Rockets, Lakers, Celtics, Magic

Sometimes I hate the East Coast. I don't mean that in the sense that there is some East Coast conspiracy against sports west of the Mississippi. Nor is this a shot at the weather. Rather it's just a lot harder to follow sports out here. For example right now I'm exhausted after staying up for Rockets/Lakers. However, at least I was rewarded. To review:

- Kobe Bryant was sublime, dropping 40 on Houston. He hit some incredibly well defended shots, threw the ball of the backboard to himself at one point and lit the fuse that got Ron Artest ejected. Count me in the long list of people that can't stand Kobe but respect his game. I hate the MJ comparison as much as the next guy but last night Kobe channeled the whole "I'm going to dominate because you said this guy or guys could stop me."

- Speaking of Artest. I've been fascinated with him since his days at St. John's. Based on interviews I've seen and read I'd argue that he's far more complex than people realize. However, when Artest loses it on the court it's downright frightening. At one point he stormed towards Kobe and later made a throat slashing gesture. Throughout the tirade he appeared to be in kill mode. To be fair who wouldn't be upset after earning an offensive foul while the master of smug (Kobe) got a way with an elbow in the vicinity of the throat? And it pains me to give Kobe credit but he played it perfectly. There's nothing worse than a guy refusing to engage in trash talk. That's exactly what Kobe did as he walked away with his arms up and a "This guy is crazy" look on his face. The whole incident made me wish it was a Rucker Park game. Alas.

- This hasn't come up before but I'm a big fan of the Argentinians. Granted Derek Fisher should not be able to knock down Luis Scola under any circumstances. But I'm still a big Scola fan. He's one of those international players that Tommy Heinsohn begrudgingly respects. On top of that Scola just looks like a great teammate. However, if he had lost his cool, and at one point I thought it could happen, and gone after Sasha Vujacic NBA fans everywhere would have rejoiced. How the Spurs let Scola go continues to baffle me.

- In a night full of incidents that will definitely keep Stu Jackson busy - Eddie House's elbow (was it inadvertant?), Rafer Alston's slap, Kobe's elbow and Artest's tirade - Fisher's forearm/elbow was by far the most premeditated and malicious of the bunch.

- There are still times where the game is too fast for Yao Ming. And he did get in foul trouble last night. However, Rockets fans must be in the "He's all growns up" stage right now. It's been fascinating to watch the growth in Yao's game and demeanor. Even his fire from the bench was impressive.

I'll close with a few random thoughts on the Celtics:

- It's not out of the realm of possibility that Eddie House could have signed with another team before 2008, bounced around the league a few more years and then left the Association before anyone got to see the best he had to offer. Thankfully that didn't happen. Last night he was on fire - 31 points, 11-14 from the field, 4-4 from deep, 5-6 from the line, and 10 times as many points as the Truth. House is definitely annoying other players and their fans, which only means he's bringing something to the table.

- Mark it down. Anthony Johnson will be involved in some sort of stand off/double technical/flagrant foul situation before this series is over.

- NBA players know the repercussions for any sort of non-basketball related aggression on the court. And yet they continue to lose their cool. It's a testament to how intense these games get.

Tommy Heinsohn Close Encounter Reported on The Basketball Jones

When I witnessed Tommy Heinsohn in all of his glory taking down bloody marys late last night, I knew that I had to get the word immediately to the finest source for basketball coverage in North America (which also means the world):


Ep. 424: Season In Balance from The Basketball Jones on Vimeo.

For the record, I don't generally call 3 times per day or at all. Although, I do try to e-mail at least a few times a week. Really, if you're not taking in the Basketball Jones everyday, you should be.


