It sucks. Actually, that's not really true. Hockey can be just as exciting as any sport you can think of. Its players are highly skilled, it's played on ice, and is the only team sport that allows fights to occur on a regular basis. If the NHL wasn't run by complete nitwits and the majority of its American television coverage was on a channel that more than 75 people actually get, then hockey might be more popular in America. I used to be a huge hockey fan, but ever since they canceled the entire season due to a labor dispute, I just haven't got back into it all the way. Plus, the team closest to me, the Atlanta Thrashers, is run by a bunch of nincompoops who seemingly do not care about winning, and play in a city which couldn't care less if the Thrashers were to leave tomorrow. When you're star player (Ilya Kovalchuk) turns down a 100 million dollar contract and you have to trade him for 60 cents on the dollar, things are not going well. When you have the same general manager for nine years and your team has not won a single playoff game during this period, you obviously couldn't care less about winning. So, the way I figure it, since nobody else cares about the Thrashers outside of the players and maybe the coaches, then why should I?
However, this post isn't about the ineptitude of the Thrashers, instead I'm going to talk about Owen Nolan. Nolan is the most famous hockey player born in Ireland, even if he grew up in Canada. Nolan is known as a power forward, which in hockey means he's a guy that can score goals and likes to mix it up and deliver hard checks. Nolan's also known to get into a fight or two. Currently with the Minnesota Wild, Nolan is 74th in NHL history with 1,774 penalty minutes, and 73rd in goals with 419. His best season came with the San Jose Sharks in 1999-00, where he finished 2nd in goals (44) and 6th in points (84). Nolan also appeared on the cover of EA's NHL 2001 and from personal experience, he is pretty dominant on that game. So, I'm going to watch some YouTube videos featuring our fearless Irish hero.
- Our first video is a hockey fight featuring Nolan vs. then Sabers defenseman Doug Houda. Since Nolan is still on the Quebec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche), I think this is from 1995. Anyway, hockey fights are usually somewhat awkward affairs, what with all the sweater pulling and the fact that they are on ice skates, and this was no real exception. Nolan dominated the short fight, forcing Houda down on the ice and getting the only two blows that landed while in Houda's guard. Score that fight for Nolan.
- The next video is another fight from the 2000-01 season, featuring then Shark Nolan against the Calgary Flames' Jason Weimer. Weimer starts the brouhaha with a body check which Nolan takes extreme exception to. The two fight mainly against the board, trying to throw punches to the head while their opponents helmets are still on. I'm not an expert, but punching a man's head covered by a helmet seems like a good way to break your hand. Weimer lands a couple of short rights before Nolan gets the takedown on Weimer before the referees break it up. The announcers are somewhat surprised at Weimer's actions, but then review his pentalty minutes and decide it's not much of a surprise after all. After the fight, the P.A. plays Chris Issak's "Baby did a Bad Bad Thing." which I guess is appropriate but wouldn't be the first song I played after I fight. Well, to each their own. We'll score that fight a draw.
- Next on the fight card is a fight from the 2003-04 season where Nolan, now on the Toronto Maple Leafs, takes on Matt Barnaby of the New York Rangers. Before I go on, I'd just like to say that I find it astonishing how much hockey fight videos there are on YouTube. If you were an NHL player and have gotten into a fight in the past 30 years, then its probably going to be on the internet. Anywho, Nolan starts the fight by punching the crap out of Barnaby while he is pinned up on the boards, the only thing saving poor Barnaby is that he still has his helmet on. They finally get off the boards, and Barnaby lands a couple of punches before Nolan gets in another right. After some jersey grabbing, Nolan lets Barnaby hit him with a left, and laughs after Barnaby punches him. That's usually not a good sign. Barnaby lands a right to the apparent amusement of Nolan. The refs finally break it up. I give this fight to Nolan, as he dominated early and laughed in Barnaby's face when he let his weak punches land. That's got to be a little embarrassing. Barnaby was a guy that made his living basically annoying the crap out of his opponents and being a general pest, and, according to the video description, was a "creep". I think that's an accurate description.
- Here's a video that doesn't involve fighting. It's Owen Nolan at the 1990 NHL Draft, where he was picked first overall by the Quebec Nordiques. Nolan has a three star mullet in the clip, it was definitely business in the front, but needed a little more party in the back. The analysts say that Nolan is the best combination of toughness and talent, and compliments Nolan on his "dark, surly side" saying he likes to fight, likes to hit, and likes to score goals. Well, who doesn't. Our man Nolan is interviewed for 20 seconds, saying he's glad to be here or whatever, they show his parents in the crowd, and that's pretty much it. I wonder if Owen regrets that mullet.
- Finally, we wrap this up with a video from the 1997 NHL All-Star Game. The video starts with a mini profile of Nolan, talking about his Irish background and the fact that his parents move out of the violence of Belfast and into the tranquility of Ontario when Owen was young. I guess it worked out pretty well for them. At this point, Nolan has two goals, and is looking for a third to complete the hat trick in front of his hometown crowd in San Jose. With two minutes left in the third, the East's Mark Messier loses the puck accidentally on purpose, giving Nolan a 1-on-1 breakaway against goalie Dominik Hasek. Nolan points to the upper-right corner of the goal, calling his shot. Nolan then shoots it towards the right corner, bouncing it off the post and into the net. That's how you finish off a hat trick. The fans throw there hats onto the ice in celebration. Seems like a bad idea, but they do get their hats back, so it's all good. Since it's an All-Star game, Nolan does a quick interview with the Fox sideline reporter. He said something about Hasek killing him all season and for most of the game until his called shot, and expresses excitement or something over his hat trick. In case you were wondering, the East beat the West in spite of Nolan's hat trick, 11-7, but I don't think anyone was wondering, so you can do what you please with that information.
In conclusion, you may wonder, why review Owen Nolan videos? Well, I say, why not. Honestly, I did it because he happened to be the 74th all-time leader in penalty minutes. So there, it was a random choice. Next time I might review a movie or a game of Sonic and Knuckles for the Sega Genesis. You just never can tell. However, if anybody had any ideas, feel free to submit them.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Old Pizza Hut Commercials
Last week, I got a pizza from Pizza Hut. It was a large Meat Lovers pizza with Stuffed Crust. It was actually pretty good, which surprised me because the Pizza Huts around my area are hit-or-miss. I wasn't happy that we had to pay two extra dollars for the stuffed crust when their commercial explicitly said that you could get any pizza, any size, any toppings, and any crust for just $10 dollars. I mean, why do they have to lie like that. Bunch of crooks. So, to either calm or escalate my week-old anger, depending on how this goes, I'm going to watch a few old Pizza Hut commercials.
Our first commercial is from 1989. In it, a new delivery boy is being motivated by his trainer, I guess. He has to carry this pizza up a large staircase onto this old man's porch who has a stopwatch because by God, he wants his pizza on time. The trainer states that this task is harder because Pizza Hut's pizzas are loaded, and the kid seems exhausted due to this heavy pizza. Uh, it's only one pizza, so it can't be that heavy unless the toppings are bricks or something, so give me a break. Anyway, the kid makes it up to the top to the approval of the old man, who says, "See you tomorrow, rookie." For an old man who presumably eats pizza every day, he seems to be in good shape. I guess he works off those calories going up and down those stairs to get the mail.
