The Man, the Myth, the Canadian

I'm not usually one to evaluate drafts the day after they occur; I try to leave that to those who enjoy claiming to know things they couldn't possibly know. However, I can't help but think the Orlando Magic made the right choice by selecting power forward Andrew Nicholson 19th overall thursday night. You see I had the extreme pleasure of attending St. Bonaventure University with Nicholson this past year and have seen firsthand the combination of skill, footwork, and intelligence this guy brings to the floor. There may be no other player in this draft who has meant more to the people that cheered for him; no one who made a more a positive impact on his fanbase.

For those who don't know St. Bonaventure is located in a remote Upstate New York town called Olean. On top of being in the middle of no where, the school holds just under 2,000 under-grad. As the stereotype goes, this is what makes it a "drinking school." Despite it's size and location St. Bonaventure is and has for a while been known for being the best basketball program in the area. The high point being a final four appearance in 1970 led by future Hall of Fame center Bob Lanier. However recently had been hit by hard times. After a near upset over Kentucky in the 2000 NCAA tournament, contraversy struck the town. In 2003 transfer student Jamil Terrell was found to have been playing illegally. He had not received the equivalent to an associates degree at the Georgia community college he attended. Instead, he was found out to have only received a welding certificate while administrators at the school looked the other way. The NCAA came down hard with sanctions and essentially ruined the next five or so years for the program.

 To an outsider a few years without the basketball team being very competitive would be seen as the extent of the damage. However this scandal cut so much deeper than that. Western New York winters were tough enough to survive for the state's poorest county while there was Bonnie basketball to be watched. Now that the team was decimated from the scandal, the town was devastated. Then, of course the economic recession hit just as the Bonnies were suffering through another losing season.

By the time Andrew Nicholson arrived on campus as a wide eyed (and giant) freshman in 2008, the Bonnies had become an afterthought in the minds of college basketball fans. As I said before Bonaventure HAD been hit by hard times. No one was a bigger component in changing that to the past tense than Nicholson. He made an impact right away and it wasn't long before he was starting games and making an impact in the Atlantic Ten. He was easily the best player on the team already as the fanbase began to be energized for the first time in years. Over the next two years he began to make a name for himself as one of the more underrated big men in the college game all while earning incredible grades with the rigorous schedule of a physics major. As Nicholson improved, so did the team as the finally started to become competitive again and re-established themselves as the premeir team in Western New York.

While coming to visit St. Bonaventure on my college hunt, I began to realize how big of an advertising tool Nicholson was for the school. They made sure we knew how good he was and then described how with only about 1800 undergrad, St. Bonaventure was like a family. Only if one of those family members was going to be in the NBA. Eventually I chose to go there and all the talk the first few weeks was of this Nicholson fellow. Those from outside the area didn't know much about Nicholson and needed to be filled in on who he was. At that point the talk was that he may be a mid second round draft pick and the Bonnies might make some noise in the Atlantic Ten and maybe had the slightest chance to be a fringe tournament team. However it was going to be tough to make the tournament without winning the Atlantic ten and it was going to be tough to win the Atlantic ten while powerhouse #16 Xavier still existed. Despite all this, the students went into the home opener against Cornell with all the optimism of true Western New York fans. After easily dismantling Cornell, the Bonnies suffered a heartbreaking loss at the #26 Cleveland state. Then, after an upset loss to lowly Arkansas St. at home, the Bonnies fell to 2-3. It seemed as though the sky was falling and the season was over. There was no way that the Bonnies could make the tournament now, Nicholson's senior year was going to be a waste. To make matters worse, he wasn't impressing anyone with his play early on. However, both of these problems began to be resolved with a 7-3 run through Christmas break. That was until they played at Xavier and were beaten handily 77-64. The game was a swift reminder of the level at which major Division basketball was played at. The Bonnies made up for the loss with a 44 point beatdown on Fordham the first weekend back from winter break. All seemed to be well in Bonnie-land.

However Nicholson's stock would begin to fall again as he fouled out in an all too close overtime win over lowly Rhode Island and again in a blowout loss at St. Louis. After a loss at UMass, the Bonnies fell to 12-9 and didn't appear headed toward any kind of post season play. But this all changed on Saturday February 11th. This would be the first home game I missed all year as I was on a road trip to Cornell. The Bonnies were slated to take on Duquesne who (somehow) had beaten them by 14 points at their house earlier in the season. Nicholson made sure this type of embarassment didn't happen again by single-handedly out-rebounding Duquesne. All in all he finished with 21 points and 23 boards; the most by any Bonnie since Bob Lanier over forty years ago. Not the best game to miss.

As Nicholson went, so went the Bonnies; this would become the pattern for the rest of the season. The next week #19 ranked Temple came to Bob Lanier court and barely escaped with a 76-70 victory after leading all game. The Bonnies would go on to four of their last five with Nicholson putting up around 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks seemingly every night. It was around this time that he also became utterly unstoppable from three point land. In a home game against Rhode Island the star center went 15-17 shooting with 13 rebounds as doomed opposing coach Jim Barron could only look on in disappointment as his former home crowd betrayed him with chants of "unemployment."  Despite the late season run; many were still talking about the Bonnies going to the CBI with the slight chance of appearing in the NIT. Atlantic Ten Championship weekend would change all that.

Due to the late season run, the Bonnies earned a first round bye. After the first round of action, they discovered that they were slated to play St. Joes on friday afternoon. The same St. Joes team who came to Olean and fought to two overtimes beofore leaving with a loss just a few weeks before. Students rushed back from class to catch the early 2:30 tip-off. After a back and forth game featuring many lead changes, the Bonnies prevailed by the slim margin of 71-68. The next day they faced off against UMass who had shocked Temple the day before in addition to beating the Bonnies handily earlier in the year. This game was not televised and it seems as though each student has their own tale of how they were able to watch the game(mine is likely the best but i'll save that for a later date). After taking a 20+point lead nearly halfway through the second half, the Minutemen game roaring back. We watched helplessly as the Bonnies lead dwindled to only two points with just minutes remaining. Amazingly, they were able to come out on top with an 84-80 victory that set off celebrations all accross campus. The Bonnies were now going to have to faced off against big, bad Xavier the next day.

Only a select few had made the trip to the first two games of the tournament, but on saturday it seemed that half the school was getting up and leaving to go to the championship game. This was not like a big game at UNC or Duke; there were no thousands of other students with other interests. There was no other interests to hold in the area; in winter drinking and basketball is all that matters. The entire campus was already buzzing despite the fact that likely a quarter of it's students were away to cheer on the team.

Sometimes in sports, there are match-ups that are just destined to happen. Before the season it seemed as though the only way the Bonnies were going to be able to make the tournament was to go through Xavier. This, at the time, seemed like an impossibility. Xavier was pre-season #16 in the nation and had what was supposed to be the best player in the Atlantic Ten (Tu Holloway). But much of this aprehension disappeared during the season. Xavier was involved with an ugly brawl against Cincinatti that cost them some of their best players for a few games, they quickly fell out of the top 25 and finished third in the A-10. Despite the fact that Temple and St. Louis were better teams, they had to lose. Xavier and St. Bonaventure was a match-up that had to happen. This was going to be much different then their game two months prior. This game would not be played at Xavier, this would be played at a Neutral site(basically meaning a home game for the Bonnies). Stars such as Holloway started to be seen as human and the Bonnies may have realized they had nearly the same record as Xavier. The biggest change was not just that Andrew Nicholson was now clearly the best player in the Atlantic Ten, it was that he knew it.

