A recap of the deals that went down and how they'll affect the NBA in 2009-10.
TUESDAY: San Antonio trades for Richard Jefferson (Kurt Thomas and Bruce Bowen to Milwaukee) The Spurs add a fourth scoring option alongside Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli, and Tony Parker. Jefferson is a durable offensive weapon who has not missed a game in the last two years while averaging 21.1 points per game. Milwaukee clears over $15 million for the 2010 free agent bonanza.
WEDNESDAY: Minnesota trades Randy Foye and Mike Miller for Washington's number 5 overall pick in the 2009 draft. (Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov to Minnesota)
Rumors fly out of Boston trying to package either Rajon Rondo or Ray Allen. Neither trade materializes.
THURSDAY: Cleveland trades for Shaquille O' Neal (Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix). The Cavaliers bring a big post presence and a superstar to play along side LeBron James.
Orlando trades for Vince Carter (Rafter Alston and Courtney Lee to New Jersey). The Magic add another jump shooter but trade away their best perimeter defender in Lee. A move that could push Orlando over the top or destroy the chemistry that carried them to the Finals last year.
NBA DRAFT:
#1 LA Clippers: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
#2 Memphis: Hasheem Thabeet, Conneticut
#3 Oklahoma City: James Harden, Arizona State
#4 Sacremento: Tyreke Evans, Memphis
#5 Minnesota: Ricky Rubio, Spain
#6 Minnesota: Johnny Flynn, Syracuse
#7 Golden State: Stephen Curry, Davidson
#8 New York: Jordan Hill, Arizona
#9 Toronto: DeMar DeRozan, USC
#10 Milwaukee: Brandon Jennings, Italy
other notable picks
#12 Charlotte: Gerald Henderson, Duke
#13 Indiana: Tyler Hansborough, UNC
#18 Minnesota: Ty Lawson, UNC (traded to Denver)
#21 New Orleans: Darren Collison, UCLA
#36 Memphis: Sam Young, PITT
#37 San Antonio: DeJaun Blair, PITT
#41 Milwaukee: Jodie Meeks, Kentucky
#55 Portland: Patty Mills, St. Mary's
FRIDAY RUMORS
Phoenix and Golden State talking about swapping Amare Staudemeire for a package including Stephen Curry.
New York Knicks talking to Minnesota about trading for Ricky Rubio who says he will not play in a small market and may return to his professional team in Spain. Minnesota's back-to-back picks of point guards Rubio and Johnny Flynn makes a little more sense now.
This will be the first of a new, recurring series of revisiting classic movies in my collection. These will generally be movies I have watched, rewatched, and probably rewatched again and again. We will cover all genres and all eras. Suggestions for future reviews are welcome.In honor of director Todd Phillips new summer smash hit, The Hangover, the first movie in the series will be his earlier comedy classic, Old School.
Old School
Date Released: 2003 Genre: Comedy Stars: Luke Wilson, Will Farrell, Vince Vaughn Director: Todd Phillips
Plot: A newly single man, Mitch (Luke Wilson), moves into a house near a college campus. After his friends (Vince Vaughn and Will Farrell) throw him a wild party they find out that, due to new zoning rule, the house must be school-affiliated or Mitch has to move out. To satisfy the zoning rule (and to escape their own boring lives) they decide to start a new fraternity open to men of all ages. Hilarity ensues.
Best scene: The breaking-in-the-house party "Mitch-A-Palooza." The amazing unleashing of Frank the Tank, Snoop Dogg's backyard jam, and Mitch's hookup with his boss' daughter (Elisha Cuthbert).
Best line: "We're going streaking!" - Frank the Tank
Future TV Stars:
Ellen Pompeo as "Nicole", Mitch's love interest. She would later gain fame as Dr. Meredith Grey, the star of ABC's Grey's Anatomy.
Terry O' Quinn as "Goldberg", Mitch's boss. A veteran TV and film actor who would star in TV hit Lost as the mystic island warrior, John Locke.
Cameo out of left field:
James Carville, former Clinton administration advisor and political analyst, as himself. He is brought in as a substitute debater who is bested by Frank. ("What happened? I blacked out.")
That Guy Hall of Fame:
Matt Walsh as "Walsh", Mitch's co-worker. You might recognize Walsh, a stand up comic and writer, from such TV shows as Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show, Arrested Development and small roles in movies like Bad Santa, Starsky and Hutch, Semi-Pro, Step Brothers, Role Models, I Love You Man, and The Hangover.
Soundtrack: Mostly upbeat, familiar, contemporary pop songs, but also some classics and blues mixed in.
Ryan Adams, "To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)" kicks off the movie with Mitch running through the airport to get home to his horny girlfriend.
Dan Finnerty and the Dan Band, "Total Eclipse of the Heart" possibly the funniest wedding band scene of all time. with the over-eager lead singer inserts some choice words into the 1983 Bonnie Tyler classic.
Snoop Dogg, "Papered Up" Snoop kills this Eric B. and Rakim old school jam during the Mitch-A-Palooza backyard concert.
