Wanted to first of all give the Bisher Ticket running for St. X student council a shout out via MIB. Best of luck to you guys. My one and only suggestion (and it may have already been addressed and fixed) but the restrooms right by the Berning Gym on the second floor at the end of the English hall back in my days used to have three stalls and the farthest one to the left had no door! The majority of people would rather hold it in than poop with an open door, but usually my daily ditch and dump in Engber/Roberson/Creason's classes (yeah top that for english teachers for your first three years....the opposite of reered) often found me dumping in door-less stall 3. Why might you ask? I NEVER had to put t.p. down because I knew it was a pretty good chance that my buttcheeks were the only neanderthal cheeks touching that bare toilet seat all day. Crazy? Maybe. But I used to be able to spend half-hours posting in there, reading the walls...some of the most vulgar and gosh-dern-hylarious things I have ever read in my life. I may have even added my two cents worth in via Sharpie as well. Let's just say I didn't get Seabass' phone number in there. Bisher and fellas, do work. I'm expecting big things, especially from the VP of Spirit. Sgo.
Okay, apologies for my rant. Onwards we go to the topic of the day: the NBA Playoffs. I know there are many mixed feelings about the League, the effort exerted, and the baggage that comes with many of these "athletes." Hate it or love it, the GREATEST athletes in the world play in the National Basketball Association. Are you going to tell me that Lebron wouldn't be a Pro-Bowler, Steve Nash couldn't be starting center midfielder for a top-tier club over in England, and Joakim Noah couldn't be going shot for shot with Nadal at Roland Garros (well that might be a stretch, but tennis IS in his ...and he clearly didn't get the hot genes from his mom, Ms. Sweden). You can't argue it, these guys can do things with their bodies that most in the world cannot even fathom. Derrick Rose had me dropping my jaw numerous times last night with the way he was freakishly twisting his body around the hoop and getting shots to drop in. Speaking of the Bulls, did anybody hear Noah bash the city of Cleveland?! haha I lost it...and honestly, for the most part it's accurate: there is nothing to do there and all there are are factories. Ouch. If you're ever up in the Cuyahoga region of Ohio, make sure not to light a match around the river. Yea...nasty. Gotta love the trash talking that comes with the energy of the NBA Playoffs!
Okay, apologies for my rant. Onwards we go to the topic of the day: the NBA Playoffs. I know there are many mixed feelings about the League, the effort exerted, and the baggage that comes with many of these "athletes." Hate it or love it, the GREATEST athletes in the world play in the National Basketball Association. Are you going to tell me that Lebron wouldn't be a Pro-Bowler, Steve Nash couldn't be starting center midfielder for a top-tier club over in England, and Joakim Noah couldn't be going shot for shot with Nadal at Roland Garros (well that might be a stretch, but tennis IS in his ...and he clearly didn't get the hot genes from his mom, Ms. Sweden). You can't argue it, these guys can do things with their bodies that most in the world cannot even fathom. Derrick Rose had me dropping my jaw numerous times last night with the way he was freakishly twisting his body around the hoop and getting shots to drop in. Speaking of the Bulls, did anybody hear Noah bash the city of Cleveland?! haha I lost it...and honestly, for the most part it's accurate: there is nothing to do there and all there are are factories. Ouch. If you're ever up in the Cuyahoga region of Ohio, make sure not to light a match around the river. Yea...nasty. Gotta love the trash talking that comes with the energy of the NBA Playoffs!
I have loved the NBA for as long as I can remember. Basketball has been my favorite sport to play and watch ever since I was a young boy. I remember playing one on one vs my bro-dog Patrick. I would be Michael Jordan or Shaq and he would be Patrick Ewing or Hakeem "the Dream" Olajuwon. We would put on our jerseys, shoes, headbands, jacked up socks, and hoop it up in the basement on our Michael Jordan 6 foot plastic hoop. I would watch the NBA on NBC on Sunday afternoons and just get so jacked that during timeouts and halftime, I would have to let out some excitement and energy on the rim and my younger brother. I know most would agree...but how UNREAL is the NBA on NBC jingle. Wow. Still gives me chills listening to it. It's on the same level as the NCAA tourney music on CBS. Yea I said it. Lotta rugburns down there though in the basement. Lotta good times too...spurred on from my early love and admiration for the NBA and all that it represented.
