Draft Day

OK, let me just say right off the bat that I don't ordinarily pay much attention to the NBA draft, and this year was really no different. But with the Red Sox beating Pedro 8-0, I had to watch SOMETHING. Draft day is a big deal for the players (and their families), for team executives (who for a few short hours ALMOST get to be the center of attention), and for true NBA geeks (who really DON'T have anything better to do with their time). But from my perspective, all these kids are going to get their chance to show their stuff on the court, where it matters, and if they've got game they may stick around, and if they don't they won't. I guess I've got lots of other opinions too about the age limit, foreign players, developmental leagues, agents, contracts, the salary cap, and the relative merits of coming out early vs staying in school...but they're all just more hot air -- who really cares what I think anyway?

But here are a few random thoughts about the draft anyway:

Adam Morrison at #3 to the Charlotte Bobcats. Morrison grew up in Spokane and played at Gonzaga right in his own home town, where he showed himself to be a great college player with lots of heart: a scorer, a gamer, and (of course) a little suspect defensively, with lots of personality, plus a goofy haircut and facial hair. The kinda guy who brings people into the arena, and can step right in and contribute from the get-go. Everybody seems to love this pick, but I feel a little sorry for Mr Morrison himself...I think he's already playing pretty close to the top of his game, he's going to have a lot of responsibility on his shoulders, and he's NEVER going to be able to satisfy Michael Jordan. And he's certainly not the next Larry Bird. Of course, I could be wrong. And he IS getting paid....

Brandon Roy at #6. Another homegrown product of the Pacific Northwest (Seattle), who wanted to go to Arizona but ended up playing locally at the University of Washington. I was really excited for this kid when he was picked this early by Minnesota, and thought that he would love playing there; then the next thing I know he's traded to Portland, which is good news for the Trailblazers but a mixed blessing for Brandon. Meanwhile, Randy Foye is going to the Timberwolves, and high potential/potentially problematic problem child Sebastian Telfair is coming to Boston...but who knows for how long?

And speaking of high potential problem children, it will be interesting to see what happens with Marcus Williams in New Jersey, who was taken by the Nets at #22 (along with UConn teammate Josh Boone at #23) after Isiah Thomas and the Knicks (and, lets face it, at least a dozen other teams as well) passed on him two picks earlier in favor of...Renaldo Balkman? The Gotham press is going to go nuts with this; meanwhile, Williams gets to apprentice under Jason Kidd, and Balkman better have a lot more going for him than meets the eye, or else Zeke is history with the Knicks...and everyone else in the league as well....

I'm also really happy for the Lakers, getting UCLA's Jordan Farmar at #26. Farmar's a good player with lots of upside, who will fit well into the triangle, and gets to play in front of the hometown fans. What a great outcome all the way around.

Meanwhile, God only knows (or maybe Danny Ainge) what's going on here in Boston. The Celtics add Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, Rajon Rondo, Leon Powe and (now retired?) Brian Grant to their roster. Meanwhile, Boston's trading partner Portland ends up with Dan Dickau and Raef LaFrentz, plus Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldrige, Sergio Rodriguez and UK project Joel Freeland. The scuttlebutt is that Boston really wants Alan Iverson here in Beantown, and was fishing for someone like Telfair who might entice the Sixers enough to trade The Answer for a question mark. The Trailblazers end up with five solid players who will now get a chance to compete for a spot on a very fluid roster, plus an English "freebie" who may well turn out to be a pretty decent player down the line.

And finally, my own hometown Supersonics. Seattle makes no trades, and uses this draft to acquire the rights to three foreign-born players: Mouhamed Saer Sene from Senegal: an athletic seven-footer with a 7' 8.5" wingspan who only began playing basketball three years ago; Canadian Denham Brown, a Ray Allen clone who once scored 111 points in a High School game; and 22-year-old Yotam Halperin, a 6' 5" Israeli now playing in Slovenia. You may see Brown in Key Arena next year, but it seems to me that the Sonics are very much thinking toward the future. And looking overseas to find it.

Congratulations Oregon State University Beavers!

OK, I know this is technically a basketball blog...and a pick-up basketball blog at that. But I just wanted to express my congratulations to the OSU Beavers baseball team, who just won the NCAA College World Series by beating the North Carolina Tarheels with great pitching, great defense, great "small-ball" execution, and by capitalizing on their opponents errors while minimizing their own. I only spent a couple of years in Corvallis as an interdisciplinary Master's degree student in History, Philosophy, and American Literature...but I have very fond memories of that campus -- alma mater of both Gary Payton and Brent Berry -- and where I often enjoyed sitting in the grandstand after class on a warm spring afternoon watching the Beavers play ball. So it's nice to be able to take pride in them as they celebrate their first national championship. Good Job Beavers! And I'm certain there is much joy today in "the heart of the valley."

These new shorts suck....

Spent the afternoon yesterday in Harvard Square, and treated myself to a couple of new pairs of basketball shorts at the Coop...as if I could POSSIBLY need any more basketball shorts in my life right now. But they were 15% off with a Harvard ID, so I took advantage of the savings to spend $50 on something I have too many of already. And excited by my new purchase, I naturally wore a pair to the gym Sunday night for my regular workout with the 48-and-over crowd. Where I proceeded to play like utter shit...missed shots, turnovers, shoddy defense, you name it. Couldn't even make a lay-up. It was pathetic. Simply pathetic.

