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

PODCAST: Bulls' struggles, tidbits, and Davis offers some Passover dinng advice

This is pretty darn aggrevating!!

How can a team that has been so much fun to watch all season long have such a horrendous half of basketball, again, and again, and again.  The last play of the first half of game 4 has summarized the problem:  As the clock is running down, Asik blocks McRoberts driving lay-up...great play!  But then, Asik, along with two other Bulls stand and watch while the Pacers grab the ball for a layup as time expires on the first half.  Wake Up!!!!!!!

The Bulls' lack of energy to start these playoff games would be laughable if it wasn't so disappointing.  Boozer is hard to watch.  He brings absolutely nothing to the table.  Nothing.  He no longer scores other than point blank lay ups usually after someone else has done all the work, he doesn't defend, he can't rebound in traffic, and now he forgot how to dribble without plowing over his defender.  Don't give me this crap about rhythm and timing.  The guy's played basketball every day of his life forever.  Is he really one of those players who just doesn't care after a signing a big contract?  I hope not. 

Derrick Rose is phenomenal and the MVP, but we're not winning a championship much less getting out of the East if this continues.  Very frustrating.  W A K E   U P !!!!!

Chi-Ind: Game 1

Well, I may need to rethink my playoff standings.  That game was as good as it gets...at least the last 2 minutes plus.  Derrick Rose was incredible, as usual.  He was flawless at the end of the game when the Bulls couldn't afford one misstep.  He was effective even though he was 0-9 on 3-pt shooting.  Simply put, he has a will to win that so few athletes have, and coupled his supreme athleticism makes him the best in the game right now. 

Of course there were a few concerns, but none more glaring than Boozer's poor play.  It would be one thing if he predictably struggled on defense but provided some key offense and took some of the burden off Rose.  But he couldn't get anything going on either end of the floor.  The knock on Boozer has always been that he struggles with length.  Well, isn't that a problem when you're a power forward in the NBA?  He's not going to see very many undersized power forwards other than perhaps Big Baby down the road.  He's most effective when in pick 'n roll, but the Bulls don't run much of that, so I guess we'll see.  On defense however, we have a major problem.  Psycho T made Boozer appear to be stuck in cement.  I was really surprised that Thibs didn't pull Boozer for Taj in crunch time.  It's a tough situation.  As good as Rose is, can he really carry the Bulls through the playoffs without a solid second and third scoring option?  Boozer, step up!! 

Luol, is that you?!?  Wow!  I loved the emotion.  He's almost like a new player - more physical, more emotional, and....more made shots.  Deng, thank you!  Two clutch 3s kept the Bulls within striking distance and his 10 rebs made up partially for the Bulls' big men being out-played.

It's hard to tell what's going on with Noah.  He's showing spurts of what we've come to expect but they seem to be few and far between.  He was great in the last two minutes, but we need more consistency.  Is he hurt?

The crowd was great, the refs were as annoying as usual, and the hot sauce was appreciated. 

I couldn't possibly write an NBA post without bashing LeBron.  He's just such a d-bag I can't get over it.  At the end of the half in the Heat-Sixers game, Chalmers passed up a shot and hit Lebron in the corner who then had to hoist one up at the buzzer.  LeBron didn't like that because it made him look bad so he gave Chalmers a stare.  What a leader!  What a teammate!  Total a-hole.

Playoffs? Playoffs?

Sitting back and about to watch Game 1 of the Blackhawks' attempt at defending the cup, and with the NBA playoffs on the horizon got me thinking which sport has the best playoffs - from a fan's perspective.  It's a tough one.  So much to consider, so let's break it down with a point system (1 low, 4 high):

*Home crowd noise:  NBA 4, MLB 3, NHL 2, NFL1
*Least referee impact: NHL 4, NFL 3, MLB 2, NBA 1
*Uncertainty: NHL 4, NFL 3, MLB 2, NBA 1
*Peak excitement: MLB 4, NBA 3, NHL 2, NFL 1
*Craziness: MLB 4, NBA 3, NHL 2, NFL 1
*Increased intensity: NBA 4, NHL 3, NFL 2, MLB 1



1.NHL17
2.NBA 16
3 MLB 16
4.NFL 11

The NHL really does have the best playoffs.
- minimal ref importance (not negligible, but minimal)
- huge crowd impact
-ridiculous intensity level

Rating the peak excitement was obviously the most difficult because every sport, at its best, is incredible, but no hedging on the bri blog.  Of course what adds to the playoffs is how much at stake you have as a fan, and admittedly the Blackhawks are not at the top of my list but I hope to hear plenty of Chelsea Dagger in the next few weeks.

PODCAST: Davis defends his love of golf, Is Golf a sport? Are golfers athletes? NBA...

Bulls: A lot Celtics: Yawn

Well that game deserves a comment.  What was that?  I know it was "just" a regular season game, but I thought this game would have playoff-type intensity and atmosphere.  It didn't.  Don't get me wrong, It was very enjoyable.  Very.  I guess this was partially because the Bulls were in clear control of the game even though they didn't pull away until near the end of the 4th quarter.  But even when the game was still in doubt the Celtics seemed disinterested.  I thought this had "statement game" written all over it.  The Celtics could've looked at this game as an opportunity to tell the Bulls that the Eastern Conference still goes through Boston, regular season record be dammed.  Rather, they almost seemed to just want to get through the game and go through the motions - definitely not what I would expect from a championship team clinging to perhaps the waning weeks of a 3 year run.  Imagine if Boston came in to Chicago and dominated.  That would have to send a message.  They basically gave in to Chicago however.  The Bulls were clearly in control from the opening tip.  It's pretty easy to tell who the better team is during the course of a basketball game:  the team that gets more, consistent good looks at the basket.  Tonight, it wasn't even close. 

D-Rose was so far and away the best player on the court that sometimes it looked as if he was toying with Boston.  Does Boston miss Perkins?  Let me think...Yes!  Sure, Green came in and scored a few points, but Perkins provided that intangible that is so crucial come playoff time:  toughness.  For at least tonight, Chicago not only was the better and more skilled team, but they were also the tougher team.  That's a pretty good combination.  Perkins provided great defense and that toughness swagger that is hard to find.  Boston resorted to their typical limb-flailing desperation.  Glenn Davis weighs 900 lbs, but he somehow ends up on the floor more than anyone else.  There were moments in the 2nd and 3rd quarters where the Bulls were on the brink of blowing the game open but the sadly patented Pierce drive-run into someone-throw your head back-throw your arms-up and look disgusted play kept them in it.  And ditto for Rondo.  Wow is he painful to watch.  A point guard that not only can't shoot but won't shoot even when baited is a starter for a championship team? 

Somewhat ecouragingly, the Bulls didn't even play that well.  I haven't looked at any stats, but just watching the game, the Bulls appeared sloppy at times, missed some open jumpers, and failed to capitalize on a lot of fast breaks.  I suppose you can always nit-pick, but they just blew out the defending Eastern Conference champs and wrapped up the #1 seed.

They hang their hat on defense, which will never slump. 

Boozer:  uggh.  You've annointed yourself as the most infuriating player, but if Jeff Green or Big Baby is going to spend any time at all guarding you need to dominate.

No Asik? 


All in all, the Bulls proved they are the best team in the East.  Tonight was no fluke.  The playoffs is gonna be a blood bath and I can't wait!!