Joint Contrast » basketball

THE ONLY NBA FINALS COVERAGE YOU NEED (Game 4)

J. Charles — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:40:24 +0000

Foreword by – J.C. Carnahan

In the most recent episode of the NBA Finals on Thursday night the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers overcome a parade of whistles by an eager officiating crew at Amway Arena to actually make a game out of Game 4.

The 99-91 win for L.A. gives the Lakers a firm 3-1 series lead and inches the franchise closer to its 15th title. Orlando on the other hand is feeling about as good as Cleveland is right now after blowing their second shot at a win in these Finals. If such a thing as a sports curse actually does exist, then be assured Magic fans will be talking about the “greatest free throw misses” in franchise history for years to come. Nick Anderson, you are no longer alone.

The Magic finished the night with 15 misses from the charity stripe with Dwight Howard and Hedo Turkoglu combining for 13 between the two of them. Just as bad were Orlando’s 17 turnovers.

The same small-market team that two days earlier torched the nets in a record setting shooting performance got it done on defense early on but couldn’t finish the job. In the first half the Magic carried the momentum by holding Hollywood to just 37 points. They then pulled a Cavalier-like card out of their hats (after being up 12 at the break) and muddled their way through the third quarter for just 14 points, compared to L.A.’s 30. But even that wasn’t the death of them. Somehow the Magic weathered the Laker storm and found themselves up five with a minute-and-half to go. The Lakers kept coming though, and the Magic backed down.

From that moment on it was Pau Gasol scoring in the paint. It was Howard missing two straight free throws. It was Jameer Nelson getting an up-close view of Derek Fisher’s resurrected jump shot from behind the arc with only four seconds left. Tie game, 87-87. On to the second overtime of the series. Fast-forward to a 91-91 game with 31 seconds remaining and imagine the dagger piercing the hearts of Orlando fans as Fisher drains another one from downtown. The Magic no longer could answer. We’ll find out if they can keep this thing alive though in Game 5 on Sunday night at 8 p.m.

Quote of the Night – “I don’t know what the referees are seeing out there in this first quarter. There are some bogus calls out there,” said Phil Jackson before the start of the second quarter after being asked “what positions” are putting his players in foul trouble.

Best Advertisement – A commercial for Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 10th Anniversary featured the question “Who was the youngest player to win in the Finals?” The multiple-choice answers were A.) Moses Malone, B.) Michael Jordan, C.) David Goodman, D.) Shaquille O’Neal – and can you believe I was actually sitting there asking myself “Who the hell is Goodman?” Yeah, they got me.

Makes Me Wonder – If the NBA actually thinks the officiating in the Finals and/or overall playoffs has been up to par. They should at least make a public announcement explaining what is considered a foul nowadays.

For Stats Sake – Bryant racked up 32 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line while Gasol (10 rebounds) and Trevor Ariza (9 rebounds, 3 trey’s) each went for 16 points. Howard led Orlando with 16 points, 21 rebounds, an NBA Finals record 9 blocks and 7 turnovers while Hedo Turkoglu had 25 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

–– Further Analysis from the Joint Contrast Crew ––

== Says J.C. – No more talk about the seven-game road losing streak for the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Give it a few days and there may be no more talk about the Magic either. The storyline from Game 4 will be of Derek Fisher missing the first five three-point attempts he took before earning yet another spot on an NBA Finals highlight reel, while teammate Kobe Bryant was just 2-of-6 from long-range and 11-of-31 from the field in nearly 50 minutes of work. Guess it turned out to be the worst possible time for Howard and Turkoglu to get cold feet at the foul line. And no matter how hard they tried in overtime they could get no closer to making up for it. The same can be said about the deep-ball efforts of Rashard Lewis, Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston, who combined for a dismal 4-of-14 effort from beyond the arc. And they did no better the closer they got to the basket, either. What’s surprising though is that it took this long for Trevor Ariza to have a real impact, and his best game of the series, against his former team on Thursday night. At 3-1, shouldn’t be long before they’re scheduling calling hours on behalf of the deceased.