So obviously it must have been the shorts. Couldn't possibly have been me, right?

The Off-Season and the WNBA

Last night was also the last night of my regular September thru June Monday/Wednesday pick-up game. Only 13 players showed up, gym was humid and wicked-hot, guys were having a hard time even holding on to the ball, but nobody got hurt and we all worked up a sweat, so I guess it was a good way to end the season. I still have a group of guys over 48 that I'll play with on Sunday nights for as long as we can regularly get enough guys out to make teams, and in the summer many of these guys also bring their college-aged kids to round out our numbers. But it's not really the same experience.

Now that the NBA playoffs are finally over, and my own regular pick-up games have shut down until fall, I'm left with only my own individual work-outs, cruising playgrounds in search of a game, and (of course) the WNBA. I'm generally a big fan of women's basketball, especially after having lived in Oregon for 14 years where both the High School and the College games are a BIG deal. But the WNBA has been a big disappointment. I blame the NBA marketing folk for this. In my opinion the league has become too much about the personalities of the players, and not enough about the game...and the irony is that these girls are all "gamers" and play very exciting basketball (when given a chance), while their personalities are most appealing when they disappear into the identity of the team.

The men's game and the women's game are very different, at every level. I enjoy them both, but I actually prefer watching the girls (and not for the reasons you think!). The men's game now is all about athleticism and playing "above the rim," while the women's game is as much side-to-side as it is up-and-down: more about ball movement than dribble penetration, and the elegant beauty of a well-executed back-door give-and-go rather than simply elevating and going hard to the hole. These women are serious athletes, don't get me wrong. But the real joy of watching them play is appreciating their hustle and work-ethic, their teamwork, their sound fundamental skills. Yet the WNBA is being positioned, intentionally or not, as a pale imitation of its "parent" league. And from where I stand, that's a big mistake.

The growing parity among major college women's programs is a joy to witness. It's not all just Tennessee, Stanford, Old Dominion and UConn any more. For many years the High School women's tournament in Oregon was an annual event for me; I often ended up spending an entire week at the Chiles Center at the University of Portland, much to the chagrin of My Former Wife (who is also a big fan of the game but thought that I was spending way too much time gazing adoringly at girls young enough to be my daughter when I ought to be working instead).

Of course, one of the little talked about nuances of the women's game is that a good percentage of its fan base is drawn from the Lesbian community. Personally, I think this is great...but I also know that some marketing gurus were a little concerned about appealing too directly to these die-hard fans out of fear that it would compromise their ability to market to the more "desirable" fan base of Dads and their pre-teen/teen-aged daughters. You'd think by now we would have all figured out that watching women play basketball doesn't make schoolgirls gay, any more than playing with dols or a trip to the musical theater from time to time does the same to little boys. But perhaps it does help break down rigid, stereotyped gender roles and open up a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities previously unimagined. And I suppose that by itself is enough to make it "dangerous."

My own daughter played a little basketball in High School, before concentrating full time on volleyball year round. And as a doctoral student at the University of Oregon, not only did I get a chance to teach a few of the Lady Ducks a little about US History, I also occasionally got to play in lunchtime pick-up games with some of them at the Student Rec Center. Just having them on the floor made the whole game better: a lot more ball movement and a lot less one-on-one -- plus the assist-to-turnover ratio generally improved dramatically.

In any event, Summers are often a season when I get lazy and put on weight: there are just too many opportunities to eat BBQ or sip champagne and graze at wedding buffets, and my regular work-out routine tends to become both less regular and less routine. But this summer I'm hoping to buck those trends. See ya' on the playground! And who knows? Maybe some of the gals will be running there too.

Game Six: Now We ALL have to wait 'til next year

I'm not sure why, but I'm feeling a little disappointed. Even though I thought all along it would probably be the Heat in six, I was still kinda hoping for a seven game series and all of the excitement a showdown like that brings with it. Instead now all I have to look forward to Thursday night is watching some scantily-dressed contortionist shoot a bow and arrow with her feet. Or maybe it's time to shift to the World Cup. Don't really have that much "analysis" to offer of the game either. It was actually kinda nice to see Antoine Walker play a little better, even though he still struggled (0-6) from beyond the arc. But he knocked down his first shot in rhythm, didn't seem to force things or to shy away from putting up good open looks either (even though they still weren't falling for him), took the ball strong to the hole for his 14 points and 2 assists...plus (count 'em) 11 rebounds! - 3 on the offensive boards. And Udonis Haslem - 17 points on 8-13 shooting to burn Nowitzki (almost) every time Dirk went to double team D-Wade -- plus 10 rebounds (4 on the offensive end). The Heat rebounding in general was truly superb: 12 for Shaq, 10 for Wade, 5 for Posey and 6 for Zo, who also contributed 5 blocked shots. Almost enough to make me forget the image of GP turning his back to the ball to give an earful to the ref, and then having the return pass bounce off his back for a turnover.

