The Official Allen Iverson Post

I love Allen Iverson.

And I'm not ashamed to admit it. No, he isn't perfect, but loving a perfect person is easy. It's finding a way to love the flaws that's the hard part. And oh, he is flawed. There is no doubt about that. But he deserved the standing ovation he got when his name was announced, and anyone who really thought the Philadelphia fans for whom he played his heart out every night for 11 years would boo him obviously knows nothing about Philly sports fans.

Are we loud? Yes. Obnoxious? Quite. Hard to please? Sure. But do we appreciate effort? Oh yes. If you play your heart out, we will love you, even if you aren't that good. (Although it really helps if you're good.) And Allen Iverson was good. (He still is, to be fair.) He was, with apologies to Donovan McNabb, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, the best Philadelphia athlete of my lifetime. And unless one of those guys wins a championship, that probably isn't going to change.

And yes, I'm fully aware Iverson did not win a championship here, but he put up better numbers than all of those guys. Even Utley. He's a first ballot hall of famer who played his heart out every minute of every game. (He is 4th all time in minutes per game average, at just over 40 per.) He is undersized, making him a natural underdog in a sport dominated by the freakishly tall. While he was by no means perfect, he was the perfect type of athlete for Philly: gritty, stubborn, hard working, and yes, occasionally gun toting.

When he was traded, we mourned as a city. Even those who did not like him here (and his detractors certainly exist) could not ignore what he meant to this city. He was Philadelphia, for better, and indeed for worse. And now he's gone. But Wednesday night we had him one more time, even if his uniform looked a little different. And even if he was playing for a different team, it just felt... right. He led all scorers, something he has done a few times before in that building. And even though the Sixers won, that was hardly in the forefront of anyone's mind.

One could argue that the Sixers (34-34) are a better team without Iverson, and one would probably be right, but they aren't better because he is gone. They would not be worse if you added him to their current roster. They may play more like a team now than they did when he was here, but that is because Andre Miller is one of the best point guards in the NBA, not because Iverson is a bad teammate or a selfish player. The best point guard Iverson ever played with was Eric Snow. Ask LeBron James how much he like playing with Eric.

The thing is, Iverson IS a team player. He has averaged close to 7 assists a game for his entire career. And that number would be higher if he ever played with guys who could shoot. You had to watch a lot of Sixers games to truly appreciate just how bad Iverson's supporting cast was for the majority of his tenure in Philly. He shot 30 times a game because that was the only way the Sixers were going to win. If you want proof that Iverson is capable of excelling when his teammates are talented, one needs to look no further than any of his all star game appearances. (Or, you could just look at the Nuggets.) He doesn't want to take every shot. He just wants to win.

And thats why I, and the majority f Philadephians, love Allen Iverson.

And we always will.

168 Is A Big Number

The Nuggets dropped 168 points on the Sonics Sunday night. In regulation. That is not a misprint. One hundred and sixty eight. As Kang (or maybe it was Kodos) would say, Holy Fluerking Schnit. The Nuggets shot 60% from the field (61-101), including 51% (16-31) from beyond the arc.

Marcus Camby had a triple double, notching 13 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. He also chipped in 4 blocks for good measure. You know you aren't having a good night when Marcus Camby drops 10 dimes on you. The 168 points were the third highest regulation output of all time. Video highlights and recap can be found here.

Adam Eaton, Sixers, Still Not That Good

Not that either of those statements should come as a surprise. The Sixers don't have a winning record despite their recent string of success, and Eaton doesn't have any talent, despite his large contract.

The Sixers got pounded by a much better team last night (the Celtics), allowing Boston to score the first 15 points of the game. (NOT a good way to begin.) And Eaton, who had his back injury, the one that had supposedly been lingering since last season, checked out, only to have it revealed that the injury was minor and did not require treatment, has been terrible all spring.

The fact that his injury requires no real treatment, of course, makes me wonder why the fuck he has been so terrible. Is he just of of shape? (Probably.) Is he just untalented? (Yeah.) Is he a monumental shithead who should donate 95% of his salary to Hamels? (Mmhmm.) So why the fuck was he ever signed? (Phillies management is, for the most part, incompetent.) Ugh. March Madness needs to hurry up and get here so I don't have to worry about baseball until April.

Who am I kidding? I'm not gonna stop thinking about baseball. It's only 20 days away.

