Kobe? Why You Do Dat There?

Waldini:

It's official now.

Gangsta D:

What can I say? Drama drama drama. One way or the other, I hope it's settled quickly. But it probably won't be:)

Da Realist:

as soon as jerry buss kisses him on the head and tucks him in tonight, he'll change his mind. maybe take him out for some ice-cream tomorrow if he's still upset.

Waldini:

That may work on Amber and Tyler but I dont know about Kid Kobe :-)

Seriously, hate to see him go the route of the current NBA "elite" player and demand a trade when the going gets tough. It represents and proves what the baby boomers say about our generation...When the going gets tough, the tough get going...

By the way, which team would take Kobe? They have to mortgage draft picks and at least two top players from their team to be a major player. I know one, Kupchak and buss better increase their minutes b/c I know their phones are ringing off the hook

Da Realist:

it all smells a little calculated. we've been hearing rumors and innuendo that kobe was "upset", "simmering", "frustrated". maybe he really wants to go. he may be using any way he can to demand a trade and yet still look like a victim. you know...cause the lakers "lied" to him.

Gangsta D:

Well, on the brighter side. If Kobe is traded, I can shift more energy towards defending TO:)

If he is traded, and that really is a big if. They have got to get $.90-.95 on the dollar. LA needs superstars. The Stapler will be empty with a blue collar team on the court. Laker fans don't care about trying hard, we want glitz and glamour. No matter how a Laker fan feels about Kobe right now, if we don't get a superstar(s) in return Mitch Kupchak might get lynched.

Waldini:

Got time for an impromptu trip to LA? :-) Read more!

How Did We Get From LeBatard To Globalization?

D, I got your link this morning and am halfway thru scanning this. This has to be one of the best interviews I've read :-). I didn't know he was Cuban & billingual. Funny stuff and I'm rolling over the Luke-Snoop comparison

Da Realist:

you didn't know DAN LEBATARD was bilingual?? damn near EVERYBODY in miami is bilingual! i think spanish is their official language down there. i'm not kidding. i think it's an actual fact.

speaking of that... i'm trying to become bilingual myself. well mulitlingual, actually. i'm learning french now and would love to move toward spanish and either italian or portuguese after that. by the time Da Kid graduates high school, i want her to at least know french and spanish. i'm going to enroll Da Kid in french class this summer.

Gangsta D:

Isn't she only 4? lol

Da Realist:

3. but children pick up languages AMAZINGLY fast. it's best to learn languages when you're young because your brain is a clean slate.

for example, when i hear a phrase in french, my brain is busy "translating" it because it thinks in english. i have to train my brain to think in french. amber's brain doesn't think in anything right now. she takes a phrase, no matter the language, and applies meaning to it.

Da Kid has already seen the lion king, spiderman 1 & 2 and the little mermaid with french audio. never once has she said, "daddy i don't understand this". she watched it as if she was listening to english. truly amazing.

Waldini:

actually a lot of daycares are starting to teach french and spanish to kids at a young age. A few schools here in Texas start at 2 and a half.

Gangsta D:

This is what the immagrationists want. They want your kids speaking FOREIGN languages because it dilutes America's power. No foreign languages should be taught ever!! lol

Da Realist:

ha ha... :-D

seriously, though. the way the world is shrinking, knowing a second language is going to be imperative for the next generation. most people in europe and africa speak more than one language. and a lot of them speak 3 or 4. america is the most powerful country in the world (for now), but we are also more ignorant than we realize.

(and here's a secret...china will be the next superpower if they keep growing the way they are. maybe not in our lifetime or the next generation's, but china is serious. mandarin will be the most important language to know. it's also one of the toughest to learn, but it's already the most widely spoken language in the world. it's going to be even more widely-spoken because it is only spoken in a specific area of china. once china becomes more of a world player, watch out.)

there are a number of signs that america may go the way of the roman empire eventually. i could preach about this for days but i don't want to bore you. i just want to make sure to give Da Kid every tool i can for her to succeed when she's ready to take on the world.

Gangsta D:

That's what these politicians don't realize. They shun globilization like that's gonna stop it from occuring. Why is it that japanese students learn Japanese AND English at an early age? Yet, we get our panties in a bunch if someone wants to sing the national anthem in spanish? Are you serious? Hubris has destroyed civilizations far larger than ours:)

Waldini:

America as a whole is more reactive than proactive. You mentioned globalization and a lot of the major players here started to embrace it ONLY after they saw foreign players staking claim in our country and challenging them to fight back. We spend more energy and time worrying about what to do instead of more time on actually doing anything. In other words, we look at world as "you guys still need to catch up" as opposed to the world saying "It won't be long before we catch AND pass you".

Da Realist:

i agree. everybody knows our language. english and french are the only languages spoken on every continent. they are the official "world languages".

most parisians know french and english. Canada is officially bilingual. Sweden has 3 official languages. The educated elite in Egypt speaks Arabic, French and English. Most Berliners speak German and English. EVERYBODY knows our language in addition to their own. aside from south florida, we are largely monolingual and arrogantly proud of it.

this puts us at a competitive disadvantage. our generation won't really feel it, but the next one surely will. Da Wife works for freddiemac and she told me top management held an emergency meeting a few weeks ago explaining how the american mortgage is about to fall through the floor.

america came up with the concept of a "mortgage". in the rest of the world, you either had enough money to buy a house on the spot, or you lived with your parents. we came up with the idea of a mortgage. (we also came up with the idea of credit, too. ironically we are the most in-debted country in the world) anyway, the backbone of our mortgage system is foreign investment. foreign investors are starting to move their money (and the concept of mortgage) to other lands because
a) american market is saturated,
b) america is in great debt which fuels
c) the dollar is at an all time low

international business men can weave in and out of different countries because they can speak the language. most american investors can't. as a result, companies like freddie mac and fannie mae are fighting over scraps here in america when foreign competitors are tapping into china and india and mexico.

i don't think any of this will affect us greatly, but Da Kid and her generation will get a leg up if we train them now.

Waldini:

it doesnt help that foreigners will come to our schools for a short period, then move back to their native lands and make a killing in the process. What they pay for localites that come back with a degree from a prestigious American institution, can speaking English and their native language fluently plus understand American culture is ridiculous. What did Americans get from studying abroad or attending institutions in another country when they got back. A low level entry job at some company....

