For last two months the New England Patriots have dealt with the change of seasons in God’s country. They have gutted out hard fought victories. Yesterday’s win in the AFC Championship was no different. A bitter wind hampered the greatest passing attack in the history of the NFL. Tom Brady threw three picks and had a QB rating in the 60’s. They used their veteran experience to adjust to any difficulty their opponents threw at them.
Now, none of it matters.
The New York Giants are an enigma. They started 0-2. By October they looked like a hilarious precursor to the 2007/2008 New York Knicks. Then, they found an offense to go along with the leagues best defensive line. They found comfort away from the demonizing New York media. They have now won 10 straight road games, 3 straight on the road. They have established a wining attitude.
Now, none of it matters.
We are 12 days away from Super Bowl Forty Two. Do not expect any bizarre comments or locker room fodder coming from any of the players. Both the Pats and the Giants have head coaches who are down right mean about controlling their players. I will refer to this game as the “Charisma Bowl”, mainly because even with his oppressive personality, I think Belichek is far more personable then Tom Coughlin. These are going to be some fun press conferences….
In Week 17 these teams meant in the most watched regular season football game in over a decade. Playing in the “NY”, the Giants came out smoking, actually gaining a 12 point lead at one point. The Patriots, playing for perfection in the regular season, made some huge adjustments and overpowered the Giants in the Fourth quarter. The Giants scored a late TD and the game ended as a 38-35 victory for the P-men.
The only thing that really matters is that these two teams are playing the game at the highest level at the best time of the year. They will be playing in Glendale, Arizona. There will be no talk of wind, cold, or snow. I am looking forward to the possibility of seeing the New England Patriots from September and October 2007. That team played the most dominating football I have ever seen at the pro level. This game could be as lopsided a Super Bowl as has ever been played. But don’t get your hopes up, it won’t be. The Patriots under Belichek do not play blowout playoff games, let alone Super Bowls.
Both teams will be ready. Now we just have to deal with the media onslaught. Overnight the Giants became media darlings. Eli Manning is now the “hottest quarterback in the league” according to the World Wide Leader. You will also hear the “I’m picking the Giants, so that makes me a rebel football analysis guy who is playing coy and trying not to look ridiculous for picking against a team that is 18-0.” radio and TV personality. It will sound like this,
“Now I know this is gonna ruffle some feathers here,… and I am going out on my own here…but I am Picking the Giants. They had the hardest road to get to the Super Bowl, and Eli Manning is playing like a number one pick, the offensive line is matching the intensity of the incredible D-line. This team dominated the Packers and the Cowboys!!! I gonna say it, and I hope nobody in New England shoots me over this….The Giants will beat the Patriots.”
And they will be wrong. Lame historical coincidences won’t work. Even the Ewing Theory. The Giants will play up the “us against the world” moniker. Its doesn’t matter.
In 12 days the New York Giants have to beat the New England Patriots.
It won’t happen.
My prediction….Patriots 38, Giants 35
Now let’s play the game already….
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, January 6, 2008
The Rise of Glen Davis
They call him “Big Baby”, but Saturday night Glen Davis's nickname should have been “The Closer”. Glen Davis, a guy I compared to a 6’5’ version of Darko Milicic in November, scored 16 4th quarter points to force the Celtics to a 92-85 victory over the Pistons in a performance that would have had Cinco Ocho dancing a jig. Davis finished with 20 points on the evening. The victory by the C’s snapped an 11 game wining streak by the Pistons and avenged the loss in Beantown December 19th.
It was a virtuoso performance by Davis, who despite seeing major time off the bench early in the season had seen some of his PT usurped by Planet Pollard in recent weeks. Davis’s energy and girth was too unorthodox for the combination of Pistons giants down low. The skilled Davis’s ability to finish around the basket led to two incredible three point plays in the final minutes to secure a victory. Coupled by the scrappy play of Captain Paul Pierce (19,9,and 7), the Celtics were able to rebound from KG’s early foul trouble. While it was another difficult game for Ray Allen (9 points), the performance by Davis will also continue to call into question the play of Kendrick Perkins.
Perkins sparked the Celtics with 6 quick points on night, but only scored one point the rest of the entire game. His predictable moves, lack of energy above the rim, and KG’s foul trouble allowed the Pistons to dictate the tempo for three quarters. With some solid veteran big men available, both PJ Brown and Chris Webber were mentioned after the game by various reporters, it will be interesting to see if the organization continues to entrust the 5 spot to Perkins and the rookie Davis. I would like them to look at a guy like Hakim Warrick, a forgotten man in Memphis whose length would be great to have defending on the perimeter while providing above the rim energy the team lacks.
