The New Jersey Nets and Major League the Movie.....Eerily Similar

Ok, so the concept came from thoughts during the Dec. 28th Washington Wizards @ New Jersey Nets game blog.

Has the Jigga man been making [the New Jersey Nets] take cold showers, use duct tape to tape ankles and travel on a rickety old bus so that they will lose games and the franchise will thus have to move to Brooklyn? Plausible.

Makes me think, this year's New Jersey Nets can definitely be compared to Major League I.

So....I decided to make the comparison it's own entry.

Ladies and Gentlemen, you're Major League New Jersey Nets:

Darrell Armstrong as Jake Taylor - both old as dirt veterans -- kinda like Derek Harper played about 8 years after I thought he would've died of natural causes

Vince Carter as Roger Dorn - prima donna: check - high priced: check - can easily quit on a team: check

Jason Kidd as Eddie Harris - hey, I'm convinced that Jason Kidd doctors the ball too (of course, Kidd could also be compared to Roger Dorn because of the whole wife cheating thing)

Richard Jefferson as Willie Mays Hays - both flashy - Willie nails his batting gloves to the wall, Richard Jefferson gets buildings at the U of Arizona named after him

Bostjan Nachbar as Pedro Cerrano - they're both foreign

Marcus Williams as Ricky "Wild Thing" Vaughn - they've both balled in the penal leagues

Lawrence Frank as Manager Lou Brown - with his boyish looks, I'd at least like to think that Lawrence Frank has the voice of James Gammon

Marv Albert as Harry Doyle - Doyle likes to get sloshed and Marv likes biting the ladies, forced sodomy, wearing women's underwear and phone sex. It's an easy deduction people. Mark Jackson is stuck with being the non-verbal sidekick

And as originally mentioned, Jay-Z as owner, Rachel Phelps -- actually, strike that, Beyonce can be Phelps and J-Hova can be GM Charlie Donovan.

Will the Nets end up making the playoffs? I don't think so...then again, I would not bet against it.

BTW...missed the Wizards slaughter of the Heat yesterday, had a wedding to attend. Glad we got the win. The Miami Heat have caused me many bad Wizard's moments in recent history. Now, we own them. Actually, the whole league is owning them this year -- kinda lessens the satisfaction of the two times the Wizards have beaten them this year. [Here's the live blog from win #1]

In any case, here are the links to all the good coverage:

• It was a symbolic demolition. Nothing more. [Bullets Forever]
• Bullets stomp Heat [DC Pro Sports Report]
• Blatche Keeps Wizards Rolling [Washington Post]
• Wizards Heal With Heat [Washington Times]

Quick Thoughts - What Do Ricky Davis and DeShawn Stevenson Have in Common?

What exactly is Jason Williams thinking with his recent comments?

"We're like some high-paid prostitutes anyway in this league," he said. "They just use and get rid of us whenever they want."

Sounds like a snotty little punk to me. Look, I know there are a lot of people in this world whom we "think" have it good, but are actually dealing with big problems of their own. But pu-lease.....give me a break J.Will. Don't insult prostitutes by comparing the down side of your career to theirs.....that is, unless you've caught an STD from showering with Ricky Davis.

Speaking of Ricky Davis....for some reason, don't ask me why -- ok, I'll tell you anyway. I wanted to find out if Ricky Davis had like 17 babies with 25 different women, he didn't. But he seems like the crazy kind of cat from whom you could insinuate White Chocolate got an STD by simply showering with him.

*UPDATE* - Maybe Ricky Davis has gotten into some sticky situations with the ladies - check out this post from MixMakers.net

Weird...anyway, Ricky Davis' Wikipedia entry reads like this (at least at the time I checked):

Davis' time with Cleveland was marked by disputes with then head coach Paul Silas and he quickly grew a reputation as a selfish showboater. A prime example occurred on March 16, 2003. In the closing seconds of a game against Utah, Davis was one rebound short of his first career triple-double. In an effort to record that rebound, Davis attempted to deliberately miss a shot at his team's own basket, but was fouled by Utah's DeShawn Stevenson before he could get the shot off.^[1] Davis remains better known for this single incident, than for any other on-court performance.

And as you can see, the citation leads to an ESPN.com story which says, "Davis took an inbounds pass and was ready to attempt a shot at the wrong basket to get his 10th rebound. DeShawn Stevenson wrapped his arms around Davis before the attempt and was whistled for a foul. Davis made two free throws to complete the scoring."

I'm thinking, hey....because of this, DeShawn Stevenson has become somewhat of a hero to me...kinda. That triple-double attempt has got to be on YouTube. And it is.

Two things I learned from the video:

1) DeShawn really didn't do anything special -- Ricky Davis did attempt what he thought was a shot at the Utah Jazz basket, to get what he thought would be a rebound off the bricked layup. But, as you can easily see, DeShawn fouled Davis after that happened. Am I missing something here? How can ESPN and Wikipedia be wrong?

2) Not so much about what's going on with that music in the background (It's obviously Bing Bang by Korki Buchek), although, I would like to hear the live game call....but more so, what's going on with the still pictures at the end of the clip? You got a guy with his kid and Big-Bird, a black flamer and an eastern European diplomat. Ahhh...the things that can happen while surfing the web.

Other Quick Links:

Great work by Sam Rubenstein of Slam Magazine - check his NBA player-celebrity comparisons.

Most all of us have seen the Southwest Airlines "Wanna Get Away?" commercial where the guy pitches his video game controller through the flat panel television. Well, Mr. Irrelevant has found a real-life equivalent -- or so that's what they would have you believe. First of all, that mom is way too cool - not even a hint of shock or surprise, even at the sound of broken glass, in her voice. Second, that glass shattering sounds a little artificial, like it came from a keyboard. And most importantly, you'd think if the "producer" of this video went through the trouble to do frame repeats of the kid losing the bat....that they would've (or the mom would've) at least paned the camera to see any part of a broken television. Nope, we don't see it at all.

