Love: This Exchange Between Kevin Garnett and Bill Russell

Kevin Garnett: “Did I make you proud?”

Bill Russell: “Yes you did”

Got to be honest folks… there’s was a tear or two in my living room after that one.

Don’t Like (Yet Still Part of Me Likes): That I’m Already Seeing WAYYYY Less Laker Flags

For those unaware, whenever the Lakers start achieving a modicum of success in the playoffs (usually it has to be making it to the conference finals, or NBA finals) Angelinos start putting these dumb-ass flags all over their cars. The fact that these only come out when the Lakers are championship bound is the sure sign of a fair-weather fan base and all around crappiness.

I walked into work last Thursday wearing my Pierce jersey (totally awesome) and got not only the reactions of “Boston!? YOU LIKE BOSTON!??!” (to which I have to calmly tell them “I’m from Boston”) but better yet got a vast amount of scoffing at the very notion that Boston had a chance to win this series.

Whenever I pointed out that they did, I received the nicely ironic rebuttable of “then why are the Vegas odds so against them!?” Luckily that one’s easy, LA gamblers outnumber Boston ones in Vegas about 7:1. Boom. Easy. The line is meant to split the votes, hence, bigger odds.

Flashforward and here we are with the Celtics up 2-0. Needless to say no one is scoffing at me today, but ALREADY, there wasn’t a single Lakers flag on the way to work today. For the last week I’ve seen at least 30-40 no lie (there’s a lot of cars in LA). This morning, people have event taken down their Lakers memoriablia down from the front doors of their offices.

Are Lakers fans THAT fair-weather? I thought this is was a real rivalry and they’re jumping ship at the first signs of trouble? I like this cause it confirms their lameness. Yet, I want the intensity. I want the rivalry!

Of course, I fully expect these sullen ninnies to be back on the bandwagon, flying thier dumb flags, and saying “I told you so!” when the Lakers scratch together a couple of wins.

Or if they lose game 3… “Lakers? Nah. They suck. I Never liked em”

/PS. Big ups to Leon Powe.

Isn’t this supposed to

Also Way Like: Bird. Magic. New Split Screen Commercial.

Yeah these commercials have been overdone. But finally one is full of awesome.

Bonus points: Bird looks awful.

Exta Bonus points: Bird said he felt like a dork after doing it.

Like: Mid-Game Heroics

Game 1. Advantage? Celtics.

To all the doubters, I’ve strained my knee before like that. It’s a scary moment because you feel little pop/tear and freaks the shit out of you. You think the worst. And then it can either be A) the worst B) Just a little pull.

I cowered on the ground hoping it would be B… and it was.

Paul Pierce not only came back to the floor, he walked right past Doc Rivers checking himself into the game. Then he launched two crucial threes to help pad the lead and complete dominate the quarter.

THIS is the shit the NBA finals are built on.

And better yet, that’s the shit that makes you a Celtics legend.

Paul Pierce, bitches.

Oh yeah, and the game was great too. Celts were swarming all over Kobe. Ever shot was off-balance and two guys in his face. Sure he’s so good he can hit a lot of those, but still. Celts were making it damn HARD for him. And Pau Gasol continues to impress everyone with his incredible length and quickness to the basket. Odom got in foul trouble but his size was giving us problems. Doc is still playing Cassell for some god forsaken reason. Yeah he had three big opening shots, but then he bricked the next 5. BRING IN EDDIE HOUSE! And also for all the lakers fans out her complaining about the Lakers’s shooting, let’s not forget this was a game were Garnett missed 9 straight shots. This is going to be an AMAZING series.

Like: A Potential Lakers-Celtics Final

Game 6 with Detroit tonight… one win away.. can you feel it?

Don’t Like: Flopping

Flopping, for those who don’t know, is the act of falling to the ground and pretending like you were hurt and acting like a little bitch so you can disown your manhood and get a foul call.

Over-acting has always been a part of the game, as has “selling the foul” but throughout NBA history it’s pretty much been regulated to just happening in the moment. Not so much anymore. Flopping is happening so frequently and to such great effect that it started becoming a noticeable part of the game. Refs finally started to not call that shit, leaving said players to look like retards. Finally, the NBA is doing something about it for real and is going to implement fines for flopping.