Metallica, "Master of Puppets" While the men collect their fraternity rushes in a tricked out black-as-death conversion van, Metallica thrashes through their speed metal classic.
Permanent Influences on Pop Culture:
Frank the Tank
"You're my boy, Blue!"
"earmuffs"
Breakout Star:
Will Farrell as Frank the Tank. This is the movie that turned Will Farrell from Saturday Night Live star into bonafide movie star. Remember before this Farrell's biggest movie roles were as the villian Mugatu in Zoolander and as a wildlife marshall in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Post-Old School Farrell starred in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, Elf, and Woody Allen's Melinda and Melinda within a year. The rest is history.
Upon Further Review: (The Hangover SPOILER WARNING AHEAD!!!)
Re watching this since having seen the The Hangover there are some startling similarities and themes. The lead characters in both movies follow a certain "type." Mitch in Old School (OS) is basically Doug, the groom-to-be in The Hangover (TH). A straight-man who is the stable center for his wacky friends. Beanie (Vaughn) in OS is a smooth-talking family man exactly like Phil the school teacher in TH.
Frank the Tank is a mash-up of Stu, the dentist, and Alan, the bearded man-child in TH. Stu is a repressed professional in an unhappy relationship about to propose to an abusive shrew. Frank is a repressed animal unleashing himself after recently marrying into an unhappy union. Alan is a socially awkward tag along whose actions lead directly to a night of lost memories and misadventures. Frank is a middle-aged man recapturing his youth while shooting himself in the neck with horse tranquilizers, doing beer bongs, and streaking solo through town.
Another weird similarity: Doug gets stuck on the roof of the hotel for two days getting baked by the sun and turning bright red. Frank botches his mascot dive through a flaming hoop and reemerges in the locker room with his entire body turned bright red from the burning suit.
END OF SPOILERS
Final Verdict:
Old School is a timeless comedy gem that gets better and better with each viewing. It is the rare funny movie that doesn't fall apart before the credits roll. The plot, as thin as it is (frat vs. dean of college), stays good to the end and the subplot with Mitch pursuing Nicole doesn't drag the comedy down. Pompeo actually brings a different vibe and a bubbly energy to the movie that shifts gears nicely. Luke Wilson is good as Mitch and Vince Vaughn has some great one-liners while basically playing himself. But really this is the Will Farrell comedy show. His Frank the Tank character is one of the funniest, self-destructive schlubs ever to be put on film and he steals every scene he's in. Repeat Viewing Grade: 5 out of 5
The 16-0 run in the second quarter was the beginning of the end. The shot clock violation with three seconds left in the game signaled the end of the end. The Los Angeles Lakers are your 2009 NBA Champions. A historic title in three dimensions: title number 15 for the Lakers organization, title number 10 for Phil Jackson, passing Red Auerbach for No.1 on the coaches list, and title number 4 for Kobe Bryant.
Bryant capped off the series with another great all around game in which he scored 30 and added 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He led the Lakers in scoring and assists in each game of the final series. He won his first Bill Russell Award for Finals MVP averaging 32.4 points, 7.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds. Yeah he shot a lot (avg. 27 shots per game for the finals), but he also passed a lot and boarded a lot. He did everything a lot this postseason. Now he's won championships a lot. He ties Tim Duncan and Shaquille O' Neal (and teammate Derek Fisher) as the only active players with four titles.
Is this a new dynasty in the making or is this the end of an era? Phil Jackson is likely going to retire after suffering through the year with a bad hip and various ailments. He has nothing left to prove and all signs point to Kurt Rambis inheriting the team. Role players Lamar Odom and Trevor Ariza who made invaluable contributions are both free agents. The Lakers will likely have to decide between re-signing either the inconsistent 30 year old power forward or the 23 year old hustling swingman who will make substantially more than the 3.1 million he was paid in 08-09. My preference would be Odom but only because he is likely to take an LA discount and some GM will overpay Ariza and try to make him an offensive focus which he never had to do on this team. Speedy point guard Shannon Brown is also a restricted free agent but I can't imagine LA letting him go after his impressive bench play in the western conference playoffs.
There is also this comforting certainty. Kobe Bryant isn't going anywhere after finally stepping out of Shaq's enormous shadow and claiming his place in history. Assuming Kobe won't exercise his player option this offseason, the core of this team remains locked up past 2011. The huge post presence of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum will be in the paint into the foreseeable future and that should be enough to keep Kobe a Laker into 2010 (when he'll become the organization's all time leading scorer) and hopefully up until his induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
There's been no bigger critic of Derek Fisher this postseason than me. I have called for his benching, declared him over the hill, and threatened to become a Cavs fan next year if he is the Lakers starting point guard opening night. I don't think I like the taste of crow, but I'm gonna eat a whole big pile of it today. Derek Fisher may have won the 2009 NBA championship last night.