Our next commercial is from 1986 and Pizza Hut is offering jugs, special jugs, but not ancient Egyptian jugs, but igloo. They show a miniature igloo, and the announcer gets all pissed off and says "Not an Igloo Igloo", this one, which is a half-gallon size igloo beverage cooler. For only $1.99 with the purchase of a medium or large pizza, you could purchase this cooler full of Pepsi. Also, any time over the rest of the summer, you can get a free refill with the purchase of a medium or large pizza. That's not a bad deal at all. I wish they would do that now. Then again, I only go to Pizza Hut about three times a year, so it probably wouldn't be worth it for me, but still.
Next is a commercial from about 2 years ago. Three guys are sitting around eating P'Zones when some guy named Mooch comes in the room, The guys simultaneously say "Mooch" and Mooch wonders, hey, what are those things you're eating. They say it's a P'Zone, which is like a calzone, only Pizza Huttier or something, and then go back to loudly enjoying their food. Mooch looks hungry, and tries to live up to his nickname, but is shot down instantly like the Trix Rabbit after some Trix. The announcer then goes on to explain that a P'Zone is a pound of food, kind of like a pizza, with cheese and toppings, only folded in half, because Pizza Hut figured there weren't enough high-fat food choices available, I guess. You could get one for 5.99 or two for 10.99. I've never had one, but it doesn't seem like that bad of a deal. Today you could get a cheese and pepperoni P'Zone for 5 bucks, but the Meaty and Classic ones cost 5.99 still. Anywho, the black guy of the group asks Mooch if he wants one, Mooch says yes, and the other guy throws the phone towards him, telling him to order up. What a bunch of wild and crazy guys.
We finish up this review with a Pizza Hut commercial from 1986. There's some string music in the background as the announcer goes, "At Pizza Hut, we make our pan pizza with dough made fresh every day, with pure mozzarella cheese, and only the finest toppings", and they show the dough being kneaded, the cheese sprinkled on, and so forth. The announcer goes one to say that if you are in the mood for pizza, then you should come in to Pizza Hut because we're pretty damn good (I'm paraphrasing, but that was his general message). I have to admit, the pizza looked very appetizing. I mean, I wasn't hungry before, but I'm getting there now.
So, that was fun, I guess. Next time I think I'll pick more annoying commercials, as this time the only real annoying one was the P'Zone commercial. There was nothing remotely funny or good about that one and I would never want to hang out with those bunch of jerks. So there.
Our first commercial is from 1989. In it, a new delivery boy is being motivated by his trainer, I guess. He has to carry this pizza up a large staircase onto this old man's porch who has a stopwatch because by God, he wants his pizza on time. The trainer states that this task is harder because Pizza Hut's pizzas are loaded, and the kid seems exhausted due to this heavy pizza. Uh, it's only one pizza, so it can't be that heavy unless the toppings are bricks or something, so give me a break. Anyway, the kid makes it up to the top to the approval of the old man, who says, "See you tomorrow, rookie." For an old man who presumably eats pizza every day, he seems to be in good shape. I guess he works off those calories going up and down those stairs to get the mail.
Our next commercial is from 1986 and Pizza Hut is offering jugs, special jugs, but not ancient Egyptian jugs, but igloo. They show a miniature igloo, and the announcer gets all pissed off and says "Not an Igloo Igloo", this one, which is a half-gallon size igloo beverage cooler. For only $1.99 with the purchase of a medium or large pizza, you could purchase this cooler full of Pepsi. Also, any time over the rest of the summer, you can get a free refill with the purchase of a medium or large pizza. That's not a bad deal at all. I wish they would do that now. Then again, I only go to Pizza Hut about three times a year, so it probably wouldn't be worth it for me, but still.
Next is a commercial from about 2 years ago. Three guys are sitting around eating P'Zones when some guy named Mooch comes in the room, The guys simultaneously say "Mooch" and Mooch wonders, hey, what are those things you're eating. They say it's a P'Zone, which is like a calzone, only Pizza Huttier or something, and then go back to loudly enjoying their food. Mooch looks hungry, and tries to live up to his nickname, but is shot down instantly like the Trix Rabbit after some Trix. The announcer then goes on to explain that a P'Zone is a pound of food, kind of like a pizza, with cheese and toppings, only folded in half, because Pizza Hut figured there weren't enough high-fat food choices available, I guess. You could get one for 5.99 or two for 10.99. I've never had one, but it doesn't seem like that bad of a deal. Today you could get a cheese and pepperoni P'Zone for 5 bucks, but the Meaty and Classic ones cost 5.99 still. Anywho, the black guy of the group asks Mooch if he wants one, Mooch says yes, and the other guy throws the phone towards him, telling him to order up. What a bunch of wild and crazy guys.
We finish up this review with a Pizza Hut commercial from 1986. There's some string music in the background as the announcer goes, "At Pizza Hut, we make our pan pizza with dough made fresh every day, with pure mozzarella cheese, and only the finest toppings", and they show the dough being kneaded, the cheese sprinkled on, and so forth. The announcer goes one to say that if you are in the mood for pizza, then you should come in to Pizza Hut because we're pretty damn good (I'm paraphrasing, but that was his general message). I have to admit, the pizza looked very appetizing. I mean, I wasn't hungry before, but I'm getting there now.
So, that was fun, I guess. Next time I think I'll pick more annoying commercials, as this time the only real annoying one was the P'Zone commercial. There was nothing remotely funny or good about that one and I would never want to hang out with those bunch of jerks. So there.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Seattle Supersonics vs. Portland Trailblazers, 1978 Western Conference Semifinals, Game 2
A few weeks ago, I re-read David Halberstram's The Breaks of the Game. In case you don't know, Halberstram followed the Portland Trailblazers during the entire 1979-80 season, and then wrote a book about his experiences. One of the main themes of the book was that just two years ago, Portland was on the verge of being the NBA's next dynasty. The Trailblazers won the 1976-77 NBA Championship, and started the next season 50-10 due to the talents of future Hall-of-Fame Center Bill Walton, bruising power forward Maurice Lucas, and a solid supporting cast, all under the skillful hand of coach Jack Ramsey, one of the most respected coaches in the history of Basketball. Of course, it all went downhill from there, as Walton's problematic feet finally gave out due to years of stress, putting him out for all but two games for the season, and for 14 games for the next four seasons. Walton would end up suing the Blazers medical staff, a charge which surprised many because, according to the book, the medical staff were the best friends Walton had on the team at the time. Walton became a free-agent, and signed with the then San Diego Clippers. Meanwhile, both Lucas and All-Star guard Lionel Hollins were eventually traded due to contract disputes, and key role players such as Larry Steele, Dave Twardzik, and Bobby Gross were either frequently injured or over the hill. In just two years, the Trailblazers went from a dynasty in the making into just another mediocre team trying to get into the playoffs, even with the intellect of Ramsay.