Mark Cuban's quarter-of-a-million dollar fine (putting his cumulative total to within $50k of $1.5 million) and his practice of donating an equal amount to charity (I guess to prove to David Stern that the money means nothing to him) has me wondering whether I ought to be setting up my own 501(c)(3) not-for-profit just to see whether I can draw a little of that Cuban-cash my way. Maybe something like The Foundation for the Funding of Clergy Sabbaticals. Two things I'm sure of: the Mavs will be back in the play-off mix next year, and Cuban will continue to be fined for shooting off his mouth. Meanwhile, all this business about one-sided officiating and how "Dallas has a great team while Miami only has a great player" has me a little annoyed. The officiating ALWAYS looks one-sided when you're on the short end of the whistles...and I've certainly been on both sides of that equation many times. Often it's just superior hustle that puts officials in the position of making close calls one way rather than the other -- and "Flash" certainly has a knack for forcing the issue.

But more to the point, these are both great teams loaded with great players...you simply don't make it to the Finals any other way. D-Wade was certainly the MVP of this series -- a spectacular performance, worthy of all the praise you can give it. Yet he is also a much less selfish player than Jordan was this early in his career -- and still I think it's WAY too early to assume that he is going to dominate the league the way MJ did in his era. These other guys: Shaq and Payton and Zo, Haslem, Posey, Jason Williams, Shandon Anderson and yes, even my favorite whipping boy, Antoine Walker...all had plenty to contribute to the Heat's success. And for the Mavs, watching players like Jason Terry and Josh Howard come into their own alongside more "established" personalities like Nowitzki, Stackhouse and Van Horne was a joy to watch as well. Living on the East Coast, I just don't see that many of the late games out west during the regular season -- so it's a little strange to watch teams like the Mavs and the Suns starting to play defense like the Spurs, or to see the Clippers eclipse the Lakers in LA LA land.

As for the Celtics...what a mess. Talk about living on memories and daydreams. And I sure would have liked to have seen more out of the Sonics and the Trailblazers...especially the former. The Pistons are missing their Hall of Fame Coach...as are the Pacers (and even the Sixers, for that matter)...and who knows where Larry Brown will be able to take the Knicks? Which brings me back to Pat Riley and Avery Johnson -- Riles has been there before, he knows the drill, he put together this team of young talent, declining veterans, and the most dominant big man in the league right now, helped them gel as they fought through injury and adversity, and brought the Heat their first (and what may well turn out to be their only) championship. He's no Larry Brown or even a Phil Jackson. But he's still shown himself now to be more than just Showtime. Meanwhile, Avery Johnson has now shown that he has the right stuff as a coach as well as a player. He could easily become the next Lenny Wilkens...something people like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, or even Larry Bird were never really able to accomplish.

So, congratulations Miami; better luck next time Dallas, and best wishes to Phoenix, Sacramento, Seattle - I'll be watching. Detroit and San Antonio will always be in the running so long as Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan (and their FANTASTIC "supporting cast") are on those rosters; while New York and LA are, well, New York and LA. Denver and Cleveland...who cares? And once-proud Boston? Don't get me started. Hell, I wouldn't even know where to begin.

Game Five: Overtime (and an untimely time-out)

OK, if I were Mark Cuban, I'd be hoppin' mad too. First he has to swallow the Stackhouse suspension in the aftermath of Thursday night's hard foul on Shaq, and then this fiasco in the last two seconds of overtime - a phantom foul against Dwayne Wade on a out-of-control, one-on-three drive, followed by a crippling miscommunication between the bench and the court which resulted in Josh Howard calling the Mavs last time-out before he should have, and the Mavs are heading home down 3-2 with tempers short and plenty of recriminations to go around. The good news is that this is the last that the Mavericks have to see of the City of Miami this year, and while they still have to take care of business at home with the Heat, they are at least finally free of the humidity.

Personally, I thought Thursday's hard foul was a little excessive myself, and was relieved at the time that it didn't result in a bench-clearing fist-fight and suspensions all around. D-Wade held Shaq down until Superman recovered his temper, and only Antoine Walker foolishly lost his cool (or perhaps foolishly acted like he'd lost his cool), which resulted in a truly unnecessary technical foul shot for the Mavs. And I was sorry to see Stack suspended for a game, although not especially surprised by it, since his foul was only slightly less egregious than Jason Williams punching former-Mav Michael Finley in the crotch during the Phoenix series. The guy I really feel sorry for is DJ Mbenga -- who was suspended six games just for attempting to rescue a damsel in distress. But this is all still in response to the ugly situation with the Pistons and the Pacers and the Ron Artest suspension at the beginning of the 2004-05 season. The League just doesn't ever want to see anything like that ever again.

As for end of the overtime, I was kinda hoping that the headline would be the Glove's driving left-handed lay-up, another clutch shot for a long-time prime-time performer now taking his minutes off the bench. But Nowitzki answered to put the Mavs back up by one with 9.7 seconds left, which put the ball back in D-Wade's hands. And yes, there were fouls...but still it's a pretty brave call to bail out a falling-down shooter with only 2 seconds left in an overtime game. Even if the shooter was pushed (and pushing too). I will say this: if it had happened on the playground, it would have CERTAINLY resulted in SOME sort of "altercation." But what can I say? You gotta respect the call....

