Sportsattitude

Stanley Cup Playoffs…Game 2…Philadelphia at the Mellon Arena (i.e. The Igloo) to face Pittsburgh… already down 1-0 in the series…and the game…3:19 left in the first period…Flyers’ goalie Marty Biron covers up a puck in the vicinity of the goal line…the whistle blows…and an official review is ordered.

Now, in the NHL…an official review gets “beamed” all the way back to Global HQ in Toronto…which in itself is a fascinating thing.  Think about a Super Bowl or an NFL playoff game being “called” from New York City?  Anyway, that’s how the National Hockey League has it set up, with a “war room” in Canada reviewing various replay angles to guide officials on the ice in deciding the outcome of situations that require such drilled-down attention.

But, one of the huge problems I have with replay review in the NHL…in all sports for that matter…is the fact common sense is not allowed to prevail.  And the more I see…the more I wonder if baseball isn’t best served by completely staying out of the “game replay game.”

In this instance, the people “behind the Oz curtain” in Toronto determined there was no angle Versus could show them that definitively overturned the call of the ice-bound officials the puck did not cross the goal line.  They denied the Penguins a goal they surely earned had common sense been allowed as part of the video interpretation. 

It’s not just what you see, it’s what you know had to have happened.

Common sense is simply not allowed when these video replays are used, and yet you find yourself screaming at the television asking those in charge, “are you nuts?”  In the play in question, admittedly there was no available angle  that showed any “white space” between the puck and the goal line.  That being said, when viewing one great, specific shot of the puck accelerating towards the back of the goal, and seeing when Biron’s glove smothered and stopped it, even a legally blind individual would have ruled that puck a goal.  When Biron’s ample mitt finally stopped the movement of the puck, it had to have been completely past the line.  There was no other way to call it.

You couldn’t make the statement there was no visual proof to overturn the call on the ice because common sense told you there was no way the puck could not have been across the line, and the only reason you didn’t actually see that was because of Biron’s giant glove.  It was a goal.  Everyone knew it.  And yet, it didn’t count.

No matter, because the Penguins once more took advantage of the Flyers’ inability to both escape penalties and cover Pitt’s furious power play offense, winning Game 2 by a 4-2 count.  Of course, part of the reason for the Fly-boys rough go on defense in both these first two games in the Steel City, especially against the power play, was due to the fact they keep coming up with ways to shockingly lose defensemen…just before Game 1, it was superstar Kimmo Timonen who was ruled out with a blood clot in his ankle from the prior series…moments into Game 2, top penalty killer Braydon Coburn took a deflected slapshot between his eye and nose that may still be bleeding…50 stitches and counting.  Always odd seeing arena workers shoveling blood off the ice.

But, the real story from last night was once more seeing how replay doesn’t get it done.  Five minutes of staring at the obvious only to rule otherwise.  You see it in the NFL all the time, and to some extent in both college basketball and the NBA…I mentioned the other day one of the fascinating things about basketball is how timing errors are rarely brought up throughout entire games but inside that last minute, the officials are more than happy to micro-manage and actually wind up adding on “overtime” with all the freeze-frame, CSI-like analysis they do of the clock. 

Folks here in Philly are having fun seeing the Flyers playing deep into May after being the worst team in hockey a year ago, but you’d like to lose with your best players competing and these two injuries on defense are going to likely be too much to overcome.  Still, the Flyers were kept in last night’s game by replay once again being interpreted incorrectly.  If common sense isn’t allowed as to when to legitimately stop play to review situations in the first place and then, once a review is agreed upon you don’t use common sense to rule on what you see, why bother?

There’s been an awful lot going on in my neck o’ the woods these last few days with the pro teams…

The Phillies actually got through April in one piece.  That’s bad news for the rest of the National League.  Especially with Jimmy Rollins injured and Ryan Howard not swinging the bat very well.  Usually, by now the Phils are in last place and almost double-digits out of first place.  My good friends over at In Rare Form have to be equally excited about their Chicago Cubs doing so well.  Readers of this blog know last fall the cities of Philly and Chicago formed an unholy alliance in the hopes we would both make the playoffs.  We did, but then the Baseball Gods corrected that unlikely rooting partnership by having both teams make a quick exit.  You DO know both the Phils and the Cubs were in the playoffs last season, right?  If you blinked, you missed their participation.  In any event, if the Phillies can stagger through the rest of the season with their starters and bullpen not serving up batting practice when the weather gets warm at Citizens Bank Park, they’ll be in the post-season once more.

