PODCAST: Post-Mortem...did that just happen?!?

Sorry for the technical difficulties.  It was LeBron's fault.

Another LeBron post? You bet...

When Game 4 was winding down and LeBron was doing his typical heavy breathing-teeth grimacing-yelling at the air routine after making a layup, I thought he reached the point where he was the clear-cut most annoying player on the planet.  Annoying, but not hated.  Well, now he's hated.  What changed?  During his post game on-floor press conference there were some remarks that caused me to think, "Wait a sec, did he just say that?  and if so, did he really mean what it appeared to mean?" 

LeBron James is now mocking Derrick Rose.  Unbelievable.  Making it clear to anyone who will listen that Derrick Rose is the MVP and his team, the team he created with Wade and Bosh has defeated him.  How petty can he be?  It would be one thing if LeBron was in arch-rival mode with a contemporary who had the same amount of sidekicks at his disposal.  This is more like a schoolyard bully who was put in his place deciding to come back to the playground with two other "tough guys" and under the cover of their umbrella calling out the pipsqueak.  Of course, Derrick Rose is no pipsqueak but the fact that LeBaby has shrunk to the point of mocking a 22 year old who is being asked to lead his team every game and playing his ass off is pretty darn telling of his personality.  As I've said before, commonly you can learn more about a person with how they handle success than from how they handle failure. 

LeBaby has lived in such a bubble his entire life that he can't even appreciate a fellow player's effort that might perhaps take the spotlight off of him.  Has Derrick Rose ever said one non-laudatory thing about James?  Did he ever say that James wasn't deserving of the MVP?  No and No.  Rather, perhaps James is jealous of Rose for things that go far beyond the MVP trophy.  Anyone who saw Rose's heartfelt, emotional, humble MVP acceptance speech can appreciate what a genuinely good guy he is.  Anyone that is, except Queen James who clearly simply can't fathom how anyone could love another player more than him.  So he tries to tear Rose down.  Some of LeBron's annoying qualities are more subtle than others, but just as telling.  It's no coincidence that James is most confident when his team is rolling along, everyone's shots are falling, and they have all the momentum.  See if you notice his demeanor the next the Heat is in a tough situation when things aren't going so well.  He's belittling his teammates, screaming at the ref, and ramming his 280lb frame into his dweeby coach.  Contrast that to Rose -- cold-blooded.  Face of a champion.  LeBron wishes he carried himself like Rose, but it's just not in him.  Lastly, whenever James does something on the court that he believes is amazing, if not expected, he makes sure to draw full attention to himself.  When he flops from a Luol Deng shrug and draws an offensive foul, James sits on the floor, tongue out, head nodding, and refusing to get up until he's successfully drawn the lens of every camera in the arena.  Rose?  Not so much.  Business as usual. 

LeBron believes that with a win over the Bulls his Decision will have been validated.  What he doesn't, or refuses to realiaze is that with every over-dramatic pose and with every cheap swipe at Rose he is merely reinforcing how weak he can make a 6'8" 275 lb frame appear to be.

...and to steal a line from Taylor Swift:  Why you gotta be so mean?

LeBron hearts Miami - now it makes sense

I hate this team so much.  How can anyone cheer for this garbage?

"But I'm from Miami, what do you expect?"

