Passing on some links edition!
1) Tom Ziller of NBA Fanhouse has been doing a top fifty players in the NBA writeup. Ziller is a smart basketball analyst, so even if you don't agree with his rankings, you should read his writeups for each player (he's up 43 as I'm writing this.)
2) This is from a couple of years ago - I got the link reading FreeDarko - but it is awesome. It compares college football teams to rappers. For example, Penn State/KRS One. "They'll be the first to tell you how important they are in the scheme of things and new jacks need to give them respect, but that doesn't shake the fact that they haven't been relevant in years."
3) Watch this YouTube video of the intros to the 1989 All Star Game. It's the Ultramagnetic MCs rapping aout each player, and coach. Even the trainer. It's beyond awesome (thanks, Ball Don't Lie and Detroit Bad Boys)
4) Kelly Dwyer taking on Larry Brown.
5) From Bethlehem Shoals in SLAM Magazine comes a pretty hilarious series of columns called "Portraits in Patriotism". Read them all now, or maybe you simply hate freedom and apple pie and your mother?
Showing posts with label Filowitz Friday Five. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Filowitz Friday Five. Show all posts
Friday, August 29, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) The 15-inning All Star Game felt exactly like insomnia. You kept saying, "when will this thing finally end?" Yet you're still lying there, awake, tortured, restless, knowing that the longer it goes on, the worse you're going to feel the next day when it's all over. Thank the Lord what's-his-name got that hit off the guy with the beard, and letting us all finally go to sleep, before the hallucinations (i.e. JD Drew pitching) started.
2) I agree with Kris - Brett Favre needs to go away forever. I can't believe it's to the point that ESPN has a "Favre" category on the bottom crawl. I'm getting so annoyed with this saga that I kind of wish Favre would get his wish, and be forced to play for some crap team like the Falcons, and then suck horribly (which he kind of has for the last 4 years, don't tell Peter King) so everyone can mock him. If he can't go away, he can at least give us schadenfreude.
3) In case you missed it, the Knicks signed guard Anthony Roberson, more or less because of how he played in practice and one summer league game (apparently, the guy can really shoot.) This means the Knicks have more guys under contract than there are roster spots. Most media members thinks this means the end of Starbury. Me, I agree with the Posting and Toasting guys, and think this spells the end of Mardy Collins. I don't really see the point of Mardy Collins. What does he do well? Play defense? Eh. If they made him go away, he would not be missed. Of course, they should still get rid of Starbury. By the way, did you see his head tattoo? Maybe we can get Starbury to box Jose Canseco next.
4) I can't seem to get excited for the Olympics. Not even a little. I'll work on it over the next few weeks, but I'm not making any promises. Track and field and swimming do not make my man-parts stir in any way, shape, or form.
5) In self-promotion news, we've relaunched the political humor blog Suck My Caucus. We've now got it at our own URL, www.SuckMyCaucus.com, instead of hosted by Blogger. If you've been reading us, be sure to switch to the new site. If you haven't been reading us, now's as good a time to start as any. It's updated every weekday with jokes about politics and other things in the news. Read us every day, or subscribe to our feed, or do whatever it is you do when you want to let yourself laugh for a change.
2) I agree with Kris - Brett Favre needs to go away forever. I can't believe it's to the point that ESPN has a "Favre" category on the bottom crawl. I'm getting so annoyed with this saga that I kind of wish Favre would get his wish, and be forced to play for some crap team like the Falcons, and then suck horribly (which he kind of has for the last 4 years, don't tell Peter King) so everyone can mock him. If he can't go away, he can at least give us schadenfreude.
3) In case you missed it, the Knicks signed guard Anthony Roberson, more or less because of how he played in practice and one summer league game (apparently, the guy can really shoot.) This means the Knicks have more guys under contract than there are roster spots. Most media members thinks this means the end of Starbury. Me, I agree with the Posting and Toasting guys, and think this spells the end of Mardy Collins. I don't really see the point of Mardy Collins. What does he do well? Play defense? Eh. If they made him go away, he would not be missed. Of course, they should still get rid of Starbury. By the way, did you see his head tattoo? Maybe we can get Starbury to box Jose Canseco next.
4) I can't seem to get excited for the Olympics. Not even a little. I'll work on it over the next few weeks, but I'm not making any promises. Track and field and swimming do not make my man-parts stir in any way, shape, or form.
5) In self-promotion news, we've relaunched the political humor blog Suck My Caucus. We've now got it at our own URL, www.SuckMyCaucus.com, instead of hosted by Blogger. If you've been reading us, be sure to switch to the new site. If you haven't been reading us, now's as good a time to start as any. It's updated every weekday with jokes about politics and other things in the news. Read us every day, or subscribe to our feed, or do whatever it is you do when you want to let yourself laugh for a change.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
Dog days of summer short version!
1) Elton Brand to the Sixers is a nice move for both parties. Spare me the "betrayed the team" story line. Brand doesn't owe the Clippers anything. He played for that crap franchise for a long time, and never really bitched about it. As for the Sixers, that gives them an All Star piece to go with their squad of young athletes and Andre Miller. They'll be tough next year, no doubt.
2) Baron Davis to the Clippers is now a bummer. If Brand had stayed, that could have been an interesting team. Now, it's Baron toiling on a crappy team again, like he did for a couple years on those Hornets teams. Baron was more fun to watch on a competitive team like the Warriors of th last two years. At least he gets to make movies now or something.
3) Corey Maggette to the Warriors is interesting. Another mid-sized swingman with great scoring ability and limited defensive skills. The Warriors are worse without Baron, but adding Magette (and possibly Turiaf) will make them not as much worse.
4) Chris Duhon to the Knicks is virtually pointless. He's not particularly good at anything - I guess that means he and Mardy Collins will get along.
5) There are probably too many Cubs on the All Star team. Does that say something about Cubs fans or the overall crappiness of the NL this year? Or both? Or neither?
1) Elton Brand to the Sixers is a nice move for both parties. Spare me the "betrayed the team" story line. Brand doesn't owe the Clippers anything. He played for that crap franchise for a long time, and never really bitched about it. As for the Sixers, that gives them an All Star piece to go with their squad of young athletes and Andre Miller. They'll be tough next year, no doubt.
2) Baron Davis to the Clippers is now a bummer. If Brand had stayed, that could have been an interesting team. Now, it's Baron toiling on a crappy team again, like he did for a couple years on those Hornets teams. Baron was more fun to watch on a competitive team like the Warriors of th last two years. At least he gets to make movies now or something.
3) Corey Maggette to the Warriors is interesting. Another mid-sized swingman with great scoring ability and limited defensive skills. The Warriors are worse without Baron, but adding Magette (and possibly Turiaf) will make them not as much worse.
4) Chris Duhon to the Knicks is virtually pointless. He's not particularly good at anything - I guess that means he and Mardy Collins will get along.
5) There are probably too many Cubs on the All Star team. Does that say something about Cubs fans or the overall crappiness of the NL this year? Or both? Or neither?
Friday, June 13, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) Shock, noun, a disturbance in the equilibrium or permanence of something (like a seemingly insurmountable 24 point lead by the Lakers disappearing into a 6 point defeat); a sudden or violent mental or emotional disturbance (what the Lakers have to be feeling after losing a 24 point lead); a state of being so disturbed (what the Lakers fans sounded like after losing this game.)
2) In the second half, Paul Pierce played some of the best individual, one-on-one defense I've ever seen, and he did it against arguably the most difficult guy to defend in the league in Kobe Bryant. Pierce was able to keep Kobe out of the lane most of the time. He contested shots, including an incredible block on an attempted turn-around by Kobe (have you ever seen one of these elite guys have their turnaround jumper blocked cleanly like that?) He forced Kobe to give the ball up when he drove (and the Lakers other players, especially The Machine, didn't shoot well.) Paul Pierce is by far the MVP of the series so far, and it has as much to do with his defense as his offense.
3) Eddie House was HUGE for the Celtics. Not so much because he made a ton of shots, but because of a couple of other reasons:
a- the threat of his shot helped spread the floor and keep LA's defense more honest, as opposed to when Rondo is in the game, since Rondo can't shoot and thus the Lakers can help off of him. This helped Paul Pierce and James Posey and Kevin Garnett score more easily, which was key to the comeback.
b- Eddie House played 24 minutes and did not turn the ball over at all, and his individual +/- was +20. He did not do anything stupid from the point guard position, and if he did Boston would not have won. Rondo looked to be playing hurt, so putting in the effective House was a key move for Doc Rivers - it actually makes him look smart, especially since House stepped up so huge.
Bottom line for tonight, no Eddie House, no comeback win for the Celtics (and who would have thought you'd be writing THAT sentence ever, let alone in the NBA Finals?)
4) The only thing more improbable than this huge comeback by the Celtics on the road is the fact that Ray Allen, who looked all but washed up not two weeks ago, has played at a ridiculously high level in every game this series. In Game 4 he had 19 points on only 11 shots, 9 rebounds (not a typo - Ray Allen had NINE rebounds), 2 assists, and 3 steals. And he's playing really solid defense, which is just as shocking. All I could talk about before the series was "who will Ray Allen be able to guard?" Who knew the answer was, "anyone he wants, including Kobe." I don't know where this Ray Allen was earlier these playoffs, but this Ray Allen is awesome to watch.
