Reggie Gets His Due

So okay, there is going to be a post today. The perks of not having class on Friday I guess. Every weekend is a three day weekend. Hooray for me. Only two games on last night because it was Thursday night and TNT had the games. The Suns, who have been struggling pretty well of late because they were playing even less defense than usual, beat the Pacers on the night Reggie Miller got his number retired. A very deserving honor.

A lot of people hate Reggie Miller. I think the majority of those people are either Knicks, Bulls, or now Pistons fans. I never really had a problem with him. For a long time I thought he was overrated. I'll I ever saw him do was hit threes. That was until I saw his all-time rankings for some of his career numbers. First all-time in threes made, twelfth all-time in total points, seventh in free throw percentage for a career, and sixth in total minutes. Just to name a few.

Obviously those are Hall of Fame numbers. But what he did in the clutch, what isn't measured as well by stats, was what he did the best. The most memorable coming against the Knicks in game one of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semi's when he scored eight points in about 8.9 seconds to give the Pacers the win. At the time I didn't think it would be, but that was one of those moments for me that I'll never forget where I was. I think I was only about eight years old at the time, and my neighbors across the street had it on. I sat down and watched it. I can't remember a single thing from that game, hell, I don't think I can remember a single thing from that summer, but I sure remember that. And I didn't even really care who won that game. I wasn't a Knicks or Pacers fan, I didn't even root for anybody in the Eastern Conference, I was a Spurs fan. But I'll never forget that moment.

In the second game last night, my Spurs picked apart the Lakers 96-85, but as with a lot of Spurs games, the game wasn't as close as the score makes it seem. The Spurs used a 19-2 run at the end of the third to blow it open and cruised through fourth for the win. I know Tim Duncan has been unhealthy for most of the year, but he looked great in the second half, going 7-9 from the field. Which makes me feel very comfortable that he'll be able to control games in the playoffs. With the Spurs winning and the Dallas loss the night before, the Spurs move two games up on the Mavs for the top seed in the west.

Kobe(or 8 or Mamba or Bean or whatever the hell he wants himself to be called) had 23 points and, despite outscoring everyone on the Spurs, had a down game. Much of that can be credited to Bruce Bowen, probably the best one on one defender in the league. The loss decreases the Lakers lead on the seventh spot in the west to 1.5 games over the Kings.

The Final Four is on Saturday night, so make sure you watch. I'll be watching some D-League basketball this weekend, so I should have notes or thoughts or something on Monday. Catch you all then.

The Happy Meal Game

I didn't know that the McDonald's High School All-American game was last night. But I was able to catch it nonetheless and flip back between that and the Jazz-Nuggets game. Some pretty impressive players out there in the McDonald's game. Gerald Henderson Jr., who is going to Duke next year, looked very good out there. Co-MVP Kevin Durant, headed to Texas, also was very impressive, scoring 25 points. National Player of the Year Greg Oden didn't play particularly well in this game, though it was noted that he was bothered by a bad wrist, but all the tools are there for him to be a very successful player. I wouldn't go as far as to call him a Hall of Famer already like the announcers of the game had, because he hasn't even played a college game yet much less an NBA game, but I won't be surprised if he has that kind of career.

Watching the McDonald's game, I couldn't help but think back to 2003 when LeBron James played and won the MVP. In that game, he looked like he was about three or four years older than every player out on that court, but beyond Oden's size, I didn't see that same maturity from him. But then again, LeBron James is, I believe, a once in a lifetime player. And I doubt we'll ever see somebody light years ahead of everybody else in that same manner again.

Speaking of LeBron James, I just finished reading King James: Believe The Hype by SLAM Magazine editor in chief Ryan Jones yesterday. It's really a great book. It details LeBron's high school years and his growth both as a player and cultural phenomenon. I definitely recommend any basketball fan pick it up. And if anyone has any hoops books that they recommend, definitely email me and let me know about them. Off the top of my head, some other books I can recommend are My Losing Season by Pat Conroy and Fab Five by Mitch Albom.

That's all I've got for today, I'll try to post something tomorrow but if not, have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.

