Evil Geniuses?

People are starting to bag on McMillian. Even the Men of MvS have been questioning what he's been doing in these playoffs. And it's hard not to. You watch the games and it looks as if the Blazers should handle the Rockets easily. True, I have only watch games 3, 4, and 5. But I thought the Blazers not only could have, but should have won all three of those games. So why didn't they? Most fingers have been pointing to McMillian.

I got to thinking about this and something occured to me. Shouldn't I trust McMillian and Pritchard? After all, they not only assembled a winning team out of what was a team in disarray, they also put together and enjoyable and likable team. And to top it off, they've done so rather quickly. If they've done these other things intelligently, could it be that the coaching decisions that McMillian has made are also intelligent?

Could it be that McMillian is thinking of something that the sports commentators aren't thinking of (except for Lank, who has been saying it for a while now), the future? After all, what is one of the greatest asset that the Blazers have? Youth. Shoot, at the start of the season Lank thought they wouldn't even make the playoffs.

Writers are complaining that the Blazers are not making any adjustments while playing the Rockets. Could it be that McMillian is looking ahead to the formation of a Blazers dynasty and wants these kids to struggle their way through this playoffs to give them the experience and team spirit to put together those future runs?

In Case It Wasn't Obvious Already

I like John Hollinger's opinions. Here's some of today's on the Blazer's series:

While the Blazers did a few things right Tuesday night that they weren't doing in the other games -- attacking with LaMarcus Aldridge, playing small more often and absolutely dominating the defensive glass (retrieving 30 of 33 misses) -- the Blazers still found themselves curiously unable to guard Luis Scola, and pulled away only when Houston's guards melted down late.


4. Blazers fans can take some legitimate encouragement in the defensive lift Greg Oden gave them in the fourth quarter, when he did a great job harassing Yao Ming -- without fouling! -- while still protecting the paint.

On the other hand, Yao might be more effective if he saw the ball once in a while. At times Tuesday night, I wondered if Shane Battier was the only Rocket allowed to throw him a pass. I realize the Blazers' fronting strategy has been effective in denying Yao, but it shouldn't be this effective. Since going 9-for-9 in the first half of Game 1, he's taken only 39 shots in four games.

Meanwhile, Aaron Brooks hoisted 20 shots in Game 5, making six, and Ron Artest shot the same amount in Game 4, making five. If the shot distribution remains this tilted toward Houston's guards, Portland will be ecstatic. Somehow, Houston needs to do a much better job of getting its best player the ball.

5. One big tactical change for the Blazers on Tuesday was having Rudy Fernandez start the second half in place of Nicolas Batum. Batum has done virtually nothing this series and played only six minutes on Tuesday.

The obvious next question is whether Fernandez should start Game 6, but Blazers coach Nate McMillan may line up the same way for the first six minutes just to keep Brandon Roy out of early foul trouble. Right now, Batum guards Ron Artest to start games, with Roy checking Battier. But when Fernandez checks in, he has to take Battier and Roy moves onto Artest. (And no, Fernandez can't guard Artest. It's a colossal physical mismatch.)

The other alternative would be to start Travis Outlaw and put him on Artest right away. But that might send Outlaw to the pine right when he's been most useful in this series by playing as a backup 4 against the likes of Carl Landry and Chuck Hayes

Batum has done nothing because Batum has hardly played. Starting Outlaw is a terrible idea on every front. I'm for starting Rudy if it means he plays more.

Going Pro Earlier

This kid will school you at table tennis.

Incredible-ping-pong-girl
Uploaded by gigistudio

Meet the Ducks

The Big 3 on Anaheim:

Ryan Getzlaf

Nice triangle cum catcher on your lower chin, bitch.

Jonas Hiller

I know you’re from Switzerland and you’re one of the hottest goalies in the league, but there’s only one Gary, and you can’t emulate his look. It’s already taken.

Corey Perry

Um, no. You are just ridiculous looking. You are not an athlete and you do not deserve to be from Peterborough, Ann Arbor’s sister city in Canada. The only athletic activity you should be involved in is beating up younger kids for their lunch money.

¿Quién Soy Yo?

Any guesses as to who this hottie is?




Clue: Mi hermano es mas hermoso que yo, pero mi barba es mejor que su.

Protect the Big Man?

