We Don't Believe You. You Need More People.

Waldini:

Could another "Superfriends" be forming? Late last week, Tony Parker's better half let it be known that TP wants to play in NY next year. Then today, ESPN (wrongfully so I might add) is dropping BREAKING NEWS bullets about Carmelo is expected not to sign an extension and try to get o NY next year. A combo of Amare, 'Melo, and TP in the Big Apple? Isn't that really a bizarro Superfriends group.

I'm wondering now what other cities should start looking to the new trend?

Gangsta D:

Does ANYONE think that team will win ANYTHING of significance?

Hello? Hello?

[crickets]

Yep, that's what I pretty much thought. These cats need to stop sniffing that Lohan...

Waldini:

Iz you crazy?? They got 3 all around guys that give it on both end of um....yea can't think of one reason besides becoming playoff contenders but title pretenders. That trio should NOT scare anybody....

Da Realist:

What a joke of a team full of misfit players. Amare's a fraud, Melo's one-dimensional and CP3 won't matter.

The only real teams are LA and Boston. Every other team is just a collection of talent. I want to see how Miami plays together before making a judgement on them, though. Read more!

Greatest Playoff Game. EVER!!

Waldini - I was watching Game 3 of the '94 EC Semis between the Bulls and Knicks. I'm not a diehard fan of either squad but I can't help but feel that game is the greatest playoff game. EVER. Greater than the '01 WCF Game 7 LAL-POR. Greater than the '97 Finals Game 5 CHI-UTA Flu game. Greater than the '94 WC Semis Game 7 HOU-PHX. I know you're going Waldini WTH are you talking about?!?! And why are you using so many acronyms :-)? Just bear with me....

BEEF - Anybody that followed basketball in the early 90s knew how much these teams loathed each other. But neither Derek Harper nor JoJo English were on either team during the '92 slugfest. And that's what makes their "melee" even greater. They went off on each other. In the 2Q. And to illustrate how great a time the NBA was, TNT actually replayed how they got into it (which you know they won't do anymore). Harper slaps JoJo's hand down during a play, Starks gets fouled, you see Grant's head turn and quickly he's running, then they switch to Harper who's throwing English into the stands. What's even better is the security guard shoving Starks from behind during the fracas. All this in front of David Stern. And JOhn Thompson?!?! Yea a true WTF how did he get next to Stern moment ;-). And this happened all right before halftime. Fantastic stuff. And don't forget the mini standoff between Scott Williams and Gaines in the 3rd. Too bad the Scottie over Ewing Dunk happened in Game 4 :-(

DRAMA - Ah yea the moment Scottie became Snottie. 3.5 secs on the clock, game's tied at 102, Phil calls a TO, draws a play up for....Kukoc?!?! He wasn't even on the court in the final min but here he is getting his number called. Honestly can you be mad at Pip? He was straight killin the Knicks in this game and thought he deserved to be the one to shoot the final bucket. But after just chucking up a horrible shot with 7 secs left in regulation, I think the Bulls staff thought Pip wasn't ready to be THAT GUY. So hence the refusal to go back in and another example of Snottie (the infamous migraine, the public callout of Chuck B on local Houston news) being Snottie.

FUTURE - I didn't realize the '94 Bulls had Kerr, Longley, Kukoc, AND Wennington on the squad. Those were key pieces of the late 90s trifecta. And that team had Grant, Williams, Cartwright, and Armstrong. Key pieces of the early 90s trifecta. Has there ever been a dynasty team not named the Celtics that had a transition like that. That is eerily weird. Extra spooks for John Paxson being a 11th man on the squad after being the hero the previous season in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.

COMEDY - Hubie Brown said during the game the Bulls are going to rue the day they didn't sign Horace Grant back in December. At the time, a lotta people felt this was true. And that prophecy came to pass during the following season. But then something magical happened :-)....I wonder if Coach Brown remembers even saying that ;-)

COMEBACKS - The Bulls were laying a smackdown for 3 qtrs. They go cold in the 4th, the Knicks show signs of life in the 4th, complete with the tie game in the final 10 secs. See "Drama" for how the game ended.

Those other games were great for individual performances. But none had THAT much drama in ONE game. ONE friggin game. Excuse me while I kiss the sky......

Da Realist - It was a great game... btw >here is the fight (I posted it under a different name)



Anyway...you gave a pretty good analysis but even with all of that...Best Playoff Game Ever means something different to me. You broke it down into parts, but some games are greater than the sum of their parts. If I had to choose one game to watch before moving on from this world, I can personally think of about 10 games off the top of my head I'd rather watch. If I had 5 or 10 minutes, you can double that number.

In no way is that game with everything considered a better watch for me than the HOU-PHO game where Mario Elie nails the 3 to win at Phoenix. The last 2 games of the 88 Finals...the Kobe-to-Shaq game against Portland in 00...MJ's flu game...Lakers/Kings Robert Horry Game...Game 7 of the same series (Laker/Kings)...93 Bulls/Knicks (Charles Smith game)...84 Lakers Celtics (Heat Exhaustion Game), etc...all those to me are better watches. It's all personal preference but if I had to choose one game, I don't even think of this 94 Bulls/Knicks matchup. And that's not taking anything away from that game, but it's not "best of the best" to me.
Read more!

