Gregg Popovich was asked what those index cards are that he pulls out of his lapel pocket during games. He says the cards in his right lapel pocket are names of restaurants where he might want to eat after the game, and the cards on his left are appropriate wines to consider in accompaniment. Then he gives the real answer: they're (surprise, surprise) plays. It's a technique he learned from Don Nelson.
Bill Walton says the Cavaliers should press, with the intention of getting LeBron James lots of open-court possessions. He also says some trades are in order for Cleveland. Chris Broussard points out (Insider) that as impressive as Cleveland may be, and he calls them contenders, the playoffs will always be tough for the worst free-throw shooting team in the league.
This kind of talk, from Avery Johnson (as reported by David Moore of the Dallas Morning News) gets me excited for the playoffs: "A lot of teams are eyeing the prize. We came up short last season. Detroit came up short the year before. Phoenix has come up short. Miami has won it. San Antonio has won it. All of us pretty much have that all or nothing mentality. That's the way I like it."
Good luck finding a coach who likes this shooting form.
Something to think about next time you're cut from an NBA team, courtesy of Paul Shirley: "And if I hadn't been left outside a coach's office, patiently waiting while the Hawks' brass talked themselves out of my second 10-day, I might very well have missed out on the opportunity to live and play in Barcelona for four months, which would have been tragic because I wouldn't have seen that beautiful Spanish girl walk out of the Mediterranean Sea and to the beachside shower on a perfect late spring afternoon, all while topless."
Allen Iverson talks to InsideHoops about leaving Philadelphia: "I wish them well and I honestly thank the organization and Pat Croce for drafting me and giving me an opportunity to be a household name. Without Philadelphia you wouldn't know A.I. all over the world, and those guys gave me an opportunity when I was there, they let me play my style of basketball. They just gave me a great opportunity. They gave me an opportunity to take care of my family. See parts of the world that I never thought I would see. So I owe a lot to the people in Philadelphia. And the fans, they were the best. They supported me through my ups and downs. And it's tough sometimes. I miss them. I flick through the channels and see the fans, see some people that I recognize on TV still at the games, and it's just different. When I first got to Denver, I be talking to my wife and sometimes I be like, 'Did you see us play tonight? Who do we play?' Still thinking we were in Philadelphia. It took a while to get out of my system, but it's out of there now."
A good discussion of the defensive prowess of Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan. And mustaches.
This is so amazing and weird. Read carefully. I'm assured it's totally true. Wizznutzz made a basketball version of Picasso's Guernica and put it online years ago. It's called Aubernica. Some government people in Finland needed a copy of Guernica to put on some very official looking document that you can see online, and mistakenly downloaded Aubernica instead. Hilarious. Read all about it on Wizznutzz. It's in the papers in Finland.
Houston's Achilles heel, Jeff Van Gundy tells the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen, is stepping on the jugular:"Unfortunately, I've seen in the fourth quarter where we get a lead, we don't have a finishing mentality. If we can't correct it within the next 27 days, it will come back to bite us at the most inopportune time. As I shared with Tracy (McGrady) and Yao (Ming), it already has - two years ago (in the playoffs) against Dallas, up 2-0, 88-82 two straight games. No finishing mentality cost us." My main reaction: it's a tense mind that knows not only the day count to the playoffs, but also mid-game scores from two games two years ago.
There has been talk of $50 million shoe deals for Kevin Durant. Darren Rovell predicts Durant's first shoe deal will be worth an average of $2.8 million per year.
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