Momma There Goes That Man

Sometimes, I don’t know how used to survive before Yahoo! Sports Ball Don’t Lie NBA Blog, and their series of “Most Bloggable Pictures” was one of those times where I was glad to have the blog around. This week’s best of the best goes to the above picture of Muggsy Bogues and Manute Bol. I can’t imagine what the photographer was thinking having these guys hold the three basketballs, cheezing like that. For me, the funniest part is the fact that, they’re wearing the same socks, but Bogues has to push his down for them too look reasonable, as they would have been well above his knees if they were pulled all the way up. Bol has his pulled as high as they can go and they’re still four inches below his knee caps. This, my friends, is the best of the best of the best NBA pictures of all time.

Honorable Mentions:

If you’re not looking forward to this Lakers-Suns series, you probably have AIDS and aren’t looking forward to shit in life. If you don’t think Kobe, LO, Steve Nash and STAT don’t remember these moments, then you’re out of your damn mind. Some of the faces from 2005 through 2007 have left, but there is still tons of vitriol between these two teams and it’s going to be a physical, competitive series. But since we have to wait until the Lakers can wear their Sunday Whites to play this game, I’ll leave you guys with some memories from the Last time these two teams met in the post-season…

If that wasn’t enough to get you ready for this Suns-Lakers series, I don’t know what will.

P.s……… Fuck The Suns, but the picture I used at the top of this post was too funny not to use.

This week, the best of the best becomes literal in the sense that it features one of the craftiest moves from who is arguably the best player in the league (and a damn good argument at that).

For those who have know me for a while, you know that I didn’t become a fan of Kobe Bryant the first day he put on a Lakers uniform, it actually took me a few years to warm up to dude because he was taking minutes away from my boy Eddie Jones. But as his game became more and more fundamentally sound, perfecting the little intricacies that go unnoticed to the untrained eye, but are beautiful when displayed to the knowledgeable fan. It’s those little things: always being square to the basket on his jumper, the knowledge of what the defense is trying to do, taking advantage of opportunities when they arrive and, of course, that impeccable footwork.

For me, these are the things that separate Kobe and LeBron. Kobe is a better basketball player, LeBron is a more dominant basketball player. While you may want to start your franchise with an LBJ, it’s Kobe’s attention to detail and fundamental skill you want to teach the next generation of future hoopers. This post isn’t about which of those two is better than the other, but more about how Kobe’s game is amazing to watch if you want more than just no-look passes and dunks.

For me, I watch his game because I learn from it. By no means am I ever going to ever play another meaningful basketball game again, but I do play regularly, and I do love to win. Unfortunately, my parents only gave me 5’9” of height, and I’m a measly 155 – with a fundamentally flawed jump shot, and I lost my jumping ability when I sprained both of my ankles twice within a month and a half span in high school. If you’re counting at home, that’s zero athletic ability for a black guy. However, I play like a power forward who can handle the ball.

Just the other day, my roommate (who is 5’7”) and I were playing 2-on-2 with one of the guys on my school’s basketball team and a white dude who shot lights out, both guys taller than both of us. Defensively, we were out matched, but on the offensive end, I destroyed them in the post using nothing but good post position and good footwork (the ability to use both hands helps, too). Why am I telling you this? I’m telling you this because fundamentals are more important than anything else in basketball. My roommate and I should have been completely outmatched, blown out all three games in the same way that Kobe’s career scoring average would be three to five points lower if he wasn’t fundamentally sound – which brings me to why he’s this week’s best of the best.

The following move is something we first witnessed when he abused Wilson Chandler for 61 in the Garden last season. His pump-fake, reverse pivot move is probably one of my favorite moves in basketball… ever. When he did it to Chandler, I watched it about 90 times before my boss yelled at me. After he did it to Wesley Matthews, I immediately knew that I had to post it on MTGTM. I watched this clip about 20,854 times on my computer before my final men’s league game and tried it on one of the guys during pre-game shoot around. It bounced off the backboard – the footwork was there though! So if you’re a connoisseur of great basketball, enjoy the following video.

Round 2 Predictions

Cavs-Celtics
I’m sorry Mr. Gold, but it looks like LBJ will be moving on to the second round. The C’s had a golden opportunity to steal Game 1 in the Q, but your boy Paul Pierce turned into a cookie and crumbled down the stretch (how do you get dunked on by MO WILLIAMS!?!). Now they have to win four in only six chances, with only three of them being in Boston. Can they do it, of course they can. It’s the Celtics and have three (maybe four) future hall of famers. But will they do it is another question. And it looks highly unlikely.
4-2, Cavs

Lakers-Jazz
I see the same thing happening in this series, except it’s going to work out a whole lot better for me than the Cavs-Celtics series is going to work for my partner. Utah was in a great position to steal Game 1 from the Lakers yesterday afternoon, but they allowed Kobe to get hot to finish with 11 in the fourth, 31 in the game. Utah just doesn’t have the size or resolve to beat the Lakers in a best of seven. It’ll be a much easier in the conference semis for the Lakers than it was in that opening round
4-1, Lakers

Magic-Hawks
There’s just no reason the Hawks should have taken seven games to beat a Milwaukee Bucks team without Andrew Bogut. The Hawks are the anti-Thunder in terms of heart – and more importantly – fan support. In their Game 7 against the Bucks, there was almost NO ONE in the stands. A twitter follower, poonsie2001, told me that the local TV stations didn’t show the Hawks any love either, showing the Braves game instead of a Game 7. SMH. Orlando shouldn’t have a problem for this pathetic excuse for a sports franchise.
4-1, Magic

Suns-Spurs
This may be the most fun series of all of them (okay, Cavs-Celts is definitely that series, but this is a definite second). There are two veteran ball clubs with young talent meshing together in what promises to be exciting basketball. Phoenix is desperate to get over that San Antonio hump and the Spurs are trying to prove that they’re not over the Hill. Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Amar’e Stoudemire, Manu Ginobili and more. I personally can’t wait for tonight’s first game.
4-3, Spurs