I mean this title in two different ways. It has been too long since I have posted and honestly I realized that my previous posts (for the most part) were too long and took me too long to write and that is why I stopped writing. I love sports vehemently. I watch it, live it, breath it, but that doesn't mean I have to write 5k+ words each time I post. So I am going to post more frequently with less words. Well, enough of that.
Gimme some NBA playoffs!
Well, first on a side note (that will hopefully better explain my playoffs break down) that might let you a little more into my head (if you care) on how I view sports. I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but for the most part in sports I adore players not teams (with a few exceptions - the Braves and Duke Basketball and even then with Duke it is primarily because of Coach K that I initially liked them). I don't really have many criteria of what makes me like a player or not like them and I am sure it is fluid from player to player. One that almost always grabs my attention and adoration is greatness - who doesn't like Jordan? From what I can tell he seems like a jerk, but he's the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time). There are few sins that would knock him from my list of players I like. Hard work is another. Grittiness is one more. I love to watch a player play through all obstacles - pain, exhaustion, mental anguish. To exceed when the odds are stacked against us is one of the things that makes humanity great and it is rarely better personified than in sports.
That is one reason I find it increasingly difficult to hate Kobe. I mean I want to. He is a Laker. They are essentially the New York Yankees (which I hate with a passion) of the NBA: the stuck up, overpaid objectification of a spoiled whiny society (Los Angeles). Seeing all the stars at the Lakers games only makes it worse. But the way Kobe plays through broken fingers, hobbled knees, and basically any sickness I almost want to get his jersey. Lebron is the opposite. Watching Lebron only manages to amplify all of my negative feelings towards him. He has everything going for him unrivaled athleticism and ridiculous talent, but no heart. When Deshawn Stevenson of the Pacers did the choke gesture for Lebron I honestly had no problem with it. I don't care if he is a back up player who never plays. HE WAS RIGHT. Lebron only chokes. He only passes the ball away. He's made clutch shots before, but none that really matter. The most anti-clutch thing he has ever done is sign with the Miami Heat so he would no longer have to be "the man" on his team. He could let Dwayne Wade be that. Weak. MJ would never do it. Kobe would never do it.
That is why it was a pleasure to watch the Pacers dismantle the Heat this past weekend. Wade and Lebron scored 70+ in a game and the game was still really really close the entire game. On the off chance they get through the Pacers and even get to the NBA Finals the Heat will get embarrassed by either the Thunder or the Spurs (most likely the Spurs). The East has no chance.
Speaking of the Thunder and the Spurs, I love how after sweeping through the first two rounds of the playoffs the Spurs are just now getting some love from ESPN. If any large market team (say the Heat) was on an 18 game winning streak with 8 straight wins in the playoffs it would be the only story on ESPN. They would have called up the NBA and have them engrave the NBA Championship Trophy so they could take pictures of it. The Spurs? Finally get an article saying that they are half decent and have a decent chance of winning the championship.
The Thunder are great example of a team I want to like (Durant [Greatness], they are small market [underdog], James Harden [fun to watch], but struggle to because of Westbrook and Perkins. Westbrook is a "point guard". There is a difference between a point guard and a "point guard". Chris Paul is a point guard. He passes first and scores to make the offense open up more. It is a lot easier to get your teammates open when your defender has to take you seriously. Westbrook is a "point guard". He gets the title in the box score but on the floor he shoots first and passes only to get himself more open on later possessions. Never and I mean never, unless Durant is not playing or plays a quarter of the minutes Westbrook plays should Westbrook take more shots than Durant. Durant is on the cusp of greatness. Arguably the best scorer in the NBA and one of the best the NBA has seen, yet Westbrook who is billed as a "point guard" frequently does. It is painful to watch. Kendrick Perkins - he just seems like a jerk. He works hard, which I respect, but when all you do is scowl and complain it hard to want you to succeed. One last complaint and this goes for the Clippers. Blake... stop. Stop complaining. I want to like you. I love your high flying game. You are fun to watch, but don't milk fouls. Don't complain to refs when you get fouled. YOU CLIMB ON TOP OF PEOPLE AND THEY DON'T CALL IT! If they called every foul you committed your game would not be nearly as fun or effective. So, just stop.
Anyway, Thunder - San An will be a good series (yes, the Lakers are done most likely tonight). ESPN's constant underselling of the Spurs will catch up with them. The Thunder should put up a good fight and I doubt a sweep, but the Spurs should pull it out in 6. Their depth and experience is impressive. This is the best Spurs team I have ever seen and that includes all the previous championship teams. They are my pick to win it all. We'll have an East wrap up later this week.
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