So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
Actually, Dennis Hopper, Russell Westbrook Can Land on a Fraction, Man
There are basketball shots that DO THINGS TO THE SOLAR SYSTEM. A ball rips through a net, and the arc of Venus BENDS. You can't explain it. You just know from the emotional glitter that explodes all over everything that operating conditions are suddenly and permanently different.
Here's the conversation I imagine Russell Westbrook having with physics as he stole the ball from Ramon Sessions, with the Thunder and Lakers tied at 70 with 4:10 left in the third quarter, and went in for the shot of the NBA playoffs so far.
It's going to be really sad when the Thunder take Kobe Bryant's robot body and drop it in the ocean like Megatron. Until then, let's enjoy Black Mamba, fashion critic. Come shop with him.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
'Rondo Was Extremely Serious'
That was Doc Rivers’s assessment of his point guard’s demeanor going into Game 3 in Philadelphia. It ended with Rajon Rondo scoring 23 points (13 in the first quarter), doling out 14 assists, and losing just one turnover. So, yeah, you could say Rondo was serious. After Game 1 — in which he messed around and got a triple-double — the Celtics point guard complained of not getting his nap before the game and how it negatively affected his performance. Rondo looked … well-rested Wednesday night.
1. Sergio Agüero: The Quiet Neighbor
Triangle Blog Brother/Rankonia Writer Emeritus Chris Ryan nominates Agüero, who is this week’s hero:
"Are we underrating Sergio Agüero? He isn't as prone to fireworks or setting off fireworks as Mario Balotelli and he doesn't have a deep, unquenchable love of golf like Carlos Tévez, he just scores goals. Alex Ferguson called Manchester City the noisy neighbors. But the only time there is a noise surrounding the Argentine, nicknamed "Kun" (King), is when he scores. And what a sound he created Sunday.
Manchester City won the Premier League on Sunday. Sergio Agüero scored a last-second goal, everyone went bananas, and all was full of love. It marked the first time City won the title in 44 years, and they did so at the expense of their intercity rivals, Manchester United. Then they started celebrating. That's when things started going wrong.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
From the Cradle: Evan Turner
This late-game, game-deciding layup came right after Kevin Garnett tried to turn Evan Turner's face into an ottoman. Most men would've needed to go to their happy caves, talk to their spirit animals, find their chi, whatever. Evan Turner? It's almost like no one gave him the memo. He's not scared because he doesn't know he's supposed to be. There he is waving his hands, asking for the ball, per usual. But after seeing this ball fake on Rondo and his Keith Byars imitation past Paul Pierce, I'm wondering: Maybe he should stop asking. He should start demanding. — Chris Ryan
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
Hero of the Night: Andre Iguodala
In the end what this Sixers team needed — after their regular-season hymn to the joys of team basketball — was a hero. In the absence of that, they turned to Andre Iguodala. And last night, that was just enough.
All season long, Iguodala seemed like the graduate still haunting his college campus bars, showing up at parties. Hell, audit some classes! Why not? Here's why not: This turf belongs to a new set of kids now. Namely, Holiday, Turner, Lou, and Thad. Iguodala was always a bridge from the Iverson-era Sixers to whatever was going to come next. This season, it felt like "next" had finally arrived.
Even if Chelsea defeats Blackburn in the league on Sunday, they can finish no higher than sixth. Anyone who watched their abject performance against Liverpool earlier this week could see that this was a team treating the end of the Premier League season like the kids at Lee High School treated the last week of classes in Dazed and Confused. They lost, 4-1. They've only won one of their last five Premier League matches. But with an FA Cup already on the shelf this season and another trophy to play for, they don't seem overly worried about appearances.
This week on the Triangle Podcast, I talked to my NBA Playoffs Shootaround co-pilot, Robert Mays, about the Greek economy. J/K, we talked about the playoffs. Mays and I discussed the very entertaining Grizzlies-Clippers series, the joys of watching Chris Paul in the fourth quarter, and whether Vinny Del Negro has anything written on that piece of paper of his. We also bid farewell to the Knicks-Heat series, heaped praise on JaVale McGee, and talked about how the Bulls-Sixers will end our friendship. Peace, Mays. I hate you.
Amos Barshad then joined me to talk about his beloved Celtics, Rajon Rondo's need for attention, and the similarity between Amos's facial hair and that of Danilo Gallinari.
The pod wraps up with "casual American soccer fan" David Jacoby grilling me on the final weekend of the English Premier League, the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament, and the future of the U.S. Men's National Team. Enjoy!
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
The Resurrection and Re-Murdering of Mike Bibby
There was a moment Wednesday night when Mike Bibby was the best basketball player in America. Off to an energetic start in the first quarter before a crowd of no more than 342 Miamians, Bibby pressed the Knicks offense into an early cluster of 3-pointers, brisk pull-up jumpers, and lithe dunks. Melo slashed. Amar’e skied. J.R. Smith didn’t totally ruin everything. There Bibby stood, a 33-year-old third-string point guard on a gasping seventh seed playing for their lives against the presumptive conference champs, and he was running things. And man, was he out of breath.
Make "Empire State of Mind" his warm-up music; start giving interviews in a pronounced, obviously fake Boston accent; get "AARON BOONE" tattooed across his stomach in the same font as the THUG LIFE font; do Aaron Hernandez's touchdown dance every time he gives up a home run; practice his putting in the bullpen; open up Boston's first El Pollo Loco location; open Boston's first Brew Thru; open Boston's first combination El Pollo Loco-Brew Thru; come out strongly, publicly, vocally for Bobby Valentine's continued managerial stewardship of the Red Sox.
1. Chris Paul: !!!!!
Chris Paul! Unstoppable! Unforgettable! Probably some other "Un-s", too! Chris Ryan, whom you might remember as your regular Rankonia writer, nominates our hometown hero for this week's top spot:
"I've watched every minute of the Grizzlies-Clippers series. I've seen Tony Allen try to stop Chris Paul. I've seen Mike Conley, Jr. try to stop Chris Paul. I've seen Allen, Rudy Gay, and Marc Gasol try to stop Chris Paul together. I've seen O.J. Mayo try to stop Chris Paul for 90 feet and I've seen Quincy Pondexter try to stop him at the last second. It just doesn't matter. I don't think I ever really knew what it meant for an athlete to be unstoppable until I saw Chris Paul play basketball in the fourth quarter and overtime. Now that I do, I certainly won't forget it."
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore
About 15 minutes after JaVale McGee’s thorough handling of Andrew Bynum was complete, members of the media began to file into the relatively small postgame press room in the bowels of the Staples Center. They were informed that first to the podium would be victorious Nuggets coach George Karl, whose team had just staved off elimination with 102-99 win over the Lakers. The player from Denver, it was announced, would be McGee. Even after the best game of his career — 21 points and 14 rebounds — in the biggest game of his career, there were laughs.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
Close to the Edge
This is something that Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said after the Grizzlies' Game 4 overtime loss to the Clippers on Monday night: "There's a lot of posturing and a lot of coaches whining on every call all the way up the sideline and on the court … That's the gamesmanship that goes on, and you can't let it bother you and you can't lose your poise."