Here's the rub, during last nights game the announcers kept commenting on the fact that the officials were not calling any fouls against Yao. They also said that the officials were not calling the Rockets as much in general. Since I don't know the nuances of Basketball, and since the announcers were Blazer announcers, I wanted to ask the opinions of those other bloggers who watched the game. How do you think the officiating was last night?

NBA Wuss of The Night

You knew I was going to say it...

Chris Paul, the supposed best PG in basketball.
2-7, 4 points, 6 assists, 6 TO and a +/- of -38 in 36 minutes.

The Hornets may not be giving him much help but thats disgraceful.

Maybe Jason Kidd can give Chauncey (17 points 8 assists in 30 minutes) some competition next round.

More and Less

More

Less


Its pretty simple. I'm not sure what Nate's problem is. Here are some simple tips:

1. Front Yao
2. If Outlaw is playing, he should be at PF with Aldridge at C
3. If Outlaw is playing with Blake, Roy, Rudy, Aldridge, he should be your very last offensive option. If "his shot" is a fadeaway jumper, he shouldn't be shooting, because fadeaway jumpers are low percentage shots. For everyone.
4. Play Batum.
5. Give the damn ball to Rudy. He is your most experienced player.
6. Don't let Steve Blake guard Von Wafer ever.
7. Don't double Ron Artest
8. Don't leave Battier open
9. In a 3 point shooting situation, don't call plays for the worst 3 point shooter on the floor.

I could go on...

Steal of the Draft

The highest value pick in the NFL came in the 7th round and was made by the Buffalo Bills.

Playing Small

John Hollinger suggests, and I cosign:

we've yet to see much of Blazer coach Nate McMillans' favorite tactic: going small. With Yao Ming in the opposing lineup, Portland has been understandably reluctant to guard him with undersized players.

Yet... Right now the Rockets can crowd the paint with Yao in the middle, because he doesn't have to respect the threat of Joel Przybilla or Greg Oden shooting jump shots. As a result, Roy has company any time he turns the corner.

But that all changes if McMillan goes small, and he's had success with it over the past two years. On a per-minute basis, one of Portland's most effective lineups this season has been playing Aldridge at center and Outlaw at power forward, with Roy, Blake and Fernandez on the perimeter.

That look has five shooters, so the Rockets have to stay honest; when Portland uses it and sets up Roy out high with the ball, opponents must pick the poison of allowing Roy to drive to the hoop or giving up a high-quality look from one of Portland's other shooters. Fernandez in particular was the one Blazer who proved deadly tonight, nailing five triples and scoring 17 points on just nine shots to keep them in the game.

Yet Portland seems so hung up on stopping Yao that it hasn't figured out how to attack him. The Blazers played in front of and behind him in the early going, essentially conceding a series of wide-open jumpers to forward Luis Scola and Carl Landry (29 points combined) before tightening their D in the second half.

But at the offensive end, Yao has been allowed to play free safety with impunity, utterly disregarding Przybilla and Oden while waiting for Roy to come off the turn on screen-and-rolls. He's controlling the glass too -- the Blazers were the league's best offensive rebounding team in the regular season, but retrieved only nine of their 41 misses Friday; for the series, they've grabbed just 24.2 percent of their misses.

That's yet another reason to go small -- the bigs aren't getting the offensive boards anyway, and that's been their main offensive contribution all season.

OR just play the spaniards more and drop Blake and Outlaw's minutes.

Bad, Bad, Bad

 

It’s official. The Lions just guaranteed 41.7 million dollars of money to Matthew Stafford.

He can make 72 million if he does everything right.

While, the Lions will always be my NFL team (I’ll waver between not following the NFL at all and finally starting to take a detached interest) I have no faith that the Lions are making the right move.

First, I’m not going to pretend like I know HS QB’s that well, but the guy seems like a chump. This is the Matthew Stafford of the last few pictures. The Matthew Stafford who never won anything more than a bowl game against Hawaii. There is nothing beyond body build and frame saying this guy is a winner. He has never done anything. They might as well draft a high school QB.

Second, funds could be better spent elsewhere. This is a lot of money. It can be spent better than on a project QB. Is the first round of the draft really where it’s at?

Third, incentive. 42 million in guaranteed money doesn’t encourage a kid to become a star. Especially not the guy we saw in the pics. If you had 42 million dollars and 72 million meant taking 400 lb lineman facemask to your brain every play, would that really be incentive to overcome adversity? Honestly, I would seriously consider just doing my time and getting out of the game with my health. Where’s the incentive?

