Why the Mayans Have to Be Right About the End of the World Coming This Year

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

Carlos Boozer got a vote for the NBA All-Defensive Team.

P.S.- I just did a Google search for “Carlos Boozer defense” and the first link says…

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David Stern Makes Preemptive Declaration of the Miami Heat as 2012 NBA Champions- Gives a Fatigued LeBron an Extra Day of Rest, Forces All Four Western Conference Teams to Play Playoff Back-to-Backs, and Condones Dwyane Wade’s Flagrant Murder of Darren Collison

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

Before reading this post, read this disclaimer.

David Stern is trying to fix the NBA Playoffs in favor of the Miami Heat. There’s no surprise there. LeBron James is David Stern’s darling. But could he make it a little less obvious?

With Chris Bosh out with injury, LeBron is getting tired playing at the 4. ”It’s a lot more taxing being in there with bigger guys,” James said, according to the Miami Herald.

A lot of people like to bash LeBron for saying things like that, but not me. He’s right. Playing down low is much more tiring than playing on the wing. You have to run the full length of the floor each play, you have to battle bigger, stronger guys, and there is more congestion.

But you know what? LeBron is playing his cards right. I think he said that just so David Stern would listen. Not only is LeBron getting 2 days off- the Heat don’t play Friday and Saturday- to rest despite not needing to travel anywhere (both Thursday and Sunday’s games are in Indiana), but also, Stern is forcing all four Western Conference teams to play back-to-back playoff games to get them extra tired (I’m talking to you Tim Duncan) before the finals.

I sure wish Derrick Rose didn’t tear his ACL.

Note: I wonder what they are going to do with the flooring at the Staples Center on Saturday. The Clippers have a home game at 3:30 and the Lakers have a home game at 10:30. Will half the court be Lakers and half be Clippers? Is there enough time to switch it all up. There’s also two LA Kings hockey games there this weekend. Furthermore, have you read the disclaimer for this post yet?

But there’s another thing that sticks out in recent memory… Dwyane Wade Continue reading →

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David Stern 2012 Playoff Fix Disclaimer

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

This post is a disclaimer for this post.

I am aware that the playoff schedule is likely because the LA Kings hockey team and the two LA basketball teams all play home games and need the Staples Center at roughly the same time… and the fact that there was a lockout that made the playoffs start late and need to end in early June before guys need to start training for the Olympics. I just wanted to blame Stern because I don’t like the guy.

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2012 NBA Playoffs Game 6 Spotlight: Lakers at Nuggets

Posted on May 10, 2012 by

With three series about to embark upon a Game 6, let’s dive a little deeper into what to expect tonight in Denver.

Will Kobe be able to get his offense going in Denver against Afflalo?

Person of Interest (Lakers): Kobe Bryant

In his lone performance in Denver in the regular season, Kobe Bryant put up a subpar 16 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds on an abysmal 21% shooting in a 9 point Laker loss. While Kobe has generally excelled this postseason, it’s still worthwhile to compare his numbers in Denver against his numbers in Los Angeles. In the first game at Denver, the Lakers got blown out of the gym, with Kobe registering a pedestrian (for him) 22, 6, and 6 on 30% shooting. While the Lakers won their next game in Denver, Kobe fared little better, putting up 22, 8, and 6 on a mere 40% from the field and 29% from distance.

For the series, Kobe is averaging 22 points on 17/48 shooting (35%) in Denver. Comparing Kobe’s performances in Denver to his play at home, we see that in this series, Kobe is averaging 37.3 points per game on 47% shooting at the Staples Center. With that in mind, it is fair to wonder whether Kobe, at this stage in his career, is more strongly affected by playing in the altitude at Denver than perhaps he would care to admit. With reports coming out earlier today that Kobe will also be fighting through a stomach illness tonight, it is likely that Kobe will submit yet another subpar performance away from home. While Kobe does have a little bit of the dramatic flair that Michael Jordan had, don’t expect a “Flu Game Redux.” Continue reading →

Posted in game 6 lakers nuggets, javale mcgee, kobe stomach, lakers nuggets nba playoffs | 1 Comment

Sans Derrick Rose (ACL tear), 2012 Chicago Bulls Parallel 55-Win 1994 Chicago Bulls

Posted on April 30, 2012 by

Derrick Rose Tears ACL. Derrick Rose Blows Out His Knee. Derrick Rose Injured. Derrick Rose out for Season. We all know this. We either saw it live, saw it on sports talk shows, or read the headlines.

Derrick Rose in Mid-Air Immediately After Tearing his ACL

Everybody has been saying that the Bulls have no chance at winning anything this year without him. What happened to all the people just a few weeks ago who were saying that the Bulls were better without Derrick Rose?

The Bulls were 18-9 without Rose this year. In this lockout shortened season, this projects to a 44-22 record. In the East, that would have given them a 2 seed this year. In the West, it would have earned a three seed. The sample size is large enough for us to know it wasn’t a terrible fluke. Not only that, but the Bulls beat the Heat, Magic, Mavs, Knicks, Celtics, and a bunch of other good playoff teams with Rose sitting out.