NBA Thoughts And Predictions

With the Jason Kidd trade now final, it officially raises the age old question, "Who the fuck is going to win the Western Conference?" The East is easy. Only 5 teams even have winning records, (Boaston, Detroit, Cleveland, Orlando and Toronto) and only the first 3 mentioned have a legitimate chance of winning the conference.

The West though? The West has 10 teams with winning records, and while only 8 of them will make the playoffs, conceivably any of those 8 could end up winning it all. There are, however, as far as I'm concerned, 6 teams with a real chance to come out of the West and win it all, provided they don't get too worn out in the Conference championship and shit the bed against Detroit, Cleveland or Boston. The teams with the best chance to win the West are, in reverse order, as follows:

New Orleans: Chris Paul is a beast. Tyson Chandler is a beast. David West is a beast. I love all of them as basketball players and would be surprised if someday Paul doesn't have at least one ring. But Peja Stojakovic is about as clutch as your granddaddy's Cadillac, and if he's your best outside shooter, you aren't winning a championship. It's one thing to miss a clinching 3 pointer. It's another thing entirely to airball one.

Utah: That Kyle Korver trade was huge. The needed someone to stretch defenses and they got him. Boozer and Williams are great players and this team could absolutely win a championship. They would easily be the best team in the East. But they don't play in the East, and I don't see them geting past any of the next four teams in a 7 game series.

L.A. Lakers: Gasol for Kwame Brown and a couple of picks? Um, YES. You now have a rejuvenated Kobe playing with a talented big man and a good cast of supporting players. Sound familiar? I thought so. Unfortunately, Gasol is no 2000-2002 Shaq, and this team has a very shallow bench. Still, never underestimate Kobe.

San Antonio: The reigning champs stood pat amidst all the trades and I can't say I blame them. They're a great team with a great nucleus and a great coach. Unfortunately for them, repeating is really, really hard and other teams improved drastically. Would I be shocked if the Spurs repeated? Certainly not. But I don't think it's going to happen.

Dallas: Love the Jason Kidd trade, although they're really going to miss Keith Van Horn. Devin Harris is a very good, young point guard, but he isn't Jason Kidd. I think Kidd will do a lot for Josh Howard and Dirk, but I'm still not sure this team can really bang down low with the big boys in the conference, which is why I have to give the nod to...

Damn it, that isn't the right one. I have no idea how that even got on here. The Clippers are fucking terrible. Hold on one second. Ok, here we go.

THIS team is going to win it all:
Thats right, Phoenix: I LOVE the Shaq trade, and not because I believe that, in this stage of his career, he is a better basketball player than Shawn Marion. But as far as this team is concerned, he IS more valuable. This exact group of players had their chance of winning a championship. they didn't. And they didn't because they didn't have a big man in the post that could handle the other big men in the conference, especially Duncan. Also, a happy, motivated Shaq is a wonderful thing. I don't care how old he is, he can still play. Phoenix can now run or grind it out, and they can do it well. That's why I think they'll finally be able to hold whatever the hell the NBA championship trophy is called over their heads come June. And I'll be rooting for them, not just because it will make me look smart. You gotta love Steve Nash. Us white basketball players (current and former) gotta stick together.

It's Time To Move On

Yes, the NFL season is officially over. True, it was really over last weekend, but the Pro Bowl did manage to give the illusion of football despite the lack of defense and touches for Brian Westbrook. (3 touches? Come the fuck on.) And yet, there is promise for what many consider to be the bleakest annual period of time for pro sports.

The Lakers traded for Pau Gasol without losing any important pieces. The Suns traded Shawn Marion to the Heat for Shaquille O'Neal. And Baseball, sweet, sweet baseball, is less than two months away. So fear not sports fan, we have plenty to look forward to. Hell, there's even some hockey worth watching.



Note: I don't think this is worth watching because the linesman got hurt. (He suffered a broken jaw and needed 60 stitches, but should be ok.) I just love how the players took it as an opportunity to incite a brawl.

Sports!

Holy SHIT, a lot happened while I was gone. The Gasol trade. The Shaq trade. The fucking Super Bowl. I have thoughts on all of them. I also just got back from Mardi Gras and am fucking exhausted, so I'm going to make it quick.