I hope their other 1st round pick goes much better.

Going Pro Earlier

The next Greg Oden ... wait lets try again, I don't want to confuse anyone with a title that could be taken as a pejorative ... the next great amateur big man hyped to be the consensus #1 overall NBA draft pick when he becomes eligible ... there thats better... is bypassing college to play in Europe. Big deal, you say. Brandon Jennings just did that. Well, he's also bypassing his senior year of high school.

I'm not big on NCAA bashing or criticizing the system in place but this is a bad sign I think. I like when people aren't screwed over and when there is an entertaining format for developing young players who aren't yet ready to play regularly in the NBA. Its a bit of a shame that we can't have the NCAA function as a developmental league for the more lucrative professional sports leagues and avoid a situation where kids like this have to resort to going abroad to further their careers.

Erin Andrews Gets Jacked AND Jazzed

 

She’s got a leg up on Pete Carroll

Reason #25 to Not Be Excited About the Detroit Lions

Matt Stafford

Reason #3 to be excited about the Lions is in the last picture. That's Knowshon Moreno for the unschooled.

NBA Wuss of the WEEK

It's not like I'm expecting triple doubles against Lebron James, but...

1-5 shooting, 2 points, 3rebounds, 1 assist

following a 2-7, 4 point 1 rebound 2 assist game

Tayshaun Prince, I give up on you.

Don't Call It A Comeback

They haven't been here for years. And it shows. While tying up the series, the Blazers needed to put forth a tremendous and possibly unsustainable level of effort and get a couple of stellar and unlikely to be repeated offensive performances. I'm concerned on all fronts.

+fronting Yao should be obvious. wtf nate? give your team a chance
+can someone guard the former member of Fishbone named Von Wafer [7-13]?
+can someone guard Aaron Brooks [9-12 (4-5 from 3)]?
+why isn't Batum used to do either of these things
+you're not going to get close to 70 points from Roy and Aldridge every game
+this is why the "blazers don't need more scoring" argument is bogus
+that and travis outlaw going 3-9 despite being guarded by a 6-5 Von Wafer
+I understand why Blazers fans love Steve Blake -- huge rebound down the stretch while boxing out Scola, and huge finger roll to go ahead, but the guy is an abomination on defense and also had at least one terrible turnover in crunch time. The Blazers need to find a PG. You can't let Aaron Brooks go nuts like this.
+Oden played well. Despite only going 11 minutes because of many dumb fouls he looked strong. He should, going against a traditional center like Yao though.

On another note...

Poor poor Mutumbo. One of my all-time favorite NBA players and personalities. In both his persona and his genuine character he was awesome (except when he showed up at GWB's inauguration - lame)

“For me, basketball is over,” he said.

“I cried so much about it when I was laying on the floor but when I got in the locker room I decided to be positive and thank God for the wonderful 18 years that I had.”

He'll be missed.

Reality

By John Hollinger
ESPN.com

The most durable myth in sports right now centers on the strength of the West relative to the East. I've had countless people -- league people -- tell me that the Lakers should be favored in a hypothetical Finals against Cleveland because they played in a tougher conference.

There are many reasons to pick L.A. in such a series, but that isn't one of them. The East won more games than the West did head-to-head this year and was stronger both at the top and the bottom. The West was superior No. 4 through No. 9, but that doesn't make up for the 20 automatic wins lying at the bottom of the conference in the form of Minnesota, Golden State, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, Memphis and the Clippers -- none of them won 30 games.

The Lakers went 22-1 against those teams, and their awfulness also helps explain how the Cavs went 26-2 against the non-Lakers portion of the West. Even if you still want to play the conference strength card, consider that Cleveland actually had a better record than L.A. did against both Eastern teams and Western teams, respectively.

None of which makes the Cavs impervious to L.A. in the Finals; it should be the type of series that comes down to just a few key plays. But of all the reasons to potentially pick L.A., the relative strength of the conference is about the least valid.

NBA Playoff Pimp

john hollinger:

Billups hit 8-of-9 3-pointers, most of them pull-ups off the dribble, to lead the Nuggets' 113-84 rout of New Orleans.

The Hornets should be used to this, at least. Billups made 5-of-7 from downtown and scored 26 points in their last meeting on March 25, so he's now 13-of-16 from 3 in his last two games against New Orleans.