The Sixers won a couple of games against the Pistons in the post-season before Detroit finally got interested and beat down Philly hard and fast, sending Philly fans into the summer with a more realistic view of how far away the team is from actually being good.  I don’t like this team - they are clumsy in the half-court, can’t shoot from fifteen feet out and really have no reason right now to think next year won’t be another sub-.500 effort.  Mr. Iverson, you’re welcome back any time…the franchise could use some fans filling up those empty seats that freed up when you left town.

Our Eagles’ talk this mini-camp was all about the cornerback position, where it has been widely assumed Lito Sheppard would be traded by now once Asante Samuel had been signed away from the Patriots.  That didn’t happen, and now Philly has a “controversy” because they have too many good players at one position.  Hell, I thought that was called depth.  Sheppard has had some recent injury issues and a valid contract.  I believe he’s trying to get the “last big one” because he knows the life expectancy in the NFL is 3.8 years and his physical ailments have accelerated his aging process.  No problem for me with any player trying to get what he can in the NFL.  If he doesn’t get traded, so what?  Sheldon Brown, Sheppard and Samuel would probably all find their way on the field at the same time in Jim Johnson’s defensive schemes and the Eagles would be better for it.

Tomorrow night, the Keystone Cup begins as the Flyers visit Pittsburgh to face off against the Penguins.  These two teams played numerous times this season and have developed a very nice hatred for one another.  In fact, a number of these fellas played against each other when they were in the minors and are…shall we say…quite familiar with beating the heck out of each other.  After being the flat-out worst team in the league a year ago, the Flyers got off to a rousing start…fizzled down the stretch but righted the ship just as we hit mid-April and have rolled into May playing hockey as well as anyone still in the hunt.  As stated in my prior post, there were some fairly healthy rumors the Pens laid down in their season finale against the Fly-boys so they would not have to face them days later in Round 1, willing to take their chances against a beat-up, staggering Ottawa club.  Well, here we are in Round 3 and they can’t avoid the Flyers any more.  This time of year, people around these parts will combine the suddenly nice weather with their love of the Flyers and drag their TV’s outside with the grills and the kegs and have parties under the stars, grillin’ and chillin’ with the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Sure, hockey has a limited fan base…but in this region the Flyer fan roots are as deep as the 70’s when every kid - and I mean every kid - played street hockey in the summer and ice hockey in the winter.  We’re all ready around here to get “Flyered Up” once more.

Random thoughts on the world of sports at mid-week…

The Cavs-Celtics game last night was not my idea of a great defensive struggle, or a battle of fierce warriors, or any of that other garbage some folks crank out when scores are in the seventies.  That 76-72 Boston win was as ugly a game as you don’t want to see in the post-season.  LeBron James “led” the way at 2 for 18 from the floor.  Paul Pierce 2 for 14.  Ray Allen…paging Ray Allen…hello?  I hate ugly basketball.  Great defense.  No.

While I am posting this, I just saw Detroit’s Chauncey Billups’ left leg go one way and his right the other, crumpling to the floor in Orlando.  The extent of his injury is yet to be revealed, but when your legs go in opposite directions and you continue to the ground, the end result usually is not so good.

I am a huge non-fan of horse racing, feeling the horses are not born wanting to be pushed in such a manner, let alone whipped along the way.  I felt this way long before the Barbaro incident (which was a daily event in my part of the world as he was trying to survive in a nearby animal care facility).  I am a lover of all animals and have never understood why there hasn’t been more of a push to end horse racing, similar to the cries for the desired demise of boxing.  In boxing, however, the opponents chose to participate.  Horses don’t get that chance.  Ergo, why I’m ok on boxing but not horse racing.  Now, I’m not going to compare horse racing to dog fighting - oh wait, I just did.  Fueling my fire is a report today six racehorses from a Burlington County (NJ) farm tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.  I am sure after the Derby debacle horse racing is going to edge a little closer towards the dog fighting scale on the charts.  Whatever it takes to make it go away is fine by me. 

