May 2006 Archives
May 30, 2006
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Good article on intelligent backups, something I don't presently do.
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Looks who's number 1.
May 25, 2006
CONFERENCE FINALS PREVIEW
Detroit v. Miami
The Piston's starting five is so good and so well balanced that the team almost doesn't need a bench. Still, after going deep in the first two rounds, the short rotation may finally take its toll. The Heat have depth but Shaq and Wade's supporting cast will be collecting social security before the GOP has time to dismantle it.
Regardless, the Pistons have been here before. They beat Shaq and Kobe. There's really no reason they shouldn't be able to handle Shaq and Wade. Miami may put it all together for game or two, but they lack the consistency to deliver the series. Look for Shaq to wear down as the series continues and the Piston's defense to figure out how to keep Wade out of the lane.
All bets are off if one of the Pistons goes down with an injury. This team is that integrated - a single player in the six man rotation goes out and the wheels could fall off at this point in the season.
Evidence that Kobe Bryant is Overrated: If Miami somehow manages to beat Detroit, there should really be no argument in the Wade / Kobe debate. Kobe took on Detroit with a stronger supporting cast, a younger Shaq, and a less-seasoned Pistons team.
All of the Kobe-lovers will argue this just shows that Wade is a better compliment to Shaq than Kobe. Fine, but my definition of a good basketball player is someone who has the intelligence and humility to assess his teammates and play in a manner that maximizes their collective ability to win games.
Of course, I'm sure Kobe's teammates were at the center of his thoughts when he took four shots in the second half of the Lakers' elimination game.
Bet on: Detroit.
Root for: Detroit.
[Ed. They've done it before. They'll do it again. That is all.]
Dallas v. Phoenix
Don Nelson, on some beach in Hawaii, is smiling. The NBA (at least the West) has been rebuilt in his image (well, not his 400-pound, one-heart-attack-from-basketball-heaven image, but the image of his basketball teams).
The Suns have a 6-8 center, they shoot more threes than layups, and believe the best defense is to tire out your opponent on offense. The Mavs are led by a German seven footer (Nellie and his son arguably started the NBA's foreign invasion), who spends most of his time on the court with two point guards and two shooting guards. They only play defense because Avery probably convinced them that "Thou shalt play hard at both ends of the court" is in the Bible.
Forget those who say the Mavs shouldn't try to run with the Suns. After the adrenalin of the first game wears off, the Suns are tired, have a shallow bench, and commit far too many stupid fouls. The Mavs are fast enough and deep enough to win the race over seven games.
Shawn Marion is a freak of nature, but he's working on a nasty case of Chris Webber disease, where despite being able to score inside on anyone within twenty miles of the arena, he decides to shoot nineteen foot jumpers. Whatever happens in this series, it'll be entertaining: great coaching, good backstory with Nash and his former team, and plenty of hot shooters.
Potential Willis Reed Moment: The NBA re-instates Roy Tarpley in time for the finals.
Evidence that Kobe Bryant is Overrated: This year's MVP race came down to Nash, LeBron, Bryant, and Nowitzki. Anyone who voted for Bryant should hang their head in shame after the playoffs.
Nash, despite being physically exhausted, willed his team into the conference final. LeBron almost singled-handedly knocked off the 04 champs. Dirk, with one of the most furiously inspired single plays in recent memory, took the defending champs to OT and then sent them fishing.
What did Kobe do last week? I'm sure he met a lot of nice young women at some Colorado resort.
Bet on: Dallas.
Root for: Dallas.
[Ed. Wait. Did Adam just turn his entire Conference Finals Preview in an anti-Kobe Bryant screed? Why yes. Yes he did.]
THINGS I LEARNED IN ROUND TWO
1. I gave the Clippers far too little credit.
Elton Brand may be the best low post scorer in the game. Despite the Sun's talent advantage and playoff experience, he stepped up with consistently dominant games. If Cassell has another year or two in his legs, this team will be even tougher to handle as youngsters like Livingston and Kaman grow into Dunleavy's system. I fear the day they trade Maggette for someone with a heart.
2. I gave LeBron far too little credit.
I expected LeBron to be tough to beat, but not this tough. You have to go back to Shaq to find a third year player so ready to contribute in the playoffs. Given LeBron's high school jump, even that's not a fair comparison. The Pistons finally found a way to shut him down, but it took them seven games. Consider me now a full believer of the LeBron-hype.
[Ed. Eh...Witness this.]
There are some really bad commercials on television.