New Orleans lined up with Rasual Butler on Billups to start, with Chris Paul checking Dahntay Jones, and then switched Paul to guard when the Nuggets inserted J.R. Smith. Neither player had much success, as Billups was able to get Butler moving backward before pulling up, while he needed much less clearance to shoot over the shorter Paul.

There aren't too many bigger Chauncey fans than me, but even I thought his time had passed and CP would get the best of him this series. Maybe we have to hold off handing the best PG in basketball title just yet. And when Chauncey does do it, he might drop the titular dime to somebody in Chicago instead...

NBA Western Conference Playoff Preview

Here are my opinions, views, and predictions:

Round 1

Lakers over Jazz in 4.

Not even that interested. I love what the Jazz could be, but supposedly Kirilenko isn't right again. Millsap/Boozer have a weird role dynamic, and the team is playing like crap. I think they'd be better off without Boozer somehow.

New Orleans over Denver in 7.

I love the Billups-CP3 matchup. Posey makes life tough for Melo. A nice matchup for both teams since they lack front court depth. I don't know how I feel about this one just yet though.

San Antonio over Dallas in 5.

No one to stop Duncan or Parker on Dallas. Bowen and Idoku still bug Dirk.

Portland over Houston in 7.

A tough draw for Portland especially for BRoy. Brooks destroying Blake worries me. Artest hurting Roy worries me. This should be a really tough series and this is the matchup I wanted least for the Blazers. Somehow, it turns out Oden might be a major make/break factor in this series. That worries me. And yet...I think homecourt wins out in each game here.

Round 2:

Blazers over Lakers in 6
Have you noticed that these teams are constructed nearly identically? Below average but good at what they do role-playing PGs. Superstar do-everything SGs. Long athletic young defensive stoppers at SF. Talented scoring big men with a reputation for being slightly soft and mediocre defensively. Physically imposing young centers with loads of potential. A long rangy versatile SF/PF hybrid for a 6th man. But here's where I give the edge to the Blazers in head-to-head matchups - they're a little deeper. Joel Przybilla and Rudy give the Blazers two guys that the Lakers just can't rival with Farmar and Walton. The Blazers steal game 6 in LA and take the series with it.

San Antonio over New Orleans in 5.
How the hell did this happen? Without Manu?? The Hornets have two real good players but Parker and Duncan are even better at those spots. Besides Posey I don't trust the Hornets supporting cast, while Mason, Finley, Bowen have demonstrated to me that they can play. One of the Hornets supporting guys (Chandler or Peja) could break out I suppose, but that seems rather unlikely.


Lesstern Finals

Portland over San Antonio in 6.
I love this matchup for the Blazers. Aldridge will make Duncan work hard and draw him away from the basket. If not matched on Aldridge, Przybilla and Oden will beat him up. Parker carving the team up is scary but let him get his. Bowens lost a step so Roy and Rudy run free. Too deep and too talented.

---------------------------

Interlude:

I thought they were still years away but I think I could be wrong now. Rudy is that good. The chemistry and excitement on the team are off the charts. Roy is better than I was willing to admit last year.

------------------------------

So there you have it. Blazers win the west. Well, if they can beat Houston. In the scenario I outlined I think thats the toughest matchup they'll see.

While I’m here I’ll just go ahead and guess at your predictions to save you the trouble:

Joker: Blazers win it all!
JGW: Vegas favorites win.
MT: Blazers win it all!
SZ: Blazers win it all!
Advisor: Go Pistons!

I’m not sure about the rest of you though. Revisions and retorts welcome.

....
Oh yeah, Cavs in 5 over the Blazers. This isn't a fairy tale.

143 Days

Until Michigan Football and the 4-C-A era.

NHL Playoff Predictions

 

Yeah, I’m going to make my predictions for the NHL just for fun. I anticipate that nobody will join me, but I welcome any other predictions. This is a little difficult since teams reseed every round, but here goes:

Eastern Conference

Boston vs Montreal –> Boston (#1)

Washington vs New York –> Washington (#2)

New Jersey vs Carolina –> Carolina (#6)

Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia –> Philadelphia (#5)

---

Boston vs Carolina –> Boston

Washington vs. Philadelphia –> Washington

---

Boston vs Washington –> Boston

Western Conference

San Jose vs Anaheim –> San Jose (#1)

Detroit vs Columbus –> Detroit (#2)

Vancouver vs. St Louis –> St Louis (#6)

Chicago vs. Calgary –> Chicago (#4)

---

San Jose vs St Louis –> St Louis

Detroit vs Chicago –> Detroit

---

Detroit vs. St Louis –> St Louis

Stanley Cup

St Louis vs. Boston –> St Louis

 

You heard it here first.

NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Preview

Here are my opinions, views, and predictions:

Round 1

Cleveland beats Detroit in 4.

Not even that interested. I’m still mad at the Pistons for losing to Chicago like that. Of course, if they win one of the first 2 games, I’ll instantly be living and dying with game 3 (only to have my heart ripped out by Lebron and referees, I’m sure). I see no way they win this series. I’m just hoping to see something that removes the bad taste from such a disappointing regular season. Give me something, even if its impressive bench play or making it hard on Lebron.

Celtics over Philly in 5.

KG is resting more than hurting. Marbury seems like a solid backup and seems driven.

Chicago over Orlando in 7.

Hedo is hurting more than resting. Rafer didn’t make Orlando better. Chicago is hot and has a really ideal 8-man rotation going. Brad Miller is having a good effect on that team and Salmons gives them 3 excellent scorers (with Gordan and Rose). I love the Miller/Hinrich/Tim Thomas bench and what a change of pace it is from the starters. They are a team that has two of my underrated factors to winning: guys who know/accept/stick-to their role and ability to keep their opponents on their toes with lineup changes (how would you like to establish a rhythm being guarded by alternatively, Brad Miller, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah). Howard is a given, but as much respect as I have for Rashard Lewis, I don’t think he’s good enough to carry Orlando past a talented, hot, motivated, and well-constructed team.

Atlanta over Miami in 6.

Horford is coming around. J. Oneal is not. DWade wins them 2 games, but no more.

Round 2:

Cleveland over Atlanta in 6.
As for Boston last year, I think the Hawks may prove to be the toughest test of the playoffs for (spoiler alert) the eventual champ. Josh Smith/Lebron should be a fun matchup to watch. Losing Marvin Williams kills them though. I think they’re missing the elite PF needed to beat Cleveland.

Boston over Chicago in 5.
Boston too good on D for what is ultimately still a 500 team.

Eastern Finals

Cleveland over Boston in 6.
While I still think Pierce can play Lebron to a near draw I think a few things have changed that put Cleveland over the top.
1. Lebron is better.
2. KG and Ray Allen are not.
3. Delonte West and Mo Williams are major upgrades that push Gibson and Pavlovic/Szerbiak into role player status.
4. P.J Brown and Posey are major loses that Marbury doesn’t make up for.
5. Homecourt.

My only concern with the Cavs is Ben Wallace’s health, but Smith is a competent replacement.

---------------------------

Interlude:

I'll be happy when this happens because I'd much rather see a Lebron lovefest than another KG lovefest. Lebron seems more genuine, more likable, and less insecure. Plus I can keep talking about how the Pistons lost to the NBA champs for the the 4th time in the last 5 years (05 Spurs, 06 Heat, 08 Celtics, 09 Cavs) with only the 07 Cavs failing to pull out a title. They are indeed the Buffalo Bills of the NBA - but with the '04 title to hang their hat on. I mean this comparison as a compliment of sustained excellence. Too bad it appears over...

------------------------------

So there you have it. One token upset followed by the favorites winning out. I might have to agree with SZ’s opinion that the East should just move on to Round 2.

West predictions coming later in the week. Those should actually be interesting since the outcomes are so dependent on matchups. I have no idea what to predict in that conference but be assured I will have formed strong opinions once we know who plays who. For example: Lakers will kill the Jazz, who are (reportedly) falling apart on every level. Another bold pick!

While I’m here I’ll just go ahead and guess at your predictions to save you the trouble:

Joker: Hawks over Pistons, Sixers over Bulls: Champ: Atl.
JGW: Vegas favorites win.
MT: Blazers win the east.
SZ: The East doesn’t matter besides Rafer.
Advisor: Why didn’t anyone tell me the NBA season started?

I’m not sure about the rest of you though. Revisions and retorts welcome.