Omaha, Nebraska has been tentitively promised their role to continue to host the annual College World Series competition through 2035.  When I first started watching college baseball’s championship week from Omaha, I like many were charmed by the scenes of the local folk filling up the park, seeing the grill smoke rise from the sidelines, rooting for the underdog or the occasional local entry, etc.  But now, I can’t figure out why they don’t rotate this around to other parts of the country that would likely show the same level of support.  It’s not like you’re trying to sell out the Superdome.  Each CWS in Omaha, you can count on several delays for tornado watches…temps in the triple digits…or arid dust storms…I think it would breathe some new life in the event if they shuttled it around each year.  I don’t get Omaha.  ESPN trying to make it out to be “Field Of Dreams” each year - I don’t get that either.  If you want it to be “Field Of Dreams,” start with the use of wood bats. 

The Feb. 1st, 2009 Super Bowl in Tampa will feature 30-second commercial spots that will cost advertisers on NBC’s telecast $3 million.  I think with the way things are going these days, I’d pocket that money.  Wait - here’s an idea for all you companies with that kind of money to burn - buy a spot…run whatever insane, stupid advertisement you wish…but also donate an equal amount to a charity.  If you’ve got $3 million, you’ve got $6 million.  Folks need all the help they can get these days.  That would truly be a patriotic act for America’s unofficial holiday - if you’re going to ante up that kind of coin to push your crap on us, do something that actually helps people and make a real difference in some lives.

Hockey returned to Philadelphia this week.  After our Flyers being flat-out the WORST team in the NHL last season, they only find the Pittsburgh Penguins between themselves and a Stanley Cup finals berth.  When these two teams played at the end of the regular-season, much was made of the Penguins’ effort (or lack thereof) that led to them drawing Ottawa in the first round instead of Philadelphia.  Well, after the Flyers pulled off what I think were upsets against both the Caps and the Canadiens…here we are.  Game 1 at the Igloo in Pittsburgh Friday night.  I spent a year in Pittsburgh and it is one of my favorite cities…and I was almost as much a Pens fans growing up as a Flyers rooter.  It’s fun when you have a series in any sport to watch where you’d be pretty much content with either team winning…easier on the fingernails as well.  No sport in its playoff format can be as maddening to watch as hockey…absolutely nerve-wracking for the true fans of their respective teams.  Having grown up in the era of the 70’s Cups here in Philly, it’s nice to see the Orange & Black competitive once more.  They’ll have their hands full with Pittsburgh, but they did with Washington and Montreal and came out victorious.  Should be a great series.

Maurice Podoloff was the first commissioner of the National Basketball Association.  In his honor, the NBA’s regular-season Most Valuable Player Award carries his name.

One day, Chris Paul will joyfully hold the Podoloff trophy aloft before the photogs and celebrate his being named the league’s MVP.  Maybe not this season.  But he will, and likely more than once.

That is, if the award reverts to what I believe its original intent was…to honor the player who was the most valuable to his team over the course of the season. 

My belief is, in the years since it was taken away from the players and become more of an “Oscar” competition, the award’s criteria is now:

1. Which player is judged by the voters to be the best player on their perceived best team…or…

2. Which player the voters feel owns a long, distinguished resume and has yet to win the award (”is due”)…or…

3. Which player is personally liked by the most voters…

The New Orleans Hornets rarely come up in conversations as the best team in the NBA…Chris Paul is barely removed from his college days at Wake Forest…but one thing he does have for him in the here-and-now is he’s well-liked by most folks, voters or otherwise.

In 80 games played this season, he logged over 3,000 minutes, shot 49% from the floor, made 85% of his free throws, dished out over 900 assists, made over a couple hundred steals, averaged 21 points per game…and lifted guys named West, Stojakovic, Chandler, Wells, Pargo and Peterson to within a hair of winning one of the most competitive conference races in NBA history.

There may be better players in the National Basketball Association, but if Mr. Podoloff was handing out the MVP award himself for this season I’m betting he would give it to Chris Paul.  So would I.

Chris Paul turns 23 on May 6th.  In his honor, many fellow bloggers are posting their thoughts on his talent.  Please take a few minutes and read their efforts, honoring a man for all seasons…especially this one.

