Tag Archive: 2011 nba finals

Everybody Likes Rodeo Monkeys

June 15, 2011 Randy Neil

Including this guy right here. Adam has a bachelor party coming up, and the game plan is to play paintball and then hit a Blue Rocks game at night. If you aren’t familiar with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, they are a Single-A farm team for the Kansas City Royals based in Delaware. They are literally the only team Delaware has.

The other day on my way to Philadelphia, I rode by Frawley Stadium which is directly next to the interstate. The Blue Rocks were playing, it was mid-game, and there was no one, I MEAN NO ONE, in the stands. There was a small family of 7-8 directly behind home plate it looked like, and then rows and rows of vacant seats. I’m not even exaggerating… there were literally more people playing on the field than there were in the stands. I bet the food vendors had a great time that night.

The reason I bring this up is because during the 7th inning stretch (or end of the game, not sure) that we’re attending, the Blue Rocks are featuring a circus act of monkeys that ride dogs with little cowboy hats and they herd sheep. Tell me that isn’t the most ballin’ thing you’ve ever heard in your life!! Little monkeys with lil’ spurs, lil’ boots, lil’ vests and lassos, rounding up the varmints in this town! It will be the highlight of the night for sure, aside from the awesome display I will put on in paintball (mind you, I’ve never played paintball in my life, but I play Call of Duty, so it’s practically the same thing.)

The sports highlight of the week clearly has to be the mental breakdown of King James in the NBA Finals. Even with his constant denial and ducking of questions regarding his mental toughness, it’s apparent to even the dumbest of analysts that Lebron James buckled under the pressure. Then, he digs a deeper hole with that comment, “All the people that was rooting on me to fail, at the end of the day they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today.” To the average person, that sounds like this, “Fuck ya’ll. I’m still paid.” People didn’t take it too well, so for the next 4-5 months he’ll be on a huge PR campaign to salvage the mess that’s been made.

One thing that I feel is being overlooked here is Chris Bosh. I know I talk a lot of garbage on the man, but during the finals, he seemed to be the only composed Miami Heat player of the big 3, and the entire team for that matter. Keep in mind this is his first trip the NBA Finals (or more than 1 round of the playoffs) and he did his job. He kept quiet, played good, and made shots. Dwayne Wade was making errors and losing possession, Lebron James was looking hesitant and timid, and a midst it all, Bosh was the only one putting up solid numbers and composing himself. He played horrible defense, true, but it was on Dirk Nowitzki for pete’s sake.

There was a moment during Game 6 in the first half where Udonis Haslem (I can’t believe I got that right on the first try) and someone on the Mavericks were about to scuffle. Benches were clearing and Mario Chalmers came running over to add fuel to the fire. If you happen to see that again, watch Chris Bosh. He basically grabs Chalmers by his jersey and man-handles him back towards the bench. It was the scariest I’ve ever seen Bosh in my life.

The Finals were great though. It definitely delivered more than years past in terms of excitement and competition. The NHL Finals are delivering as well. Game 7 is set to take place tonight, and it’s an epic setting. A goalie that’s 1000 times better at home gets his largest test in front of his home crowd. A Canadian team has a chance to win the Cup in Canada for the first time in 15 years. The Bruins have a chance to win their first Stanley Cup in over 60 years. It’s riveting stuff. At some point, during the Phils game, I will flip over to see what’s happening, and that says a lot.

The 2011 U.S. Open is set to start this weekend. Tiger Woods is already out, so the media is scrambling to find something compelling for this competition (and they aren’t finding much.) It takes place at Congressional in Washington, D.C. I had a chance to play there once. My friend knows a friend, who knows a friend, who’s a member, or something like that, and he gave me an invitation. Me : “How much are the greens’ fees?” Him : “About $375.” Me : “No thanks.” Golf doesn’t mean that much to me, yet. Maybe when I’m forty years old and golf truly is a physical sport to me at that point, I’ll show $400 worth of appreciation. And don’t jump down my throat, I’m not saying golf isn’t physical. It is. It’s an incredibly demanding physical activity, but I got other sports that demand more, and they’re free.

