The team no one respected entering the 2009 NBA Playoffs is the same team showing glorious disrespect for every sacred tenet in post-season basketball. The Chicago Bulls often play one-on-one, gamble on defense, give up on screens, take ill-advised shots, miss crucial free throws, and make bad decisions. The 7th seed in the East are as immature as they are fearless. And it’s driving the Celtics up the wall.
Let me start off by admitting my guilt. I haven’t really been able to consistently follow the regular season of the NBA. Although I constantly update myself with what is happening through the Internet, who really cares about regular season, right? It is with the NBA Playoffs that the real show starts. Only 16 of the 30 NBA teams will survive to see themselves in a tougher and grueling environment.
The NBA Playoffs is notorious for producing both heroes and goats. Michael Jordan? Dennis Scott? Here, the good teams qualify but the great teams move on and live an imprint on basketball history. For the more illustrious teams, dynasties are created. Read the rest of this entry »
You’re a playground fisticuffs connoisseur perched on the 2nd floor school veranda at dismissal time. You scan the playground and find a brawl buffet unfolding. Which mano-a-mano bout do you follow? Read the rest of this entry »
The San Antonio Spurs, a team that looks dated compared to younger playoff teams, want neither polite applause nor mercy cheers. I believe the grumpy old men of the NBA playoffs are out to gain genuine respect. If they gain new fans who wish to see mind win over matter and wisdom over windmills, they’ll gladly accept that too. Read the rest of this entry »
“Fenway is only a ballpark the way the Sistine Chapel is only a church.”
- Dan Shaughnessy
New York City recently unveiled two majestic baseball shrines - The brand new Yankee Stadium for the Yankees and the brand new Citi Field for the Mets. Just the other day, I stumbled upon a Time Magazine video feature on Citi Field, which highlighted the nostalgic elements of the new ballpark. Designers infused New York’s rich baseball history, with the understandable exception of everything in pinstripes, into the blueprint of the new ball park. It even boasts of large murals and sculptures dedicated to Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers. It’s where old meets new. Thus, I reckon it’s a place that smells new but feels comfortably familiar.