As I said at the beginning of the year, Miami fans are the absolute worst, and have been the absolute worst for a long long time.  Does anyone care about any of their teams unless there IN the playoffs?  No.  Over and over again, no.  Marlins?  University of Miami? Heat any other year?  Empty seats, Empty stadium.  They don't deserve to have a team, let alone a good team.  They have no investment in this team, rather, they watch the Heat as the rest of us would go watch a concert; let's go be entertained for a few hours and call it a day.  That's not sports.  That's not being a fan.  But let's see how many layers deep we can go here.  They don't just have a good team, but they have perhaps the most annoying, front-runner of a group of players maybe ever.  Let's take LeBron.  The way he quit on his Cavs teammates last year was one of the many reasons why I never wanted him to be a Bull.  You think Jordan ever would've gone out like that?  Or could you ever see our beloved Derrick Rose quitting?  But that's the difference.  Miami fans don't care.  Their mindset is basically, "get me out of the tanning bed when we have a team in the playoffs, then maybe I'll care...maybe."  Sometimes you learn more about athletes observing their reaction in victory more so than in defeat.   How can LeBron be taken seriously when we know his true colors when he faces adversity?  He quits.  But now, with the backing of other all-star teammates he's dancing around the court - laughing at the Bulls as they hustle out the end of the game.  Watching LeBron and Bosh wag their tongues after hitting a shot makes me physically ill.  Chris Bosh may be even worse.  He's another athlete who wants all the glory without any of the adversity.  He, also, bailed on his Toronto teammates last year as it became clear that he crumbled under the task of actually leading a team.  What the Heat has done, specifically LeBron and Bosh is unprecedented.  I care.  Miami fans don't.  As much as I hate Boston sports and all their teams at least they care.  At least they expect something out of their athletes.  But again, maybe that's why LeBron and Bosh decided to take their talents to South Beach.  They cracked and folded under the pressure of playing in front of powerhouse sports cities like.....Cleveland and Toronto.  I bet Wade told them, "Listen.  First of all, they'll love you no matter what.  The people here don't care about the game as much as they care about the entertainment.  If we don't win, they'll go back to the tanning beds, spiked hair, and douchey muscle shirts and tell their friends they never cared in the first place.  But if we DO win...they'll show up by the 2nd quarter and cheer during the 4th quarter.  It's perfect."  And that's the draw.  But it takes a certain athlete to embrace that, while it takes a certain athlete to embrace the pressure that comes with playing in a true sports city.  LeBron yells at his teammates when they're losing and soaks up the spotlight when they're winning.

Our beloved Bulls are on the brink of elimination now after a great effort (for Miami fans, effort is something that the rest of the sports world appreciates, even in loss).  Looks like I'm about to become the biggest Mavs fan outside of Dallas.  For the soul of basketball, and for the spirit of professional sports we all should be.

Evil is winning.  Brevity is the soul of wit: Shakespere

Bulls-Heat: Game2 -- LeBron's dream comes true

So many thoughts and overflowing frustration makes for a perfect time to rant. 

This game typified what LeBron was hoping for as he quit on his Cavalier teammates last year during the Celtics playoff series.  His dream came true.  He got everything he wanted: Maximum glory, Minimum effort.  He successfully came across as "carrying" the Heat to victory in the same game where he disappears for about 20 minutes during the 3rd and beginning of the 4th quarter.  Classic LeBron.  The best player in the NBA decides he doesn't want to carry a team to a championship.  Rather, he prefers to show up at spots during the game and disappear at others. Unprecedented. 

The Bulls played arguably their worst game of the year.  Let's start with 34, 15, and 60.  These were the Bulls' shooting percentages from the field, 3pt, and FT, respectively.  Wow.  Yet, the Bulls were right there with 3 minutes left to play.  A small, yes small, part of this was due to the Heat, but most was due to simply a bad night.  Further, Derrick Rose probably played his worst game since he went 0-7 and his team lost 15-11 in the Englewood kindergarten championships.  He looked out of sorts most of the game.  I've seen that before, but was a tad more concerning was he looked a half step slow.  This is hard to figure since, a.)Oprah gave the Bulls an extra day off, and b.) Rose sat much of the 2nd quarter with foul trouble.  I'd love to know the last time he missed both free throws.  This won't happen again.

Loose balls and rebounds.  The Bulls utterly and completely dominated the glass in Game 1.  Game 2? The Heat somehow grabbed 4 more rebounds than the Bulls.  I sincerely feel that this was a fluke.  It wasn't so much the Bulls were out of position or got out-worked, but anyone who watched the game could see that the if the Bulls zigged, the ball zagged.  A fingertip here, a misstep there, and an awkward bounce all add up to frustratingly, yet unacceptable missed loose balls.  This won't happen again

Not much left to say about Boozer.  Whether he's hurt or not doesn't change the fact that he's now at the point where he's hurting the Bulls by being on the court.  He adds nothing.  As soon as Taj came in in the 4th quarter the Bulls went on a run.  Have you ever seen more missed layups?  Seriously.  It will be interesting to see How Thibs deals with this.  He's been rigid with his lineup and rotation all year, but this is getting a little out of hand.  Boozer played too much.  This won't happen again.