Da Realist:

i haven't felt the pinch to learn a second language more acutely than i do here in dc. my office-mate speaks fluent french and conversational turkish. another teammate speaks fluent russian and spanish. yet another speaks cantonese.

we have a number of other people in the rest of the company that speaks a second language. if i was to estimate up to 40 percent of the company speaks at least 2 languages, i wouldn't be far off. (i forgot to mention the number of technical SME's we have here from india)

the opportunities some of my coworkers have in their lives are truly foreign to me. they take professional classes taught in paris or amsterdam, then come back and provide brownbags in english. training sessions in rome. personal vacations all over the world.

i need to take advantage of this.

Gangsta D:

If you speak conversational Turkish, shouldn't you be working for the CIA? I mean, unless you're from Turkey, do you need to be conversational in Turkish?

Da Realist:

:-) i know... but her husband and all her in-laws are turkish. their two children both know the language and the older one also knows french. Read more!

Noooooooooooooooooo.....

Gangsta D:

I guess by now that both of you have heard Kobe's demand for the Lakers to hire Jerry West or he wants to be traded. So let's get this over with. Go ahead Realist and let us have it. Make it real good...


Da Realist:

kobekobekobe. it's all about kobe. shut up and stop losing 6 games in a row to scrubs in the regular season. get out the first round. when you don't, take some responsibility and quit trying to blame the rest of the organization to make yourself look good. you're a real leader...throwing everybody under the bus.

it's the kobe show until he retires. everything is about kobe. he's the man when he scores 81 or the lakers win 5 in a row. the rest of the team sucks when they lose 6 in a row. the team didn't pass him the ball enough if he "only" scored 19.

he's starting to feel a little heat now that the lakers suck so he's trying to keep his image polished. oh no...kobe is a WINNER...his TEAM sucks! he just needs the right players around him. BS. the lakers can't make moves in this watered-down league? it says something about everybody -- including him.

i'm sure his teammates can't wait to play for him....i mean play "with" him again.


Gangsta D:

Decent. But I was hoping for more acerbic. I don't think you put your all into it. Must be your general apathy towards the NBA:)


Da Realist:

I think you're right.


Gangsta D:

Maybe Chicago will trade for him. I would fly up to Virginia just to see the reaction on your face.


Da Realist:

believe this... i don't want kobe bryant. i don't want to see him in a chicago bull uniform. there is no rhyme or reason to this except i just don't like him.

his own daily rag is dissing him


Gangsta D:

Nah, this needs to happen. I'll take Gordon, Hinrich, and Deng for Kobe:)


Da Realist:

Isn't it bad enough i have to deal with phil jackson coaching the lakers?


Gangsta D:

Ok, maybe you've suffered enough:) Read more!

Do I Care About Bron Bron? Meh...

Da Realist:

lebron doesn't really excite me.

in fact, i don't necessarily have a "need" to see any of today's superstars. i know that rubs y'all the wrong way, but if i miss a quarter or even a game i don't feel like the world is gonna end.

maybe a little of that is the fact that i'm a grown man with more resposibilities -- maybe i WOULD be more interested if i was in the 8th grade -- but i think most of it is just the nba isn't that exciting anymore.

t-mac, vince carter, ray allen, chris bosh...even tim duncan, kobe bryant, dwayne wade... they're all good players. i just don't "need" to see them every minute every quarter every game.

i don't know what happened. it can't be youth, magic was 20 when he announced himself. larry won rookie of the year and never looked back. we knew mike was special even before the 63. david robinson turned the spurs from perpetual losers to contenders in one year. shaq and penny were in the finals in 2 years.

it can't be the emphasis on stars over team. the nba did a better job of emphasizing teams back in the day, but they still marketed stars. the 80's lakers and celtics were shoved down our throats because they consisted of STARS.

je ne sais pas...

Waldini:

Actually i agree with everything you said below....I said it in prior posts, I can never recall where I have been this disinterested in the NBA playoffs. Usually it;s the regular season but now even the playoffs have bored me

Da Realist:

i just don't know what happened. what went wrong? i was looking at lebron last night. you can't deny his talent. he's phenomenal. i just wasn't that interested. can't say it's his fault. maybe it's me.

but i don't feel that way about college football or tennis for instance. i'm just as interested, if not more interested, than i was when i was younger. i can't put my finger on it. Read more!

Worst Position To Be In?

Da Realist:

All of these scenarios assume there is no time left (unless the sport doesn't incorporate time)

You're the best player never to have won a title. your team is down 2 in game 7 of the nba finals. you take the last shot but was HACKED with no time left. you are about to take 2 free throws to try and force overtime.

You're down 3 in the super bowl. you're the all-star kicker the team brought in for this moment. you've never won a super bowl. this 35 yarder will decide your team's fate.

Us open. this was YOUR moment. you were up 2 sets to none. he came back to win the third and a heartbreaking 4th set. it is now 5-6 in the 5th. you just had a return scream right by you so fast it looked like a blur. 2 championship points for your opponent. 15-40 your serve...

Master's. you started the day with a 3 stroke lead. some player 2 groups ahead of you shot a -70 and stormed to the lead. you have a tricky 6-foot birdie to force a playoff on the last hole.

Which is the WORSE position to be in?

Gangsta D:

I'd have to go with the kicking scenario. In the other cases, the fate is in the best player's hands. Field goals are always tricky. Kickers have weak psyches and while a 35 yd FG may seem like a chip shot, when the heat is on they can break. In the basketball scenario, if you're the best to never win, you should WANT to take those shots. In tennis, even though you may be down two points, if you play better for two points, you get to duece. In golf, it's up to you to make the birdie. Elite golfers make that put. But in football, the entire team has given it's all for 59:59, but their fate rests in the hands of a 150 lb "athlete" who probably hasn't got his uniform dirty all year? That is the worst position.

Waldini:

But in football, the team can recover as whole when the kicker messes up. Look at the Colts. I thought after Vanderjagt pulled a Norwood two years ago, they were never going to win the SB. They drop him and amazingly win it all. You know what, I just realized I proved your point :-). B/c Vanderjagt was cut and had to watch the team he also questioned a few years ago win a title.

I still don't know....I mean look at Greg Norman. The Shark never recovered from his Masters meltdown and had to live with the title of one of the greatest golfers never to win the big one.

And why no soccer scenarios on here? I can't get any love :-). 1993 Palmetto Athletic Conference State Championshiops. The Cardinal Newman Cardinals, picked to finish next to last in the conference, ride the magical wave of their 4 seniors to finishing 2nd in the conference and also marching to the tournament finals. Their opponent was perennial powerhouse, Porter Gaud, rulers of the conference for the past 5 years. PG finished 1st in the conference and had beat the Cards in both regular season meetings, 1-0 and 2-1.