Battle At The Top

Last night was an interesting night in the NBA. The Pistons defended their homecourt, something they'll probably be doing a lot of in the playoffs, and beat the Dallas Mavericks. At the same time, the Spurs won, putting the Spurs a game ahead of the Mavs in the western conference. The Kings lost, keeping the Utah Jazz alive in the race for the last playoff spot in the west, as did the Bulls, hurting their playoff chances. Also of note, the Suns have stated that Amare Stoudemire is out "indefinitely", meaning that he could be gone for the rest of the season including the playoffs. Phoenix responded by going out and getting blasted by the Bucks.

I took notes on the Pistons-Mavericks game last night. Here they are:

• I know Boris Diaw is probably going to win the most improved player award, and rightfully so, but DeSagana Diop has to get a couple of votes. He took over the starting job from Erick Dampier and has started a total of 34 games for one of the top teams in the league.

• I remember when arenas weren't allowed to play music during play. It's early in the first, and Queen's "We Will Rock You" is blasting as the Mavericks run their offense.

• Ben Wallace is 42% from the freethrow line? How are you a starter in the NBA and you can't shoot freethrows?

• A Rasheed Wallace three puts the Pistons up 13-10 with 5:25 left in the first. Timeout Mavericks.

• With Keith Van Horn in the game, I can't but help think about before the 1997 draft, when the Spurs were actually considering drafting Van Horn over Tim Duncan with the top pick. Today's NBA would be drastically different if it happened.

• After a technical foul, two freethrows, and a Van Horn dunk, the Mavs tie the score at 17. Timeout Pistons.

• A Dale Davis sighting! Who outside of Detroit knew he was still playing?

• A Jerry Stackhouse jumper puts Dallas up 24-23 at the end of the first quarter.

• 29-23 after Van Horn hits a three in transition.

• Erick Dampier's upper body looks way too big for his lower body. I'm surprised he doesn't tip over every time he gets bumped.

• Darrell Armstrong plays pretty good one on one defense. Granted, he's guarding Tony Delk, but still.

• Stackhouse is cold blooded, hitting jump shot after jump shot, the latest putting the Mavs up 37-30.

• 39-33 a Sheed three hits the front of the rim, bounces straight up and falls in.

• Great vision from Jason Terry as he hits a cutting Dirk Nowitzki for a lay up, and one. Mavs up 42-37.

• Another Sheed three ties the game at 42.

• I'm not sure why you would want Richard Hamilton guarding Dirk, but he was, and Dirk scored on a reverse lay up.

• A Chauncey Billups three gives the Pistons the lead 47-44 with 1:38 left in the half.

• You know your point guard(Jason Terry) is pretty good when he can get Keith Van Horn a dunk off a pick and roll.

• Terry hits a tough three with Billups in his face to tie it at 50 with about ten seconds left in the half.

• Billups hits two freethrows late to put the Pistons up 52-50, and that's the difference going into the half.

• Stackhouse picks up where he left off, hitting a jumper 1:40 into the second half, tying it at 52.

• Marquis Daniels picks up his fourth foul with 9:58 left in the third.

• The Dallas announcers are starting to get on my nerves because they are being very devout "homers." Mainly it's their analyst Bob Ortegel.

• Billups hits Ben Wallace for a dunk, and one.

• A 6-0 run puts the Pistons up 60-54. Mavs call a timeout with 6:59 left in the third.

• Tayshaun Prince makes a nice pass to Billups, putting the Pistons up 65-59 with 3:40 left in the quarter.

• With 3:04 left in the third, Detroit picks up just its third turnover of the game. That's why this team has won 55 games.

• A Van Horn three brings the Mavs to within three, 72-69, and the third quarter comes to a close.

• Another Van Horn three ties it at 74 in the early minutes of the fourth.

• Nowitzki gets a dunk in the lane to put the Mavericks up 80-78.

• These teams have been trading baskets since about 9:00 left in the game. It's now about 4:30 left in the game and Dallas is up 88-86.

• Fight! Actually, Jerry Stackhouse and Carlos Delfino just got tangled up and threw each other to the ground and had to be separated. Delfino got called for an offensive foul, but that was the extent of it. Should make for an interesting last four minutes.

• Shoe Alert: Richard Hamilton is wearing white, blue, and black Air Jordan XXI's.

