Boston vs. Houston tonight is going to be something great. It's too bad, in a way, that Yao Ming and Ray Allen won't play, giving whichever team loses an excuse. It's also too bad that Boston played last night. I am loath to pick a winner in this one. But here's Shane Battier talking earlier today, and says he cares not a bit about any excuses.
Amare Stoudemire, as quoted by Jerry Brown of the East Valley Tribune: "I don't know what it is. I hear everyone's name being mentioned, as far as top players in the league, and my name isn't up there. ... It definitely hurts. I put in the time and the effort and the work to be an elite player and ... my teammates and coaches notice, even if other people don't notice it." (For the record, Stoudemire's PER ranks behind only LeBron James and Chris Paul.)
Mark Cuban posted some more thoughts about blogging on his blog. His point is that mainstream media should not squander its advantage by engaging in an endeavor whereby they compete with anyone who feels like competing with them.
Nike icons meet. As described by Brian Windhorst of the Akron Beacon-Journal: "Just before the second half started, LeBron came over an introduced himself to Tiger Woods, who was sitting in the front row. Turns out it was the first time they've met, which is amazing considering they are both Nike guys and Tiger spends a week in Akron every summer for the Bridgestone Invitational. Tiger smiled, said hello and said he'd call LeBron."
Corey Brewer update from Britt Robson of The Rake, who notes that Brewer is competing for minutes with upcoming free agent Kirk Snyder: "Brewer is expected to be a regular, if not a cornerstone, for this franchise for the next 5-10 years. Nearly every game he does something unique--tonight it was using his extra gear, the jet gear, to swoop in a snatch a rebound of an indifferent prayer-shot at the end of the half and immediately gather steam enough to fling a 3/4 court-length shot at the buzzer. Yet at precisely the time in the season when McCants and Foye began to figure it out and emerge during their rookie campaigns, Brewer is fading. When you're a defensive stopper and a 24-year old competitor defends as well as you do and scores a little besides, well, it will take more than that to bump you out of the club's blueprint. But it is still enough to sow a little doubt."
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