She's kinda hot for a raging drunk -- thanks to The Big Lead.

As Chris Mottram of Mr. Irrelevant has learned, it pays to always carry a digital camera with you; you never know what ghosts you will see.

Game 28 Notes: Washington Wizards @ New Jersey Nets

Game 4 against the Nets
Game 20 against the Nets

You know...I've always heard opponents of the NBA say that all you have to do is watch the final 4 minutes of the 4th quarter -- most of those who use this false reasoning also think college basketball is far superior, or don't even like basketball at all. Look, it's okay to prefer college basketball over the NBA. I don't. I think the NBA game is better, just a personal preference. But to just dog the NBA game? That's sign #1 that you are an uneducated, or extremely casual, fan of basketball.

Regardless, I don't like to wait until the end to watch a game....but I didn't have much choice tonight. I found myself the victim of a long-running wedding rehearsal and suffering from the lack of alcohol in my blood at a dry rehearsal dinner. Oh well, these are the breaks. Suck it up and do what you gotta do. So, as a result, here are some more "notes".

Short story long, I didn't get home until about 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Which actually, I was more than happy to see because I didn't think I'd be catching any of the game at all.

End of the 3rd Quarter

So.....I get in front of the tele just in time to see a Richard Jefferson FT which brings the Nets within 2, 79-77 Wizards.

It takes a second to catch up with what's been going on in the game. But the quick and easy is that now, Richard Jefferson has 17 points in the last 7 minutes. Also, the nine point lead the Wiz once had in the 3rd is now down to one...and after Washington commits their 9th TO, the Nets have the ball down 1 with 2 minutes left.

2:03 - Boy the Wizards young players are good at picking up fouls. Andray Blatche picks up his 5th on another strong drive by R-Jeff. After the two FTs, 24 in the game for Jefferson, a whole 19 in the 3rd.

Jefferson has done well in recent times against the Wizards....at least in New Jersey wins. When the Wizards beat the Nets on December 9th, Jefferson only had 9 points. However, in the previous 4 times that Jefferson faced the Wizards, all New Jersey wins, he averaged 28.5 points -- guess he had to come around some time in this game.

2:40 - More isolation for Jefferson, Dominic McGuire is guarding him this time....playing defense more with his arms than with his feet. Nick Young ends up with the foul on the help. 2 more FTs for Richard Jefferson....21 in the 3rd for him.

Steve Buckhantz says that he has out-scored the Wizards 21-15 in the last 8 minutes alone. Wow...you'd think it'd be time for some type of adjustment from Eddie Jordan.

0:23 seconds left, Wizards are now down 87-85 -- Blatche shows a great deal of indecision with the ball in his hands, as the play breaks down. Luckily, the Nets bail him out with a foul on an ill-advised, off-balanced shot. He only makes 1 of 2.

The Nets tried to go to Jefferson to end the 3rd, obviously...but Mike Wilks bothered him, made him pass, then a turnover for Nets. End of 3, 87-86 New Jersey.

So to recap things so far.

Richard Jefferson - 1st quarter: 2 points, 2nd: 3 points, 3rd: 21 points.

• The Wizards are shooting 50% to New Jersey's 46.2%
• NJ has made 7 more FTs, 22-23 from the line total; 15-19 for the Wiz
• Assist, turnover and rebound numbers are basically the same
• Points: Butler 23, Jamison 20, Haywood 13, Mason Jr. 10 - Nick Young has 13 off the bench.
• Kidd is 2 rebounds away from a triple double, Jefferson has 26 and Carter has 22.

4th and Final Quarter

11:23 - Nick Young with an early bucket...streaky is as streaky does. He's 5-6 tonight. The City either shoots like that, or does something like go 1-9.

9:33 - Young is really working and jukin to the basket tonight. AB gets a nice tip in off his miss...good offensive rebound basket which was a result of the room Nick Young created with his drive. Only 4 points in 2.5 4th quarter minutes for the Wizards.

8:11 - More penetration by Young with Jefferson defending. This time after drawing the help, he dishes off to Andray for the layin --- guess we'll be seeing that for years to come....one can only hope.

7:50 - The big guns check back in (Haywood, Butler and Mason for McGuire, Blatche and Wilks -- wait, Mason is a big gun?) Seems like the bench held strong (alternatively, you could say that they only scored 6 points in almost 4 minutes -- however you want to look at it -- the 4th started with the Wiz up 87-86, the game is now tied at 92). Those checking in join Jamison and Young on the court.

6:30 - Wiz have left Kidd open on the last couple of shots....usually not a bad thing, but eventually.....he'll get ya - Whitesnake hits a 3 to put the Nets up 98-95.

6:01 - Aaaand as soon as I type, Kidd hits another 3 to put the Nets up 101-97.

I've seen a lot of guys in the NBA work on, develop and improve their jumpers. And people always get on Shaq...wondering why that guy can't improve his FT shooting. Well, Kidd is supposed to be such a great, smart player, and he is....But why can't he improve his outside shooting? Ahh...this is where that fragile psyche comes into play.

Kidd has the perfecto fundamentals....the set up game, the defense (a little less now after the knee has down-graded) and he can certainly take care of the ball. But would you consider him a confident player?....perhaps. More like...probably so. But a confident player on offense? Nope, not at all.

Eddie J takes a timeout, and a good one, to assess the situation. 5:12 to play, New Jers up 101-100. Hey, at least Jefferson hasn't scored in the quarter so far....guess the adjustment was made.

5:00 - BIG call....a tough Tuff Juice miss, Brendan Haywood and Sean Williams get tied up...jump ball is called, and they did both get their hands on the rock at the same time, but it ended up with Haywood's arms tied over and around Williams. Crowd didn't like the call too much needless to say. Wiz get the tip on the key possession.

