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I'm not much of an NBA fan but I do hear a lot about if since I listen to SVP & Russillo all the time. Luckily, they generally make it interesting even for non-fans. A story they mentioned the other day got my attention. Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors apparently regularly shoots 100 3-point shots in practice. On Tuesday he made the first 77 in a row, then 94 of 100 total. That would be unreal even for free throws, it's absolutely ridiculous for 3-pointers. I'm not sure I can even wrap my mind around being that good at something that difficult.

Losing

Ryen Russillo made (approximately) this point the other day on the show: The 76ers, a team trying to lose, are 2-20. The Pistons, a team trying to win, are 4-19. That's kind of depressing if you're a Pistons fan.

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I've heard far more today about the "Sterling Situation" than I cared to and I think ESPN and the rest of the sports media have the subject exhaustively (and exhaustingly) covered. There is one thing that really confuses me though. Here's a picture of the racist old man's mistress:

Now you might have to take a lot of guesses to deduce Ms. Stiviano's ancestry (apparently part black and part Mexican), but I don't think anyone is going to start off with white. She's obviously very attractive, but it is baffling to me that Sterling has all these issues with minorities yet spent time with (and money on) a woman that looks like this. I suppose it's futile looking for logic in the mind of such a man and illustrates the foolishness of such views in general.

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My interest level in the NBA is somewhere between golf and tennis, but even I was surprised to hear the rumors about Isiah Thomas and the Pistons. The general consensus is that there's no way the Pistons would bring him on as GM and that there's nothing to it. That's got to right, doesn't it? Even I know Thomas was a historically bad GM (largely because Russillo has talked about it). And following Dumars? I know things are a little crazy in Detroit right now, but not that crazy... right?

Fixed

Mark Cuban was on "Mike & Mike" this morning and said something interesting that didn't involve him making a fool of himself. This might be common for him, but my opinion is pretty heavily skewed due to his antics at basketball games. Anyway, discussing officiating Cuban said something to the effect of "the NBA is the only one of the four major sports that fans think is fixed." I know that's not an uncommon opinion among fans, but it's surprising to hear an owner admit it.

Ridiculous

Apparently the NBA is considering allowing the Heat and the Nets to wear jerseys with a nickname on the back instead of their last names in at least one of their games against each other this season.  I understand the possible financial incentives of selling additional merchandise, but I'm still a little shocked that professionals would even consider this. Doesn't the NBA already have enough of a reputation as a "Me" league? Doesn't it already get criticized enough for being too much like street ball and not enough like a team game? Maybe each jersey could just say "No Class" on the back just to make it clear to people.

The Association’s Official Polygraph

Bloggers Note:  In baseball, we use a lot of "B-D-Ls" in the game.  Catcher Kyle H. was pretty good about it too...even when the umpire asked what it meant!  Ball. Don't. Lie.

Rome Take - November 21

I’m telling you…Rasheed Wallace is the best thing to happen to the NBA…pretty much ever. How the Association continued to flourish without this guy the last two years is a miracle to me. Why do I say that. Well, there’s this!





Yeah Aflac! After a missed free throw by Afflalo. Legendary. Then, last night there was this. Check Sheed after he was whistled for a ticky-tack reach in foul on Austin Rivers!



Ball don’t lie! That ball don’t lie! And Sheed’s right. That ball don’t lie. That thing had barely hit the iron before Sheed was bdl’ing it. Sheed doesn’t talk trash…he screams truth. Sheed is the Association’s official polygraph. And the needle bounced on that one. And I loved how he went first amendment rights on the ref, I can yell! I can yell all I want!

Sheed, you can do whatever you want! Just don’t stop doing it.


"I can yell.  I can yell all I want.  I didn't direct that to nobody."  Awesome!

Wait...what?

Hurricane Katrina?

Nemesis

Although I follow the NBA only a little more closely than I follow NCAA women's volleyball (which is at least aesthetically pleasing), I'm really enjoying the fact that the Miami Heat, and LeBron James in particular, lost the NBA finals. Detroit News writer Vincent Goodwill has an article up about it today. Here's an excerpt:

This is the path the Heat laid for themselves, one of extreme hubris.

Their arrogance was one of a different kind. It differed much than the determined arrogance of the late '80s Pistons or the early '90s Bulls. And it wasn't quite the same as the historical arrogance the late '90s Bulls displayed.

The conceit of their predecessors was built from success, but in most cases it birthed from failure. From silent tears and mental growth. The Heat's arrogance stemmed from pulling off a coup in front of the world, staging a sense of suspense when they all truly knew what they were doing, before James' "Decision."

In doing so, they felt the season would just be a formality, aside from meeting the experienced Celtics and then possibly taking on the defending champion Lakers for an epic Finals showdown.

I think hubris is exactly the right term here, and I can't think of a pro sports team that has invited nemesis the way the Heat did. James, Wade, and Bosh made it pretty clear that they thought they had outsmarted the system and everyone was ready to hand them the title. Now, not only have they blown it, but James has cemented his reputation as the biggest choker in the NBA. It's wonderful, isn't it?