• Never leave the shooter. Nowitzki helps on a pick and roll and leaves Billups wide open for a three before Jason Terry can recover. 92-88 Pistons.

• Ben Wallace's dunk is blocked at the rim by Erick Dampier. Don't see that very often.

• I don't think I've heard an arena this loud on TV before.

• Clutch. Billups hits a jumper with Dirk in his face, 94-90 Detroit.

• On the other end, Stackhouse throws a pass right to the arms of Tayshaun Prince.

• Tayshaun Prince hits one for two from the freethrow line putting the Pistons up 95-90.

• Dirk misses a three and Billups gets the rebound and is fouled with 13.8 seconds left, that should do it.

• Billups hits both freethrows and the Mavs turn it over to end the game. 97-90 Pistons.

So the Pistons stay atop the NBA's standings in a close game. Pistons play again tonight at Philadelphia on ESPN followed by the Jazz at the Nuggets on ESPN2. Be sure to catch the games.

Unfulfilled Expectations

Tuesday, one of the worst days of the week, right behind Monday. Today's post won't be that long, but there should be game notes up tomorrow because there is a huge game going down tonight between the Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks. This game will have implications on both the race for the Western Conference number one seed and homecourt throughout the playoffs.

But today, I wanted to ask one question. What happened to the Portland Trailblazers? They currently hold the West's worst record and the third worst in the entire league. In the second half of last season, the Blazers seemed to show promise (I want to avoid the worst buzz word in the history of basketball, potential), and finished the season strong.

Sebastian Telfair averaged ten points and six assists per game after the all-star break. And the Blazers most important player, Zach Randolph put up 19 points and nine boards per game after the break. Former first round draft pick Travis Outlaw was showing flashes of why they drafted him straight out of high school and the team was starting to gel.

Everybody expected that with the addition of head coach Nate McMillan this team would make the jump and contend for a playoff spot this season. But it was not to be. Players have trouble responding to McMillan's philosophy and the team has not been able to put it together. The expected starting backcourt of Telfair and Darius Miles has been replaced by Steve Blake and Juan Dixon. Solid, but not exactly the tandem that is going to take you to the top.

This team has a long way to go, but it also has some young talent. Telfair should be one of the top point guards in the league in a few years, just as long as he focuses on running the offense, creating opportunities for his teammates, and keeps improving his jumpshot. And as long as he stays away from his cousin Stephon Marbury. Outlaw should continue to improve, Randolph is one of the more underrated big men in the league, and rookie Martell Webster can become a great shooter with some more experience.

I know it was said last year, but next season this team could be a force to be reckoned with in the west. The only difference is next year, no one will expect it.

Let The Good Times Roll

It was a great weekend of basketball this past weekend. Although I was hoping to see the Texas Longhorns in the Final Four and hopefully pull off the near impossible football National Championship and basketball National Championship in the same season, you can't argue with the games that were played.

Florida, LSU, UCLA, and one of the most unlikely of the entire field, George Mason University, all advanced to the Final Four. And if George Mason proved anything this weekend, it's that no one can predict college basketball, especially me.

As I sat watching the end of the GMU-UCONN game yesterday with my girlfriend, I showed just how much I really know about the game. "Wow, that sucks for George Mason," I said after Denham Brown's reverse lay up sent the game to overtime.

"Why?", my girlfriend asked.

"Because the better team always wins in overtime," I responded. "And UCONN is the far better team."

Oops. Oh well, it's one of those mistakes that you make that you don't really regret. And of course I'll be watching on Saturday as George Mason takes on Florida in an extremely tough match up, which Florida will probably win. But if George Mason has proved anything this tournament, it's that you can never count them out.

Between the NCAA tournament, finally reading The Da Vinci Code(which was a great book by the way, even if the author stole it), and spending time with my family, it was a great weekend.

Looking ahead to this week, the playoff races are heating up in the NBA. In the west, the Spurs and Mavericks are tied for the conference's best record and the first seed in the playoffs. The Hornets are two games back of Sacto for the last playoff spot. And with only a .5 game separating them, the Grizzlies and Clippers are deciding who is going to get the fifth seed and play either the Spurs or Mavericks in the first round.