I grew up in the Jordan Era and remember vividly watching the Bulls in the 90's and always rooting against them. In looking back on it, as much as I hated them then, it was just because they were so damn good and I have always liked seeing dynasties fall (Cowboys, Patriots, Yankees, etc). I feel nothing short of privileged to have been able to see what those guys did though. The Bulls were nothing without Jordan but his supporting crew knew their roles and GOT IT DONE. Even though I have lived in the great city of Cincinnati, OH all of my life (without an NBA team), I think college basketball in this town more than makes up for the void left by the Royals back in the 60's. Do I wish we still had an NBA team? Absolutely. But I don't mind picking and choosing who I root for year in and year out. It makes the playoffs more entertaining for me anyway. For the record I am a New Orleans Hornets fan. They have my all-time favorite Muskie as well as NBA player in David West, my second all-time in James Posey (2 rings), and they are lead at the point position by Skip-coached CP3. They're fun to watch for sure. I'm disappointed the Bugs played so inconsistently this year but hopefully they can get a good high draft pick and build around their nucleus. Also, FYI if D West ditches town and goes elsewhere, his new team will be MY new team. Respect the loyalty.
I want to finish off this blog post with a few of my favorite Playoff memories as a kid. I am feeling more negative energy than I think is deserved on the NBA, both the regular season and the postseason and I feel I owe it to the league that has given me so much to at least throw out there some reasons in past 15 or so years why the playoffs are so sick. Weather you jump on the Cavs bandwagon as a fellow Ohioan (or root for whomever they play as a fellow Ohioan like me), root for the underdogs (gotta love the dogs), or take a specific liking to a team for whatever reason, I advise you to screw the homework, tune into Marv Albert and Co., and give 40 Games in 40 Nights a good hard shot. Are the playoffs like they used to be? Not exactly, but I think the NBA contains more talent currently than it ever has. There will not be another decade of the Celtics or Bulls. Too much parity now. You can't get complacent, you always have to continue to get better, and many times even that won't get you to the promised land because the league is just so rich with talent. The NBA hasn't been exactly the same since Jordan's days with the Bulls as well as the lockout of 1999. It's been a long uphill climb and it's up to us as the next generation of viewers to give in to the temptation and really take a liking to watching the best athletes in the world handle the rock. Ahhem...you guys.
Just a few of my favorite NBA moments (thrilling and heartbreaking alike):
1) Magic v. Rockets, 1995 NBA Finals: Picture a young, athletic Shaq and a point guard in Penny Hardaway that were too young realize the gigantic stage that they were playing on. That Christmas prior to their run to the Finals, I got all Orlando Magic gear for Christmas and jocked that team hard. SICK pinstripe jerseys. Penny had some of the hottest kicks of all-time and did so for a few years in a row. If you don't remember Nike's Lil' Penny Commercials, I advise you to youtube it.
2) 97-98 Finals: The tail-end of the Bulls run brought about one last worthy (but unsuccessful) opponent: Fuerto's Utah Jazz. The Jazz squad lead by arguably the best PG-PF combo ever in Stockton Malone just couldn't get 4 against the Bulls. I remember rooting for them so hard. Jordan's famous flu performance sticks out in my mind as well as of course, "the shot" when he crossed over Byron Russell and stroked one last j in a Bull's uni for nemero seis. MJ thanks for the memories.
I want to finish off this blog post with a few of my favorite Playoff memories as a kid. I am feeling more negative energy than I think is deserved on the NBA, both the regular season and the postseason and I feel I owe it to the league that has given me so much to at least throw out there some reasons in past 15 or so years why the playoffs are so sick. Weather you jump on the Cavs bandwagon as a fellow Ohioan (or root for whomever they play as a fellow Ohioan like me), root for the underdogs (gotta love the dogs), or take a specific liking to a team for whatever reason, I advise you to screw the homework, tune into Marv Albert and Co., and give 40 Games in 40 Nights a good hard shot. Are the playoffs like they used to be? Not exactly, but I think the NBA contains more talent currently than it ever has. There will not be another decade of the Celtics or Bulls. Too much parity now. You can't get complacent, you always have to continue to get better, and many times even that won't get you to the promised land because the league is just so rich with talent. The NBA hasn't been exactly the same since Jordan's days with the Bulls as well as the lockout of 1999. It's been a long uphill climb and it's up to us as the next generation of viewers to give in to the temptation and really take a liking to watching the best athletes in the world handle the rock. Ahhem...you guys.