Nick Young is really going for some difficult, but good drives. He goes, dishes, gets an offensive rebound...and another go at the basket. Doesn't work out for him this time as he fails to draw the foul. The Nets go down and score to go up 103-100. Don't worry Bean Burrito, you'll get those calls eventually. Keep doing what you do, taking it to the hoop.

3:45 - Another 2 for New Jersey. The last two bucket set-ups by Vince Carter to Sean Williams have been way too easy. Wiz turn it over at the other end and the 'savvy offensive veteran', Jason Kidd, pushes the ball up the court and gets fouled on the drive. He makes both, and just like that, a 6-0 run puts the Nets up 107-100.

3:09 - Caron Butler stops the run with 2. Back down the court, he gets a "nose for the ball" rebound...and comes inches away from knocking down a step back three that left Jason Kidd spun like a top. New Jersey gets the big rebound off the miss. Really needed that.....timeout Nets. The Wizards gotta get some stops.

2:18 - It must be 'Go to Sean Williams Day'...he's always around to receive a pass when the Nets players are driving, on pick and rolls, etc. -- Let's go BTH, can ya keep track of this rookie? A shooting foul and 2 FTs from Williams, NJ up 109-102.

1:45 - Another big call in the Wizards favor -- thankfully, Kidd misses a wide open 3 from the corner, Mason Jr comes up with the rebound and gets fouled by Jefferson. Two FT makes, 3 point game. 109-106. Oh yea, 17-17 on FTs for the year for RMJ. Clutch.

1:00 - Wiz ball after a gritty stop, but a Nick Young travel on the other end. BTH does not look happy about that offensive possession.

0:32 - Wizards need another stop and get one....Mason Jr has a wide open 3...and it's just short. The defense running out to close on his shot really bothered him.

0:30 - The Wizards are content to just play D and not foul...swing to Boci Nachbar for an open 3 in the corner...and MISS!!

But the Wizards cannot come up with the offensive rebound. The Nets are able to run out the final 4 seconds. Game over. 109-106 New Jersey Nets over the Washington Wizards.

Dammit if the Wizards don't always lose these tough nail-biting heart-breakers to the Nets. Although...the game didn't seem that intense because the New Jersey fans were extremely quiet. I barely heard an audible cheer in what should've been an edge of your seat finish. What's up with that? Ivan Carter on Wizards Insider mentioned that the Izod Center has the atmosphere of an empty garage. I'd compare the atmosphere to sitting through a private screening of Air Bud with Uday Hussein holding weapons in an 800 seat theater. Uncomfortable.

Has the Jigga man been making them take cold showers, use duct tape to tape ankles and travel on a rickety old bus so that they will lose games and the franchise will thus have to move to Brooklyn? Plausible.

Makes me think, this year's New Jersey Nets can definitely be compared to Major League I.

The more I let this loss stew, the more it pisses me off. When the Wiz got key stops towards the end, they simply weren't able to take advantage on offense. On the other hand, there were many key stops that they could not get, yet always seemed to score at the other end.....treading water.

Basically, the 3rd quarter and Richard Jefferson killed the Wizards this game. And I really don't like having to face the Miami Heat tomorrow -- no matter how crappy they have been. Done.

But do ya want some good Wizards links? I knew ya did....

The DC Sports Bog leads us to the goods on a young Caron Butler.

And Bullets Forever asks about the usage of Caron Butler.

Check 'em out and drop the knowledge.

Blogging About A Knee Injury - Part 2

Part I

When the date of the first doctor appointment came around, I was a little embarrassed about going. It'd been awhile since my knee really bothered me and I arrived to the office with little to no pain. For about the previous 3 weeks, I was able to walk around just fine.

As we all know, there can be many steps to a doctor visit. The sign in, the forms, the wait in the community area, the wait in the room once you get called in, etc....The first visitors are student doctors, with which, I really don't have a problem. Initial tests from these two student doctors didn't show many limitations on knee motion. Nonetheless, I was sent for x-rays -- and those didn't show much either; meaning, the bone structure was in tact.

Time for a visit from the main doc, the guy behind the guy. He ran me through similar flexibility tests. I had to be told, over and over again, "Relax your leg." Sorry chief, but you moving my leg around like a joy-stick doesn't give me a peaceful, easy feeling. A little more poking around the back of my knee....wait, he felt something. There was some "looseness", just enough to send me for an MRI. The students, of course, agreed.

So what exactly is an MRI - well, for those who don't know, MRI stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. An MRI machine can give a pretty decent picture of what's going on anywhere in your body, on any plane. Your standard unit costs $3 million, and hundreds of thousands a year to maintain. They can be about the size of a mini-cooper. Basically, this moo-chine, as Dominican Lou would say, creates a magnetic field and aligns the magnetic ability of the hydrogen atoms in your body. The MRI then sends some radio waves to alter the alignment, thus, causing all those hydrogen atoms to send a radio signal back to the machine. Somehow, these radio signals and their strength, placement, etc. are composed to form the internal image of the body.

The whole process takes about 45 minutes, I actually got a nice mid-day nap out of it. They put your knee in some type of holder, slide you into the machine....looking like side-ways well with walls taking up about 70% of the surface size of the tubular structure. It makes noises that sound similar to answering a call from a fax machine. They go on and off in the same low pitch And that's it. You are off to the streets with an envelope the size of an SUV driver's side window filled with about 15 MR-images. Off to wait for next week's appointment.