Isiah (no, I'm not going to pile on)

Zeke just took the head coaching job at FIU. Which makes me wonder, why didn't he start in a position like this in the first place? Why did someone have so much faith in him that they allowed him to start at the top? After retiring he went from CBA president to GM to NBA Coach and now to small-time college coach. I'm not sure if he'll succeed at FIU but it seems like his career would have gone in a much different direction if he would have just started as a college coach. Everyone knows that he is a leader that can manage a game on the floor. So, doesn't it seem natural that he'd be better at developing amateur talent and teaching the fundamentals of basketball than managing the bottom line of large businesses?

I'm hoping he succeeds at this job, but, tragically, I think the damage may be done from years of failing and this may not be as fresh of a start as it appears on paper. 

Top 10 Point Guards - All Time

Interesting Analysis Here based on statistical ?/-

The 10:
Cheeks
Frazier
Magic
Porter
Payton
Stockton
Kidd
Iverson
Robertson
Wilkens

Interesting for a few reasons:
AI, but no Zeke?
Terry Porter?

Interesting Names in the next 10 too including:
Mookie Blaylock (?), Chauncey Billups (hell yeah), etc.

No Nash anywhere to be seen.

On Porter:

“what in blazes is Terry Porter doing in the Top 10?” A fair question, seeing as Porter’s somewhat meager career averages (12.2 PPG, 5.6 APG) don’t quite scream Top 10 of anything. But TP has some things going for him:

1. He played a ton. He’s currently 16th all-time in games played and 46th in minutes, having suited up for 4 different teams (never once being traded, I might add) in 17 seasons.
2. He was secretly very efficient at both ends. TP’s averages don’t wow you, but his career True Shooting % is 57.6, 54th-best all-time. He’s also in the top 60 all-time in Assist% and Steal%, 34th in career offensive efficiency, and his defensive rating of 107 was better than the average of the day. Consequently, he ranks 28th in career Win Shares despite the lack of eye-popping PTS/REB/AST stats.
3. His peak numbers are better than his career averages. In his Blazers prime, TP was capable of averaging 17-18 PPG and 9-10 APG, to go with the aforementioned efficiency. By playing a long career (some of which was as a reserve), his lifetime numbers are deflated by stats accumulated in old age.
4. His teams always won. Porter only missed the playoffs once in a 17-year career. A lot of that had to do with suiting up alongside greats like Clyde Drexler, Kevin Garnett, Alonzo Mourning, David Robinson, & Tim Duncan, but you don’t play 35,000 NBA minutes without being a major contributor to your teams’ performance, and Porter’s teams almost universally performed well.

Am I saying Porter is legitimately one of the 10 best PGs of all time? No. But what I am saying is that he’s pretty underrated in the pantheon of all-time great point guards.

Not to be outdone

The blazers play their biggest rival tonight! The OKC Sasquatches.

He still has it

ahs

Game of the Year

For the Pistons, anyway....for the regular season, anyway. Next week it becomes Game 1. But tonights game is big since there's a 0% chance the Pistons beat the Cavs and a 10-15% chance they will beat the Celtics, and a 70% chance they will beat Orlando. The Pistons seeding:

If the 39-41 Pistons win their last two games (Monday against the Bulls, Wednesday at Miami), they would secure the No. 7 seed over the Bulls (40-40) because they have a better conference record. They would face the Celtics, who clinched the No. 2 seed Saturday night.

The Pistons even have a shot at the No. 6 seed and a date with the Orlando Magic, although the 76ers (40-40), who lost to the Raptors today, would have to lose their last two games (Tuesday vs. Boston and Wednesday at Cleveland).

Poughkeepsie Planet Peripatetics

Bronx World Travelers - Episode 1 - Press Conference from Ben Schwartz on Vimeo.

More Evidence That True PG's Suck

Whitepeople may like them, but they aren't having a ton of success.

Basketbawful: "[Jose Calderon's] team anointed him the PG of the future and exiled T.J. Ford to the Land of Corn and Hoosiers. There might not be a direct correlation, but the Pacers are better and the Craptors are worse. And last night, Ford (14 points, 7-for-10, 11 assists) thoroughly outperformed Calderon (4 points, 2-for-9, 6 assists)."

Opening Day: opening bells, opening zippers.

Until somebody more knowledgeable opens a window onto the 2009 MLB season--background and forecasts--I'm going to stick with what I know best: late 80s/early 90s baseball.  But bring up things that I knew least.

Wade Boggs fucked Mike Greenwell's wife?  That might have happened; or else he just screwed somebody enough that they made the cover of Penthouse.