I'm not impressed with the Heat.  Did they play better than the Bulls tonight?  Yes.  Did they play better than they did in Game 1?  I suppose. But this effort was far from spectacular.  The Bulls' defense was good enough to win, thanks to Omer, Deng, Taj, and Brewer.  I think they'll be able to reproduce tonight's effort throughout the series. 

Thibs also has a decision to make about Korver.  If he's not hitting 3s consistently (1-5 would not qualify) then obviously his value is limited if not zero.  But as always, you have to consider the other options (Watson, Bogans, Brewer).  I think this is moot because Thibs is going to keep Korver out there as he has all year. 

This isn't sour grapes, but the officiating was atrocious.  There was about a 10 minute stretch from the end for the 1st and into the 2nd where the refs could've done a better job if they decided to blow their whistle every 3 minutes randomly.  There was a brief moment where the Bulls seemed like they could've pulled away but a handful of brutal calls kept the Heat in the game.  It's a fact. 

Even with all the above, Korver missed an open 3 that would've put the Bulls up 3 late in the 4th. 

Bah Humbug. 

PODCAST: Eastern Conference Finals and Davis explains his unique palate

Well, that Game 1 was as good as it gets.  Two numbers sum it up for me: 19 and 1

Bulls Offensive Rebounds: 19

Bulls 2nd Half turnovers: 1

It's hard not to get too carried away after a performance like that, but....

What is "Miami Heat Basketball"?  What does that mean?  Is it relying on the other team to turn the ball over leading to easy fast breaks?  Fine.  Is it relying on LeBron and/or D-Wade to take over and hit tough, contested shots?  Fine.

I never thought too much of coaching as a factor that might sway a series, especially in the NBA which is so star-driven.  But I have to say, I think there's a real edge here for the Bulls.  I think Spoelstra is in over his head against Thibs.  It wasn't a game changing decision by any means, but I thought when we learned that Spoelstra decided to "go small" (whatever that means) and not even dress Zydrunas, their starting center for most of the season, it seemed like over thinking.  For Miami to win this series, Wade or James need to be spectacular, in fact, beyond spectacular.  This certainly wouldn't be too surprising, but it won't be easy.

Boozer.  I'll take it.  14 pts, 9 rebs, 1 Turnover.  Far from great, but as long as Boozer can give something we're in good shape.

Deng.  wow.  Aric already wrote an articulate article explaining why he's so valuable and such a great guy to root for.  Carmelo or Noah, Deng + ?    Hmmmm....  Part of Deng's post-game press conference caught my attention.  He said something along the lines of, "If you want to win you have to believe you're the best...".  I'm not sure when Deng turned on that switch, but it's been pretty remarkable.  There's a fraction of a second to react during a game, and the slightest hesitation, usually from a lack of confidence will be the difference between making a play and missing the opportunity.  There must be no hesitation, no doubt, and no fear.  Grab victory, don't receive it.

 Lebron, or "Spotlight", as I call him now due to his overriding desire, above ALL else, to find the cameras, look cool, and play for style points, didn't play well.  It's always tough to determine what percentage of a bad game is due to the individual and what is due to the opponent.  After tonight's performance I'd say it was 75% Bulls defense.  LeBron didn't just miss outside shots, but he barely ever drove to the basket.  Then again, why should he?  I mean, it's gotta be pretty easy to stop a runaway freight train that's 6'9" 270 lbs and can jump out of the gym from scoring or at least getting fouled, right?  I don't get it.  But I think the decision to continue shooting jumpers was because there was no room to drive.  Settling for a fadeaway jumper over Asik instead of driving past him?  Ok.  Normally you'd think 30 points is 30 points whether it's LeBron or Bosh.  However, if Bosh is Miami's best player they obviously have no chance. 

Finally, Taj.  What a versatile, valuable player he has become.  He can guard virtually any position on the court, which is especially valuable in this series because if he has to switch onto Lebron after a pick and roll he can hold his own.  He can also run around chasing some of Miami's shooters so Noah and Asik can remain down low.