So, that day comes and just like last time, I see a couple student doctors first. Mind you, at this point, I'm still a little hesitant to be there. My knee feels relatively okay, and I'm fully expecting the doc to say, 'knee is fine, you just gotta rehab it a little.' But these two cats.....first of all, they're bumbling with the back-light on the viewer, it's broken. They then go with the 'holding the MRI up to the window' method. Terms like "torn" are being thrown around loosely, but I'm somewhat under the impression that the doctors in training are not exactly sure what they're looking at. The possibility of a serious knee injury made me uncomfortable, especially after thinking that I was going to leave the office with a thumbs up and a pat on the back.

Finally, the main doc comes in to take a look. Yes, I can see what he sees on the MRI shots, the tendon they are calling the ACL is gray. Tendons are usually dark, when they appear gray, they may be torn. The doc also noticed some bruising around the bone. Here are the options, he said, surgery is not a must, and there are some risks to a procedure, but it would be my recommendation. The doctor seemed to stress the 'option' part and that the choice was mine to make. Time for questions.

I told him that my goals here are to avoid knee problems in the future, and to remain as active playing basketball as I am now. Considering this, is surgery the best option? I am told yes.

Now, I'm welcome to seek a second opinion. The thing about knees, x-rays and MRIs can only tell you so much, they really don't know what's going on until they scope in there. So, the doctor told me, when they get inside to investigate the situation, if the procedure from the initial assessment is not necessary, they will not do it. Now is when I received the pat on the back.

I went ahead and scheduled surgery, knowing that cancellation was a possibility. Still, I had a decision to make. In the meantime, I would go to pre-surgery rehab, as the doctor prescribed, and would try to inform myself as much as possible. Surgery was scheduled for December 19th, just over five weeks to solidify my resolution. The general consensus among those with whom I talked was that if you are having surgery, you should get a second opinion regardless.

So, I half-heartedly tried to seek a second opinion. Health plans, HMOs, PPOs....let me just join the chorus and say it's all messed up. You see, I was able to get an appointment with this first orthopedic doctor without having to go through the great system of "official" referrals. Plus, the guy was recommended by a bunch of lawyers. He had to be good, right? Went back to my health insurance plan website, yup, it's Aetna. The search feature is terrible, but somehow I was able to come up with a call-list.

One-by-one, for each doctor's office I called, I was given the straight shut-done since I was sans referral. The expected dose of attitude from the receptionists/whatever came, no referral needed. Becoming frustrated and pissed was the sensible point A to B result. I didn't want to go to my regular doctor, who is not in my health network (don't ask why), just get a "permission slip" from him. And I didn't want to find a new doctor just to get a referral. I already had an MRI done, and all the slides were in my possession; I just needed some trained monkey to look at them. Eff all that. I should've just outsourced the work to Bangalore.

Time passed and I had pretty much convinced myself that if the surgery date came around, and I had yet to procure a second opinion, I was going to go through with it. Like I said, my knee doctor made me feel comfortable, and he had the experience; a background of treating team sports injuries. Eventually, I spoke with my regular doctor, who thankfully took time out of his schedule to talk with me over the phone. He gave me the name of someone I could call....but by this time, it was less than a week away from surgery. However, he also offered me some advice. He said that long ago, he had a knee injury and opted not to have surgery...and after that, he could not play basketball again without hurting it. Granted, he wasn't as frequent a player as I would like to be....but that fact went on to further seal the deal. No second opinion, I was going to get me some knee surgery.

Game 27 Notes: Washington Wizards @ Charlotte Bobcats

Ok, I call these game "notes", and not a live blog, because they are. Last night was the annual get-together/secret-santa gift exchange with the close set of friends. The game was on....and on it was, my boy Billy has an insanely huge television screen....especially when you factor in how close you have to sit to it in the mid-sized apartment near the SE waterfront. I think it's like 60 inches....who knows. In any case, I did not pay attention to the Wizards-Bobcats as much as I would've like to -- but I noticed a lot. Blackberry technology allowed me to take some notes....like to hear 'em go....

Quarter No. 1

Roger Mason has been a straight silent assassin. I notice this when the Bobcats take a timeout with 3:42 left in the 1st and Mason is 3 for 3 on 3s with 11 pts and 2 assists.

Wow, the more he balls, the better Mason Jr. gets. Seems like he's been confident the whole time, just now, he's getting more chances.

What a strong quarter, most this year says Steve Buckhantz - 41 points - 30 from Charlotte, 16 points by Mason Jr., 6/6 FG, 4/4 3 ptrs. Good ol' Steve Buck, he's always on point with the statisticals.

Adam and I get in a little convo about Roger Mason -- he'll be hot, but when he's cold, he takes what most consider are questionable shots as AJ tells it. Makes me think, are the questionable because who he is, an NBA journeyman? Hey, I give the guy props for trying to shoot his way out of a slump.

Quarter No. 2

The Wizards really need to learn how to stop the ball in transition. About 2 minutes into the quarter, Gerald Wallace got the rebound off a Caron Butler jumper miss and took it end to end for a layup. Touching, much less stopping him was an after-thought.

About 8:15 left, Adam takes issue with Roger Mason's decision to drive baseline after getting doubled. He then gets caught in the air and turns the ball over (travelling, his second TO of the game). I guess he's expected to contribute, and we are all thankful, but don't make a mistake son cause you're lucky to be playing.

I'm just sayin' - Roger Mason Jr. is shooting 44.2%, not bad...close to AD's 45% and much better than DEEshawn's 38.4%. Rog is also second to Caron "On Fiiya!" Butler in team 3pt %; Mason with 38% and Caron with 42%. Did I mention that Mason only has 16 turnovers in about 440 minutes played?

Seven minutes left, the refs are really letting them play. RMJ missed a jumper, but gets kicked afterwards, no foul. On the other end, Blatche gets a block on Matt Carroll...coulda been a call there.

The Wizards lagged big time in the first half of the 2nd. After 41 pts in the 1st, they didn't get their 3rd & 4th points of the quarter until there were 6 minutes left.

