Old School Pic of the Week 6.12

This week's Old School Pic isn't that old, but it seems like a lifetime ago.

 Russell Westbrook, 4th overall pick in 2008, Seattle Supersonics

The Curse of Jordan

by Connor Witt

For the duration of my stint at the Catholic-affiliated Santa Clara University, the emphasis on faith has been undeniable. Whether I was flipping though the pages of St. Augustine's Confessions, studying up on the Spanish Inquisition, or up to some other shenanigans because we had school off for Good Friday, religion has been a constant. I really have no grounds to complain about my time at Santa Clara, but there is one aspect that has always been frustrating: for me, religion always seems to raise more questions than it answers! I can’t seem to get anything definitive.

As far as my education is concerned, raising more questions is good. Its supposed to build character, develop critical thinking skills, makes me more aware, etc. But sometimes in this life, I need something concrete. And that, of course, is where my beloved sport of basketball comes in.

In a world of such uncertainty, hoops provides answers.

Who led the league in scoring? Kevin Durant with 27.7 PPG. Was Tom Thibodeau a good hire for Chicago? Definitely, he preached defense to the Bulls, led them to 62 victories, and won Coach of the Year. What happened to the Spurs in the post-season? Ginobili wasn't at full strength due to his elbow injury, Zach Randolph went off, and they couldn't match Memphis' athleticism. It's all subjective stuff.

This years finals should have been no different. When the horn sounded to conclude Game 6, the scoreboard read, “Dallas: 105, Miami: 95.” The Mavericks had taken the series four games to two. The obvious choice, Dirk Nowitzki, was awarded the Finals MVP. There is no room for debate about those facts.

But in this rare instance, the facts didn’t cut it. Though the Mavs deserve all the praise they receive -- they were unquestionably the better team in the Finals -- the close of the series didn’t offer any real sense of closure for me. It, too, raised more questions than answers.

I had high hopes of posting an article as soon as I could after last Sunday’s Game 6 so I could pretend like I was actually a reputable writer while my impressions of the contest were still ripe. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn’t have a goddamn clue what I had just witnessed.

Over the past few days I’ve been trying to pick the brains of anyone with the slightest interest in basketball to get their take on what went down in the Finals. I heard plenty of LeBron-related insults (“How’s my Dirk taste, LeBron?” being among the most colorful) but nothing that got me any closer to understanding these Finals.

It wasn’t until the other evening when I was sitting outside grilling up some hearty sausages at my friend Richard’s house that his father sparked my imagination. We had been discussing how LeBron’s game more closely resembled Scottie Pippen’s than Michael Jordan’s. It was then that Richard’s pops, Don (quite the hooper in his day) theorized that LeBron was cursed after Pippen suggested during a radio interview that LeBron may very well be better than Jordan. And then something clicked in my mind and it all made sense.

After so much confusion over the one sport that always provides me with answers, I had to turn to the least likely of sources in order to comprehend LeBron’s implosion. That source: the divine. But in this case, the religion of old had manifested in a modern day saga featuring His Airness. Michael Jordan cursed LeBron James, and spurred his stumbles in the Finals!

Despite the endless the praise that Jordan has received over the years for his heroics as a player, apparently we’ve been selling his abilities short. Sure, he could sky for free-throw line slams, perform trickery, and defy the limits of the human tongue rain threes, but it seems Jordan’s omnipotence (23-point Scrabble word. Coincidence? I think not) was not limited to the basketball court. We knew Jordan could perform miracles already, but never before had we seen him exercise his holy will by putting a curse on another player. Come on though; is this really a surprise to anyone? We’ve been treating Jordan like a God for quite a while now.

(Forgive me for my current 3-article streak of outrageous basketball theories. But honestly, this hypothesis is probably no less valid of an explanation for LeBron’s poor play than the story swirling that LeBron’s girlfriend is cheating with Rashard Lewis.)

Let’s continue with this whole basketball/biblical relationship, shall we?

So Scottie Pippen is something like a modern day version of the New Testament’s Judas. The story goes that Judas was responsible for the betrayal of Jesus because he spoke false words about him, leading to his demise (sound familiar, LeBron?)

It would be easy for me to plug LeBron in here and call him the Jesus of this analogy, but it’s probably too bold of me to another article in which I proclaim a player to be the NBA’s messiah after doing so just a month ago with Basketball Jesus, Pt. 2.

But, who knows. Like Dirk, perhaps he could rebound from a surprising Finals loss and become Basketball Jesus, Pt. 3.


Court adjourned.

It Was The Best of Times, It Was The Worst of Times

by Connor Witt

I cannot say for certain what inspired Charles Dickens' inspiration to write A Tale of Two Cities, but recently I've hatched quite the theory. Since its release in 1859, we have been misinterpreting Dickens' famed novel. This whole time we've falsely believed that the novel was really about the French Revolution and other 18th century European mumbo jumbo. But no! The secret metaphor has been hiding in plain sight for over 150 years now, in the often quoted but rarely understood introductory phrase.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, itwas the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity..."