For 47 minutes Derek Fisher was 0-5 from three point land. Good thing in the NBA redemption is only twenty three feet away. With ten seconds left and the LA trailing 87-84, the Lakers inbounded the ball and the defense swarmed to Kobe Bryant as they brought the ball up the court on a fast break. When the ball reversed to Fisher, alone on the right side of the court 1 on 1, Jameer Nelson slacked off him and Fish pulled up with perfect form and nailed his first 3 of the night.
When he hit the three that tied the game at 87 Orlando must have been thinking, "Not our year." The Magic scored four points the rest of the game. Fisher hit another huge three in overtime with the game tied at 93-93 with 30 seconds left. Lakers 3, Magic 1. What a huge swing. If not for Fisher, the series is tied 2-2: Orlando has the momentum, Game 5 at home, and the Lakers are doubting themselves, their effort, and their future. Instead L.A. can end the series on Sunday against a Magic team that folded faster than a cheap tent in the third quarter last night.
If LA can end the series Orlando will spend the offseason thinking about what could have been. What if the team would have shown up for Game 1? What if Courtney Lee makes the layup in Game 2? What if Dwight Howard makes a free throw in Game 4 with 11 seconds left to ice the game? A trip to the NBA finals is a precious thing in the league. A good year becoming a great year has more to do with luck and timing than players and talent. Everything came together for Orlando this year. After Game 1 they've outplayed LA for most of this series. Unfortunately it looks like LA is going home with the trophy in the offseason and all Orlando is going to have is What Ifs.
Who Showed Up:
Derek Fisher. 12 pts (2-7 3FG) One stat will show you King Fisher's effect on Game 4. His plus/minus for the 42 minutes he was on the court: +15.
Trevor Ariza. 16 pts (6-14, 3-4 3FG) 9 reb 2 stl. With LA trailing by 12 at halfime Trevor Ariza had zero points on 0-5 shooting. Then he came alive in quarter number three. Ariza went four out of four from the field for thirteen points along with invaluable defensive pressure, rebounds, and just plain hustle.
Dwight Howard on defense. 21 reb 9 blk. A monster in the paint, Howard gobbled up 11 rebounds in the first quarter and affected nearly every shot at the basket while blocking an NBA finals-record 9 shots from the field.
Who didn't show up:
Dwight Howard on offense. 16 pts (5-12 FG 6-14 FT) 7 TO A nightmare at the line, Dwight choked when he could have put Orlando in the driver's seat on the way to victory lane. With the Magic up 3 with 11 seconds left, all Mr. Superman had to do was make 1 of his 2 free throws to ice the game. You want to be an elite player you win that game for your team, Clark Kent.
Rafer Alston. 11 pts (5-13 FG) Confined to the bench for most of the second half (3 shot attempts after halftime) in Stan Van Gundy increasingly erratic bench rotation, Skip to My Lou might not be such a happy camper today.
Kobe Bryant. 32 pts (11-31 FG) 8 asts 7 rebs 49 min. Another decent offensive night where Kobe gets his numbers and fills the stat sheet but fades toward the end. Lowlights of the Night: 1 for 5 in the second quarter while LA was digging into a 12-point halftime deficit; 2 for 8 in the fourth quarter continuing to destroy his "closer" persona; his increasingly dangerous "tunnel vision" in crunch time which cost them a chance to win Game 2 in regulation and almost cost them in Game 4's overtime. Is there any reason for him to take 5 of LA's 7 shot attempts in OT when he can get his teammates a much better look at the hoop? The Lakers might win the series and Kobe might finally get his ring without Shaq, but don't let anyone tell you they won this series because of Kobe Bryant. He has better teammates that pick him up when he fails and the perfect mesh of veterans and youth that defer to him and his ego.Read more...
Here is Entertainment Weekly's list of best and worst reality shows of all time. As a professed reality show "hater," I was surprised how many of these I have actually watched. Almost half.
BEST 1. Survivor CBS 2000-present 2. The Amazing Race CBS 2001-pres. 3. The Osbournes MTV 2002-05 4. Project Runway BRAVO 2004-pres. 5. The Real World MTV 1992-pres. 6. American Idol FOX 2002-pres. 7. Jackass MTV 200-02 8. Top Chef BRAVO 2006-pres. 9. Project Greenlight HBO/BRAVO 2001-05 10. America's Next Top Model UPN/CW 2003-pres. 11. The Bachelor ABC 2002-pres. 12. Bands on the Run VH1 2001 13. The Real Housewives of ... BRAVO 2006-pres. 14. The Hills MTV 2006-pres. 15. Big Brother CBS 2000-pres. 16. Blind Date SYNDICATD 1999-2006 17. Deadliest Catch DISC 2005-pres. 18. The Apprentice NBC 2004-pres. 19. Jon & Kate Plus Eight TLC 2007-pres. 20. Flavor of Love VH1 2006-08
WORST 1. The Swan FOX 2004 2. Britney and Kevin: Chaotic UPN 2005 3. Are You Hot? ABC 2003 4. Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire FOX 2000 5. The Anna Nicole Show E! 2002-03 6. Am. Idol/Dancin w/ The Stars Results Shows 7. Cheaters SYND 2000-pres. 8. Kill Reality E! 2005 9. Boy Meets Boy BRAVO 2003 10. Skating With Celebrities FOX 2006
What do you think of the lists? Any opinions on the ranking of these shows? Did they leave off any of your favorites? Comment away, reality watchers...