In many ways, this game was really all about the Charity Stripe. Dwayne Wade's record-setting 21 made free throws, which broke a record that was ALMOST as old as I am (Bob Pettit's 19 made against Boston in 1958). Not to mention the Little General's puzzling "Hack-a-Shaq" strategy (although the big guy did end up only 2-12 from the line), and the Mav's own almost-perfect performance there (I think at one point they were 19-19)...until they missed three critical shots at the very end of the game. And except for his mistake at the end of OT, Josh Howard and his teammate Jason Terry truly showed their stuff as big-game ballers. 25 points for Josh in 50 minutes; 35 for Jason in the same amount of time. They definitely picked up the slack for their missing teammate.

Meanwhile (at the risk of sounding like a broken record) I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Antoine Walker. Turned down a wide-open look at a three the first possession of the game, choosing instead to drive the lane and attempt an assist that resulted in a turnover. Mavs gain possession, come down court and Josh Howard scores easily on him, almost as if he wasn't even there. Mav's next possession Howard gets another easy look and misses, then on the next misses again...but this time Antoine fouls him out on the perimeter, so Howard converts the free throws instead. Antoine finally drains a three (after first pulling it back), then with his next touch forces up one of the ugliest bricks I've ever seen, commits a second stupid foul and goes to the bench with less than four minutes gone in the first. Comes back to start the second quarter, misses another three, commits another foul, and is back on the bench for the rest of the half after playing only six and a half minutes total. Walker did return to the game in the second half, and made a nice driving lay-up along with one of two free throws. But I also noticed Wade talking with him near the center circle at the start of the fourth...and then just a few seconds later D-Wade tried to dish the ball off to Walker as Dwayne attacked the basket and drew the help defender, but Antoine was late to the spot and missed the pass, and after that Wade refused to give him the ball again, and Walker ended up spending much of the rest of the game on the bench. 6 points in 26 minutes on 2-7 shooting with two rebounds, two assists, two turnovers and four personal fouls.

At first glance Gary Payton's line looks pretty similar: 8 points in 30 minutes with two rebounds, two assists, no turnovers and four personal fouls. But Payton was 3-5 from the field, including 1-1 from beyond the arc and 1-1 from the line. And his hoops came at key times: the three to break both a Dallas run and a double-team on Wade to pull the Heat back within one, and of course the left-handed lay-in with less than half-a-minute to play in OT which gave the Heat the lead again. And even though Jason Terry gave him fits (as he does anyone who tries to guard him) Payton handled him like an old pro...not quite the all-league, All Star, Dream Team defender he once was, but close enough.

And at the end of the day, this is all about D-Wade anyway. Another 40+ (43 to be precise) night for #3, and a wrecking-ball of a fourth quarter and overtime. Now the series returns to Texas. I can hardly wait to hear what Mark Cuban has to say now.

Game Four: A New Hope (and a best-of-three series)

Last night as the buzzer sounded ending the fourth quarter, I could also hear the church bell in the steeple strike midnight in the distance, and I found myself musing "I wonder for whom THAT bell tolls." But we're far from the bell in this series. So far each team has simply "held serve;" the Mavs still enjoy the home court advantage, and with only three more games (at most) left to play, it's starting to become a war. Which is what NBA play-off basketball at its best is really all about. Remember, that Fat Lady you've heard so much about is a Valkyrie, and fans of Bob Duvall in "Apocalypse Now" know what THAT song sounds like in the wee hours of the morning. At the conclusion of next Sunday's contest, one of these fine teams is going to be facing elimation with their backs to the wall, while the other is going to be sitting in the catbird seat still needing one more win to take care of business and close things out. Aren't cliches wonderful? But cliches don't become cliches by accident.

The pressure is still on the Heat to win once more at home so that they can have a chance of breaking through and winning one in Dallas: something they haven't done all year. The Mavs likewise know that despite last night's humiliation they are still an excellent road team, and that win or lose Sunday the Heat still need to beat them in the Mavs own house in order to become the next champions. But the Heat also enjoy the momentum of a big win last night -- a game which finally gave the players who sit most nights at the end of the bench watching their teammates a few minutes of "garbage time" at the conclusion of a 24-point blowout. The Mavs only scored 7 points in the fourth quarter...a new finals record. And not a record anyone really wants to possess.

In any event, Dirk Nowitzki really struggled in Game Four (and was regularly mugged in the bargain): 16 points = 11-13 from the charity stripe and only 2-14 from the field. Jerry Stackhouse likewise got his 16 points the hard way, on 6-18 from the field and another 3 from the line. But his hard foul on Shaq will remain his most memorable contribution to the outcome of the game. Jason Terry scored two more baskets than Stackhouse on the same number of attempts for his 17 points, while Josh Howard (who was a bright spot for the Mavs in Game Three) was Missing in Action Thursday: a mere 3 points in 35 minutes.