In the east, Detroit still holds the league's best record and home court throughout the playoffs, and Washington and Indiana are tied for the fifth spot with each having a 35-33 record. The Bulls are still fighting to get the final playoff spot, but are 1.5 games behind the 76ers.

With the NBA's playoff races continuing and the final four this weekend, is it any wonder why March is the best month of the year?

Playoff Preview?

Nine games on tap on Wednesday night before the NBA goes into a March Madness disappearance. The playoffs are just a handful of weeks away, so teams are fighting for playoff positioning and seeding, and just plain making the playoffs, making for some great games this time of year. The first game of ESPN's coverage on Wednesday night was the Miami Heat at the Detroit Pistons. I took notes for that game, and here they are:

• These two teams are probably going to be facing off in the Eastern Conference finals, so it will be interesting to see how they look going into the last couple of weeks of the season.

• Richard Hamilton is money coming off a screen with no one in his face as he hits one 40 seconds into the game. I'm surprised the points don't go up on the board before he even gets the shot off.

• The Pistons are probably the best team in the league at tipping offensive rebounds out to teammates.

• A Shaq layup puts the Heat up 12-9 with 5:54 left in the first quarter, timeout Pistons.

• Shaq has shot more hook shots in this first quarter than I've ever seen him shoot in my life.

• Shaq picks up two fouls in the first quarter and has to sit down with 1:19 left in the first quarter.

• Odd play: Dwyane Wade drives to the hoop, gets tripped and loses the ball, then slides through the lane on his stomach and recovers the ball. He then proceeds to roll the ball out of bounds.

• The first quarter comes to an end with the Heat up 21-19.

• Early second quarter and the Heat are up 25-19 and they've done the majority of their damage in the lane, taking it right at the Pistons' bigs.

• I'm surprised to learn that Rasheed Wallace averages less than seven rebounds per game.

• Alonzo Mourning goes down with ten minutes left in the half, forcing Shaq to come back into the game with two fouls.

• A Udonis Haslem dunk off an amazing feed from Dwyane Wade puts the Heat up 27-19.

• It's good to see Shaq actually run out and help on pick and roll defense. His inability to do that in the 2004 Finals with the Lakers won the championship for the Pistons.

• The Heat go up 12, 35-23 with 6:39 left in the half off a three from Jason Williams.

• I love how listening to Bill Walton makes me feel like I know so much about basketball. Early in the game he comments on how great Shaq's balance and footwork is. Then just a few minutes later after a Shaq travel, he completely contradicts that statement by saying the complete opposite. Great stuff.

• I still don't understand the whole stockings/tights/pantyhose thing.

• Rasheed Wallace's tattoo on this arm is great. I wish more guys made it into art, not just something that looks cool or hip at the time.

• Chauncey Billups has six assists in the first half.

• A very, very late call is made on a charge against the Heat with 58.6 seconds left in the half and Miami is up 41-33. Calls like that bother me.

• Rasheed Wallace missed three ends the first half with Miami leading 43-35.

• Dwyane Wade really is a good defensive player, as I write this, he harasses Richard Hamilton into a missed jump shot early in the third.

• A Shaq running hook puts the Heat up 47-35. Shaq's post moves look so much better than they did just a few years ago. But maybe that's because all Shaq did a couple of years ago was get dunks.

• I'm surprised that this Miami Heat team has gone the whole season without a major incident, other than the Pat Riley coup d'etat.

• The Pistons come roaring back, getting the crowd into it. Chauncey Billups hits a pull-up three in transition bring the Pistons within three at 51-48 with 5:00 left in the third quarter.

• Wade answers back with a three of his own to put the lead back up to six.

• Shaq doesn't have the power that he used to. Two or three seasons ago, whenever Shaq would come down with an offensive rebound, he would go back up and dunk it with so much emphasis that it would clear out the entire lane. Tonight, he's having trouble just getting a shot off after he comes down with a rebound.

• I'm starting to understand the whole "Fall down seven times, get up eight" campaign Converse is running for Dwyane Wade's shoes, because he falls down a lot.

• With about two minutes left in the third, Detroit ties the game at 54 off a mid-range jump shot from Hamilton. But right back down the court, Wade answers with a long two.

• Shoe alert: Richard Hamilton is wearing white, blue, and red Air Jordan XIV's.

