So we're nearing the end of the first round of the playoffs. I wouldn't have predicted the outcome of the Seattle-Sacramento series (I've decided to start calling teams by their place names rather than their ridiculous mascot names--thus the Seattles and the Sacramentos), despite the sublime Ray Allen. Remember (even if you hated the Sacramentos, and I know there were some of you) when Sacramento looked like it would take it all (by which I mean take the West, since the East was pretty much a joke, post-Jordan)? How the [putatively] mighty have fallen.
You could see the Detroits smashing the Philadelphias pretty much back in November; who even cares about that Chicago-Wizardry thing?; yeah, yeah, the Heat. The only sort of interesting one is the Indianas and the Bostons, and mainly because of Miller.
Tonight, I watched the last quarter of the San Antonio/Denver game. As I said in an early post, I have always liked SA for its hard work, no nonsense ethos. While watching, I listened to the pile of silliness they call game commentary, including a little feature about the "blueprint of success" of SA. Can you spell T-I-M-D-U-N-C-A-N? Come on. Even when Duncan's not all the way back on his game, he's huge, he's mobile, he shoots, he blocks, he rebounds. When he made that beautiful touch pass to whoever it was, whose shot didn't go, then D rebounds and shoots it out to G Robinson, whose beautiful three practically whistled when it went inthe basket--yeah, that's a blueprint.
Phoenix over Memphis--see Detroit v. Philly above.
Dallas or Houston? Despite what Van Gundy is calling the "serenity" of McGrady and Yao,
it's looking a little more Dallas-y today, wouldn't you say?
I'm hoping to see the Detroits play the Miamis in the East, and Phoenix (or Seattle or, I guess, San Antonio) play whoever wins the Eastern fracas.
Clearly you have not been watching the Sonics this year. They the real deal. I predict they will make it to the Western Conference Finals.
ReplyDeleteOf course most mascots are ridiculous. But the Sonics? It's an excellent mascot. It doesn't lend itself to visual representation.
Clearly I have not. However, as you note, I do love Ray Allen. I still don't think they'll do it. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteFine, have your "Sonics." The "Seattles" has a certain Pacific Northwest thing going for it, though, don't you think?