Isn't it now crystal clear to you? Charles Dickens did not write a novel about the French Revolution, it was all a metaphor about  to the conclusion of the 2011 NBA season! That Dickens... truly a visionary. See the connection? No? Allow me to elaborate:


"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"


The NBA is enjoying some of its greatest success in years at the moment. We are in the midst of a competitive series featuring four surefire future Hall of Famers in LeBron, Wade, Dirk, and Kidd. If that weren't enough, there are a number of other plots that make this series riveting. Can the Mavericks avenge their loss to the Heat in the 2006 Finals? Will Jason Terry have to get his Larry O'Brien trophy tattoo removed? Can the Mavs' win a ring before their title window closes? And of course, the Finals' most appealing storyline: the boo-boo on Dirk's non shooting hand can The Heatles live up to the hype and win a title in their first season Post-Decision? The intrigue surrounding this series has resulted in the highest TV ratings for the Finals in seven years.


However, not all is good and merry in the NBA. With 1,308 NBA games already completed this season, we are down to the last two or three. We must embrace the last few contests because no one can say for certain when we will see another NBA tipoff after these Finals conclude. 


On the eve of Game 5, players' union president Derek Fisher revealed that the owners' collective bargaining agreement proposal has remained essentially unchanged since their original proposal over a year ago. This is a grave sign for all those who had held out hope for an unscathed 2011-2012 season. Barring some sort of miracle, there will be an NBA lockout beginning July 1, and the significant progress that was made this season will be put on hold. The memories of a great season featuring The Decision, Derrick Rose's rise to greatness, Carmelo's blockbuster trade, and the downfall of the Lakers will be all basketball fans have to cling to as we wait anxiously for NBA basketball to resume.


"it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness"


I'll start with the age of foolishness on this one, and where better to begin than with the Golden State Warriors, a franchise that has exemplified foolishness in recent years (see: Adonal Foyle's 6-year, $42 million contract in 2004.) I thought perhaps the winds of change were blowing in the Bay Area when the team was sold to Joe Lacob in July of last year. The new management would surely learn from the mistakes of the previous ownership group and the failures of Nellie ball for Golden State.


The Warriors parted ways with coach Keith Smart in April with the best intentions of rebuilding the franchise. Lacob stated his intentions of hiring a coach "with, certainly, experience, someone with a lot of great ability to relate to players." It was the right criteria, the Warriors needed someone who knew how to manage their crowd of young talent and get them playing in a structured system where they could build a team identity.


So what did the Warriors do? Hire Mark Jackson, the only candidate with no coaching experience and no established system, of course!


Mark Jackson was a great player in his day and he could become a capable coach, but why, Golden State, why? Rick Adelman, Brian Shaw, and Lawrence Frank were all available and each could have brought some stability to the organization. I'll root for Mark Jackson to succeed with the Warriors, but the last thing the trigger-happy trio of Stephen Curry, Dorrell Wright, and Monta Ellis need -- if Ellis is still with Golden State by next season -- is a coach learning on the fly.


There is a silver lining to the Warriors' hiring Mark Jackson, and I'll give you a hint: it has nothing to do with the Warriors. Jackson leaves his position as an ESPN broadcaster to take the Warriors job, and his new gig leaves an open seat that needs to be filled so that we're not forced to listen to Jeff Van Gundy's rants for the entirety of the game. How convenient then that this vacancy coincides with Shaquille O'Neal's retirement. If we are forced to continue listening to Van Gundy, the least ESPN can do is complement him with Shaq. Honestly, how is ESPN going to pass up the opportunity to feature the oddest television duo since Flavor Flav and Brigitte Nielsen? Shaq could be just the person to put Van Gundy in his place the way Mark Jackson never could. 


Imagine:

Van Gundy: "Ya know, that really ticks me off! Nowadays players are taking 3, 4, 5 steps without a whistle for traveling. Back in my day, if you took -"


Shaq (in Shaq voice, mind you): "Listen up, little man! Cut the jibber jabber, if viewers wanted to hear about dinosaurs they'd be watching History Channel."


In addition to the commentary, Shaq's plethora of nicknames could make for an all-time great title for a television segment ("Monday Night Hoops with Superman and Clark Kent", "Tip-Off with the Shaq Diesel and Little Biodiesel", "JVG and Chamberneezy," the possibilities are endless.) 


Please, ESPN. Please.


"it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity"


LeBron James is coming off a regular season in which he established himself as the top player in the game. Had he not been sharing the spotlight with his running mate Dwyane Wade, his play would have merited a third straight MVP award. He answered early-season concerns about clashing egos in Miami by being a vocal leader, emphasizing defense, and involving his teammates on the offensive end. He battled through unimaginable scrutiny every away game, none more intense than his first return trip to Cleveland (in which he put up a cool 38, 8, and 5, while observing the entire fourth quarter from the bench.) With that game, America had proof that LeBron had the ability to deliver what Bill Simmons has dubbed an "Eff You" performance, an outstanding game motivated by a personal desire to annihilate the other team and shut up their crowd. This gave people the belief that perhaps it was not too late for LeBron to replicate Jordan's greatness. (For the record, LeBron is not Jordan, nor will he ever be. He has not asked to be compared to Jordan. Please, world, stop acting like LeBron is letting you down by not living up to Michael Jordan's feats.)