The Cardinals amazingly go up 2-0 at halftime to shock of even their own fans. And how do the Cards handle the pressure during halftime? By already talking about going to someone's house to get a keg and get drunk. Big mistake, Porter Gaud readjusts their strategy, Cardinal Newman does, and within 25 mins PG has scored 5 unanswered goals. The final score would read 5-2 Porter Gaud and the Cards would have to settle for 2nd place. The one lone black starter, a junior AND voted Most Improved that season, on the team, The Wizard of West Columbia, would have to settle for a consolation prize of Burger King, courtesy of one overzealous mother/fan.

That same boy would never again get close to tasting championship success on the Varsity level. Both his soccer teams and basketball teams would mire in mediocrity his senior year thanks to the bumbling coaching staffs and backstage politics. And he also would never measure up to the family's tradition of bringing home championship trophies on any level (sniff)......


Da Realist:

All of them are tough... but the basketball and tennis ones hit me the most because i've played those sports (although, i suck at tennis)

Basketball -- you're at the line. everybody in the gym, every sports fan in america and even transplants in other countries are watching you right now. you've played 40 minutes and you're tired. sweat dripping off the dome. you have to somehow compose yourself for not one, but TWO free throws. your hands are twitching. this is the moment you've dreamed about. can you push this team into overtime? they call timeout. no one says a word to you in the huddle. they all know this is the moment. they want to give you your space, but it actually makes you feel worse.

What is everyone going to think if you don't come through? miss either one, and you're going to be mentioned all summer long. back in play. somehow you can't stop sweating. will this affect the traction of the ball? how long do i have? 10 seconds? how long has it been? i better hurry and shoot this free throw. one bounce...another bounce.. lift the ball above your head and follow through...

Tennis -- this is it! you're up TWO sets to love. you're starting to imagine the awards ceremony mid-way through the third set. you got this in the bag. you're finally going to win the big one. ooops. you just lost serve. he holds twice and wins the set. no biggie. you're still up 2 sets to 1. the fourth set is nip and tuck all the way before you lose a controversial call to set up his break point on your serve. upset, you double-fault and give him the set.

Now the crowd is in it, tasting blood, cheering him on. everybody's questioning you. do you have the balls to finally win a major? that's what going through your head the whole time. Arthur Ashe is ROCKING by the middle of the set. sean hears about this epic collapse and turns from the titans game to check it out. 5-5. your hands are sweating. your legs feel like rubber. your heart is pumping, but the crowd wants this upset. is the other guy just as nervous? just as tired? doesn't look like it. you can't concentrate. 15-30. two points from choking. you can't choke. you won't choke. DAMN, where did that come from? 15-40. DOUBLE CHAMPIONSHIP POINT. how did this happen? you decide to go out fighting. let it rip. you toss the ball up and ... Read more!

Old School Friday - Groove Juice Edition

Wither Digable Planets? They burst onto the scene with a groundbreaking album and were the toasts of the town. Even won a Grammy. They released the second album and...fizz. I never understood why the second album didn't do well. It was an underrated classic, in my opinion. Maybe people's antennae were tuned to something else. I don't know. At any rate, here are some classic joints.

Nickle Bag Of Funk



9th Wonder (Blacktolism)



Where I'm From

Read more!

Pretty Chicks.....Just Because

This is a video I shot during the cover shoot for my group's last album. It doesn't have anything to do with sports, but if you don't like looking at women in lingerie then you deserve that rash on your inner thigh.

Superstar

Posted Oct 10, 2006

Behind the secenes of 2PD album cover shoot.

Read more!

Jessica Alba Will Make You Forget About The NBA

Waldini:

Is it fair that the two players folks are saying will be game changing HOFers will end up in the West. Considering the East needs a shot in the arm badly....


Gangsta D:

If life were fair I would've banged Jessica Alba multiple times by now.

Da Realist:

listen... we are going to fight if you keep mentioning my girl's name in vain like that. go after jessica biel or jessica simpson or something.

you don't "bang" jessica alba, d'accord?

by the way, she's on the latest issue of GQ magazine. eff beyonce, jessica is NICE.

Waldini:

Yea I was at the airport and saw Beyonce on the cover of Vibe and Jessica on the cover of GQ. Damn why didnt I subscribe to GQ :-)?


Gangsta D:

Your girl? I was hip to Jess in '99, before ANYBODY knew who she was. I believe I have dibs on her:)


Da Realist:

'99? when did 'dark angel' come out? was it after then?


Gangsta D:

Fall 2000 season.

I saw her in January '99 BEFORE she got the Dark Angel gig and said "She is going to be a star." I'm almost single handedly responsible for her stardom. I don't want much in return. I think my demands are fair and reasonable.


Da Realist:

yeah right. :-D where did you "discover" her? in one of those Lifetime movies geared toward the teen market?


Gangsta D:

Nope, she was in Idle Hands and Never Been Kissed in '98. She wasn't on anyone's radar, but I saw something special. My only problem with Jessica is when she dies her hair blonde. I'm like sweetheart, you're Mexican. Mexicans don't have blonde hair!!


Da Realist:

completely agree!

and i don't really like the "extra thin" version. she is SUPPOSED to have curves!

Gangsta D:

Yeah, I don't know what's been going on with her the last year or so. Jessica Biel has taken her spot. She needs to represent during the Fantastic 4 press coverage. Read more!

The Pistol vs The Mothereffing Federer

Da Realist:

if you're a tennis fan, you MUST be licking your chops to see this matchup! if only pete was 10 years younger...

Gangsta D:

Yeah, I don't know. If pete was in his prime, these matches would be epic. Now....eh? It'll be decent spectacle, but nothing exciting, I don't think.

Da Realist:

pete's my favorite player of all time but even in his prime he would have trouble with TMF right now on all surfaces -- even grass. and let's not even talk about clay.

the only exciting part of the match will be on pete's serve. even in his prime, pete just kind of blocked serves back and you can't let TMF have that kind of advantage on his own serve right off the bat.

if they were both in their primes...

pete would have a slight advantage at Wimbledon.

pete *may* have a slight adv on US Open hardcourts

roger with a distinct adv on Aussie Open hardcourts

roger would MURDER pete on clay

what do you think?