I also learned today that Frank Thomas drinks ZizZazz:

Foil in the Oven: The Deep Sigh of Relief

With about 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and the Celtics up 92-91, Rajon Rondo lost the ball out of bounds. The Bulls inbounded to Derrick Rose, who pushed the ball up the court ahead of the entire Celtics team and laid it in to give Chicago the lead. "Jesus, that was pathetic" I yelled (sprinkled with expletives). The next 5 minutes were probably the lowest point of the past two seasons for me. The defense was lazy, Ben Gordon couldn't miss, and at the end of it the Bulls had a five point lead and all of the momentum. I was furious. I couldn't believe that this team would allow their defensive effort to dissipate in the closing minutes of this one, wasting special performances from Big Baby, Rondo, and Perk in the process. They were going to lose, and it was going to be a death blow.

At this point, Doc called a timeout and ripped his team a new one for their lack of intensity. We all saw how it went down after the time out, and it was great. There was so much to feel good about after that win. However, I have a lot of concerns, and those need to be addressed first.

- Things are going to get much more difficult if Leon is not able to return in this series. It only took Mikki Moore 8 seconds to commit his first foul last night, and Doc's supply of front line minutes is getting more and more depleted.

- It's hard for me to even string together a rational thought about the repercussions that the Cs would face if Rondo's ankle blew up like a balloon last night and he's unable to go in Chicago.

- The bench was absolutely horrendous last night, accounting for only 9 of the Cs' total 118 points. Great bench play was an essential piece to last year's championship run. The Celtics are going to need more from these guys, especially Eddie House, going forward.

- Speaking of the bench, Tony Allen did not play a single minute last night and I don't know what to make of it. Last night seemed like the perfect opportunity for him to see heavy minutes defending Ben Gordon. At the very least, I expected to see him come in at the end with the Celts up 115-113 to defend Gordon. He didn't, and Gordon tied up the game. So, what does this mean? If we can't call on Tony Allen to come in and give good defensive minutes, especially against a team with such good scorers in the backcourt, things are going to be a lot tougher.

- I can't tell if Paul Pierce is hurt or if he is just worn down. With Deng out, I expected him to control this series and he hasn't been up to the task. He's passing up shots (huge red flag!), he is having trouble getting back every time of defense, and he hasn't seemed to be able to break down anyone off the dribble. I thought Salmons (especially with a bad groin) and Hinrich would be great matchups for him.
I guess the true indicator of whether or not PP is hurt will come in Chicago. We've seen him worn down before, and he usually manages to spring back just when we need him most.

- As was the case on Saturday, there were lapses in Boston's intensity and execution. It's frustrating, and I feared it would once again cost them. It's held true over two games now: they must make getting back on D the number one priority. Although they did a better job yesterday, they still gave up far too many easy points (Chicago shot 50% from the field. Abysmal).

To alleviate this, I think Doc needs to rotate in more bench minutes. In particular, why haven't we seen Bill Walker? I know he's inexperienced, but it's not like we'd be throwing him out there against the Lakers. This is a young Bulls team. Walker would allow more rest for the starters, and I think he could match Chicago's intensity. A fucking spark! That's what this team has needed throughout this series. I really think, in this specific case, Walker can provide that spark.


So, yes, I still have a lot of concerns. But, I'm confident that things are going to pick up. Our readers all know that I have a pretty serious mancrush on Paul Pierce. Hearing his distinct, sultry voice tell me that "our best is yet to come" brought me great comfort.


Now, not to overlook the positive:

- 28 second half points for Ray, who looked like his old self down the stretch. We can all stop panicking now about a repeat playoff slump.

- It's incredible how much Rondo and Big Baby have improved their outside shot, and it gives me so much hope for the future of the Celtics post-big three. Both of these guys can now make teams pay for playing off of them (and Big Baby did, over and over again last night). This will make the Celtics even more dangerous when they are back at full strength next season.

- Rondo is a tough motherfucker. I've heard some talk from the anti-Celtics camp that he likes to ham it up a bit when he goes to the floor so that people will give him more credit for his toughness. First of all, that's ridiculous. He hits the floor hard every night. Secondly, nobody can deny that ankle last night. It was clear as day on the replay. To come back from that and still finish with a triple double is ridiculous. Add 5 steals to those triple double numbers. Hands down the most important player of the series so far. I wish he'd start padding himself up like Dwayne Wade does. It makes sense.