So, why did I watch this game? Simple, 1) it was on YouTube, and 2) it would be Bill Walton's last game as a Portland Trailblazer. The Trailblazers won the game against the Seattle Supersonics, 96-93, but , without the 1978 MVP, Walton, they would end up losing the series to the 'Sonics in six games. Here are a few observations.
- Before the game, Walton had a few painkillers shot into his foot, which was the first time he allowed the Blazers training staff to put needles in his feet. The problem was, the shots wore off quickly, and it turned out that Walton had a broken bone in his left foot (among other problems, Walton, according to the trainers, had the worst feet they had ever seen). That, of course, pissed Walton off, so he would sue the Blazers and eventually finagle his way off the Trailblazers. Watching the game, it seemed as if the shots wore off rather early, as within the first five minutes, Walton started to limp. When the shots worked, Walton played well, scoring a few points, grabbing key boards and the Trailblazers offense ran smoothly. He eventually had to come out, but would give it one more shot.
- Walton came back in the second quarter, and right away it was painfully obvious to everyone that there was no way he could help the Trailblazers win the game. On more than one occasion, Walton couldn't run down the court, leaving Portland at a disadvantage at the offensive end. Walton couldn't jump very high, or very often, which led to Gus Williams scoring an uncontested layup on Walton when normally, Walton would stuff that shot back in Gus's face. He did block one shot, but had to come out seconds afterward.
- Early in the game, it seemed as if the 'Blazers were lost without their M.V.P. But, to their credit, the Blazers rallied fierce defense and key shots from Lucas and point guard Johnny Davis. Tom Owens, Walton's replacement, did well, limiting Seattle's Marvin Webster on defense while adding 14 points. Davis was on fire in the third quarter, scoring 13 points that period and hitting damn near every shot he took, no matter the distance. As for Lucas, he scored 19, cleaned up on the boards, and hit the shot that would end up clinching the game for Portland.
- Walton was known for his bushy red hair and his wild beard, but what I found odd was that Portland guard Dave Twardzik looked as if he was trying to emulate Walton's look for whatever reason. His hair wasn't as red, but other than that, Twardzik looked like Bill Walton would if he were a foot shorter.
- Gus Williams, Seattle's shooting guard, was a fine player who many NBA fans today do not remember. He scored 31 points, including 15 in the first quarter, brought the ball up court for the majority of the game, and chased after every loose ball on the court. At one point late in the game, he took out about three rows of the Portland crowd diving for the ball. Heck, it looked like he was giving this woman an Owen Hart style spinning wheel kick. I'm sure that woman didn't enjoy it, but I did.
- Seattle's Fred Brown was Vinnie Johnson before anybody knew who Vinnie Johnson was. What I mean is that Brown would come off the bench and provide instant offense. If the NBA had a three-point line back then, Brown would be the NBA's best three-point shooter outside of Pete Maravich, and probably an All-Star. There's a reason he was called 'Downtown' Freddie Brown. Add Dennis Johnson to Brown and Williams, and Seattle may of had one of the top 10 backcourts in NBA history. No wonder they came withing a game of winning two straight NBA titles.
- Not to mention, Seattle had Jack Sikma (a player with Walton-like skills), Marvin Webster (a blocked-shot specialist who could score, basically, the 1978 equivalent of Dikembe Mutombo, only with better hands), and Paul Silas, a veteran rebounder who was regarded as the best locker-room guy in the NBA at the time. I must say, I'd forgotten how loaded the Sonics were during this time.
-Nobody really talks about him anymore, but Marvin Webster was one heck of a player. He blocked four shots early in the game, and altered the way the 'Blazers played the game, as they had to rely on more outside shooting. Webster should have never left the 'Sonics, as he signed with the Knicks, got hurt and then lost in the shuffle along with the other 48 big-name guys the Knicks had during the late 70s.
- One thing I am happy about today's NBA is that nobody wears hip-hugger shorts anymore. Thank goodness. Twardzik's shorts were some of the tightest I remember seeing, and I don't care to remember exactly how they looked. To his credit, Twardzik played a good defensive game and made Seattle's guards work for every shot.
One thing that I don't like about today's NBA is the idea that loud music must be played whenever possible. It was so relieving to see a timeout without "Rock and Roll Part 2" playing in the background. It was also nice that when the ball was brought up court, they did it without music in the background or some annoying announcer yelling "LETS MAKE SOME NOIZZEEEEE! DEEEEE-FENSE". Maybe it's just me, but that stuff tends to get annoying rather quickly.
- The announcers for this game were Brent Musberger and Rick Barry. I'm not their biggest fans, and I'm just going to leave it at that.
- Throughout the game, Musberger was promoting a CBS 3-on-3 event. I forget the first team, but the second team was Maurice Lucas, Celtic Hall of Fame guard Sam Jones, and TV's Robert Conrad, the star of the old CBS television show "The Wild Wild West". I wonder how they decided on that team, what an odd trio. I hope they played Kareem, George Mikan, and Ed Asner.
Well, I've run out of things to say. This was a rather interesting game to watch, and, since I wasn't aware of the outcome beforehand, I thought the 'Sonics would blow out Portland without Walton. But lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised. Clearly, the lesson is to never doubt Maurice Lucas, and it is a mistake I will not make again.
So, why did I watch this game? Simple, 1) it was on YouTube, and 2) it would be Bill Walton's last game as a Portland Trailblazer. The Trailblazers won the game against the Seattle Supersonics, 96-93, but , without the 1978 MVP, Walton, they would end up losing the series to the 'Sonics in six games. Here are a few observations.
- Before the game, Walton had a few painkillers shot into his foot, which was the first time he allowed the Blazers training staff to put needles in his feet. The problem was, the shots wore off quickly, and it turned out that Walton had a broken bone in his left foot (among other problems, Walton, according to the trainers, had the worst feet they had ever seen). That, of course, pissed Walton off, so he would sue the Blazers and eventually finagle his way off the Trailblazers. Watching the game, it seemed as if the shots wore off rather early, as within the first five minutes, Walton started to limp. When the shots worked, Walton played well, scoring a few points, grabbing key boards and the Trailblazers offense ran smoothly. He eventually had to come out, but would give it one more shot.
- Walton came back in the second quarter, and right away it was painfully obvious to everyone that there was no way he could help the Trailblazers win the game. On more than one occasion, Walton couldn't run down the court, leaving Portland at a disadvantage at the offensive end. Walton couldn't jump very high, or very often, which led to Gus Williams scoring an uncontested layup on Walton when normally, Walton would stuff that shot back in Gus's face. He did block one shot, but had to come out seconds afterward.
- Early in the game, it seemed as if the 'Blazers were lost without their M.V.P. But, to their credit, the Blazers rallied fierce defense and key shots from Lucas and point guard Johnny Davis. Tom Owens, Walton's replacement, did well, limiting Seattle's Marvin Webster on defense while adding 14 points. Davis was on fire in the third quarter, scoring 13 points that period and hitting damn near every shot he took, no matter the distance. As for Lucas, he scored 19, cleaned up on the boards, and hit the shot that would end up clinching the game for Portland.