== Says Ray-Ray – Hot damn! What a game. There’s a lot to talk about. Missed free throws, turnovers, the decision making, refereeing. I’m actually still confused on who won the game. The one thing I do know is that the ref’s helped determine the outcome, which is sad. But here’s my thought on that, whether it’s boxing, MMA, or basketball, no matter what it is, it’s up to you or your team to do what it takes to knock out the opponent. Otherwise you put the outcome into the hands of an outsider. Yeah, there where a ton of shitty calls. There where probably even more missed calls. But when you turn the ball over and miss free throws it’s nobodies fault but your own. Isn’t it amazing though at this skill level, and 60 years into the league, that we are still letting free throws determine if we win or lose a game? The easiest shot in the game and yet players still consistently miss them, causing their team games.

== Says Steve P. – Before Dwight Howard gagged on the line like he swallowed the hook, I could have sworn this game was over. The Magic just couldn’t nail down the coffin and Derek Fisher leaped right out with two three’s to save Kobe and the Lakers… But man, the refs are blowing whistles like porn stars. They should have a referee penalty box that they have to sit in after bad calls so maybe we can watch the boys play hard playoff ball for a few. (They should have to sit in it between Bill Laimbeer and Ron Artest.) And where was Rashard? One field goal in regulation? Weak… I heard the question asked whether the Lakers should re-sign Lamar Odom or Trevor Ariza in the offseason and I’d say if Kobe’s absolute distrust of Odom’s game (which he showed by not even passing to a wide open Odom late in the game) is any indication, then Ariza should deservingly remain a Laker… You know what, if I had a vote Fisher would get my nod for the Basketball Hall of Fame. He may not get a lot of votes when the time comes but he’s as rock solid a point guard as you could ask for. And I bet his career winning percentage is one of the best you’ll find. How many of those shots has he made?

REVISITING THE NBA PLAYOFFS (1970-2009)

J. Charles — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:10:29 +0000

By – J.C.

I don’t know what it is about the NBA postseason this year but I’ve been on board for much of it this spring. Maybe it’s the priceless postgame interviews with Ron Artest that keeps me tuned in, as that’s some good reality television right there. It sure doesn’t get anymore uncomfortably awkward than that, that’s for sure. TNT and the NBA equals a match made in hardwood heaven due largely in part to the back-and-forth between Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley. And thanks to NBA.com I was able to waste too much of my life watching, and selecting, my favorite NBA playoff highlights from back in the day. Enjoy…

1970′s – The New York Knicks road two-time NBA Finals MVP Willis Reed to two titles in four years during the early part of the decade (’70 and ’73; lost in ’74) while the Boston Celtics followed that up with two of their own (’73 and ’75) behind MVP performances from John Havlicek and Jo Jo White. The two big championship game losers during the 1970s, in comparison you could argue, were the Baltimore/Washington Bullets (one win in four trips to finals) and Los Angeles Lakers (one win in three trips to finals).

1980′s – By the time the Philadelphia 76ers faded out in the middle of the 1980s (winning one title and losing two) there were two teams from each coast constantly in the hunt year after year. And in fact, just four cities claimed NBA titles during the decade. Between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics there were six championship trophies won in the 80′s, with L.A. taking two-of-three in head-to-head meetings. The Lakers would go on to win five in all (with Magic Johnson being named MVP three times) and return to lose in three others. The Celtics (and two-time finals MVP Larry Bird) won three title games themselves despite dropping those other two trips to their cross-country rivals. The Detroit Pistons rounded out the 80′s by splitting two championship games with the Lakers while the Houston Rockets lost both times they advanced to the finals against the Celtics.