The game tipped-off at one on a sunday afternoon. Xavier never stood a chance. Right from the get-go Nicholson dominated them inside and out. He scored 26 points, 14 rebounds, and tied a St. Bonaventure record with 8 blocks. He also displayed his ranged with two three pointers and 10-10 foul shooting. The Bonnies were in control all afternoon and despite a slight run by Xavier in the second half, they were never in danger of losing. While Nicholson seemed to have figured out his foul problems by this time, Xavier played to the reputation as criminals. It seemed like they were going after Nicholson every chance they got as if they knew they had no chance of stopping him. Thi seemed to abruptly end one play as Nicholson came down with clear posession of the ball on a rebound. Holloway attempted to grab the ball late and was promptly dropped to the ground. Nicholson looked over him as to say "damn right I'M the best player in the A-10, deal with it." For me it was the high point of the weekend. Just a few minutes later the clock ran down to zero and the Bonnies were Atlantic Ten Champions. Those who were left on campus went wild as those down in Atlantic City made it clear who the champions were.

That night the the Bonnies returned to campus by bus at around 2:30 am. The word started to get out that students would be out greeting the team and by the time they got back there were a few thousand screaming, chanting, excited students waiting. Some were seniors who remembered the days when basketball was an afterthought while others were freshman who were just glad they got to have such a great experience so soon. As coach Mark Schmidt walked off the bus he was handed a Keystone by a student which he proceeded to drink. Unknowingly he became the greatest combination of what St. Bonaventure was all about, drinking and basketball. As I looked around I began to notice a few townies from Olean were present and I thought about how important this must be for them. After years of darkness, it was Andrew Nicholson who pulled this basketball program out of the hell it had been in back to light.

At some point on suday, the selection committee decided the Bonnies would face Florida State the next friday in the first round. Against the Seminoles, the same Seminoles that defeated both UNC and Duke twice this year, the Bonnies led nearly the entire game. Despite Nicholson's 4-5 three point shooting and seven boards, Florida St. prevailed 66-63 as DaQuan Cook missed two shots to end the game. However this is not what mattered, what mattered was that Nicholson put a small town on his back and ressurected it's basketball program all while maintaining one of the best GPA's in his class and being friendly to everyone he came accross.

Thursday night the Orlando Magic gained a champion, someone who performed under extraordinary pressure. Sure leading a national program such as Duke or Kentucky involves a great amount of pressure. A choke or just not being at the top of your game can cause a fanbase of millions to villify you for the entire offseason and in some cases, beyond that. However it takes a who different type of person to perform under the pressure that Andrew Nicholson did. To be given the responsibility of changing the prevailing mood of an entire town and to give them their livelihood back is no small order. Even if he turns out to be better than expected and leads Orlando to multiple championships; Andrew Nicholson's greatest accomplishment will always be giving the small town of Olean it's life back.

NBA Draft Major Stories

                This year’s NBA Draft to everyone’s surprise will probably be more known for what didn’t happen than what did.  In a year full of trade speculation and rumors, there wasn’t a trade until the 17^th pick and no major assets were moved.  Here are some of what I thought were the notable happenings from the draft:

·         The Unibrow

Not much more can be said about what Anthony Davis gives the Hornets, he is the type of player whom you can build your franchise around and once he develops his presence almost guarantees that you will be a contender every year.  You combine that with the emerging star Eric Gordon, arguably the best young shooting guard in the game, along with the talented but controversial Austin Rivers the Hornets could be a playoff team, or possibly even title contender sooner than most people believe.

·         Bobcats decision

After all the weeks of talk about how the Bobcats didn’t want to keep the 2^nd pick and that it if they did keep it that Thomas Robinson would be the choice, the Bobcats went ahead and kept the pick selecting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.  Unless you were getting a proven commodity in return for the pick, like the rumored James Harden, then I believe that Charlotte made the correct choice.  Kidd-Gilchrist makes them better in just his competitiveness alone.  He will work harder than anyone in this class to improve his game and make sure that he becomes a star player in this league.  To me worst case scenario for him is to become Gerald Wallace.

·         Dwight stays

The other much discussed trade rumor of draft was that Dwight Howard was going to be traded to the Rockets as they were attempting to package picks together to acquire him for next season.  The Rockets at least were supposed to end up trading into the top 10 so they could take a high risk guy like Andre Drummond.  Neither of these things happened as Dwight stayed in Orlando and Houston kept their 3 picks from 12-18.  I do like what the Rockets did though with their picks in taking multiple high-ceiling guys In Jeremy Lamb and Royce White and following that with the safe pick of Terrance Jones, who figures to turn into a rotation perimeter defender and spot up shooter.  In Orlando’s case, while I loved their selection of Andrew Nicholson, who Taylor will personally be writing about, I am not sure about why the trade didn’t go down.  If the trade didn’t happen because Dwight wasn’t going to stay in Houston under any circumstances then there is nothing that the Magic could do about that.  However if the trade happened because their new GM thought he could get Dwight to stay in Orlando then I believe it was a major risk.  Consider you could have had multiple first round picks in a deep draft along with a few other good players as well then unless you are extremely confident you can keep Dwight I would make that trade.

·         Boston’s steal

To me the Celtics I think probably got the steal of the draft in taking Jared Sullinger with the 21^st pick.   While there are significant health risks in taking Sullinger I believe that for a win now team like the Celtics this is a risk well worth taking.  Sullinger for the past 2 seasons has arguably been the best player in all of college basketball and to me that means something. He is a competitive person who stayed in school, and watched his draft stock plummet because of it so he could compete for a National Championship.  A competitive player like that who will be playing for a title contending team and is a proven low post scorer who you can give it to on the low block and can produce points.  He should be able to contribute right away as a rotation guy playing behind Brandon Bass and KG.  To me this gives the Celtics another weapon at their disposal and considering how far he fell I would assume that this would make him work even harder and develop into a stronger player and obtaining a piece like that can really tilt the balance in a playoff series which the Celtics figure to be involved in next year. 

I think that while this year’s draft wasn’t full of the big moves that always make drafts exciting I believe that the underlying stories actually make this draft more interesting than many others.  The big decisions that these teams make, or in some cases didn’t make, can determine their future as they attempt to build their roster.  