The New Orleans Hornets shot out to an 8-0 lead early in last night’s Round 2 opener at home against the San Antonio Spurs.  The temptation among most would be to say they opened “on fire.”

Well…fire played a role in their eventual 101-82 triumph but it certainly wasn’t expected to be REAL fire…

At the end of the first period, which actually found the Spurs up 27-23 courtesy of six three-pointers…mascot Hugo The Hornet decided to trot out a dunk-through-a-ring-of-fire trampoline act. 

He made the dunk just fine…it was the putting-the-fire out part that is equally critical when attempting such a stunt.

The CO2 bottle his handlers were provided with was emptied to no avail, and some of the arena workers decided they had an emergency on their hands and promptly emptied a few ”normal” fire extinguishers that, while doing their job quite nicely, covered the N.O. Arena court with residue that took almost twenty minutes to clean up. 

After the lengthy delay, both teams were allowed to warm-up once more (which the older Spurs surely welcomed)…and while the Spurs eventually managed to slide their way through the second quarter to hold a four-point halftime lead, you knew they were on slippery ground not just from what was still on the court beneath their feet but what was “beneath” their 49 first-half points.

Finishing the half at 9 of 17 from outside the arc, with of all people Bruce Bowen (6.0 ppg regular season average) leading the charge with his new-found outside accuracy…while being outrebounded by a wide margin…you knew the Hornets had to feel good about their chances coming out of the locker room.   The law of averages was with them.

In the second half, the Hornets indeed came out fast and furious and eventualy wiped the floor with the Spurs, who seemed content to continue to toss up ill-advised shots from three-point range as if they felt their new-found scoring abilities would remain intact.  San Antonio finished the third quarter shooting 4-of-15 and down 8.

The Spurs looked all their age and more in the latter part of the game…Tim Duncan wound up with just five points on 1-9 shooting. 

A lot was mentioned before this series about who the Hornets would have to be able to match up with Mano Ginobili.  After last night, a new question - who do the Spurs have to guard David West?  West went off for 30 points, nicely helping out Chris Paul on his “off night” of 17 points, 13 assists and 4 steals.

After the third quarter, Hornets HC Byron Scott mentioned to TNT he told his team at halftime they looked like the “older team.”  Clearly, New Orleans bought into his reality check they are younger and if they stay aggressive and hungry…they can wear the Spurs down…as they did last evening.

It is Jazz & Heritage Week in New Orleans, and for at least this night the Spurs looked more like the “Heritage” part than the “Jazz.”  Their second-half performance hit all the wrong notes and they looked like a team who was stuck in slow-motion, flailing against younger, more energetic opposition. 

Game 2 is right around the corner Monday night…the Hornets’ sting will not have much time to heal.

The Crescent City prepares to host Game 1 of the Spurs-Hornets series just a few hours away now…and while most of the pundits are picking San Antonio to continue their winning ways in this Round 2 match-up…let us set aside the tremendous history the Spurs have compiled in the post-season until now because while history is often an indicator of what may come it is…still…history. 

Some regular-season stats to ponder:

PPG - New Orleans 100.9, San Antonio 95.4

PPG Opposition - San Antonio 90.6, New Orleans 95.6

FG % - San Antonio .457, New Orleans .446

FG % Opposition - San Antonio .444, New Orleans .460

Turnovers - New Orleans 11.9, San Antonio 12.6

Turnovers Opposition - New Orleans 13.9, San Antonio 12.9

You’ve heard it all year long about the Spurs…who is going to score the basketball on a consistent basis?  If you look at the number of games a team scored less than 100 points this year in the NBA, you’ll obviously find a lot of the league’s bottom-dwellers…as well as San Antonio.  Of all the teams this year who failed to score 100 points in a game, the Heat “led” with 63…then the Clips with 56, the Cavs (!) with 55…and right there next to the T-Wolves sits the San Antonio Spurs…54 games this year when they did not score 100 points or more.  New Orleans had only 37 games games when they failed to hit the century mark.

