There has been a lot of discussion about whether or not Lebron traveled at the end of the Washington game when he performed what he called the “crab dribble”. The evidence has been inconclusive until now, but a new camera angle and step by step breakdown seem to prove LeBron was indeed correct. [...]
Rick Kamla and Steve Smith were discussing Allen Iverson. Kamla starts to ask Smith if he thinks Iverson would accept a bench role. As he does, they cut live to the Pistons game. The timing is perfect, and Steve Smith’s reaction is classic.
After the big LA vs Boston game on the 25th, some friends lost a bet and needed images to display as punishment (they took the Celtics). I created a few for them to use and thought I’d share them here.
From time to time I create animated avatars for NBA forums. Here are a few of my most recent. Players and teams profiled include Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Arenas, Vince Carter (one of my favorite avatars), OJ Mayo, and Baron Davis.
I always thought Kobe’s nickname, “the Black Mamba”, was poorly chosen. OK, so “it’s known for being very aggressive when disturbed or confronted and will not hesitate to strike with deadly precision”. But doesn’t that fact that almost nobody knows this without you telling them kill the nickname’s effectiveness? And the damn snake isn’t even black!
Why not “the Closer”?
Well, I think I may have been wrong all along. Footage I found from game 1 of the Finals seems to show there might have been a good reason for the nickname all along:
Posted by admin On February - 18 - 2009ADD COMMENTS
Got a nice “Tuesday Night with NBAtv” tripleheader for you. First, we get to see why Gary Payton and Chris Webber didn’t join Shaq on stage with the Jabbawockeez:
Next, Shaq has a special request for Payton and Webber; give him a reprise of the Planet Rock beatbox. Shaq goes to town from there:
And finally a short but sweet version of “What The Hell Did Gary Payton Just Say?”, with Ahmad and Webber getting an assist:
Someday NBAtv will start broadcasting in HD, and my Tuesday nights will be perfect.
Oh for the good ole days. The NBA on CBS. The montages set to techno-jazz music overlaid with Dick Stockton’s classic, never and always dated delivery. How I miss it.
I recently found a 1986 All Star Game preview in my collection. It had everything you’d imagine: Bad basketball card simulations, bad music, and wall to wall slo-mo - over which Stockton laid his poetic and only occasionally insightful narration.
I was just about to post that video, when I began to think about how much I’d love to have Dick Stockton and his old crew make a version for the 2009 All Star game. Same music, same cheese, same 1980’s “NBA on CBS” goodness. Well, wouldn’t you know I found a way to get access to the old crew!
So if you’ve grown tired of the slick production of today’s NBA and would like to take a 2 minute trip back in time, here’s Dick Stockton with your 2009 NBA All Stars…
Tomorrow I’ll post the actual 1986 version. Enjoy.
The preamble: I love NBAtv. Hours and hours of people that know something about basketball sifting through the nightly highlights. And when the show’s over, it loops! Every Tuesday Ahmad Rashad, Chris Webber and Gary Payton host the show. It’s not exactly like you’ve joined them at Ahmad’s house to watch a game; but the only difference is they’d be dressed in sweats and not suits. Other than that, it’s exactly the same. It’s another Festivus miracle!
**If you haven’t already, watch the first episode of “What The Hell Did Gary Payton Just Say?” HERE. It has the full explanation of the game.
Alonzo Mourning sat in for Webber this week, and the look on his face as Payton is being driven mad my Ahmad is priceless.
And don’t think I’m going to miss another opportunity to show the sweetest Draft Day card you’ll ever see:
The combo of the look, the suit, and the green phone is all Payton baby (did I mention the phone?). And as unique as he is in the studio, he was just as unique on the floor. An incredible combo of skills on both ends. He is the only point guard ever to win defensive player of the year. How amazing is that fact? Here are the names from the past 20 years of DPOY: Cooper, Jordan, Eaton, Rodman, Robinson, Olajuwon, Mutombo, Mourning, Wallace, Artest, Camby, Garnett AND… Payton.
There are two short clips this week, so let’s play:
**Edit: A viewer has discovered that it’s even funnier the 2nd time if you listen but don’t watch. Damn if he isn’t right.
“Join us next Wednesday at Didn’t Draw Iron for another episode of…. ‘What the Hell did Gary Payton Just Say?’”!
