For some reason, I'm enjoying this season's NBA playoffs alot more than seasons past. Maybe it's a function of exciting teams to watch (Suns, Mavs, Heat, Wiz, Sonics) actually playing well and advancing. Maybe it's a function of a whole new crop of stars (Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade, Manu Ginobli, Gilbert Arenas, Dirk Nowitizki) taking over. Or maybe its just that one commercial that ESPN ran during the first round. The one with the Miami Heat players in a tight huddle around Shaq, all bouncing and chanting in unison: "Thun-Thudada-Thun-Thudada-Da!!!!" That kind of stuff always gets me fired up. I kinda wanted to get all the warehouse guys together at work and do that before our physical inventory. But you know, I didn't want them to think I was weird or anything.
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Of course since I wrote that last paragraph Arenas and the Wiz got swept out by Wade's Jordanesque and Shaqless performance. Plus, the Sonics probably won't get past the Spurs even though it's fun to watch Ray Allen try to get in Bowen's face. (Jesus is picking a fight!) Also, Nowitzki is playing okay, his shots aren't falling so he's taking it to hole pretty hard and he's doing the all important "Other-things-to-help-the-team", but he still hasn't had a breakout, dominant game that we all know he's capable of. Stoudemire has had it, so has Wade, we're still waiting for the Diggler to take over. Maybe he should pretend the Suns are Team USA in last year's Olympics.
About the Suns-Mavs: The Suns are damn good. But the Mavs have some good matchups. Plus we're so freakin deep, it's got to catch up with them eventually. We need to work harder on get getting the Suns starters in foul trouble early. I hope Cuban doesn't tinker too much with this squad either, I think I full year of Avery will whip them into Strong-Contender shape.
One other note about that ESPN commericial, it's brief and subtle, but look closely to the left of Shaq and you'll see a grin of unbridled joy on the face of Alonzo Mourning. Something about how happy he looks, how much pleasure he's taking in just being a part of a successful team again, gives me the warm-and-fuzzies inside. This is a guy who was out of the league for two years with a mysterious kidney ailment, had a kidney transplant (read those last two words again), and now he's back filling in for the Diesel. Couple that with this little piece from Chris Palmer of ESPN.com:
'Alonzo Mourning walked out of the visitors' locker room at MCI Center in one of his impeccable suits after the Heat's Game 3 triumph over the Wizards when a small television monitor caught his eye. On it were highlights of him in a Georgetown uniform swatting away shot after shot. He paused, transfixed on the screen. His now-grizzled face wore a sentimental grin.
"Man, that takes me back," he said as his voice cracked. "Coach Thompson really taught me a lot."
His eyes started to gloss over, and then that grin blossomed into a full-blown smile.
"And I was pretty slim back then too. Man, look at me go."
Back in D.C., his adopted second home, Zo has had much to be sentimental about. Everywhere he's gone, people stop him to talk G-Town, not playoffs.
"The four years I spent here were some of the best of my life," said Mourning. "We should have won it all in '89."
Thanks to Mourning's spirited play, the Heat took a 3-0 lead in the series and can close out Saturday. Late in the game, after a rejection of a Larry Hughes dunk, Mourning flexed his massive guns, drawing waves of boos from the fans that once cheered him. He knew it was nothing personal.
"The last thing you want to do is boo me," said Zo. "That just gets me going no matter where I'm playing."
He spent most of his career being the player you love to hate. Now he's the guy you gotta love. Just ask anyone in D.C. '
It makes me want to make a bunch of Zo-Strong wristbands and hand them out to everyone.
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Finally, GO MAVS!!
THUN-THUDADA-THUN-THUDADA-DA!!!! THUN-THUDADA-THUN-THUDADA-DA!!!
THUN-THUDADA-THUN-THUDADA-DA!!!! THUN-THUDADA-THUN-THUDADA-DA!!!!
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Posted by: Arnold at February 18, 2010 04:30 AM