Halftime Hype

"Great success!"

So should the late-90s Jazz be considered successful or elite?

Well, let's just say they'd be an incredibly difficult match-up in any playoffs. But what makes that team so unique is the divide between regular season capabilities and playoff victories. After truly examining the Malone-Stockton bunch, I feel they shouldn't be regarded so highly. Personally, I've heard analysts talk about them hundreds of times during nationally televised season games, and plenty more during the postseason. That team was barely as successful as the Detroit Pistons earlier in this decade, maybe they could've matched up with the Spurs of the mid-2000s, but nowhere near as good as the Lake Show of 2000-2003.

Other conclusions:

• This study also put light on Jerry Sloan's lack of postseason accomplishments. He's been coaching for 20 years, with more years extended to his contract earlier in the season, and he still hasn't come back with the trophy of trophies.
• Unfortunately, one of my all-time favorites, Reggie Miller, never came away with the main prize. If the Jazz teams explained above were meshed into a single player, you'd come out with Reggie Miller. Although in his 18-year NBA career he never came away with a ring, he compensated by leaving behind an unprecedented legacy as well as historic performances, especially at the Mecca, that will never be forgotten - even more so for Spike Lee.
• The NBA playoffs and to a much greater effect, March Madness, are the prime tourneys in which victorious regular season teams sometimes turn out to be postseason busts. Only difference is that in the NBA, the flaws of unsuccessful teams are exposed over a period of time. Whereas in the NCAA tournament, the "one and done" saying can also apply to losses.
• In some ways, the equivalent of the 90s Jazz teams summarized into one season, would be the Dallas Mavericks of playoffs' past who suffered a first round playoff exit to the #8 Golden State Warriors, with a huge emphasis on warriors.
• Even with Malone-Stockton-Ostertag parallels in Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, and Mehmet Okur, the Jazz still haven't found a way to win. And with a first round loss to the Lakers this year, their chances of resigning Boozer, who already expressed his dismay publicly, have declined jurastically.

Dope Jam of the Day

Amazin - Young Jeezy - Not to be confused with "Amazing" featuring Jeezy and Kanye, this song is one of the more mainstream recommendations I've made so far. One of my favorite tracks off Young Jeezy's most recent album, The Recession, the song paints some vivid imagery in my head. What I hear, is a rapper speaking an explicit defense testimony in a ghetto courtroom - testifying against ruthless "thuggin." To me, the song reveals Jeezy's righteousness, in contrast to the arrogance of his contemporaries. And unlike most rap songs I hear these days, the lyrics haven't been developed with the assistance of a rhyming dictionary - although, you may find some lyrics quite interesting, to say the least. If there's ever a black, Jeezy-centered version of 8 Mile, this would probably end up in the soundtrack.

Another reason not to take analysts seriously. Thank you, Mr. Caliendo.

As promised, I will be mentioning Eastern Conference players in the post...

Today was a great indication that the majority of the playoff series this year will be dominated, if not determined, by the play of point guards. In today's nail-biter between Boston and Chicago, we saw what I would call a lack of leadership from Rajon Rondo. Boston may be an elite team - but a lot of that hinges on the performance and play of Kevin Garnett. Take KG out of the equation and Beantown is no longer invincible. What surprised me most was the fact that Chicago was able to pull off an OT victory - in Boston. In last year's playoffs, the Garden was the most difficult place to play. With a bunch of green people in the stands waving and screaming, it was a very daunting atmosphere. But despite all the adversity, Chicago, a 7th seeded team, came in hungry and played through the entire game. Usually, the Bulls only play like bulls for a 30 minute stretch and struggle to keep pace with the opponent for a full 48 minutes. But today was an exception - not only did the Bulls play for 53 minutes, but the young guns won a playoff game on the road. Today's game proved a few things:

1. All bets are off when the playoffs come around.
2. Rajon Rondo will never become an elite point guard in this league until he shows more leadership.
3. Derrick Rose is without a doubt Rookie of the Year and look out Lebron James, because this young man will become a very special player with a few more years of experience.

Dope Jam of the Day

Happy Up Here (Boys Noize Remix) - Royksopp - This song is largely undescribable. I guess the thing that seperates this track from all the other electronic songs out there is that the vocals are sung well. Instead of hiring some woman trace vocalist to speak in a dellusional, conversational tone, the vocalist, along with techonology, sings with just enough variety and clarity. The beginning of the song opens up with a relatively friendly intro and starts getting doper and doper (if that's the right terminology) with the addition of sick bass hits. To compliment the bass, the sounds of claps are used. Then everything stalls and the vocals come on. "You know you make my heart beat." Conclusion: This is one of the dopest pure electro songs I've heard in a longtime and besides the fact that it sounds cool and could be used in a Sci-Fi movie, it makes you feel like a drunk astronaut flirting with someone at NASA. Drunk Astronaut. That would make for an interesting song.

Click here to listen to Happy Up Here (Boys Noize Remix)

Shaq:"Hey, little buddy! What's your name?"