Just a few of my favorite NBA moments (thrilling and heartbreaking alike):
1) Magic v. Rockets, 1995 NBA Finals: Picture a young, athletic Shaq and a point guard in Penny Hardaway that were too young realize the gigantic stage that they were playing on. That Christmas prior to their run to the Finals, I got all Orlando Magic gear for Christmas and jocked that team hard. SICK pinstripe jerseys. Penny had some of the hottest kicks of all-time and did so for a few years in a row. If you don't remember Nike's Lil' Penny Commercials, I advise you to youtube it.
2) 97-98 Finals: The tail-end of the Bulls run brought about one last worthy (but unsuccessful) opponent: Fuerto's Utah Jazz. The Jazz squad lead by arguably the best PG-PF combo ever in Stockton Malone just couldn't get 4 against the Bulls. I remember rooting for them so hard. Jordan's famous flu performance sticks out in my mind as well as of course, "the shot" when he crossed over Byron Russell and stroked one last j in a Bull's uni for nemero seis. MJ thanks for the memories.
3) Late 90's-early 2000's: After the Bulls, the Spurs were good but the Lakers really stick out in mind as the next team I d. I d Shaq when he left Orlando. I d young Fro-y Kobe (I love Kobe now...hands down better than LBJ). Two teams I loved and got my heart broken though by because of the Lakers.
a) Portland Trailblazers: They had Pippen post-Bulls, JR Rider, Steve Smith, Dale Davis, Not Yourdvidas, Not Mydvias, but Ardvidus Sabonas, and most importantly XU-grad Brian Grant (unreal dreads). They lost the elimination game to the Lakers and I specifically remember the dagger when Kobe lobbed one to Shaq and the Big Man "threw it down (marble-mouth Bill Walton)" one handed. Blazers given the axe right then and there.
b) Sacramento Kings: They consisted of C Webb, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, Doug Christie, Bobby Jackson, and Peja just to name a few. They were damn good and really choked in the Conference Finals to the Lakers. They bound and poised to make the finals a couple years in a row but just couldn't get through the Lakers. Great playoff battles. I specifically remember a shot by Big Shot Bob Horry at the buzzer when the Staples Center erupted like I have never seen. Horry is ICEEEEEE.
4) I don't think the Knicks-Heat rivalry in the late 90's gets enough credit but probably because what they were playing wasn't even really basketball. They would just flat-out brawl. Anybody else like how guys just care a tad bit more when it's win or go home?
2001 Playoff Run- BA's Philly Sixers. This squad was one of my favorite of all-time. They had MVP Allen Iverson who couldn't be stopped and then just a bunch of guys who complemented him aka got out of his way. They had another all-time great Muskie in Tyrone Hill, Temple-grad Aaron McKey, the biggest oaf in the history of the league Todd McCullough, Eric Snow (he blew bad), and Dikembe Mutombo. These were probably my favorite playoffs ever. The Raptors were up-and-coming that year and Vinsanity was taking over the US and Canada alike. The Bucks were tough too I remember specifically. The lasting image though was the 3 in the corner in the Finals by AI. He got knocked down, got back up, and stepped up and taunted the out of Tyron Lu. God AI was dirty...and such a bitch to play against. Loved it!
Feel free to add your favorite and/or most heartbreaking moment personally to the comments. I'm curious to hear. If you the NBA or just flat-out don't want to give it a chance, well, you're missing out. These guys battle like there's no tomorrow and they truly are the cream of the crop when it comes to pure athletes in the entire world. Don't take it for granted.
Over and out from here. Hopefully the Reds don't suck donkey dick this week. Less than two months away from the World Cup...that is THE BEST sporting event in the world. No argument!
MGBJR
KFW in his purest form. the veteran leadership was very evident in this post in addition to your everlasting immaturity...
ReplyDeleteYou wouldnt want it any other way brah. Bisher got it on lock down?!
ReplyDelete