The flopping development is partially just a natural evolution of the game (LeBron participates a little too much for my liking. Jordan didn’t do that. He would get fouled then stare at the ref like he was going to murder his family in their sleep), but most of it has to do with the influx of international players, who all seem to take part in this shenanigan.

First off, I love the influx of international players. They’re hyper-talented, bring a global interest to the game, and play great roles/fundamental basketball. It’s wonderful.

But they also flop. Maybe it’s the influence of soccer, I dunno. Maybe it’s just how they play games professionally around the world. I really don’t know. I just know Americans don’t like it. I don’t like it.

Finally, the owners want to do something about the wussification of the NBA. David Stern’s rules on “can’t talk back to the refs” is so bullshit that it’s turned the NBA into a bunch of guys who can’t show passion on the court. What the hell does he know about the game of basketball? He never played. He’s a lawyer. And people who don’t think that the “can’t talk back” rule/the dress code rule/and the “can’t step off the bench” rule aren’t all racially motivated are nuts. As soon as the NBA incorporated the Gangsta culture it was suddenly perceived they weren’t being gentlemen and turned into a bunch of thugs. That’s horseshit. The 80’s were all about thugging and it was great. Fan interest was at an all time high.

The greatest foul of that thug era was Dave Cowens. An “enraged Cowens, fed up with a second fake flop to draw an offensive foul in the same game”, ran the Houston guard down in front of the Celtics’ bench, leveled him with a “double forearm shiver”, which completely threw him into the stands. He then ran over to the referee and screamed “Now that’s a fucking foul!” (that’s often quoted without the “fucking” because papers can’t print that part). Today he would be ejected for 10+ games. Back then? just thrown out of the game and that’s it.

… I miss the 80s NBA so much

Also, Flopping in Soccer is like a whole different level too. My Favorite story (quoted from Wiki):

“In 1989, Rojas was in goal for Chile’s 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Brazil at Rio De Janeiro’s Maracanã stadium. Chile, down 1-0, would be eliminated from the upcoming World Cup with a loss. Around the 70-minute mark, Rojas fell to the pitch writhing and holding his forehead. A firework, thrown from the stands by a Brazilian fan named Rosemary de Mello, was smoldering about a yard away. Rojas, his head bloodied, was carried off the field by his teammates who then refused to return claiming conditions were unsafe. The match went unfinished.

Video evidence later showed that Rojas had not been hit by the firework. His head injury was discovered to have been self-inflicted with a razor blade hidden in his glove. FIFA awarded Brazil a 2-0 win, effectively eliminating Chile from the 1990 World Cup. As a consequence, Chile was banned from the 1994 FIFA World Cup and Rojas was banned for life.

In 2001, following a request for pardon, Rojas’ ban was lifted by FIFA.”

Like: That I Have a TV in My Cube that Gets East Coast Feeds

It’s incredible really. We need legitimately need TV’s in our cubes to check our on-air programming. But I also get to watch regular TV too. We get every single Fox and Fox Cable Network, ESPN, NFL network, every single regional FSN feed, and NESN! Best of all, we get the East coast feeds so I get to watch everything 3 hours early while I’m still at work. And yes, I do all my work and it’s not a distraction. If it was I couldn’t watch because I seriously do have a lot of actual work during the day. But I’m lucky, the whole thing is wonderful. I get to watch every Red Sox and Celtics game.

I may never leave my job. Ever.

Like: James Posey

There’s a hell of a lot to like about the Celtics this year. Best record in the NBA. Kevin Garnett has rejuvenated the fan base and brings an incredible amount of intensity to every facet of the team. Ray Allen brings his class, grace, incredible outside shooting, and best acting performance by an athlete. Paul Pierce is playing like man reborn. Rondo is developing ahead of schedule. All our role players are playing those rolls exceptionally well. My favorite of those guys? James Posey. He plays tough D off the bench and is an incredible 3-pt shooter. Whenever he steps on the floor they see this middling looking forward that people will assume is just another body. Then he jacks his awkward off-kilter 3 in their face. They never catch on until he hits his 3rd either. A lot of time it pads the lead and gives the opposing team a nice death sentence. It’s awesome. He also kinda reminds me of late-career Sam Perkins.