- Walton was known for his bushy red hair and his wild beard, but what I found odd was that Portland guard Dave Twardzik looked as if he was trying to emulate Walton's look for whatever reason. His hair wasn't as red, but other than that, Twardzik looked like Bill Walton would if he were a foot shorter.
- Gus Williams, Seattle's shooting guard, was a fine player who many NBA fans today do not remember. He scored 31 points, including 15 in the first quarter, brought the ball up court for the majority of the game, and chased after every loose ball on the court. At one point late in the game, he took out about three rows of the Portland crowd diving for the ball. Heck, it looked like he was giving this woman an Owen Hart style spinning wheel kick. I'm sure that woman didn't enjoy it, but I did.
- Seattle's Fred Brown was Vinnie Johnson before anybody knew who Vinnie Johnson was. What I mean is that Brown would come off the bench and provide instant offense. If the NBA had a three-point line back then, Brown would be the NBA's best three-point shooter outside of Pete Maravich, and probably an All-Star. There's a reason he was called 'Downtown' Freddie Brown. Add Dennis Johnson to Brown and Williams, and Seattle may of had one of the top 10 backcourts in NBA history. No wonder they came withing a game of winning two straight NBA titles.
- Not to mention, Seattle had Jack Sikma (a player with Walton-like skills), Marvin Webster (a blocked-shot specialist who could score, basically, the 1978 equivalent of Dikembe Mutombo, only with better hands), and Paul Silas, a veteran rebounder who was regarded as the best locker-room guy in the NBA at the time. I must say, I'd forgotten how loaded the Sonics were during this time.
-Nobody really talks about him anymore, but Marvin Webster was one heck of a player. He blocked four shots early in the game, and altered the way the 'Blazers played the game, as they had to rely on more outside shooting. Webster should have never left the 'Sonics, as he signed with the Knicks, got hurt and then lost in the shuffle along with the other 48 big-name guys the Knicks had during the late 70s.
- One thing I am happy about today's NBA is that nobody wears hip-hugger shorts anymore. Thank goodness. Twardzik's shorts were some of the tightest I remember seeing, and I don't care to remember exactly how they looked. To his credit, Twardzik played a good defensive game and made Seattle's guards work for every shot.
One thing that I don't like about today's NBA is the idea that loud music must be played whenever possible. It was so relieving to see a timeout without "Rock and Roll Part 2" playing in the background. It was also nice that when the ball was brought up court, they did it without music in the background or some annoying announcer yelling "LETS MAKE SOME NOIZZEEEEE! DEEEEE-FENSE". Maybe it's just me, but that stuff tends to get annoying rather quickly.
- The announcers for this game were Brent Musberger and Rick Barry. I'm not their biggest fans, and I'm just going to leave it at that.
- Throughout the game, Musberger was promoting a CBS 3-on-3 event. I forget the first team, but the second team was Maurice Lucas, Celtic Hall of Fame guard Sam Jones, and TV's Robert Conrad, the star of the old CBS television show "The Wild Wild West". I wonder how they decided on that team, what an odd trio. I hope they played Kareem, George Mikan, and Ed Asner.
Well, I've run out of things to say. This was a rather interesting game to watch, and, since I wasn't aware of the outcome beforehand, I thought the 'Sonics would blow out Portland without Walton. But lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised. Clearly, the lesson is to never doubt Maurice Lucas, and it is a mistake I will not make again.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Scott Steiner and Crystal Pepsi, A Winning Combination
I get bored pretty easily, and when I get bored, one thing I like to do is watch old-school pro wrestling videos. Wrestling today kind of sucks, but I was a huge fan of it back in the 90s and early 2000s, so every once in a while (more often than I would care to admit), I go back and watch whatever interesting there is to find. Today I decided to watch random videos of everybody's favorite roid-rager, Scott "Big Poppa Pump" Steiner, whose promos are almost as legendary as his 26 inch biceps. So, without further adeiu, here's a review.
Scott Steiner turns on his brother, joins the nWo
- For the few of you that read this and know wrestling, you know what the nWo (new World order) is all about. For those that don't, the nWo was a stable of bad guys that ran roughshod over WCW for about three years until they did everything they could possibly do with the concept and then the nWo just disappeared without much of an explanation. Anyway, Scott and his brother Rick were feuding with the nWo's Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (the Outsiders) over the WCW Tag Team Titles. Their final battle would be at Superbrawl in 1998. The clip starts with Rick beating on both of the Outsiders, clearing the ring. Rick and Scott then do their trademark pose in which Rick crawls around the ring like a dog and stops under Scott, as if Scott is a master holding back a pitbull. But unsuspectingly, Scott double-axe handles his brother a couple times, gives Rick a tiger bomb, and decks the Steiners' manager Ted DiBiasie off the ring apron. Rick kicks out of a pin attempt, and gets trapped in the Outsiders' corner, but all of a sudden Rick starts beating the hell out of anyone in his path. Finally, Nash knees him in the back, setting him up for Hall's finisher, the Outsiders' Edge. It takes him two times, but finally Hall lifts Rick up and throws him down for the three count. Match ends, Scott hands over the tag Titles to the Outsiders as DiBiasie is helped to the back looking as if he's in tears. According to announcer Tony Schiavone, this is one of the worst moments in the history of the sport, but he says that about everything.
Scott Steiner meets Mark McGwire
A few months later, Steiner was in, as he put it, "the show me state of St. Louis, Missouri.", and the hot topic was Mark McGwire breaking the single-season home run mark. Well, Steiner, in his quest to recruit the "top elite athletes" introduces Mark McGwire to the crowd. Out comes Steiner's nWo buddy Buff Bagwell dressed as McGwire as a referee brings him to the ring on a bicycle. What a grand entrance. Buff McGwire enters the ring, saying he's a big fan of the nWo. Bagwell then pops some steroids, which not only is a dig at McGwire, but also part of Buff's workout routine, so it's all good. The two then claim that the batting practice Cardinals jersey they picked up at a souviner stand is the very same jersey McGwire wore to break the home run record. After Steiner tells "McGwire" that he's stupid and he sucks, the two try to burn the jersey, but the idiots can't light the thing. Finally, they just settle for burning Buff's cardinals' cap, as he throws his wig and the jersey into the crowd. All in all, this was about as funny as The Magic Hour.
Scott Steiner kicks Buff Bagwell out of the nWo
A few months later, it's March of 1999, and Steiner has lost his World Television Title to Booker T due to an inadvertent chair shot from Buff Bagwell. After running down Cincinnati for a minute as only Scott Steiner can (the Bengals suck, the Reds suck, you're all ugly, blah, blah, blah), Steiner gets down to business, saying Bagwell committed a mental fumble the night before. Bagwell's like, yeah, whatever, but Steiner grabs him by his surgically repaired neck to get Buff's attention. Scott's all like, maybe we should get rid of you Buff, you might not be the stuff, while Bagwell's like, well check out all the Buff signs in the crowd, maybe you're jealous Scott Steiner. After Bagwell says "This is getting out of hand" literally four times, the two drop their mics, shake hands, and hug. Until Steiner turns that hug into a belly to belly suplex. Steiner gets a chair, and hits a downed Bagwell three times across his surgically repaired neck. He then puts on the Steiner Recliner, a move that puts pressure on the neck. Steiner, having made his point, leaves to the disgust of the announcers and the crowd. The two would go on to feud for about a week, as I recall, before they moved on to other things.