Gasol: the Lakers stole him, but I can see why Memphis felt the need to move him. They have a lot of young talent, and Kwame's expiring contract will give them more room to make moves. Still, I think they could have gotten more for him, and when Bynum comes back the Lakers are going to be good.

Shaq: great trade for both teams IF Shaq can stay healthy for the playoffs. I think Marion and Wade will mesh well in Miami, and Shaq is the inside presence the Suns have sorely lacked all this time. Sure, Amare is a beast on offense, but Tim Duncan (among others) continually treats him as though Amare just dropped the soap. Also, Shaq has never played with guys like Nash or Amare, and while he isn't SHAQ anymore, he's still, you know, Shaq. NBA, I'm officially interested in the season. Well played.

The Super Bowl: I'm as shocked as you are. Kudos to the Giants. I look forward to the Eagles beating the super Bowl Champs twice next season. As far as the game goes, it was boring until the last quarter, but hey, what a quarter.

Those are my condensed thoughts on the week that was. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to sleep for 15 hours.

Ed Stefanski Is Doing His Job

Kyle Korver and his terrible contract were traded tot he Jazz for Gordan Giricek AND a first round pick. Look, I like Korver, but he's a one dimensional player. Yes, he can shoot threes. No, he can't guard anyone. And yes, he was overpaid. They seem like pretty similar players, although Giricek is older. Can't say this wasn't a good trade, because it looks like it was. Have fun in Salt Lake City Kyle.

Maybe The Sixers Are Headed In The Right Direction After All

They finally canned Billy King, one of the absolute worst GMs in basketball (which is REALLY saying something). This move came abut 6 years too late, but hey, better late than never. King started fucking up as soon as he was handed the keys to the franchise - he drafted Larry Hughes over Paul pierce, among others, in 1998 - and kept fucking up until they got rid of him, which they did today.

His replacement, Ed Stefanski, has at the very least a decent resume, as he is one of the architects behind the current New Jersey Nets team, which is good if not great. He is also a Philly area native and will no doubt be committed to making the Sixers not suck. Good luck buddy. You got a ways to go.

Lakers Play, Kobe Doesn't

He didn't make the trip for an exibition game in Vegas against the Kings, which the Lakers won. Harbinger of things to come? Who knows. But he's going to play somewhere, and he's going to dominate. Cause, you know, he's Kobe. In other sports news... wait, there wasn't any. Nothing happened today except a bunch of preseason basketball. Boston did put a hurtin' on the Cavs though, 114-89. KG had a triple double. He's a beast.

Oh, and Boise St. Beast Fresno St. in college football. Not that you care.

Kobe Bryant Rumors

Rumor has it Kobe Bryant just cleared out his locker today and a trade will be announced within hours. Where is he going? Who knows. I'm guessing Isiah Thomas traded 17 future 1st round picks for him. Stay tuned as more details become clear.

NOTE: While I'm not making this up, it may be unsubstantiated.

Remember When the NFL was the League With All the Legal Problems?

Those were a fun 4 days. A referee fixing games and outcomes? In the playoffs? Guhhhhh. David Stern is NOT pleased. Everyone who's anyone keeps saying they're "sad, but not shocked". You know what? I'm fucking shocked. This is the god damn NBA, not some minor league or semi-pro shit. This is a very, very serious offense. And while I don't think it's as bad as what Michael Vick has been accused of, it's pretty darn terrible, especially for the fans who may have been royally screwed.

The happiest man in America over all of this? Roger Goodell. Just when the NFL was taking all the negative publicity, the NBA goes and lets this happen. Of course, it could flip-flop right back when Ookie gets 6 years in prison for animal cruelty, among other offenses.

Also, Ryan Howard is now tied with teammate Chase Utley for the National League lead in RBIs. And he missed a month. What a stud. Imagine what his numbers would be like if he'd been healthy every game he played this year instead of waiting 3 weeks before going on the DL. Charlie Manuel, you're an idiot.

I Suppose I Should Be Impressed

We've all known for a while now that Lebron - I don't care how fucking good he is, I'm not acknowledging a second capital letter in his first name - James is good at basketball. How good, however, remained to be seen. Until tonight. The last non-Lebron Cleveland field goal came with 7:48 left to play in the 4th quarter. The game went into double overtime. Cleveland won. After Zydrunas Ilgauskas made the score 79-76 in favor of Cleveland, Lebron scored 29 of the next 30 points for the Cavs, including their final 25.