The Spurs win with defense…defense…and more defense…leading the league this year in games where the opposition failed to score 100 or more - a whopping 67 games.  The Hornets came in at 54 games…not too shabby for a squad you would assume was totally offensive-minded based on their obvious ability to score the basketball…and featuring the Most Valuable Player in the league this year, Chris Paul.

Bringing history back into the equation and regardless of how you spin these stats, the Spurs are battle-tested and won’t be the least bit fazed by the roaring full house they will encounter each time they step onto the court at the N.O. Arena in this series.  Nor will they be concerned with being behind in the series - not a team likely to press or make mistakes simply because they might be on the brink of elimination.

No, these Spurs will show up poised and ready to display their ability to shut down the opposition…as that is how they are built to win…via team defense.  But, they are about to play a squad that is - as they are - a true team.  A lot of folks give the Spurs props because they play “team basketball” or “play the right way.”  Well, so do the Hornets.  And regardless of the glamour and glory of past San Antonio seasons, right now they have in their way a team that doesn’t have their resume, but does have recent results that mirror their own.  You can say the Hornets are too young…but you can also say the Spurs are aging.

This should be a beauty of a series.  I always say about the Spurs that to beat them, you better bring all the wooden stakes you can carry, at least a truckload of garlic…anything to fight off and slay the undead.  Even if the Hornets have them down 3-0, you better believe San Antonio still will feel they have New Orleans right where they want them.  They are warriors in every sense of the word.

Sportsattitude doesn’t usually dip his toe into the prediction pool, but since I’ve really taken to Paul, Chandler, West, Stojakovic…even HC Byron Scott…I’ll go ahead and post New Orleans in 7 since they have the home-court advantage.

I’m thinking this mystical roll CP3 has them on will voodoo the Spurs out of the playoffs.  Can’t wait for tip-off…enjoy this one, folks.

That sound you just heard was Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban shutting the door to sit down and have a chat with his HC Avery Johnson after Dallas was bounced from the NBA playoffs in Round 1 for the second year in a row courtesy of the upstart New Orleans Hornets.

I can remember when he was named the eighth HC in franchise history, and surely very soon now we’ll get to find out who will be the ninth.

Ironic Avery was born in New Orleans, as that city is likely where his HC career came to an abrupt halt tonight after the Hornets took a 99-94 victory to clinch their series in five games.

Of course, when you’re playing the league’s MVP in Chris Paul, you’re already starting out behind the 8-ball.  CP3 went 24-11-15 last night…just another crisp, outstanding effort for a guy who appears to be getting better the longer his season goes on. 

I hope the fans in the Bayou realize how special a season - and player - they have and continue to show up in the stands, at rallies, etc.  Obviously, New Orleans has a long, long way to go to heal…and it will never be the same.  But, with sports teams like the Saints and Hornets to rally around…well, the South has always found a special place in their hearts for home teams who put forth the effort and the city could do worse than have a couple of high-quality pro franchises as a key ingredient of its recovery. 

Mark Cuban has to blow up his Mavs now.  They’ve underachieved for way too long.  The Jason Kidd trade really paid dividends, didn’t it?  Paul made him look like Johnson could have come off the bench and played him stronger than Kidd did.  Sure, the Hornets have a very decent supporting cast around CP3 but no way Dallas should have gone down as easily as they did in this series. 

In fact, Charles Barkley said on TNT of all the series in the Western Conference he felt the one he had figured out for sure was Dallas over New Orleans.  He admitted his mistake before tonight’s game and correctly predicted New Orleans would be playing “taps” for Dallas by night’s end.

As I have written before, please check out Paul and Company as the playoffs advance.  Much like the smooth jazz that comes out of the city’s streets, New Orleans is playing some sweet, soulful music on the courts these days.

Thank goodness the NFL finally saw the error of their ways and speeded up the time between picks of their annual roll-of-the-dice Draft.  I mean, considering the fact you’re throwing money at guys who in some cases may never start more than a handful of games in their “career” and you’ve had…oh…four solid months to talk day and night about who you want…how much time do you need?

One of the funniest things I saw/heard on ESPN’s coverage (yes, I went with the Evil Empire - with the sound up! - instead of the NFL Network) was analyst Cris Carter saying one of the key things he would look for in the Draft was if any teams made a panicked move by having less time.  He kept referring to this apparently gigantic decision to cut a few minutes off the selection process as “the new NFL.”  Please.