Game 2 not until Wendesday ?!?!?   Damn you Oprah!

Ahhh,...to be relevant

On to the Conference Finals! 

To clarify, this time we're talking about the Bulls.  A tad tongue-in-cheek, fine, but in the last calender year, the Blackhawks and Bears have also played in their respective conference's championship game - the Hawks obviously going on to win the Cup last year.  That makes a pretty darn good stretch for Chicago sports.  The New York and Boston teams have a built-in advantage since a large chunk of the talking heads on the various sports shows hail from New York/New England.  The Celtics, Patriots, Yankees, Jets, etc make news whether they're good, bad or irrelevant.  To get discussion on a national stage Chicago teams actually have play to well, which they have for the most part recently.  Some have raised the question in the past about what's the worse scenario for a fan: rooting for a team that always stinks and is never in contention (Cubs), or rooting for a team that's always near the top of the standings but never won the championship (Red Sox, prior to 2004).  Obviously better to have a team that's relevant...and hopefully the Bulls will be for a long time.

...and Skip Bayless is a jackass

full Bulls-Heat discussion coming in podcast form

Rondo's elbow

Heroic?  A Soldier?  Rondo's fall onto an outstretched arm resulting in the elbow bending in a way it shouldn't certainly looked bad, but was it?

It's impossible to know how much pain someone is in, and for that matter, how much pain they're playing through.  We can guess based on how an injury looks or sounds, but we really don't know.  An athlete has everything to gain from appearing to play through pain.  Who doesn't love an athlete that's willing to sacrifice for the team?  He gets all the accolades, praise and cheers - or jeers if he decides to "sit out" what the public has diagnosed as a mundane injury (hello Cutler?).  So much is lost in communication from the athlete, to the doctor, to the trainer, to the reporter, and finally to the braodcasters.  Rondo was diagnosed with a dislocated elbow, which was subsequently popped back in to place.  He then returned to the game, miraculously carried his team to victory with one arm and gave Boston new life in the series...or so the story goes. 

What if the elbow was merely subluxed, or slightly dislocated, and not completely displaced from the joint?

Then we may have something like this:




She seemed to bounce back pretty quickly, huh?

We'll never know exactly. 

Bosh, the Hungarian Hammer Thrower

Are you kidding me?!?  Bosh FINALLY does something of use outside of the first quarter and he reacts as if he's just launched a gold medal worthy hammer throw...something like this (a little surprised there weren't better clips, but you get the picture)

It was a huge play of the game, no doubt, but it not only seemed way over the top, but seemed quite telling.   It seemed telling of a third wheel unlike any we've seen recently.  It's hard to generate such a reaction that's not on the heels of a game-winner or title-clinching shot.  To reach that high 'C', there must have been an element of "holy crap! I did something!!  Did you all see it?!?  LeBron?!??  Wade???  Did you see me?"  Kind of like a 5 year old jumping of a diving board and screaming for the approval of his parents.  Very odd, and I'm sure there will be some good mocking forthcoming.

Bron Bron

I actually think this is kinda funny...like he's whispering something in study hall

We're really tied 2-2 ???

32 shots is way too many, but what are the other options?  Everything the Bulls do on offense hinges on Rose's ability to penetrate and then make a split second decision to shoot or dish.  One problem that is not new is that the Bulls have no other guys to do this.  One problem last night was that no one could hit a shot.  Korver, Deng, and Watson were 6-34.  So, yeah, maybe Derrick shot too much, but when his guys weren't shooting well (and they had a few open looks) seems like we just have to chalk it up to a bad night as opposed to an indictment of the Bulls in general.  I hope.

Also:
Boozer was 7-10, but nowhere to be found in crunch time.
God-awful officiating down the stretch, especially the non-call, turned jump-ball when the Bulls were down 6 and it looked like Rose was going to the line to cut it to a one possession game!  Are you kidding?!?

Josh Smith has several screws loose.  Pachulia is flat out dirty.  Joe Johnson is flat out over-payed.

Short of signing a superstar which is beyond a pipe dream, which player would be the best fit at shooting guard?  Jamal Crawford?  I don't think so.  He's Ben Gordon...we've already done that.  Is there a budding Ray Allen?  If so, we need him...now.