Not So Secret Identity

Alright so this is my first post for the Hungry Dog blog and I want to see this thing get off the ground. I thought that it would be best if I did not write about sports or a movie review, and give this blog a bit of a refresher for potential readers who are not into sports. So obviously those that are not interested in sports must be interested in two things movies and Superheroes. This is a big summer for Superhero movies with the Avengers which came out in May (which if you have not seen yet you need to Figure it out and probably go check your lawyer), and July will see the releases of the highly anticipated The Amazing Spider-Man, and The Dark Knight Rises. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most daring, and most successful film franchises in history. With the exception Iron Man 2 all the films so far have been your basic Superhero Origin story with your basic formula of white male goes through drastic physical changes, at first struggles with those changes, and then embraces their identity as a superhero. However there is something Marvel has done without directly stating it that gives their movies a twist and breaks away from the Superhero formula to give us something fresh and exciting. They have successfully abolished the secret identity. Before Marvel decided to make this change almost every Superhero movie pointed out that they must keep their real identity a secret so that their friends and family will be safe. It also gave us for sub-plots for characters to find out the identity of a hero and exploit it. However no one in the Marvel movies keep their identities a secret. Sure all besides Thor have duel identities Iron Man is Tony Stark, The Hulk is Bruce Banner, Captain America is Steve Rodgers, Black Widow is Natasha Romanoff, and Hawkeye is Clint Barton, but nobody keeps these identities a secret except for the latter two but they are agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. and not technically superheroes and did not have their own independent movies. Tony Stark flat out admitted he was Iron Man, Cap never tried to make his identity of Steve Rodgers hidden during WWII, and fights without his mask for a portion of the final battle, Bruce Banner is one of the most wanted men in the world because of the destruction the Hulk has caused so it would make sense for his identity to be public knowledge, and Agent Coulson is tricked into thinking that Thor’s actual name is Donald Blake by Erik Selvig, but Thor never personally assumes that identity in both his movie and the Avengers. So by now your probably saying, “Great observation Pat, you are so smart and clever and most likely handsome, but how does this actually effect the Marvel Movies.” First off thank you, you are too kind, and second off it does a great deal to the movies. The secret identity of a hero can dictate the tone of a film. The main reason that the Dark Knight was able to explore such dark and edgy themes which results in a dark and edgy tone of the film is because Bruce Wayne does not suffer the consequences of Batman. It is all about responsibility, Batman was tested and put to the limit by the Joker, and even after he apprehended the Joker he took responsibility for the crimes of Harvey Dent. Batman is responsible for all of his crimes, and the crimes of another, and do you know who is not responsible for these crimes? Bruce Wayne, thats who. Nobody is calling for the capture and trial of Bruce Wayne because they have no clue he is the Dark Knight. However a villain like the Joker who pushes the hero to the absolute brink could not work for a Marvel movie because the public in those films would hold the person and not the hero responsible. Instead of Iron Man having to chose between saving either Pepper or Rhodie it would be Tony having to make that choice. So naturally the Marvel movies are going to be more rooted in comics and have a lighter tone. Not having a secret identity also changes the movies because there is no pressure on the hero to live a dual life, where the superhero has to juggle being a normal life to blend into society, and their superhero hype. This allows for newer and fresher story lines to be present in the movies. You will not see any Peter Parker story lines where the hero has to go to job at the Daily Bugle, go to school, deliver pizzas, and visit Aunt May while trying to find the time to be your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Being a hero will be these peoples full time job, and it seems that the pressures of being a superpowered human will come from feeling alone and alienated from society. Almost no one is on Tony Starks intellectual level, Steve Rodgers knows nobody, Bruce Banner has to deal with his dark side and stay away from society on the whole, and no matter how humiliated Thor gets he will still have a bit of a God-Complex on Earth. So I think that the isolation will drive these characters to re-consider their career choices. I think it would be a good idea for Marvel to write it in by the second Avengers to have the heroes give up their lives as heroes, so that their will be a challenge to again in the second movie. So how will the abolishment of a secret identity come into play in the future Marvel movies? Well I can only hypothesize but here it goes: Tony Stark/Iron Man: well his ego has always been huge but since becoming Iron Man its has soared and I cannot help but think that it will have grown even considerably since the Avengers so he needs to be brought down a peg and humbled and a way to do this is to attack Tony Stark and not Iron Man Thor: Well Thor is tough since he is just Thor and his interaction with humanity is limited but I would like to see a love triangle develop between Sif in Asgard, and Jane Foster on earth. This would cause tension between Thor’s God-complexed attitude in Asgard, and his new found humility on Earth. Bruce Banner/Hulk: I am not sure with Hulk either and he may not get another movie but be present in the other movies. The extent to which Bruce can control the Hulk is still unclear because he was seen as not being able to control it, and then being able to control it. However going on the last time we saw the Hulk, I will guess his story will be his insights as an observer of society and his disillusion with humanity which will anger him, as well as being able to use the Hulk for good instead of mindless violence. Steve Rodgers/Captain America: I am most excited for this one because Steve is going to have to struggle with the fact that he does not know a single soul on the planet, but everyone knows who he is. The most popular guy in the country will have to deal with being also incredibly alone and secluded from society and how he deals with that will make an interesting movie. Stay Hungry My Friends

Ranking Last 10 NBA Champions

                When I decided to answer the question that nobody asked, who is the best NBA Champion of the past 10 years, I needed away of comparing teams.  So in my rankings I decided to use a variety of both objective and subjective factors to determine which of the last 10 NBA Champions would be the best team.  I also used a variety of advanced stats and analytics in my column so here is an explanation of those statistics below

Expected Record:  Basically this statistic should be a better indicator of how good a team was then record then the actual record.  It is calculated based on point differential rather than wins and losses, as point differential over the long-term has proven to be a better indicator of success. 

Offense/Defensive Rank:  The offensive and defensive rankings I used were not based on points per game or points allowed per game, but on efficiency statistics, points allowed per 100 possessions.  Using this statistic adjusts for teams that played at a faster or slower pace so it is a better indicator of success. 

PER: This is a catch all statistic that helps to place together the value of every contribution a player makes.  A good explanation of the statistic can be found here.

·         2003 Spurs

o   Record 60-22 (.73 winning %), Expected Record 57-25 (.70%)

o   7^th offense, 3^rd defense (7+3)/2=5

o   Playoff Record 16-8

o   Average of 4 Rankings (3+7+4+9)/4=5.75

·         2004 Pistons

o   Record 54-28 (.66 winning %), Expected Record 57-25 (.72%)

o   18^th offense, 2^rd defense (18+2)/2=10

o   Playoff Record 16-7

o   Average of 4 Rankings (9+5+10+4)/4=6.75

·         2005 Spurs

o   Record 59-23 (.72 winning %), Expected Record 63-19 (.77%)

o   8^th offense, 1^rd defense (8+1)/2=4.5

o   Playoff Record 16-7

o   Average of 4 Rankings (4+3+2+3)/4=3

·         2006 Heat

o   Record 52-30 (.63 winning %), Expected Record 52-30 (.63%)

o   7^th offense, 9^rd defense (7+9)/2=8

o   Playoff Record 16-7

o   Average of 4 Rankings (10+10+8+3)/4=7.75

·         2007 Spurs

o   Record 58-24 (.71 winning %), Expected Record 64-18 (.78%)

o   5^th offense, 2^rd defense (5+2)/2=3.5

o   Playoff Record 16-4

o   Average of 4 Rankings (5+2+1+1)/4=2.25

·         2008 Celtics

o   Record 66-16 (.80 winning %), Expected Record 67-15 (.82%)

o   10^th offense, 1^rd defense (10+1)/2=5.5

o   Playoff Record 16-10

o   Average of 4 Rankings (1+1+5+10)/4=4.25

·         2009 Lakers

o   Record 65-17 (.79 winning %), Expected Record 61-21 (.74%)

o   3^th offense, 6^rd defense (3+6)/2=4.5

o   Playoff Record 16-7

o   Average of 4 Rankings (2+4+2+3)=2.75

·         2010 Lakers

o   Record 57-25 (.70 winning %), Expected Record 54-28 (.66%)

o   11^th offense, 4^rd defense (11+4)/2=7.5

o   Playoff Record 16-7

o   Average of 4 Rankings (6+8+7+3)/4=6

·         2011 Mavericks

o   Record 57-25 (.70 winning %), Expected Record 53-29 (.65%)

o   8^th offense, 8^rd defense (8+8)/2=8

o   Playoff Record 16-5

o   Average of 4 Rankings (6+9+8+3)=6.5

·         2012 Heat

o   Record 46-20 (.70 winning %), Expected Record 47-19 (.71%)