Another thing I found amusing was road correspondent Wendi Nix saying the Chiefs would not be drafting Boston College QB Matt Ryan because they did not believe they had the pieces around him for Ryan to be successful.  Did you hear that Chief season-ticket holders?  That’s the reasoning why you start the year at QB with Brodie Croyle, or whomever staggers to the top of your depth chart.  Rarely do you hear such an honest assessment of how bad off your team is, or such a dumb reason not to pick a QB when everyone in America is screaming there is no franchise quarterback potential next year (even though by next year at least a couple of guys will magically be deemed worthy).  Of course, since the Chiefs traded their best defensive player Jared Allen earlier in the week for a number of picks, that was the neon “REBUILDING” sign now hung out in K.C.  I don’t blame them one bit since I think they are awful and need a lot of help…and Allen did not sound like HC Herm Edwards’ kinda guy off the field…but I think they should have gone QB early on.

Teams who did go QB early on were fascinating to me…

Baltimore - Joe Flacco from Delaware, who I think has as much potential as Ryan.  Great pick…forget that I-AA stuff.  Remember the guy who just retired from there, Steve McNair?  Alcorn State.

Green Bay - Brian Brohm from Louisville, who I agree with everyone got a raw deal his last year with the Cardinals via a new HC, a new system, lousy receivers, a defense that rarely defended, etc.  It wasn’t enough for Aaron Rodgers to try to take over with legend Brett Favre asking him every five minutes…”hey, buddy.  Feeling ok?  Need a break?”  No, now there will be even more back-seat driving in the stands there.  Then again, maybe the Packers are doing everything they can to keep Brett away, driving as many human wedges between him and unretiring as possible.

Miami - Bill Parcells got his new Phil Simms in the form of Michigan’s Chad Henne, who just made current #1 (?) John Beck the South’s version of Aaron Rodgers.  Don’t hurt yourself looking over your shoulder, John. 

Continuing the Dolphin theme, the best line of the day for me came from of all people, Chris Berman (not exactly a SA favorite) who said during a shot of Parcells - “there’s Bill Parcells.  He’s not with us now…but he’ll be with us in about four years.”  Needless to say, it speaks to Bill’s M.O. to get GM cash, do what he can to get the Fish swimming in the right direction within a finite time frame, and then get more cash to go back to saying nothing of any relevance on national TV…for more cash.

Things I liked…

The Steelers getting Rashard Mendenhall from Illinois down at #23.  Great pick and I think he has as much potential as Darren McFadden, who went way, way earlier to the Raiders.  (Good luck with that, Darren)  Pittsburgh later got Limas Sweed, a big-time receiver from Texas.  Offense returns to the Steel City if these guys play up to the potential I and the Steelers believe they have.

The Ravens, after getting Flacco, picked Ray Rice from Rutgers.  I think pound-for-pound he displayed more heart during his college career than anyone drafted, and needless to say Baltimore also should see more points on the board down the road if these two turn out as I and the Ravens think.

Final draft thought is about Keyshawn Johnson’s outfit, from which my eyes are still bleeding.  Was that a cream-colored suit with a black & white patterned shirt and a pink tie?  Was it?

From USA Today…ESPN NBA basketball analyst Ric Bucher was on their radio network, allegedly trying to explain why the Utah Jazz get a real boost from their home fans, who are notorious for getting on the opposition pretty good…

Ric decided the Jazz fans are so rabid because they are Mormons and, “you gotta smile and be happy all the time.  This might be one opportunity for fans to get vicious.” 

After ESPN obviously explained to Ric this wasn’t the best explanation he could have given…he said in his APOLOGY(?), “the point I was trying to make is that the manner in which some Jazz fans get on visiting teams is counter to the general friendliness that the people of Salt Lake City are known for.”

I like Ric, but he should be emptying the cubicle he rents out at Bristol.  ESPN really picks their spots when their people make these kind of comments…their HR department has no consistency whatsoever…depends on which gender and color makes the comments and how large a percentage of the population is insulted, etc.  Flagrant foul, Ric.  Double technical for the lame apology also.