The half ends, uneventful as the Bobcats fought their way back in the game - the Wizards are up 3, 58-55.

Quarter No. 3

Haywood is learning to pick his spots - now that he's getting more run, he's plays less selfish than he has in the past. He shows this through his willingness to pass the ball out if he's not composed and balanced after offensive rebounds. Him doing this is new to me.

Too many points in the paint for Charlotte; comes from a lot of penetration by Raymond Felton and too many offensive rebounds.

Ohh....SportsCenter dunk by Caron Butler over Matt Carroll with about 4:14 left. Tied game at 70. And1 thanks to Matt puts Washington up 1.

Ok then, monster SportsCenter block by Gerald Wallace on Caron Butler with 3 minutes left.

Of course, Okafor has a stronger core and is able to get some post position on Haywood, who also has trouble keeping Emeka off the boards.

Nazr Mohammed is also banging - Eddie Jordan goes with a big lineup of Andray Blatche with Haywood, Roger Mason, Butler and Nick Young. 1:20 left in the 3rd, 78-72 Wizards.

Gotta remember that everything he does, good or bad, we are watching the learning process of Nick Young. He gets the ball in his hands to end the quarter, drives right quick, but the move/shot is slow and he allows the help come over as he faded for the baseline J. Nick proceeds to get blocked by the help, fellow LA boy and UCLA alum (not sure if he graduated), Ryan Hollins. He'll learn. Either get yourself the open jumper, or get to the basket and get fouled - but don't put yourself in position to get trapped.

81-74 Wizards.

Quarter No. 4

How does Gerald Wallace do it? 8 minutes left and another coast to coast drive to the basket. Jamison fouls him, not letting him make the shot, and Wallace only makes 1 of 2. Oh yea, I know how Gerald Wallace does it...no Wizard is alert enough to stop the ball. Ends an 8-1 Wizards run, Charlotte is down 10, 79-89 after the made FT.

Of course, after the 2nd missed FT by Wallace, the B-Cats get the offensive rebound...thankfully, Roger Mason gets a steal, but then makes a stupid turnover with a full-court pass attempt. I like you guy, but you're not Chris Paul or Steve Nash.

More post position for Okafor on Haywood, 6:30 left, he gets BTH on his outside hip and just muscles him up the lane easily. Lotta air for an easy post feed, 'Meka Okafor dunk. Timeout EJ, 91-85 Wizards, they're looking like they're losing control.

3:57 - Still holding strong, up 101-90, timeout

2:26 - Great makeup hustle by Brendan Todd. Roger Mason with a big block, gets the rebound and kicks it to DeShawn Stevenson for the open layup...he blows it....luckily, BTH runs the floor to follow the miss with a dunk. Up 10, 103-93.

1:40 - Mason gets up the court well under pressure, but then he blew a bad shot....however, a huge block by Caron Butler on the other end....aaaand Mason misses a 3 back down the court.

The Wizards need to slow the game down, run that clock.

1:23 - Bobcats are down 103-95, Wizards ball....great, AJ turnover, Wallace steal, basket, And1, FT. B-Cats down 5 just like that.

1:08 - Another Wizards turnover, Derek Anderson misses a 3. Caron is saves the team with a monster rebound, gets fouled, and makes 1 of 2 FTs. Despite the miss, Tuff Juice can really do it on both ends.

Lotta laziness by the Wizards to end the game....and the Bobcats are scrapping.

0:38 - Andray Blatche rebound, losses it, deflection, Andray Blatche block, ball out of bounds to Bobcats. Then what do ya know...another dunk And1 by Gerald Wallace. Charlotte is only down THREE with 26 seconds left.

0:22 - Somehow Nick Young gets free as a result of Bobcats pressure, and an open layup dunk. Up 106-101.

With a 4 point lead and 6 seconds left, the Wizards do good to keep the ball away from Charlotte -- game over, 108-104.

Not pretty, but a win -- gotta check those stats.

• Four for the Wiz scored over 20: Mason (24), Jamison (26), Butler (25) and Haywood (20)
• But only 8 points off the bench
• Most of the other stats are relatively close - the Wiz just made a couple extra shots.
  
• Not a fan of 14 turnovers though - Butler and Mason had 3 each.
• The way the Wizards ended that game was U-G-L-Y.....and I know they have no alibi.
  

Link Farm - Scott Skiles' Pink Slip, M-Rod's Mug Shot, Drunk Kids?

We all know that Scott Skiles got fired on Christmas Eve....and sure he's not happy with the pink slip, but why is he holding that ax? Ben Wallace better look out for the blow out.

I'm not sure if Michelle Rodriguez just looks plum crazy in her mug shot, or if she would be the hot, edgy chick with an 'tude in Chained Heat 17.

The DC Pro Sports Report has an entry on Wizards and Capitals attendance figures. They are surprised that the Wizards are only averaging 3,300 more fans per game than the Caps. I'm not sure if this means that people are liking hockey more than I thought, or that the Wizards fans suck.

An initial glance of the headline for this post from The Big Lead made me think that Topanga went down on 36 Florida State football players, yes that Topanga. Glad I read it twice, she only got pulled over with a DUI.....and we're still waiting for the mugshot.

From the last Wizards-Pacers game, the video of a drunk little kid (ok, that's speculation) running around on the court during a stoppage in play, and trying to touch the net. Towards the end of the video, Jeff Foster of the Pacers trips the lil' guy. Good stuff.

100% Injury Rate gives us Football Over The Law in Louisiana.

Cris Collinsworth can be a flat out d*ck at times....and that's not just because he spells his first name with 4 letters. Funny thing is, he's been kinda growing on me to the point where I don't mind him so much. But like Awful Announcing, I'm still trying to figure out what's going on in this clip. Hey, thanks to Wikipedia, I learned that unlike Chad Johnson, Anthony Cris once lost to a horse in a race.