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Is the NBA in trouble? I barely follow the league at all, the general feeling that no one on the court really cares about playing the game has pushed it down to NASCAR-levels of disinterest for me. But even I didn't make it through the day without seeing that both Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News and Rick Reilly of ESPN.com decrying the state of the game after the Carmelo-for-the-whole-Knicks trade. (I love Reilly's quote here: "We gave up a surefire Hall of Famer, who is only 26, for four New York Knicks starters. This is like acquiring the four best mountain climbers in Nebraska.") Is this a turning point for the NBA? Can fans take it seriously as a competitive league after this and Miami? Wojnowski notes that seven franchises have won championships since 1989 in the NBA. The NFL has had 13 different winners in that span, MLB has had 15, and the NHL has had 13. So if you feel like your team doesn't have a shot, you're probably right. Can the NBA maintain interest and ticket sales in this environment? Their collective bargaining agreement is set to expire, but can changes be made without sacrificing the next season?

More Weird Sports

The Miami Heat eventually lost in OT after having an 8-point lead with :30 seconds remaining in the game. (There was 30 seconds on the clock when the ball left his hand for the 3-pointer.) Can't exactly defend the 3-ball if you have your hands around your throat.

With Miami at 5-3, forget 70, it may be difficult to get to 60 wins.

Weird Sports

Colorado gave up 35 points in the 4th quarter on Saturday in their loss to Kansas. Colorado was up 45-17 with less than 12 minutes left in the 4th!!!! THAT CAN'T HAPPEN! And no, this wasn't on a video game that the computer blew a huge lead.

The Indiana Pacers scored 54 points tonight...in the 3rd quarter! Fitty-Four! Keep in mind, the Utah Jazz scored 54 total points in game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals against the Bulls. The Michigan Wolverines scored 67 points...oh wait, never mind.

54. Think about that. That's 4.5 points per minute. I can't attempt 4.5 shots per minute. At that pace, that would be 216 points in the game. They also scored a total of 85 in the second half. Total score was 144. Not too shabby.

Three-peat

Would there be a better owner for the Pistons than Mike Ilitch? I can't say I support moving the team downtown, because at least I might go to the Palace to watch a game where I'm not interested in ever setting foot in Detroit ever again, but overall I can't think of a better move for the fans.

Cop Out

Okay, I may have have taken a shot at Bill Simmons the other day, and I still think his judgment is suspect after all the World Cup love, but sometimes he really nails a point. A quote from his pre-"LeBronocalypse" column, as linked by Stephen Spruiell at The Corner:

I think it's a cop-out. Any super-competitive person would rather beat Dwyane Wade than play with him. Don't you want to find the Ali to your Frazier and have that rival pull the greatness out of you? That's why I'm holding out hope that LeBron signs with New York or Chicago (or stays in Cleveland), because he'd be saying, "Fine. Kobe, Dwight and Melo all have their teams. Wade and Bosh have their team. The Celtics are still there. Durant's team is coming. I'm gonna go out and build MY team, and I'm kicking all their asses." That's what Jordan would have done. Hell, that's what Kobe would have done.

In May, after the Cavs were ousted in the conference semifinals, I wrote that LeBron was facing one of the greatest sports decisions ever: "winning (Chicago), loyalty (Cleveland) or a chance at immortality (New York)."

I never thought he would pick "HELP!"

There's also this observation on Cleveland fans and Bill's feelings towards LeBron:

This stomach-punch moment? Calculated. By a local kid they loved, defended and revered.

It would be unforgivable. Repeat: unforgivable. I don't have a dog in this race -- as a Celtics fan, I wanted to see him go anywhere but Chicago -- but LeBron doing this show after what happened in the 2010 playoffs actually turned me against him. No small feat. I was one of his biggest defenders. Not anymore.

Decisions, Decisions

So, LeBron James' future plans are going to be announced tomorrow night. On ESPN. This is everything I hate about the NBA. Okay, not quite everything: Apparently the money raised from the advertising during the 60-min (!) special is going to charity. But still, here's lots of ego, hype, and, uh, no basketball. I understand why people are interested since this is a relatively rare event in the sports business, but it seems to me like a line is being crossed that we're going to regret later. And ESPN is complicit, as they have been all along with LeBron. Remember his high school game on ESPN? Maybe they should get his official sponsorship?

Cleveland Sucks

ESPN reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers have extended an offer of their head coaching job to Tom Izzo. Izzo previously said he wouldn't be interested in the NBA until he won another championship. I think it's pretty unlikely that Izzo would take the job, but the sheer horror of the idea does leave me just a little nervous.

Darko & Cardinal

There's an interesting article at Yahoo! Sports blong "Ball Don't Lie" about former Pistons Darko Milicic and Brian Cardinal, brought about by the fact that they were traded for each other today. Short version: Larry Brown screwed up Darko, Cardinal is better than stats would suggest.

Gordon and Villanueva

I don't follow the NBA that closely, but this seems like a pretty big deal for the Pistons.

Abnormally Unselfish

This is likely the best sports article you'll read all year. A few lines:

Battier has routinely ­guarded the league’s most dangerous offensive players — LeBron James, Chris Paul, Paul Pierce — and has usually managed to render them, if not entirely ineffectual, then a lot less effectual than they normally are. He has done it so quietly that no one really notices what exactly he is up to.

Hat tip: Jim Manzi at The Corner.

Yeahbuhwhat?

Iverson for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb? Why?