With 2:48 to go in the 4th, Drew Gooden went 1 for 2 from the line. That was the last time a Cav scored a point. And they won. HO. LY. SHIT. 25 in a row?! Who does that? Lebron James, apparently.

And it isn't like he was hitting easy shots either. They weren't leaving him open. Remember, Detroit is a good defensive team, as evidenced by the fact that no other Cav made a bucket during the last 17+ minutes of the game. But he just kept making them. And making them. And making them. He finished with 48 points, not to mention 9 rebounds and 7 assists, which were clearly just for shits and giggles. This kid (he's twenty-fucking two!) is pretty good. Of course none of this means shit if Cleveland doesn't win one of their next two basketball games.

Good luck, your Majesty, although I doubt you'll need it.

Kobe, Come Home

Look, I don't like Kobe Bryant. I never have. Ever since he tried to rep Philly at the All Star game and everyone booed him, I've always thought he was a bit of a punk. Aw, you're upset because we booed? Hey asshole, your team beat us in the finals 8 months beforehand! Did you expect a hero's welcome?

Also, Kobe isn't really from Philly. He spent his formative years in Italy and went to high school in a Philly suburb. Yes, if he had to rep an American city, Philly would be the logical choice. But he is no Philadelphian.

That being said, I want him on the Sixers. Now. He's unhappy in L.A.? Fine. Bring him back "home". Give up Rodney Carney and the 21st and 30th pick int he draft for him if L.A. really wants to unload him. Is that equal value for one of the most dynamic scorers of all time in his prime? Good grief no, but the NBA gods owe us one after giving away Iverson for half a sandwich and three expired coupons.

Could he play with Iguodala? Absolutely. Iggy is a smaller, more athletic and talented version of Lamar Odom, with whom Kobe meshed well enough. And Andre Miller would suit him perfectly. Bring him. Do it now.

The only problem is that Billy King, fuckhead that he is, might trade the entire team for him, leaving the Sixers with a one man roster come opening night. Also, Kobe has a no-trade clause and could easily end up on a better team than the Sixers (Dallas, Phoenix, Chicago, etc.). But hey, Kobe always said he liked a challenge...

The NBA Should Really Try to be More Like the NHL

Wait, don't stop reading! I know nothing should be modeled after the NHL, but this one little thing should change about the NBA. The playoff system reseeding the NHL uses after the first round needs to make its way to the NBA. Right now the Suns (#2 seed) are playing the Spurs (#3 seed) while Utah gets to play Golden state (#4 and #8, respectively). How is that fair? Is it really that hard to have the highest seed play the lowest seed? If the NHL can pull it off with an annual budget of $7.50 (Canadian), anyone can.

Speaking of hockey, while hanging out with a few friends earlier, I was briefly reminded what it was like to care about an NHL team as my boys cheered on the Rangers towards the end of their game 6 with Buffalo. (The Sabres won.) My friends were intense. I remember being like that about the Flyers. Liking hockey was kind of fun, at least in Philly where everyone used to care. (Many still do, I'm just not one of them.) Oh well. Thanks for ruining hockey for me Bobby Clarke. Shithead.

50 is a Big Number

50 points. The Sixers lost to the Houston Rockets by 50 points last night. Fifty. What is this, high school girls basketball? NBA teams don't lose by 50. At home. I don't care if the Rockets are really good and surging (6-2) now that the Chinese Tom Brady is back. There is no excuse for losing by 50, even if you are a Philadelphia sports team.

I didn't watch much of the game, but let's recap some interesting numbers, shall we? The Rockets got out to a 21-6 lead, from which the Sixers clearly never recovered. The Rockets outrebounded the Sixers 54-36 and made 7 more three pointers than Philly. The Sixers were a whopping 27 for 80 from the field. 27 for 80! They missed 53 shots! That is hard to do. And here's the real doozy: the Rockets had 54 points in the paint. The Sixers - (WARNING: those with weak stomachs, stop reading now) - eight. Eight points in the paint. Compared to 54. That my friends, is a beatdown.

All I can really say is that it's good to see the Sixers returning to their midseason form with the hopes to land Oden or Durant. They had won 8 of 10 coming into this game and were on the verge of making the playoffs in the pathetic Eastern Conference. This would cost them their first round pick. And yes, they would still have Denver's and Dallas', but Denver looks like a playoff team and Dallas will have the last pick in the draft because there is no way in hell anyone is beating them in a 7 game series in June. Forfeiting a lottery pick for the right to get thumped by Detroit or Cleveland in the first round is NOT a good idea.