This is the Magic team that Laker fans should fear. A team that can roll out four great shooters along with a dominant big man that makes free throws. A home crowd that isn't just along for the ride, but makes itself an active participant in the outcome. A coaching staff that makes adjustments, plays the correct rotation at crunch time, and even worse - learns from their mistakes. (This just in: an Amber Alert has been issued for JJ Riddick, who disappeared during the cross-country flight back to the east coast. Can us LA fans chip in and pay for a search party to get him back on the floor?)
Orlando came out a-blazin', shooting an NBA finals record 75% in the first half but nursing only a five point lead at the break. The Magic defense shut down Kobe Bryant after the first quarter (when he scored 17) and forced him into jump shots and turnovers in the final three quarters (14 points). LA actually made more threes than Orlando (8-5) but only because the Magic shot 70% inside the arc and only attempted 14 three-pointers. Orlando only had 5 offensive rebounds because they only missed 24 shots all game. Of the five Magic players that logged at least thirty minutes, all five of them (Howard, Turkoglu, Alston, Lewis, Pietrus) scored at least 18 points.
The Magic did exactly what they needed to do. Shoot better, defend better, and get the right players on the court. They made all the right shots, made all the right adjustments, and made the plays at the end that the Lakers didn't. And they only won by four points. Game 4 Thursday.
Who Showed Up:
Rafer Alston 20 points (8-12 FG) 4 asts 36 min. Alston finally reclaimed the minutes that have been stolen from him this series by Jameer Nelson and JJ Redick.
Dwight Howard 21 points (5-6 FG, 11-16 FT) 16 reb 1 TO. Howard was finally a force on the offensive end slipping the double teams and making his free throws. I don't care who you are, you score 21 points on 6 FG attempts you had a good game.
Michael Pietrus 18 points (7-11 FG) Orlando's invaluable sixth man came off the bench on fire and didn't cool off. He aggressively drove the ball inside and spotted up jump shots while outplaying the LA bench single handedly. Shockingly he missed all three of his three point attempts.
Who Didn't:
Kobe Bryant 31 points (11-25 FG) 3 rebs 8 asts 4 TO. For the second game in a row Kobe failed to close out the game in the fourth quarter. After a fantastic first quarter when he scored 17 keeping LA in the game with the en fuego Magic, he shot only 2-12 from the field in the final three stanzas.
It was like getting an awesome appetizer with some sort of perfect combination of deep fried potato, bacon, cheese, and sausage gravy and then getting the entree that the chef dropped on the floor, stuck in his armpit, and then spit on the top. ("Does that looked like spit to you? Yeah.") Instead of watching the best closer in the NBA, I thought I was watching TNT's The Closer with the chick who looks like her face is melting while her swollen lips attempt to swallow her face. Not pretty, people, not pretty at all.
Even more worrisome is the fatigue that is starting to creep into Kobe's game. He missed 5 of his 10 free throws - a definite sign of weary legs. Great starts and mediocre finishes are starting to become a trend in this series. This could be the cumulative effect of two straight 100+ game seasons with extended playoff runs and an Olympic tournament sandwiched in between them. Kobe has always seems to have infinite reserves of energy and concentration that he can dip into at the end of games. Maybe his odometer is finally catching up to him. ( ed. note: This won't happen to me in my 30's, right? Right? Anybody?.... Oh no. I gotta go.)
Stan Van Gundy has had an interesting career path to the top of the NBA's coaching echelon. He spent twelve years in the Miami Heat organization starting as an assistant coach to Pat Riley in 1995 and eventually becoming the head coach in 2003. With rookie Dwayne Wade, Van Gundy improved the Heat's win total from 29 in 2002-03 to 42 in 03-04 and led Miami to a second round playoff series. The next season brought disgruntled Shaquille O' Neal in a blockbuster trade, the East's best record with 59 wins, and a loss to the Detroit Pistons in a seven-game series in the Eastern Conference Finals. The next year Pat Riley, now the team president, forced out Van Gundy in December of 2005 after a lackluster 11-10 start to the season and replaced him as head coach. He left Miami with a 112-73 record and a winning percentage of .605.
In June of 2007 the Orlando Magic hired University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan who had just won back-to-back NCAA championships. After a few days, Donovan backed out of the deal and Van Gundy was offered the coaching position. The Miami Heat received two draft picks and a cash payment as compensation. His first season in Orlando brought 52 wins and a trip to the second round of the playoffs - the Magic's best showing in twelve years. Finally in 2009 the Orlando Magic finished with a team record 59 wins, defeated the No.1 and No. 2 seeds in the conference, and advanced to the NBA Finals for the second time in team history.
