Friday, March 24, 2006
The Gon(e)-Z(s)aga
I was never a huge fan of Adam Morrison's game. OK, I must admit, I've never really watched him play. But after hearing all the comparisons to NBA legend Larry Bird, I tuned in to watch him lead his team against UCLA in the sweet sixteen matchup. I was disgusted that the Bird comparison had emanated in the first place. What is it about all these Bird comparison's anyway? Do we not show him or his game enough respect? or is it because he is white? To compare the fake Mexican moustache-donning big man to Bird appeared so atrocious after the Gonzaga-UCLA game.
So he had somewhat of a good first half. It didn't seem to matter in the waning minutes as the Morrison-led 'Zags, blew a 17-point lead to the Bruins. What did I take away from the game at the end of the day? Morrison choking away the game, and then crying like a lost child in the middle of the desert. I watched in disgust as Morrison blew shots after shots and passed up some more. Finally my stomach churned with irritation when with less than 30 seconds left in the game and the 'Zags up by only one, Morrison, after receiving the inbound, chose to pass the ball away. He's supposed to be a good freethrow shooter, but maybe taking choking into account, he may not be the best. I may be wrong, but when a game is down to one possession, you give the ball to your best player(which they did,) but Morrison passed up the ball after barey holding onto it for three seconds. Subsequently UCLA stripped the ball from the receiving player (Batiste?) and from the corner of my eye I could see Morrison running up the court, instead of toward his teammate to get the ball back.
It doesn't end there. After UCLA had taken the the lead and were up by three with about 1.2 seconds left. With no time outs left, Gonzaga proceeded to in-bound the ball with a deep pass. Guess who was no where close to the centre line? Morrison. He wasn't even in the picture when the pass was made. I guess he was prepping to fall on d floor and start weeping profusely as he did shortly after. To say I'm disappointed doesn't quite do it. After all, I had never known him personally nor watched his game intensely. His teammates have to be the most disappointed of all. You endure the whole season listening to everyone say he is the one to put your team over the top, and he disappears when that time comes. I guess we know why he grew the 'stache, he's a con artist.
I wasn't a big fan of Gonzaga, not one, don't know if I'll ever be. But as a basketball player and fan, I know I was extremely disappointed to see how that game ended. Now mention the name Adam Morrison next to me and I'll definitely have a lot to say about him, thanks to yesterday's game.
So he had somewhat of a good first half. It didn't seem to matter in the waning minutes as the Morrison-led 'Zags, blew a 17-point lead to the Bruins. What did I take away from the game at the end of the day? Morrison choking away the game, and then crying like a lost child in the middle of the desert. I watched in disgust as Morrison blew shots after shots and passed up some more. Finally my stomach churned with irritation when with less than 30 seconds left in the game and the 'Zags up by only one, Morrison, after receiving the inbound, chose to pass the ball away. He's supposed to be a good freethrow shooter, but maybe taking choking into account, he may not be the best. I may be wrong, but when a game is down to one possession, you give the ball to your best player(which they did,) but Morrison passed up the ball after barey holding onto it for three seconds. Subsequently UCLA stripped the ball from the receiving player (Batiste?) and from the corner of my eye I could see Morrison running up the court, instead of toward his teammate to get the ball back.
It doesn't end there. After UCLA had taken the the lead and were up by three with about 1.2 seconds left. With no time outs left, Gonzaga proceeded to in-bound the ball with a deep pass. Guess who was no where close to the centre line? Morrison. He wasn't even in the picture when the pass was made. I guess he was prepping to fall on d floor and start weeping profusely as he did shortly after. To say I'm disappointed doesn't quite do it. After all, I had never known him personally nor watched his game intensely. His teammates have to be the most disappointed of all. You endure the whole season listening to everyone say he is the one to put your team over the top, and he disappears when that time comes. I guess we know why he grew the 'stache, he's a con artist.