Gangsta D:

You're right about clay. Pete's game just doesn't translate. But on grass and hardcourts? In his prime? I don't know. When he was on, his serve and volley game was unmatched. The interesting thing is neither has/had a rival as good as the other during their playing days. Agassi was game, but he couldn't hang with Pete on a consistent basis. Nadal owns Fed on clay, but he can't compete on grass or hardcourt. I wonder how much they would've brought out in each other. Why couldn't Mama and Papa Federer have a kid 10 years earlier? lol

Da Realist:

i want to believe that, but i've seen federer take roddick's best and send it back across the net like it was nothing. he doesn't seem to have any trouble with big servers. pete's game was to dominate his serve and get one break per set -- he put all the pressure on the other guy to hold serve.

but roger would have flipped it. pete BETTER win his serve or he's got no chance at the set. my heart says go with pete, but my head says roger.

and about agassi... let's not down him too much through the eyes of history. pete won the majority of their matches, but keep in mind the majority of their matches were on grass or fast hard courts (like US Open). Agassi dominated him at the Aussie (4-0) and beat him the one time they played at the French. If most of their matches were on that slow rubber stuff or clay, then the outcome could have been a little different. it's at least something to think about. Read more!

Steve Nash Is So Gangsta...You Know The Rest.

Gangsta D:

Why is Steve Nash untouchable. This dude never gets criticized. He's the only player I can think of, granted it's early in the morning, that gets all the credit but none of the blame. There was a question on PTI on why he never gets criticized, like other MVP candidates, for his team's failures. Of course, Wilbon and Kornheiser made up excuses. Last year Amare was hurt so they were shorthanded. Nevermind the fact that they held the #2 seed in the west without him. Then the refs stole game 5 from them, never mind that there was no gaurantee they would've won that game. Never mind that they lost game 1 at home WITH Amare, or that they led game 5 practically the whole game and only lost by 3.

I've actually grown to like Nash, mainly because he can be funny in interviews. But he deserves criticism for not making the Finals. His teams always come up short, but it's never his fault. When the Suns win 65 games it's all because of Nash, but when they lose it's because of mitigating circumstances.

Waldini:

Do you really need to know why he doesnt get criticized :-)?

Before I go into rant mode, I will say this. Steve Nash is the best PG in the league today. He's turned That's Amare into a first team All NBAer and the Matrix into a consistent All-Star. Heck he got Boris Diaw most improved last year and mentored The Brazillian Blur into 6th man this year. Would any of these guys be where they are at without him? Of course not

Not with all that said, he ALWAYS get a past for his team's failures. He's been MVP twice, almost a 3rd this year, and what do they have to show for it. Two trips to the conf finals and not one of the series his team was eliminated in went 7 games. And the way it stands now, they have one more year 2gether and they're breaking that team up (luxury tax issues). So what will his legacy be at that point, making the regular season fun to watch and his postseason games at least halfway interesting. Wow, blow me down.

I said this before, it drives me crazy b/c his numbers are the same as Zeke's, KJ, Mark Price, Hardaway, and Stockton from the late 80s and early 90s. How many MVP's did they win? Zilch. How many titles did this group win? 2. How many finals appearances did these guys appear in? 6. Realist is right. He said it last year and I didnt want to believe him but I was wrong. The league is watered down and they reward people for short term success and not enough for long term. Dirk is your MVP and Nash is 2nd in running. And where are they now? Read more!

I Am The Black Billy Ho

Gangsta D:

Hruby pretty much hits the nail on the head. The crazy thing is when ALL 8 of these archetypes are playing at the same time. Pure comedy. I must admit, I'm usually The Sweat Hog. I look like I ran a marathon after a few games. Well, at least I'm not hairy.

Da Realist:

ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS! i was definitely the marathon man. no doubt about it. all day, every day, non-stop fast-break let's go let's go let's go personality back when i played ball.

Gangsta D:

I would've definitely hit you in the face...or at least seriously contemplated it. My cousin used to be like that. I'm like, where do you get all this oxygen? I have initial burst, then I have to rest until my second wind. Once I got my second wind, I rained jumpshots until I got tired again:

Da Realist:

and i hated guarding sweathogs like you. one of my main reasons for staying out on the perimeter was that i didn't have to guard back-to-the-basket sweathogs whose t-shirts were drenched. and i HATED shirts-skins games.

Gangsta D:

Trust me, I wasn't too thrilled about getting up close and personal either:) But I've always been a perimeter guy. I don't like to mix it up down low, cause I have this fear of breaking my glasses. Can't see the basket without them so I have to wear them. My biggest problem has always been finishing at the rim. I can get there, but I sure ain't Kobe around the basket:)

Da Realist:

i was pretty good, if i do say so myself. nice jumpshot, creative around the basket. ran the parks all over arkansas and repped nicely when we visited family in chicago (something i was VERY proud of every summer).

it all came to a screeching halt when i attended morehouse and realized there were guys 6'6" that were just as good and just as creative, some just plain better. where i was from, all the 6'6" guys were down low!

Gangsta D:

I'm basically John Starks without the lisp. When my jumper is on, it's nasty. When it's off, it's ugly. I usually always get my shot off because I shoot better going to my left, even though I'm right handed. In high school I used to have pretty good handles. I guess I left them in my old locker:)

It's crazy nowadays. You can't get a good game going at a park. I'm usually the only one there. Back in the day, you go to the courts on saturday at noon and stay until 7:00. Down here, we had a lot of transplants because of the naval base. Lot of dudes from NY who thought they were Kenny Anderson. It was immensely entertaining. Read more!

Old School Friday - Freshman Year Pricks!

The Year: 1994. The Locale: Morehouse College. The Mood: Euphoric

The mystical magical freshman year. I came in as a 17 year old from a small town that didn't no shit. First party I went to, at the Radisson Hotel, ended in gunfire. I smelled weed for the first time( didn't smoke), found out black people played soccer, and wanted to nail everything that moved at Spelman...OK maybe not everything. I also could never beat Jarrod in Street Fighter 2. Motherfucker beat me with Blanka. Blanka?!?! At any rate, these songs helped to make up the soundtrack of my life.

Be Happy - MJB

This song was played everyday at dinner. I loved it. Then I hated it. Then I loved it again. Mary J brings out emotions.



Candy Rain - Soul For Real

Ahh, the remix version. Good move, cause these dudes looked hella cheesey in the original. Plus, you can't beat a Hev cameo.



Dr. Dre & Ice Cube - Natural Born Killaz

Dre and Cube? James Evans? With the Pac cameo at the end? Pure classic. Even though they never released Helter Skelter, this more than makes up for it.



Pete Rock & CL Smooth

Not even Pete's brain fart could ruin one of the best commercials ever.



Pac - Temptations

Umm...Jasmine Guy is dope if you already didn't know.



Biggie - One More Chance

The song that made Biggie a megastar. Most people forget that he was the #2 man, behind Craig Mack, at Bad Boy. Shit can change real quick, huh?