I’ve seen bits and pieces of information about Michael Jordan’s 55 vs Kobe Bryant’s 61 thrown around. I thought I’d try and gather the relevant facts of each performance, along with some video of both:
MINUTES PLAYED
MJ: 39
KB: 37 SHOOTING
MJ: 21/37 - .568
KB: 19/31 - .613 FT’s
MJ: 10/11
KB: 20/20 REBOUNDS
MJ: 4
KB: 0 ASSISTS
MJ: 2
KB: 3 DEFENSE RANK
95 NYK: #1 in the league @ 95.1 per game (they gave up 113 - 18 above their average)
09 NYK: #22 @ 106.5 per game (they gave up 126 - 25 above their average)
POINTS OF INTEREST
• The 3pt line was shortened to a uniform 22ft in 1995 (changed back in 98). About 1.9ft closer at the top of the key vs today’s line.
• MJ scored nearly 49% of his teams points, KB scored 48%
• Contrary to the often stated - MJ did not have a well rounded game. Both players were all scoring and not much else.
ESPN created a nice highlight package of MJ’s game:
Wish I had MJ’s entire game so I could isolate every shot (yes I’m that sick, and I’m working on it).
It’s been done for Kobe - here’s every shot (courtesy of elderdrn/youtube):
I’ve laid out the facts so you can be the judge on evaluating both performances. My opinion? Could have just been the shots ESPN picked to show, and defensive rank aside; the 95 Knick’s defense on Jordan doesn’t look all that much better than the 2009 Knicks (Jordan had a way of doing that though). Both had a lot of single coverage (as stated in the highlights, MJ was single covered much of the game by 6′3″ John Starks). Both had defenders sagging a few feet off them, which they punished. The video seems to back up the general belief that MJ was quicker and stronger to the hoop (that baseline post move was nasty), and Kobe has a bit more range (some of those shots were just sick).
As you can read about HERE in FanNation, LeBron and the Cavs aren’t too happy about Mo Williams not making the All Star team. Ben Wallace channeled Shaquille O’Neal for a Diesel like response:
“It’s a tragedy,” Ben Wallace said. “I think it’s an injustice. It’s a fraud. We’ve got the best record in the league, and we’ve only got one guy going… It’s a travesty and a sham and a mockery. It’s a shamockery.”
LeBron is rather wisely playing the “disrespect card”. Said LeBron James: “It just shows the disrespect that basketball in Cleveland continues to get. I haven’t seen the All-Star list yet, so I can’t comment on who’s in it. But it’s definitely disrespectful that we continue to do work every year with nothing to show for it. “We all believe that Mo’s an All-Star and the reason we’ve had the best record in the NBA right now. Mo’s a big part of our team. Just look at the wins and losses from last year to this year with really only one addition - Mo Williams.”
Of course the impact you have on your team isn’t a key All Star qualifier. If it were, Mike D’Antoni would be coaching the East. Williams happens to be a perfect fit for what the Cavs needed, but Jameer is having a better year.
Still, it’s a very smart move on LeBron’s part. You look for motivation for your team anywhere you can find it. Questionable though, is a rumored response from LeBron and Nike for the All Star Game:
Dubbed the “LBJsayBigMO>Jameer” All Star Specials, they may or may not ever see the light of day. We’ll just have to wait until game time…
Said it before and I’ll say it again: I love NBAtv. Hours and hours of people that know something about basketball sifting through the nightly highlights. And when the show’s over, it loops!
Every Tuesday Ahmad Rashad, Chris Webber and Gary Payton host the show. It’s not exactly like you’ve joined them at Ahmad’s house to watch a game; but the only difference is they’d be dressed in sweats and not suits. Other than that, it’s exactly the same. It’s another Festivus miracle!
Webber and Payton are working so well together that they used them to fill in for Charles Barkley last week on Inside the NBA. They did a great job of infusing some life into a show that’s been getting a bit stale. Less and less basketball was being talked about each week, but Webber loves to talk hoops and he does it well. Payton loves to talk too (no secret here). He’s a perfect sidekick - opinionated, has an ego but doesn’t try to hide it, and isn’t afraid to offend. Plus, he’s got the sweetest Draft Day card you’ll ever see:
The combo of the look, the suit, and the green phone is all Payton baby (did I mention the phone?). And as unique as he is in the studio, he was just as unique on the floor. An incredible combo of skills on both ends. He is the only point guard ever to win defensive player of the year. How amazing is that fact? Here are the names from the past 20 years of DPOY: Cooper, Jordan, Eaton, Rodman, Robinson, Olajuwon, Mutombo, Mourning, Wallace, Artest, Camby, Garnett AND… Payton.
Given my love of the show, I thought I’d let you in on a fun little game I play every Tuesday night in my living room. It’s called “What the hell did Gary Payton just say?”, and he always gives me one good shot at playing it each week. Here’s this week’s episode:
**Edit: A viewer has discovered that it’s even funnier the 2nd time if you listen but don’t watch. Damn if he isn’t right.
“Join us next Wednesday at Didn’t Draw Iron for another episode of…. ‘What the Hell did Gary Payton Just Say?’”!