For the Heat, Antoine Walker is still in love with the Trey, but at least last night he had the good sense to take them when they didn't really matter, and was a fairly respectable 2-6 from beyond the arc (rather than another deadly 0-5). Shandon Anderson played 19 minutes in his first appearance in the series, and made a sweet assist for a Shaq dunk that was pretty as poetry. Alonzo Mourning played well in extended minutes (thanks to Shaq's first quarter foul trouble), while Gary Payton kinda struggled and really didn't contribute much. Posey, Williams and Wade all enjoyed strong games, while Udonis Haslem also struggled with fouls and played limited minutes.

And now we're down to a three game series. Game Five tips off Sunday night: 9 pm Eastern time; 6 pm Pacific. Father's Day. I can hardly wait....

Respect the Call

Went up to the gym last night feeling a little grumpy, for various reasons having nothing to do with basketball; but it didn't take long for that same grumpiness to come out on the court. Here's the deal. Before anybody can start to play, first you have to figure out the teams. This is done different ways in different gyms. Probably the most common method is simply to "shoot 'em up" -- the first five guys to make their free throws (or sometimes threes from the top of the key) are one team, the next five guys play against them, and anybody left over has "next" and plays the winners. Sometimes you just play in the order your arrive at the gym, either by signing in on a board or putting together a group on the sidelines while waiting for the teams on the court to finish. Or you can pick two captains and let them pick their teams, back and forth just like you remember from Jr. High. But generally in the gyms I play in these days, we "make" teams -- once ten players have arrived, somebody takes the scrimmage jerseys (we're all too old and flabby to play "shirts and skins") and picks four teammates -- and those five guys play the other five. The point is to try to make the teams as balanced as possible (since it makes for a better game) and because we don't play "winners" (but simply rotate teams on and off in turn) there's really no incentive to try to stack one team with the all the talent. That just makes for quick, one-sided games, and not much fun for anyone.

But some guys just don't seem to get it. Which is neither here nor there, except that since I was already in a bad mood to begin with, not being especially happy about the composition of the teams didn't do much to improve my attitude. And being pissed off at the guy who'd made up the teams in the first place of course made my mood even worse. It's not that my teammates all sucked (because they didn't), but we also didn't really know one other very well, didn't have much chemistry on the court, weren't really sure how we wanted to defend or where we wanted to go to get open shots (but instead were constantly getting in each other's way on both the offensive and the defensive end), and basically just ended up fighting one another for rebounds, throwing the ball away, taking ill-advised shots, and generally playing like five guys playing with ourselves rather than five guys playing together. And because there were fifteen players there overall, the teams didn't really change much over the course of the night either. Which on one hand was good, since after an hour or so we finally did begin to figure things out and started to gel a little. But even so, it was still pretty frustrating most of the evening...and rather than just kinda taking it all in stride and going with the flow (like I normally would), I could feel myself getting more and more aggressive as the bad mood I'd brought to the gym with me began to blossom in the heat of competition.

Now before you get too far ahead of me here, let me just reassure anyone who may actually be reading this by saying right now that No, I didn't punch anybody out or commit a needlessly hard foul, lose my temper, or even start trash-talking (much). But at one point when I found myself matched-up on a switch against the culprit who made up the teams in the first place (someone who doesn't especially care for me any more than I care for him in the first place), I did "D" him up a little more aggressively than HE liked, and when he went to create a little space for himself by trying to clear me out with his off hand, I called him for the offensive foul.

Let me try to put this in context for those of you who are not regular gym rats. NOBODY calls offensive fouls in a pick-up game. I mean it just isn't done; it's a matter of pride. You might as well try enforcing the three-second rule, and since there aren't any free throws in a pick-up game anyway, fouls of any sort are generally just a matter of giving the ball back to the offense at the top of the key, where they can "check-up" and try again. Likewise, without referees players are pretty much on the honor system -- the basic principle is that the player who is fouled has the right to make the call, and everyone else on the floor respects the call whether they agree with it or not.

Of course there's still more. From the time I first started playing with these guys two years ago, I've gone out of my way to establish my reputation as an "honest" player -- someone who can always be counted on to be fair and impartial, and to make the correct call whether it favors my team or not; someone who knows the rules but isn't obnoxious about "enforcing" them, and who is always going to give an opponent the benefit of the doubt. Both because of what I do for a living off the court, and for the integrity of the game itself, it's important for me to have established this reputation and to enjoy the kind of authority and respect that come with it. So when I made the call (and yes, make no mistake, it really was an offensive foul) both authoritatively and without hesitation, naturally it was respected...by everyone except the guy who'd committed the foul in the first place, and who has been doing the exact same thing half-a-dozen times every night we play and has never been called on it before. Oh, people complain -- I've complained to him many times...even threatened that if he threw that elbow once more I was going to tear it off and shoved it someplace I'm too polite to mention here, which is how situations like this are NORMALLY handled in a pick-up game. Somebody pushes you; you push them back -- that's how things are done when there are no zebras in the jungle.

But in this particular case the foul offensive offender in question (let's call him "Curly") simply went ballistic...while I walked calmly to the other end of the floor, giving back verbally as good as I got, and smiling inside as everyone else on the court (including Curly's handpicked teammates) backed me up and followed me toward my team's goal. Of course, many of them had also been the victim of the infamous "Curly clear-out" on previous nights, so it wasn't really a question of whether or not the foul had occurred. It was simply a matter of their respecting MY call, and me keeping my own cool while Curly lost his.