Then came the Finals.


In games 3 through 5, LeBron pulled an unfathomable unless you watched last year's Cleveland/Boston series vanishing act in the fourth quarter. After teasing us with late game heroics in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bulls, LeBron has been nowhere to be found in these last three games. I could toss out any number of statistics about LeBron shitting the proverbial bed down the stretch, but the eye test says more about what is going on with King James.


LeBron wants the title to be won for him. He is not showing the necessarily killer instinct, the desire to take the game over and ensure his team comes out victorious. If there is any way that Miami even makes it to Game 7, LeBron will have to make us believe once again. Or, then again, he could keep passing to Wade and watch him shoulder the load.


Court adjourned.

Old School Pic of the Week: 6/6

This week we have a 1991 photo of Dirk Nowitzki getting his Rafael Nadal on. Though his Mavericks came up two points short on Nowitzki's miss at the buzzer in Game 3 of the Finals, I am willing to bet that everyone in The Big D is thankful that Dirk turned in his tennis racket in for a pair of high top basketball shoes.

Mavs Turn Up the Heat in Miami

by Connor Witt


Dwyane Wade's emphatic three pointer in front of the Dallas bench to put Miami up 15 with 7:14 to play was supposed to be the nail in the Mavericks' coffin. As we watched the ball sink through the twine, my friend and fellow Court of Appeals writer Danny Franks yelled "That's game!" to make it official that the Mavs no longer had any glimmer of hope. All of us watching the game in Danny's living room had no reason to disagree; even the lone Mavericks die hard in attendance had written his team off.

The only problem: when Wade hit that corner three pointer, he and his cohort LeBron James decided the game was over as well. However, as Dwyane Wade triumphantly held his follow through, the Dallas players forced to look on at his pose had other plans. This veteran Mavericks team had not made it to the Finals by rolling over in the closing minutes of games (just ask the Thunder) and Game 2 proved to be no different.

After spending much of the game staring upwards as witnesses to the aerial assault of the rim provided by LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, Dallas ratcheted up their defensive intensity, forcing James and Wade into contested threes at the end of the shot clock. On offense, clutch shots from Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki put the Mavs ahead in the final minute, only to have Mario Chalmers tie the game with 24.5 seconds to play. Unless you've been under a rock for the past day, you know the rest of the story: Dirk drives past Chris Bosh and finishes with his supposedly incapacitated left hand.

(Sidenote: the coverage surrounding the middle finger of Dirk's non-shooting hand was so incredibly overblown. Comparisons of Dirk's shooting from Game 1 to Game 2 showed no visible differences, yet ABC continued to harp on the issue throughout the game. At no point during the game did the "injury" appear to impact his play, and I suppressed the urge to vomit when Doris Burke came out wearing a replica of Nowitzki's finger splint during one report.)

Though Thursday's performance was a devastating implosion for the Heat miraculous win for the Mavericks, there is still much basketball to be played in this series and no team has a clear advantage. The Mavs return to Dallas with the series tied and the next three games in their building, but they would be foolish to think that the Heat will fold just because of one bad loss. In fact, the result of Game 2 may very well benefit Miami more so than Dallas.

When Dwyane Wade's three pointer fell through the cylinder with seven minutes left and LeBron greeted Wade with a series of playful jabs as they headed into the timeout, it became apparent that Miami's two superstars believed they had the game and the series in hand. After the dominance the Heat displayed throughout the third period, I couldn't blame them either. This was why LeBron took his talents to South Beach in the first place, to know that even when he wasn't taking over games he had an sidekick capable of similar heroics. Miami began to think that their championship run would be one highlight after another as opposing players watched helplessly, left to marvel at the spectacle taking place. Seven minutes and fourteen seconds later when Wade's desperation three point attempt struck back iron and the final horn sounded, Miami felt much differently.

Over the last few minutes of the game Miami failed to find any offensive rhythm and their defense could not match the dominance we saw in Game 1. It was just the type of failure the Heat needed. Miami needed to be reminded that it will not be handed a ring just because every night it is most talented team in the gym. Miami needed to be reminded that it is mortal.

Looking forward, I expect that the final seven minutes of Game 2 will give a greater boost to the Heat's play than Mavs'. Sure, American Airlines Center (not to be confused with Miami's American Airlines Arena) will be rocking at the Sunday tipoff, given the momentum coming off Dallas win. But more important than the atmosphere at tip will be each team's mindset in the game's final minutes. Miami has faced hostility on the road all season, and they come into Game 3 with the added motivation to avenge their heartbreaking loss. Wade and LeBron both put on tremendous shows in Thursday's Game 2, but they quickly learned from Dallas' comeback that putting on a great show doesn't necessary lead to W's. Don't expect Miami to necessarily change their intensity for Sunday's game in Dallas, but watch for them to improve their focus, and turn up the heat (pun intended) down the stretch.

Court Adjourned.