By this point in the playoffs, I can repeat ever "The Closer" promo by heart, have developed a deep hatred of the guy in the Hyundai commercial, and really want whatever product they're selling that cause women to grope your face. The same focus group that approved these disasters must have told El Presidente that repeating "we're turning the corner in Iraq" every week will somehow manage to raise his approval ratings to a number higher than my age.
[Ed. That's all for now. Adam will be back in two weeks with his NBA Finals preview. Stay tuned!]
May 23, 2006
I haven’t written much about the Red Wings after they were eliminated. It’s just not that pleasant to think about.
But my earlier post about the importance of raw effort to the Piston’s success got me thinking.
The Red Wings are simply too good to be able to outwork their opponents when they need to. Think about the success the Wings have had. 3 Cups in 6 years. A roster full of all-stars and Hall of Famers. The game just comes so easy to them.
But when they run into a playoff opponent they have to outwork to beat, they just don’t seem to have it.
Some of this can be pinned on personnel losses. It’s hard to replace the grit offered by guys like Darren McCarty or even Slava Fetisov. But to a large degree, it’s just a by-product of their success.
Let me be clear. This is NOT a knock on the Wings or their players. Their formula has been obviously successful. It’s not every year that you run into a team playing as far over their heads as Edmonton is. It just feels that way.
Looking ahead, the Wings don’t really need to do anything different. Sure, they can add a player or two to add grit or improve their goaltending. But the playoffs can be a crapshoot and their sustained run of success has already beaten the odds.
Finally, none of this criticism should be construed as directed toward Steve Yzerman, Detroit’s best player in the playoffs. Yzerman is likely to retire in the next few weeks, and many have suggested that it’s somehow a “shame” for him to leave the game after his teams less-than-stellar playoff performance.
That’s just preposterous.
Nothing can take away 3 Stanley Cups and a Conn Smythe award. Nothing can take away a Hall of Fame career that puts him in the all-time top ten of just about every offensive category. In short, nothing can diminish the legacy of The Captain.
In fact, if it were up to me, no one but Stevie Y would wear the captain’s C as long as he’s alive. I would retire it along with his #19 jersey. After all, he’ll always be The Captain.
Pistons 79, Cavs 61. 8 down. 8 to go.
The Pistons came out and got it done today, completely shutting down LeBron James, and thus the Cavaliers in the second half.
I love watching the Pistons, because the things they are good at – defense and rebounding – depend almost entirely on effort. The player who wants the ball the most gets the rebound, even if they aren’t the tallest guy on the floor. And defense is basically one big game of “one more time.” You’re tired after the first five minutes. After that, it’s simply a question of whether or not you’re determined to run down the court just one more time.
Sometimes, it’s what makes the Pistons good that gets them in trouble. This team is unabashedly aware of its place in NBA history. They want to be considered one of the all-time greats. The trouble is, they don’t have that kind of natural talent. Everything they’ve gotten, they’ve had to work for it. But it’s easy – and less demanding – to forget that.
After playing 7 quarters against LeBron and friends, the Pistons lead by a combined 50 points. At that point, it was too easy to say “We’re obvicously superior. We don’t need to work at it.” You saw what happened next.
It took until the second half of game 7 – after just eking out game 6 – for the Pistons’ work ethic to once again assert itself. A record-setting performance later, and the Pistons moved on.
8 down. 8 to go. Time to get back to work.
Update: I wrote the above before tonight's Game 1 against Miami. The Pistons lost. But seriously. It's a long series. You've got to trust it.
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Malcolm Gladwell reviews the NBA's version of Moneyball
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Those NBA Moneyball guys? They have a blog.
May 20, 2006
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Turns out Cingular is the only major cell company that's unionized. All this time, I was supporting my politics and didn't even know it!
May 19, 2006
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Learning about Russ Feingold for work. Saved for later
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More Feingold.
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More Feingold.
May 18, 2006
After today's victory, their seventh straight, the Detroit Tigers are the best team in baseball.
And there was much rejoicing.
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New Futureheads album. Sounds pretty good.
May 16, 2006
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Interesting on the future of video games
So it turns out that Round 2 of the NBA playoffs started a week and a half ago. I'm just getting caught up. Thanks to my buddy Adam, I have a delicious preivew of the second round. He wrote this a few days ago, so blame me if anything is out of date.
THINGS WE LEARNED IN ROUND ONE
1. Kobe Bryant will never be an all-time elite player.
The laundry list of reasons why not is too long to list here. Still, you can start with games five, six, and seven of the series against the Suns. Bryant demonstrated not once or twice, but three times that he lacked the killer instinct to put an opponent away.
Forget all the stuff about the lucky shots by the Suns. Jordon, Bird, Magic, and even Shaq didn't let the games get close enough for those shots to matter. Kobe failed in three games in three different ways, then threw his teammates under the bus in his post-elimination comments. The NBA would be better off if Kobe were playing in the first round of the Colorado Penal League Invitational.
2. Charles Barkley is one of a kind.
The man admits to losing around $10 million gambling, grants that he has a problem, then concludes that the problem isn't a problem as long as he can get his betting down to the level where it won't leave him in the poor house. It's a refreshing approach, kinda like an alcoholic figuring he has twenty years left in his life, then measuring out the number of drinks he can have each day to get his liver to the finish line. In a league that so carefully manages its public image, Barkley seems to always find a way to throw things off.
3. NBA basketball is really entertaining.
With the exception of the Mavs-Griz series, every match-up in the first round had multiple entertaining games. People bash the NBA playoffs for being so damn long, but they fail to appreciate that the first round is almost like an exhibition series. You haven't narrowed the field to the contenders (as is done more immediately in just about every other sport), but you've ditched the teams that don't have a clue.
The end result is that most of the leagues' superstars get to show what they're made of in extra-competitive games. Plus, the NBA gets no credit for demanding the most of its coaches during the playoffs. Baseball has fewer repeating variables to coach against and in football you only get one shot at an opponent. Basketball gives you the same players for potentially seven games and lets the coaches move the chess pieces around on the board.
ROUND TWO
Detroit v. Cleveland
The Pistons lost 18 games this year. Despite what some Flint residents might say, they're vulnerable. Still, the Cavs aren't the team to exploit their vulnerabilities. Defensive powers like the Pistons were designed to rip limb from limb one trick ponies like the Cavs. The NBA might burn the tapes to this series once the Pistons are done feasting done to protect LeBron's heir apparent status.
To see something beautiful, watch the Pistons defensive rotation when LeBron gets the ball in the corner. Five guys move at once to completely alter the shape of the court, close the passing lanes, and even block the lines of vision (good luck seeing through Big Ben's fro). The Spurs may be defending champs, but the Pistons are the title holders when it comes to showcasing basketball's rough beauty.
Burning question: why does Rasheed Wallace STILL get no respect. Its like everyone has collectively forgotten that they labeled this poor guy the antichrist for his pre-Pistons career. I feel like David Stern needs to come out before a game and say he's sorry. Also, if Steve Nash wins MVP for turning his team into a contender, why doesn't Rasheed get it for the year he took the Pistons, against nearly unbelievable odds, to the championship over the Lakers? Yes, I know they vote on the MVP before the playoffs. It's a rhetorical question and it soothes my bitterness to ask it.
Bet on: Pistons.
Root for: Pistons.
[Ed. Adam, why did the Pistons lose last night? No really. Is everything still going to be OK. I'm scared. I just lost my Red Wings. I can't go through this again.]
Miami v. New Jersey
If Nenad Krstic and Jason Collins continue to take Shaq off his game, its officially time for the Big Guy to ascend to his beat as a Miami Beach rent-a-cop and leave the NBA behind. Back in the day, this series would be a quick one because of New Jersey's thin ranks up front. Shaq is the x-factor and the series will be won or lost on his performance.
Kidd, Carter, and Jefferson are quick enough and crafty enough collectively to give Wade fits. Miami retooled over the summer to get extra weapons just for a situation like this one, but with Walker, Payton and Posey combining for nine points in game one, summer rebuilding may be just around the corner again.
Burning question: If Jason Kidd and Shaq played Scrabble, who would win? Shaq famously spent the first decade of his career giving interviews without ever using a two-sylable word. And there are high schools across the East Bay with little plaques saying "Jason Kidd failed the SAT here." If he hadn't squeaked by on the last possible ACT date, California would have had to pass a proposition to get the poor guy into Berkeley to play for the hometown crowd.
Bet on: New Jersey.
Root for: either.
[Ed. Not enough Shaq-bashing, Adam. I think you're slipping.]
Phoenix v. Los Angeles
I'll enjoy this series if only for the fact that the Lakers aren't in it. As for the basketball, don't expect much. The Clippers already look over their inexperienced heads. They win the "happy to be here award." They should take it and go home.
