Author: Bob E. Mick

Scrappin’ [Posted 4/25/14 on Sportsblog.com]

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If you are the type of person who likes seeing hard fouls, contested layups and massively uncomfortable stare downs, then the NBA playoffs is for you. If you haven’t noticed, things have turned up a notch The past week has given us a couple of weirdly entertaining series out east, a Pacers teams that looks on the verge of an epic seasonal collapse, a youthful resurgence in Rip City, and GM’s dropping 25,000 dollar expletives.

As we get closer to the swing games of the first round series, expect the intensity to pick up. I’ve watched judiciously, easing into this two month gauntlet of masculinity and bravado, but the weight of each game is getting heavier and even the Eastern Conference is becoming just interesting enough to at least tune into the 4th quarter. The Feds seized my favorite streaming site so now I’m catching them wherever I can; pool halls, pizza joints, wing bars, and frat boys’ open windows. It’s about to get krunk, and if my roommates thought I was loud during the regular season,look out!!!!!!!! Thanks to Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins, I’ve already alienated myself with all the screaming I was doing. The people who live on my floor hate me.

Random thoughts from the first round:

I may have been wrong about the Eastern Conference but only slightly. From everything I’ve heard, the Pacers-Hawks series has been ugly. I’ve been tracking it on ESPN, and whatever apps you can get score updates, and I haven’t gotten the impression that its something that I’m missing out on. The same can be said about the Bobcats-Heat. If I wanted to see beat downs, I’d go on bumfights.com or look up Kimbo Slice videos. Yawn.

The Bulls-Wizards match up has been intriguing. I’ve watched crunch time of both games and the Wizards have been taking it to the Bulls down the stretch. I’m not the biggest fan of Bill Simmons by any stretch of the imagination, but I’ll give credit where its due. He said Washington would beat the Bulls before the series started. Simmons stated that the back court match up would be the difference in the series and he was right. Chicago has no real answer for Bradley Beal and John Wall when it matters most. Nene has played pretty well (I didn’t realize he was such a good passer) and the rest of the cast has been just good enough. Both games could have gone either way, but Chicago is going to have a tough time climbing out of the hole that’s been dug for them. They just don’t have enough playmakers.

The off the court theatrics in the Toronto-Brooklyn series has been more compelling to me than the on court product (Paul Pierce’s “This is why they brought me here” was exactly why he’s one of the most beloved Jayhawks of all time). Between that, GM of Toronto’s “F%$^ Brooklyn” and this weird Jay-Z- Drake “beef” (which I’m almost convinced is a publicity stunt for an upcoming duet album “Degrassi Heights”), the media has made this series into “New York vs. New York Lite, the battle for Metropolis” narrative.

While I’m talking about this, there are a couple weird things I think about this so called “beef”. Drake calling anything anyone’s raps “corny” is laughable, and for him to pretend like Toronto is this blue collar city, and the Raptors are a team for the “people” is equally ridiculous. I’ve been to Toronto. Its about as metropolitan of a city as you’ll find in North America, and other Canadians hate Toronto. Everyone please stop it. That shit is too silly.

Somehow I’ve managed to miss both Spurs-Mavs games, but luckily there haven’t been any dick punches to upstage the actual play on the court. With Dallas winning game 2 in San Antonio, it guarantees there will at least be a game 5. This will probably be when I decide to finally jump in and watch Dirk vs. Tim, Pops vs. Carlisle, and Monta vs. the WORLD.

Oklahoma City may have possibly gotten the worst draw of the field. Memphis has always been a bad match up for them, because of how physical they play on defense, and how slow they play on offense. Oklahoma City beats most teams by their athleticism and most teams try to out run them. Memphis likes to body up KD with Tony Allen and company, and make OKC grind out their wins. It took OKC 7 games to dispose of the Grizz two years ago on their Finals run. Last year with no Westbrook, it was clear they were dead in the water. This year, with OKC fans cringing every time Westbrook hits the deck (they are such a different squad without Russ), it seems like even if the Thunder escape this round, that they may be too tired to advance much deeper than past years. Memphis has a way of wearing down their opponents.

