And on the Eighth Day, He Created the Playoffs
May 9th, 2009
Miami Beach, FL
Mr. Black here, logging on from sunny Miami. I just got back from talking some business with Hyman Roth, and felt that it was time for a blog post.
I’ve been guilty of probably looking on the negative side of sports a bit too much in this little corner of cyberspace, but not today. It’s a day to celebrate all that is good in sports, since right now we’re in that special time. NFL teams are starting mini-camps, the bad free-agent investments are starting to show themselves in MLB, and NHL and NBA are in full playoff stride.
In case you’ve missed it, the NBA Playoffs have been great this year. Cleveland is steamrolling through the East, and they are truly a joy to watch. Lots of fast breaks, alley-oop passes and big plays by guys whos names don’t rhyme with DeRon Flames.
This is a rare situation in pro sports; a team that genuinely seems to enjoy playing together and has a great time winning games. If you have a moment to tune in, do it before the media picks up on the fun they’re having and starts the “they’re young, talented and have a good time” stories and ruin it for everyone. Seriously, you’ll see at least five big dunks, some genuinely hilarious celebrations and the coolest glasses this side of Sarah Palin on Mike Brown.
If you have been watching you probably saw the Bulls/Celtics series, which was the best series since the Lakers/Kings in the late 1990s. Hopefully the Bulls will stay together and go head-to-head with the Celtics for a few more years…the one thing that may derail that is Kevin Garnett’s wonky knees, which might actually be wear and tear. If it is, that will be a real shame since KG has always been one of my favorite guys to play ball. Here’s hoping he retires gracefully if his knees are done, rather than pull a Walton and kick around for another five or ten years.
On the last NBA note, Denver may have finally solved the code by bringing back Chauncey Billups. More than one friend of Mr. Black has observed that he’s just the leader the Nugget’s needed, and if you don’t believe me, watch their games. He’s the Reggie Jackson of this team, the straw that stirs the drink, and he’s making everyone around him better. Right now, the Nuggets are playing nine players deep and getting big plays from all of them. They look a lot like San Antonio did when they won their titles, except you don’t fall asleep watching.
A nice bonus has been that Carmelo Anthony has really blossomed now that he’s not looked at as a team leader. Anyone who follows the Nuggets realized about two years ago that Carmelo, while immensely talented, is not an alpha-dog. Now that he’s had the pressure of “team leader” taken off his shoulders, he’s just asked to be the most talented guy on the court and he’s playing way better, quickly becoming “big time,” as evidenced by the heads-up game winner tonight against the Mavs. The old ‘Melo would have felt contact and just thrown the ball at the rim, this time, he played through a foul and when it wasn’t called, set his feet and made a huge game winner. It should be interesting how he reacts when he meets Kobe. Will he press, or play within himself and let the game come to him.
So that’s three things to really celebrate, and that’s just in the NBA…
It’s also NHL playoff time, and Gary Bettman’s dream matchup between the Caps and Pens is living up to the hype. Both Cindy Cosby and Alexander Ovechkin are playing like me in NHL ’09, and so far it’s been an amazing four games. Start TiVo-ing the games because each one has about three highlight goals.
Not lost in this are great series’ in the Western Conference. We should all be hoping for a Wings/Hawks series, because besides being an old NHL rivalry, the Blackhawks are just young enough to get under the Red Wings’ skin and make this a tough series that also has lots of scoring. Suddenly, those things aren’t mutually exclusive in hockey again.
It’s spring, life is good.
Miami Beach, FL
Mr. Black here, logging on from sunny Miami. I just got back from talking some business with Hyman Roth, and felt that it was time for a blog post.
I’ve been guilty of probably looking on the negative side of sports a bit too much in this little corner of cyberspace, but not today. It’s a day to celebrate all that is good in sports, since right now we’re in that special time. NFL teams are starting mini-camps, the bad free-agent investments are starting to show themselves in MLB, and NHL and NBA are in full playoff stride.
In case you’ve missed it, the NBA Playoffs have been great this year. Cleveland is steamrolling through the East, and they are truly a joy to watch. Lots of fast breaks, alley-oop passes and big plays by guys whos names don’t rhyme with DeRon Flames.
This is a rare situation in pro sports; a team that genuinely seems to enjoy playing together and has a great time winning games. If you have a moment to tune in, do it before the media picks up on the fun they’re having and starts the “they’re young, talented and have a good time” stories and ruin it for everyone. Seriously, you’ll see at least five big dunks, some genuinely hilarious celebrations and the coolest glasses this side of Sarah Palin on Mike Brown.
If you have been watching you probably saw the Bulls/Celtics series, which was the best series since the Lakers/Kings in the late 1990s. Hopefully the Bulls will stay together and go head-to-head with the Celtics for a few more years…the one thing that may derail that is Kevin Garnett’s wonky knees, which might actually be wear and tear. If it is, that will be a real shame since KG has always been one of my favorite guys to play ball. Here’s hoping he retires gracefully if his knees are done, rather than pull a Walton and kick around for another five or ten years.
On the last NBA note, Denver may have finally solved the code by bringing back Chauncey Billups. More than one friend of Mr. Black has observed that he’s just the leader the Nugget’s needed, and if you don’t believe me, watch their games. He’s the Reggie Jackson of this team, the straw that stirs the drink, and he’s making everyone around him better. Right now, the Nuggets are playing nine players deep and getting big plays from all of them. They look a lot like San Antonio did when they won their titles, except you don’t fall asleep watching.
A nice bonus has been that Carmelo Anthony has really blossomed now that he’s not looked at as a team leader. Anyone who follows the Nuggets realized about two years ago that Carmelo, while immensely talented, is not an alpha-dog. Now that he’s had the pressure of “team leader” taken off his shoulders, he’s just asked to be the most talented guy on the court and he’s playing way better, quickly becoming “big time,” as evidenced by the heads-up game winner tonight against the Mavs. The old ‘Melo would have felt contact and just thrown the ball at the rim, this time, he played through a foul and when it wasn’t called, set his feet and made a huge game winner. It should be interesting how he reacts when he meets Kobe. Will he press, or play within himself and let the game come to him.
So that’s three things to really celebrate, and that’s just in the NBA…
It’s also NHL playoff time, and Gary Bettman’s dream matchup between the Caps and Pens is living up to the hype. Both Cindy Cosby and Alexander Ovechkin are playing like me in NHL ’09, and so far it’s been an amazing four games. Start TiVo-ing the games because each one has about three highlight goals.
Not lost in this are great series’ in the Western Conference. We should all be hoping for a Wings/Hawks series, because besides being an old NHL rivalry, the Blackhawks are just young enough to get under the Red Wings’ skin and make this a tough series that also has lots of scoring. Suddenly, those things aren’t mutually exclusive in hockey again.
It’s spring, life is good.
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