So tell me they aren’t good. The Bulls have former All-Star Rip Hamilton who is well rested and in great shape. The Bulls have 2 backup point guards who have stepped up big time without Rose this year. They have All-Star Luol Deng. They have former All-Star Carlos Boozer. They also have one of the best shooters in the league in Kyle Korver. Not only that, but they have a giant front line with Joakim, Taj Gibson, and Omer Asik. The team is built on defense, rebounding, and great passing, all of which the Bulls have with or without Rose.

Despite this, without Rose, everyone expects disaster. Everyone expects them to lie down and take it. Some don’t even think they’ll get past the Philadelphia 76ers. Not me. Why not? Do you remember the 1994 Chicago Bulls? Continue reading →

Posted in Basketball, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Michael Jordan, NBA | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Derrick Rose Suffers Non-Contact ACL Tear- Could it have been prevented?

Posted on April 28, 2012 by

See also: Do the Bulls have any hope without Rose?

It’s bad news for Chicago Bulls fans and Miami Heat haters everywhere. In game 1 of the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs, Derrick Rose tore his ACL while landing awkwardly from a jump stop in the 4th quarter with the game already in hand. He will miss the rest of the playoffs, the Olympics, and likely the beginning of next season. People everywhere are blaming Thibodeau for leaving him in the game. It’s 100% not his fault. Here is the video of the injury.

If you go to the replay at the 1 minute mark of this video and pause it, you will see Rose’s left knee buckle inward, and you should be able to see his left foot pronate (see how his weight is shifted towards the inside of the foot?). Rose landed from his jump with his hip in an adducted, internally rotated position. Just standing in this position puts stress on the
ACL.

But Rose wasn’t just standing. He was landing from a forward jump. Landing from a vertical leap in that position is bad enough, but to prevent his forward momentum, his quads were working extra hard. In addition, Rose landed with the intention of jumping again (watch how much air he gets when he jumps even after he injures the knee), a very forceful act. When contracting, the quadriceps cause an anterior (forward) translation of the tibia relative to the femur.

Derrick Rose tears his ACL.

The main role of the ACL is to prevent anterior translation, so with the ACL already in a vulnerable position from the way his hip was positioned when Rose landed, the great force produced by his quads must have pushed the ligament to its breaking point.

How could this have happened?
Continue reading →

Posted in Basketball, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Defending Michael Jordan

Posted on April 27, 2012 by

Not even the entire New York Knicks roster could defend MJ in 1993.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, defending Michael Jordan was an impossible task. If you listen to all the pundits and fans out there, defending Michael Jordan for his ownership decisions in 2012 is an even more futile undertaking.

Here goes nothing. Continue reading →

Posted in anthony davis unibrow, bobcats worst record, charlotte bobcats record, michael jordan bobcats | 3 Comments

2012 NBA MVP and Regular Season Awards Predictions

Posted on April 27, 2012 by

Who is going to win the 2012 NBA MVP award? Coach of the Year? Rookie of the Year? Defensive Player of the Year? Sixth man? Most Improved Player?

With all the games wrapped up in this lock-out shortened season, it’s time for us to make our Dribble Penetration predictions. Continue reading →

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World Peace Brings Violence

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

On Sunday, Metta World Peace…

…wait, no, fuck that. On Sunday, Ron Artest once again went off the reservation and violently elbowed James Harden in the head.

I’m sure you’ve seen it, but here it is again.

Word just came down from the NBA league office that he’s been suspended for 7 games. Personally, I thought he should have gotten in the neighborhood of 10-15, but 7 ought to be enough to…not really teach him anything. Hell, 50 wouldn’t teach him anything.

I don’t dislike Artest, but the fact of the matter is that he’s got serious issues – issues which end up making him a horrible teammate. He will miss most or all of the first round of the playoffs over a dunk celebration.

Should we expect any less from the man who brought us this:

 

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Are the 2012 Chicago Bulls better without their MVP Derrick Rose?

Posted on April 14, 2012 by

Update: With the Derrick Rose ACL tear, I figured this article may be worth reading again. As will the above link examining the mechanism of his injury and how it could have been prevented.

See Also: Can the Bulls win in the Playoffs without Derrick Rose?

There has been a lot of speculation that the Bulls are better without Derrick Rose. Much of this thought has been fueled by the fact that the Bulls have had a lot of success this year with Rose missing 23 games and also because of a few high profile games that the Bulls played recently- two games against the Knicks where the Bulls lost with Rose and won without him, and one game against the Heat where Rose played the worst game of his career and the Bulls won in spite of him.

Despite the obvious fact that Rose just missed a month of basketball before playing against the Knicks and the fact that Rose missed a month of basketball (save for 1 game) AND had a new ankle injury while playing against the Heat, people are still judging Rose based on the most recent games they’ve seen rather than what he’s actually done this year when completely healthy.

The Bulls are not better without Derrick Rose.

The Bulls are simply not better without Derrick Rose. It’s crazy to think so. Let’s clear up the misconceptions… Continue reading →

Posted in Basketball, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, NBA, NBA Playoffs 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments