The Lakers and Warriors better meet in the playoffs. It's unbelievably fun to watch them play each other. If sports are an analogy for war, then the Warriors, it occurs to me, play the role of terrorists. They'll never rule, but they'll take somebody down with them. (Although, the way Warriors fans tell it, this one ended with Derek Fisher taking Monta Ellis down with him -- and getting Ellis called for the foul. Video and discussion of that play.)
Who wouldn't like to be The Air Up There for a day? He can fly. Same guy is at the end of this mix. And for good measure, some more Kadour Ziani. That whole 360 dunk while jumping over people -- that's something. (Thanks to Jeff for the links.)
In ongoing rankings by bloggers, Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant tie for MVP, and Kevin Durant and Al Horford tie for rookie of the year.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on his L.A. Times blog, putting some context into the debate about Barack Obama's pastor: "The vitriol in the Rev. Wright's words is a direct result of what he sees when he reviews how that has played out throughout the history of this country. This is not to say that there has been no progress made in those situations, but sadly that progress has been too often slow and grudgingly acquired. Because of the nature of the problems, which in many cases were started in the 19th century, Americans in this day and age have to pay for issues that they didn't cause and shouldn't have to fix. But nonetheless we are stuck with the tab."
Jason Friedman of the Houston Press quotes Rafer Alston on Rick Adelman, who just got his 800th career win: "Rick's so calm that he understands things happen out there and happen during the course of the season, and he wants you to be relaxed and go out there and play your best." And Tracy McGrady: "He's one hell of a coach. I didn't know what to expect when they first brought him in, but I think it was a good move. He's been able to give these young players the confidence that they have when they step out there on that basketball court, and he's not afraid to throw them out there in difficult situations of a game."
Donyell Marshall has a blog, and uses it to talk about how he found out he was traded (he heard it from a reporter before he heard it from his agent or the team) and that little spat he had with P.J. Carlesimo ("It was nothing as bad as what they wrote. P.J. and I walked from the locker room to the bus together after the game. It was two friends who got into an argument. We've known each other since I was a freshman at UConn and he was coaching at Seton Hall. It was a disagreement between two friends."). He also mentioned that Kevin Durant told him a lot of his teammates don't talk to him much. With an eye on a coaching career, Marshall is looking to fix that.
Canadian shooting guard Carl English, whom you may recall from the University of Hawaii, some NBA training camps, or the side of the road in Newfoundland -- where he honed his game -- talks in depth about his basketball career with the On Deck Circle's Blake Murphy. Here he describes the calculation that players go through when deciding whether to play in the D-League or Europe: "The D-League offers you the closest thing to the NBA now, but you don't make much money and the travel is bad, but it's the closest way to get to the NBA. I was on a road trip and my agent called me and said someone was looking at me, and they would make a decision in the next hour or two. So I was waiting at practice and at the hotel. It turns out they needed a big man, but it's really the closest thing. You'll take the $20,000 because the NBA is just a call away. In Europe, you make a lot more money but you can't get out of your contract, so you've written off the NBA for that season."
Torey Thomas is a 5-11 guard from New York who has been killing in Sweden (and his since gotten a job in France), where he recently had 39 points, 23 rebounds, and 11 assists in a big win. Hesays he has invites from four teams to play in summer leagues or camps. Here's an English translation of an interview he did with the Swedish site Sportstory.se: "Who's the best point guard in the League? Statistically, it's me. But hey, I'm a humble guy and would rather see that somebody else said that. Okay, I say so. Then I would agree."
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