Stan Van Gundy is a great coach but his most entertaining skill might be for the post-game sound bite. Never one to bite his tongue, Van Gundy calls it like he sees it. Some highlights from just this season:
On Shaquille O' Neal
Van Gundy calls out Shaq for flopping against Dwight Howard in the closing seconds of a March Suns-Magic game. "I was shocked, seriously shocked," Van Gundy said, "and very disappointed because (Shaq) knows what it's like. Let's stand up and play like men, and I think our guy (Howard) did that tonight."
Shaq responds by calling his former coach, SVG, the "master of panic, and when it gets time for his team to go in the postseason and do certain things, he will let them down because of his panic. I've been there before, I've played for him."
On Dwight Howard
After Howard ripped the coaching staff for not getting him the ball in the fourth quarter during a playoff loss to Boston: "Would you rather he didn't say those things? Absolutely," Van Gundy said. "At the same time, in some ways you'd be disappointed that there wasn't any frustration after [Game 5].
After Game 2 of the NBA Finals:
"He did not play with great energy," Van Gundy pointed out. "He did not run the court. He did not run the floor. He didn't not use his athleticism."
On Rafer Alston
After Alston questioned his playing time during his 0-5 shooting night in Game 2 of the Finals:
Playing well, regardless of circumstance, is "up to [Rafer]," according to Van Gundy. "And, if I'm on the outside, that sounds like an excuse to me."
On Jameer Nelson
Nelson came back for the NBA Finals after being injured for the entire second half of the regular season.
"...then in the second half I didn't think he was very good at all. One good play at the start of the second half and then I think he was forcing shots and plays after that. Turned the ball over. I just didn't think he was very good after that."
When Charlie Sheen's character in Wall Street finally meets Gordon Gecko, he gives himself a pep talk before the fateful conversation.
"Life all comes down to a few moments. This is one of them."
Courtney Lee had one of those moments last night. You had momentum in your hands Mr. Lee. With 0.6 seconds left in the 4th quarter and the score tied, Orlando had the opportunity to even the series at 1-1 and go home for three straight games. Unfortunately Lee missed the alley-ooped lay up and the Lakers won Game 2 in overtime, 101-96. Advantage L.A. In an ugly game that was tied at 15 (?) after the first quarter, the Magic missed a chance to steal a game from a sloppy Lakers team and a poor night from Kobe Bryant.
A different Orlando team showed up for Game 2. Not the star-struck bricklayers that showed up for Game 1 but a fierce defensive minded squad that played L.A. blow-for-blow for 48 minutes. A team that held Kobe to 29 points with 7 turnovers and blocked his attempted game-winning jumper at the end of regulation. But when they should have seized the game in the first half from a rusty Lakers team and a silent L.A. crowd, Orlando was trading slop for slop with them. Twenty Magic turnovers (7 by Dwight Howard) and missed free throws in the second half, doomed them from ever getting offensive flow and capturing the game's energy. Who Showed Up:
Pau Gasol. 24 pts 10 reb 3 asts. Gasol had 7 of his 24 points in the overtime period and along with Odom, Bynum, and disguised double-teams from the Laker perimeter players, forced Dwight Howard into 7 turnovers and only 10 field goal attempts.
Rashard Lewis. 34 pts 11 reb 7 asts. Lewis scored 18 or his 34 in the second quarter and shot 6-12 from the three point line for the game. He almost single handily kept Orlando in the first half. 5 offensive rebounds also gave the Magic second chance opportunities that limited the damage done by the 20 turnovers.
Who Didn't:
Kobe Bryant. 29 pts (10-22 FG) 8 asts 7 TO. You get all the praise from Game 1, you gotta take the heat from Game 2. An ugly 29 points that came on 9 two-point and 1 three-point field goals with JJ Redick guarding him for much of the second half. Also your scowl and Mr. Grumpy persona post-game is getting real old, real fast. Lots of athletes can be focused and not be an asshole. Apparently you aren't one of them.
Andrew Bynum 5 pts 1 reb 5 personal fouls 16 min. Bynum racked up the fouls on Dwight Howard and spent a lot of quality pine time watching Odom and Gasol D up Superman. His offense is extremely limited which is OK if you hustle on defense and gobble up some rebounds. That Bynum hasn't showed up yet.
"The Cinderella Swede finds out how much is left in the Fed reserve"
I wish I was a newspaper editor so I could write cheesy headlines like that. Instead I have a blog that is read by fifteen people and they get the distinct pleasure of my punny humor.
Robin Soderling, the 23rd ranked player who bested Rafael Nadal last week, gets his chance at immortality in the French Open final against 2nd ranked Roger Federer Sunday morning. Nobody has ever beat both Nadal and Federer in the same major tournament.
Federer is going for his 14th Grand Slam championship which would tie him for first all-time with Pete Sampras. It would also give him his career Grand Slam making him only one of six players to hold that honor. He would also be only the second to do it on three different playing surfaces sharing that claim with Andre Agassi who achieved his career slam in 1999.
So if you want to see history and a great tennis match, get up early Sunday and flip the tube to NBC at 9 AM ET.