Deng! It’s My First Post on the Bri Blog!

Looks like Davis beat me to the punch for the first non-Bri post on the Bri Blog. I’m excited to add my non-expert analysis, comments and Brants™ in the weeks to come. I’ll try not to overlap with Brian too much even though we root for the same Chicago teams, the Michigan Wolverines … and the Evanston Wildkits (yes, we were the “Wildkits,” not “Wildcats”).

Brian and Davis have been talking NBA playoffs, so let’s stick with that. Everyone’s commenting on the mess that is Carlos Boozer – indeed, if I have to see him get into that low crouch one more time, only to be immediately blown past by the man he’s guarding, I might lose it. But let’s step back and give a shout out to Luol Deng, who’s been flying a bit under the radar this playoffs.

Many of us have been critical of Deng in recent years – particularly after he got his big contract – but this year, and throughout the playoffs, he’s been fantastic. Deng is the kind of guy you can’t help but root for, in part because of his life story and humanitarian efforts (see this and this), but also because he works his butt off to extract every ounce of talent from his somewhat limited athletic potential. He clearly worked hard last summer to improve his lateral quickness and shooting range. The three pointer, in particular, has been a nice addition. He also logged some serious minutes during the regular season, playing in all 82 games and helping the Bulls endure the injuries to Boozer and Noah. Although he didn't have to do much in game 3 due to Rose’s ridiculous 44 point outburst, assuming the Bulls get past Atlanta, his defensive matchup with LeBron or Paul Pierce will be key.

I'd love to see him add some championship hardware to those humanitarian awards.

Random Thoughts

Well done Davis on your first blog post.  I was interested to see what direction you were going to go with your blog career.  More to come I hope.



NFL Draft:  Ryan Mallett was selected, eventually, by the Patriots in 3rd round and 74th overall.  Predictably, he's using the good ol' "I'll make 'em pay" routine as help to get motivated.  My question: If the Patriots thought he was so great then why did they take 4 players prior to slecting Mallett and risk losing out on him?  Seems to me Mallett should make New England pay for not drafting him earlier by signing with the Arena League.

Bin Laden tweets:  The world of twitter.  Gotta love it.  Every nit-wit not only gets to have an opinion, but is able to spread that opinion instantaneously and on a whim across the world to thousands.  There is no sensor and no filter.  Which brings us to Rashard Mendenhall of the Pittsburgh Steelers who, upon hearing of Bin Laden's death, tweeted something along the lines of not knowing if Bin Laden is really a bad dude since we've only heard one side, and also insinuated that 9/11 was an inside job.  Oy vey.  Champion sports apparell promptly dropped Mendenhall as a sponsor.  Yay!  Good for them.  It's fascinating that some of these athletes are so distanced from the real world.  The guy grew up in Skokie, Ill for God's sake!!

Rondo:  Have I mentioned that I dislike him?  I've noticed he does an insane amount of hand gesturing, pointing, talking during the game.  Normally, this may be an indication of good communication with teammates or setting up a play, but in Rondo's case I really think it's all nonsense to make himself appear as if he's doing something important.  He's always pointing, waving, nodding, etc...I think it's all for the cameras.

and........

Davis' first blog post

Jacover has been kind enough to open up the Bri Blog for outsiders(me and Aric). He may come to regret this decision. But either way here goes.

Big Bulls-Hawks game 3 tonight. Not a must win for the Bulls. But I'm not a believer in ATL so if they get down 2-1 in the series i feel really good about the Bulls chances. Game 1 defense was not up to par but game 2 looked a little more like Bulls fans have become accustomed to this year. I expect strong performance from the Bulls tonight in taking a 2-1 series lead. And maybe even Brian's favorite player, Boozer, will show up with a strong double-double.

Other series in the NBA we have a big surprise in Dallas up 2-0 on the Lakers after two games in LA. I dont think anyone would have expected this. Maybe a split like NOLA got in LA but two games? No way. And now Artest is suspended for game 3(he did win the league citizenship award after all). Things are looking really good for Dallas. But if Kobe and the Lakers can steal game 3, i wouldnt count them out. Obviously if they lose game 3, its over. Might be good for the league if the west can get some new blood like OKC or Dallas in the finals. I know Dallas made it a few years ago but that seems like ages.