1990′s – The Detroit Pistons wrapped up a back-to-back championship campaign to help usher in a new decade but that paled in comparison to the impact six-time finals MVP Michael Jordan had on the game in the 1990s. The Chicago Bulls did much more than win six-of-six titles, they won three in a row on two separate occasions. The Houston Rockets, who went back-to-back behind two-time finals MVP Hakeem Olajuwon in ’94 and ’95, should still be thanking Jordan for taking up baseball after his first three-peat concluded in ’93. The teams on the wrong end of the finals during the 90′s were the Portland Trail Blazers, New York Knicks and Utah Jazz, who each lost twice and have not returned since.

2000′s – Although this season has yet to officially close the door on the first decade of hoops in the new millennium, it’s not too soon to take a quick look back… After the San Antonio Spurs wrapped up the NBA title following the strike-shortened season of ’99, they would eventually ride two-time finals MVP Tim Duncan (three awards in all) to three more championships in five years, essentially matching what three-time MVP Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers did at the start of the decade. Only the slight difference is that the Lakers got it done three years in a row before returning twice more, only to be turned away against the Pistons and last year’s Celtics. (Sounds like the return of the late-80′s all over again). The New Jersey Nets also lost in the finals twice this past decade, to both the Spurs and Lakers.

IT’S AN EAST COAST FINAL FOUR AFFAIR

J. Charles — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 20:33:44 +0000

Four remain in the NCAA Tournament. Who you putting your money on?

MICHIGAN STATE – by Dank

Big Ten stand up!

They said we were weak, overrated and didn’t deserve all the nods we got for the tournament. But they won’t be having their Final Four without us!

Congratulations is due to the Michigan State Spartans for knocking off the overall No. 1 seed Louisville Cardinals and earning the right to travel home to Detroit for a chance to play for the NCAA Championship. They are the first team since Duke in 1994 to play a Final Four in their home state and have become the tournament’s best story (sorry, Villanova).

Maybe we (myself included) should have given the Spartans more credit. This is their fifth Final Four appearance under head coach Tom Izzo and they are now 9-0 all-time as a No. 2 seed. Those are some pretty impressive stats right there. Almost as impressive as their handling of Louisville in the Midwest Region Finals, holding Rick Pitino’s Cardinals to their second lowest point total of the season.

I said the Spartans were the tournament’s best story and I meant it for more reasons than basketball. This area of the country needs this game right now. Absolute economic crisis, the failing auto industry and high school graduation rates as low as 25% in Detroit. It’s hard not to root for the Spartans even when you’re a lifetime Buckeye.

Do the Spartans have what it takes to keep the trophy right there in Michigan? They’re going to have to get by Connecticut first, and the Huskies have hardly been tested thus far. My prediction: MSU 82, UCONN 71. They make it look easy and then cut down the nets and win their third National Title.

CONNECTICUT – by Ray-Way

I guess I guessed right.

Being the only person who picked the winner of their region, that might give the impression that I know more than others, which could be true, but I’d rather not rub it in.

So here it is, Connecticut vs. Michigan State. This should be a hard-hitting game. It’s not the usual reference used for a basketball game but with this you have two of the top teams defensively in basketball, who win games by beating the other thanks to the dirty deeds of out-rebounding, blocking shots, creating turnovers, and getting to the loose balls.

This game will be won by the team that can impose their will onto the other, and the fact that Connecticut reigns supreme in almost every defensive category it’ll be the Huskies that get it done.

They are first in the nation in blocked shots at eight per game. They are third in the nation in rebounding margin, having out-rebounded their opponents by nine boards a game, and they have held their opposition to less than 38-percent shooting per contest, which is fourth-best in the country.

As that old saying goes, offense wins games but defense wins championships. And that is why Connecticut is going to win it all. My deepest apologies to President Obama and North Carolina Nation… Sorry this just isn’t the year for you.

VILLANOVA – by TimS

So, when I picked the Pitt Panthers to advance through the eastern regional bracket it was obviously a ploy on my part to jinx them (I would’ve had to murder a small child if the city of Pittsburgh brought home two championships this year).