This week after subjecting readers to sports post after post I've decided to go with a sports-free version of BTOTW.
Best of TV:
The Tonight Show with Conan O' Brien (NBC). Conan's made the seamless transition not only to a new time slot (10:30 MT) but to a new city (LA). He brought some sketches with him; In the Year 3000. Yay, Andy Richter's back! Sort of. He's the new announcer and chimes in a few times per show. CoCo's done some funny bits around the new Universal City lot and had some good musical guest straight out of the '90s: Pearl Jam, Green Day, and Sheryl Crow. Your parents might not get him but he's so much better than Jay Leno's chin.
Tosh.0 (Comedy Central) A new TV series hosted by comedian Daniel Tosh skewering online videos and other Internet related materials. Sounds like ten other shows on TV but Tosh makes it work with his goofy and charming yet biting and sharp sense of humor.
Here's some of Daniel Tosh's stand up comedy:
MTV Movie Awards (MTV) The funniest thing I read online this week was all the people who were outraged at Twilight sweeping the awards. Outraged? At an MTV Movie Award? People simmer down. Even as a person who takes movies and the industry way too seriously, I can't even get outraged at an award that is designed for people who don't deserve awards. Andy Samberg did a great job hosting and performing in some great comedy bits. My favorite: Guys Who Walk Away From Explosions with Will Ferrel and JJ Abrams on keyboard. The Bruno/Eminem "incident" was obviously staged but it accomplished its goal as a hype explosion. I think Twitter melted down as it was happening. Anyway, for a network that doesn't do much right anymore, they pulled off a pretty entertaining couple of hours.
The Promotion (on HBO) Doug (Sean William Scott) and Richard (John C. Reilly) are supermarket management employees who are up for the same promotion at a new location. A friendly competition turns bitter and hilarious. They never go for an over-the-top scene and play their characters as three-dimensional people with real relationships. Also very good as Paul's girlfriend is Jenna Fisher (Pam from The Office).
Best of the Web:
TED (technology, entertainment, design) www.TED.com Presentations and speeches from the world's leading thinkers, designers, and innovators. If you have twenty minutes to kill and an open mind give it a shot. My favorites: Film director JJ Abrams talks about a mystery box he got as a kid and has never opened, author Malcolm Gladwell talks about how spaghetti sauce changed the food industry, and a Microsoft designer, Blaise Aguera y Arcas, demonstrates Photosynth, a program that finds and links similar static photos across the web into a cohesive mosaic.
BING www.bing.com Microsoft's answer to Google. Pretty sweet.
Best Music of the Week:
Silversun Pickup "Panic Switch"
fan-made video Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, "Shuffle Your Feet"
Movies I haven't Seen Reviewed in 10 Words or Less: (sorry Doug Benson I stole your idea)
The Hangover: guys do Vegas, want fun otherwise get married then die
Up: old guy flies his house away with balloons, Pixar rules!
Drag Me to Hell: gypsy curse makes life suck, stay away from gypsies
Angels and Demons: Tom Hanks get better haircut, runs around Rome alot
G.I. Joe: fight villains, bad actors, crappy CGI, no story. audience loses.
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen: good robots fight bad robots, things blow up, things transform
Terminator Salvation: I've seen this one, save your money for Harry Potter
Dance Flick: Wayans brothers attempt to make worst movie ever. Again?
The Proposal: Fake marriage for laughs, instead audience vomits then riots.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals was over in 16 minutes. Most games take a least 40 to 45 minutes of game time to decide. The fourth quarter is the time when crucial decisions and strategies swing the outcome one way or the other. Kobe Bryant moved that timetable way up Thursday night. In 16 minutes (from 6:30 left in the second quarter until 2:30 left in the third) Bryant scored 28 points on 11-17 shooting from the field and 6-6 free throws. In 16 minutes Kobe made 11 field goals. In 48 minutes the Orlando Magic made 23.
Los Angeles dominated the paint against the league's best big man, Dwight Howard, who made one shot from the field. Orlando shot 29.9% from the field for the game. It wasn't like L.A. became a defensive juggernaut overnight. They did play good defense, but not great defense. Shooters were bothered not hampered or suffocated. The Magic missed a lot of shots. Open shots, defended shots, shots from outside, shots from inside, shots on the break, and shots in the offensive set. This won't happen again.
As much as the rabid Laker fans outside Stapes Center are calling for a sweep - don't believe the hype. This series is far from over and what I'm most afraid of is the laissez faire Lakers showing up Sunday and expecting Orlando is hand over Game 2.
But for 16 minutes on Thursday night we got to see the greatest player of his generation playing as great as anyone can. Kobe's steely gaze and gritted teeth told us something else. He's not done yet and maybe those 16 minutes were just the beginning.
Who Showed Up:
Kobe Bryant. 40 points 8 reb 8 ast (16-34 FG, 8-8 FT) in 38 min. Could have been one of his all time games if he or his team needed it. He was solid from the floor and made timely passes out of the double teams. Bad news for Orlando in the next two weeks.