Still, this is Philadelphia and Billy King is still in charge, so I am prepared for the worst. When the Sixers lose to Dallas in the Finals and Andre Iguodala breaks his neck in triple overtime of a tragic game seven loss, don't say I didn't warn you.

"Did I just say that? Fuck."

Wait, did I just say all of that? Fuck. I didn't mean that I hate gay people literally. Well, I mean, I did mean it, but I didn't mean to take any shit for it, so I'm offering a half-assed apology. Wait, did I just say I was offering my ass? Fuck. That makes me sound gay, doesn't it? Oh god I hope it doesn't. I hate fags, and I don't want to hate myself any more than I already do. Don't they understand that they have no place in professional sports, being in my locker room, staring at my adonis-like point gaurd body? That shit is gay man. Being naked around other dudes is fine, as long as they don't want to fuck you. But if they're gay, well, I don't wanna catch it from them, you know? I hear if they stare at you enough you can catch gay. And once you catch it, you've got it for life. God that would be terrible. I wouldn't be able to make love to my wife, or my girlfriend, or that dude I've been fu- uh oh. You didn't hear that. I didn't mean that. I'm not gay! Am I? Fuck. I hate fags.

Sucker Punched

Carmelo isn't in the All Star Game? He's the leading scorer in the NBA. That's horseshit. So he punched a guy. Big deal. You find me one NBA player who hasn't punched a guy in the last year and I'll show you Kyle Korver. Carmelo is a baller. It's about entertaining the fans, and he's one of the NBA's best. Let the man play. The only positive to this is that now maybe the game will be competitive. Nah, who am I kidding? The West is still going to kill the East, which doesn't even have Iverson, their perennial savior during this game. This game won't be close.

Also, AI2 aka Andre Iguodala, should be in the dunk contest again. He was robbed last year by Nate "Napoleon Complex" Robinson, who took 15 tries to do something that was still less impressive than AI2's. He must get his revenge, even though I can't see him, or anyone, topping his performance last year. The Off-the-back-of-the-backboard dunk was phenomenal. If you haven't seen it, for the love of god, click that link and prepare to have to change your pants.

Update: It has been brought to my attention that AI2 will not be participating. I guess he feels he has nothing more to prove after last year, despite the fact that he wasn't the official winner. Still, it would have been fun to watch him do his thing again this year.

Don't Act Like You're Not Impressed

Two days ago the Phoenix Suns played their last game in January, and it was, crazily enough, their first loss of the month as well. And it took a 44 point effort from KG as well as stellar play from the rest of the T-Wolves to do it. The Suns were 15-1 in January. 15 and fucking 1! That's good. And so, as NBA fans across the globe slowly remove their jaws from the floor, I couldn't help but gawk just a little bit longer at how good this team has been.

Now I don't get too many chances to see the Suns play. I'm either always at work (where I can at least see highlights), out drinking, or sleeping off a night of drinking till 3pm, as I did Sunday despite intending to watch the Suns play. Actually, I don't even think I went out Saturday night, but that's beside the point. The point is Steve Nash had 15 assists and NO turnovers. That's incredible. The great John Stockton himself would have been damn proud of that line.

So naturally, the Suns are way ahead of the competition in the NBA right? Um, wrong. If the season ended today, Dallas would be the number 1 seed in the west. So why aren't they getting nearly as much press as Phoenix? Well, Dallas hasn't been ripping off 15 game win streaks. They prefer to just win 9 out of every 10. Less flashy. Phoenix has now had TWO win streaks of 15 games. Incredible. Yet, they have the same number of losses (9) as Dallas. And neither of these teams started well. Dallas lost their first 4, only win their next 12. Then they dropped 3 out of 5, and since then have won 23 of 25. Astounding. Phoenix dropped 6 of their first 9 and has since won 33 of 36. Unbelievable. Rest assured, I will NOT miss these two teams playing each other in the playoffs. It is gonna be awesome. I doubt I will be able to say the same about the actual NBA finals. Oh well. By then baseball will be in full swing anyway.

Mmmm, baseball. Only 59 more days till Opening Day.