TLC - Creep

OMFG!! TLC decided to dress up like chicks. And they're cute? Oh snap!

Read more!

My Mojo Is Mad Heavy

My boy and I shot a concert film for the group Heavy Mojo a couple of years back. Here's a clip from that night. They're a rock-rap group, but don't get scared, because they actually have talent, and are quite dope. One of these days they're going to be big, and hopefully they'll let me get a couple scraps from they're "Hottie Buffet." I'll take 7's and 8's. I'm not picky...much. Enjoy.

Read more!

I'm Smart Mikey! I Want Some Respect!!

Gangsta D

Why is everyone on the Spurs treating Nash like Fredo? Dude is getting PUNKED, for real. I know he's Canadian, but did Horry have to cross check nash into the scorer's table? The Spurs have won this series. I thought they'd do it in five, but it's definitely a wrap in six. Diaw and Stat will get suspended for game 5. The Suns will be preoccupied with trying to show how hard they can be, and the Spurs will crucify them. Why does this remind me of Pistons/Bulls in the 80's? lol

Da Realist:

rules are rules, but the nba will shoot itself in the foot if it suspends diaw and amare. there isn't a whole lot to like about the nba these days, but this series is one of them. at some point, common sense should out-weigh the rules. besides, if the nba wants this thing to go 7 (and it does), phoenix needs all the help they can get.

Gangsta D:

But how will Stern talk his way out of it. he'd have to come out say that he doesn't want to hurt the competitive balance of the series. It would be a heckuva precedent. Then next time someone comes off the bench in a meaningless game, they'd point to this incident. He'd be opening himself up to ALOT of criticism. We'll see what happens though.

Da Realist:

that's what happens when you create a culture that adheres to the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law. it was an overreaction to the heat-knicks brawl in '99. you can't have these guys play with their emotion on their sleeve for 2 and a half hours every other night, but somehow divorce themselves from this and remember not to leave their seat when a fight breaks out.

it is a possibility to have the instinct to "break up" the fight. by the time you remember the "don't leave the bench" rule, you've already broken it.

Gangsta D:

I agree. I think the rule is stupid to be so black and white. But, Stern has a lot of explaining to do if they aren't suspended. I assume Stat, diaw, and horry will be suspended. It's not fair, but I don't think he has any choice less he wants his integrity called into question. Of course, he could say they were going to the scorer's table to check in. But, that doesn't hold much traction. The Suns' assistant coaches have kept this from being a 7 game classic:)

Da Realist:

It's as if D wrote this...

Is it fair? No. Is it right? Absolutely. The NBA doesn't have much choice but to suspend Horry, Stoudemire and Diaw for Game 5.

and I wrote this...

Your move, NBA. Are you going to suspend Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for leaving the bench after Robert Horry checked Steve Nash into the scorer's table? Or, in an unlikely fit of common sense, are you going to assess the situation reasonably and throw down some show-trial fines and be done with it?

Gangsta D:

I would agree with Keown, except that Stern has NEVER been flexible. It's always been cut and dry. He'd open up a serious can of worms.

Da Realist:

well, he didn't suspend baron davis for his elbow or bruce bowen for his knee so maybe there's hope.

Gangsta D:

Just saw this:

David Stern has an interesting dilemna on his hands. If he suspends Amare and Diaw, the Suns will have no shot and the series will be over. After viewing this evidence, will he now suspend Duncan, too? Or will he suspend just Horry?

That makes things real interesting. Does he suspend all three or let all three walk? Now, I don't have a clue. My gut says he has to follow the rules, or change them next year.

Da Realist:

wonder what jamele hill would say to this...

Gangsta D:

I don't know. But I can't wait to hear what Stern has to say:)

Da Realist:

no way stern suspends duncan. this may let amare and diaw off the hook, but there is no way he suspends duncan. Read more!

Old School Friday - Smokin' & Thuggin' Edition

See, Pac had a soft side. It wasn't all about the struggle. Sometimes you just need a pool party to unwind.



Great video just because Red is wearing a Morehouse sweatshirt while talking about smoking with college students. I'm not naming names but ya'll know who ya is. lol

Read more!

Bill Laimbeer And The Lameness Of The '95 Rockets?

Gangsta D:

Why does Bill Laimbeer hold such grudges? lol

"I'm still glad that we didn't shake their hands," Bill Laimbeer said Wednesday. "They were whiners and criers. Piss on them."

Da Realist:

Thank you, D. That was the best read i've had in a long time. The Pistons were the reason we won 6 titles. We would have eventually won some anyway, but not 6. Adversity builds character. The Celtics, 76'ers and the Lakers taught each other how to win. The celtics taught the pistons. The pistons taught the Bulls.

There are no real obstacles out there right now. Now you win titles by default. The two NBA finalists lose in the first round. Somebody's going to win it this year, and probably lose in the second round next year.

The last time a team had an opportunity to go through a real obstacle on the way to the title was sacramento playing the Lakers. Ultimately they couldn't do it, but that was the last real time. Everything since then has just been blah...

Gangsta D:

Why is that the case? It can't all be blamed on free agency because the Kings and Lakers battled 5-7 years ago. Is this year just a fluke year or is it symptomatic of something larger?

Waldini:

Something larger. Look at last year. It was a foregone conclusion San Antonio and Detroit would meet again in the Finals. What happened? Spurs lose an improbable Game 7 to the so called "soft" Mavs and the Heat get revenge on Detroit in the Conf Finals. I think that Heat team is the most suspect champion since the '95 Rockets.

Expansion and free agency are the 2 biggest culprits. Makes it hard to build AND maintain a winner. Look at the Suns. If they dont win the title this yr or next yr, they're breaking that team up. Why? Too much dinero.....

Da Realist:

I don't understand your hate on the rockets. They were a good team. Very good. They beat san antonio and orlando, and didn't have home court advantage in either series. They probably don't get the credit they deserved because their titles came while mike was either retired or working his way back but olajuwon was a BEAST.

Both of our best teams would have had problems with the 95 rockets. Not saying the bulls or lakers would have lost, but they would have had PROBLEMS. They were better than the 92 knicks team that pushed us to 7 games, and they were better than both the 00 blazers and the 02 kings that pushed you to 7 games.