Other then that, there just is not much to complain about with this team now at 29-3.
The Bobcats come to town Wednesday seeking to revenge Ray Allen’s improbable last second shot that defeated them in November. Jordan’s crew has overhauled the offense in recent weeks, as the versatile (and Healthy) Gerald Wallace/Jason Richardson combination has taken full control from Emeka Okafor and Raymond Felton. It will be interesting to see how Charlotte approaches the Celtics without trying to establish an inside game. The C’s have struggled against the more athletic teams (Memphis, Cleveland, Jason Maxiell, Toronto, Utah) this year.
I won't be watching 60 minutes tonight now that Clemans will be testifying before congress. If that guy has the stones to lie to congress on National TV, then I will tip my cap to him. It is one thing to lie, but to make the lie so entrenched in every fiber of your being, ala Barry Bonds, is to commit to living without a past, to be a pariya in an interconnected world. Those who fabricate their own past and present tend to be unable to exist in the reality the rest us to, damning their future. As millionaires, that shipped sailed long ago. However, overtime they become diluted souls the rest of us openly mock (see Mike Tyson, Micheal Jackson) and take joy in seeing fall (See Mike Vick, Britney Spears). Now, I have long believed that the use of perfomance enhancing drugs is done by the majority of athletes in every sport and thus has no impact other then in the indivdual numbers. To vilify the juciers is to live in a dream world. Lets face it, They are who we thought they were! It is like watching "The Perfect Storm" and hoping George Clooney's character survives in the end. We watch sports for the drama on the field, not the stuff that happens beyond the light of the cameras. But to live a lie is to give up ones free will. It is that prison, the prison of the mind, that clemans, bonds, and the rest can enjoy for decades to come. That is why the truth will set you free and make you millions, ...............just ask Canseco...
Now to get back to feeling happy...here you go... Glory Glory Man United!
Strength and Honor
It was a virtuoso performance by Davis, who despite seeing major time off the bench early in the season had seen some of his PT usurped by Planet Pollard in recent weeks. Davis’s energy and girth was too unorthodox for the combination of Pistons giants down low. The skilled Davis’s ability to finish around the basket led to two incredible three point plays in the final minutes to secure a victory. Coupled by the scrappy play of Captain Paul Pierce (19,9,and 7), the Celtics were able to rebound from KG’s early foul trouble. While it was another difficult game for Ray Allen (9 points), the performance by Davis will also continue to call into question the play of Kendrick Perkins.
Perkins sparked the Celtics with 6 quick points on night, but only scored one point the rest of the entire game. His predictable moves, lack of energy above the rim, and KG’s foul trouble allowed the Pistons to dictate the tempo for three quarters. With some solid veteran big men available, both PJ Brown and Chris Webber were mentioned after the game by various reporters, it will be interesting to see if the organization continues to entrust the 5 spot to Perkins and the rookie Davis. I would like them to look at a guy like Hakim Warrick, a forgotten man in Memphis whose length would be great to have defending on the perimeter while providing above the rim energy the team lacks.
Other then that, there just is not much to complain about with this team now at 29-3.
The Bobcats come to town Wednesday seeking to revenge Ray Allen’s improbable last second shot that defeated them in November. Jordan’s crew has overhauled the offense in recent weeks, as the versatile (and Healthy) Gerald Wallace/Jason Richardson combination has taken full control from Emeka Okafor and Raymond Felton. It will be interesting to see how Charlotte approaches the Celtics without trying to establish an inside game. The C’s have struggled against the more athletic teams (Memphis, Cleveland, Jason Maxiell, Toronto, Utah) this year.
A Special Coda by The Dude
I won't be watching 60 minutes tonight now that Clemans will be testifying before congress. If that guy has the stones to lie to congress on National TV, then I will tip my cap to him. It is one thing to lie, but to make the lie so entrenched in every fiber of your being, ala Barry Bonds, is to commit to living without a past, to be a pariya in an interconnected world. Those who fabricate their own past and present tend to be unable to exist in the reality the rest us to, damning their future. As millionaires, that shipped sailed long ago. However, overtime they become diluted souls the rest of us openly mock (see Mike Tyson, Micheal Jackson) and take joy in seeing fall (See Mike Vick, Britney Spears). Now, I have long believed that the use of perfomance enhancing drugs is done by the majority of athletes in every sport and thus has no impact other then in the indivdual numbers. To vilify the juciers is to live in a dream world. Lets face it, They are who we thought they were! It is like watching "The Perfect Storm" and hoping George Clooney's character survives in the end. We watch sports for the drama on the field, not the stuff that happens beyond the light of the cameras. But to live a lie is to give up ones free will. It is that prison, the prison of the mind, that clemans, bonds, and the rest can enjoy for decades to come. That is why the truth will set you free and make you millions, ...............just ask Canseco...