Western Conference Playoff Upset (2009 edition)

#2 Denver vs. #7 New Orleans - Don't get me wrong - I have a great deal of respect for the Denver Nuggets. They have completely rebuilt themselves and found a reliable point guard - who, I guess you could say, has elevated them to "elite" status. Whether or not they'll remain in that position is questionable. That said, there's no way the Nuggets will have an answer for Chris Paul & Co. I strongly oppose the people who constantly over-hype CP3 as a young basketball god. In fact, I believe Deron Williams is a better player than him. But NO's weapons can outplay Denver's tattoo artists - on most days, anyway. Even though Ronnie Brewer has been silently assassinating opposing teams throughout the season and Carlos Boozer is always a threat - think about the flip side; the Hornets have an All-Star and determined player in David West and a deadly shooter (if he is able to find a rhythm) in Peja. Then of course there's the PG match-up between the well-season Chauncy Billups and the striving star, Chris Paul. CP3's quickness and leadership have proved to be essential in all of the Hornets victories. I'm counting on him to outrun Billups on the break. Then again, I trust Billups' experience with the Pistons has made him wiser and that Billups will have the edge in decision-making, which will likely result in fewer turnovers (compared to CP3). The PG verdict: Chris Paul's speed will prevail over Billups' playoff expertise. And I'm looking forward to seeing Carmelo Anthony vs. David West. Obviously, Carmelo is the better player, but just like Ron Artest, his judgement down the stretch is not to be trusted. The big X-factor will be Tyson Chandler. How many minutes he plays - and how much or how little he produces in those minutes - will make the difference in this potential upset. I, personally, am confidant that Chandler (as well as most other centers in the NBA) can dominate against the drug-fueled Chris "Birdman" Andersen. For Denver, the x-factor from the beginning of the season has always been J.R. Smith. On some nights, he plays exceptional basketball as he lights the scoreboard and creates some great posters in the process. On other nights, he hurts the team more than he assists them, by playing selfishly with the bench and missing easy oppurtunities. The final verdict: the Hornets have enough jazz on their roster to not only outclass, but outplay the Nuggets.

By the way, from the posts written up to this point it may appear that this blog has a Western Conference bias - which is why my next post will either be an exclusive analysis of an Eastern Conference playoff match-up or a spotlight on a certain team.
So stay tuned!

Dope Jam of the Day

Disco Club - Black Eyed Peas - This song may be old but I hadn't heard it until I put my iPod on shuffle this week. The intro is majestic in the modern-sense. This song possesses the full extent of the Black Eyed Peas' genuine swagger : fresh, catchy rhymes that are a joy to listen to, clear and smooth vocals that give more meaning to the lyrics, a Middle-Eastern influence that makes the song, um...fun, to dance to (particularly if you're with a b/g-friend), and the grandest horns you'll ever hear in rap. For some reason, the song reminds me of "Don't Cha" by the PussyCat Dolls, except with much more vocal variety. I was really amazed to hear the vocal clarity of will.i.am, the slick rhyming of Taboo, and who knew Fergie sang so well back in the day? Listen to it by clicking here and click on the track thats 3:50.

If you don't know the "baller" in this pic, you're not alone

However, I have just enough respect for the Red, White, and Blue to finish on a positive note. The only bright spot for this squad seems to be Eric Gordon. He continues to develop his skills and reminds me of Danny Granger when he first entered the league - a sleeper who will become very dangerous in the near future. If the Clippers can keep him and the rest of the team healthy, they could develop into a playoff-caliber club. But that's a lot to ask from a JV team.

DANGER: Andrew Bynum has returned. As if the Lakers weren't already dangerous enough, they got their 7-footer back. Great news for the Lakers and another weapon to defend for the opposition. It's hard to believe that this kid scored 42 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and had 3 blocked shots on January 21 - only to suffer a 9-week injury 10 days later. After two games, Lakers fans have been impressed with his conditioning, but obviously he still has a ways to go. I, personally, was surprised by his scoring on his first game back: 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting (and 7 rebounds).

However, one has to consider that the Lakers did go 25-7 without Bynum. And while I'm not suggesting that Bynum makes the team worse, you have to consider how much he really adds to the squad. I think his defense is truly what's been scaring guards out of the lane, thus building his reputation. But offensively, the front line is quicker without the big guy. Think about how much Odom (who deserves a post of his own later on) has improved while playing with the starters. We have really seen how quick and decisive he can play - while also experimenting with how a contract year can really motivate a player. So, I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that, while we're welcoming Bynum back into the rotation, we should think of how the Lakers have grown. We now know how much more reliable Odom is. We also have seen how the "Bench Mob" lacks a floor leader. We've seen that Fisher can deal with more minutes - and how Pau has a little less stamina. How Shannon Brown deserves more minutes.

Just some food for thought. Let me know if you agree or think I'm completely crazy with a comment.

Here is today's "Dope Jam"

(Note: For your reference, anything in italics is hyper-linked. Ex. click on the title of the track to download the song)

MSTRKRFT (ft. E-40) - Click Click (YSI) - A track off Mstrkrft's latest album, Fist of God, which I will review in a later post. This song successfully combines the fast spit of rap by E-40 with Mstrkrft's enticing electronic beats.

- Ben

4/11/09

Let's Get This Party Started

This is the beginning. I should probably introduce myself as a scholar, more so than a fan, of basketball. Be it NCAA tournament action or enthralling games in the NBA or ocassionally a noteworthy soccer game, you can always take a break from your TV at halftime and tune into this show. You may even find some cool songs or an interesting read. Now, you may be wondering, with so many other blogs out there, "why should I waste my time on this blog?" Well, the goal of this blog isn't to simply report the news and provide you with the common outlook. This blog was born for the purpose of delivering a unique perspective; I'm not spending my time echoing ESPN, but rather writing my own contrasting thoughts. What I'm doing is putting a magnifying glass on people and concepts you've barely stopped to ponder; to make comparisons you've never heard of; to write a realistic yet simultaneously brilliant thesis on my views. And as an added bonus, downloads to some dope jams will always be found right here. And occasionally if there's a book, usually it'll be something related to sports or an element of athletics, that I feel is exceptional, I'll make sure to recommend it. So when you're watching the halftime of a Lakers - or any sports game - make sure to take a break from those boring analysts at "The World's Must Trusted Name in Sports" and feel free to leave Charles Barkley's ridiculous banter as you read a post on the Halftime Hype.

All I ask of you is to leave a comment.