Lamar Odom. 11 points 14 reb. This is the "Candyman" L.A. needs to show up day in and day out for the remainder of the series. Active on defense and on the boards.
Andrew Bynum. 9 points 9 reb. His fiery start set the tone underneath early. Foul trouble might be rule instead of the exception while he guards Dwight Howard, but if rebounds and keeps him from getting dunks and layups, he will succeed.
Who Didn't Show Up:
Orlando's starting five. 46 points (11-46 FG 24%) Yikes. If not for Michael Pietrus off the bench this would have been an all-time embarrassing defeat.
Last night ESPN Classic was showing a marathon of old NBA Finals games. I caught the last doubleheader of the night: 1998 Game 6 Chicago vs. Utah and the 2008 Game 4 Lakers second-half collapse against the Celtics. Needless to say, I skipped the last one for fear of awakening old, vengeful spirits.
Here's what everyone remembers from Game 6 1998:
Here's what you probably don't remember:
The NBC announcing team of Bob Costas, Doug Collins, and Isaiah Thomas. Costas is so great at play-by-play its a shame he doesn't do the roundball anymore. He is from the Pat Summerall/Vin Scully play by play school of less-is-more. If you are under the age of 30, Bob Costas is basically the voice of sports in your lifetime. Almost every major event has been covered by Costas: World Series, NBA Finals, Summer Olympics, The Masters, NFL football, and the Kentucky Derby. He's so good. He's basically the Michael Jordan of sitting and talking into a microphone about grownups playing games. Doug Collins was and continues to be a great analyst. Plus he used to coach MJ so he had so credibility when breaking him down. Then we get to Isaiah Thomas. Meat Loaf said it best: "two out of three ain't bad." Every time Ike opens his mouth he literally sucks all the energy out of the telecast. In the next decade Isaiah would make millions of dollars at sucking.
Utah's Delta Center was just a crazy, rabid environment for a visiting team to play a game in front of. The player introduction for Utah was followed by an ear splitting fireworks display that had many Bulls players and coaches (and fans) plugging their ears to avoid permanent damage. At one point in the game, during a free throw, an offensive sign had to be removed by officials. I've never seen so many crazed, enraged white people in one place outside of a Limp Bizkit concert.
After only eleven years, the NBC in-game graphics seem quaint and old fashioned. We've become conditioned to the ever present scoreboard at the bottom of the screen but that's a fairly new convention. You would only see the score flashed after each possession and to catch anyone stat's beside Jordan, you'd better be paying close attention.
The most white starters you will ever see in a finals game from this time forward. Of course Utah had the accounting firm of Stockton/Hornacek. (Seriously, if you ran into these two in the street you would need 9,000 guesses before you came up with "professional basketball players.") They also started Adam Keefe. Chicago plucked their Caucasians starters from oversees. Toni Kukoc (Croatia) and Luc Longely (Australia) with Steve Kerr, Jud Bucheler, and Bill Wennington coming off their bench. Ahhhh... white dudes in the NBA, how retro.
Scottie Pippen had a back injury that he re-injures in the opening minutes of Game 6. He leaves the court in the first half and only plays 26 minutes in the game, most in the second half.
Two pre-replay review era baskets that swing the game significantly in Chicago's favor. In the second quarter Utah's Howard Eisley heaves a running 25-footer as the shot clock expires. The made basket is called off by Benjamin Button's childhood buddy, Dick Bavetta. With 3:38 left in the 4th quarter, Chicago's Ron Harper gets away with 15-foot heave that replays show was still in his hand as the shot clock hit zero. That's a five point swing in a game that came down to the last possession.
Jordan's awful third quarter where he shoots 1 out of 9, punches a baby, and bets on Easy Goer to win the third at Pimlico. (At least one of those things happened for sure the others are from wikipedia.) Seriously the third quarter must have been awful, ESPN Classic skipped the enitre thing.
Foreteller of Doom, Bob Costas at 8:14 left in the 4th quarter: "Bryon Russell comes off of Jerry Sloan's bench as soon as he saw that Jordan was about to come back in. He calls on Russell who probably will guard him." We'll check back in with Bob in about eight minutes and five seconds.
Jordan's greatness. It's easy for us to keep the idea of how great Jordan was alive in our minds. It's easy to remember all the iconic shots and highlight dunks and forget everything else that might soil our pollyanish memories . But seeing him in the flow and rhythm of the game is still a sight to behold a decade after the fact. His post-up game and fade away jumper was one of the two most unstoppable basketball moves I have ever seen. (The other is Hakeem Olajuwon's Dream Shake.) At age 35 and at the end of a grueling playoff stretch, he wills a team of banged up and mediocre teammates in a hostile environment to win their 6th championship in 8 years. His Game 6 numbers: 45 points, 1 reb, 1 ast, (15-35 FG, 12-15 FT, 3-7 3Pt) 4 stl, 1 turn, 44 min. Two words: Greatest. Ever.