5) Can you picture the Lakers being able to beat the Celtics three times in a row, including two in Boston? I can't. I'd pick the Lakers to win Game 5 at home, and the Celtics to take it in Game 6. And I have to admit, I wouldn't have guessed this series to go anything like this (which is why I like to watch it, after all - who the hell wants to watch the inevitable unfold?) As much as some of these games haven't been that 'great' I've still found this to be an incredibly compelling Finals (history having nothing to do with it.) I've loved watching the story unfold as it has, unexpectedly, confusingly, with heroes coming from all sorts of odd places. I can't wait to see how it ends.
2) In the second half, Paul Pierce played some of the best individual, one-on-one defense I've ever seen, and he did it against arguably the most difficult guy to defend in the league in Kobe Bryant. Pierce was able to keep Kobe out of the lane most of the time. He contested shots, including an incredible block on an attempted turn-around by Kobe (have you ever seen one of these elite guys have their turnaround jumper blocked cleanly like that?) He forced Kobe to give the ball up when he drove (and the Lakers other players, especially The Machine, didn't shoot well.) Paul Pierce is by far the MVP of the series so far, and it has as much to do with his defense as his offense.
3) Eddie House was HUGE for the Celtics. Not so much because he made a ton of shots, but because of a couple of other reasons:
a- the threat of his shot helped spread the floor and keep LA's defense more honest, as opposed to when Rondo is in the game, since Rondo can't shoot and thus the Lakers can help off of him. This helped Paul Pierce and James Posey and Kevin Garnett score more easily, which was key to the comeback.
b- Eddie House played 24 minutes and did not turn the ball over at all, and his individual +/- was +20. He did not do anything stupid from the point guard position, and if he did Boston would not have won. Rondo looked to be playing hurt, so putting in the effective House was a key move for Doc Rivers - it actually makes him look smart, especially since House stepped up so huge.
Bottom line for tonight, no Eddie House, no comeback win for the Celtics (and who would have thought you'd be writing THAT sentence ever, let alone in the NBA Finals?)
4) The only thing more improbable than this huge comeback by the Celtics on the road is the fact that Ray Allen, who looked all but washed up not two weeks ago, has played at a ridiculously high level in every game this series. In Game 4 he had 19 points on only 11 shots, 9 rebounds (not a typo - Ray Allen had NINE rebounds), 2 assists, and 3 steals. And he's playing really solid defense, which is just as shocking. All I could talk about before the series was "who will Ray Allen be able to guard?" Who knew the answer was, "anyone he wants, including Kobe." I don't know where this Ray Allen was earlier these playoffs, but this Ray Allen is awesome to watch.
5) Can you picture the Lakers being able to beat the Celtics three times in a row, including two in Boston? I can't. I'd pick the Lakers to win Game 5 at home, and the Celtics to take it in Game 6. And I have to admit, I wouldn't have guessed this series to go anything like this (which is why I like to watch it, after all - who the hell wants to watch the inevitable unfold?) As much as some of these games haven't been that 'great' I've still found this to be an incredibly compelling Finals (history having nothing to do with it.) I've loved watching the story unfold as it has, unexpectedly, confusingly, with heroes coming from all sorts of odd places. I can't wait to see how it ends.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
NBA Finals edition!
1) Sure, I didn't write a preview of the Lakers-Celtics Finals. Mostly because everyone and their mother wrote a preview, and what was I going to tell you that you didn't read elsewhere a thousand times? If you want to know what I thought before the series started, you can listen to the Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast (which you should be doing anyway.) Basically, I picked the Lakers in 6, and thought that the various defensive matchups were going to be intriguing.
2) Game 1, Boston winning 98-88, was awesome. Played at an incredibly high level by both teams. If this is indicative of how the series is going to be, then we are in for one of the best Finals in a long time. They're evenly matched, they each have more than one star player, and they both play well on both sides of the court. This is what we've been waiting for all playoffs - for a series to live up to the promise of what we saw in the regular season. So far, so great.
3) Who played well in Game 1?
KG. He was unstoppable in the first half on offense. He was strong on the boards all game. His defense was impeccable, as always. And he came up with some huge plays down the stretch, most memorably the putback dunk over Gasol off the missed Posey three. Also that crazy save of the backcourt violation. KG came up huge.
Pierce. We'll get to the injury thing in a second. But after struggling with fouls in the first half, he was huge in the second half. He started out the third quarter with 8 points in 1:20. He also played fantastic defense on Kobe down the stretch, forcing Kobe to take tough, contested shots.
Ray Allen. 19 points, 8 (!) rebounds, 5 assists. This was not the washed-up-looking Ray Allen we saw for most of the playoffs. This was more like the man we know as Jesus Shuttleworth.
The Celtics defense. They kept Kobe out of the paint. He had only one dunk, and maybe one layup all game. If Kobe is forced to be a jump shooter, the Celtics are going to win the series.
Gasol. His numbers weren't huge, but he did what he was supposed to do. And his defense on Garnett was much better than I thought it could be.
PJ Brown. You won't see it in the numbers, but he played fantastic defense, and came up with some huge rebounds. Exactly what they needed out of him.
4) Who didn't play well in Game 1?
Sam Cassell. Don't be fooled by the shots he hit - most of those were shitty, selfish jumpers too early in the shot clock that happened to go in. Most of the time, those shitty jumpers aren't going to fall. He also played awful defense, and made some terrible decisions in the fourth quarter. If I was a Celtics fan, I'd want Cassell to have the DNP-CD in Game 2, not Eddie House.
Lamar Odom. He didn't rebound well, he didn't really assert himself on either end. He was pretty much a non-factor, which is not what the Lakers need.
I'm not going to say Kobe. Kobe played okay. But when the rest of the team isn't playing awesome, the Lakers can't win with only an "okay" game from Kobe. And keep in mind, his okay game means he scored 24 points to go with 6 assists and 3 rebounds.
5) So, the Pierce injury. For those that didn't watch the game, in the third quarter, Paul Pierce goes down after Kendrick Perkins collides with his leg as they both try to block a shot. Pierce has to be carried off the court, and put in a wheelchair to be taken back to the locker room.
At that moment, the entire Boston crowd went eerily quiet. Me, sitting at home, I immediately thought "if he's done, we're getting robbed of a great Finals." Because the game to that point had been incredible, but if Pierce is out, then the series is over. Boston doesn't win without Pierce.
A few minutes later, Pierce comes jogging back out of the locker room. As soon as the crowd sees him, they go crazy. Pierce immediately goes back in the game, and then hits two threes in a row not much longer after that.
Now, people might say "Willis Reed moment." Stop that. It had a parallel, in that a star player everyone thinks is injured comes back unexpectedly, and both happened against the Lakers. But this wasn't Game 7. It wasn't as serious an injury (sprained knee for Pierce.) Willis Reed had a torn muscle in his right thigh.
Regardless, it was a dramatic moment in this game, adding to what was already a competitive and compelling Game 1. Game 2 is on Sunday, and I can barely wait that long.
1) Sure, I didn't write a preview of the Lakers-Celtics Finals. Mostly because everyone and their mother wrote a preview, and what was I going to tell you that you didn't read elsewhere a thousand times? If you want to know what I thought before the series started, you can listen to the Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast (which you should be doing anyway.) Basically, I picked the Lakers in 6, and thought that the various defensive matchups were going to be intriguing.
2) Game 1, Boston winning 98-88, was awesome. Played at an incredibly high level by both teams. If this is indicative of how the series is going to be, then we are in for one of the best Finals in a long time. They're evenly matched, they each have more than one star player, and they both play well on both sides of the court. This is what we've been waiting for all playoffs - for a series to live up to the promise of what we saw in the regular season. So far, so great.
3) Who played well in Game 1?
KG. He was unstoppable in the first half on offense. He was strong on the boards all game. His defense was impeccable, as always. And he came up with some huge plays down the stretch, most memorably the putback dunk over Gasol off the missed Posey three. Also that crazy save of the backcourt violation. KG came up huge.
Pierce. We'll get to the injury thing in a second. But after struggling with fouls in the first half, he was huge in the second half. He started out the third quarter with 8 points in 1:20. He also played fantastic defense on Kobe down the stretch, forcing Kobe to take tough, contested shots.
Ray Allen. 19 points, 8 (!) rebounds, 5 assists. This was not the washed-up-looking Ray Allen we saw for most of the playoffs. This was more like the man we know as Jesus Shuttleworth.
The Celtics defense. They kept Kobe out of the paint. He had only one dunk, and maybe one layup all game. If Kobe is forced to be a jump shooter, the Celtics are going to win the series.
Gasol. His numbers weren't huge, but he did what he was supposed to do. And his defense on Garnett was much better than I thought it could be.
PJ Brown. You won't see it in the numbers, but he played fantastic defense, and came up with some huge rebounds. Exactly what they needed out of him.
4) Who didn't play well in Game 1?