Waldini:

When I say suspect, I use it in the sense where a team wins a title out of nowhere. That '95 rockets struggled to make the playoffs and when you looked at the road to win the title from their perspective, the odds were stacked. They went through 4 teams that most pundits would pick ahead of them for that year to win the title. I respect what they did b/c they stepped up when no one else did. But if you look at the past champions of the previous 25 years, would you take THAT rockets team against? Stack them all up and I can almost guarantee you they lose in a 7 game series to most of the champions

I wouldnt compare the Rockets teams to the ones you mentioned below, b/c those teams didnt win anything. I only compare them to past and current NBA Titleists. If I started including teams that were great in the regular season but flamed out in the in post, then what about the '06 Pistons, '94 Sonics, '89 Cavs, '86 Lakers, etc. Too many teams and that becomes trivial.

Hate is a strong word.

Da Realist:

I'll leave the bulls and the lakers out of it (for obvious reasons), but i think they beat the '99 spurs, '03 spurs, '04 pistons, '05 spurs, and the '06 heat. I'm not sure if they would have beaten the 94 rockets or not, but '95 was the first time hakeem developed a mean streak. Think david robinsion...

Neither the 99 spurs or the 06 heat would have had a chance in hell.

The 03 and 05 spurs won because of tim duncan, but hakeem at his best is better than tim at his best. tim couldn't match up with the unbelievable skill level of hakeem and would have been put in foul trouble. Tim's slow and steady, fall-back-and-hit-the-corner-bank-shot approach wouldn't have caused foul trouble on hakeem. The spurs double-teaming would have left cassell, elie, drexler and a young horry wide open. And hakeem would have blocked most of parker's floaters and ginobli's layup attempts.

04 Pistons would have cause the most problems because they were more versatile. I still think hakeem would have eaten ben and rasheed alive, though. Ben is a good defender against big bulky slow centers. Hakeem was too agile. No lay-ups for rip hamilton or chauncy billups because hakeem was well known for his defense and blocking (the man owns a quadruple-double!)

They weren't as bad as their regular season record. They kicked vernon maxwell off the team and added clyde drexler. It took time for the pieces to jell. The record wasn't indicitive of how good they were. Read more!

MVP Of What?

Gangsta D:

Why is that you can only be an MVP if your team gets to the playoffs, but playoffs don't factor into the award? lol

Da Realist:

if the playoffs factored into the mvp voting, the regular season would cease to matter at all. i'm sure the nba wants to keep some level of interest in the regular season

Gangsta D:

If that's the case, the criteria for voting needs to be recalibrated. Not making the playoffs shouldn't immediately disqualify a player from getting the award. It just seems like the NBA wants to play on both sides of the fence. We always say great players play great in the playoffs and win titles. If making the playoffs is part of the criteria, but you can't go deep into the playoffs, how are you the most valuable? I think it's gotta be an either or situation. Either the playoffs don't factor in at all, or they factor in all the way.

Da Realist:

you are preaching to the choir. i think the mvp award is too subjective and besides, it is awarded by JOURNALISTS. think about the journalism majors at morehouse. just because you can write a paper doesn't mean you know squat about sports. there are a few, but most of them really don't.

Gangsta D:

Should players, coaches, and GM's vote for the MVP?

Da Realist:

i think it would add a bit more credibility to the award. but i still say awarding one award to a player in such a fluid game as basketball is asking for trouble. there are 5 different positions and the variance for how teams utilize those five positions vary greatly. look at 1989 when magic wins the mvp. look at the numbers for magic and michael. how can you reasonably pick who was more valuable? 2 completely different players dominating the game in completely different ways.

since the nba will never do away with the award, they can at least make it more credible.

magic's stats

michael's stats

Waldini:

Damn, their numbers are scary :-)

It's subjective, just like the other sports. They could change the voting format but it always be subjective. At least the suggestion gives it more credibility b/c your peers would vote for you not a writer who has pent up anger against you (I see you Lupica) Read more!

Playoff Musings And Whatnot

Waldini:

So I'm sitting at home last night, decide to flip to the Jazz-Warriors game. I wanted to see what the fuss was about since folks were proclaiming after Game 1, this will be THE semifinal series to watch. The score is 75-63 and I'm thinking it's the 4th qtr. So i am saying what's go great about a low scoring game. I didnt realize until the final 20 secs that it was only the 3rd qtr and the score was 90-89 (which makes sense since there were players on the floor I've never heard of). I watched the entire 4th qtr and OT even though I was draggin a$$.

I tell ya what, I'm officially on this series bandwagon. If the games are anything like Game 2, it is fun to watch. Up and down, running and popping, 3s raining like no other, great PG matchup btw Baron and Deron, AK-47 rediscovering his game, Mehmet making the Pistons wonder how they let him go, Stephen Jackson throwing a fit every time someone touches him, J Rich proving he's more than a two time dunk champion, etc.....

Definitely a retro NBA throwback to the old days

Gangsta D:

Yeah, I caught the 4th qtr and stuck it out. GSW really have no conscious. It's ultimately gonna be they're downfall, but it's entertaining. They really are the real life version of NBA Live '95:) This series probably goes 7 games. The playoffs need it because the East is HORRIBLE! Maybe the Bulls will come to life and maybe the Nets and Cavs will play with some flair, but I doubt it. I still think the Spurs are going to handle the Suns in 5 or 6. So, everything falls on B-Diddy's shoulders:) i never though the Jazz would be involved in two of the more uptempo exciting games of the playoffs. What in the name Jeff Hornacek is going on here?

Da Realist:

yeah...after watching game 2 of the suns/spurs, i'm now leaning more toward "spurs in six" than "it'll go seven". nash is the only true gamer on the team.

so here's the question, because i believe it is probably a more than 50% chance tim gets another ring this year. how many his rings do each of you count? does he have two or three in your book? two and a half? if he gets another, he will officially have 4 (as many as shaq) and could probably win a couple more. would this longevity trump the lakers flashflood-like 3 titles in 3 years?

in other words, if san antonio wins another, wouldn't they have just as much claim (maybe even more) to the title "team of the decade" as your lakers do so far?

Gangsta D:

He has two and a half:) Part of me says they have just as much right to that claim, cause they've been more consistent. But, we did beat them 3 out of 4 series this decade. It would've been 4 out of 4 if Big Shot Rob had another bullet in the chamber:) When both teams were at their best, they couldn't beat us in the playoffs. But you can't discount their consistency. They're always in the discussion.

Da Realist:

i would go with that argument for the lakers, but if he wins this year it'll be 4 (or 3 and a half) rings. then it gets a little more difficult. especially when you consider that san antonio will be close to who they are 2 years from now...3 years from now...etc. you gotta believe they'll squeeze another title out of there somewhere.

they may be the T.O.T.D, but what the stats won't say is HOW they won their titles. the spurs are the beneficiaries of the absence of a truly dominant team. they won in 99 after the bulls imploded. they won in 2003 after the lakers imploded. there was no dominant team in 2005 so they just took it. this year, dallas imploded and phoenix is a little overrated.

remember the tortoise and the hare parable? the spurs are the tortoise.