I wasn't a big fan of Gonzaga, not one, don't know if I'll ever be. But as a basketball player and fan, I know I was extremely disappointed to see how that game ended. Now mention the name Adam Morrison next to me and I'll definitely have a lot to say about him, thanks to yesterday's game.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
South Florida welcomes Culpepper
The miami Dolphins acquired quaterback Daunte Culpepper from the Minnesota Vikings for a future second round pick. While I'd have prefered Drew Brees, Culpepper is more than capable of taking the reins on a team expected to be contenders next season.
Although Culpepper is coming off one of his worst seasons in the league--injuries restricted his performance and the infamous boat trip scandal(the case is still pending), Miami could serve as a nice fit for him to adapt to easily (think notorious south beach. **wink, wink**) With his acquisition comes high expectations for the Dolphins....Let's hope Nick Saban can bring the heat.
Although Culpepper is coming off one of his worst seasons in the league--injuries restricted his performance and the infamous boat trip scandal(the case is still pending), Miami could serve as a nice fit for him to adapt to easily (think notorious south beach. **wink, wink**) With his acquisition comes high expectations for the Dolphins....Let's hope Nick Saban can bring the heat.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Walk-a-less Heat!
It's become painfully obvious to anyone with eyes that the Heat are better off without Antoine Walker. What I don't understand is why Hall-of-fame coach Riley can't seem to notice it. Is there some incentive to keep playing Walker that we are not aware of? yesterday's loss to Golden state shows that the Heat are in no way ready to be championship contenders. J-Rich's 44 points, exposed their flawed defense and gave the Heat a rude awakening--you can't possibly expect to rally back repeatedly in the fourth quarter against teams, contenders or not.
As poorly as the team's defense was, it was painfully obvious that Walker made the difference in the game. He played only 16 minutes, but managed to cost the Heat the game in that amount of time. Every time he was in the game, the Heat turned the ball over more and averaged a -nine in point differential (or so it seemed.) It's time for Riley to reassess Walker's sole on the team(none) and think about playing rookie Wayne Simien more. Simien reminds me of Udonis Haslem a couple of years ago. Although he hasn't played much(thanks to Walker's useless contributions,) he's impressed me with his hustle mentality in the few games and garbage minutes he has. Riley also needs to consider starting any of the Anderson's-- Derrick or Shannon-- over Posey, since Posey has lacked consistency all year.
If the Heat want to have any chance of hoisting a championship banner and hosting a championship parade, two things have become painfully clear: step up your defense and bench Walker.
As poorly as the team's defense was, it was painfully obvious that Walker made the difference in the game. He played only 16 minutes, but managed to cost the Heat the game in that amount of time. Every time he was in the game, the Heat turned the ball over more and averaged a -nine in point differential (or so it seemed.) It's time for Riley to reassess Walker's sole on the team(none) and think about playing rookie Wayne Simien more. Simien reminds me of Udonis Haslem a couple of years ago. Although he hasn't played much(thanks to Walker's useless contributions,) he's impressed me with his hustle mentality in the few games and garbage minutes he has. Riley also needs to consider starting any of the Anderson's-- Derrick or Shannon-- over Posey, since Posey has lacked consistency all year.
If the Heat want to have any chance of hoisting a championship banner and hosting a championship parade, two things have become painfully clear: step up your defense and bench Walker.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Back in the act!
I know it's been ages since I've contributed to my blog. In fact, ages doesn't quite say it. The Heat have had an up and down season, but seem to be just where they want to be--2nd in the east, behind the Pistons. Midnight Madness is just days away. The Winter Olympics has come and gone with a somewhat disappointing showing for the U.S.; especially with some of its stars(Michelle Kwan, Bode Miller.) Barry Bonds has taken to drag dressing, maybe in a bid to make himself more endearing to fans, but still faces major steroid use allegations--two Sanfracisco Chronicle writers recently released a book addressing the allegations. I'd say that even though I've been away for a long time, it shouldn't take me too long to get back in the game. Afterall, there's plenty of sports to talk about. Stay in touch!!!!