Sam Cassell. Don't be fooled by the shots he hit - most of those were shitty, selfish jumpers too early in the shot clock that happened to go in. Most of the time, those shitty jumpers aren't going to fall. He also played awful defense, and made some terrible decisions in the fourth quarter. If I was a Celtics fan, I'd want Cassell to have the DNP-CD in Game 2, not Eddie House.
Lamar Odom. He didn't rebound well, he didn't really assert himself on either end. He was pretty much a non-factor, which is not what the Lakers need.
I'm not going to say Kobe. Kobe played okay. But when the rest of the team isn't playing awesome, the Lakers can't win with only an "okay" game from Kobe. And keep in mind, his okay game means he scored 24 points to go with 6 assists and 3 rebounds.
5) So, the Pierce injury. For those that didn't watch the game, in the third quarter, Paul Pierce goes down after Kendrick Perkins collides with his leg as they both try to block a shot. Pierce has to be carried off the court, and put in a wheelchair to be taken back to the locker room.
At that moment, the entire Boston crowd went eerily quiet. Me, sitting at home, I immediately thought "if he's done, we're getting robbed of a great Finals." Because the game to that point had been incredible, but if Pierce is out, then the series is over. Boston doesn't win without Pierce.
A few minutes later, Pierce comes jogging back out of the locker room. As soon as the crowd sees him, they go crazy. Pierce immediately goes back in the game, and then hits two threes in a row not much longer after that.
Now, people might say "Willis Reed moment." Stop that. It had a parallel, in that a star player everyone thinks is injured comes back unexpectedly, and both happened against the Lakers. But this wasn't Game 7. It wasn't as serious an injury (sprained knee for Pierce.) Willis Reed had a torn muscle in his right thigh.
Regardless, it was a dramatic moment in this game, adding to what was already a competitive and compelling Game 1. Game 2 is on Sunday, and I can barely wait that long.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) I really hope Chauncy Billups isn't hurt for the playoffs. The only way to save the East right now is to have Boston-Detroit in the conference finals, with everyone healthy. Actually, I don't think Detroit beats Orlando without Billups.
2) The Jazz are going to win two home games in a row. The Lakers have looked great, but the Jazz have been close in both games, on the road, without all of their best players playing their best. Though it would be nice if Carlos Boozer decided to show up for a playoff game or two.
3) As I was talking about on the podcast this week, the most impressive thing about New Orleans has been their defense and their poise. In game 2, it was the defense that won it for the Hornets. In game 3, they were right there with the Spurs, on the road, until a good old-fashioned San Antonio 8-0 run in the fourth quarter. The Hornets don't seem to get rattled, they don't fold, and they commit on the defensive end. This bodes well for anyone wanting to see them win the series (people like me, for example.)
4) The Boston-Cleveland series has been unconscionably boring. How can a game have that many All Stars and first team All NBA guys and produce this Knicks-Heat-circa-1998 type scores. It's 2008, guys. It's okay to score more than 85 points, even in a playoff game.
5) Kobe deserved the MVP, so congrats to him. However, I don't think an injustice would have been done if Chris Paul, LeBron, or KG won it, either. So what does that say about the value of the award? Let me put it this way: Kobe has one. Shaq has one. Steve Nash has two. I love Steve Nash and all, but, um, no. No.
2) The Jazz are going to win two home games in a row. The Lakers have looked great, but the Jazz have been close in both games, on the road, without all of their best players playing their best. Though it would be nice if Carlos Boozer decided to show up for a playoff game or two.
3) As I was talking about on the podcast this week, the most impressive thing about New Orleans has been their defense and their poise. In game 2, it was the defense that won it for the Hornets. In game 3, they were right there with the Spurs, on the road, until a good old-fashioned San Antonio 8-0 run in the fourth quarter. The Hornets don't seem to get rattled, they don't fold, and they commit on the defensive end. This bodes well for anyone wanting to see them win the series (people like me, for example.)
4) The Boston-Cleveland series has been unconscionably boring. How can a game have that many All Stars and first team All NBA guys and produce this Knicks-Heat-circa-1998 type scores. It's 2008, guys. It's okay to score more than 85 points, even in a playoff game.
5) Kobe deserved the MVP, so congrats to him. However, I don't think an injustice would have been done if Chris Paul, LeBron, or KG won it, either. So what does that say about the value of the award? Let me put it this way: Kobe has one. Shaq has one. Steve Nash has two. I love Steve Nash and all, but, um, no. No.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) Let us say goodbye to the Philadelphia 76ers. They gave Detroit more of a series than anyone expected. Considering how this season started, with them battling with the Knicks for the worst record in the East, to make the playoffs as the 7 seed and take two games from the team with the second-best record in the league, it's a huge accomplishment. They've got some intriguing young talent, Iguodala, Dalembert, and in particular Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams. If they pick up a guy who can shoot to take Willie Green's spot in the lineup, they could have something very interesting next year.
On a side note, can we stop with the revisionist history on Billy King? He gave out some contracts that are completely indefensible, like the ones to Dalembert (he's paid way more than what he plays like), Willie Green, Kevin Ollie. He was rarely able to put a good team around Allen Iverson in his prime. He was, and is, an atrocious GM. Which is why the Knicks are definitely hiring him.
2) Let us say goodbye to the Denver Nuggets. Way back in November, Kris and I both pretty much nailed this team: plenty of talent, good enough to make the playoffs, but not quite good enough to do much once they got there. Nice job by me and Kris (just don't go look and see what we said back then about the Bulls. Yikes.) It'll be interesting to see if they give another try with this group, or if they blow it all up. My guess is they fire George Karl, bring in Avery Johnson, and try to find a point guard in free agency. And, by the way, JR Smith is awesome, and insane. I'm not sorry to see the Nuggets go, but I will miss getting to see JR's brand of batty ridiculousness. He can do this.
3) Let us say goodbye to the Phoenix Suns. And not just this year, but the whole recent conception of the Phoenix Suns, where saying "Phoenix Suns" meant something different in the NBA. Actually, I'll point you to some places that said goodbye better than I could, such as Simmons' column, Henry Abbot's TrueHoop post, and Kelly Dwyer's take on Ball Don't Lie. But before we go, we must say F You to Boris Diaw. I think it's all his fault.
4) Let us say goodbye to the Dallas Mavericks. I never wanted to see them here in the first place - I would have preferred to see Golden State. Two years in a row they fail in the first round. To me, this is just proving that Josh Howard is way overrated. He wasn't great against Golden State last year, and he came up very small against New Orleans this year. You can't put it all on Dirk, especially if you have a second so-called star on the team that's not doing anything in particular to help the team win. Sorry to see Avery Johnson get fired, but he'll get a job with someone soon, and he'll succeed (as long as he stops micro-managing the point guards.)
5) Let us say goodbye to the Toronto Raptors. If a playoff series happens and no one can watch it, does it make a sound? It does if Dwight Howard is putting up Moses-Malone-like numbers, which he did in this series (who gets three 20pt-20reb games in a series?) The Raptors have some great players in Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon. They have some interesting players like Jamarrio Moon and Anthony Parker. They just need to get some freakin' time on national TV, so people can see that they play entertaining, up-tempo basketball. Stupid anti-Canada bias.
On a side note, can we stop with the revisionist history on Billy King? He gave out some contracts that are completely indefensible, like the ones to Dalembert (he's paid way more than what he plays like), Willie Green, Kevin Ollie. He was rarely able to put a good team around Allen Iverson in his prime. He was, and is, an atrocious GM. Which is why the Knicks are definitely hiring him.
2) Let us say goodbye to the Denver Nuggets. Way back in November, Kris and I both pretty much nailed this team: plenty of talent, good enough to make the playoffs, but not quite good enough to do much once they got there. Nice job by me and Kris (just don't go look and see what we said back then about the Bulls. Yikes.) It'll be interesting to see if they give another try with this group, or if they blow it all up. My guess is they fire George Karl, bring in Avery Johnson, and try to find a point guard in free agency. And, by the way, JR Smith is awesome, and insane. I'm not sorry to see the Nuggets go, but I will miss getting to see JR's brand of batty ridiculousness. He can do this.
3) Let us say goodbye to the Phoenix Suns. And not just this year, but the whole recent conception of the Phoenix Suns, where saying "Phoenix Suns" meant something different in the NBA. Actually, I'll point you to some places that said goodbye better than I could, such as Simmons' column, Henry Abbot's TrueHoop post, and Kelly Dwyer's take on Ball Don't Lie. But before we go, we must say F You to Boris Diaw. I think it's all his fault.
4) Let us say goodbye to the Dallas Mavericks. I never wanted to see them here in the first place - I would have preferred to see Golden State. Two years in a row they fail in the first round. To me, this is just proving that Josh Howard is way overrated. He wasn't great against Golden State last year, and he came up very small against New Orleans this year. You can't put it all on Dirk, especially if you have a second so-called star on the team that's not doing anything in particular to help the team win. Sorry to see Avery Johnson get fired, but he'll get a job with someone soon, and he'll succeed (as long as he stops micro-managing the point guards.)
