Big Shot Bob

It's game 5 in the NBA finals, overtime. The Spurs are down 2 with the ball, 9 seconds to go. As they line up for their play, I'm thinking two things distinctly. 1) Cover the inbounds passer. A year ago, the Spurs decided against covering Gary Payton as he inbounded to Derek Fisher, who became part of Laker Lore with his 0.4 game winner. Pistons, you have to cover the inbound passer. 2) Pay attention to Robert Horry at all times. Too many times I've seen him just 'happen' to be in the right place at the right time for a game deciding 3 pointer.

Play starts. The Pistons aren't covering the inbounds passer, who happens to be Robert Horry. As soon as the ref handed him the ball the result was elementary. He inbounds to Ginobili, who kicks it back to a wide open Horry for a three at the elbow. Ball game. Pistons, you are without excuse.

My Band of Brothers

A weekend spent with a collection of my very best friends. Drinks, a baseball game (where I viewed my first ever grand slam), Ray's Pizza (the original one) and a feast at legendary Peter Luger's. Yes, God is gracious to me, blessing me with things far greater than I have ever deserved.

ingenius

"Everyone is a genius at least once a year. The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together."
-Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

...Oh well, maybe tomorrow then...

Amare cruising past KG

It's been a while since we've last checked in on goings on...in short, my daughter is now 6 months old and would rather stand than crawl, I've moved to a new home, completed year one of the CS Lewis Fellowship program, and got accepted into law school, which will begin in the fall. Life can be sooo boring sometimes...

So to keep it saucy (and to take advantage of the free data ports and cable service that my new home provides) I've been indulging in something that I have not enjoyed for about 3 years- the NBA playoffs. Most of the games have been lacking, but we have also seen the emmergence of some next generation players. One in particular is Amare Stoudemire. His game is played with a surreal combination of enthusiasm and wreckless of a 22 year old and the control and rythm of a dancer. He is the evolutionary jump of a combination of the athleticism of Shawn Kemp and the grace of Hakeem Olajuwon. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him, even as his team the Phoenix Suns went down to the Spurs in 5.

Which brings me to my point. Two years ago, when Stephon Marbury was doing his thing in Phoenix, he made the comment that, having played with both Kevin Garnett and now Amare, that Amare is the superior talent. And I remember feeling all huffy thinking that Steph was just taking another jab at his more successful and future MVP ex-teammate. And even KG made light of it, saying that Steph was treating him like he was an ex-girlfriend- always on his mind, and that it wasn't right for him to bring the young fella into the squabble.

But now I'm thinking...Stephon was right. Now, I love KG- he's one of the things that is very right with the NBA. But despite being supremely talented, he's always lacked that certain something that makes a player transcendant. To compare, last year in the playoffs, while dispatching the Kings, KG should have averaged a 30-20 stat line. He only did it once in the deciding game 7. Amare, on the other hand, just finished averaging 37ppg against the best defensive center in the game, Tim Duncan. And Duncan recognized it too.

Want to look for a future MVP? Say hello to Amare.