Game four of the Clippers vs. Jazz series was very important. Clippers could have taken a commanding 3-1 series lead to have a chance at finishing off the jazz in five. Or the Jazz tie it up and we go at least 6 games with the jazz being able to steal another in L.A. and finish the series at home for game 6.
I voyaged off my recliner and drove the 40 minutes to SLC to be in house for game four. I've seen a handful of NBA games live and enjoy them every time. If you doubt the athleticism of NBA players you really should see a game live. The game is so physical and fast you really need to see it live to fully appreciate what NBA players do. I got there early and was able to see a few warmups. Gordon Hayward only stayed out for a few minutes because had the runs and ended up playing less than ten minutes. JJ Redick was my favorite player to watch warmup... you can tell he is very meticulous with his warmup. I got my seats on the side of the Clipper bench so I could see into the huddle and on the bench.
What a home court advantage the Jazz have. I've been to one other playoff game (last year Celtics v. Hawks at the TD Garden) and Vivint Smart Home Arena Delta Energy Solutions Stockton Center was way louder than the garden. The game at the TD garden went into overtime and Isaiah Thomas hit a game winner in the corner. The place got loud, but nowhere near as loud as when Deandre Jordan went to the free-throw line last night. The place got even louder in the fourth quarter and was erupting when the jazz took the lead and won the game.
I'm a pretty reasonable fan. I understand when my team gets bailed out by a bad call or gets away with something. When I heard the fans go bananas when Deandre Jordan went to the free throw line I took a step back and started to think about humanity. People are jerks. Here is a guy who struggles with shooting and the crowd is just demolishing him. Deandre stepped up to the line and hit nothing but air... the ball didn't draw anything--net, iron, backboard. When he shot that air ball the place went berserk. The crowd started waving those towels, yelling even louder because they knew they made him cower at the stripe. Imagine 20,000 people ganging up on something you suck at.
I swear I saw Deandre Jordan shrink from the seven foot giant to a city league small forward with a receding hair line. He looked small. He looked shook. If he goes to the line in game 6 I'll try to get a video.
It was comical that a minute later JJ Redick (89% free-throw shooter) was at the line and the crowd didn't even bother to wave the towels. Why bother when he will just knock them down.
That's why sports sometimes are not for the nice grandmas. Sometimes I don't get it either, it doesn't make sense. What other place can fans just destroy someone with towels and chants. My dad used to say that fans cheering against you makes you a stronger person. No one ever messed up at a piano recital to hear the crowd chant, "wrong note! wrong note!"
The jazz fans were loud but a handful were not the best fans. The fans at the TD garden were more knowledgeable about the game. The fans at TD garden were more focused on the game and less on the selfies they were taking. Last night I even heard one fan cheer for a Derrick Favors shot by shouting "Ruuddddyyyy!" Rudy Gobert was on the bench. My friends said the fans sitting in their section were somewhat similar.
But the majority were nice and put up with the pockets of Clippers fan. Game 6 should be an enjoyable one.
I did not expect the Blackhawks to get swept by the 8 seed Nashville Predators. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because they lost in the first round last year. What's crazy is that they were only competitive for a few minutes in the entire series.
We never even heard the best, most obnoxious goal song in the NHL...
It's crazy that a 1 seed got swept by an 8 seed. Its even crazier that if Rajon Rondo didn't get hurt, the Celtics are probably swept.
1) The Capitals v. Leafs series was awesome. 5 of the 6 games have gone into overtime with one gong to double OT. I was hoping that the leafs would force a game 7... When I watch hockey I like to see good possessions for each team and a little back and forth... Hockey can get boring if turnover after turnover happens in the neutral zone. The Capitals Leafs and also Sharks Oilers has been really fun to watch. I'm looking forward to Ducks v. Oilers and then Capitals v. Penguins.
2) I didn't think the Jazz were going to hang with the clippers like they have. JJ Redick hasn't gotten anything going in any game. Chris Paul has his way with any Jazz defender and Quin Snyder even tried putting Joe Ingles on him.
When the Jazz shoot 75% from the field and 60% from three in a quarter. and finish the game above 50% shooting and still lose, not much you can do there.