I never had a chance to touch on this, but did anyone see that Tiger Woods interview on ESPN about 2 months ago? Very directly, Woods was asked, “Who do you think is the best golfer in the world?” Tiger pauses for a few seconds, and then says, “When I got my swing dialed in….” and smiles. Then he just stares for a few more awkward seconds. “So you? Are you saying you?” asks the interviewer. Then he just smiles again, tips his head, and stares blankly for about ten seconds without saying a word. What an awkward exchange! Just say, “Me.” I wanted to turn the TV off because I felt so uncomfortable. It felt like date-rape.

There’s absolutely nothing new to report in the world of baseball, because the Phillies are on top and going strong as usual. We fucking rock. End of story. Be sure to catch the Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 tonight, in between the Phils’ commercials. While you’re at it, go out and support your local Single-A baseball team, even if they are for the Royals and have nothing at all to do with the Phillies. You might see some rodeo monkeys.

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Random Thoughts (parenthesis edition)

June 10, 2011 Adam Thomas

1.) That dashing fellow over there is the real King James.  Or at least, that’s what Google image search told me, I didn’t actually look it up to confirm. I digress…

Nothing is more annoying right now than the quazi pity party that people are throwing for Lebron James. They are saying shit like, “The media is scrutinizing his EVERY MOVE!” Steve Kerr even said, “I feel bad for the guy.”

Yeah.  I feel bad for the guy too. Cause he is pooping the bed night in and night out in the most important games of his life.  Bbbbbbbut he had a triple double.  He has been getting assists and rebounds all series!

Yes, because when we think of Lebron, we think of great passing, rebounding and defense.  That sounds like Andre Iguodala to me. King Iguodala to you!

Fact of the matter is, Lebron shot two free throws last night.  TWO!  Attack the rim dagnabbit!

But lets not forget one important key element here: Lebron brought this on himself.  He calls himself King James (nut-uh, da media does), he had that whole taking my talents to south beach thing, he is by all accounts, a douche bag extraordinaire. We hate him because when it comes to athleticism, he is everything that we’re not. But it seems that when it comes to the will and want to win, we all seem to grasp the situation better than he does.

I seem to want a JV soccer win when I am coaching more than Lebron wants an NBA championship.  Sure this is pure conjecture, but I’ve seen his post game interviews and I have seen him sleepwalk through the three biggest games of his life looking like he doesn’t give a shit.

But back to my original point: Come on, media!  This man deserves every flipping thing that is coming his way.  He asked for all this hoopla about himself and then he hasn’t done shit on the biggest stage of his career.  So F him.  We are this close to ruining this man’s life, and you want to back out and get a conscience now?  Grow a pair. I wanna see this sucker have a complete and total mental break down.  We’ve worked too hard for his demise to feel sorry for him now! When this is all said and done, I want Bron Bron to be locked in some hotel room, tissue boxes for shoes with a stringy beard repeating over and over again: come in with da milk….come in with da milk….come in with da milk….wave of the future…..wave of the future….wave of the future….

(In the case of full disclosure, I am still standing by the Heat.  I think they win it in 7.)

2.) Can we talk about this Rashard Lewis rumor for one second?  Rumor has it that Lebron has been playing bad because Lewis slept with his old lady.  No, not his mom (like what happened last year), but his girlfriend or wife or whatever. I told Randy about this and here is his response: “no way a girls so stupid she bangs out a two bit Wizards player when she already has the most paid man in the nba.”

What Randy forgot is that Lewis is playing with a $118 million dollar contract.  James got like $110 million from the Heat.  Sure the endorsements give James A HUGE monetary advantage, but if “Savannah” (never trust a girl with a name like Savannah) did cheat with Lewis, it’s not like the dude’s broke or anything.  PLUS he kinda looks like T.I. and women freaking love T.I.  (Oddly, in that picture they kinda don’t look alike…but in my mind they do!)

3.) I know I talk about Friday Night Lights a lot on here, and that won’t be stopping anytime soon.  I just watched 4 episodes from season 5 and holy crap are they good.  Can someone please get Kyle Chandler an emmy?  At least he is starring in Super 8…

4.) Speaking of which, every review for that movie has said (I’m paraphrasing here): The first part of Super 8 is awesome, the second part kinda drags and is a let down, I give it…Three and a half stars!  Really? I thought a whole movie had to be good for it to get three and a half stars. I guess that’s what its come to in tinsel town.