- The Celtics returned to their old ways and dominated the glass in this one. In particular, credit Rondo and Perk with 7 offensive boards apiece. Big Baby made up for his poor rebounding performance on Saturday, and it made his 26 points all the more impressive.

- Perk did everything in this game. He pulled down tough rebounds in traffic, he blocked a key shot at the end of the game, and his ability to work Chicago's front line on offense appeared at times in the first half to be the only constant for the Cs.

- The Bulls came in to this determined to get a split in Boston. They did a hell of a job with it. Back to back career nights from different players. However, they will not have guys step up like that every night. They can't. Just as Rose came back down to earth last night, Gordon will come down on Thursday.

- We finally saw life from this team in the second half. It came quickly once they started to build some momentum. They are better than this Chicago team, which is why I can't understand the sheepishness with which they have approached their business for much of this series. They are the world champs, and I'd like to see some front running. They play better and with a hell of a lot more intensity when they carry that attitude with them. I don't care if it takes KG taunting opponents from the bench and picking up technicals. I don't care if it takes Perk putting Noah down hard (by don't care I mean I'd fucking love it) and taking a technical. The swagger needs to return. That will get them back on defense. That will lead to more scoring. That's when the Celtics are at their best.




Final note:

After the game, my fiancee and I went across the street to the Four's for some beer and nachos. After leaving the Garden, there was no way we could just go home. Well, the next thing we know, Tommy Heinsohn is sitting in the booth right behind ours. I had a dead on view of him, and took in as much as I could. I started thinking to myself....is there a more significant Celtic that I could be looking at right now? Heinsohn won 8 rings as a player and 2 more as a coach. He was a six time all star and coach of the year. He's the face of the franchise as an announcer. Really, there is no question that this was more significant than drinking ten feet away from Larry Bird. I guess the only guy you could argue would be Bill Russell.

I kept in close contact with his waiter. He drank bloody marys and ate shrimp cocktail. That's a meal very heavy in tomatoes (lycopene, good for the prostate). Bloody Marys late at night? The man is an animal.

Tommy Heinsohn is a Homer and Other Thoughts

It's been months since my last post and a lot has gone on in that time. However, on the heels of the Celtics losing 3 of 4 out west, Charles Barkleys' stunning mug shot/surreal explanation and LaRocque's ground breaking mid podcast beer run, it felt like a good time to start writing again. In lieu of a coherent post I'll go with a random list of unrelated points.

- Before LaRocque pulled a homer move and gave his pick for the Defensive Player of the Year he should have held out for Antonio Pierce's defense at the pending Plaxico Burress trial. That joke made more sense in my head.

- If I were a Philadelphia Eagels fan I would not care that Donovan McNabb did not know a NFL game can end in a tie. To be fair I did not see the game and if McNabb played conservatively down the stretch banking on a second overtime it makes sense to a degree. But it still gets my vote for the most overblown story of the NFL season. Furthermore, for all of the criticism McNabb and Andy Reid take I'd still take them over half, in not more, of the QBs and head coaches in the NFL.

- The fact that Caron Butler's brilliance is flying under the radar is the underrated downer of the complete implosion of the Washington Wizards. I know he's been an All Star, but people don't realize how good he is. Meanwhile, when that team is moderately healthy it is one of the most entertaining squads in the entire league to follow.

- Over the last 5 years blogs have completely transformed the way die hard fans follow their respective teams. As a sophomore in college I read Bill Simmons, Peter King, Dr. Z, and...that's it. Things have changed for the better. And yet television coverage lags painfully behind. I've given up on all pre and post game shows and have a hard time listening to most announcers. Granted it's not entirely their fault. Television executives push certain agendas. However, we continue to grow increasingly savvy as sports fans and television coverage shows few if any signs of keeping pace.

- The numerous proclamations of "The Dunk contest is back!" is one of my least favorite aspects of the NBA All Star weekend. That's mainly because I've always loved the Dunk Contest. Off the top only the Fred Jones, Desmond Mason, and Nate Robinson Dunk Contests did not do it for me. And that brings me to my point. I hate the fact that Robinson is in this year's edition. If they hadn't retired his summer league jersey I'd really be up in arms.
- Maybe I'm the only one but I'd be far more worried if the Yankees picked up David Price, Scott Kazmir, and Evan Longoria this off season. Taking into account that I probably always undervalue Mark Teixeira, I still don't fear the C.C. Sabathia/A.J. Burnett/Teixeira triumvirate. And that's saying something because A) Teixeira was instrumental in my first fantasy league championship and B) Price and company all play for the Rays.

- For entirely different reasons I can't speak rationally about the Hanley Ramirez to the Red Sox and Stephon Marbury to the Celtics rumors. Moving on...

- With all due respect to LaRocque, Kobe Bryant couldn't take a team of scrubs past round one...in the Western Conference. LeBron did it with a tremendous defensive team in a significantly weaker conference. Granted I'm terrified of LeBron. But in 07' and 08' the Eastern Conference was not strong. Having said all that I encourage you to check out the end (final 12 minutes or so) of the most previous ROOMOFZEN podcast for the LeBron/Bolt debate. Babcock's jacket argument and Bolt commercial idea were fantastic.

- I caught Matt Cassell in an intense conversation with Steve Pagliuca during the Celtics/Wizards game and I really wanted to know what they were discussing.

- Every now and then Tom Heinsohn somehow brings his homerism to a new level. For example tonight he argued that a goal tending should have been overlooked because of the hustle that went into it. In the old days they would have let the fans enjoy it. I defended Gerald Green on numerous occasions and yet even I'm at a loss with Heinsohn at times.

- 7 footers are sort of like lefty pitchers in the sense that someone will always give them a shot. I bring this up because Patrick O'Bryant is starting to remind me a little bit of Matt Young. That's not a good thing.

That's it for now.

How Do We Feel About Jerry Remy?

First I'd like to apologize to anyone who does not care about the Red Sox or does not watch them on TV, where Jerry Remy is the long standing, 20 years as of yesterday, color commentator. But I want to get this out there because I seem to be in the minority when I say that I am not a fan. Also to be fair I'm a fan of Tommy Heinsohn, even if he is guilty of some of the things I am about to accuse Remy of. Those are the facts. Now on to my issues.

1. At times Remy will completely talk over the game about numerous non-baseball related topics. Off the top of my head the most egregious examples came several years ago when in a short span of time (couple of weeks as I remember it) he actually read lacrosse box scores from the newspaper and tried to get one of the interns into Syracuse. Those are two unrelated incidents but they stick out to me. Granted the baseball regular season is 162 games long and some of those are downright atrocious. This was even more true before this current golden age of Red Sox baseball. But I'm of the opinion that the games matter. It's up to sports talk radio, guys in bars, television shows, now blogs, and to a lesser extent newspapers to talk about the off topic stuff. During the game I want to know what was just thrown, how fast it was, etc.

2. The biggest issue for me, which is somewhat related to the first is that Remy thinks he is a major part of the show at this point. It started with the cameras focusing on all of the Remy signs in stadiums. Granted this is not the WWF and those signs were made by the fans. Why not show them? Still from there it went to the love fest with Wally the mascot, the whole president for Red Sox nation thing, numerous commercials including a recent one where he plays air guitar (I couldn't make that up), Rem Dawg, the Remy Report, and everything else.

Now I can be open minded. For starters a ton of people genuinely like him. Also he knows baseball. That counts for a lot. And for someone who is from the old school he does not seem to fear/hate the sabermetrics stuff. And some of his schtick is at the very least similar to Tommy Points and "I Love Waltahhhh!", while a lot more on point than - "Gerald Green will be an All Star someday." If I'm off on this one so be it. Just throwing it out there.