o   8^th offense, 4^rd defense (8+4)/2=6

o   Playoff Record 16-7

o   Average of 4 Rankings (6+6+6+3)/4=5.25

Record

1.       08 Celtics

2.       09 Lakers

3.       03 Spurs

4.       05 Spurs

5.       07 Spurs

6.       12 Heat/11 Mavs/ 10 Lakers

9.       04 Pistons

10.   06 Heat

Expected Record

1.       08 Celtics

2.       07 Spurs

3.       05 Spurs

4.       09 Lakers

5.       04 Pistons

6.       12 Heat

7.       03 Spurs

8.       10 Lakers

9.       11 Mavs

10.   06 Heat

Average Rank of Offense and Defense

1.       07 Spurs

2.       05 Spurs/09 Lakers

4.       03 Spurs

5.       08 Celtics

6.       12 Heat

7.       10 Lakers

8.       06 Heat/11 Mavs

10.   04 Pistons

Playoff Record

1.       07 Spurs

2.       11 Mavs

3.       04 Pistons/05 Spurs/06 Heat/09 Lakers/10 Lakers/12 Heat

9.       03 Spurs

10.   08 Celtics

Average of 4 Rankings

1.       07 Spurs

2.       09 Lakers

3.       05 Spurs

4.       08 Celtics

5.       12 Heat

6.       03 Spurs

7.       10 Lakers

8.       11 Mavs

9.       04 Pistons

10.   06 Heat

My personal Rankings

10.   04 Pistons

As cool as it was for the 04 Pistons to win the NBA Championship without a superstar, there is a reason the team is a historical fluke.  As strong as that team was defensively, and as easily they seem to dismantle the Lakers, this Pistons team just wasn’t that strong.  This was a team that really didn’t have much of a bench, and whose best player was Chauncey Billups, who’s PER was18.6 that season.  In retrospect looking at this team it is incredible they won the championship, considering they had a mediocre offense, a weak bench, and no superstar.  Looking at that along with their lack of regular season success, they have to be ranked as the worst champion of the past 10 years. 

9.       06 Heat

By most objective measures, it would be hard to not consider this the worst champion of the past 10 seasons.  In comparison to other teams on the list this team struggled by far the most in the regular season, and the team seemed to have only 2 consistently reliable players.  However, there is one factor that vaults them ahead of the Pistons, and that is Dwayne Wade.  In the 06 season, but more especially the postseason and the Finals Wade went on a historic run.   Wade averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals, while shooting 97 free throws in 6 Finals games, putting forth arguably the greatest Finals performance ever.  This alone prevents the 06 Heat from being placed last. 

8.       03 Spurs

This Spurs team was able to win the title because of the presence of Tim Duncan and his historic playoffs.  In the postseason Duncan24.7 points per game, 15.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 3.3 blocks to lead the team in all those categories and finished with a PER of 28.4.  This culminated with Duncan’s historic Game’s 1 and 6 in the Finals where in Game 1 he had 32 points, 20 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 blocks, and 3 steals, and in the closeout Game 6 he had 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks.  Outside of Duncan though the team wasn’t all that strong, they had David Robinson on his last legs who struggled mightily that season, the still very young Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, the inefficient Stephen Jackson, and defensive oriented Malik Rose and Bruce Bowen.  The only reason that the team is ranked this high is the historic play by Duncan, and the amount of success the team had in an extremely competitive Western Conference.

7.       11 Mavs

The Mavs are an interesting team to look at because from a distance they don’t seem to have the look of a championship team.  They had one superstar who many had thought had missed his opportunity to get a ring, and a bunch of role players who hadn’t really won much over the course of their careers.  They didn’t have any great success in the regular season to give the look of a champion, and were the popular pick to be upset in the first round.  Despite all those things the team won the championship because Dirk turned up the level of his play dramatically and the role players complemented each other perfectly as the team’s basketball IQ, hunger for a ring and impeccable coaching by Rick Carlisle was able to combine to get the team a ring. 

6.       10 Lakers

One team that I thought for sure would be much higher on the list then they actually deserved is this Lakers team.  They had 3 star players, along with the still competent Lamar Odom and Ron Artest, making it seem like a team that was possibly better than the 09 Lakers.  The problem is that Kobe Bryant declined substantially from the 09 to 10 seasons.  His shooting percentage declined from .467/.351/.856 to .456/.329/.811 while his PER declined from 24.2 to 21.9.  Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher showed declines in play while Ron Artest was slightly less productive then the Trevor Ariza he replaced.  Andrew Bynum was the only player to be more productive this season, while Pau Gasol’s production remained almost the same.  Actually Gasol in the postseason was arguably more valuable than Bryant and had a legitimate case for Finals MVP.  They struggled in the playoffs to win it all against an extremely young OKC team, a flawed Phoenix team and a Celtics team that many thought would not make it out of the first round of the playoffs let alone the 7^th game of the NBA Finals. 

5.       12 Heat

I’ve written a lot about this year’s Heat and especially the player that Lebron James has become this postseason.  The reason they are this high is that they had a legendary season out of Lebron, who posted a PER of 30.7 in the regular season and 30.3 in the postseason.  This player is surrounded by a superstar in Dwayne Wade, who when healthy is one of the most productive players in the league, and the now underrated Chris Bosh who while not a great player is an extremely valuable asset to have on any team.  The reason I can’t put them higher is their overreliance on their Big 3, and the struggles they had with the Pacers and Celtics, teams they were significantly better than. 

4.       05 Spurs

This iteration of the Spurs was a tough physical team that could get a stop at any time it had to.  While definitely not the best Spurs team that won a title, it was probably the best defensive team that could get a stop at any time.  The team used its Big 3 model of the still in his prime Duncan, the almost there Parker and Ginobili, and the contributions of key bench players to win it all.  They had the greatest clutch shooter in NBA history, Robert Horry, who had arguably his finest performance in Game 5 of those Finals.  You had the defensive magnificence of Bruce Bowen to go along with the sharpshooting of Brent Barry among other solid contributors to win it all.  The only series flaw in this team was exposed in the Detroit series.  The team was susceptible to teams that could match their physicality and the low post play of Duncan, which the Pistons were able to do with the Wallaces.  The team though was able to go through a fairly competitive Western Conference pretty easily to get to the finals though. 

3.       08 Celtics

To me there is no harder team to rate on this list than this Celtics team.  You could make a solid case for number 1 based on their regular season and defensive dominance.  Again though this is the same team that lost 6 games in the first two rounds of the playoffs to a BAD Atlanta Hawks team and an average Cavaliers team whose only consistently reliable player was Lebron James.  To me that places them in the upper echelon of teams of the decade, but not good enough to be considered for the top 2.  The team had Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett at the end of their primes, emerging young contributors like Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins, and had reliable veteran players like James Posey and PJ Brown who made constant big shots for the team.  If these teams were placed in a round robin style format, I have no question in believing they would have the best record, but if forced into a playoff format I would not make them the favorite to win it all. 

2.       09 Lakers

I said a lot about comparing the 09 Lakers to the 10 Lakers above, but the 09 Lakers were a phenomenal team.  They had arguably the best player in the world in Kobe Bryant, arguably the best big man in basketball in Pau Gasol, and reliable role players like Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom.  The latter two were especially phenomenal in the postseason as Ariza shot .476 from 3 while Odom shot .514.  In the playoffs they beat the Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets, and Utah Jazz fairly easily, only running into trouble in the extremely strange series against Houston.  The Rockets were able to push the Lakers to 7 games despite Yao Ming getting hurt during a Game 3 that saw the Lakers go ahead in the series 2 games to 1.  The Lakers were able to win a strange series that saw only one game determined by a single digit margin, but as the series progressed it was obvious the Lakers were a significantly better team.   The 7 game series with Houston does hold them back though as the team below did not display the weakness that the Lakers have.  A team with a defender that could legitimately annoy Kobe Bryant, like Shane Battier was able to do could challenge them. 

1.       07 Spurs

Now for the best team of the past 10 years I have to choose the 07 Spurs.  To me the Spurs have to be considered the best team on the list because to me they don’t have a strongly discernable flaw.  This team was the only team on this list to be a top 5 team offensively and defensively! Think about that, of the past 10 NBA Champions only 1 was able to be both exceptional at offensive and defense and it was a boring SPURS team that was able to be exceptional at both ends of the floor.  This team had an exceptional coach, a point guard who can get in the paint at any time, the NBA’s best 6^th man and super-efficient Manu Ginobili, and a man who was still the best defensive big man in the game in Tim Duncan.  This team was surrounded by a group of role players who knew their niche, and exactly what type of play they needed.  The only knock on this team is that they were lucky to win the Phoenix series because of the controversial suspensions, but in my opinion they win that series any way.  When you consider their combined regular season, their Expected Record was 2^nd best on the list, and post season success, they lost 4 games the entire playoffs, I believe you have to consider the Spurs the best champion of the past 10 years.   