5.) One of the most satisfying feelings in the world is sitting out back, soaking in the humidity and drinking and ice cold Yuengling after just cutting the grass.  You get to see all the hard (not very hard?) work you just put in pay off and you get a little drunk.  Good.  Stuff.

Until next time…

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Magic Johnson is Shrek; Pryor Skips Senior Season

June 8, 2011 Randy Neil

Can you hear that chewing noise? That’s me, eating my words from last week. The Dallas/Heat series is tied up, and every game has been remarkably close. I’m still sticking to my guns in regards to the Heat winning the NBA Finals, but maybe this will carry to game 7 and actually be a good series. Sometimes I forget that David Stern cares about revenue, and more games = more ad revenue.

I can’t even break this series down very well because both teams are shooting poorly. It’s low scoring, smothering defense that’s taking the forefront of play, and the only people making the highlight reels are Dirk, Lebron, and Wade. I guess that’s how it should be. Bosh has been having some nasty slam dunks, but I imagine since he’s been flopping like a bitch so much, ESPN has chosen not to air his highlights. Not today Count Floppula. You guys like that? I made it up myself. :D

It’s funny to see celebrities Tweet out to each other. I guess I’m using ‘celebrity’ loosely, because I’m referring to Stuart Scott and Spencer Hawes. Both of them were Tweeting to Jason Terry last night during the game. Everyone was criticizing Terry’s poor play in the first 3 games of the finals, and since he decided to show up last night, his celeb friends decided to congratulate him. “That’s nasty!! @jasonterry31” Indeed it is, Mr. Stuart.

My favorite Tweets :

WatchJ J-Breezy The Poet
Hands down… Jason Terry is the best 3rd grader to ever play in the NBA
jose3030 jose3030
Jason Terry, on his post game presser, will attempt to enunciate every word in the Webster’s Dictionary

Mmmm… good stuff. Can I also add that Magic Johnson is my least favorite NBA analyst of all time? Aside from demanding to be introduced as “Future Hall of Famer, Legendary Player, 5-time NBA Champion, 3-time MVP, 12-time NBA All-Star, Shrek Looking, Magic Johnson” literally every time he is addressed, he interrupts better analysts with terribly repetitive speeches that soak up too much air time, and make us all less intelligent. We get it Magic. You were a great player, but you suck as an analyst and mentor.

You can’t interrupt your fellow co-hosts and say something like, “Lebron has to play his game. He can’t worry about what Wade’s doing, or what Bosh is doing, he’s got to focus on being the dominate Lebron James.” For fuck’s sake Magic. How is he not supposed to worry about what Wade is doing when they are still having a power struggle for the closer in games? You have two superstar-caliber players in almost the exact same role trying to win a game. Then, when Lebron opts to be more of a facilitator and handle assists, his points stat is obviously hurt, and you give him shit. There needs to be a quiz for former athletes to take before they are given a microphone.

Along with Jim Tressel, Terrelle Pryor is continuing to make headlines for OSU with his announcement of plans to skip his senior season. Scandal abound, Pryor was already set to miss the first 5 games of the season as punishment for “receiving benefits” that violate NCAA rules. Now the kid has to wait for the 2012 NFL Draft without playing ball on the national level. Well, that’s not entirely true. People have already suggested he could play in the Canadian Football League for a season. Yea, that sounds like a great idea….

This is a pretty big deal though. This whole scandal with Tressel and Pryor, it’s making headlines. At first, I thought it was ridiculous that their was so much shame involved in something that everyone was guilty of. Clearly, OSU is being made an example, and some people are going to have to suffer because of it. On the other hand, maybe this is what the national press and the NCAA need to start to change their ideals about college players. Hopefully, this can be a catalyst for the NCAA to change their regulations on the matter and start treating this system a little more realistically. There is too much fame and credit given to a young athlete that’s not being paid.

Also… to the fellow teammates of Pryor who are ratting him out for the incentives he received…. Ya’ll some snitches. That is all.