Lenny Dykstra retires from centerfield and becomes a hotshot stockbroker?  Kinda.

I used to know these guys' batting average to the thousandths place, but somehow this type of juicy trivia escaped me.  Why wasn't it on the back of the Donruss cards?

NBA Predictions Contest 2009

Just kidding. There is no point in having a contest when the future is known. If you don't already know the outcome of the 2009 NBA playoffs here it comes -- Spoiler alert...

Regular Season:
Detroit Pistons, on the strength of an easy schedule to close the season, end with a 5-0 run, putting them into the 7th seed position to face the defending champs. Confidence is rising. The distraction of AI is set aside.

Round 1:
Detroit steals game 1 on the road as KG, Pierce, and Rondo are all hobbled by various maladies and not that excited about round 1 basketball after last year. This time, THEY don't want it as bad, and they aren't good enough to win just cuz they feel like it (see earlier versions of the Pistons). The series heads to Detroit tied 1-1. The Pistons win both and defeat the fatigued, injured, and less motivated Celtics 3-1. NBA scribes bemoan the tragedy of the 5 game playoff series as the hated Pistons rob them of the opportunity to lavish praise on their beloved Celtics for the next month +.

Round 2:
On to 3 seed Orlando who has never been able to beat the Pistons because they match up horribly. Sheed bothers Howard (again). Prince bugs Turkoglu (again). Bynum/Stucky abuse Rafer. Pistons continue their dominance of the franchise.

Eastern Conference Finals:
OK, this is where some uncertainty sneaks into the equation, but bear with me. Desperate for attention (money) and realizing that a Cleveland title will lead to a poor career story arc for LBJ, the NBA has engineered an upset in the free-throw shooting contest he had last round with Wdaney Awde. (OK, maybe its the Atlanta Hawks who actually pull the upset based on Josh Smith presenting Lebron with a physical equal and a better supporting cast: Bibby/Johnson/Horford).

The Pistons end the cinderella story here however, and exploit the weaknesses of Miami (or Atlanta's) roster. Its on to the finals!

NBA Finals:
Since its clear the champion is coming from the vastly superior conference, the inferior conference presents no challenge.

Your 2009 NBA "World" Champions:
The Detroit Pistons

Advertising Bailout

Or...Too big to fail to advertise:

Detroit-based General Motors's has had its name adorn a fountain behind center field (in Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers), and some of its vehicles were on display.

GM and Chrysler are trying to rebound with billions in government aid, and GM says in a statement it discontinued sponsorship this season of the Tigers and other major league teams.

The Detroit Tigers are making sure General Motors Corp. has a presence at Comerica Park despite the automaker's decision to stop sponsoring the team.

This season, fans will see the General Motors name on the fountain along with logos for Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC. Underneath GM's name, a sign reads: "The Detroit Tigers support our automakers.

Its interesting that the auto industry is now being treated as though it was some sort of charity. Perhaps the new CEO can resort to panhandling for the $ to run TV commercials so you will buy more car. The monument is good PR and raises awareness I guess...

I remember when we used to make monuments based on public service, courage, achievement, etc. Now we make them for incompetence in business.

Dunky

I mentioned this dunk to SZ earlier tonight:




Which led me to this ahhahahahahahaha:

Sparty On!

I don't usually pull for the enemy, but the media narrative claims a State win to[morrow]night will save Dtw. So:

Go Green!

Go White!

The Answer Isn't Finished

He just has a new name:

Will Bynum

Dynastiness!!!

NBA Stud of the Week

And the award goes to.....

LaMarcus Aldridge!
That's right, fools, LaMan has been on a terror of late, averaging 27 points off of 60% shooting and 11 rebounds per game over the last week and leading the Blazers on a 4-game ass-whipping streak (average margin of victory: 24points!)

A blocked shot better than a turnover?

"Tom (Izzo) runs such great sets that to do that, then get a lay-up blocked can take the air out of people," Beilein said. "(Thabeet) will affect the game, but don't let him affect all the parts of the game. That blocked shot has a huge part in people's mind. It's underrated as far as they affect the other team. You can go over and throw the ball right to the other team (on a turnover), but God forbid you get your shot blocked, that's part of your manhood. You get shot blocked, it might go out of bounds and you're not going to shoot that shot again for 5 or 10 minutes, even if it's open."