And I wasn't quite done with Curly either. Since he also tends to have a fairly exaggerated view of his own skills, I took no little glee in exploiting the one real mismatch that worked in our favor, by feeding the ball to our best player (Curly's chosen defensive assignment) every time down the floor, who in turn lit Curly up for three straight scores to end the game and send Curly and Company back to the sidelines.

OK, I admit it -- there's no real point to this story. I'm not especially proud of my own part in this episode, and all I've really done is create more bad blood in a "relationship" that is marginal enough as it is. I already try to avoid being on the same team with Curly whenever I can, and I don't especially like being matched-up directly against him either -- but neither of these options is always possible, so I've had to learn how to make the best of a less-than-optimal situation which I have now helped make even worse. And Curly does tend to bring out the best (or the worst) in me -- I always play a little harder and more aggressively when we're both on the floor at the same time, and it does give me pleasure to show him up or shut him down...a pleasure I don't generally allow myself with most of the guys I play with (and against).

And then there's always the old proverb: "Choose your Enemies (Rivals, Opponents) well, for you shall come to resemble them." That knowledge alone makes me want to walk away and sin no more. To put it mildly, if I truly wished to have a worthy rival, I would choose a much better player than Curly. And that's a matter of respect as well....

Game Three: Home Sweet Home!

Now THIS was an exciting basketball game! What can you say about D-Wade? 42 points, 13 rebounds, played with 5 personal fouls for most of the 4th quarter, and then made the big defensive play in (literally) the final second to ice the game. But what really warmed my heart was seeing Gary Payton step up and knock down a clutch jump shot with 9 seconds left -- his only points of the night -- to give the Heat the lead and the win. The Glove only played 19 minutes: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 turnovers, a steal and a personal foul. But he was able to deliver when they needed him most.

What to do about Antoine Walker, on the other hand, continues to be an issue in my mind. Only 35 minutes tonight, and spent most of the 4th quarter (thankfully) on the bench while Miami made their comeback. 12 points on 17 (ouch!) shot attempts (including 0-5 from beyond the arc), 7 rebounds, an assist, 3 fouls and 2 turnovers...plus Josh Howard lit him up for 21 on the other end. Antoine is a strong one-on-one player, and when he attacks the basket good things often happen, but he just needs the ball too much in order to be effective, and is at best the third option on this team.

But who do you put on the floor in his place? A three-guard line-up of Williams, Payton and Wade at the 3? Or more of Haslem and Posey on the floor at the same time? What about a veteran off the bench, like Derek or Shandon Anderson? Or if you're Pat Riley, do you just hope that Walker gets more in synch with the rest of the team, or at least starts draining his threes? One of the big problems for the Heat during the Mav's third quarter blitz was that it seemed like his teammates just stopped shareing the ball with Antoine, because they knew that if they gave him the Rock they would never get it back. Meanwhile, Dallas found a rhythm and outscored the home team 34-16. It really was something amazing to watch.

Jerry Stackhouse had a tough night, scoring less in 31 minutes than he did in that amazing 97 second stretch in Game Two. Erick Dampier's 14 points and 5 offensive rebounds (out of 9 boards total) made him a real presence underneath. Nowitzki, Howard, and Terry all played well also, although the Jet looked a little lackluster compared to previous games. Just found out tonight that he has the Seattle skyline tattooed across his chest. Now THAT'S something even an old-school U-Dub Dawg like myself can get behind.

Seems to me that Dallas still has a big advantage in this series -- the little General has the Mavs playing in top form, and I'm not really sure the Heat have an answer. But tonight, at least, the Answer was Dwayne Wade. Call him the South Beach Diet -- just the thing his teammates needed to help them shed the excess weight of defeat, and look like real winners again.

The Shadow Knows

There's a great cartoon from the New Yorker posted on the bulletin board in the Men's locker room at the gym where I work out. Two galley slaves are chained to the same oar, and one is saying to the other: "I dropped twelve pounds the first week and kept it off."

That cartoon reminds me that there are very few aspects of my game that wouldn't be dramatically improved if I simply dropped 20 pounds. OK, 30...well, maybe 50....but the thought of losing over 20% of my current body weight just seems impossibly ambitious. Of course, having grown up "lean, supple and rugged," I don't really think of myself as heavy anyway...it's only when I accidently catch sight of my naked body in a mirror that I wonder what the hell that old, weird, fat, bald guy is doing looking back at me with my beautiful blue-green eyes....

Of course, weight comes off the same way it goes on...one bite at a time. Before I can drop 50 pounds I need to drop the first, and then another after that and another after that. The only real problem is, I love to eat! And at least at this weight I set a pretty solid pick. And can screen taller players off the boards....