5) Let us say goodbye to the Toronto Raptors. If a playoff series happens and no one can watch it, does it make a sound? It does if Dwight Howard is putting up Moses-Malone-like numbers, which he did in this series (who gets three 20pt-20reb games in a series?) The Raptors have some great players in Chris Bosh and Jose Calderon. They have some interesting players like Jamarrio Moon and Anthony Parker. They just need to get some freakin' time on national TV, so people can see that they play entertaining, up-tempo basketball. Stupid anti-Canada bias.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
NBA Playoff preview edition!
1) 1 vs 8 matchups:
Boston vs Atlanta
Boston sweeps. Atlanta never gets within 10 points at the end of a game.
To watch: How many more Celtics fans show up in Atlanta than Hawks fans (sic)
LA Lakers vs Denver
Lakers in five. Denver makes it more competitive than the Lakers will care for.
To watch: The number of terrible "Carmelo got a DUI" jokes
2) 2 vs 7 matchups:
Detroit vs Philadelphia
Detroit in five. Philadelphia doesn't have enough talent and depth, but they'll be worthy opponents, even in defeat.
To watch: How many minutes does Flip Saunders play his young/talented/less-untested-than-they-were-before bench now that it's the Playoffs?
New Orleans vs Dallas
Dallas in seven. A pissed off and newly confident Dirk is the difference.
To watch: If New Orleans can get anything out of its bench (and considering that's Bonzi Wells, Jannero Pargo, and Julian Wright, that's asking a lot) it will win instead.
3) 3 vs 6 matchups:
Orlando vs Toronto
Orlando in six. Orlando has three of the best four players in this series which should be enough.
To watch: The Raptors - we hardly ever get to see these guys play, so why not start now?
San Antonio vs Phoenix
Phoenix in seven. Holy. Freakin'. Crap. Best first round matchup ever?
To watch: Every blessed minute.
4) 4 vs 5 matchups:
Cleveland vs Washington
Washington in six. LeBron's aching, his supporting cast still blows, and Washington gets its big three back healthy at the right time against an opponent they have motivation to beat.
To watch: LeBron's inevitable vicious dunk on DeShawn Stevenson's bearded head.
Utah vs Houston
Utah in six. One of the best offensive teams (Utah) against one of the best defensive teams (Houston.) Utah's defense is way better than Houston's offense without Yao, so that's the advantage.
To watch: Can Deron Williams dominate in the Playoffs like he did last year?
5) Keep checking us here for more NBA Playoff coverage. And don't forget to check out The Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast, which we'll still be doing weekly throughout the postseason.
If you're still not ready, just watch this dunk, and get yourself right.
1) 1 vs 8 matchups:
Boston vs Atlanta
Boston sweeps. Atlanta never gets within 10 points at the end of a game.
To watch: How many more Celtics fans show up in Atlanta than Hawks fans (sic)
LA Lakers vs Denver
Lakers in five. Denver makes it more competitive than the Lakers will care for.
To watch: The number of terrible "Carmelo got a DUI" jokes
2) 2 vs 7 matchups:
Detroit vs Philadelphia
Detroit in five. Philadelphia doesn't have enough talent and depth, but they'll be worthy opponents, even in defeat.
To watch: How many minutes does Flip Saunders play his young/talented/less-untested-than-they-were-before bench now that it's the Playoffs?
New Orleans vs Dallas
Dallas in seven. A pissed off and newly confident Dirk is the difference.
To watch: If New Orleans can get anything out of its bench (and considering that's Bonzi Wells, Jannero Pargo, and Julian Wright, that's asking a lot) it will win instead.
3) 3 vs 6 matchups:
Orlando vs Toronto
Orlando in six. Orlando has three of the best four players in this series which should be enough.
To watch: The Raptors - we hardly ever get to see these guys play, so why not start now?
San Antonio vs Phoenix
Phoenix in seven. Holy. Freakin'. Crap. Best first round matchup ever?
To watch: Every blessed minute.
4) 4 vs 5 matchups:
Cleveland vs Washington
Washington in six. LeBron's aching, his supporting cast still blows, and Washington gets its big three back healthy at the right time against an opponent they have motivation to beat.
To watch: LeBron's inevitable vicious dunk on DeShawn Stevenson's bearded head.
Utah vs Houston
Utah in six. One of the best offensive teams (Utah) against one of the best defensive teams (Houston.) Utah's defense is way better than Houston's offense without Yao, so that's the advantage.
To watch: Can Deron Williams dominate in the Playoffs like he did last year?
5) Keep checking us here for more NBA Playoff coverage. And don't forget to check out The Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast, which we'll still be doing weekly throughout the postseason.
If you're still not ready, just watch this dunk, and get yourself right.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) Yes, we know. We've been gone a little while. We know you've wanted to hear what we've thought about the NCAA final (I guess free throws DO matter after all) and the hiring of Donnie Walsh (guardedly optimistic) and instead you got only silence. We won't let it happen again. Okay, we probably will. But we'll feel bad about it next time. Okay, we won't. Next time we'll be thinking of you in our absence. Okay, no, we won't. At the very least, we'll think of you as we're pooping. Okay, when we're flushing.
2) The Warriors lost to the Nuggets tonight, which all but sends Denver to the playoffs, keeping Golden State out. That is a huge bummer. The playoffs, especially in the Western Conference, is all set to be incredible (and you'll be hearing about it a lot here, and on the Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast) but it won't be as awesome as it could be without Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, and Monte Ellis running all over the place, and with that Oracle crowd going berserk.
3) Why did the Warriors miss the playoffs? Don Nelson barely used 8 guys all year, and he employs a fast-paced, run up and down the floor all night system. As such, the last couple of weeks, Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis, 30 and 29 years old respectively, have looked tired and haven't played their best consistently. So you can blame the coach a bit, I'd say. It also hasn't helped that this is the strongest the West has been in a long time - the Warriors are going to win just about 50 games and miss the playoffs, which doesn't happen.
4) Here's my theory on early season baseball: all you have to be is around .500 by the time the NBA Finals are done, with no major injuries, and the team will be fine. That's why it's pointless to get too worked up about, say, the Tigers looking so bad or the Cardinals looking so good. It's a really, really, really, really long season. Stay around .500 until June, then play better than that for the rest of the year, and you'll be looking at the playoffs.
5) Not sure if you all saw this, but Sports Illustrated but it's entire archive online, in searchable form. Here's the link: Sports Illustrated Vault It's got all 54 years of articles and cover photos and such. Lots of fascinating stuff on there. For example, last week for the podcast, I looked up a great article about Walt Clyde Frazier from 1975, and another one about Bernard King from 1991.
Here's a fun project for you, readers: Go find an interesting article for us to read, and post it in the comments. Remember, you can either use HTML in the comments to make the link fit (if any of you brainiacs know how to write HTLM) or you can use TinyURL, which lets you take long web addresses and shrink them.
The best article posted in the comments wins! Wins what, you ask? As if you have to ask!
2) The Warriors lost to the Nuggets tonight, which all but sends Denver to the playoffs, keeping Golden State out. That is a huge bummer. The playoffs, especially in the Western Conference, is all set to be incredible (and you'll be hearing about it a lot here, and on the Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast) but it won't be as awesome as it could be without Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, and Monte Ellis running all over the place, and with that Oracle crowd going berserk.
3) Why did the Warriors miss the playoffs? Don Nelson barely used 8 guys all year, and he employs a fast-paced, run up and down the floor all night system. As such, the last couple of weeks, Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis, 30 and 29 years old respectively, have looked tired and haven't played their best consistently. So you can blame the coach a bit, I'd say. It also hasn't helped that this is the strongest the West has been in a long time - the Warriors are going to win just about 50 games and miss the playoffs, which doesn't happen.
4) Here's my theory on early season baseball: all you have to be is around .500 by the time the NBA Finals are done, with no major injuries, and the team will be fine. That's why it's pointless to get too worked up about, say, the Tigers looking so bad or the Cardinals looking so good. It's a really, really, really, really long season. Stay around .500 until June, then play better than that for the rest of the year, and you'll be looking at the playoffs.
5) Not sure if you all saw this, but Sports Illustrated but it's entire archive online, in searchable form. Here's the link: Sports Illustrated Vault It's got all 54 years of articles and cover photos and such. Lots of fascinating stuff on there. For example, last week for the podcast, I looked up a great article about Walt Clyde Frazier from 1975, and another one about Bernard King from 1991.
Here's a fun project for you, readers: Go find an interesting article for us to read, and post it in the comments. Remember, you can either use HTML in the comments to make the link fit (if any of you brainiacs know how to write HTLM) or you can use TinyURL, which lets you take long web addresses and shrink them.
The best article posted in the comments wins! Wins what, you ask? As if you have to ask!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) When a guy is right, he's right. And Kris, well, he's been right. Everything he said about Thursday night's games were dead on. There's a good chance everything he said about Friday's games will be right, too. I don't know about you all, but I'm not sure how I feel about a world where Kris is this right all the time. Someone hold me.