Now, you're wondering why the heck I put Crystal Pepsi in the title of this post. Well, I'll tell you. Yesterday, I was hanging out with some friends when the topics of soda came up (Note, if you have a conversation with many of my friends, the topics of food and drink will come up often.) Anyway, we start talking about Crystal Pepsi and how good it was (although to me, it tasted like someone mixed up flat 7-up and Pepsi), and the Crystal Pepsi commercial with Van Halen's "Right Now" playing. Well, I hadn't seen it in a while, and so I decided to seek this out today. I had forgotten how pretentious and stupid the commercial actually was. Here's the video so you can see for yourselves:
Right now, the future is clear of Crystal Pepsi, or is it? and did we really need to see a man in a speedo diving through clouds. I mean, what the hell was that about? Somebody please tell me, because I have no idea.
Scott Steiner turns on his brother, joins the nWo
- For the few of you that read this and know wrestling, you know what the nWo (new World order) is all about. For those that don't, the nWo was a stable of bad guys that ran roughshod over WCW for about three years until they did everything they could possibly do with the concept and then the nWo just disappeared without much of an explanation. Anyway, Scott and his brother Rick were feuding with the nWo's Scott Hall and Kevin Nash (the Outsiders) over the WCW Tag Team Titles. Their final battle would be at Superbrawl in 1998. The clip starts with Rick beating on both of the Outsiders, clearing the ring. Rick and Scott then do their trademark pose in which Rick crawls around the ring like a dog and stops under Scott, as if Scott is a master holding back a pitbull. But unsuspectingly, Scott double-axe handles his brother a couple times, gives Rick a tiger bomb, and decks the Steiners' manager Ted DiBiasie off the ring apron. Rick kicks out of a pin attempt, and gets trapped in the Outsiders' corner, but all of a sudden Rick starts beating the hell out of anyone in his path. Finally, Nash knees him in the back, setting him up for Hall's finisher, the Outsiders' Edge. It takes him two times, but finally Hall lifts Rick up and throws him down for the three count. Match ends, Scott hands over the tag Titles to the Outsiders as DiBiasie is helped to the back looking as if he's in tears. According to announcer Tony Schiavone, this is one of the worst moments in the history of the sport, but he says that about everything.
Scott Steiner meets Mark McGwire
A few months later, Steiner was in, as he put it, "the show me state of St. Louis, Missouri.", and the hot topic was Mark McGwire breaking the single-season home run mark. Well, Steiner, in his quest to recruit the "top elite athletes" introduces Mark McGwire to the crowd. Out comes Steiner's nWo buddy Buff Bagwell dressed as McGwire as a referee brings him to the ring on a bicycle. What a grand entrance. Buff McGwire enters the ring, saying he's a big fan of the nWo. Bagwell then pops some steroids, which not only is a dig at McGwire, but also part of Buff's workout routine, so it's all good. The two then claim that the batting practice Cardinals jersey they picked up at a souviner stand is the very same jersey McGwire wore to break the home run record. After Steiner tells "McGwire" that he's stupid and he sucks, the two try to burn the jersey, but the idiots can't light the thing. Finally, they just settle for burning Buff's cardinals' cap, as he throws his wig and the jersey into the crowd. All in all, this was about as funny as The Magic Hour.
Scott Steiner kicks Buff Bagwell out of the nWo
A few months later, it's March of 1999, and Steiner has lost his World Television Title to Booker T due to an inadvertent chair shot from Buff Bagwell. After running down Cincinnati for a minute as only Scott Steiner can (the Bengals suck, the Reds suck, you're all ugly, blah, blah, blah), Steiner gets down to business, saying Bagwell committed a mental fumble the night before. Bagwell's like, yeah, whatever, but Steiner grabs him by his surgically repaired neck to get Buff's attention. Scott's all like, maybe we should get rid of you Buff, you might not be the stuff, while Bagwell's like, well check out all the Buff signs in the crowd, maybe you're jealous Scott Steiner. After Bagwell says "This is getting out of hand" literally four times, the two drop their mics, shake hands, and hug. Until Steiner turns that hug into a belly to belly suplex. Steiner gets a chair, and hits a downed Bagwell three times across his surgically repaired neck. He then puts on the Steiner Recliner, a move that puts pressure on the neck. Steiner, having made his point, leaves to the disgust of the announcers and the crowd. The two would go on to feud for about a week, as I recall, before they moved on to other things.
Now, you're wondering why the heck I put Crystal Pepsi in the title of this post. Well, I'll tell you. Yesterday, I was hanging out with some friends when the topics of soda came up (Note, if you have a conversation with many of my friends, the topics of food and drink will come up often.) Anyway, we start talking about Crystal Pepsi and how good it was (although to me, it tasted like someone mixed up flat 7-up and Pepsi), and the Crystal Pepsi commercial with Van Halen's "Right Now" playing. Well, I hadn't seen it in a while, and so I decided to seek this out today. I had forgotten how pretentious and stupid the commercial actually was. Here's the video so you can see for yourselves:
Right now, the future is clear of Crystal Pepsi, or is it? and did we really need to see a man in a speedo diving through clouds. I mean, what the hell was that about? Somebody please tell me, because I have no idea.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics, Game 7, 1982 Eastern Conference Finals
So, I just finished watching Game 7 of the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals between two of the greatest teams of their era, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. The 76ers had blown a 3 games to 1 advantage in the 1981 conference finals, and were on the verge of doing the same thing this time. However, the 76ers rallied, came together, and beat the Celtics in Boston Garden by the score of 120-106. A few observations from the game:
- The player of the game, according the CBS, was Julius Erving, which, to be kind, was an interesting choice. Erving played well, scoring 29 points and provided excellent help defense, but at no point in the game did he seem like the best player on the court. That would be Andrew Toney, who scored 34 points and was the main man responsible for putting the game out of reach. Toney scored 14 points in the first quarter, seemed to struggle for the next quarter and a half, and all of a sudden as the Celtics cut their deficit to 2, Toney caught fire, making jumper after jumper no matter what the Celtics tried to do to stop him. The C's threw M.L. Carr, Gerald Henderson, Danny Ainge, and even Larry Bird at Toney, but no man was able to stop the onslaught of Toney. No wonder they called Toney the "Boston Strangler"
- The 76ers had a huge backcourt edge in this game, not only because of Andrew Toney, but also because of point guard Maurice Cheeks. Cheeks did a masterful job of running the Sixers offense, finding the open man often (11 assists) and driving into the lane seemingly at will. None of the Celtics guards were quick enough to handle Cheeks. At one point Cheeks blew by M.L. Carr so quickly that Carr barely had enough time to turn around and watch Cheeks lay the ball in. The only Celtics guard that had a chance of guarding Cheeks was Henderson, but he was in foul trouble for most of the game, and therefore, the Celtics were forced to sit Henderson for large portions of the game.