Watching Westbrook get his kneecap worked on put into perspective how flaky life can be. 2 years ago, it seemed like the Thunder were on the brink of a dynasty, and just like that Harden is leading a team of floppers down in Houston, and Westbrook is one nasty spill away from being this generation’s Ron Harper. It just goes to show that you never know how things are going to be from year to year. Memphis was the one team that I didn’t want to get in because they made me nervous (well that and Phoenix was a bit more entertaining), and now that they are healthy again, they are going to make teams work to close them out. It won’t be pretty.

As for this Dubs-Clips series, I didn’t realize David Lee was going to be healthy enough to play this series (he’s such an underrated passer), but even with Lee it is still hard for me to believe the Warriors have the juice to win this thing. There was a moment when I realized that I used to watch Mark Jackson and Glen “Doc” Rivers when they were playing for Indiana and New York, and how I was a fan of both of them during their league days. I am starting to think that despite Mark Jackson’s oratory skills, he is lacking in the X’s and O’s department. His in-game decisions have been trumped again and again by the Doc. Jackson will always have a job in the league because he is a player’s coach (much like Scotty Brooks) but some of his strategic decisions have been puzzling at best (again much like Scotty Brooks).

Have I mentioned that I don’t like the Clippers? They are some of the whiniest, dirtiest players assembled right now, west of Miami, Florida. Blake Griffin flops more than a mud shark shoved in a Zeppelin groupie’s……well let’s leave that alone. The point is there is always a little extra with the Clippers, and that was a foul by Chris Paul at the end of the game. That being said, you can’t play that poorly for 3 quarters and then expect to get bailed out the refs. My prediction is the next game will be the last game won by the Dubs in this series. I think the Clippers will win the next two, of course game 6 might be another Oracle classic.

Let’s see how it all shakes out.

See ya next week.

#TooMuchAmazing [posted 5/9/14 on sportsblog.com]

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What a first week of playoff basketball. 7 overtime games in the first round is an NBA record, and even Magic Johnson says its the best basketball he has seen in 35 years. Of course, that’s not all Magic Johnson had to say this week.

Everyone has given their hot sports take on the Donald Sterling issue, and everyone who knew who he was can’t act like they are surprised (I like how his wife acts shocked and is trying to distance herself from him–she been married to him how long? Spending his money without any questions about his housing practices– I ain’t buying it!). C’mon folks. We all knew the score. The difference now is that he is (allegedly) on tape making these comments to his Mexican-Black girlfriend. What is crazy is that when I listened to the tape, I immediately felt sorry for the both of them.

Throughout the conversation, it sounds as if Sterling is manipulating her and Sterling is wielding the power dynamic in his favor. But then I remembered that she was taping him without his knowledge, and that she was actually the one calling the shots. Why was she taping their conversations? What did she have to gain from releasing these tapes? Two days later, Magic Johnson is involved with an ownership group that wants to take the Clippers off his hands. In the words of Arsenio Hall, “these are things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm”

Enough about that nonsense though. I’m sure every one of Sterling’s friends and associates are just shaking their heads behind closed doors, wondering how someone can be worth 2 billion dollars by being such a dummy. Sterling got played.

How ironic would it be that Magic does get the Clippers somehow, getting back at Donald Sterling and Jim Buss in the process? This is a story worth keeping tabs on from this angle alone. But the bigger issue will be if the league makes Donald Sterling sell his piece of the pie and how that will be approached. It’s hard to guess what will come about in a league where throwing a flying elbow at a superstar’s throat is less of a penalty than a minor dust-up between two players that led to innocuous results.

I’m looking forward to watching tonight’s Mavs-Spurs game at 8:30 CST. Watching the OKC-Mem series made me realize that OKC just doesn’t have the coach to win the chips. I’m not saying they should fire Scott Brooks, but I don’t think its a stretch to think that OKC would win it all if Rick Carlisle was the head coach. From everything I have read (still have yet to watch a single minute–somehow this series has taken a back page to the other series), Carlisle is giving “Pops” a run for his money. Tonight will be the first game I actually get to watch.

I’m starting to look bad on my Houston-Portland prediction, as well as my Clippers-Warriors prediction (then again who could predict such an ill-timed leak of massive proportions). I don’t mind being wrong though, especially with games as entertaining as these. Let’s see how this week plays out.

Buffalo Braves vs. Boston Celtics

Before I sign off, R.I.P. wishes to Dr. Jack Ramsey. Back when I was a kid and always grounded from television, I could only get NBA when I listened to it on the radio. Dr. Jack consistently hipped me to subtle nuances about the game that the average analysts were not putting out there. I didn’t even know about the Rip City ’77 championship until I was much older and knew a thing or two about Pre-80’s basketball. I just thought he was this cool ass old man on the radio, turns out the dude is a basketball legend. If they ever make a movie about his life I want Larry David to star in it. I hope the people in Portland do a cool tribute for the man. #basketballneverstops

The Lie that was “Mr. Unreliable”

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Mike Sherman, The Oklahoman sports editor has apologized for his headline that suggested that Kevin Durant was “Mr. Unreliable” but I’m sure he has to squirm a least a little after the past week of KDTV.  If there weren’t enough reason for Iceberg Slim to be my favorite NBA player of all time, he gave this gem of an acceptance speech earlier this week (I hadn’t cried like that since the beach scene on “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”). Last night he and Russell Westbrook were both one assist away from becoming the first teammates to post triple-doubles in the same playoff game (Westbrook 31,10, and 9–Durant 32,12, and 9).

Durant’s off the court influence alone has meant so much to that community down there. He epitomizes the term franchise player (There’s no need to go into his on the court accomplishments–for someone who has had such a short career, he has compiled a pretty long list of them). When Lebron was going on cable TV and telling his hometown that he decided to go to Miami, Durant simply tweeted that he was signing an extension with Oklahoma City. Durant has been nothing short of a consummate professional on and off the court, and arguably the best ambassador for Oklahoma since Gene Autry. For the Oklahoman to print that headline is irresponsible and short sighted, and ridiculously untrue.

KD was still putting up numbers in the Grizzlies series, but Memphis was making him work for it. The article didn’t go into Scott Brooks coaching (the guy always seems one game behind in making adjustments), or that he and Russ were getting very little help from the role players. A headline like that speaks of how spoiled the OKies have become, and just how high the bar KD has set for himself and the team. People forget that KD is only 25 years old and that he isn’t superhuman (he just plays like it sometimes). FOr all the Kevin Durant has done for that state, that city, and that franchise, people like Mike Sherman and Berry Tramel should be kissing his MVP ass.

What is easy to forget (and Durant alludes to this in the SI article)
is that Durant has had to work so hard to get to this point. When he came out of high school and college, Greg Oden was always who scouts glowed about. Now that he is in the NBA, everyone is second to Lebron. But not this year, the skinny 18 year old player out of UT-Austin walked up to the podium dressed like a business man (cuz he’s a BUSINESS, MANNNN) and ripped the MVP trophy away from the clutches of Lebron James (who we can credit for forcing KD to raise his game to such an elite level).

The kid with the silky sweet jumper, who seems to glide rather than jump, who is the second best player in the world, has all the reason in the world to behave like Kobe, or Stephon Marbury, or Latrell Sprewell. But he doesn’t. He accepts criticism (even when unwarranted). He donates millions of dollars to surrounding cities that have been hit by tornadoes. I have never seen a player with so much talent have so much humility, and it was impossible not to feel happy for him when he accepted his award on Tuesday. His relationship with his fans, his teammates, and his mother, speak to the quality of his character. He proves that just because a person hits the genetic lottery and becomes rich and successful, doesn’t mean that person has to become a gigantic asshole. It is inspiring and refreshing to see someone so grounded and in touch with what makes us human. After seeing him hit milestone after milestone, it is only a matter of time before he hoists the Larry O’Brien trophy, and when he does, it’ll be waterworks all over again.

#winorgohome

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WOW!

From the way these guys have been celebrating , you wouldn’t think it was only the first round. This weekend brought us some great action and its hard to believe that we are only in the second round.

Game 7 in Los Angeles was as good as advertised and the two teams played with the intensity of an NBA Finals. Even though I had picked the Clippers to win, deep in my heart I wanted to see a Warriors-Thunder Second round. I think a healthy Andrew Bogut would have swung the series, but am I alone in thinking that Doc Rivers out coached Mark Jackson? For the record I think Mark Jackson is getting a raw deal. He has led the Dubs to two straight 45 plus win seasons and this year he had a patchwork team to put together with a bunch of role players and Steph Curry (No I don’t think Klay Thompson is there yet). If Warriors ownership fired Mark Jackson after winning 50 games this year (in the toughest bracket in NBA playoff history) over some personality conflicts, it would be a HUGE mistake. Can you think of a viable replacement? Neither can I. This would be them doing the old “two steps forward, three steps back routine” that they’ve been on since Mullins, Hardaway, and Webber left the team. Joseph Lacob would be shooting himself in the foot if he didn’t bring back Coach Jackson.

It seems crazy to be talking this much about the Warriors when they were the team that was eliminated, but what else is there to say about the Clippers? Is there any more reason to regurgitate what a tough emotional roller coaster they had last week? Their front line was the major difference and I can’t wait to see them go against the Thunder in what will be an entertaining series.

Blake gets to play in his hometown, as does Russell Westbrook (how about that triple double Saturday night? WOW), so look for big series from both of those cats. I’m interested to see the Matt Barnes vs. “Mr. Unreliable” match up (How stupid is the Oklahoman for that headline? This is exactly why people think Okies don’t deserve a basketball team–they should be thankful that a player of his caliber WANTS to live in a shit hole like Oklahoma City). Speaking of Memphis, I knew this was going to be a tough series. Zack Randolph didn’t help his team any by getting suspended, and neither did the injury to Mike Conley (who is having a better career than I ever gave him credit for being capable of–I was wrong Mike Conley is not a bust). Much props to the Grit N Grind crew though, they made games 2 through 5 unbelievable games.

Whether or not OKC does win will depend on a few factors:

1. Can Serge Ibaka be effective? They will need him to stay out of foul trouble and make Blake Griffin work on defense.

2. Will OKC’s team defense be effective against the Clippers offensive firepower?

3. Will the Clipper’s bench outplay the Thunder’s bench?

4. How efficient will OKC be on offense, and will their turnovers and bad shots result in LOB CITY GIF explosions all over the internet?

It’s hard to bet against KD and Westbrook at this point, but I think this series will be extremely close. I’m going with OKC in 7

 

Spurs-Portland will be a fun series to watch as well. I’m hoping that we will get to see more Thomas Robinson in this series, since he played so well against Houston in what little playing time Terry Stotts gave him. Every night I got about 3 texts from my boy Sam that involved the words “T-Rob”,  “going ham”, and “he hongry.” The shot by Damien Lillard did not surprise me one bit. When I saw they had .9 on the game clock, I just had a suspicion that “Big Game Dame” was going to find a way to get  a good look. He was so wide open on the play and as soon as he shouted I yelled out to no one in particular “ball game!”

I’m interested in the point guard match up with Tony Parker and “Illard” guarding each other, but small forwards Nic Batum-Kawhi Leonard facing off is just as intriguing to me as the PG or PF (Tim Duncan vs. Lamarcus Aldridge) match ups.

Portland had a great run this year, and nothing is more magical than having that town abuzz with joy. As someone who saw the Portland-Lakers debacle back in 2000, I can be nothing but happy for Rip City. All sentiment aside, this is where they meet the fate of last year’s feel good story, the Golden State Warriors. San Antonio has a better bench and the best coach in the game. The Spurs will take what a team does best and make them do something different to beat them. San Antonio in SIX.

I’m still quasi-boycotting the Eastern Conference. After seeing so many good games out west, it really pisses me off that the Heat just get to coast their way into the NBA Finals. They would have been a five seed in the Western Conference and it would have been a dogfight. At least if they’d win out west, people would be able to tip their hats to them in good conscience. I just don’t see how the competition committee can’t at least address this. How is fair for a team that plays in a weaker conference get an easier path to the championship?  Brooklyn will at least make the Heat earn their victories, which is all you can ask for at this point. I know Brooklyn is undefeated against Miami this year, but that was regular season. Lebron ain’t even answering phone calls right now, so you know he’s focused. I’ll take the Heat in SIX, but I’m still only watching the fourth quarter of these games. The same goes for Indiana-Washington. I’m taking Indiana in SIX. This is a better match up for the Pacers, but its still going to be ugly. Let’s just hope no one has their teeth knocked out.

I’m looking forward to the start of the second round tonight and if my calculations are correct, I have at least two hours to sit on my front porch, drink some cervezas, eat some chips and salsa, and lounge. Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!