Also from USA Today…the case of Cincinnati Reds announcer Marty Brennaman, who originally suggested frustrated Chicago Cub fans throwing baseballs onto Wrigley Field “makes you want to see the Cubs lose.”  Why, Marty?  Connect those dots for me please?

Well, on the heels of that remark…Marty tried his best “Ric Bucher” clarification on ESPN’s Chicago radio outlet and said, “I understand all these fans are all upset.  Half of them are probably brain-dead to begin with.”  Marty, at least the Cubs HAVE fans.  Have you looked around your home park lately or have you had your face buried in some of that famous Cincy chili?

And continuing the theme of people with their feet in their mouths, let me submit myself for doing everything on this blog but come out and predict “Pistons in three” in their first-round, best-of-seven match-up against my hometown Sixers.  You had to see the Philly 90-86 win over Detroit in Game One to believe it.  Down 15 with six minutes left in the third quarter and showing off their inability to shoot…the Sixers then set about beating the Pistons at their own game, at their own pace. 

But a post on sports and mouths would not be complete without a quote from Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace, who missed a crucial short shot with ten seconds left to help Philly steal that first game in Motown.  Don’t get me wrong, it was not classic Rasheed…no cursing or smack…he simply said, “that was a bunny I should have had.”

I’ve been watching basketball for a long, long time now and still have not tracked down the true origin of who first said a layup in basketball was a “bunny.”  I know ESPN college hoop analyst Steve Lavin says it at least a half-dozen times every outing, but reading Rasheed saying it has me asking out loud…where in the world did this “bunny” deal come from when someone misses in close? 

At least after the tough loss Wallace was hopping about “bunnies” instead of hopping mad.  Then again, if the Pistons had shown a little more fire in the belly maybe they wouldn’t be down 0-1.  This young, aggressive Sixers team made Detroit look awfully old, at least for one night.  And that’s some straight talk.

In any sport, there is always the classic discussion regarding what ”Most Valuable Player” means and who should win the award bearing said title.

Most often, the discussion comes about as a result of having one player whose team is not very good, and without the player the team most definitely would be towards the bottom of the standings….and another player whose team is quite good indeed, and the question is how far in the standings would they fall if they didn’t have that player.

While other names have been offered up this season for the NBA’s MVP, I do believe it is a two-man discussion between Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant.  Without drilling into the statistics and picking apart the numbers, it is obvious to me if the Hornets were without Mr. Paul they’d likely not have made the playoffs and been one of the worst teams in the conference…if the Lakers were without Mr. Bryant, I think they’d find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time. 

However, I do believe Kobe’s supporting cast makes the case Chris is the true “MVP” if you feel the award goes to the person whose team would suffer the most in their absence.  And generally speaking, that is how I always “vote.”  I don’t care if the candidate’s team had an outstanding year or not…more so I tend to focus on what would happen if that person was not available and how far the team would fall as a result.

Yet, in an earlier post I felt had I been supplied with a ballot for my hand, I’d have checked off Bryant’s name for the award in ‘07-’08, since his team prevailed in one of the most competitive conference races the league has ever, ever seen. 

After seeing Chris Paul against the Mavs last night…can I get that ballot back?

35 points, 10 assists, 4 steals…1 turnover.  In his first playoff game.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know my affection for the NBA has been…let’s say…limited.  Ok, let’s say non-existent.

However, as the NBA season has gone on I’ve come to realize what I’ve been missing…and last night I saw Paul play about as perfect a second half as a true floor general can play.  With his team on the verge of being blown out at halftime, he engineered a second half comeback that dazzled everyone in attendence and watching on TV…not to mention the stunned Mavericks.  He himself had a shaky first half, and with his lack of post-season experience could easily have come out the second half and overcompensated his team right out of the game.

I strongly recommend anyone like me who has been sitting on the sidelines, pining for the “good old days” of Magic, Larry, Kareem and MJ…get off the sidelines and start watching this post-season, especially in the West.   Especially watch Chris Paul.

Paul’s performance, coming just a couple of hours after the Suns and Spurs engaged in a 2-OT classic, set the table nicely for what appears to be a gourmet feast of pro basketball over the next two months.    Melo and A.I. visit Kobe today.  This could be one very, very special NBA post-season.