- I do wonder, however, if things would have different if Celtics' point guard Tiny Archibald didn't hurt his shoulder in Game 3 of the series. Heck, I think things would definitely be different if Archibald was in there. He was quick enough to keep up with Cheeks, and more importantly, Archibald would have done a much better job of running the Celts' offense, which looked out-of-sync without their floor leader. From what I saw, Henderson, Carr, and Ainge are not traditional point guards, and while Larry Bird possessed great floor vision and excellent passing skills, it's not the same as having Archibald, who could handle the ball, find the open man, and hit an open jumper if need be. Maybe I'm overstating Archibald's talents, but I believe the Celtics would have won the series had Archibald not messed up his shoulder.
- The 76ers had the backcourt advantage, but the Celtics were definitely stronger on the frontcourt. Of course, when you have three guys who would eventually be in the Hall of Fame in the frontcourt, you're going to have an advantage against anybody, but I digress. However, Bird did not have a particularly good game, and, quite frankly, they didn't play McHale enough. McHale was the best player on the court in the first half, and the 76ers had no answer for him. After all, Caldwell Jones was on Robert Parish, and Bobby Jones had to guard Bird, so that left McHale with Mike Bantom, Dr. J, and Darryl Dawkins guarding him for the majority of the game. For some reason, McHale did not play the entire third quarter, even as the Sixers were pulling away, coach Bill Fitch left McHale on the bench. I think that's a slight mistake on Fitch's part.
- Darryl Dawkins was pretty lousy in this game, he had no chance against Parish or McHale, he wasn't much of a rebounder and generally made the 76ers a worse team when he was on the court. At least Caldwell Jones, the 76ers starting center, could provide rebounding and some defense, although he was out of his element if Parish drew him out of the paint, which Parish did often. No wonder the 76ers traded for Moses Malone after the season.
- I was impressed, however, with the way Bobby Jones played. He scored when the 76ers needed him to, got key rebounds, hustled for every loose ball, and while he didn't shut down Larry Bird, he did at least keep contain Bird. To me, both Jones and Maurice Cheeks have been a little overlooked as the years pass by, because both of those guys were excellent players, and yet you hardly hear anything about them.
- As I said earlier, the Celtics backcourt was over-matched. Danny Ainge had his moments, but he also committed two absolutely stupid turnovers in the third quarter which led to the Sixers going on a run that would eventually put the game out of reach. As for M.L. Carr and Chris Ford, well, they brought very little to the table, at least for this game.
- Watching Julius Erving on a fast break is one of the most majestic things in the history of sports. He soared to the basket like a eagle and made every dunk look effortless. He had a couple of dunks in this game, and it was something else, let me tell you.
- The coverage of this game was provided by CBS, and they had an annoying tendency to cut away to each team's head coach, or to the fans, while the ball is being moved around in the post. They missed a couple of made shots because the director decided that the audience just had to see Bill Fitch chewing on his towel, or some fan with a stupid hat. Way to go, CBS of 27 years ago.
- As for the commentary, Dick Stockton still had his fastball at this point, so he was good. The color anaylst, Bill Russell, had some insightful things to say, but often times sounded as if he had never done television in his whole life. I mean, he wasn't annoying, but there were times where he would struggle with what to say next and stammer around for a few seconds before making a point that was somewhat obvious. At least he was better than Rick Barry and Isiah Thomas, and did remain neutral throughout, despite his obvious connections to the Boston Celtics organization.
- I must admit, I had never heard of Mike Bantom before today, and I like to think of myself as somewhat of a basketball expert. Apparently he made the All-Rookie team in 1973-74. Who knew? He played a good bit in this game, I think he only scored once, but did a good job on the glass when he was in. This ended up being Bantom's last season, so he missed out on the Sixers' title in 1983.
Overall, this was a fun game to watch, although no where near as memorable as these two teams' Game 7 from the year before. Of course, the Lakers went on to beat the 76ers in the NBA Finals, but at least the 76ers beat there arch-rival to get there and exorcised some demons from 1981. Towards the end of the game, the 76ers were very jubilant, and the Celtics fans chanted "Beat L.A" as the game wrapped up. I thought that was pretty cool of the fans to do that.
- The player of the game, according the CBS, was Julius Erving, which, to be kind, was an interesting choice. Erving played well, scoring 29 points and provided excellent help defense, but at no point in the game did he seem like the best player on the court. That would be Andrew Toney, who scored 34 points and was the main man responsible for putting the game out of reach. Toney scored 14 points in the first quarter, seemed to struggle for the next quarter and a half, and all of a sudden as the Celtics cut their deficit to 2, Toney caught fire, making jumper after jumper no matter what the Celtics tried to do to stop him. The C's threw M.L. Carr, Gerald Henderson, Danny Ainge, and even Larry Bird at Toney, but no man was able to stop the onslaught of Toney. No wonder they called Toney the "Boston Strangler"
- The 76ers had a huge backcourt edge in this game, not only because of Andrew Toney, but also because of point guard Maurice Cheeks. Cheeks did a masterful job of running the Sixers offense, finding the open man often (11 assists) and driving into the lane seemingly at will. None of the Celtics guards were quick enough to handle Cheeks. At one point Cheeks blew by M.L. Carr so quickly that Carr barely had enough time to turn around and watch Cheeks lay the ball in. The only Celtics guard that had a chance of guarding Cheeks was Henderson, but he was in foul trouble for most of the game, and therefore, the Celtics were forced to sit Henderson for large portions of the game.
- I do wonder, however, if things would have different if Celtics' point guard Tiny Archibald didn't hurt his shoulder in Game 3 of the series. Heck, I think things would definitely be different if Archibald was in there. He was quick enough to keep up with Cheeks, and more importantly, Archibald would have done a much better job of running the Celts' offense, which looked out-of-sync without their floor leader. From what I saw, Henderson, Carr, and Ainge are not traditional point guards, and while Larry Bird possessed great floor vision and excellent passing skills, it's not the same as having Archibald, who could handle the ball, find the open man, and hit an open jumper if need be. Maybe I'm overstating Archibald's talents, but I believe the Celtics would have won the series had Archibald not messed up his shoulder.
- The 76ers had the backcourt advantage, but the Celtics were definitely stronger on the frontcourt. Of course, when you have three guys who would eventually be in the Hall of Fame in the frontcourt, you're going to have an advantage against anybody, but I digress. However, Bird did not have a particularly good game, and, quite frankly, they didn't play McHale enough. McHale was the best player on the court in the first half, and the 76ers had no answer for him. After all, Caldwell Jones was on Robert Parish, and Bobby Jones had to guard Bird, so that left McHale with Mike Bantom, Dr. J, and Darryl Dawkins guarding him for the majority of the game. For some reason, McHale did not play the entire third quarter, even as the Sixers were pulling away, coach Bill Fitch left McHale on the bench. I think that's a slight mistake on Fitch's part.