• A Billups freethrow puts the Pistons up one, 60-59, at the end of the third quarter.

• Antoine Walker hits three 1:30 into the fourth to put Miami up 62-60.

• Antoine Walker uses the hit stick on Lindsey Hunter with 9:45 left, but gets called for an illegal screen.

• The Pistons' bench is very weak. That may be their fatal flaw in the playoffs. With the exception of Antonio McDyess there isn't a lot there.

• A Tayshaun Prince layup with 6:10 left puts the Pistons up 68-64.

• Again Prince scores, hitting a fade away to make it 72-66 with 4:59 left.

• Maybe the way the Pistons tip out offensive rebounds to guards is why Rasheed doesn't average a large number of rebounds.

• Tayshaun Prince is scoring at will against the Heat defense. He knocks down Wade and dunks the ball to put the Pistons up 76-68 with 2:13 left.

• Walker immediately air balls a three pointer out of a timeout. Not much you can say about that other than the shot sucked.

• Rasheed then puts in a runner to get the lead to ten, 78-68 with less than a minute left. That should be the dagger.

• The Pistons outscore the Heat 22-14 in the fourth quarter to win by a score of 82-73.

So the power balance in the east doesn't shift very much, but I think that this Pistons team isn't as strong as it was earlier in the season. They've got a great starting five, probably the best I've seen since Michael Jordan's Bulls teams. But their bench is very thin. One injury at any position could spell doom for this team.

The Heat looked like a great team for three quarters, but fatigue seemed to set in, probably from playing two games in two nights. Alonzo Mourning's injury could be a problem for this team in the playoffs if it bothers him for a significant time. Shaq can't play every game in the playoffs for 45 minutes like he did on Wednesday. I'm not sure how much Dwyane Wade's wrist was bothering him, but a couple days of rest and it should be alright.

NCAA tournament kicks off again on Thursday. Expect another post sometime this weekend. Enjoy the basketball.

Rockets @ Mavericks

A big night in the NBA on tuesday with ten games going on. TNT was showing a doubleheader, so I decided the time was as good as any to make this blog's first real post and debut our game notes. I covered the first game of the night between the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks. So, with out further adu, here goes:

• The Rockets and Mavericks match up in a battle of Southwest Division foes. The Spurs fan in me wants the Mavericks to lose so the Spurs increase their lead in the Southwest, but the future sportswriter in me wants to stay objective and just hope for a good game.

• Who is Rawle Marshall?

• Early on, Rafer Alston hits a three off a feed from Yao. A lot of people talk about how good a passer Yao is, but why shouldn't he be? He can see over the head of almost any player, and nobody can reach the ball when he holds it over his head.

• 8:59 left in the 1st and DeSagana Diop dunks on Yao, and 1.

• During a freethrow in the 1st, the cameraman pans down the bench for the Rockets, and I see Macej Lampe sitting there. I remember before the 2003 draft and there was so much talk about how good he was and how high he was going to get drafted. He's played for four teams since then, and never played a significant role. Probably just a result of the Euro fad Chad Ford spearheaded.

• During a timeout, I'm able to find out just who Rawle Marshall is. Spent most of the seaosn in the D-League, but because of injuries was called up. He's played in 11 games for the Mavs, starting 6 (including this one). He's from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan and was signed as an undrafted free agent in August.

• Houston is hitting threes so far in the game. Through the first quarter, they're about 4 of 5.

• End of first quarter, tied at 20. The may very well be a good game.

• Just when I search NBA.com to learn who Josh Powell is, Doug Collins beats me to it and let's me know all I need to know.

• I wish the Rockets paid me $5 million a season just to come off the bench dunk the basketball like they're paying Stromile Swift to do.

• 10-2 run during the second quarter puts Dallas up 28-24. Timeout Rockets.

• The run continues for the Mavs, the score is 36-26 with 5:22 left in the 1st half.

• 3:50 left and Dirk Nowitzki drives, spins on Ryan Bowen, throws up a shot sandwiched between two players, and of course makes it and gets the foul.

• 29 seconds left in the half and Yao picks up his third foul. That might be a problem.

• Jerry Stackhouse hits a deep three at the buzzer to give Dallas a 51-34 lead at halftime. Dallas wins the second quarter by a 31-14 margin.