Exactly what we didn't need to happen after the murder of Sean Taylor.

Najeh Davenport and Mr. Hankey Wish You A Merry Christmas!

Are Steelers fans ready for Dookie and his friend for the playoffs, the Christmas Poo?

Thanks to The Big Lead for reminding us all of the story of Najeh Trenadious Monte Davenport AKA Turd Fergueson. Maybe you thought you went to the University of Miami in sunny Coral Gables, Florida, but you ain't from the "U" until you've defecated in the laundry of a lady.

April 1, 2002, April Fool's Day nonetheless, Najeh, or Jerome Bettis' replacement, "The Dump Truck", decided he would get his day of pranks started early.

At 6 am, Turd sneaked into the dorm room of Mary McCarthy, a student at Barry University. Not 100% positive, but I'm pretty sure the dorm rooms at a fine Catholic university such as Barry are small, just like every other dorm room, ever. So, I'm not surprised that young Mary was awakened by the sounds of a grown 6'1", 247 pound man dropping a deuce in her closet.

Subsequent charges of 2nd degree burglary and misdemeanor mischief were traded in for a hundred hours of community service, probably cleaning turlets. Mary, scared for life, also filed a 15K lawsuit. Not sure if she won, but let's just say that I seriously doubt she's drunk in a bar somewhere right now bragging about how she once saw an NFL player take a poo.

So, when Dookie Davenport is not dancing
with Asian high school girls.....

.....and when he's not lookin' fly with the side-lean
and that "U" mock-turtleneck,
dealin' with that baby mama drama.....

....he's on the gridiron, goin' for 2 with Mr. Hankey.

Peace to all.

Live Game 26 Blog: Washington Wizards @ Indiana Pacers

Well, Caron Butler is out with an ankle tonight. Darius Songaila will start in his place, along with Haywood, Jamison, Mason Jr. and Stevenson. A little bit bigger lineup, not a bad idea since Mike Dunleavy at the 2 and Danny Granger at the 3, both 6'9", present a tall challenge. But the Wiz should still be able to get up and down the court at a decent pace with AJ at the 3. I just hope he can keep up with Granger trolling around the 3 point line. Gonna be tough, but let's think that avoiding three losses in a row will provide some extra kick for this team.

For the record:
Season Opener Live Blog @ Indy [a 119-100 Wizards loss in OT]
Game 7 Live Blog - Indy in DC [a 103-90 Wizards win]

Start the show....

1st Quarter

Honestly, I'd be a complete defeatist about our chances if J.O. was playing like the Real J.O.

9:48 - 5-2 early lead for the Wiz, Jermaine O'Neal goes to the rack, but is bothered by a long, and somewhat agile BTH.

9:09 - A Troy Murphy transition dunk gets the Pacers to 5-4. Not sure if two white boy breakaway dunks to start the game are exactly good for the Wizards. Dunleavy has the first.

Got some company for the game - my boy Chris says, "Jamison's shot seems to be coming up short tonight...is that a good comment to put?" I don't know Chris, we'll just have to see.

6:06 - Roger Mason air ball - which prompts my boy AJ to say, "Man, Washington sports is really facing a lot of adversity these days." To that, I say, "Hey, we could be living in Miami, then again, we'd be living in Miami."

Really Comcast? Going to a commercial mid-game. Classy.

Broadcast finally comes back to Eddie Jordan talking about his 2 hour random Christmas shopping spree. Great. 5:24 left, the Wizards are up 12-11. I guess a timeout was anticipated by the TV crew.

You know, I don't exactly mind the shots that Darius Songaila takes, I just don't exactly like having to go to him for shots. The Wizard are trying to go post, but that results in D-Song and Brendan Haywood misses.

3:31 - Nick Young and Andray Blatche check in....we will really need some energy from these guys.

1:30 - Very lackluster 1st quarter so far, Pacers are up 16-13, now 19 after a Granger 3.

1:20 - D-Song and D-Mac get in for Haywood and Jamison.

0:15 - Dunleavy 3, Indy up 22-16 -- boy that thinning dome hair is really showing on him. The quarter ends and the Wizards seem to be lacking energy as they did last night against the Hawks. Down 4, 18-22.

2nd Quarter

You can see the effort of the Wiz trying move the ball, but the flow is just not there.

A J.O. dunk puts the Pacers up 29-20. At this point, the Wiz no longer look like a decent team that is really trying hard, rather, a mediocre team that is struggling to stay afloat.

7:35 - We really need BTH to step up. He just got traveling called on him, guess he got a little too excited when he saw skinny Dunleavy guarding him. J.O. hits on the other end to put the Pacers up 10, 31-21.

Phil Chenier keeps mentioning that the Wiz are playing decent half-court D, but I'm seeing them easily lose important Pacer shooters in transition.

5:05 - Roger Mason with his second deuce in a row, cuts the once 11 point Pacer lead to 6. Even after Mason Jr. misses...in which I'm always a little more disappointed than with any other Wizard misses, not sure why...cause I really like the kid (maybe it's because I don't want his misses to rally the campaign of those against him)...but back to the point, he always seems to come back with the same display of confidence. I really like the consistency he is able to provide.

4:30 - Another 2 by Roger, almost a 3. The fact that EJ is calling his number via run plays shows the confidence the coaches have in him too.

The Wiz have 7 turnovers so far...that seems a little high to me.

2:50 - A Stevenson bad turnover on a careless drive....and then he very casually gets back, barely getting across half court as the Pacers hit a transition 3.

Mason has been poppin', but the Wizards are looking to get him the ball like he's the one and only scorer. The Pacers are starting to pick up on this fact.

1:25 - Timeout, Pacers up 9, 41-32. Neither team is shooting above 40%, but the Pacers are 5-14 on 3s, while Washington is 1-8.

1:10 - 9th turnover for the Wiz leads to another Indiana bucket.

0:50 - 9th point for Roger Mason Jr., J off the glass.


0:37 - But the Wizards can't stop Kareem Rush who, as Steve Buck tell us, has the last TWELVE points for the Pacers? What? How do the Wiz let a guy coming off the bench do that? 45-34 Indy at intermission.

Half Stat Rap

• 8 turnovers for the Wizards in the 2nd quarter, leading to 14 Pacer points. [9 turnovers total]
  
• Only 7 assists for the Wizards, 15 for the Pacers -- not surprising since assists come easily with all those transition buckets.
• 35% shooting for Washington, 11 points for Jamison, 9 for Roger Mason -- that's just not going to get a mark in the W column.

I'm sure with all the injuries, it can be hard to "get up" for games and get past any demoralizing feelings. But these other guys, the ones who are given a chance to get their game on with the big dogs out, they should be contributing the "I'm gonna make a name for myself to get some straight cash homey down the line" effort and energy to the team cause. I really don't mind poor shooting nights, those will happen. I'm even willing to concede the fact that turnovers will be inevitable, especially without Antonio Daniels. But to be getting beat by Indiana in transition like this? Unacceptable. Resolving the issue will require the type of hustle, hustle-swag if you will, which will hopefully snowball into better performance in all aspects of the game.

3rd Quarter

Haywood's offensive repertoire has dissolved into lazy moves these past two games. We know you have it in you BTH...just be patient and make solid attempts which may at least get you a trip to the line.

Just under 10, the Pacers effortlessly push their lead to 13, and they have the ball after a questionable charge call on Stevenson.

Steve Buck just pointed out that referee Mark Wunderlich has been frustrated with the constant complaining for the Wizards bench -- an indication of a possible tech down the road. We sure could use that energy spent complaining on the court.

Haywood's defensive effort is still, however, present. A rebound and block contribution eventually helps the Wizards cut it to 8, down 49-41.

7:27 - A 3 pointer by DeShawn pushes the Wizards run to 10. A Granger 2 on the other end.....but Haywood is showing signs of life back down the court with an offensive rebound and put-back. Wiz down 51-48.

BTH does have 12 rebounds, 5 offensive, and 3 blocks -- so maybe I was a little hard on him earlier -- those non-scoring numbers go a very long way in making up for any offensive deficiencies.

Minor game delay, a fan just ran out on the court. He didn't go after any players, Steve and Phil said that he just wanted to touch the net. Ummm okay? Security finally was able to scramble and tackle the guy. I agree with Phil C, I don't think I ever remember seeing a fan on the field of play during a basketball game...football and baseball, yes. But basketball? You gotta be pretty into some booze or paraphernalia to get trashed enough to storm the court at a random December Pacers-Wizards NBA game. In this case, at least Comcast was able to cut to the sky cam feed to show the fan running around. Not as good as a close up, but still...better than ignoring the damn thing like they do for NFL broadcasts. I'm always completely disappointed when they don't show fan-field action. I quasi understand their reason: they want to prevent idiots from doing it just to get on TV -- but then why does it still happen? I really think some of these cats get so drunk, that it doesn't matter if they're on TV or not. The lesson learned, and the great preventer should be a tackle by an NFL player, a beating by security in the stadium jail, and strict prosecution. But please, show these damn clowns, it's absolutely hilarious.

Oh, BTW....here is the video that damn clown on the court. Not sure what to make of Jeff Foster tripping him. Also, Jermaine O'Neal didn't want to have to cold-cock another S.O.B.

4:23 - After the timeout, the Pacers easily push their lead from 4 to 8 in less than a minute.

Nick Young and Blatche in for Haywood and Deee Shawn - They join Mason, AJ and D-Mac.

My fingers are once again crossed for these guys. Andray has lost his headband. What does that mean? He immediately picks up his second foul and the turns the ball over.

Steve Buck keeps pointing this out: 18 points off 12 DC turnovers for Pacers. Zero points off 5 Indy turnovers for the Wizards. Not a sign of a team that's playing together.

On another note - Jeff Foster is hitting open jumpers - he reminds me of somebody....some jerk. Just look at this guy, he looks like he's raping a 15 year-old with his eyes. BTW, nice make-up job on the forehead zit, d-bag.

2:37 - Coming out the timeout, AJ makes 2 FTs, Wiz down 59-56.

Two fouls in a row, 1st AB, then D-Mac - damn, Washington can't get past these touch fouls.

Danny Granger is a Wizards killer, he's leading the Pacers with 16 points.

There's the old Jermaine O'Neal. Jamison allows him to get deep, under the basket position, for the bucket and foul.

The Wizards can't build on anything good. Got it within 1, but then hurt themselves with Jeff Foster dunks, turnovers, and JO on AB abuse in the lane. Down 8 again, quickly. End of the 3rd.

4th Quarter

11:32 - How in the hell does that happen? The Pacers win a jump ball, between Andray Blatche and Jeff Foster, on their end; it is tipped right to Troy Murphy who scores on Songaila. I ask again, how in the hell does that happen?

Songaila does make up for that gaffe by getting a bucket on the other end, then drawing a charge back down the court. 9 healthy bodies, down 5, with the ball, just over 10 minutes left in the game, Ready to Rule.

10:01 - A Nick Young miss makes him 1-7 on the night. Guess it doesn't matter if he starts or sits, he's still a streaky rookie who cannot move his feet on defense. Exactly who we thought he was.

9:32 - Great play out of the timeout. Princeton Perfection -- D-Song dibbles toward DeShawn on the left wing, Stevenson make the back cut and receives the perfect pass from Darius for the dunk. Gotcha Marquis Daniels.
Big Shot DeShawn - ties the game on his low shot-clock trey, 8:00 left.