Waldini:

Funny I was thinking about this over the wknd. If I had to compare both teams it would be the NHL equivalent of the NJ Red Devils and Colorado Avalanche in the 90s. The Spurs, like the Red Devils, never won consecutive titles but they did win one ever 2 or 3 yrs. The Lakers, like the Avalanche, had mini dynasty going on.

Ok to answer your question, technically they can if you are purely counting titles as the only criteria. However, if you stack up both championship team rosters in their prime, which team do you think would win? I still think the most dominant teams of this decade were the 2001 and 2002 Lakers (completely unbiased of course, lol).

Gangsta D:

In those years we beat them in 4 games then 5 games, respectively. The '01 series was supposed to be one of the greatest WCF in history, and we destroyed them. However, they've had a much longer period of eilte success. Maybe it balances out. Maybe they come out ahead. It's like a baseball hall of fame argument. Do you reward stat accumulators that play for 20 years, or do you reward a player that shone incredibly bright for a short period of time?

Da Realist:

stat accumulators? :-D i can tell what side of the argument you are on!

Gangsta D:

I'm trying to be reasonable and measured in my analysis. Don't want to be considered a Laker homer:) Read more!

Apparently, Old Wounds Take A While To Heal

Gangsta D:

Setting the Bulls/Pistons rivalry straight? Oh boy, I can't wait to hear the reaction from a certain resident of virginia. I can practically see the flames rising from his head right now:)

The masses, for some reason, felt sympathy for the supremely-talented player in Jordan with the charman-tissue teammates instead of the gritty, from-the-dirt squad that relied upon using its brain, like the legendary Chuck D’s flows. And like Carlton Douglas, the Bad Boys were Public Enemy number one.

Da Realist:

this is a rambling mess. he sounds like a schoolgirl that lost her boyfriend to a rival. if he could get over his emotions, he could actually make a few points.

the pistons ARE the most disrespected champion i've ever seen. chicago's 6 rings were directly related to their struggles with the pistons. the pistons taught them to be champions, to fight through anything, to not let anything (physical, emotional, mental) alter your focus on the ring. once we felt like we could beat detroit, we could beat anybody.

the rest of this whining mess doesn't make sense -- with most of it unverified. why didn't he mention that isiah has a gay son living in new york? because it had nothing to do with his argument. the fact that he brings up other player's personal lives belittles his argument.

in fact, what IS his argument? what's the focus? he says it's about the bad boys, but he's talking about the 2004 detroit pistons. is he defending the city of detroit? rationalizing the "walk-off"? is it about isiah and his snub from the olympic team? is it about chicago's success starting in 1991?

let me know his beef, and i can do a better job answering it.

Gangsta D:

I have no horse in this race, but I thought it was an entertaining read. I knew the ire would be raised and you didn't disappoint:)

Waldini:

Wow, I'm actually speechless on this....Hope he doesnt dig any dirt on the 80s Lakers :-)

Gangsta D:

I didn't know that about the Celtics. All you ever see is mcHale giving dap and saying "Go beat LA." But you never see Bird in that shot, apparently because he was already in the locker room sucking on a Miller. Very interesting. The media never brings that up. Read more!

Iron Sheik Is G'D Up

I thought the Iron Sheik was dead:) It's kind of hard to imagine a wrestler from the 80's NOT on drugs. Maybe the Warrior is still going through withdrawal.

Sidenote:

My boy once told me he saw the Sheik at The Gold Club one night, and dude was getting mad love from the patrons AND strippers. You have to respect his game. Sheik is a legend:)



(HT: Fanhouse) Read more!

The Ultimate Warrior Scares The Shit Out Of Me

Gangsta D:

I gotta go with Macho Man. Miss Elizabeth puts him over the top.

Da Realist:

i gotta ask this. ultimate warrior has a comic strip shown at the bottom. there is some musclebound guy ripping off his pants standing over a fat guy on the left hand side. THERE IS SOME WHITE STUFF ON THE FAT GUYS FACE. is that...???

please tell me you noticed this.

Gangsta D:

I noticed it and tried to move on immediately. Thanks for pointing it out:)

Da Realist:

LMAO... my curiosity just wouldn't let me get past it.

Gangsta D:

Is this what it's come to? Guys pontificating about possible homoerotic cartoons involving once glorious icons of wrestling. Can it get any worse than this?

Da Realist:

possibly homoerotic? unless you're spiderman, i can't imagine anything else that could look like that.

i just want someone to tell me WTF that cartoon is about. that's the funniest thing i've seen in a while.

btw, this is why i was more into the nwa/wcw wrestling as opposed to wwf.

Read more!

C'mon Jake. It's Oakland...

Gangsta D:

OK, I was wrong. I thought the Mavs would take control of the series after almost blowing it in Game 5. I didn't respect the power of the beard. I should've known better. But the Mavs should've played better. How do you get served by 25 in Game 6 by the #8 seed? That MVP press conference is gonna be REAL interesting now. How can Stern say that Dirk is the best in the NBA this year when he scored 8 points in an elimination game? What is Dirk gonna say? If he had any balls, he'd refuse the award. I would have more respect for him.

Of course, you do realize the Warriors are going to the conference finals? Unless B-Diddy stays hurt, I can't see either Houston or Utah beating them. A Warriors/Suns final might break the scoreboard. Absolutely NO defense would be played, and at least 4 players would average 30/game. Crazy....

Da Realist:

i agree with D. (read that again ;-)

i would have more respect for him if he refused it.

Gangsta D:

What if the Warriors got to the Finals? Didn't they win it 30 or so years ago? If they won, would that be the biggest story of the last 5 years?

Da Realist:

no way they're getting to the finals. how? with stephen jackson knocking down 7 threes every game? no way. they'll lose to either the suns or the spurs.

Waldini:

I echo Realist's comments a few days on drinking the Warrior Kool-Aid. First team to ever win 67 games and lose in the first round. First 1 seed in the new 1st rd 7 game format to lose to an 8 seed. Home court advantage throughout the playoffs...Gone. I watched the first half and the only Mavs' players who played with any urgency was Stackhouse and Howard.