I expected Chris Paul to keep murdering them and wearing Turtle Necks to the funeral. He had a decent stat line in game four but disappeared in the fourth quarter. I think the clippers were trying to ride Jamal Crawford (always risky) instead of going with their best player. I was in house and that cuck Joe Ingles hit two three's right in my kitchen. I hate that guy.
The place got loud. The clippers were in control for all but 3 minutes of that game... then the wheels came off and they found themselves down 6 or 7 with little time left.
I'm thinking about going to game 6... but it looks like tickets are already going to be more expensive.
it is hard for me to get excited when winner will most likely end up getting swept by Golden State.
In 2002 I was in 5th or 6th grade. I would wake up every morning, eat pancakes, shower as quickly as I could, and go down stairs to watch SportsCenter before school started.
After school I would run home from the bus stop (I was a nerd and ran home until 8th grade I think-- The cool kids walked because they were in no hurry) and pour myself a bowl of cereal and watch SportsCenter. I sat on a left over piece of square carpet so I didn't spill any milk on the real carpet. One day I sportscaster ran this special on a high school point guard who scored 61 points to honor is grandfather who was murdered:
I was instantly hooked. I became a Chris Paul fan and watched as many of his games as I could. CP went to college at Wake Forest, playing in the ACC on a team not as popular as the Duke's or North Carolinas, but they always competed. I recorded many of his games and still have them to this day. You can even see tapes of Nate Robinson, John Stockton, and JJ Redick. My brother and I would always watch Chris Paul and JJ Redick tapes on the VCR, rewinding and pausing after every bucket.
I'm became a CP fan because I loved how an undersized point guard could change a game with crossovers, floaters, and assists. He played the way I wanted to play. Fans are drawn to certain players for some reason. Maybe it's the way they play, but there is usually something more...
Maybe his short temper: I was also known to have a short temper and toss the occasional chair a la Bobby Knight when a referee missed a blatant trip.
Or the way he sometimes speaks his mind: I remember being outspoken about how I hated how the tallest kid on my high school team would flop and get charges in practice. "He should be blocking my shot. not flopping!"
But other than those things, it is obviously the way he plays:
I remember watching the NBA draft hoping the Jazz would Draft CP so that he could play for a team 30 Minutes away from my house. I was never a jazz fan but I would have quickly become one. My dad said we would have even gotten season tickets (who knows?)
The Jazz drafted Deron Williams and Paul was drafted a pick later to the New Orleans Hornets. I can never cheer for the jazz now, but I don't necessarily blame them for taking Williams. They made the playoffs, and even went to the conference finals. But it was and always will be clear to me that CP is the better point guard. Most Jazz fans can agree with me now.
I've been watching since then, waiting for the success. I asked for NBA league pass for Christmas so I could watch every game. I had the jersey's, the shoes, the basketball cards. My friends even made fun of me for standing up during Hornets games until they scored. When CP was traded I vowed to stay with the Pelicans. I can't just bail on a team I've been cheering on for many years. But I still find myself cheering for CP and the Clippers just because I've been a fan of the guy for so long. Equal to the Lebron Fans who flip flopped from the Cavss to Heat and back to the Cavs.
But the success hasn't happened. My friend sent me a tweet a couple months ago saying something like "The only two teams who haven't made the western conference finals since 2001" with a picture of the Hornets and Clippers. I hate to admit that CP's great career won't seem as great without a Finals appearance, or even escaping the second round, but that is how sports works. It doesn't discount he's a hall of fame point guard, but something will be missing.
So here we go again. My hopes are as low as ever. I honestly think they will beat the jazz and get then get swept or lose to five in the Warriors series. If they can give the warriors run. I'll be happy. If they win. I'll be singing I've got a Golden ticket clicking my heels around my living room.
So to all the fans of all the players who haven't won... good luck this playoffs.
Now for something different...
The NBA and NHL playoffs are unlike anything else. Sports fans love both these playoffs because they give us two months of extremely competitive, highs takes games. Every quarter matters. The fools who think that the NBA is full of lazy, overpaid stars just have to shut up and watch the greatness.
Here are some thoughts I'm having upcoming NHL and NBA playoffs.