Dickey, Trout, and the Return of the Rangers

For the first time since I started writing an MLB Weekly Review, there was not one single no hitter this week. However, in a possibly stranger twist, RA Dickey is pitching like Sandy Koufax lately. He seems to be a bit of a pitching hipster. You see instead of going the normal no hit route, Dickey seems to fancy the one-hitter as he's thrown two consecutive one hit games. In addition, he hasn't allowed an earned run in over a month. Yes that's right....a month(40+ innings). He's now 11-1 with a 2.00 era, a .87 whip and over 100 strikeouts. To put this in perspective 11 wins is Dickey's career high, he's only finished one season with an era lower than 3 (2.84 in 2010), and only had four complete games prior to this year(three already this year). He's 37 years old and he's never been an all star; in Texas in 2006 he was sent to the minors after ONE appearance and never made it back to the majors that year or the next. He spent all of 2007 in the minors at the age of 32. But none of this matters now. Because after a few years of bouncing around, RA Dickey is the best pitcher in baseball.

While All eyes are on young star/phenom/world hunger ender Bryce Harper, a young man by the name of Mike Trout is putting up ....(looking around for Harper fans) ....better numbers. The 20 year old Angels call up is second in the AL with a .338 batting average. The center fielder also boasts a .402 OBP and a .942 OPS. No disrespect to Harper but Trout is a hair better than him at the moment.

It looks like it's shaping up to be a hell of an NL MVP race this year. Not only are former MVPs Joey Votto and Ryan Braun having stellar seasons; perrenial all stars such as David Wright and Andrew McCutchen are as well. What's really making the race interesting though is the emergence of Carlos Ruiz, the return to form of Carlos Gonzalez, and the fact that Melky Frigin Cabrera is this good. I'll have a hell of a time figuring out who to pick for my mid season report just as the writers will this fall.

Hot Teams
Texas: After a late spring slump and an appearance in this column's not so hot section; the Texas Rangers appear to be back to form. They've won seven in a row and ten of the last eleven. Roy Oswalt looked sharp in his debut which could be huge for the team. If Oswalt can be counted on, they have four legitimately good starters to go to war with in October. In addition they have a solid bullpen anchored by reliable closer Joe Nathan. Then of course they have the best offense in baseball which should only get better as Josh Hamilton gets over his virus. Perhaps they were forgotten a bit quickly.

New York Mets: Bolstered by the brilliance of knuckleballer RA Dickey, the Amazins are staying in the NL East race and making many analysts (including myself) eat their words. My only worry as a Mets fan would be regression to the mean. How long can Lucas Duda, RA Dickey, and Jon Niese keep this effort up? Even David Wright is certain regress even just a bit. Good news though, they finally climbed over the positve run differential barrier.

Not so Hot Teams
Chicago White Sox: After a 6-12 skid, the Sox have fallen out of first place in the less than intimidating AL Central. While Chris Sale and Jake Peavy are still performing admirably, they are struggling to find anyone beyond that. Even the formerly perfect Phillip Humber has been abysmal. The sox may deal one of their many bats or prospects for an arm at the deadline. Otherwise they have no shot at the playoffs.

Tampa Bay: Although the Rays have suffered throught a mild 3-7 skid, it's not a good sign when one of the best pitching staffs in baseball can't win. A rash of injuries has rendered the offense nearly useless and it seems as though they haven't been able to buy a run recently. It doesn't help that the Yanks and O's seemingly can't be beaten recently either. In more bad news, Evan Longoria suffered another setback in his rehab. Could a team with this good of a pitching staff and manager really miss the playoffs?

Look for the mid-season report soon and Stay Hungry My Friends.

Game 5 Running Diary... Drebot Edition

                For my first running diary for the Hungry Dog, an idea I shamelessly am stealing from Bill Simmons, I am going to be doing Game 5 of the NBA Finals.  Please enjoy reading as OKC attempts to make this a legitimate series or the Heat win and Lebron officially takes his place among the greatest the game has ever seen.  I’m saying that OKC is going to win tonight, but that is more out of hope that the series continues then me actually believing it.  Really though I can’t see OKC losing 4 games in a row, come on this team just destroyed the greatest basketball team I had ever seen, they can’t beat the Heat twice.  My cousin Evan will also be here watching the game; his main contribution will most likely be preventing me from killing Kendrick Perkins. 

PreGame: Juwan Howard honoring an army vet, I always enjoy seeing him making contributions.  Also he is trending on twitter so clearly I am not alone in my thought process. 

                Ok seeing this pregame highlight package of Finals games is awesome, I’m pumped so many awesome moments. 

                Showing some Lebron Stats and Highlights, hey this guy is really really really good at basketball.

                One Solid Prediction for the night is that Durant is going for at least 35 points and 10 rebounds, people are talking about his lack of rebounding too much, and he knows that he has to play big tonight and I think he responds.

12:00 First Quarter,  Miami wins opening tip and OKC forces a contested long two good start.

11:22, Scratch that, Lebron just killed the basket with that dunk

11:03, A post play to Kendrick Perkins, I’m convinced that Brooks is trying to kill me.

9:24, Sloppy start for both teams this favors OKC I believe, they can take Perkins out

9:09, Thabo misses his 200^th layup of the series I believe

8:15, Great play by Durant, nice stepback that’s his shot, get it inside then shoot, if he keeps doing that then OKC can win this game

7:43, Westbrook is really good at basketball, I’m a believer in his ability you can win with him. 

7:25, Battier refuses to regress to the mean as he makes another 3

6:38, 2^nd foul on Wade, saying in the game, if I’m Miami I think it is the right play

5:56, Wow there is a good chance that Lebron is taking over this game by himself with another And 1, and Miami is up 6

I’m not sure if I have mentioned this before but Lebron is amazing at basketball and I’m pretty sure I haven’t played someone who has played this well.

4:43 KENDRICK PERKINS JUST SCORED! We are both in shock right now how did that happen

4:20 He gives that back as Bosh blows right by him for a layup as it’s a 6 point game

Also Evan just brought up a random recommendation; look up Scottie Brooks on twitter

3:45, Perkins has to leave the game right now after he gives up another Bosh layup as Miami is up 7, it’s really a laughing matter watching him play defense.  If Brooks doesn’t take him out during this timeout we have serious issues.

Dark Knight Rises trailer, pure joy right there I am so excited for that movie

3:23, Perkins still in the game, I am literally about to murder somebody and then Derek Fisher is entering the game and thank God it’s for Perkins

2:53, I just saw Mike Miller hit a 3, that might be the first time I have seen that happen, and I’m not even joking about that, which is pretty sad for a 3 point shooter

2:10 Nick Collison just did the coolest tip in ever to cut the lead to 6

1:50, Now I’m really confused because Miller hit another 3

1:00 Norris Cole hits a 3 as Miami goes up 9, he had the worst PER in the league I’m pretty sure, utter bewilderment

After the first Miami up 31-26, interesting position, Perkins is not in which is an advantage for OKC.  I thought Miami played really well in that quarter so to only be up 5 is a disappointment.