Instead we cross over the rest of anal-rape Pennsylvania and reach into the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ to find the eastern representative in the Final Four. Yes, the Villanova Wildcats are Ford Field bound.

Villanova is one of those rare college teams that does not have a true standout player. And they are facing a North Carolina team that has numerous standout players. The most well-known of those, of course, is Cherokee Parks.

Cherokee Parks is a big, sloppy, white… wait, what was that? His name isn’t Cherokee Parks. Oh, I’m sorry. My mistake. I was obviously talking about Bryant “Big Country” Reeves. Bryant is a big, sloppy, white… wait, what? His name isn’t Bryant either.

What the fuck? I guess his name is Skyler, and if the Wildcats could overcome the output of Pitt‘s Dejuan Blair and 38-year-old Sam Young, then little Skyler shouldn’t pose much of a threat. Villanova should be worried about Ty Lawson though as he tries to make the 2009 Tournament synonymous with his name. But look for Scottie “Tyus Edney” Reynolds to fight the Law and not have the Law win (ironic corniness is a talent not many have, so go ahead and be jealous).

And while you’re at it sit back and enjoy the wonderful sights and sounds of sunny Detroit. Bump some Guilty Simpson and Royce Da 5’9’’ and we’ll see who can match Villanova in the finals.

NORTH CAROLINA – by J.C.

The Tar Heels couldn’t stop the nations best player from doing his thing in the Elite Eight, but UNC did take care of those other scrubs from Oklahoma he played alongside. Which makes me wonder, is it the coolness of the baby-Carolina blue or are these kids just that good?

Sure, skeptics will look at how North Carolina got this for in the Great American Tournament and say “my YMCA team could have gotten past those clowns.” UNC started with a bye in round one as a No. 1 seed, and merely needed to get past LSU and Gonzaga before playing that game of 5-on-1 against the Sooners.

But now that they’re one of four remaining, Tar Heel-faithful can already hear the sickening sounds of “One Shining Moment” ringing in the distance as only Villanova from the Big Beast Conference stands in their way in the semis.

Does anybody even remember the last time ‘Nova was any good? You don’t think Michael Jordan will let his alma mater get bounced by a program with no relevance while his cash is on the line in Vegas, do you?

On a side note, I plan to watch this matchup with a pair of James Worthy goggles, just for old time’s sake.

So bring on Michigan State of the Big preTenD as they bask in their home court advantage, or ‘Nova’s cousins from UConn who get one last shot at a National Title before being buried in NCAA violations.

You see, UNC has one thing going for them that the other’s do not. And that’s a Presidential Pardon, a vote of confidence in President Obama’s NCAA pool.

And if our own government could get away with assassinating JFK back in the day, then you know they’ll have now problem working this thing out.

“BRACKET BASHING THE NCAA TOURNAMENT”

J. Charles — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 05:53:09 +0000

Take our word for it, everyone has an opinion this time of the year. And this happens to be ours. The Joint Contrast Final Four looks like this – Louisville, Memphis, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma – discuss amongst yourself…

‘MIDWEST’ SWINGIN – by Dank Lucas

So here it is folks, the most uninformed analysis of college basketball since Don Imus. Now the extent of my knowledge on the subject this year is the offspring of whatever clips SportsCenter decided to include while I was trying to catch Cavs or Lakers highlights. It doesn’t help when 75% of those clips were of Davidson’s Stephen Curry, the best player in college basketball who’s playing in the NIT. It also doesn’t help that I believe the best team in college basketball is probably the UConn girls. Their margins of victory have been insane!

That being said, I’m determined to out-pick the other three Kung Fools in this little experiment of ours. So after playing back everything ESPN had to say about the tournament since Sunday, then doing a little “Googling,” I have my picks with five reasons I chose them.