Miami has looked great in beating Boston the first two games. The series has shifted to Boston in a must win for the Celtics. Miami to me has been the team to beat for quite awhile(even dating back to whipping the Lakers twice in the regular season). Even though they didnt get the top seed in the east, they have arguably the two best players in a league where individual talent goes a long way in determining success. As much as I despise them and their pathetic fans, they are the clear favorite. Boston might win a few in this series but I dont think the Heat are intimidated by them they way they looked in the first three regular season meetings between these two teams. In those games it looked like Boston was toying with them. But James and Wade are on their game right now and that does not bode well for the rest of the league. Here's to hoping Boston and/or eventually Chicago have something to say about that.

Halftime Game 2

I really dislike the Atlanta Hawks.  Maybe "hate" is a little strong, but they really annoy me.  It's a different kind of irritation that they draw out of me however.  They're not dirty like the Bad Boys Pistons or the Mason/Oakley/Starks Knicks, and they're not a rival like Reggie's Pacers or the Celtics.  I just hate how they play.  All one-on-one.  It's just really annoying to watch.  They don't deserve to win anything.

Also, the Atlanta Hawks team that scares me the most is when Al Horford is their best player, not Crawford and/or Joe Johnson.

Atlanta can keep Johnson's indifference and Josh Smith constant scowl, we'll keep this

Bulls-Hawks: Game 1

Weird Game.  I really thought the Bulls were in control even prior to getting the lead in the second half, and when they went up 6 I thought the Hawks would fold as usual amidst hoisting up awful, contested jumpers.  Nope.  Not this time.  The slow start yet again was really disappointing.  We kept making excuses for the Bulls against the lesser Pacers as if they just couldn't get up for an eight seed.  At this point, the fact remains that the Bulls overall skill and talent level just isn't that much better than most, if any playoff teams.  They're main adavantage during the season, effort, has been heavily neutralized by the inevitable increase of playoff intensity.  The other advantage that never materialized was the Noah-Boozer front court destruction.  The dream of a combined 35 and 25 seems like a pie in the sky fantasy right now. 

Things I want more of:
- Rose shooting the wide open three pointers that Atlanta is begging him to take
- Feeding Boozer
- Taj to make open jumpers
- Hard foul on Crawford/J.J.

Things I want less of:
- Slow starts
- Boozer screaming
- Noah missing layups

Game 2:  Must win

Heat-Celtics Game 1 Reaction

Heading into this series, and even as game one ended I still couldn't really decided: a) who I thought would win this series, and b) who I wanted to win this series.  It was pretty obvious that the Heat were the better team from start to finish, and the forumula they used to buid their lead and hold onto it did not deviate much from their regular season script.  Miami will destroy you if you turn the ball over or take bad shots.  This is not only their best offense but it's their most consistent form of offense -as every now and then Miami will struggle to create decent shots in the half court.  I would've thought this problem would be underscored during this series against Boston's #2 ranked defense.  Not so much. 

Chris Bosh?  Hello?  He barely scored, and he didn't do much else.  His most memorable part of the game was when Garnett pulled a "Dikembe" on him and sent Bosh's dunk attempt and Bosh himself crashing to the floor.  I don't care what he says or what his teammates say, his demotion to the supporting cast has to be tough for him. 

Rajon Rondo might be the strangest player in the NBA.  What does he do?  He literally will not shoot the ball outside 15 feet.  Every now and then we see a big man who has a certain skill but is deficient in several others which severely limits his impact on the game.  But again, these are usually centers like Shaq and Dwight Howard who can be dominant but are crunch-time liabilities - and Rondo certainly isn't anywhere near the class of those elite centers yet at times he's talked about as an elite point guard.  Very strange.

Paul Pierce is the most annoying player on the planet right now.  He flops and flails more than anyone yet becomes uncontrollably disgusted when an opposing player attempts to mimic his lame-ness. 

Kevin Garnett seemed a big subdued to me compared to his normal borderline psychotic self.  Something to watch. 

I guess I'm rooting for the Heat and want the Heat