Happy Or Sad? Talkin' Bout Da Bulls

Waldini:

Question, are you happy or sad the Bulls did not sign D'Antoni?

I'm reading multiple articles on him and I'm just going to paste them here. It's his blueprint for success.

D'Antoni Wants To Add Favorite Suns

Rolling Dice

Dash For Nash

G-Nice:

The title of this should really be "Hating or Hating More"

I don't know how I feel about it. I like D'Antoni and I like the idea of the Bull pushing the rock and watching Ben Gordon jacking the rock about 29 times a game. I was excited by his offensive game and figured he could help Tyrus get his confidence back and play through mistakes. I was equally excited to see Hinrich let loose and really run the point the way I honestly think he's capable of.

However...

Fool doesn't play defense. None at all. And I completely understand why Pax wanted him to hire a defensive assistant. I also don't know if you can run his system with so many young players. As much as I like Tyrus when he's doing two hand dunks from the free throw line, he doesn't strike me as the smartest fella. He makes mistakes. Many, many mistakes. The same ones over and over again. He doesn't seem to learn when he's checked, so I can't imagine he'll learn being unchecked. He reminds me of Chandler that way. I do think it takes bigs longer to mature. Pax is right to want his team to play defense and have accountability, so if D'Antoni's not down for that then I guess he's not the right guy.

I was confused by the Knicks move too. D'Antoni doesn't strike me as the guy about money. But he took the Knicks job. For a lot of money. Unless he really thinks he's such a good coach and he can win with that roster.

Waldini:

I was tripping on the fact that Walsh lied to Mark Jackson about being the favorite to coach NY. I was tripping to see Walsh hire a coach who doesn't preach defense and that's exactly what the Knicks need. And I was tripping when I read these articles that D'Antoni is trying to turn the Knicks into the NY Suns by hijacking some of the players.

Personally, D'Antoni's thinks he's a better coach than what he is. He's a decent not great coach. Great coaches at least coach teams to Finals appearances. I don't know the writer of one of the articles was bringing up his personality issues. It's not like any of the other coaches out there are known for being player and/or management friendly either.

Read more!

"What, You Think They Call Me Mr. Glass?"

Gangsta D:

At this point, I kind of want Isiah to get fired, or resign, or...something. It's just brutal. Every night there's some different brand of drama. I loved Zeke as a player and supported him as a GM/Coach, but this is getting ridiculous. I just want him out of there so someone else can be the NBA's punching bag. Part of me thinks that Dolan secretly hates Isiah, and refuses to fire him just to make his life more miserable:)

Da Realist:

Remember when the Knicks mattered? How long has it been? 5 years???

Waldini:

Probably. But it seems like it's been longer than that :-)

I don't know what Isaiah has hanging over Dolan's head but it's must be pretty big if he hasn't been fired yet. I'm hearing Kiki Vandeweghe will be brought in to relieve him as team president. BUT he will still keep to coach. How is this possible? He needs to write a book and call it "You can't fire me". Based on his post playing career, he's done a fabulous job (except Indiana) at avoiding this.
Gangsta D:

Five years? Why don't you put another five on the end of that? Lol

The bad thing is people don't remember, or don't want to mention, the incredibly bad job that Scott Layden did as Isiah's predecessor. MODI breaks it down better than I could ever attempt to. Essentially, Layden was HORRRRRIBLE. Isiah has made some bad decisions, but he wasn't starting off with the '95 Mavs either, in terms of potential.

Waldini:

I'll give you that since that's fair. But look at his roster now. It isn't great but it's not chopped liver either

STARTING - Curry, Randolph, Richardson, Crawford, Marbury BENCH - Lee, Robinson, Jeffries, [Balkman]that guy from South Carolina

And considering the East is weak this year, they should be better than 20 games under .500. Maybe it's because individually the guys are above average but they don't know how to play within the team. Maybe their games don't fit Zeke's style of play. I'm questioning this because when they got Randolph last year, some people were saying NY is back, Zeke's a genius for shedding Steve Francis' contract etc. And now they are falling below expectations...again.

I'm curious, how come Detroit never gave him a job? I don't remember him having any beef with their management or the owner.
Gangsta D:

No doubt. The Knicks have massively underachieved this year. They were my sleeper playoff pick before the season. But Dolan said that the team needed to show massive improvement for Isiah to keep his job. They haven't, and they won't as the season progresses. So just fire him and get it over with, so we can all get on with our lives:)

Da Realist:

Curry is fat. Randolph is fat and a knucklehead. Richardson is too soft to reach his potential. Marbury makes bad decisions on and off the court. They ARE chopped liver! Read more!