Brooks between quarter interview disappointing not very Popovich like

11:50 2^nd , Westbrook another and 1, he is coming to play again

10:48, Miller with Fisher have back to back 3 pointers, I don’t understand basketball

10:22, I like Harden, but really this flopping needs to stop, it really takes away from his the awesomeness that his Beard brings to the table

Timeout and Evan complaining about Wi-Fi, and commercials, always good entertainment

8:48 Derek Fisher makes another shot to make it a 4 point game, super clutch, definitely not a waste of space most of the time

8:01, As Wade is going to the line again I’m wondering where Thabo has disappeared to, he has been out way too long now

7:30, Fisher just attempted to guard Chris Bosh in the post, I don’t know a circumstance where that is ok

Evan reminds me of the necessity of Perkins reentering the game soon, very few players can play up to his caliber of ability.  He is the greatest basketball player ever without question really it’s no debate

Great integration with the NBA Finals and Spiderman commercial, it makes a lot of sense and doesn’t seem random.

7:00 JUST AS I NOTICE PERKINS IS IN AND HE GETS BLOWN BY, BY LEBRON! WHY IS HE IN??????? Neither Ibaka nor Thabo is in right now

6:47, There is a start as Ibaka is in for Fisher

6:09 Perkins fails to dunk, is this a joke right now

5:46, 12 point game, Miami is on a run good timeout by OKC right here, they need to make some plays and cut this lead

5:35, 3^rd foul on Wade don’t really understand the call and now he goes to the bench

5:00, Seriously another Miller 3 to make it a 15 point game

4:42, Turnover and Lebron layup this is getting out of hand

3:18, Lebron at the free throw line, OKC hasn’t been able to do anything with Wade out, I wonder if this has anything to do with the presence of Perkins

2:40, Battier just drove to score, under what circumstance is that possible

2:20, Big 3 by Durant, they needed that to cut the lead to 12, 57-45 Miami right now

Expendables 2 Trailer, which reminds me, you know who is expendable for OKC in this series, Kendrick Perkins!

1:50, Perkins out, Ibaka in! I am pleased to see this

Horrible play to end the half by OKC, ending with an airball by Ibaka.  The half ends with Miami up 59-49, but I think it could be a lot worse for OKC.  The comeback is still possible, and Durant right now has 14 points and 6 rebounds, he will need a big 2^nd half to make my prediction correct.

11:40, Didn’t watch halftime show but come back in perfect time to see awesome Durant 3

11:00, saw OKC make a mistake and naturally blamed Perkins, wasn’t his fault but I feel like that should mean something

10:10, Chalmers hits another 3, when Miami is hitting the outside shot they are unstoppable, considering the gameplan against them is force them to take perimeter shots

9:32, After Battier hits a 3 a timeout and then the awesome Flu Game commercial for Gatorade comes on, really he is awesome, as great as Lebron has been this postseason, he isn’t Jordan and never will be

This is followed by Evan stubbing his toe and he is limping just to go to the bathroom, very funny to watch as he does is best Paul Pierce wheelchair impersonation.  His pain is truly extraordinary I am not sure if he can make it through the game. 

8:48 Perkins just didn’t contest a Chalmers runner, again I ask, what value is he in this game for OKC

7:28 Kevin Durant hits another bucket to put this game to 7, and that’s followed by a confrontation between him and Chalmers, Durant’s into this he is going to have a big half.

Evan is playing strange music, I am scared.

“Perk we know you can’t do anything on offense so why can’t you just disappear”-Evan’s Scott brooks impersonation

7:00 Battier you are like my favorite player in the NBA, but I don’t like this whole making the Heat win a championship thing

6:32, This foul better be on Perk because that increases his chances of leaving the game on Bosh’s and 1, ok he is still in

6:12, FOUL on Perkins! Great call ref! He is gone!!!!!!!!!

4:46, Derek Fisher solid play with an actual foul instead of just giving up the 3 point play

I’M UTTERLY CONFUSED THAT IN NO WAY WAS A FLAGARANT FOUL I DON’T UNDERSTAND THE CALL! HUGE CALL THERE!

Nick Collison should get in this game, in my opinion he is their best defensive big man, they need his help defense, and also Thabo should be in

4:16, Bad shot by Harden in a huge possession

3:54, This game seems over, 82-63 Miami after a great play by Lebron, they are playing great while OKC is imploding hard to watch

3:40, Another missed 3 by Harden, it is sad to watch I had such high expectations for him and he just is playing awful

3:02, Sequence of bosh 3 Harden charge and Miller 3 to make it a 25 point lead… Wow

2:16, Seems like everyone besides Westbrook has just given up right now have to feel for him

1:23, Never thought I would see OKC give up it’s a disgrace really, I had high expectations for this team, but to see them quit like this is actually more disappointing than Lebron’s performance last year

:31.2, Miller just showed more effort than any OKC guy when they have a 25 point lead, shocking

:05.1, Again Westbrok only guy competing for OKC

End of 3 its 95-71 Miami, I don’t know what to think right now.  

Right now I am so confused on what has happened to the team that won 4 straight against the Spurs then stole game 1 of this series.  They look like 2 completely different teams, the Spurs from the beginning of the postseason looked like the best team to me, but I thought OKC turned a corner in that series.  It just looks like they have completely regressed right now. 

11:40, Another  Miller 3…

11:20, At least Derek Fisher made one again, it’s probably his last Finals one

11:00 Jesus Christ Mike Miller 7 3s today

9:36, That turnover by Durant was awful he looks disengaged out there, followed by a foul

9:17, Never mind that should be Fisher’s retirement 3

Most shocking part of this entire run I must say is how none of this has happened with Perkins on the floor.  I criticized him a lot…. Like a whole lot, but if he is in there I don’t think what transpired would happen

The score is 106-86 with 7:51 left and Miami calls a timeout… very unnecessary. 

Also Thabo has played 9:19 so far right now, personally I think playing your best perimeter defender is probably a good decision when you are playing a team with 3 point shooters along with Lebron and Wade but who am I to say that.

Durant has 32 and 11 right now while scoring efficiently and I feel like he is playing horribly.  He needed to stop that run and just seemed to quit.  It is one thing to lose when the other team is making shots, but I have to say to quit is another level. 

As you have noticed I have quit the whole running dairy gimmick as this game has just become pathetic and not worth writing about. 

Lebron today was exactly the player they needed him to be today.  He went into a special place during Game 6 in Boston, and hasn’t looked back.  He established himself as the best player in the game by a considerable margin and turns the Heat into favorites for next year.  I hate to see it happen but you have to appreciate what Lebron has done this postseason could be matched by few players ever.  He is playing at the highest level a player has played since Jordan has retired.  Better than Kobe, Shaq and Duncan, really the only performance that compares is Wade’s performance in the 06 Finals.

Also at 3:01 we get it, we get what everyone has been waiting for; Juwan Howard has entered the game.  One last thing is that Lebron did this by himself, he was the alpha dog on this team, he was the best player, and he closed.  All the criticism from The Decision needs to end, this guy is the only player in the league who could win a championship with this team, please respect him for it.    

Stay Hungry My Friends

Game 5 Running Diary: A Dark Night before a Bright Future

(Mike and I thought it would be a good idea to "borrow" an idea from our favorite writer Bill Simmons and write a running diary of Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The following are my thoughts at the exact moments they entered my mind.In case it's not clear, the Heat winning was not the ideal outcome for me.)

9:01 They just showed that commercial with highlights and soundbites from previous NBA finals. Chills is an understatement, I might as well be in Antarctica right now.

9:03 So the games about to start and we're being reminded how good Bron-Bron is......reeeeeaaaaaly good. Also Durant could go off at any moment. What a match up.

9:05 Just found out Stepbrothers is also on, good thing in case LeBron's feeling it tonight.

9:07 Miami won the tipoff, lets see what Will Ferell and John C. Reilly are up to.

9:12  Sloppiness beyond belief right now...not just Perkins either.

9:16 Shane Battier is a game changer, I forgot how big I thoght that signing was, he's been phenomonal. Plus he just ended the poverty issue in Miami and wrote an epic poem. What a guy.