- Darryl Dawkins was pretty lousy in this game, he had no chance against Parish or McHale, he wasn't much of a rebounder and generally made the 76ers a worse team when he was on the court. At least Caldwell Jones, the 76ers starting center, could provide rebounding and some defense, although he was out of his element if Parish drew him out of the paint, which Parish did often. No wonder the 76ers traded for Moses Malone after the season.
- I was impressed, however, with the way Bobby Jones played. He scored when the 76ers needed him to, got key rebounds, hustled for every loose ball, and while he didn't shut down Larry Bird, he did at least keep contain Bird. To me, both Jones and Maurice Cheeks have been a little overlooked as the years pass by, because both of those guys were excellent players, and yet you hardly hear anything about them.
- As I said earlier, the Celtics backcourt was over-matched. Danny Ainge had his moments, but he also committed two absolutely stupid turnovers in the third quarter which led to the Sixers going on a run that would eventually put the game out of reach. As for M.L. Carr and Chris Ford, well, they brought very little to the table, at least for this game.
- Watching Julius Erving on a fast break is one of the most majestic things in the history of sports. He soared to the basket like a eagle and made every dunk look effortless. He had a couple of dunks in this game, and it was something else, let me tell you.
- The coverage of this game was provided by CBS, and they had an annoying tendency to cut away to each team's head coach, or to the fans, while the ball is being moved around in the post. They missed a couple of made shots because the director decided that the audience just had to see Bill Fitch chewing on his towel, or some fan with a stupid hat. Way to go, CBS of 27 years ago.
- As for the commentary, Dick Stockton still had his fastball at this point, so he was good. The color anaylst, Bill Russell, had some insightful things to say, but often times sounded as if he had never done television in his whole life. I mean, he wasn't annoying, but there were times where he would struggle with what to say next and stammer around for a few seconds before making a point that was somewhat obvious. At least he was better than Rick Barry and Isiah Thomas, and did remain neutral throughout, despite his obvious connections to the Boston Celtics organization.
- I must admit, I had never heard of Mike Bantom before today, and I like to think of myself as somewhat of a basketball expert. Apparently he made the All-Rookie team in 1973-74. Who knew? He played a good bit in this game, I think he only scored once, but did a good job on the glass when he was in. This ended up being Bantom's last season, so he missed out on the Sixers' title in 1983.
Overall, this was a fun game to watch, although no where near as memorable as these two teams' Game 7 from the year before. Of course, the Lakers went on to beat the 76ers in the NBA Finals, but at least the 76ers beat there arch-rival to get there and exorcised some demons from 1981. Towards the end of the game, the 76ers were very jubilant, and the Celtics fans chanted "Beat L.A" as the game wrapped up. I thought that was pretty cool of the fans to do that.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks, Game 2, 1993 Eastern Conference Finals
Earlier today, I watched Game 2 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the New York Knicks. The Knicks won 96-91,taking a 2-0 advantage in the series. Of course, they would lose the next four games, but things were looking good at this point, at least. This is the game where John Starks dunked on Michael Jordan late in the 4th quarter (Although really, Starks dunked on Horace Grant, Jordan just happened to be in the vicinity at the time). A few thoughts in no particular order.
- The game was pretty even in the first half. Jordan had 25 points in the half on 7-16 shooting, but he was having trouble finding good shots. Scottie Pippen played well, and the other Chicago Bulls hardly put up any shots. The game turned the Knicks' direction in the third, as Starks got on a mini hot-streak and Chicago couldn't buy a shot for about five minutes. The Knicks held a double-digit lead for most of the second half, but the Bulls did come back and make a game out of it, and if Bill Cartwright shot better than 1-4 from the free throw line in the final minute, the game might have turned out differently.
- Doc Rivers was very effective in this game, scoring 21 points, getting to the free throw line 10 times (making 8) and was the main defender on Michael Jordan for much of the game, until he was victimized by a leg cramp. Rivers guarded Jordan more than Starks or Anthony Mason did, and was a large part of Michael's 12-32 shooting from the field. I guess I've forgotten since Rivers is now coaching the Celtics, but make no mistake, Doc Rivers was a heck of player.
- Will Perdue and Stacy King, however, weren't very good. Perdue was especially ineffective in this game. In fact, the whole Chicago frontcourt struggled. Bill Cartwright didn't play particularly well, Horace Grant had a bum ankle, and played like it (2 pts, 2 reb). The only somewhat effective big man in this game for Chicago was Scott Williams, and he fouled out in the fourth quarter as the Bulls were trying to make a comeback.
- Charles Oakley was a demon on the boards, grabbing 16 rebounds and shutting down Grant for the whole game. Oakley also hit two big free throws in the final seconds to ice the game for good, and skying up for a key rebound towards the end as well, which astonished Marv Albert and the other guy doing commentary on the MSG network. Just another day at the office for Oakley.
- Patrick Ewing played well, but one thing I did notice was that he did not challenge the Bulls centers enough on offense. Instead of posting up and backing down on guys like Will Perdue, Ewing would too often settle for a fade away jumper. Considering the ineffectiveness of the Bulls front court, Ewing should have dominated this game, and, although he played well (26 pts, 10 reb, 11-25 from the field), he failed to impose his will. However, the Knicks won, so I guess he did fine.
- There were six technicals in this game, all of them called by Bill Oakes. Quite a few of them were rather fishy. The biggest two occurred in the fourth quarter, when Oakes ejected Scottie Pippen for throwing the ball at him. Marv Albert and the other guy questioned the call, saying Oakes has a reputation for a short fuse. Seeing him in action, I would have to agree. It was a stupid move on Pippen's part, however. Up until this point, Pippen was the most effective player on the court for Chicago, so obviously his loss was major. Then again, as soon as Pippen left, the Bulls went on a 12-2 run and got within 4 points, so you never know with these things.
- Not to be outdone, Greg Anthony committed a really dumb foul on Jordan with about 4 minutes to go in the fourth. As Jordan drove to the basket, Anthony just threw himself at Jordan, hoping to knock him on his ass, I guess. It was clearly a flagrant foul, and Anthony was ejected. What made things worse was that Rivers had just left the game with leg cramps, and so, because of Anthony's stupidity, and because the Knicks didn't have a third point guard (unless you count seldom used rookie Hubert Davis), Rivers had to hobble around the court on one good leg for the rest of the game. Just a dirty play by Anthony, no wonder everybody hated the Knicks during this time period.
- Charles Smith looked shaky throughout, turning the ball over a few times. Let's just say after watching him in Game 2, it's no surprise he couldn't put up a layup in the final seconds of Game 5.
- Trent Tucker and Rodney McCray played for the Bulls. Tucker even hit a wide open three. I had forgotten they even played on the Bulls.
- After watching this game, the Bulls looked vulnerable. Grant was banged up, and the rest of their frontcourt couldn't match up with Ewing, Oakley, and Anthony Mason. John Paxson was a huge defensive liability. Jordan was getting banged around by Starks and Rivers, and the Knicks were a deep team that wasn't afraid to bang. Plus, after this game, the Knicks extended their home winning streak to 26 games. I was reading some articles on the game on the Google News Archive, and the consensus seemed to be that the Bulls' run was over, and that the Knicks would go on to face the Suns (or the Sonics, although most people thought Phoenix would win out), in the finals. Of course, all that did was piss Jordan off, he got hot, and the rest is history. But the point is, it wasn't inconceivable at this point that the Knicks would run the Bulls over on their way to the title. In my opinion, this team was a little better then the '94 Knicks that went to the finals.