Now to get back to feeling happy...here you go... Glory Glory Man United!
Strength and Honor
Friday, January 4, 2008
It’s Back
Why no posts lately? No vitriol. New England is the center of the sports universe. It is like every Bob Marley song came true and a blissful utopia emerged. Baseball is still 7 weeks away, the Celtics have only three losses and the Pats went 16-0 during the regular season. With the Pats enjoying the Playoff bye, the C’s have taken center stage. Then I found it.
In the late 1980’s I was coming into my own. I discovered professional sports and rap music in 1987 and two things became clear to me. The first was that my relationship with the police was forever altered by Public Enemy. The second was that I was convinced the Detroit Pistons were Satan’s favorite basketball team. They played anti-basketball.
Now that the Celtics are climbing to the top of the NBA Mountain the Pistons have quickly become a focus of tension for me. A handful of years ago a new look Pistons squad revitalized the Eastern Conference with a very team orientated style of play. It helped that Rip Hamilton was traded to Detroit and became a fixture. However, under the surface a general dislike bubbled. There is also another irrefutable fact, Detroit is Detroit, whether it is 1987 or 2004, or 2008.
The rise of the Celtics led to a great game last month that the Pistons won on a savvy play by former Celtic Chauncey Billups with under 1 second left, nullifying a great Celtics comeback. Thus, Saturday night’s game at the Palace should be a good one. Look for Rajon Rondo to actually be playing late in the 4th quarter. I think Doc is more confident in the lad’s play recently. The Pistons versatility trumps the C’s, but not if Doc decides to extend the bench to include Davis, Scal, and Leon Powe to wear down the Wallace, J-Max, Delfino combination. I think this is a game Planet Pollard should see 7 minutes of play and foul out. If the C’s turn it into a slugfest, and Ray Allen can rebound from a horrid Friday night, I actually think the Celtics can prevail because they have more shooters. The Truth, the Allen’s, House, Posey, and Scal butcher the Pistons from down town. Like the Pats, the C’s are a finesse team that can win really ugly. It is the mark of a truly good team. With that said, Doc will probably want Rondo to push the ball and run the Pistons ragged. Ray Allen is the X Factor, as is coming out of halftime with some fire. It killed us last month.
Enjoy the game. It should be fun, if not an opportunity to start really hating the Pistons again.
Strength and Honor
In the late 1980’s I was coming into my own. I discovered professional sports and rap music in 1987 and two things became clear to me. The first was that my relationship with the police was forever altered by Public Enemy. The second was that I was convinced the Detroit Pistons were Satan’s favorite basketball team. They played anti-basketball.
Now that the Celtics are climbing to the top of the NBA Mountain the Pistons have quickly become a focus of tension for me. A handful of years ago a new look Pistons squad revitalized the Eastern Conference with a very team orientated style of play. It helped that Rip Hamilton was traded to Detroit and became a fixture. However, under the surface a general dislike bubbled. There is also another irrefutable fact, Detroit is Detroit, whether it is 1987 or 2004, or 2008.
The rise of the Celtics led to a great game last month that the Pistons won on a savvy play by former Celtic Chauncey Billups with under 1 second left, nullifying a great Celtics comeback. Thus, Saturday night’s game at the Palace should be a good one. Look for Rajon Rondo to actually be playing late in the 4th quarter. I think Doc is more confident in the lad’s play recently. The Pistons versatility trumps the C’s, but not if Doc decides to extend the bench to include Davis, Scal, and Leon Powe to wear down the Wallace, J-Max, Delfino combination. I think this is a game Planet Pollard should see 7 minutes of play and foul out. If the C’s turn it into a slugfest, and Ray Allen can rebound from a horrid Friday night, I actually think the Celtics can prevail because they have more shooters. The Truth, the Allen’s, House, Posey, and Scal butcher the Pistons from down town. Like the Pats, the C’s are a finesse team that can win really ugly. It is the mark of a truly good team. With that said, Doc will probably want Rondo to push the ball and run the Pistons ragged. Ray Allen is the X Factor, as is coming out of halftime with some fire. It killed us last month.
Enjoy the game. It should be fun, if not an opportunity to start really hating the Pistons again.
Strength and Honor
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