Let's check back in with Bob @ 9 sec left: "Jordan! Open! Chicago with the lead!!!" Final score Chicago 87, Utah 86, History: priceless.
Kobe Bryant is not the Black Mamba. He's not the next Michael Jordan. He was never a Batman to Shaq's Superman. He's not LeBron's wise, old mentor and sure as hell isn't a goddamn puppet. Kobe Bryant is Lex Luthor. Hell bent on world domination no matter the cost, no matter the casualties. You keep your Truth, Justice, and the American way; he's taking the trophy.
There will be two types of basketball fans watching the NBA Finals when they kick off on Thursday: Lakers fans and Kobe haters. It won't be there on ABC or Sportscenter but ask around the office and the local sports bar and you'll find it in bunches. The Kobe Hatred. It's the default position for your average viewer. I defy you to find one NBA fan who doesn't like the Lakers and will actually cheer for Kobe Bryant out loud. It is a mutually exclusive choice. Either defend Kobe to the death or hate the player and the game.
It's not hard to find the source of all the Kobe hatred. His numerous off-court dramatics have forever turned public opinion against him. His 2003 arrest and trial for sexual assault poisoned fans and others and presented him in drastically negative light to a huge audience. A criminal case that was dropped and a civil case that was settled privately, presumed his guilt long before his day in court.
The season after the trial brought the disintegration of the Laker dynasty that won three straight titles. Bryant publicly feuded with Shaquille O' Neal, one of the most well-liked and charismatic characters in the league. After forcing a trade out of Orlando and landing in Los Angeles in 1999, O'Neal became L.A.'s favorite son and the league's most dominating player since Michael Jordan. After three titles and four Finals appearances the honeymoon ended in an ugly media spat. O'Neal was traded to Miami and Phil Jackson vacated his coaching position calling Bryant among other things, "uncoachable." Kobe took most of the blame at the time for being a selfish, controlling superstar and demanding changes be made.
The following three years brought two playoff appearances, the return of Phil Jackson, and some of Bryant's best individual performances. In 2006 he scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors, the second highest total in NBA history. He averaged over 43 points in January of that year and 35.4, a career high, for the entire season. But L.A. only won four playoff games over the three-year stretch. It also brought Kobe's most embarrassing on-court incident. In Game 7 of their 2006 playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, Bryant scored 21 points in the first half yet the Lakers trailed by 15 at halftime. Throughout the second half Kobe passed on any offensive opportunity and only scored one point on three shots.
Then in May of 2007 after another early exit from the playoffs Kobe publicly demanded a trade out of L.A. on a national radio show. After reconciling with the organization and coach Phil Jackson, Kobe remained a Laker and led the team to the Finals while collecting his first MVP award. The stage was set for Bryant's redemption against the Lakers' ancient rival, Boston Celtics, but they fell in six games.
Through it all: the media firestorms, the public vilification, the tell-all books and Shaq's raps - Kobe has remained a great and intensely focused player. An all-time great player. He is probably the NBA's greatest player ever to only have won one MVP award. You can argue if the Lakers hoist the trophy this year, he'll be considered one of the ten greatest players ever. Ever. He is currently 17th on the career scoring list and in three years he could crack the top 5. His competitive fire and game preparation are legendary in basketball's inner circles. On an Olympic team full of young superstars he was the undisputed leader and defensive captain. If you want to know the difference in the '07 versions of LeBron and Melo look no further than the gold medals around their neck. They were like dry timber until Kobe's fire got them going.
Now in the next two weeks he lines up against another budding superstar and Redeem teammate, Dwight Howard. Another Superman. Another fun, likable big man. Another Finals he's supposed to win. It won't be easy with an erratic supporting cast and an Orlando team that can catch fire at the drop of a three-pointer. But I think he knows. He knows how hard it is to build a great team. How hard they had to work to get through the season and the playoffs. How fragile every season is. How critical every opportunity to win a title is. I wouldn't bet against him.
Kobe Bryant will never be as revered as Michael Jordan. Never be as accepted as Shaq. He'll never be adored the way LeBron will be. He'll never be loved outside the Laker Nation. That's OK. All he wants right now is this title, this year. The haters may always relegate him to a footnote between the greatness of MJ's past and the potential of LeBron's future. Maybe that's OK, too. Because this year the bad guy wins.
and Tony Parker. Jefferson is a durable offensive weapon who has not missed a game in the last two years while averaging 21.1 points per game. Milwaukee clears over $15 million for the 2010 free agent bonanza.
Phoenix). The Cavaliers bring a big post presence and a superstar to play along side LeBron James.
Orlando trades for Vince Carter (Rafter Alston and Courtney Lee to New Jersey). The Magic add another jump shooter but trade away their best perimeter defender in Lee. A move that could push Orlando over the top or destroy the chemistry that carried them to the Finals last year.
Knicks talking to Minnesota about trading for Ricky Rubio who says he will not play in a small market and may return to his professional team in Spain. Minnesota's back-to-back picks of point guards Rubio and Johnny Flynn makes a little more sense now.