7:56 - Unfortunately, Darius Songaila lets Troy Murphy cut RIGHT in front of him for a hoop on the other end. D-Song can be such a back and forth contributor....but he's always scrappy.

Wiz can't get over the hump as Indiana pushes their lead back to 4, at 74-70, in less than 30 seconds. Check that, Danny Granger 3 puts it at 7. Frustrating beyond typing.

5:35 - Back within 3 as D-Song hits 2 FTs, he's 24-24 for the season says Steve Buck.

You always hear about players with high basketball IQ. I'm not going to question what this means, but if you use it to specifically refer to team defense, I would say that the Wizards have a low team defense IQ -- They can hustle and they can try, but losing a man on D is about 11 pars out of 18 on the course. Curious,....you'd think that in an offense based on passing and cutting, thus "losing your man", that the Wizards would be extra aware of not going MIA.

5:28 - Case in point, Danny Granger beats Brendan Smokin' Haywood on a jump ball. Jamaal Tinsley gets it, swings the rock to JO who hits a cutting Jeff Foster for a bucket. Too easy.

4:26 - Tech on JO, too much complaining about nuthin. Roger Mase FT and AJ bucket cuts the Pacers lead to 5 at 84-79. Can they make a push? I'm not so sure. 4 minutes left

3:42 - It's an easy damn game. Penetration by Dunleavy, pass to Tinsley on the wing, and swing to Danny Granger for a wide open 3 at the very top of the arc.

I can sense this loss as JO hits a J to put the Pacers up 10 with 3 left. Well, I know that Eddie Jordan didn't shoot 40% from the field and 70% from the FT line. The humps of Gilbert and Caron being out are enough to overcome, can't afford to bring bad shooting into the equation.

The Wizards offensive attempts at the end of this game are a comedy of errors. Steve and Phil say that the real pivotal play of the game was the jump ball at the beginning of the quarter. That set the tone for the 4th and reflected the type of game that Andray Blatche displayed, yet again -- 14 minutes, 2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 turnovers, 4 fouls, 1 steal, 1 block.

Steve Smith just scored a TD for the Panthers - hey buddy, welcome to the season in Week 16 - almost time to cut the Wiz off and go root against the Cowboys. Don't want any playoff home field advantages for those jerks.

Uh oh....and TO is heading to the locker room with 4:30 left in the1st half. Christmas coming early you say? They film all the way to the x-ray room until the Grown Baby orders the door closed.

Meanwhile, back to the Wiz game, X-mas isn't coming at all here. They lose for the 3rd straight game, 93-85.

What's going on with those stats?

• For the most part, the shooting percentages were a wash. The Wiz lost by 8 and the Pacers ended up hitting three more 3s.
• Roger Mason had a career high 20, and only 1 turnover. AJ came strong with 29 and 12.
  
• Hell, the only other stat I want to point to is that the Pacers had 20 more assists than they had turnovers. The Wizards had two less assists than turnovers.
  
• Enough said.
• ...oh yea, Wizard Killer's 25 points.
  

It's KILLA B.

BTW, I forgot that Granger was from Metairie, LA, thanks to the New Mexico Lobos website -- represent the dirty. [other pic from SI Kids]

Bullets Forever with the open game thread - Prada wasn't far off with that 'Pacers holding the Wiz to under 80' prediction.

ESPN Story - Washington Post Story - NBA.com Box

Criminal Defense Lawyers, Scum of the Earth

New York Times article, "Scared Silent: In Witness Killing, Prosecutors Point to a Lawyer" [Story found via The Big Lead]

NEWARK — For prosecutors in New Jersey, much about the 2004 murder of Deshawn McCray was all too familiar: Yet another key witness in a major drug case had been shot dead before he could testify in court.

But there was one aspect of the killing that especially alarmed and infuriated prosecutors. They believed that a defense lawyer — a former prosecutor — had played a role in facilitating the murder.

----------------------------

A judicial system where everyone has the right to a legal defense makes common sense. Unfortunately, the norm for this "common sense" has often times turned into a "necessary evil." Of course, I'm weary of spreading blanket opinions, but more often than not, criminal defense lawyers are the scum of the earth. They must knowingly lie and deceive for violent and ruthless members of our society.

Many times, these felonious members grow up in reprehensible conditions, whether it be poverty, with mental defects/chemical imbalances, or in a conditioned environment surrounded by negative aspects. However, I'm a believer that despite external factors, humans, in most cases, have a say in their own life path, albeit, the levels can vary greatly according to what type of situation/surroundings in which we are born.

What makes despicable acts of criminal defense lawyers, especially the horrendous one outlined in the New York Times story above, so deplorable is that you expect someone who has the intelligence to be successful.....either because they grew up in an environment conducive to excelling, or because they learned how to be better people and make positive contributions to society by perseverance through the hardships with which they were faced.....you just expect that person to well, know better.

But we all must concede to the fact that greed is ever present, always has been, always will be (greed has less to do with the growing materialism in our society, rather, it's more an inherit trait). Greed, with a little selfishness on the side, is the motivating factor behind the evil deeds in this world. Accepting this, how can the legal system be drastically adjusted to provide more accurate results as to who is right and wrong, who is good or bad? Shoot, I hope you didn't expect an answer from me.

Live Game 25 Blog: Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks

Yes, please do tell me that the Zen-Master, Phil Jackson is playing his Jedi-Zen games when he is debating whether Kwame Brown will return to being the Lakers starter at center over Andrew Bynum once he returns from injury.

Ok, back to players who have heart, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. I've been unsure about this game. Some of those commenting on Bullets Forever seem apprehensive about the Hawks as well. Now, my feeling has changed. I think the veteran leadership of AJ and Tuff Juice will lead the Wizards to a victory over this young Hawks team. Of course, this Atlanta team has had wins over Dallas, Phoenix and Utah this year -- so maybe they aren't