, but I couldn't help it. The next four are averaging a combined 28.2 points per game. That's not going to cut it. I don't believe the Cavs are deep enough to hang with a team like the Lakers or Celtics. People might cry out that Gibson can score but look at the stats for him:
2007-2008- 10 points per game, 2 3-pointers per game and shot 44 percent from that line
2008-2009-9 points per game, 1.5 3-pointers per game and is shooting 39 percent from there.
The same goes for Wally, who people believe are an amazing shooter. He's not even averaging one 3-pointer a game!
Then there's Sasha and Hickson who both play over 10 minutes a game. Sasha has basically fallen off the face of the Earth, averaging only 4 points per game and really not playng all that well. And with Hickson, can you put a lot of trust in a rookie to guard the likes of Duncan, Gasol, Odom or even a Bynum and Oberto? Not in my book.
Here's a breakdown of the teams I think will beat the Cavs.
1) Celtics-the improvement of Rajon Rondo and go ahead and laugh but Kendrick Perkins. Rondo has played out of his mind so far this year and could be an All-Star reserve if I had a vote. Is there a better defensive point guard in the league? I believe he'll have no problem on Williams and limit him. In the two games this season, each team winning one, Williams is averaging 12.5 points per game. 3.5 points less than he usually does. Then there's Perkins, who is averaging almost 3 points better and 2 rebounds better. In a 7 game series you gotta take the Boston Three Party. Allen seemed to pick his shooting up, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. Plus, is there a more determined team then this team? I know the KG pre-game is a little overdone, but think about it? When this team wants to get something done, they seem to do it.
2) Lakers- Kobe. You can get in the Kobe vs. Lebron debate, and in the playoffs I'll take Kobe. Did you see what he did against the Cavs this past week with a bum finger? On his shooting hand mind you. Besides Kobe, the main difference between these two teams is the bench play. The Lakers second team of Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar, Trevor Ariza, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic is the best in the league. Hell, throw a big guy in there and they could start for about 10 teams. There's just too many matchup problems with this team. You could throw a Kobe, Ariza, Vujacic, Gasol and Bynum team out there and how do you match that? Kobe takes Lebron with the ability of Ariza to switch with that. This is my favorite to win it all.
3) Spurs- they're just the Spurs. They're in the talk every year. Duncan looks 5 years younger all of a sudden and the signing of Roger Mason Jr. will prove to be key. The ability to shoot and extend the D with Parker and Manu playing well is a dangerous squad. Bruce Bowen is Bowen, he might injure your best player but at the least he'll annoy the hell out him. Bonner is goofy looking as shit but can extend the D and steal minutes as well.
There's 3 teams who I think will beat the Cavs and the playoff power rankings for me.
1) Boston Celtics- can the Cavs beat them? I don't think in a 7 game series.
2) Los Angeles Lakers
3) San Antonio Spurs
The Cavs have made improvements in their roster by brining in Mo Williams. Delonte West is having a great year and Lebron is will Lebron. But what's there other than that? I'm not sold on Z yet. He does a great job of extending the defense by being able to hit the jumper, but can he stay healthy? I'm banking on no. Or if he is healthy, will he come back and be able to play the way he's used to? That might be a bigger no. The same goes for West, who suffered a fractured wrist after that nasty fall with Derrick Rose. I'm not taking anything away from West, who is tough as hell, he was shooting around at halftime of that same game, but a fractured wrist is a fractured wrist.
After those four, where does the scoring come? Anderson Verajo? Wally? Gibson? Ben Wallace? Okay, sorry about the last name, but I couldn't help it. The next four are averaging a combined 28.2 points per game. That's not going to cut it. I don't believe the Cavs are deep enough to hang with a team like the Lakers or Celtics. People might cry out that Gibson can score but look at the stats for him:
2007-2008- 10 points per game, 2 3-pointers per game and shot 44 percent from that line
2008-2009-9 points per game, 1.5 3-pointers per game and is shooting 39 percent from there.
The same goes for Wally, who people believe are an amazing shooter. He's not even averaging one 3-pointer a game!
Then there's Sasha and Hickson who both play over 10 minutes a game. Sasha has basically fallen off the face of the Earth, averaging only 4 points per game and really not playng all that well. And with Hickson, can you put a lot of trust in a rookie to guard the likes of Duncan, Gasol, Odom or even a Bynum and Oberto? Not in my book.
Here's a breakdown of the teams I think will beat the Cavs.
1) Celtics-the improvement of Rajon Rondo and go ahead and laugh but Kendrick Perkins. Rondo has played out of his mind so far this year and could be an All-Star reserve if I had a vote. Is there a better defensive point guard in the league? I believe he'll have no problem on Williams and limit him. In the two games this season, each team winning one, Williams is averaging 12.5 points per game. 3.5 points less than he usually does. Then there's Perkins, who is averaging almost 3 points better and 2 rebounds better. In a 7 game series you gotta take the Boston Three Party. Allen seemed to pick his shooting up, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. Plus, is there a more determined team then this team? I know the KG pre-game is a little overdone, but think about it? When this team wants to get something done, they seem to do it.