9:18 Note to NBA players: If you're going to foul someone....foul them, don't give them a love tap, hit em. or else whats the point?

9:22 Miami is already up by six, this could be a long summer. List of most disappointing people in these finals: 3. Kendrik Perkins 2. James Harden 1. Scott Brooks. Wasn't Perkins supposed to be a good pick-up?

9:27 Every time Bosh reminds me that he's full healthy again, I die a little inside. It's been so long since a team I hated won a championship, i'm not so sure I can handle it. The Patriots kinda wore me out, just seeing them go to the Superbowl this year ruined a few days for me. This could be a legit summer-ruiner.

9:33 Mike Miller made a big 3...now what were you saying Mr. Mayan? Oh shit he just hit another one as I was typing this...now his back hurts.Probably from carrying the team all year, at least that's what he's gonna tell the girl he takes home tonight.

9:36 If the Heat win, their celebration shouldn't be too long. Norris Cole and Mike Miller only have until midnight before their fairy Godmother sends them back to the early 90s.

9:38 It could be worse, at the end of the first Miami is up five. This game is far from over especially if the Thunder start making shots. I expect Durant to come out with a huge effort in the second half. I hope so at least. Please Kevin, restore my faith in humanity.

9:43 Second quarter is underway and Grantland's own Sebastian Priuti just tweeted at me! Also Mike Miller has hit more 3's in this game than he has in his life.

9:58 Miami's up 9 halfway through the 2nd, it's over man. I'm resigned to LeBron winning a title, he earned it.

10:00 When did everyone on Miami turn into frigin Reggie Miller?!

10:04 All of a sudden Miami is up 17, I dont know what the hell just happened. Mike Miller is a God, the Heat are playing D like the 96 Bulls. This lead is insurmountable. Better luck next time OKC.

10:08 They've hit a few foul shots but it's still too much. The Thunder will fight but they're just not playing well enough.

10:09 There's no 2 ways about it, OKC is shooting horribly.

10:22 Halftime Miami 59 OKC 49. There is an 18.4% disparity in shooting percentage. Westbrook is shooting awful, Harden's sloppy, Durant hasn't been himself and they're letting Miami hit everything. But they aren't that far down, maybe I was wrong they seem to be resilient.

10:35 2nd Half is underway! Durant hits a three almost right away, that has to be a good thing right? Also Jeff Van Gundy is a damn idea machine. Most of them are bad but still I like his creativity.

10:40 Chalmers and Battier just hit huge 3's. People are NOT going to remember how important Chalmers was to this team just like people rarely remember that he hit a game tying 3 in the National Championship in what year? Exactly! you don't remember! I might spearhead a remember Chalmers campaign .....maybe.

10:49 For the record everyone yelling at Chalmers all the time is the weirdest phemonon in sports these days.....outside of that league that's rooted in weirdness(Cough cough NHL cough cough).

10:51 The NBA cares commercial lets us know that D Wade stayed in Miami for the kids, good to know.

10:53 Five fouls on Kendrick Perkins, i've already tweeted about this but he's awful. I have literally no idea what the hell he's doing out there. Scott Brooks is making the biggest mistake of his career. Thank God he's about to foul out.

10:56 This has the makings of 2008 game 6, this could get ugly. Also Derek Fisher just fouled Lebron, it called a flagrant. The NBA is making a huge mistake right now, they need to loosen up on fouls like that. They're in serious danger of losing fans that way.

11:00 I haven't moved from this spot in hours, i'm still just in shock. This is the worst possible outcome. This is seriously going to make me lose a little respect for the NBA. Their "salary cap" is a joke, this shouldn't be able to happen. Then a bench that plays the way this one did should never win a championship, i'll forever be on the side of the NHL.

11:03 Miami just hit another three and another, and another. Stick a fork in em. I'm gonna go have a Budlight with the lady, i'll check back in a few.

11:22 I'm back, not much has changed so I guess we can start talking about this game in the past tense.
1. LeBron did just have a historic postseason run we can't forget it. He carried them over Indiana and Boston before the pieces started falling around him in the Finals(where he continued to put up great numbers.
2. People underrated the Battier signing severly. We're talking about Kevin Durant very differently if Battier doesn't sign with the Heat.
3. Mike Miller put on an all time gutsy performance in game 5. He looked to be in incredible pain and yet turned out one of the great 3 point shooting performances these young eyes have ever witnessed(7of 8).
4. This, in some ways, is a relief. The media attention surrounding LeBron has been annoying for years but I feel like it's starting to get to him a liitle more. Seems as though he's been giving some snappy answers to reporters lately, for example calling Ibaka "stupid". I don't blame him but I think it's evidence that EVERYONE is sick of this type of over-pervasive media.
5. The Heat are really an underrated group of characters. Because of all the hate they receive people rarely look at them for what they are; a really hilarious collection. Sure there's nothing funny about Lebron and Wade but look what's beyond that. They have a guy who's perceived to be a dinosaur, two guys straight out of a 90's movie(admittedly two different 90s movies), the forgotten hated lazy guy who no one knows is on the team(Eddy Curry), the oldest player in the league, and possibly the coolest obscure hall of famer as an assisant coach. This team was interesting to say the least.

11:45 The Heat are close to finishing it off now up 120-102. When the hell was the last time someone scored 120 in the playoffs at all?
Next thought: In 2008 Miami finished with the worst record in the league AND whiffed on their draft pick() Yet they were stll able to win the finals this year after losing last year. OKC was 23-59 in 2009. Things can change quickly in this league. Although it seems obvious OKC will be a force to be reckoned with, it remains to be seen who will compete with them for years to come. Don't count on it to be this Heat team. I'm excited to see who it will be, mostly because if it could be Oklahoma City, it could be anyone.

11:47 Game over. The Heat are champions. Goodnight everyone.

The Perkins Problem

                Watching this series I am convinced Scott Brooks is attempting to give me a heart attack.  As someone cheering for OKC in this series I am stunned game in and game out on how Scott Brooks is handling the team’s rotation.  This comes down to the pointlessly extended playing time of 2 players, Kendrick Perkins and Derek Fisher.  This series both have played way too many minutes and in my opinion this can cost OKC the series if it continues. 

                To me in this series I am still completely confused at what the value of Kendrick Perkins value is.  His biggest strength as a basketball player is his ability to defend players in the post, which is a great asset when you face teams like the Lakers and Spurs, teams with legitimate post threats, but when you face the Miami Heat with no traditional post players that skill is basically useless.  The only other thing he really brings to the table is his ability to set good screens, which is a good reason to play him, but Nick Collison is a superior screener and brings more to the table.  Perkins has no offensive game to speak of, as he is a turnover machine who is unable to score at all.  This postseason he is shooting .425 from the field which is a bad number for an outsider shooter let alone for a low volume shooter who has most of his shots near the basket.  On defense most of the time he is stuck covering Chris Bosh who he doesn’t have the speed to defend and is constantly burned.  He also doesn’t have the speed to be a good help defender which makes the lives of Lebron James and Dwayne Wade much easier as they attack the rim.  Even with all of these factors I would be fine with playing Perkins if OKC didn’t have better options.  The problem is that the team is one, built to play small with Durant at the 4, and two has two other big men who are much more useful in this series.  Durant is a good enough rebounder that the advantages of playing him at the 4 far exceed any disadvantages, and this is even truer considering that they Heat do not have anyone who can punish Durant if he plays the 4.  Along with this both Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison could be extremely valuable in this series.  Both have superior offensive games to Perkins, as they are better scorers and less likely to turn the ball over, and defensively their skills are more suited for this series.  If Perkin’s minutes don’t decrease to closer to 10 from the 26.3 per game he has been playing in this series then it will be almost impossible for OKC to comeback.