1. Cant wait until overtime hockey. Update: It happened day one. Minnesota Wild scored with 30+ seconds left in the game to force OT. Nothing like playoff hockey. Update: It happened again. Another goal in the last 30 seconds to force OT. Again, Nothing like playoff hockey!
2. Clippers are definitely going to lose second round (probably swept) and I may have to throw my tv out of the window.
3. Can anyone stop the Blackhawks? They lost game one but no one seems to be worried. They were behind last year to the blues and forced a game 7. Chicago is my favorite team to watch... but anything can happen in the NHL playoffs. Last year I bet them to repeat and win it all. I was absolutely devastated at the double post in game 7. Fun fact, Blackhawks lost and then half an hour later Chris Paul broke his hand against the Trailblazers. That day ruined the playoffs for me.
4. This is not the Caps year. Are they the clippers of the NHL? They are expected to make a run every year... and it never happens. hmmm.
5. I don't want a golden state v. Cleveland rematch. I want LA clippers vs. Cavs. Seems like a few sports fans have been wanting too see Clippers (CP and Blake) v. Lebron ever since he was on the heat. I think that would make for the most entertaining finals. Two friends going at it. A clippers team much like the cubs who went forever without winning. I feel like Smalls in the outfield with my eyes closed and glove up. Please happen! Please happen! Hopefully the basketball gods can hit one straight into my glove.
6. I just listened to the Bill Simmons podcast and he talks about Chris Paul being hated. I think Simmons was referring to him being more of a pest and an annoyance. When did people start hating him? I think its when he started playing with the clippers. Too many polarizing people on one team. Doc, Blake, and CP. All I ever read and heard growing up was how great of a guy he was. One of my high school teammates was being recruited by Wake Forest. I approached the recruit and said I was a huge CP fan... the recruit just talked about how great of a person he was. The narrative has seemed to change that he is a good, nice guy to he is an annoying pest. They are probably both true.
By the way I'm picking all the top seeds to advance to the second round. No upsets.
Let me know your thoughts on Chris Paul, NBA/NHL playoffs in comments or tweet @ejrios3
Recently, Bill Simmons did a podcast on the movie Moneyball--the baseball movie starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill as GM and assistant GM for the Oakland A's. Moneyball was nominated for a best picture in 2012. Looking back, it is the most memorable and re-watchable best picture nomination from the bunch. Here is my review for may favorite sports movie ever.
Not even the tiny portable DVD player—accompanied with cheap 10-dollar ear buds—could defer the emotion I felt while watching Moneyball for the first time. After the screen went black and the credits rolled, I simply said to myself, “Wow.”
Moneyball is the true story of Billy Bean, the Oakland A’s general manager (played by Brad Pitt) and the A’s baseball team going through the grueling baseball season and offseason. Moneyball is more about what goes on inside Major League Baseball offices, the analysis and theory of what makes a good ball player, than what happens on the field. The story follows Billy and the struggling A’s trying to outwit and outsmart much wealthier teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The opening foreshadows so much the themes of the movie. The first thing on screen is a quote, “It’s unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing all your life.”— said by Mickey Mantle, a famous Yankees player from the 50’s and 60’s. The quote shows the internal struggle that people have with things that they love, but can’t seem to figure out. Following the Mickey Mantle quote are highlights from the American League Division elimination game in October of 2001, an image flickers across the screen:
New York Yankees
$114,457,768
Vs
$39,722,689
Oakland Athletics
From the opening, we see the difference between teams and the money that they have to spend. Then we are introduced to Billy Bean, who sits alone in an empty stadium, listening to the game on the radio. In the Disney channel version, the underdog A’s would beat a Yankees team whose payroll more than doubles theirs. But this isn’t the Disney channel version. Billy Listens to his team lose. The question throughout the movie is how can a team like the A’s even compete with the rich teams? A question that hits home when the A’s lose two of their best players to the deep pockets of the Yankees and Red Sox. Billy soon realizes that he needs more money to a put a winning team on the field, money that the team does not have.