Dirk basically pulled a Malone. Although no one was whispering in his ear "the Mailman doesnt deliver on Sundays"

Da Realist:

to compare dirk to karl malone is doing karl a disservice. the mailman wasn't "clutch" but he couldn't have been THIS bad in clutch situations, could he? he didn't do too well against us except for a couple of games, but he couldn't have been this bad. i'll have to review the dvds...

Waldini:

You'll need to review more than just your Bulls tapes amigo. This goes back to the early 90s, while in his prime, his teams routinely flamed out (see '95 1st rd exit vs Hou, 60 win team, lose in 5, Malone chokes BIG time in game 5). It wasnt until the Sonics and Rockets either got older or broken up when the Jazz finally broke through.

Mailman is a great player. So is Dirk. I just wouldnt have them on the floor if the game's on the line.

Da Realist:

i just can't put dirk on karl's level. i just can't.

Waldini:

ok in terms of ability, Mailman is superior. I am only comparing their playoff failures....is that fair?

Gangsta D:

It's more than fair. I still can't believe he only got 8 points. That's crazy...

Da Realist:

it ain't just that he scored only 8 points. his team QUIT last night. you can't say malone quit at any point. Read more!

He Was Hurt! Shit!

Da Realist:

yep. it's that time again

They fell in five games to the Pistons in the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals and didn’t fare any better against them the next two years in the conference finals. Detroit took them out in six games in 1989 and won Game 7 at home the following year as Pippen — then in his third season — sat out with a migraine.

Gangsta D:

Yeah, it's just not the same. Maybe they can deliver a classic series. God knows the east needs to do something to keep me awake.

The Scotty Migraine Episode. Not a good moment in Bulls history. Did you have questions about your boy then?

Da Realist:

oh brother... ok, let me ask you. have you had, or know someone that has had a migraine headache? my wife has had them and my wife's cousin and aunt have them occasionally. they can barely open their eyes in a lighted room, let alone play a game 7 at the auburn hills palace.

Gangsta D:

Don't you have to at least give it a try? You're the second best player on the team and it's Game 7. Don't you have to?

Da Realist:

diallo...has the man not done enough to prove to you he was a warrior? doesn't he deserve the benefit of the doubt?

and besides he DID try. i think he went 1-10 that day.

Gangsta D:

Somebody is getting testy:) Read more!

Old School Friday - N.Y. State Of Mind

12th grade. Hockey jerseys. Buckshot. Real hip hop(God I'm getting old).



Hypnotic Primo. Everytime I hear this song I feel like I need to finish my homework. Classic high school joint.

Read more!

Musings From The Great Waldini

Waldini:

- Do you realize the Southeast division (Heat, Wiz, Magic) went 0-12 in the playoffs? It's the first time in playoff history that's happened from one division

- Do you realize Shaq & Kobe led teams went a combined 1-8 in the playoffs? Are we sure they don't miss and/or need each other? And does anyone not think both teams will be blown up over the summer?

- Did you know that Riley's last two championship teams ('88 Lakers, '06 Heat) both were swept out the playoffs?

- Should Carmelo be worried that his team continue to get put out in the first round? And what's scarier is that each year his teams get better but yet the same result (out in 4 or 5 games)?

- Does the Pistons/Bulls have the same aura as the old Pistons/Bulls series from the 80s/90s?

Just a few thoughts....

Gangsta D:

Bulls/Pistons won't have the same verve unless there's a fight or two. Nocioni predicted a Bulls win in 7 games, so that gets things started.

Carmelo is starting to look like McGrady. It's not gonna get any easier in the west unless Duncan and/or Nash retire/get injured. I wonder what they'll do to that team this summer.

The Lakers and Heat will definitely both be blown up. I just hope Kupchak makes smart decisions. He really hasn't made horrible decisions, they just haven't been great. I think there will be a firesale in Miami. Riles is gonna COMPLETELY overhaul that roster. Don't think for a moment that Shaq is safe. I'm not saying he will get traded, but Riles would be stupid not to listen to offers. Read more!

Method Man

When I was guest blogging at The Big Lead, a guy commented that I had too many meth references. Well, what the Hell? Here's another. This is a piece my boy and I shot last year in ATL. I think it's hilarious. Maybe you'll think it sucks. That's fine. The CEO of a $2 billion company once stabbed my cake with his fork. I got over that pretty quickly. Enjoy.

Read more!

Anybody Need A Howitzer With a Busted Barrel?

Da Realist:

does the maverick ride end tonight? i'm this close to drinking the warriors kool-aid. as much as i assumed the rowdy dallas fans would light a fire in them, i can't help but remember how miami beat them 4 straight times last year, including game 6 in dallas.

that shows a lack of ability to make adjustments, but more importantly, a lack of heart. i guess we'll see tonight.

Gangsta D:

As far as Dirk is concerned, the series is already over:) Can you imagine if Kobe had said what Dirk said before Game 4? You wanna talk about vilified. For some reason, Dirk gets credit for his "candor." He needs to start dominating the Warriors, cause they have no answer for him. I'm usually on Dirk's side because I think he's a good player, but if they screw the pooch on this one, he'll have a long way to go to get respect.

Da Realist:

dirk is soft. i told you that last year. when the most fearless member of your team is your coach, you have a problem.

Gangsta D:

True. When your coach is the most ride-or-die member of your organization, you might need a transplant of some sort.

I know people are calling out Avery, but this is only his third year as a coach. I'm willing to cut him more slack than Dirk. Dirk is not upper echelon. Everyone wants him to be Larry Bird, but he isn't. If the Warriors get up early, will they wilt? If Dirk doesn't put his big boy pants on, they'll be fishing this weekend.

Da Realist:

also note...i think everyone forgot how good baron davis used to be. i guess he's showing us something now that he's out of the backwoods of charlotte.

there's a real chance the 2 nba finalists from last year will not make it out of the first round. does this say something about the strength of the league, parity or both?

Gangsta D:

I just think every team has players capable of taking over games and winning series. You really didn't have that in the past, but the players today are so much more talented. Maybe not better overall players, but the individual skill levels are off the charts. I don't think it's a bad thing necessarily. It's definitely interesting. if the Warriors win, they'll be the toast of the league. Merch sales will go through the roof, and they will be on nat'l tv several times next year.

Da Realist:

i actually think the opposite. i'm actually quite shocked at how little buzz the golden state/dallas series is creating. compared to 1994 when denver beat seattle, basketball nation is snoozing. dirk will probably win MVP! when was the last time an impending mvp lost in the first round without being hurt? a year after getting to the finals?

i think this should be talked about more, but i don't hear much dallas chatter at the water cooler.

Gangsta D:

If they beat the mavs tonight, trust me NBA nation will be buzzing. Read more!