2) It all came together for me watching tonight's NBA games: I really want Dallas to miss the playoffs. First, because Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and JR Smith (JR Smith can do this) should be in the playoffs. For maximum entertainment, and to see if AI has another run in him (which for Martin might make up for Georgetown's early tourney exit.) Second, because Baron Davis (and his beard), Stephen Jackson (and his crazy chest tattoo), and Monte Ellis (and his Monte Ellis-ness) should be in the playoffs. For ultra-maximum entertainment, and to have the Golden State crowd back in our lives. Third, because Josh Howard doesn't need to be in the playoffs. Because he doesn't do anything for me; he's good, but uninspiringly so. Fourth, because Mark Cuban has been on my nerves (the blogger ban was fucktarded) and I'd like to see him suffer a little. For these four reasons, take your time coming back, Dirk.
3) All of this good basketball happening on the West Coast is not helping my insomnia. At all. I'm staying up late on Tuesday and Wednesday nights to make sure I catch Lakers-Warriors and Wizards-Sonics games. And just wait until the playoffs start. I may never sleep again.
4) The Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast now is on Facebook! If any of you lovely readers are also on Facebook, come check out our page and become a fan. And, you know, feel free to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. It is free, and you'll make this Jewish guy in Chicago real happy if you did.
5) Yesterday was erstwhile Sherman Avenue Block Party writer Josh's birthday. If anyone has seen him lately, tell him happy birthday from all of us here at the Block Party. Also tell him that he is old. And possibly gay. But definitely old.
2) It all came together for me watching tonight's NBA games: I really want Dallas to miss the playoffs. First, because Allen Iverson, Carmelo Anthony, and JR Smith (JR Smith can do this) should be in the playoffs. For maximum entertainment, and to see if AI has another run in him (which for Martin might make up for Georgetown's early tourney exit.) Second, because Baron Davis (and his beard), Stephen Jackson (and his crazy chest tattoo), and Monte Ellis (and his Monte Ellis-ness) should be in the playoffs. For ultra-maximum entertainment, and to have the Golden State crowd back in our lives. Third, because Josh Howard doesn't need to be in the playoffs. Because he doesn't do anything for me; he's good, but uninspiringly so. Fourth, because Mark Cuban has been on my nerves (the blogger ban was fucktarded) and I'd like to see him suffer a little. For these four reasons, take your time coming back, Dirk.
3) All of this good basketball happening on the West Coast is not helping my insomnia. At all. I'm staying up late on Tuesday and Wednesday nights to make sure I catch Lakers-Warriors and Wizards-Sonics games. And just wait until the playoffs start. I may never sleep again.
4) The Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast now is on Facebook! If any of you lovely readers are also on Facebook, come check out our page and become a fan. And, you know, feel free to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. It is free, and you'll make this Jewish guy in Chicago real happy if you did.
5) Yesterday was erstwhile Sherman Avenue Block Party writer Josh's birthday. If anyone has seen him lately, tell him happy birthday from all of us here at the Block Party. Also tell him that he is old. And possibly gay. But definitely old.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) Call Kris out and look at all the posts he did this week. You should read them all, if you haven't already. What have we learned from all this? Kris does know his college ball, and he does respond to taunts.
2) If you didn't get a chance to see Black Magic on ESPN this past Sunday and Monday, you should definitely find a way to do so. Extremely well done documentary on basketball players and coaches that came through historically black colleges, starting from around the 1940s. I am not too proud to admit that I had not heard of many of the people featured, like John McLendon, Earl Lloyd, and Ben Jobe. This is enriching, as a good documentary should be. Great stories that needed to be told, especially in light of all the racial issues brought up during this election season (I hope you all saw or read Obama's speech from Tuesday.) Black Magic is worth it just for the great old footage alone, including video of Earl Monroe, who was called "Black Jesus" for a reason. There are some clips HERE, so check those out.
3) I assume we all were disappointed that Belmont couldn't pull off their upset of Duke. And that was about the only particularly good thing I saw on day one of the tourney. The rest of the games could barely hold my interest. San Antonio-Boston and Utah-Lakers were far more entertaining.
4) Speaking of the NCAA, I've mentioned that I haven't watched much college ball this year. One thing I noticed is that the college game is much, much slower. The longer shot clock makes possessions seem to take forever. And in the close games, coaches seem to take way more timeouts than they do in the pros. Maybe I was watching the wrong teams this time or something, but this is what struck me the most today.
5) So it's supposed to snow in Chicago. This late in March. 5 to 8 inches I hear. This proves once and for all that Jesus does not want the people of this city to be happy. Happy Easter!
2) If you didn't get a chance to see Black Magic on ESPN this past Sunday and Monday, you should definitely find a way to do so. Extremely well done documentary on basketball players and coaches that came through historically black colleges, starting from around the 1940s. I am not too proud to admit that I had not heard of many of the people featured, like John McLendon, Earl Lloyd, and Ben Jobe. This is enriching, as a good documentary should be. Great stories that needed to be told, especially in light of all the racial issues brought up during this election season (I hope you all saw or read Obama's speech from Tuesday.) Black Magic is worth it just for the great old footage alone, including video of Earl Monroe, who was called "Black Jesus" for a reason. There are some clips HERE, so check those out.
3) I assume we all were disappointed that Belmont couldn't pull off their upset of Duke. And that was about the only particularly good thing I saw on day one of the tourney. The rest of the games could barely hold my interest. San Antonio-Boston and Utah-Lakers were far more entertaining.
4) Speaking of the NCAA, I've mentioned that I haven't watched much college ball this year. One thing I noticed is that the college game is much, much slower. The longer shot clock makes possessions seem to take forever. And in the close games, coaches seem to take way more timeouts than they do in the pros. Maybe I was watching the wrong teams this time or something, but this is what struck me the most today.
5) So it's supposed to snow in Chicago. This late in March. 5 to 8 inches I hear. This proves once and for all that Jesus does not want the people of this city to be happy. Happy Easter!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) Wanna hear something crazy? The Houston Rockets have won 20 games in a row. Twenty! The other teams in NBA history that have won 20 had Wilt and Kareem on them. The Rockets have just McGrady, who is very good, but is no Wilt or Kareem. Yao is no Wilt or Kareem, either. This is a wonderfully baffling phenomenon. And it’ll probably be 21 after they beat the eminently beatable Charlotte Bobcats tonight. Then it’ll end sometime over the next four games since they play the Lakers, Celtics, at the Hornets, and at the Warirors. 
2) Wanna hear something crazy? Look at the standings in the Southwest Division in the NBA. Four out of the five teams are well over .600. Any one of those four teams is a legit contender to win the Finals (and who would have said that about the Rockets before this streak?) And if not for the putridity of the Memphis Grizzlies, or maybe even in spite of it, you can make the argument that this is one of the strongest divisions in any sport ever.
3) Wanna hear something crazy? Britney Spears is on the cover of the Atlantic Monthly. What’s next? Arthur Schlesinger on the cover of Star? A story in US Weekly about Reinhold Niebuhr?
4) Wanna hear something crazy? Here at this blog, we have a writer, a guy who calls himself the Innovator, that works in college basketball, that knows college basketball better than anyone we know, and conference tournaments are going on, and the big tourney is coming up. And yet, have we heard from this Innovator here? Has he not a few minutes in his busy schedule to impart some college basketball wisdom upon us? Is he too busy innovating? That’s right, I’m calling you out, Kris. This is supposed to be your time of the year to shine. Start shining!
5) Wanna hear something crazy? Isiah Thomas is still employed.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
The "so late it might as well be Saturday" edition!
1) I don’t wish to alarm you, but the Houston Rockets have won 17 games in a row. Five in a row since Yao Ming was injured. Everyone who wrote the obituary for the Rockets after Yao was hurt seemed to have done so prematurely. That said, it is also true that they haven’t beat the toughest competition (last night was the Mavs without Dirk, who was suspended) and that this isn’t the playoffs. What it shows, if nothing else, is that making sweeping proclamations in immediate reaction to a news item is always a bad idea.
2) I don’t wish to alarm you, but the San Antonio Spurs have won 11 games in a row. And have the best record in the West. And once again have to be considered the favorite to win the whole thing. The question you have to ask as we near the playoffs is this: who will guard Tim Duncan? On Phoenix – Shaq and Amare can’t guard Duncan. On Utah – Carlos Boozer and Memo Okur can’t guard Tim Duncan. On the Lakers – who guards Tim Duncan? Pau Gasol? Ronny Turiaf? DJ Mbenga? That won’t be good for LA. And I’m going on record here (and on the Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast this week) saying that Andrew Bynum won’t play again this season. Dude dislocated his knee cap. That’s going to take some time to heal up to running-and-jumping-all-the-time shape. Without him, they have no one to guard Tim Duncan.
3) I don’t wish to alarm you, but we change the clocks for Daylight Saving this weekend. I keep forgetting that Congress changed the law to make this happen earlier than usual. It used to be that the changing of the clocks was the prelude to the coming of spring. It’s still not supposed to be above 40 in Chicago for a while, so there is no hope of spring any time soon. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go drown myself in a deep dish pizza.
