I haven't missed a night of the NBA since I moved to Hartford for the summer. I usually just zone out in the third quarter, but for the rest of tonight's game (it's halftime), I'll share with you what's going on in my big head.
Final Lakers took care of business. Off to Denver. Thanks for reading!
1:02, Fourth Kobe's eighth assist was as pretty as they come. Surprised how he has played this quarter, but that was a great pass.
2:24, Fourth That was the most contact I've seen all playoffs without a foul being called. And guess what? That was a lot more enjoyable to watch. Got to love when the NBA cross-promotes with movies.
3:04, Fourth Gasol has a season-high five blocks. He has four blocks twice in the playoffs and never had more than three in the regular season. Classic Odom: pretty good game, misses two free throws.
4:02, Fourth The wheels on the bus are falling off, falling off, falling off. The wheels on the bus are falling off, blah blah blah blah blah. Kobe, where are you? There's Fisher, finally.
4:58, Fourth What's weirder? there's less than five minutes left in a must-win Game 5 and Kobe has 10 field goal attempts or that Shannon Brown is still in the game?
7:03, Fourth Who would have thought that two straight plays going into Gasol would result in a field goal and two free throws? Call me crazy. These LeBron/Kobe commercials are just hilarious.
Kobe: LeBron! Who is it?
LeBron: That was Mrs. Lewis from downstairs. She says you ain't got no defense!
Double negative?
8:54, Fourth Another example of NBA inconsistencies. Anthony destroys Kobe and no flagrant. Not that I think there should have been, but refs have been calling plays like that as flagrants. And yes, I know Jack is there, no need to show him after every play, especially since I can see him during every play because he sits right next to George Karl.
9:42, Fourth: OH MY. Hello Lamar Odom! The Birdman just got owned. Speaking of Andersen, if the Nuggets lose, it's his fault. He doesn't have the mohawk. Instead, he went back to the middle school/high school look of gelling up the front part of your hair. "The Hangover" looks fantastic. Any movie with Mike Tyson, the smart guy from National Treasure and Andy from The Office, plus a Tiger and a funny looking fat kid sounds good to me.
End of Third: J.R. Smith has matured before our very eyes. He has gone from solely shooting 3-pointers to being able to drive and dish. And instead of forcing a low-percentage shot from under the hoop a moment ago, he kicked it out. He's still inconsistent, but he's getting there. Alright, Kobe clearly took the "I'm going to defer to my teammates route" tonight (18 points on eight field goal attempts), but that will change soon. I know coaches hate the interviews in between quarters, but Phil Jackson hates them the most, no question.
Hugh Hefner: Did that really just happen on ESPN?
3:53, Third: That's the second time tonight the refs have made a poor offensive foul call. Earlier Billups was called for one on Ariza and Kobe was just called for one. Although Van Gundy said Smith was "clearly" there in time, he was leaning in. OK, this is getting weird. The Nuggets just committed their fourth straight turnover, and LeBron had eight last night. No one told me this was "Derrick Rose Impersonation Day." Sorry, I had to.
5:46, Third: Gasol says not to Jones and being denied by Andersen earlier. Lakers are down five, which means Kobe is going to start smelling blood shortly.
7:58, Third: Everyone from ESPN writers to the woman on the corner has been complaining about NBA referees. Well here's the solution: let the players ref themselves. Each team will appoint one, level-headed player to accomplish this. For example, Dahntay Jones would not be one of those player, but Billups would. For the Lakers, Kobe is too competitive to objectively call fouls, but Fisher would be perfect. The players know what is a foul and what isn't a foul better than the referees, so let them do it.
Facial Hair: Everyone knows of Chris Andersen's hair, but there seems to be a trend of Jafar-esque looks. ESPN is interviewing Rashard Lewis right now, and he's getting there, but no one comes close to the Celtics' Kendrik Perkins. Gross. Speaking of Perkins, I cannot recall one smile from the Celtics/Bulls series. He has jumped into my "Top 5 People I Don't Want to Meet in an Alley."
Hockey Update: Hawks just lost. I don't know what to feel. Do I care? Yes? Hmmmm....still trying to figure this sport out.
Halftime: I'm going to be really disappointed if Kobe can't pull through in this series. Not only do I want to see LeBron and Kobe in the Finals, I want more puppets. Mike Breen said Derek Fisher had "10 good points" in the first half. I wonder what "10 bad points: looks like. Regardless, Fisher hit double-digits for the first time since Game 1. Vujacic hit a big three to end the half. The only way the Lakers win tonight is if they get production outside of Kobe. 27 from Fisher, Byrun and Odom is a good start, but this brings me to the biggest question of the series: Paul Gasol. How does the best big man on the court have four field goal attempts at the half? Coming into the game, Kobe had 98, Gasol had 40. Gasol had 55 in the first four games of the Houston series.
I'm really curious to try Domino's bread bowl pastas. They can't be that bad? Right? Eh.
Earlier, Mark Jackson proved his worth once again. After Chauncey Billups started the game with a 3-pointer and a good dish to his teammate, Jackson commented that is starting strong because his team is facing the pressure, which makes him a great leader. No doubt Billups is a great leader (Chauncey + watching Kobe over the summer = Carmelo Anthony's development), but explain to me how the Nuggets have all the pressure? A) They're on the road, B) They are the lower seed, C) They aren't favored to win, D) They haven't been to the NBA Finals since 1976, E) THEY'RE THE NUGGETS.
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