***
Having left my regular Sunday game early to watch the NBA Playoffs, decided to play Monday night as well -- and had a pretty decent run almost in spite of myself. Got off to a good start by filling a lane on an early turnover and finishing the break with an easy left-handed lay-up just like I was back in High School. Then knocked down an open three in rhythm to answer one on the other end the previous possession, retaking the lead and putting us at game point. But most of the night we really didn't have very good ball movement, and what open looks I did get were all coming up short off the front rim...which tells me that I just didn't have the lift in my legs that I needed to knock them down. Missed three tricky lay-ups too that I created for myself off the dribble, but was sweating so hard I couldn't get a good handle on the ball once I beat my defender to get to the basket. Very frustrating to do something truly amazing only not to be able to finish. Ended up scoring about a dozen points for the evening, along with a fairly decent number of steals, rebounds and assists...and yes, even another blocked shot. But I could have easily scored another dozen almost effortlessly, if only I were still a shadow of my current self....

Game Two Blues

The end of the 2nd quarter has not been kind to the Miami Heat in this series. In Game One it was a 10 point run at the end of the 2nd quarter that eliminated the Heat's early lead and gave the Mavs a 2 point margin at intermission. Last night it was 10 points by Jerry Stackhouse in the last two minutes (including a rare 4-point play) together with a technical free throw by Dirk Nowitzki which turned a four point game into a fifteen point game that was never really close again. The Heat made a brave run in the 4th quarter to get within spitting distance, but they could never quite overcome the overwhelming deficit created by Stackhouse's blazing hot 79 second blitz.

Of course, the Heat were also hurt by the shoulder injury to defensive enforcer Udonis "Clemenza" Haslem, while the smothering Dallas defense on Shaq and Dwayne put the entire Miami offense out of rhythm. Wade's impressive line of 23 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and a blocked shot was earned the hard way, and was accompanied by 4 turnovers and 4 personal fouls. Jason Williams added 11 points and 4 assists to the Heat totals, while Antoine Walker improved his shooting percentage to 50% (8-16 for 20 points) and Alonzo Mourning contributed another 11 on 4 for 4 shooting with 4 rebounds and a blocked shot in 20 minutes of play. But Gary Payton continued to struggle: 2 points in 28 minutes on 1-4 shooting, with 4 assists, 2 steals and a rebound. Dallas, on the other hand, set the tone on the defensive end, controlled tempo, moved the ball well, made the extra pass, and enjoyed good balanced scoring as a result: 26 for Nowitzki, 19 for Stackhouse, 18 for Jason Terry, and 15 for Josh Howard, plus 6 for Erick Dampier and 5 for Keith Van Horn.

I'm not saying the series is over, but the Heat are in a hole now heading home for three straight games. The 2-3-2 format of the Finals is great for a lower-seeded team that can break through in one of those first two games on the road, but in some ways makes it tougher for a team in Miami's position, who are half-way to elimination and really need to win three in a row now at home to preserve any real chance at a championship. Then again, you've gotta win 'em one game at a time. Cliches don't become cliches by accident you know.

***

Meanwhile, left my own game early last night to be able to watch Game Two from opening tip to ending buzzer. This whole past week I've felt a little awkward on the floor anyway -- stiff, sore, slow and sluggish -- not exactly the best "game shape" of my life. And I'm wondering how much of the Heat's struggles reflect some of this same "veteran" sluggishness -- tired bodies at the end of a long season leaving even experienced, disciplined players a little less than 100%.. But at the end of the day, champions play through this fatigue and transcend it, while everyone else by definition comes up a little short. If the Heat are going to hold serve at home in Miami, they are going to have to play both smarter AND harder. Then need to becomes the ones who shut the Mavericks down.

Game One Done

Game One of the 2006 NBA Finals is finally in the books, and far be it from me to add to the flurry of post-game analysis which will no doubt follow. Personally, I most enjoyed watching the match-up of the Jasons: my home town of Seattle's own Jason Terry (32 points - including 4 for 7 from beyond the arc - 4 rebounds, 3 steals and an assist) and Jason Williams (12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal). Dwayne Wade knocked in 28 points of his own while still struggling with the flu (or should I say "flu-like symptoms"), but was really pretty ineffective after the first quarter, at least when compared to his usual performance. Jerry Stackhouse contributed 14 points in 29 minutes for the Mavs, along with 4 assists, 3 turnovers, and a blocked shot.

But the real story is who DIDN'T step up. Never mind Dirk Nowitzki's sub-par 16 point performance, or Shaq's 1 for 9 from the charity stripe. Antoine Walker played 42 minutes and scored 17 points along with 6 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal...not a bad line, until you realize he also committed 6 turnovers and was 7 of 19! from the field (compared to only 11 shot attempts for the Diesel). Gary Payton was 0-4 in 19 minutes, but chipped in 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and an assist; Alonzo Mourning only played 5 minutes, and was 0-1 from the field with a single rebound.

Keys for a Heat victory in Game Two? More touches for Shaq, better defense on Jason Terry (maybe meaning more minutes for the Glove?), a healthier Dwayne Wade, and a lot more help off the bench, especially from Zo...who I think deserves a few more of Mr Walker's minutes. Meanwhile, Antoine needs to shoot a MUCH better percentage from the field -- either more makes or fewer takes (which basically means letting the Big Guy create scoring opportunities for everyone and attacking the offensive boards) -- and the whole team needs to take a lot better care of the ball. And don't expect Dirk to stay this quiet forever either. Effectively defending him was one of the Heat's hidden achievements, obscured by their poor performance in other areas, and Jason Terry's superb game.