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Valdez Pitches a Gem, Punches Bastardo in Celebration

June 1, 2011 Randy Neil

Adam and I were talking about posting some NBA Finals predictions, but once we both figured out that our predictions were the exact same, there wasn’t much point. Heat in 5. After last night… Heat in 4. For the sake of saving face, David Stern might even give the trophy out on game 3.

I was thinking maybe Dallas would steal game 1 but I guess the Heat have decided to play every game this series. That’s really all it comes down to.

Jim Tressel resigned this week (or was fired, I’m not sure which) after attempting to cover up a “scandal” that involved some student athletes selling their jerseys and getting discounts at a tattoo shop. How is this even remotely a scandal?

It’s sad that other NCAA coaches can’t come to Tressel’s side and admit that it’s an extremely common occurrence, but obviously they can’t do that without incriminating themselves. The fact remains though, that this kinda stuff happens every day. They got discounts at a tattoo parlor. Big whoop.

It doesn’t make what they did right. It makes the NCAA rules wrong. And stupid. Kids shouldn’t be punished for making secondary incomes while generating revenue for the colleges they play for. College kids have absolutely no income before entering one of the highest paying jobs fathomable in the world.

We gotta talk about Valdez’s 19th inning gem that he pitched last week too. What an awesome night. I stopped watching that game in the 8th inning, only to resume it around 12:30 am in the 14th because I was so blown away by how long it was lasting. I’m glad I stayed up. Did you see Valdez tag Bastardo in the mouth right as the game was over, too? All in good fun I’m sure, but hilarious none the less.

The hat is being placed in the Baseball Hall of Fame since he’s the first positional player to get a Win since Babe Ruth in 1921. Actually, correction, the hat showed up at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and they acknowledged it via Twitter. I don’t know if it will make it on the floor, but they have it.

Shane Victorino is set to come back from the DL here soon, and people are saying John Mayberry might get moved down to AAA Lehigh. I think that’s a position better for Michael Martinez than Mayberry. Keep Mayberry in the outfield. He’s hitting. Martinez ain’t. He’s got like a .140 average right now.

There was a small poll taken from players throughout the MLB asking “Who do you think is the most overrated player in the Majors?” Ranking #1 was Alex Rodriguez, which is understandable because the man is so paid, how can you not think that? Derek Jeter got #3 and that’s surprising. Sure, he’s old and slumping now, but no one is confusing that and calling him incredible now. Everybody is saying how old and slumpy he is, so how is that being rated high?

What was awesome is that Jayson Werth was #4. That huge paycheck he got for a 7-year deal could make anyone overrated, but especially a padded-stat having fool like Werth. More strikeouts than Howard last year. Let’s not forget that.

To be fair, the man has 12 or so less RBIs than last year around this time, but that’s simply because the Nationals are so bad. Who’s getting on base for him? His average and home-run depletion are entirely up to him, though. Enjoy the next 7 seasons there, Jayson.

Earlier this year when Adam and I made our baseball predictions, I thought he was insane for picking the Brewers to win the NL Central. Now, somehow, it looks kinda realistic. They are 2nd in the division with a 30-25 record and quietly won 8 of their last 10 games. On the flipside of that, the Marlins are also 2nd right now in the NL East, and we all know they ain’t going nowhere.

The Diamondbacks have climbed into the top of the NL West too. That whole division is just a pity party, though, waiting for some mediocre team to come out on top. Every year I think the Rockies are going to surge, and then they don’t. The past 4 years have been awesome hitting ruined by awful pitching. And sure, some may say the Giants have it, but last year those guys won the World Series with only 3 original positional players from the beginning of the season. Most of those guys aren’t around anymore, either. Plus, they suck.

The feel-good story so far has been the Cleveland Indians. Lord knows that city needs something to revive it. No one would have guessed the Indians could have the 3rd best record in the majors right now, but they do. Strangely enough… they do. You know who’s got #1 right now? The Phillies. So all is right with the universe.

All right, I’m done rambling. It’s an unbelievably hot day on the east coast today, so get yourself some ice-cream, and don’t hesitate to run over a child to do it. Oswalt takes the mound this afternoon for an unusual Wednesday day game.

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