                Then there is the case of Derek Fisher.  Look I believe that Fisher is a valuable pickup for OKC and that there is plenty of value that his leadership brings to the team.  I do not believe however that his playing time should be based on this, and that a player that like Perkins should be averaging around 10 minutes per game while playing 25.7 in this series makes no sense to me.  Look at the minute splits of these 3 players, James Harden is averaging 30.3 minutes per game, Thabo Sefolosha is averaging 31 minutes per game and Derek Fisher is averaging 25.7 minutes per game.  Now you tell me should a below average point guard whose greatest asset is leadership should be getting comparable minutes to a superefficient scorer and the team’s best defender is asinine.  Fisher right now is a horrible defender who can’t really defend anyone, and offensively Harden has a far superior game, while Sefolosha is shooting at a comparable mark to Fisher this postseason. 

                If Brooks makes the necessary changes in his rotation then I am confident that OKC can comeback in this series and win it.  If he sticks with the current rotation though then I am scared that Miami will keep exploiting the presences of Perkins and Fisher and go on to win this series. 

Stay Hungry My Friends

Tomlinson: A Charger at Heart

Ladanian Tomlinson announced his retirement from professional football yesterday and I think I speak for a lot of people when I say; "Oh yeah, forgot he was still around." If you would have told me just a few years ago that Tomlinson's retirement would be so low key, I wouldn't have believed it. However Tomlinson's career was different as the Charger's run in the AFC West was different. It's tough to go back and think of moments, moments are what defines a player's legacy and we I have nary a memory of Tomlinson's brilliance. Sure he reitres 5th all time in rushing yards, 2nd in rushing touchdowns, and first in single season touchdowns; but this retirement feels oddly insignificant. As insignificant as the underachieving Charger's run atop the AFC West coming to an end. You see, both of these endings lack the importance they had potential for, for two reasons. First, they never reached their full potential and second they peaked a few years ago and this seems like a formality.

Tomlinson was drafted 5th overall by the San Diego Chargers in 2001, a franchise that had struggled in recent years. Right away it was clear that they did not make a mistake. Despite playing on a 5-11 team, Tomlinson ran for over 1200 yards and 10 tds. In 2002 legendary coach Marty Schottenheimer was brought in and it appeared as though a new era was starting in San Diego as the team improved to 8-8 and Tomlinson made the leap to elite status among running backs. Tomlinson shined alongside young QB Drew Brees and ran for 1683 yards and 14 touchdowns. 2003 would be a much different story for the Chargers. Despite Tomlinson keeping pace as one of the league's best backs(1600+ yards, 13 tds), the Chargers regressed to 4-12 and much of the blame was heaped on quarterback Drew Brees. Brees fell so out of favor that the Chargers acquired Phillip Rivers in the first round of the NFL draft causing a quarterback contraversy of sorts. Meanwhile Tomlinson was making waves across the league as the "runningback of the future." He was quick, powerful, he had great vision, great hands (100 receptions in 2003) and he could even pass block. It was starting to become clear to many that Tomlinson may be the next big thing. In 2004 the Chargers had one the biggest bouncebacks in NFL history to finish 12-4 and win their first of five AFC West titles in six years.  2005 was the only year in that time period in which the Chargers didn't play into January. Quarterback Drew Brees was injured and after the season the Chargers didn't attempt to re-sign him. The message was clear, the team was going to go with Phillip Rivers. With a first time starter at the helm, it was clear who the leader on offense would be. After starting his career with five seasons that were as good as any to start a career, Tomlinon's time was now. He was now going to be the focus of the offense on one of the best teams in the NFL. This was time for him to define his legacy and he did not disappoint. He turned out one of the greatest regular seasons in NFL history with 31 touchdowns and over 2200 yards from scrimmage while leading San Diego to an NFL best 14-2 record and a first round bye. Tomlinson was named MVP and was nearly unanimously considered the best player in the league. However the fun didn't last as the Chargers were stunned by the Patriots in the divisional round. This would be the first of many disappointments for San Diego. 2007 was the second consecutive year Tomlinson lead the NFL in rushing. The Chragers started a bit slow however, but recovered in the second half and again won the AFC West. After a close call against the Titans, the Chargers were slated to play the defending Champion Colts in the divisional round. In the 4th quarter of a hard fought battle, both Tomlinson and Phillip Rivers were lost to injury. Incredibly backups Billy Volek and Michael Turner were able to finish the job and close out a victory. All week the internet and talking heads were abuzz over whether Rivers and Tomlinson would play. Both were considered game time decisions and at game time it became clear what was going to happen.

Although it may not seem clear now, this was a turning point for both the Chargers and Tomlinson. This wasn't just any AFC championship game, this was bigger for two reasons. First they were facing off against the then 17-0 New England Patriots who boasted the highest scoring offense of all time. Secondly this was Tomlinson's seventh year, you never know how long a running back can be effective but it usually isn't seven years. His career was at stake and so was the history of the San Diego Chargers. Phillip Rivers understood this and that's why he chose to take the field with a fully torn ACL. I can't speculate on how badly Tomlinson was hurt but the general consensus seemed to be that he wasn't hurt as bad as Rivers. Although they lost that day, things changed in San Diego. The dynamic of the team shifted and Ladanian Tomlinson's career was effectively over. Only none of us knew it yet.

This San Diego era of the past decade has been eerily similar to Tomlinson's career. It looks great on paper, there's some great stats to look at, but in the big moment you always walk away wanting more. The next year the Chargers suffered through the slowest start of all. In fact they didn't begin to turn it around until week 14. After a 4-8 start the Chargers barely crept into the playoffs as the #4 seed and only after a Denver collapse. Tomlinson was again banged up for the the first round match-up as back up Darren Sproles shined in breaking the playoff record for all purpose yards. It was in the divisional match-up against the mighty Steelers that Tomlinson began to earn a reputation as soft as he again sat out as his team was eliminated. It was just that he sat out of these games that bothered people, it was the manner in which he conducted himself. No one wants to see someone who's supposed to be a team leader sitting a bench by himself with his helmet on and tinted visor in. We can never know for sure what this meant to his teammates or how hurt he actually was. However what we do know is that he was not the same player in the playoffs that he was in the regular season. He ran the ball for nearly a yard per carry less and scored only seven touchdowns in ten games. But his shortcomings began to matter less and less as Phillip Rivers began to progess.

In 2009 Tomlinson suffered through what was then the worst season of his career. He ran for only 730 yards and 3.3 yards per carry(both career lows). But this did not stop the Chargers from having one of their famous second half runs and finishing 13-3 with a first round bye. Yet, in typical Charger fashion they were upset by the New York Jets. The window began to close on the Chargers just as it did on Tomlinson's career. They let too many good players leave via free agency while others were hurt too often. Meanwhile Tomlinson failed to every fully grasp the moment and play his best on the biggest stage. Now it was too late, in the offseason he was cut and signed with those same Jets. He had a bit of a resurgance early on but that petered out and he finished under 1000 yards for the second consecutive season. The Jets again made the AFC championship and again Tomlinson was a non-factor in the success. In his final season in 2011 he became something I never thought he'd become; irrelevant. He became a guy who couldn't get on the field for a team that couldn't make the playoffs. The Chargers also became familiar with missing the playoffs as they accomplished the feat two years in a row despite their being the most talented team in a weak division.

As is mentioned before and as you've no doubt heard, Tomlinson retires as the 5th all time leading rusher, 2nd in rushing touchdowns, and with the legacy of one of the pass catching backs ever. Yet he retires with the average fan unsatisfied. Deep down the sports fan in me wishes he turned out at least one marquee post season performance. Now he goes as does the early 2000's era Chargers, to a lifetime of being haunted by close calls and thinking "what could have been?"