- At the very least, a Knicks-Suns final would be very interesting, although I'd have to give the Knicks an advantage because there is no way Oliver Miller and Mark West could stop Ewing, while Oakley and Mason would eventually wear down Charles Barkley. The Suns would have the advantage in the backcourt, as Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle were better than Rivers and Starks. The Suns were a deeper team with Danny Ainge and Tom Chambers coming off the bench, and the Suns had a slight advantage at small forward (Richard Dumas/Cedric Ceballos-Charles Smith/Mason). But, ultimately, the Suns would have no answer for Ewing, even if were to settle for fadeaway jumpers too much. I think the Knicks would win the hypothetical Finals in six.
Well, I think I wrote too much about a game that happened 17 years ago, and a lot of it is just rambling. Oh well. I forgot to mention that Jerry Seinfeld was at the game, and they had an interview with him and Seinfeld made a couple of jokes I don't remember. So, there's that. It was interesting to see a big game where Jordan came up short, and Bill Oakes giving a technical to anyone that looked at him funny. Next time I do this, I won't wait 10 hours until writing something, so there's that to look forward to.
- The game was pretty even in the first half. Jordan had 25 points in the half on 7-16 shooting, but he was having trouble finding good shots. Scottie Pippen played well, and the other Chicago Bulls hardly put up any shots. The game turned the Knicks' direction in the third, as Starks got on a mini hot-streak and Chicago couldn't buy a shot for about five minutes. The Knicks held a double-digit lead for most of the second half, but the Bulls did come back and make a game out of it, and if Bill Cartwright shot better than 1-4 from the free throw line in the final minute, the game might have turned out differently.
- Doc Rivers was very effective in this game, scoring 21 points, getting to the free throw line 10 times (making 8) and was the main defender on Michael Jordan for much of the game, until he was victimized by a leg cramp. Rivers guarded Jordan more than Starks or Anthony Mason did, and was a large part of Michael's 12-32 shooting from the field. I guess I've forgotten since Rivers is now coaching the Celtics, but make no mistake, Doc Rivers was a heck of player.
- Will Perdue and Stacy King, however, weren't very good. Perdue was especially ineffective in this game. In fact, the whole Chicago frontcourt struggled. Bill Cartwright didn't play particularly well, Horace Grant had a bum ankle, and played like it (2 pts, 2 reb). The only somewhat effective big man in this game for Chicago was Scott Williams, and he fouled out in the fourth quarter as the Bulls were trying to make a comeback.
- Charles Oakley was a demon on the boards, grabbing 16 rebounds and shutting down Grant for the whole game. Oakley also hit two big free throws in the final seconds to ice the game for good, and skying up for a key rebound towards the end as well, which astonished Marv Albert and the other guy doing commentary on the MSG network. Just another day at the office for Oakley.
- Patrick Ewing played well, but one thing I did notice was that he did not challenge the Bulls centers enough on offense. Instead of posting up and backing down on guys like Will Perdue, Ewing would too often settle for a fade away jumper. Considering the ineffectiveness of the Bulls front court, Ewing should have dominated this game, and, although he played well (26 pts, 10 reb, 11-25 from the field), he failed to impose his will. However, the Knicks won, so I guess he did fine.
- There were six technicals in this game, all of them called by Bill Oakes. Quite a few of them were rather fishy. The biggest two occurred in the fourth quarter, when Oakes ejected Scottie Pippen for throwing the ball at him. Marv Albert and the other guy questioned the call, saying Oakes has a reputation for a short fuse. Seeing him in action, I would have to agree. It was a stupid move on Pippen's part, however. Up until this point, Pippen was the most effective player on the court for Chicago, so obviously his loss was major. Then again, as soon as Pippen left, the Bulls went on a 12-2 run and got within 4 points, so you never know with these things.
- Not to be outdone, Greg Anthony committed a really dumb foul on Jordan with about 4 minutes to go in the fourth. As Jordan drove to the basket, Anthony just threw himself at Jordan, hoping to knock him on his ass, I guess. It was clearly a flagrant foul, and Anthony was ejected. What made things worse was that Rivers had just left the game with leg cramps, and so, because of Anthony's stupidity, and because the Knicks didn't have a third point guard (unless you count seldom used rookie Hubert Davis), Rivers had to hobble around the court on one good leg for the rest of the game. Just a dirty play by Anthony, no wonder everybody hated the Knicks during this time period.
- Charles Smith looked shaky throughout, turning the ball over a few times. Let's just say after watching him in Game 2, it's no surprise he couldn't put up a layup in the final seconds of Game 5.
- Trent Tucker and Rodney McCray played for the Bulls. Tucker even hit a wide open three. I had forgotten they even played on the Bulls.
- After watching this game, the Bulls looked vulnerable. Grant was banged up, and the rest of their frontcourt couldn't match up with Ewing, Oakley, and Anthony Mason. John Paxson was a huge defensive liability. Jordan was getting banged around by Starks and Rivers, and the Knicks were a deep team that wasn't afraid to bang. Plus, after this game, the Knicks extended their home winning streak to 26 games. I was reading some articles on the game on the Google News Archive, and the consensus seemed to be that the Bulls' run was over, and that the Knicks would go on to face the Suns (or the Sonics, although most people thought Phoenix would win out), in the finals. Of course, all that did was piss Jordan off, he got hot, and the rest is history. But the point is, it wasn't inconceivable at this point that the Knicks would run the Bulls over on their way to the title. In my opinion, this team was a little better then the '94 Knicks that went to the finals.
- At the very least, a Knicks-Suns final would be very interesting, although I'd have to give the Knicks an advantage because there is no way Oliver Miller and Mark West could stop Ewing, while Oakley and Mason would eventually wear down Charles Barkley. The Suns would have the advantage in the backcourt, as Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle were better than Rivers and Starks. The Suns were a deeper team with Danny Ainge and Tom Chambers coming off the bench, and the Suns had a slight advantage at small forward (Richard Dumas/Cedric Ceballos-Charles Smith/Mason). But, ultimately, the Suns would have no answer for Ewing, even if were to settle for fadeaway jumpers too much. I think the Knicks would win the hypothetical Finals in six.
Well, I think I wrote too much about a game that happened 17 years ago, and a lot of it is just rambling. Oh well. I forgot to mention that Jerry Seinfeld was at the game, and they had an interview with him and Seinfeld made a couple of jokes I don't remember. So, there's that. It was interesting to see a big game where Jordan came up short, and Bill Oakes giving a technical to anyone that looked at him funny. Next time I do this, I won't wait 10 hours until writing something, so there's that to look forward to.
Introduction
Hello, I'm just a guy with a blog. For now this blog will be about my observations after watching old basketball games on YouTube. This blog might evolve into something else, stay the same, or be forgotten about in a few weeks. I guess we will see. Anyway, feel free to enjoy if you want to, or not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)