4) I don’t wish to alarm you, but the NCAA Tournament fast approaches. That means people like me will start actually paying attention to college basketball for the first time all year. Then I can pretend to sound knowledgeable about second-rate teams from the SEC while I hand in a bracket for a pool at work. “Oh, yeah, I think Vanderbilt can definitely make a run to the Sweet Sixteen. That Shan Foster is a beast!” (Note: I just went to Yahoo! Sports and looked up Vanderbilt’s top scorer. I wouldn’t know Shan Foster if he came to my house and wrote “Commodores” in permanent marker on my forehead after I’d passed out on my couch drunk again.)
5) I don’t wish to alarm you, but Kobe is not better than LeBron, and LeBron is not better than Kobe. After doing exhaustive and rigorous statistical analysis and going to the local university library stacks for some all night reading on modern psychology and comparative literature, I have come to the comprehensive conclusion that they are exactly and demonstrably equal in every way imaginable. So there.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
I've been exhausted lately, and am in our hometown of Teaneck right now to celebrate my father's 15th official birthday. So here's a short version of the five:
1) Read Chuck Klosterman's article in the NY Times about the Celtics. Great stuff.
2) Read the Ball Don't Lie blog on Yahoo! Sports everyday. J.E. Skeets and Kelly Dwyer know the game and are both funny. Rod Benson (D-League All Star) has the best athlete blog there is.
3) The Sporting News has a blog now that is pretty interesting. Another one to add to your daily readings.
4) Listen to the Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast. Please?
5) I'll have more to say about the Jets' moves in free agency once it all settles down. I know, I know, you all wait with baited breath.
1) Read Chuck Klosterman's article in the NY Times about the Celtics. Great stuff.
2) Read the Ball Don't Lie blog on Yahoo! Sports everyday. J.E. Skeets and Kelly Dwyer know the game and are both funny. Rod Benson (D-League All Star) has the best athlete blog there is.
3) The Sporting News has a blog now that is pretty interesting. Another one to add to your daily readings.
4) Listen to the Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast. Please?
5) I'll have more to say about the Jets' moves in free agency once it all settles down. I know, I know, you all wait with baited breath.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
NBA Trade Deadline Winners/Losers Edition!
1) Winner: Cleveland. They are a much better team post-trade, adding Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak in the back court, and only having to give up Larry Hughes (who stinks and has a ridiculously large and long contract) and Drew Gooden (who is pretty good, but Joe Smith can split his minutes with Varejao.) LeBron has to be pleased that he has people on the team besides him that can actually score. And adding Ben Wallace can't hurt, especially since they still have Big Z, so Ben doesn't have to play all the minutes at center - they can play him a more manageable 20-25 minutes, and have him play defense against the other big people in the league. All in all, this should make Cleveland one of the definitive top teams in the East, just a bit below Boston and Detroit and maybe just ahead of Orlando.
2) Loser: Chicago. At about this time last year, the Bulls had many young pieces (Deng, Gordon, Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas), PJ Brown's expiring contract, and the Knicks' #1 pick (which turned out to be Noah.) They probably could have had KG, Gasol, Marion, Rashard Lewis, or some other talented player. What do they have to show for all that instead? A team that'll be lucky to win 35 games this year, many fewer tradeable assets since some of their young pieces have devalued (Deng, Gordon, Hinrich), and they now employ Larry freakin' Hughes. If Paxson isn't fired at the end of the season, then he and Isiah Thomas must have made the same Faustian bargain.
3) Winners: San Antonio and New Orleans. The Spurs didn't do anything crazy, but the Kurt Thomas trade was awesome for them. They didn't give up much (Francisco Elston and the aging/injured Brent Barry) and they get a super-solid guy that can play defense, rebound, score, and not cause any problems in the locker room. The Hornets got deeper and more talented (and a bit more crazy) adding Bonzi Wells and Mike James, with only having to give up Bobby Jackson (still has some game, but not like he did with the Kings back in the early part of this decade.) That sets them up nicely to make a run in the playoffs.
4) Losers: Seattle fans. Sure, the moves may be smart from a salary cap perspective. But the Sonics are probably (and unfortunately) leaving the city, so these moves will likely pay off for the people of Oklahoma City. For now, they have to try to get excited about the likes of Ira Newble, Francisco Elston, Donyell Marshall, and Adrian Griffin. That sound you just heard was the Sonics fanbase collectively trying to drown themselves in the Puget Sound.
5) Winners: NBA fans. You can trace this back to the summer, as the Celtics got better with KG and Allen, and as the Magic picked up Rashard Lewis. Follow it through to the Jazz getting Kyle Korver, the Lakers getting Gasol, the Suns getting Shaq, Dallas getting Kidd, the improvement of the Piston's bench, the improvement of the entire Toronto roster, the further emergence of Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, the Warriors still being the Warriors, and the trades mentioned above. What it all adds up to is that the league is in as good a shape as its been in a long time. There is going to be exciting basketball played from now through June, just about every night. What could be better than that?
Bonus Losers: Knicks fans. The NBA is awesome right now, and our team stinks (they just lost by 40(!) to the Sixers (!!!)) On top of that, they probably have the most hopeless situation of anyone. We don't get to share in the fun, and all we have to look forward to is the day when Isiah Thomas is finally fired. I feel like Isiah is holding us hostage, but there will be no Stockholm Syndrome here - the hate I feel in my heart for this situation is brutal and ugly and should not be aired publicly. All I should say is that in this dawning of a new glorious age of the NBA, we are being left in the shadows.
1) Winner: Cleveland. They are a much better team post-trade, adding Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak in the back court, and only having to give up Larry Hughes (who stinks and has a ridiculously large and long contract) and Drew Gooden (who is pretty good, but Joe Smith can split his minutes with Varejao.) LeBron has to be pleased that he has people on the team besides him that can actually score. And adding Ben Wallace can't hurt, especially since they still have Big Z, so Ben doesn't have to play all the minutes at center - they can play him a more manageable 20-25 minutes, and have him play defense against the other big people in the league. All in all, this should make Cleveland one of the definitive top teams in the East, just a bit below Boston and Detroit and maybe just ahead of Orlando.
2) Loser: Chicago. At about this time last year, the Bulls had many young pieces (Deng, Gordon, Hinrich, Tyrus Thomas), PJ Brown's expiring contract, and the Knicks' #1 pick (which turned out to be Noah.) They probably could have had KG, Gasol, Marion, Rashard Lewis, or some other talented player. What do they have to show for all that instead? A team that'll be lucky to win 35 games this year, many fewer tradeable assets since some of their young pieces have devalued (Deng, Gordon, Hinrich), and they now employ Larry freakin' Hughes. If Paxson isn't fired at the end of the season, then he and Isiah Thomas must have made the same Faustian bargain.
3) Winners: San Antonio and New Orleans. The Spurs didn't do anything crazy, but the Kurt Thomas trade was awesome for them. They didn't give up much (Francisco Elston and the aging/injured Brent Barry) and they get a super-solid guy that can play defense, rebound, score, and not cause any problems in the locker room. The Hornets got deeper and more talented (and a bit more crazy) adding Bonzi Wells and Mike James, with only having to give up Bobby Jackson (still has some game, but not like he did with the Kings back in the early part of this decade.) That sets them up nicely to make a run in the playoffs.
4) Losers: Seattle fans. Sure, the moves may be smart from a salary cap perspective. But the Sonics are probably (and unfortunately) leaving the city, so these moves will likely pay off for the people of Oklahoma City. For now, they have to try to get excited about the likes of Ira Newble, Francisco Elston, Donyell Marshall, and Adrian Griffin. That sound you just heard was the Sonics fanbase collectively trying to drown themselves in the Puget Sound.
5) Winners: NBA fans. You can trace this back to the summer, as the Celtics got better with KG and Allen, and as the Magic picked up Rashard Lewis. Follow it through to the Jazz getting Kyle Korver, the Lakers getting Gasol, the Suns getting Shaq, Dallas getting Kidd, the improvement of the Piston's bench, the improvement of the entire Toronto roster, the further emergence of Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, the Warriors still being the Warriors, and the trades mentioned above. What it all adds up to is that the league is in as good a shape as its been in a long time. There is going to be exciting basketball played from now through June, just about every night. What could be better than that?
Bonus Losers: Knicks fans. The NBA is awesome right now, and our team stinks (they just lost by 40(!) to the Sixers (!!!)) On top of that, they probably have the most hopeless situation of anyone. We don't get to share in the fun, and all we have to look forward to is the day when Isiah Thomas is finally fired. I feel like Isiah is holding us hostage, but there will be no Stockholm Syndrome here - the hate I feel in my heart for this situation is brutal and ugly and should not be aired publicly. All I should say is that in this dawning of a new glorious age of the NBA, we are being left in the shadows.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) The NBA All-Star break comes at an odd time for the league. It's one of the few times of the year where the NBA gets front-and-center sports fan attention, since football is over, baseball hasn't started yet, and no one cares about hockey anymore. Except, this is the time of the year where a lot of teams already start to look ahead to the time off, and badly mail in some games. So you get the phenomenon of people finally starting to give the NBA a real look, only to find some well-hyped teams playing lethargically. The NBA should try to do something about this. Well, the only thing they can do is shorten the season, which will never happen, since it takes away revenue, so I guess we'll have to live with it. And the occasional Suns-Warriors game (like last Wednesday night) to get us by.
