Monday, December 28, 2009

airball men back from the dead

been a while since i edited this thing. been too busy with school work and looking at myself in the mirror and getting surprised everytime i see myself. i look too damn good. no, really, i do. i make women's panties fall off just like that. and pigs can fly.

anyone else felt the triumphant return of t-mac? yeah, i'm sure all of you answered "NO," because of 2 undeniable truths:
1. the world has passed t-mac by
2. it's not even close to being triumphant.

well he did return and averaged 3.2 points in 7 minutes a ballgame while shooting an ice cold 36%. when you once scored 13 points in 35 seconds against the spurs and won back-to-back scoring titles and are now relegated to the bench as a first-half player, you know your team doesn't want you anymore.

question is, does anybody else want t-mac?

he may not be the dominant all-star who once battled kobe bryant for backcourt supremacy in the league, but i think he can still be a good second or third scoring option on other teams (and by "other teams" i meant 80% of the eastern conference). or he could go to the philippines and dominate the philippine basketball association.

did anybody watch the lakers-cavs game? it was a playoff atmosphere inside staples center, complete with commentators saying "the referees are letting them play!" and some foam-finger-throwin' from the LA crowd. it reminded me of the glory days of the NBA in the 80's and 90's, because back then the referees didn't automatically blow the whistle upon seeing contact. now they seem to not want any scratch on the faces of the players. what's up with that? the NBA is a grown-up's league and some slight contact can be shrugged off, unless you're lebron james.

anyway, happy new year.

EDIT! here's a comment from my best friend "anonymous," who is clearly anti-lebron:
and yes, i hate lebron. the NBA's trying too hard to "create" another jordan, but you can't create that. it just happens.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

kobe's still on top.

Charley Rosen of foxsports.com said it best:
Because of his gigantic talents, his overwhelming power, his freight-train speed, his resounding dunks and his chase-down blocks of breakaways, most NBA watchers believe LeBron James to be the best player in the league.

While conceding LBJ's gargantuan upside, I humbly beg to disagree. By my lights, the honor belongs to Kobe Bryant.

Here's why:

- Kobe's low-post game is much more effective than LeBron's. This is somewhat puzzling given LBJ's size, strength and ability to finish.

- Kobe's left hand is better around the hoop, and his off-handed shots also have better range.

- Kobe has a better handle, both in and out of traffic.

- There's no comparison between Kobe's reliable jumper and LeBron's erratic one.

- Kobe is a more reliable shooter at the free-throw line — 84.0 percent lifetime to LBJ's 73.8.

- No right-minded observer would disagree Kobe is the best clutch shooter extant.

- Although he often is hypnotized by the ball, Kobe is still a superior defender.

- In the attack zone and on the outskirts, Kobe enjoys a considerable advantage in sheer creativity.

- Given that LBJ measures 6-8, 250, while Kobe is a mere 6-7, 210, their offensive rebounding stats are significant. James averages 1.3 while Bryant's average is 1.2. All things considered, then, it's clear Kobe also out-performs LeBron in this category.

- Whereas LBJ's pre-game antics are often childish — all of the dancing, fake photo-snapping, showering court-siders with rosin dust — Kobe has a much more serious and focused approach.

- Unlike LeBron, Kobe doesn't use the imperial third person when talking about himself.