The Suns can still win at this point with small ball. Next round, small ball will either get crushed by the Spurs or out-smalled by the Mavericks.
While all the Suns will get in on the action, this should be the series when the rest of the NBA discovers Boris Diaw. The man was an afterthought in the Joe Johnson trade and turns out to be the all-around stud the Hawks thought they were trading for. He's 6-8, plays point center, and occasionally grabs 15 or so rebounds in a game just to mix it up. No front line has more versatility than Marion and Diaw. Again, with Amare back next year, this is going to be frightening.
Burning question: Does Ginger Spice still call Steve Nash? When she was an untouchable poptart and he was just a Canadian millionaire that could barely dunk, did they ever dream during their short-lived romance that their lives would follow such different paths? I want TNT to track her down and Charles Barkley to interview her, Oprah style.
Bet on: Phoenix.
Root for: Phoenix.
[Ed. Oh come on! It's the Clippers! You have to root for the Clippers. Well, I'm rooting for the Clippers anyway.]
Dallas v. San Antonio
Two of the three best teams in the NBA fight for the right to eventually play the Pistons. [Ed. Agreed.]This series had all the makings of a classic, even before the San Antonio's come from behind squeaker in game one. The Lil' General played under Popavich and they both learned from the same master (Don Nelson). Duncan's foot could fall off at any moment. Dirk's tightly wound German brain could snap if Bruce Bowen "hugs" him one more time.
The Tony and Manu show won't get very far against the Mavs improved defense. Between Terry's speed and Howard's length, the backcourt match-up is a draw. So, the series comes down to how many different looks Avery needs to throw at Duncan before the Mavs find something that works. Don't rule out Erick Dampier just trying to jump on Duncan's leg during every possession. It would be the most valuable contribution Dampier has ever made to a basketball team.
Under the Golden (State) Rule of Basketball, the teams are even (Dampier v. Van Exel). Still, the Mavs get the slight edge since Jason Terry was picked with the Warriors' draft choice and Avery did a stint in Oakland as a player. It'll take seven, but the Mavs should wear the Spurs down. If Robert Horry wins the series with more last second heroics, I may have to move to Canada and become a hockey fan.
Burning question: If Manu Ginobili is going to fall down every time one of the Mavs gets within three feet of him, why don't they start actually knocking him down? The fouls are already getting called, you might as well get your money's worth. Desagana Diop picked up five fouls in sixteen minutes. He should aim DJ Mbenga's foul per minute ratio.
Bet on: Dallas.
Root for: Dallas.
[Ed. And what, exactly, is wrong with being a hockey fan?]
May 15, 2006
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Classic. The best part - My MOM sent it to me. Happy Mother's Day.
Sheed, after the Cavs finally won a game:
I know we're going to win it. We're going to bust their [bleep]. Tomorrow night is the last game here in this building for this year.It ain't bulletin board material, it's a fact. They can put it on the bulletin board. They can put it on a video.
Hells yes. Game 4 is tonight.
(4.1 MB MP3)
A standout debut single for 4 boys from Dublin. Listen / download today.
It's funny. I sometimes feel like my quest for the best "new" music is like a drug addiction. I'm always hoping that I can find another song / record / band that can make me feel as great as the few that have before. So I sift through track after track looking for a new fix.
Sometimes, I worry that because I consume so much music, I've been numbed to the experience of finding good stuff. Because I'm always searching, I can never be happy with what I have.
Then I hear something that just grabs me and won't let go. Then I know that I can still feel it when it comes along. This is one of those songs.
Anyway, download the track. Learn more and hear more songs at the website and the myspace.
Thanks: Torr
May 10, 2006
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Dude, it's the all-bunny tuesday.
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Unlike anything I've read recently, a sober look at whether you have to like hip-hop to be not racist.
May 9, 2006
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Time Magazin on Nintendo's new Wii system. Should be a major revolution in gaming.
May 7, 2006
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Kos on Hillary and why we need a true leader in 2008
May 6, 2006
Next year's Xmas card
Also for my birthday, Jen and Martin and Tracy and I went hiking at the Great Falls on the Potomac. More photos.
Dates wrapped in bacon and deep-fried.
In honor of my birthday, we went to Jaleo. God, I love Jaleo. More photos.
May 4, 2006
A rainy Saturday night and nothing to do? Have an indoor BBQ.
May 1, 2006
Steve Yzerman has not played his last game and he will not do so tonight.
Can't lose no more, gents. Let's go out there and win one.