2) Lakers- Kobe. You can get in the Kobe vs. Lebron debate, and in the playoffs I'll take Kobe. Did you see what he did against the Cavs this past week with a bum finger? On his shooting hand mind you. Besides Kobe, the main difference between these two teams is the bench play. The Lakers second team of Lamar Odom, Jordan Farmar, Trevor Ariza, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic is the best in the league. Hell, throw a big guy in there and they could start for about 10 teams. There's just too many matchup problems with this team. You could throw a Kobe, Ariza, Vujacic, Gasol and Bynum team out there and how do you match that? Kobe takes Lebron with the ability of Ariza to switch with that. This is my favorite to win it all.
3) Spurs- they're just the Spurs. They're in the talk every year. Duncan looks 5 years younger all of a sudden and the signing of Roger Mason Jr. will prove to be key. The ability to shoot and extend the D with Parker and Manu playing well is a dangerous squad. Bruce Bowen is Bowen, he might injure your best player but at the least he'll annoy the hell out him. Bonner is goofy looking as shit but can extend the D and steal minutes as well.
There's 3 teams who I think will beat the Cavs and the playoff power rankings for me.
A great link
This is from an old blog, written by my friend Randy Kern. It was linked to deadspin and might be the best description of a Brown's fan. Enjoy.
http://theusfactor.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-history-as-browns-fan.html
http://theusfactor.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-history-as-browns-fan.html
More about the brains behind the operation
Want to know why so serious? It's from a great movie and also a great line to a woman—an anonymous safety from the UK football team. Our blog is going to be a serious sports blog, brought to you by two junkies who have witnessed the sports world from the ripe age of infancy.
We'll hit on topics ranging from our favorite teams to big issues in sports, some of it in debate format. Others will be a joint idea presented for you to comment on. And now a look at the creators of the blog:
Dan Howarth- a self-proclaimed sports loser due to his fanaticism of all Cleveland based sports. He is a senior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in finance and awkward conversations with girls. He is most proud of his ability to play beer pong ambidextrously. He will name his first dog Kosar and his first son James (LeBron is up to the wife for a middle name). He is not ashamed to have a Mark Price poster in his room and to be a known groupie of Chris Mihm. He played golf and basketball in high school and garnered honors such as All-Conference and District and Academic All-Ohio in both sports.
Bobby Reagan- a self-proclaimed arrogant east coast asshole. He is a senior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Journalism and dating questionable girls. He is most proud of driving everyone watching Super Bowl 42 with him to cheer for the Patriots. He will name his first child Camden Anderson, after Camden Yards and Brady Anderson. He played soccer and basketball in high school and garnered honors such as All-County in both sports and All-District in hoops. He is also not ashamed to have a John Starks jersey hanging in his room and a picture of Randolph Childress as the background to his computer.
Despite our differences, fate (or facebook) has brought us to the University of Kentucky. But we have put aside our differences to win 21 straight intramural basketball games, a dunk contest (Dan jumped over Bobby), and a kickball tournament. Both of us have an undying hate for OSU, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and NFL Live topics. We both love Bill Raftery, bounce passes, Eric Lindsey, and T-Swift. Everything else is fair game.
We'll hit on topics ranging from our favorite teams to big issues in sports, some of it in debate format. Others will be a joint idea presented for you to comment on. And now a look at the creators of the blog:
Dan Howarth- a self-proclaimed sports loser due to his fanaticism of all Cleveland based sports. He is a senior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in finance and awkward conversations with girls. He is most proud of his ability to play beer pong ambidextrously. He will name his first dog Kosar and his first son James (LeBron is up to the wife for a middle name). He is not ashamed to have a Mark Price poster in his room and to be a known groupie of Chris Mihm. He played golf and basketball in high school and garnered honors such as All-Conference and District and Academic All-Ohio in both sports.
Bobby Reagan- a self-proclaimed arrogant east coast asshole. He is a senior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Journalism and dating questionable girls. He is most proud of driving everyone watching Super Bowl 42 with him to cheer for the Patriots. He will name his first child Camden Anderson, after Camden Yards and Brady Anderson. He played soccer and basketball in high school and garnered honors such as All-County in both sports and All-District in hoops. He is also not ashamed to have a John Starks jersey hanging in his room and a picture of Randolph Childress as the background to his computer.
Despite our differences, fate (or facebook) has brought us to the University of Kentucky. But we have put aside our differences to win 21 straight intramural basketball games, a dunk contest (Dan jumped over Bobby), and a kickball tournament. Both of us have an undying hate for OSU, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and NFL Live topics. We both love Bill Raftery, bounce passes, Eric Lindsey, and T-Swift. Everything else is fair game.
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