Devil Day

6/6/06 -- Not that I put much stock in this sort of thing. For one thing, depending on how you understand the translation, the Number of the Beast could also be 614. I think. Or was it 616? 617? In any event, most "real" Biblical scholars now believe that whatever the number turns out to be, it is simply a numerological anagram for the Roman Emperor Nero anyway. But I guess this is really a topic more appropriate for my other blog.

Back-to-back runs Sunday and Monday nights, which means that my knees are VERY sore this morning, despite liberal amounts of ice and Advil. Sunday I went straight to the gym from a graduation party for some High School seniors I know, which in retropect was probably not the wisest decision. It's tough running the floor with a bellyfull of hors d'oeuvres and chocolate cake! But I felt honor-bound to show up, since our numbers have been a little thin in the Sunday game lately, and I wanted to make sure we had 10. And as it turned out, we had 11. Scored one basket the entire night (although not for want of trying), but it came at a very good time: a beat-my-man-with-one-dribble lay-up to score the winning goal in the final game of the night.

Monday I played a little better, but still only scored a smattering of points. Another off-balance lay-up on a back-door cut, and then a smooth three in rhythm late in the evening. Worked a lot harder at simply rebounding, passing the ball, trying to set good screens and playing reasonably solid defense. Once again had a chance to score the final, game-winning basket when I jumped a passing lane and tipped the ball into the back-court, which I could have easily turned into a wide-open break-away lay-up as recently as last Wednesday night. But yesterday I'd left my "Gary Payton" legs at home; so instead they recovered the ball, and came back down court to score the game-winning basket themselves.

Speaking of the Glove, I'm looking forward with great anticipation to this final series between Miami and Dallas. I like the Heat in six -- think they'll split this first week in Dallas, and that Miami will win two of three at home before closing the Mavericks out on their home floor June 20th. But if Miami should manage to break through and win twice in Dallas this week, I think they'll be able to close the Mavs out in five. And if for some reason the Mavs can manage to get it to Game Seven, it'll be a barnburner and all bets are off. And let's not forget that the Mavs won both ends of the home-and-away regular season meetings.

Personally I think the Heat are a much better team now than they were three months ago. But if Dallas can force the right tempo, I think it's also possible (in contrast to everything I've just written) that they could sweep the Heat in four. Don't think that's the way it's gonna go, but it could. That's why they play 'em. And we've also got the World Cup kicking off Friday too. Thank God I'm not a betting man....

¡Fuego!

And I finally got hot last night. Hell, I was On Fire!

First got it going when I (uncharacteristically) called for the ball down on the right block. No cutters and no double-team, so I faced my man, beat him with the left hand and scored with a little leaner from about two feet. The next possession I knocked down an open three from the right wing, then barely missed another from the same spot the next time down the floor, which a teammate rebounded for an easy put-back. Then I scored with an easy "J" from the left elbow, and finally beat my man on the left baseline and scored over the second defender with a teardrop finger-roll. 11 quick points to win the game, and I’d scored 9 of them.

Then we switched ends, and I cooled off a little. Had a shot rejected in the lane, then missed another easy lay-up while my defender leaked out to cherry-pick on the other end. Eventually scored three more buckets (and made two assists) before we ended our run a couple of games later: another short jumper off a curl, a second from the short corner on the right baseline, and an easy lay-up going again to my left to beat the cherry-picker off the dribble. Missed another good look at a three which was half-way down before bouncing out. Anyway, not a bad night: 15 points, a handful of assists, a few more than my fair share of rebounds, and (relatively) good defense too.

But here’s the embarrassing part. Why did I suddenly catch fire? Because I was pissed off at one of my teammates who (IMHO) is a selfish player with modest skills but little modesty about anything else; and I just felt like showing him how it SHOULD be done. I did eventually give him the ball out in the corner for a wide-open three rather than scoring something closer to the basket myself, but even that was a bit “in your face” since he would NEVER have given the ball up to me in a similar situation if our positions had been reversed. Yet maybe in his selfish play he knows a little something I don’t: nothing like a good dose of attitude to sharpen the competitive edge.

Of course, it also helps to have other teammates who understand about sharing the ball (especially one who was willing to feed me down on the block in the first place), and then kept giving me the ball right where I wanted it. Not to mention that after a week-long layoff my legs were fresh and I was feelng pretty frisky too (once I got properly warmed up and stretched out).

I do feel a little bad because the guy I torched in that first little run is a good friend of mine, and I know he felt guilty about not defending me better. But to tell the truth, nobody (well, nobody in THAT gym) was going to defend me during that three minute spurt of points. I really was “in the zone,” and it felt pretty darn good.

Got back to the house just in time for a hot shower, a cold beer, icebags on my knees and the fourth quarter of the Heat/Pistons game. So life is sweet (except that the Heat turned as cold as I'd been hot). Game Six is Friday night...this time I hope to be home to watch the whole 48 minutes.