1. Boston College and Wake Forest both have wins over UNC and Duke this year. Anytime you do that you’re a threat.

2. Louisville is the regular season and tournament champs of the Big East, a conference boasting three No. 1 seeds, and that’s no small feat for Rick Pitino’s Cardinals. That’s who I have advancing to the championship game.

3. West Virginia, another Big East team, has wins over Pitt and Villanova, plus Coach Bobby Huggins likes to party like the rest of us. They advance to the Elite 8.

4. Michigan State dominated the Big Ten this year, a conference whose teams fared well against quality competition. Texas, Louisville, UCLA, and Duke all fell to Big Ten teams so don’t count out the Spartans.

5. The returning champion Kansas Jayhawks have as good a chance as anyone with late-season wins over high-ranked teams such as Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri

‘WEST’SIDE CONNECTION – by Ray-Way Wallace

The NCAA Tournament Million Dollar Pick ‘em, that’s one payment that will never be made. You have a better chance hittin’ the lottery or getting struck by lightning than picking every selection correctly.

So let’s just go with my perspective of the West, or at least my best guess of what I believe could happen. But as religion has shown us, we all have a wide variety of beliefs.

So we start with No. 1 Connecticut, coming out of the strongest conference in college basketball they should slide through the first two games easily, even if they face some challenges when they go against defensive-minded Purdue, who’s fresh off of a Big Ten Tournament championship.

Memphis, Missouri, and always-scary Marquette, fills out the bottom half of the bracket. And as I see it, I have Missouri losing when they face off with athletic Marquette, who in turn I have losing to disciplined, well-balanced and well-coached Memphis, a team I see matching up against Connecticut in the region finals.

That game should be an intriguing one as I believe coaching will make as much of a difference as the players will. Taking nothing away from UConn Coach Jim Calhoun and the great work he’s done recruiting, he just doesn’t seem to be able to get these players to excel to their potential. And the fact that their 7’3″ star at times looks more like Manute Bol than he does a true NBA prospect, I give this win to Memphis and Coach John Calipari as they should have no problem running up and down the court and running UConn right out of the tournament.

And that ends my guessing session as of now, and I hope I’ve guessed right. But then again, if not, I’ll be back to guess again…

‘EAST’ERN PHILOSOPHY – by TimS

While Dank, Ray-Way and J.C. all watch the top seeds from their respective regions take a just-had-my-anus-ripped-through-violent-penetration-shit all over the polished hardwood floor, Pittsburgh will have no problem sliding through the weakly contested Eastern portion of the bracket.

Sure there are a couple of qualified foes, and the dreaded upset is always looming, but The ‘Burgh will ultimately be crushing Iron City cans in celebration as Pitt dummy-rushes through a couple Tennessee teams and Florida State en route to the Elite 8. This is where they run into Duke. Look for Henderson and Singler to provide a formidable combo. But their combined hairline and cowlick problems will play a pivotal role in their downfall.

It’s Dejuan Blair’s Souf Oakland* thugging (I see you Joe) on the low-post that will prove to be the main reason coach Mike Krzyzewski is shedding multi-syllabic tears. I mean, can you seriously pick one player in the country who Chris Brown’d his opponents quite like the big man from Pitt? Twice this year he had UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet singing “Ella Ella” while he literally flung him around like a Jesus-juiced seven-year old at Michael Jackson’s Dubai Mansion. So don’t expect anyone unfortunate enough to be in this region to have better results.

So it’s on to the Final Four, Detroit bound. Anybody hoping to make it out with a piece of nylon better wear a fucking helmet.

(* – he’s actually from “The Hill” district but I really wanted to write “Souf Oakland”)

‘SOUTH’ERN HOSPITALITY – by J.C.

Everyone expects the best of both worlds this time of year – a big upset to shock the brackets AND the mighty collision of the best talent college basketball has to offer.

But you can’t have it both ways.

If you’re putting your monopoly money on an upset in the Dirty South Region then you’re bound to be disappointed.