2) One of the cool things going on this weekend is that there's All-Star events for the NBDL, too. They're going to have them play HORSE, which could be a cool test to see if that can work for the NBA (as people like Bill Simmons have been calling for for years.) Also, it'll be a chance to see my favorite player-blogger, Rod Benson. If you're not reading Too Much Rod Benson, you're missing out. Boom Tho!
3) Besides this very sentence, I'm not writing a thing about the "story that should just go away and leave me alone but seriously I can't believe Congress is wasting its time holding hearings when it's barely looking at odious bills trying to give retroactive immunity to telecom companies but sure let's all get a chance to call a baseball player a big fat liar" issue that is Roger Clemens.
4) Do respond to Kris' query below. And while I'm plugging things, new Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast this week. I thank you for your support.
5) In light of the Jason Kidd trade being held up by the incomparable Devean George, and because it is the worst winter in Chicago since I've been here, and since I feel like it and it's my freakin' regular blog feature so I'll do whatever my mood strikes, I leave you with this poem.
Ode to Melancholy
No, no! go not to Lethe, neither twist
Wolf's-bane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine;
Nor suffer thy pale forehead to be kissed
By nightshade, ruby grape of Proserpine;
Make not your rosary of yew-berries,
Nor let the beetle nor the death-moth be
Your mournful Psyche, nor the downy owl
A partner in your sorrow's mysteries;
For shade to shade will come too drowsily,
And drown the wakeful anguish of the soul.
But when the melancholy fit shall fall
Sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud,
That fosters the droop-headed flowers all,
And hides the green hill in an April shroud;
Then glut thy sorrow on a morning rose,
Or on the rainbow of the salt sand-wave,
Or on the wealth of globed peonies;
Or if thy mistress some rich anger shows,
Emprison her soft hand, and let her rave,
And feed deep, deep upon her peerless eyes.
She dwells with Beauty -- Beauty that must die;
And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips
Bidding adieu; and aching Pleasure nigh,
Turning to poison while the bee-mouth sips;
Ay, in the very temple of delight
Veiled Melancholy has her sovran shrine,
Though seen of none save him whose strenuous
tongue
Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine;
His soul shall taste the sadness of her might,
And be among her cloudy trophies hung.
My man John Keats said that.
2) One of the cool things going on this weekend is that there's All-Star events for the NBDL, too. They're going to have them play HORSE, which could be a cool test to see if that can work for the NBA (as people like Bill Simmons have been calling for for years.) Also, it'll be a chance to see my favorite player-blogger, Rod Benson. If you're not reading Too Much Rod Benson, you're missing out. Boom Tho!
3) Besides this very sentence, I'm not writing a thing about the "story that should just go away and leave me alone but seriously I can't believe Congress is wasting its time holding hearings when it's barely looking at odious bills trying to give retroactive immunity to telecom companies but sure let's all get a chance to call a baseball player a big fat liar" issue that is Roger Clemens.
4) Do respond to Kris' query below. And while I'm plugging things, new Disciples of Clyde NBA Podcast this week. I thank you for your support.
5) In light of the Jason Kidd trade being held up by the incomparable Devean George, and because it is the worst winter in Chicago since I've been here, and since I feel like it and it's my freakin' regular blog feature so I'll do whatever my mood strikes, I leave you with this poem.
Ode to Melancholy
No, no! go not to Lethe, neither twist
Wolf's-bane, tight-rooted, for its poisonous wine;
Nor suffer thy pale forehead to be kissed
By nightshade, ruby grape of Proserpine;
Make not your rosary of yew-berries,
Nor let the beetle nor the death-moth be
Your mournful Psyche, nor the downy owl
A partner in your sorrow's mysteries;
For shade to shade will come too drowsily,
And drown the wakeful anguish of the soul.
But when the melancholy fit shall fall
Sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud,
That fosters the droop-headed flowers all,
And hides the green hill in an April shroud;
Then glut thy sorrow on a morning rose,
Or on the rainbow of the salt sand-wave,
Or on the wealth of globed peonies;
Or if thy mistress some rich anger shows,
Emprison her soft hand, and let her rave,
And feed deep, deep upon her peerless eyes.
She dwells with Beauty -- Beauty that must die;
And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips
Bidding adieu; and aching Pleasure nigh,
Turning to poison while the bee-mouth sips;
Ay, in the very temple of delight
Veiled Melancholy has her sovran shrine,
Though seen of none save him whose strenuous
tongue
Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine;
His soul shall taste the sadness of her might,
And be among her cloudy trophies hung.
My man John Keats said that.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) I wish I could have a contrary opinion about the Shaq trade. I wish I could do like Michael Wilbon's article on Thursday, and try to talk myself into how this could work. I wish I could believe what Byron Scott said in that article, that Shaq on the Suns could be like an old Kareem playing with the Showtime Lakers. I wish I could understand how an injured, slow, 35-year-old Shaq fits in with the up-tempo Suns offense. But I can't. It made no sense to me when I first heard it, and it makes no sense to me now. I can't see it working. At all. Well, except as comic relief in their locker room.
2) Speaking of the Suns, the double-overtime game with the Hornets was reason number 5,478 why League Pass is worth the money. Fast-paced, well-played, with clutch shooting at the end of quarters and overtimes. Chris Paul was a man possessed, especially after having a bad game against Deron Williams the night before. 42 pts, 9 assists, 8 steals, 5 rebounds, 1 TO. That's as sick of a line as you can get. The rest of the All-Stars - Nash, Amare, and our boy David West - played at a high level, too. This is a perfect example of why the NBA is back to being must-watch on most nights of the week. Though I wonder how many more Suns games will look like this now that they have Shaq (damn you Steve Kerr. damn you to hell.)
3) Speaking of trades, I love the Gasol trade for LA. First, you get rid of Kwame Brown, who makes Michael Olowokandi look like Hakeem Olajuwon. Second, you get a seven-footer who is perfect for the triangle offense, since Pau can shoot and pass. I'm even kind of happy for Kobe, because I'd like to see the game's best player get another legit shot at the title, even though I think they'll ultimately not get past the Spurs. It's going to make the Western Conference playoffs that much more exciting, at the very least.
4) Speaking of the Lakers, despite their new team, they did lose to the Hawks the other night. I don't want to alarm anyone, but the Hawks are actually a pretty good team. And I don't want to further disturb you, but while Joe Johnson made the All Star team, he's not even the best player on the Hawks. That would be Josh Smith, who's averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3.4 blocks (2nd in the NBA), and 2 steals (8th in the NBA), with a PER of 21. And he's fun to watch, too. This is not even mentioning Al Horford and Josh Childress. Do yourselves a favor and catch a Hawks game, you'll feel like a super NBA smarty-pants if you do.
5) Um, do you know anyone who watches the Pro Bowl? Seriously, can you name one single person that is actually planning to watch it? I mean, sure, if you're already home, and you're flipping channels, and you already saw the Law & Order they're showing on TBS, then you might watch it for a minute. But to go out of your way to watch it? It doesn't happen. And if it does happen, I mean, damn. You sound worse than a guy that does nothing but sit around his condo eating take out and watching Hawks games on League Pass. Aloha!
2) Speaking of the Suns, the double-overtime game with the Hornets was reason number 5,478 why League Pass is worth the money. Fast-paced, well-played, with clutch shooting at the end of quarters and overtimes. Chris Paul was a man possessed, especially after having a bad game against Deron Williams the night before. 42 pts, 9 assists, 8 steals, 5 rebounds, 1 TO. That's as sick of a line as you can get. The rest of the All-Stars - Nash, Amare, and our boy David West - played at a high level, too. This is a perfect example of why the NBA is back to being must-watch on most nights of the week. Though I wonder how many more Suns games will look like this now that they have Shaq (damn you Steve Kerr. damn you to hell.)
3) Speaking of trades, I love the Gasol trade for LA. First, you get rid of Kwame Brown, who makes Michael Olowokandi look like Hakeem Olajuwon. Second, you get a seven-footer who is perfect for the triangle offense, since Pau can shoot and pass. I'm even kind of happy for Kobe, because I'd like to see the game's best player get another legit shot at the title, even though I think they'll ultimately not get past the Spurs. It's going to make the Western Conference playoffs that much more exciting, at the very least.
4) Speaking of the Lakers, despite their new team, they did lose to the Hawks the other night. I don't want to alarm anyone, but the Hawks are actually a pretty good team. And I don't want to further disturb you, but while Joe Johnson made the All Star team, he's not even the best player on the Hawks. That would be Josh Smith, who's averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3.4 blocks (2nd in the NBA), and 2 steals (8th in the NBA), with a PER of 21. And he's fun to watch, too. This is not even mentioning Al Horford and Josh Childress. Do yourselves a favor and catch a Hawks game, you'll feel like a super NBA smarty-pants if you do.
5) Um, do you know anyone who watches the Pro Bowl? Seriously, can you name one single person that is actually planning to watch it? I mean, sure, if you're already home, and you're flipping channels, and you already saw the Law & Order they're showing on TBS, then you might watch it for a minute. But to go out of your way to watch it? It doesn't happen. And if it does happen, I mean, damn. You sound worse than a guy that does nothing but sit around his condo eating take out and watching Hawks games on League Pass. Aloha!