• The second half is about to start. With T-Mac out and Yao in foul trouble, I don't see any way the Mavericks can lose this game.

• Just 1:14 into the second half and Dirk holds the ball at the top of the key and Jason Terry sets a pick for him. It's not very often you see a point guard set a pick for a 7 footer on the perimeter.

• 60-43 with left in a rather uneventful third quarter.

• A Dirk three puts Dallas up 20 at 65-45.

• A Juwan Howard free throw for Houston cuts the lead to 65-52.

• The third quarter comes to an end with the Mavericks up 72-56 over the Rockets.

• The fourth quarter starts with Josh Powell fumbling a wide open alley-oop.

• I'm all for cats going to college to develop their game, but I don't think they can teach guards how to score with an athletic 7 footer guarding you like Keith Bogans having Dirk on him. I don't care how bad of a defensive player Dirk is, that's tough.

• A rare post move and put-back from Stromile Swift with 7:52 left in the game cuts the Dallas lead to twelve, 76-64.

• I wish Avery Johnson would wear a microphone for every game, just so I could hear the sound of his voice. And I say that in a totally heterosexual way.

• Shoe Alert: Juwan Howard is rocking the black and silver Air Jordan XXI's.

• Someone in the NBA offices needs to step up and initiate change in the playoff format. There is no way the two best teams in the Western Conference should play each other in the second round of the playoffs as the Spurs and Mavericks are eventually going to do. I say the division winners should be guaranteed playoff spots, but they shouldn't automatically get the top three seeds.

• Up 18 points with 3:20 left, Dallas gets enough offensive rebounds to stretch one possession to about a minute long and pretty much put the game away for good.

• So Yao has his first mediocre game since the All-Star break with only 13 points and it costs the Rockets as they lose their 6th in a row, 88-72.

So both the Spurs and the Mavericks win on tuesday, keeping the Spurs just a 1/2 game up on the Mavericks in the Southwest division race and the race for the Western Conference's top seed. Barring any late-season collapses, this race should come down to the season's last couple weeks. There's a double header on ESPN wednesday so more notes could be posted late wednesday or on thursday.

This format is what to expect when game notes are posted, which should be at least once a week. More should be posted this week, with other articles coming soon too.

Until next time.

Welcome

To be totally honest with you, I don't' really know how to start this off. I think of myself as a good writer and someone very knowledgeable about the sport of basketball, but I am finding it difficult to create a beginning to this whole thing. I guess this first post should be an introduction more than anything.

This blog is going to be about basketball first and foremost. I will try to keep details of my personal life out of this blog just as much to maintain my privacy as to not bore you out of your skull. Whenever I feel the need to talk about something in the sport of basketball, I will probably post it here. The majority of these posts will be about the NBA, but occasionally college and other basketball will be discussed.

My goal is to update this blog at least once a week. I am not sure if I will be able to stick to that plan, I have a habit of neglecting things after a while, but I will do my best. On here you will find game notes, articles, editorials, and other basketball news. I will even post links to stories and articles by me and other writers I find of interest.

Despite what I had previously stated in this post, this is the first post on this blog, so I feel it is necessary to establish a little bit of who I am here. My name is Andrew McNeill, and I'm from the south Texas. I have spent most of my life in San Antonio, but I currently attend college in a small town called Temple. I also spend a significant amount of my time in Austin also. Currently I play basketball at Temple College. I also have a beautiful girlfriend who I've been with for the past two years.

Being from San Antonio, I am a huge Spurs fan. Because of that, I will talk about the Spurs a lot. That's just the way it is, there's no other way around it. My favorite player is Tim Duncan, for obvious reasons, but I'm also a fan of all around players like Lamar Odom, Andrei Kirilenko, Andre Iguodala and Josh Howard.

Now that we covered me, we come to the title of this blog. About ten or twelve years ago, when I was in elementary school, there were these shirts that everybody wore and, depending on what sport they liked, they said "Basketball is life. The rest is just details." Stupid shirts in retrospect, but the phrase rings true in my life. My life revolves around basketball. I have my personal life separate from basketball, but everything else, from school to what I plan to do for a career involves basketball. And this blog is just a part of that.

Stay tuned.