Not even the high school head coach of LeBron James will be able to lead the Zips over the always over-hyped Zags of Gonzaga. And if you believe otherwise, than let’s just say you might be smoking that same stuff Pepper been puffin’ on over on the west side of Akron.

Nah, not even The King himself could help the only Mid-American Conference team invited to The Dance advance in the tourney. (Wait! I didn’t just type that, did I?)

But I do like No. 12 Western Kentucky to take down No.5 Illinois and No. 11 Temple to dismantle No. 6 Arizona St. in first round upsets. Though neither should get very far thereafter.

That’s because the balance of No. 4 Gonzaga and the heart-and-hustle of No. 3 Syracuse will prove too much to overcome.

That means the Southern Hospitality suite will be filled with the top four seeds entering the Sweet 16 as No. 1 North Carolina (by way of No. 16 Radford and then No. 8 LSU) and No. 2 Oklahoma (by way of No 15 Morgan State and barely No. 7 Clemson) remind the field that the O.G.’s are still alive.

In corner No. 1, introducing 6-9, 250-pound forward Tyler Hansbrough out of UNC and in corner No. 2, introducing 6-10, 251-pound forward Blake Griffin out of OU. It’s a fight to the death in an old-school steel cage match called the Region Finals where the Sooners reign supreme.

“RANDOM THOUGHTS CONNECTED BY DOTS”

J. Charles — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 07:00:50 +0000

By – J.C.

Should I decide to further expand on these thoughts of mine maybe I’ll do so here. Then again maybe not. But here goes in the meantime… (photo by Joel Martinez)

Thought…Am I wrong for complaining about the temperature dropping below the 30-degree mark here in Florida while family and friends suffer far worse conditions elsewhere in the United States? Reason…Of course not, what the hell do you think I moved here for? It certainly wasn’t for the free set of Mickey Mouse ears they hand out at the Florida-Georgia border.

Thought…Not saying I condone the type of vigilante justice portrayed in movies such as Boondock Saints, but two recent armed robberies down here at the start of the year resulted in the attackers getting guns turned on them instead. On second thought…I do condone vigilante justice. Watch your backs car-jacking hoodlums.

Thought…Now about funny white folks (which I myself am, just not one of those funny white folks), what is it about common sense that eludes them? Maybe that was too generalized. I’m thinking primarily of the silly Confederate Flag wavers in the NASCAR circuit who think it makes sense to start the season in Daytona then haul their cars to California for the second race of the season before backtracking to Atlanta after a stop in Vegas. Conclusion…Maybe I just can’t help myself from giving rednecks a hard time every now and then. They better hope those gas prices don’t sneak back up on ‘em though.

Thought…What’s the difference between President Obama’s tax cut/refund/check in the mail idea from the two that that criminal George Bush sent out to us while he was in office? It’s like all the rich white guys decided to take a cigarette break from this Monopoly game called Life and don’t want to come back inside to finish playing. The bottom line is…Cut me my damn check already.

Thought…If I ever do get that check I’ll likely head on down to the local brewery here in town. Long gone are the days of smashing 40-ouncers of malt liquor and gathering enough change together for one of those efficient 30-packs of suds. I enjoy sipping on a good brew at this age. You just might too. Find a local brewery in your area and you might be a bit surprised. That is…Unless you grew up preferring Bud Light with your Marlboro Light at the preppy bar you once frequented. Then chances are you probably still have your head stuck too far up your own ass to even care, but whatever.

Thought…Why have I wasted so much time lately watching old NBA All-Star Game reruns on NBATV? I’ve got to get some sleep. Oh damn!!!…The front of the rim just blocked a breakaway Dominique Wilkins’ dunk back in 1991, laying him out horizontal on the hardwood as he promptly landed on his ass. Maybe it’s moments such as this that keeps me tuned in to the circus we’ve come to know as a glorified streetball game. Gotta love it though.