Billy meets young Peter Brand, played brilliantly by Jonah Hill, in a meeting with the Cleveland Indians. Peter introduces a new way of thinking and seeing the game of baseball, using math equations to evaluate baseball players. Billy buys Peter from the Indians and they begin to shake up the team. They recruit new players and go against everything that the traditional scouts say. They have their unconventional team, much to the disappointment of the scouts and manager. The movie shows the ups, and mostly downs, of the beginning of the season. Coaches, scouts, fans, and local radio are all blaming Billy on the team’s losses and mishaps. Nothing is going well and they aren’t winning. Finally, because the equation starts winning or just because of luck, they start winning. Six in a row. Nine in a row. Fourteen in a row. The team battles against history, going up against some of the all-time great teams for most consecutive wins in a season, and after that, a run at the playoffs. Some regard Billy as an innovator, others as a crazy general manager who won’t last another year in the big leagues. But the movie paints him as a man who loves the game of baseball. A man who hates losing, more than he loves winning.
Moneyball is about thinking differently, and adapting to an unfair game. It is much more than just a sports movie. It is about the internal struggle of doing something you love. Working at what you love is not always easy, and if it were, maybe you wouldn’t love it as much. The losses make you gain perspective, and the difficult times make you grow. Moneyball shows the struggle that is baseball. Moneyball is emotional and romantic—not rom-com romantic, but working at the thing you love romantic. As we are reminded when Billy asks a few times throughout the movie, “How can you not be romantic about baseball?”
My weekend was filled with the violent and well reviewed movies Logan and John Wick 2.
I am not an X-Men fan. I am not a comic book movie fan. I am usually not a super hero movie fan. I am usually not a fan of violent movies. But after reading some of the reviews of Logan and hearing HBO's Bill Simmons go on and on and on about John Wick 2, I decided to see both in two days.
I really enjoyed Logan. The 90% or so on Rotten Tomatoes is well deserved. I like that these comic book movies are being made with the R rating. Maybe because I am a degenerate who likes to hear the fratbroy humor of dead pool. Maybe I just think if you if you are going to show someone like Wolverine kill people, might as well go all out right?
It wasn't just the violence and action that made Logan worth watching, but the acting and quieter scenes make the action and violence little more tolerable. Logan gives you time to breath and gather yourself after extreme violence. You care about the characters because you see them in quieter and normal situations--like watching Wolverine, Professor X, and Laura ride in a car and window shop new clothes. All the actors were solid. Unlike Kong: Skull Island, there isn't a bad performance to point to.
The fight scenes with the little girl should have been eye rolling and cheesy, but they were exciting and bad ass.
John Wick 2 is a lot of fun to watch. I watched it on a Sunday afternoon and the small audience was laughing and gasping often. The opening scene sees John Wick fighting with Russians to get his car back. All while the Russian boss is telling a subordinate the Legend of John Wick. I'm a sucker for the Russian Accent. Think the poker player from Rounders or the Russians from The Equalizer. The great opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The action of John Wick 2 never gets stale or too unbelievable, like some other action movies--Fast and the Furious, etc...
Like Logan, all the acting was solid in John Wick 2. I was expecting Common to be kind of terrible, but he was actually good! Who knew the guy who did the worst NBA player impersonation ever could pull off being a hitman?
John Wick 2 is just as exciting and entertaining as the first. If you can stand the violence, I would recommend both movies.
Friday, March 18, 2016
I took this video on a Wednesday night watching hockey. It is a lifelong dream of mine to sit on the glass for a NHL game. It would be cool to see the action up close. Pound on the glass. But I really just want to sit next to hockey fans like this guy. Just watching him makes me happy. Look how happy he is when that fight almost broke out. He whipped out his camera from 2001 and filmed away. He will probably cherish that video for the rest of his life. I want to feel that happiness.
"Sundance is a great festival for little people. ... But for the rest of us normal people, it's just a chance to fuck a Mormon"- Ari Gold.
Ari might be right. But when it is freezing, there is bye week for N.F.L football and nothing else to do. I'll be looking to catch a flick. Sundance makes you jump through major hoops to get tickets, and they aren't cheap at 20 bucks a pop. But we'll see how it goes. Last year I saw one movie, some Colombian Film that made me never want to go there. Maybe this year I'll shoot for two films.