Friday, February 1, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) My Super Bowl preview: expect me to consume about six or seven beers, several hundred chips, plenty of guacamole, cheese, and numerous chicken bits dipped in sauce. Over/under on pieces of vegetables dipped in something: 15. Bet the over.
2) I'll also most likely be annoying the people at my party with talk of offensive line play (the key to this game.) Because there's nothing the casual football fan likes more than to hear a football nerd talk about blocking schemes.
3) I don't give a fuck about the commercials. They are commercials. Fuck commercials, and fuck the people that only watch the game to watch fucking TV commercials. They should choke on guacamole that they lick off the tip of my cock. And while I'm at it, fuck Jordin Sparks, and fuck Tom Petty, and all of the Heartbreakers, too.
4) Here's player 1: 19.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, PER 20.7, 47.8% from the field, team is 32-13.
Here's player 2: 15.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, PER 19.9, 52.1% from the field, team is 33-14.
Player 1 is the one that goes to the All-Star game, right? Exactly. Hardly an argument.
So congratulations to Teaneck's own David West for his first All-Star appearance. Sorry, Shawn Marion. You're good, but not quite as good this year.
5) Really, all I want out of this Super Bowl is a good game. It's the last football game until September. Let's make it competitive, okay? You hear me, Eli? Just make it fun to watch for four quarters.
2) I'll also most likely be annoying the people at my party with talk of offensive line play (the key to this game.) Because there's nothing the casual football fan likes more than to hear a football nerd talk about blocking schemes.
3) I don't give a fuck about the commercials. They are commercials. Fuck commercials, and fuck the people that only watch the game to watch fucking TV commercials. They should choke on guacamole that they lick off the tip of my cock. And while I'm at it, fuck Jordin Sparks, and fuck Tom Petty, and all of the Heartbreakers, too.
4) Here's player 1: 19.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, PER 20.7, 47.8% from the field, team is 32-13.
Here's player 2: 15.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, PER 19.9, 52.1% from the field, team is 33-14.
Player 1 is the one that goes to the All-Star game, right? Exactly. Hardly an argument.
So congratulations to Teaneck's own David West for his first All-Star appearance. Sorry, Shawn Marion. You're good, but not quite as good this year.
5) Really, all I want out of this Super Bowl is a good game. It's the last football game until September. Let's make it competitive, okay? You hear me, Eli? Just make it fun to watch for four quarters.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) We approach our first Sunday with no football. What are you planning to do? Me, I'm planning on going out into my neighborhood and paying a couple of homeless looking folks to tackle each other while I sit with my buddy drinking and cracking jokes.
2) I see Cam Cameron has been hired as offensive coordinator for the Ravens. Game recognizes game just like suck recognizes suck, I suppose.
"I just smelled my own coaching!"
3) Did anyone see the ridiculous stretch of the third quarter where the Warriors were intentionally fouling Josh Boone of the Nets? Now, granted, Josh Boone is 34% from the line, which is Legally-Blonde-2 awful, and he did in fact air ball a free throw in this game (and not short but off to the right, which is hard to do.) But this isn't basketball. This is like walking a kid in little league so you can face the semi-retarded kid for the last out. I expect more from what's supposed to be the most entertaining team in the league. Like the 22-0 run they went on in the fourth quarter, for example.
4) On ESPN the other night, Tim Legler spent about 3 minutes talking about how good the Hornets are without mentioning David West once. He talked about Chris Paul, and Tyson Chandler, and the other shooters like Mo Peterson and Peja. He then closed the segment by saying that what the Hornets need is a forward they can throw the ball to in the low post, a guy who can really score. Um, they have one, Tim. His name is David West. He averages 19 points a game (along with 9 rebounds, with a PER just over 20) and is probably the second-best guy on the team behind Paul. God, I hate ESPN. All they do at this point is yell at me or tell me things that either aren't interesting or aren't true. They never enhance my sports knowledge in any way - you know, showing me things that I couldn't see on my own, like, say, slowing down a key play so I can see who set the good pick or who was slow on a defensive rotation, or something like that. I can barely take 10 minutes of any ESPN program any more, if that much.
5) On the podcast this week, we do a fun NBA challenge that you readers can participate in. We tried to construct a winning team using only people making less than $7 million, with no all-star appearances, not drafted in the last two years, and not about to get a max contract. Listen in, then go HERE and play along. See what you think of our teams, and then tell us your own in the comments.
2) I see Cam Cameron has been hired as offensive coordinator for the Ravens. Game recognizes game just like suck recognizes suck, I suppose.
"I just smelled my own coaching!"
3) Did anyone see the ridiculous stretch of the third quarter where the Warriors were intentionally fouling Josh Boone of the Nets? Now, granted, Josh Boone is 34% from the line, which is Legally-Blonde-2 awful, and he did in fact air ball a free throw in this game (and not short but off to the right, which is hard to do.) But this isn't basketball. This is like walking a kid in little league so you can face the semi-retarded kid for the last out. I expect more from what's supposed to be the most entertaining team in the league. Like the 22-0 run they went on in the fourth quarter, for example.
4) On ESPN the other night, Tim Legler spent about 3 minutes talking about how good the Hornets are without mentioning David West once. He talked about Chris Paul, and Tyson Chandler, and the other shooters like Mo Peterson and Peja. He then closed the segment by saying that what the Hornets need is a forward they can throw the ball to in the low post, a guy who can really score. Um, they have one, Tim. His name is David West. He averages 19 points a game (along with 9 rebounds, with a PER just over 20) and is probably the second-best guy on the team behind Paul. God, I hate ESPN. All they do at this point is yell at me or tell me things that either aren't interesting or aren't true. They never enhance my sports knowledge in any way - you know, showing me things that I couldn't see on my own, like, say, slowing down a key play so I can see who set the good pick or who was slow on a defensive rotation, or something like that. I can barely take 10 minutes of any ESPN program any more, if that much.
5) On the podcast this week, we do a fun NBA challenge that you readers can participate in. We tried to construct a winning team using only people making less than $7 million, with no all-star appearances, not drafted in the last two years, and not about to get a max contract. Listen in, then go HERE and play along. See what you think of our teams, and then tell us your own in the comments.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Filowitz's Friday Five
1) Only three NFL games left in the season. As good as the playoffs have been, and as good as this weekend promises to be, it’s always kind of sad to think that in just three weeks, there will be no football on Sundays. What other excuse do I have to go to a bar and drink on Sundays? If I’m not watching football and I’ve been drinking all Sunday afternoon, that just makes me a drunk.
2) The Chargers have absolutely nothing to lose this Sunday. They’re not supposed to beat the Patriots, so if they don’t, they won’t be criticized or face undue scrutiny. So they should feel free to play all-out, take risks, and just give it everything. That could make things a little interesting. It probably won’t be interesting, though. The Pats are too good. They’re not losing to a Chargers team that has most of their good players hurt. The Colts would have been a much better game to watch. So the only way this game is watchable is if the Chargers decide to say “f it” and play insane and inspired, and catch the Pats finally feeling the pressure of the undefeated season.
3) The Giants have absolutely nothing to lose this Sunday. They already have gone farther than anyone expected them to this year. Nobody really expects them to go into Green Bay and win (besides delusional Giants fans, like two who write for this blog, for example, who have twisted themselves into pretzels convincing themselves and anyone who will listen that Eli Manning is a great quarterback because he played decent in two playoff games. Keep up the good fight against the “haters”, guys. You all sound completely rational. Really.). So they, too, should feel free to play loose and take risks. Though it will be hard to play loose and free when the temperature will be in single digits. No single part of your body can be loose and free when it’s that f’ing cold.
4) Hey, did anyone notice that the Knicks won three games in a row? Against good teams? And they’ve been playing really well in the last six or seven games? Like, by moving the ball and getting assists and not taking as many ridiculously bad shots? And by giving at least a professional effort at playing defense? This is so confusing, making the season even more surreal than it has been so far. And it’s not likely to last, since Isiah is still in charge, after all. If you’ve heard the dumb trade rumors that have been floating around (Crawford for Larry Hughes, or Randolph for Vilanueva, Simmons, and Gadzuric, amongst other garbage) then you know there’s still plenty of time to f things up even worse than they already are. But, hey, a winning streak is a winning streak, and the Knicks haven’t had one since summer league.
5) Have I mentioned lately how awesome it is to have NBA League Pass? In a given week, I can flip around to see LeBron drop 51 on Memphis (and Rudy Gay go over 30, he’s having a good year on a crap team), the Wizards beat the Celtics for the second time (Caron Butler is becoming one of my favorite players), Sam Cassell turn back the clock for a night to put up 32pt, 6 reb, 7 ast against Phoenix, and hear a game or two called by Clyde. I get to see the resurgence of the NBA on a nightly basis. And rest assured, the league is in about as good a shape in terms of talent spread across many teams as its been in a decade. I think I need to start a new column on this blog to highlight all of this for you fine people (to go along with the Disciples of Clyde NBA podcast, which I hope you’ve been listening to.) So I will.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