Knicks Are This Close To The Playoffs!

Gangsta D:

Do you guys realize that the Knicks are 14-31, but only 5 games out of the playoffs? There will be a Western team with at least 45 wins that doesn't make the playoffs. How HORRRRRIBLE is that?

Waldini:

I guess that's why Dolan can't pull the trigger on firing 'Zeke. He's got them in contention and that is what he promised

Gangsta D:

Who'd ever think that 14-31 got you into contention? Although, to be fair, they have been playing better the last few weeks. Crazier things have happened. If he gets them to the playoffs, does Zeke get COY consideration? lol

Waldini:

While you laughing, he probably would get a few votes if he did. However in reality this team should not be struggling to begin with. It's not like the cupboard is bare there. You got two above average post men, decent 3s, an overrated but still sufficient PG and good energy off the bench.

Gangsta D:

He probably has too many good parts to work with. Doesn't seem like they ever have the right combo on the floor to consistently get it done.

I had high hopes for this season. I actually thought they'd be at .500, but when Steph was suspended and let back on the team, they just went into a nosedive. Now that he's not playing, they are playing better, just not consistently better.

Would you be afraid of them in a series? If Jamal Crawford gets hot, he's nasty. Z-Bo is 20/10, Eddie Curry is good enough to be 20/10, Nate Dogg might dunk on you and then try to fight you. It would be interesting, to say the least, to see them in the playoffs. Read more!

NBA Ruminations

Waldini:

I know it's early but still some of current NBA ongoings are funny as hell..

- Like Starbury going AWOL in NY. I take the rumors with a grain of salt but if they prove to be true, this is going to be some funny s***. Star not happy about being benched so he asks to stay home, 'Zeke thinking of buying out his contract, Star rebutting that he's got stuff on 'Zeke. Aww New York New York big city with dreams.

- "Me? Play. I guarantee you I should suit up. I'd play better than some of them right now. I guarantee it. I swear to God. With an old hip and 62 years old and I can't see, I'll play better than some of my guys tonight. Come on, they were pretty bad." Riles made that comment last night after the Heat were blown out by Charlotte.

- Early comparisons of this year's Celtics to the '95-96 Bulls. Why are they even going there with this one? But for kicks Rondo vs Harper (Bulls WIN), Airness vs Jesus SHuttlesworth (Bulls WIN), Migraine vs A stab victim called Pierce (Bulls WIN), Worm vs Da Kid (wash), Down Under vs Dont call me Sam Perkins (Bulls WIN). Even the bench and coaching favors the Bulls. Again why go there

But these things are funny as hell to me

Gangsta D:

The Celtics are 6-0. This isn't the NFL! They got 76 more games to go! You're talking about a team that's lead by three players who've never been to the Finals, and a coach who's never won a playoff series! Can't the media spend more time talking about OJ? Lol

The Heat are a mess, and a Dwyane Wade at 90% isn't gonna make them THAT much better. Obviously, I'm revelling in their misery. The Lakers may be mediocre, but at least we don't currently reside in a 10 gallon bag of suck.

Steph. What to say about Steph? I actually thought the Knicks had a chance to make a run at the playoffs. And maybe they still do, but they're not mentally tough enough to deal with these distractions and fight through it. It's gonna be an entertaining year in the NBA, for all the wrong reasons.

Da Realist:

Didn't see the game last night but damn, it look like y'all brought everything but the kitchen sink and a bucket of chicken to stop Tim Duncan. I know Chris Mihm didn't do that on his own.

I'm surprised at Phil. I would think the gameplan against the spurs would be the opposite -- let tim get his all game but shut down everyone else. (when has he ever scored 50 points?) Maybe that wears him down by the 4th quarter when you can bang him around a little bit.

We all know he's not the best free throw shooter. No one else will step up because they're out of sync. voilà...lakers win.

But I'm not the one with 9 rings.

Gangsta D:

It was actually back and forth for the first 20 minutes of the game. Turiaf and Kwame were beasting Duncan. Kobe had a sick block on Timmeh and Turiaf had 2 or 3. But no one could stop Parker, and they started leaving Matt Bonner(Matt Bonner?!?) and Bowen open. A 1 point Laker lead with 4 minutes to go in the half turned into a 16 point deficit. Game. Set. Match.

Waldini:

What happened was the Lakers could not stop tripping over themselves. They had 8 turnovers in the first quarter, 14 overall in the first half. The Spurs were ice cold until mid way 2nd quarter but the boys didn't capitalize. And when the Spurs got hot (well really TP, Matt bonner and Bowen) it was a wrap.

Phil threw the 3 headed monster at Tim last night and he had problems. All 3 did a pretty decent job. Kobe actually was too unselfish for most of the night. His teammates kept screwing up the easiest passes and negated his all around effort. Check the highlight reel to see his blocks on Duncan...TWICE!

Da Realist:

SIGNS OF THE APOCOLYPSE - to get beat by the likes of Bruce *@#$! Bowen Read more!