Upset Special

This just in from Jay Bilas following a suspenseful Selection Sunday.

"I really like the chances of Golden State advancing as a 14 seed underdog. I think the way they match-up with Baylor is really going to give them an advantage. The way they can stretch the floor with their shooters and cover ground on defense with their length will be hard for Baylor to overcome. I also think Stephan Curry will be a great pro prospect going somewhere in the second half of the lottery. The kid can really shoot the ball."

Thanks Jay. Golden insight once again.

Reconciliation

The Black Converse has been creeping along as of late. For this we sincerely apologize. Sometimes Bruce Wayne has to take the cape off and attend board meetings. Its not that he would rather sit in meetings as opposed to fight crime, its just that crime fighting doesn't pay the bills.

Moving on...

With less than 20 games to go in the season, its time for a little reconciliation with the story lines this NBA season. We've let ourselves go a little, so its time to hit the gym.

Boston Celtics Countdown to 10 Losses: We knew that storyline was going to be over somewhere between Christmas and Groundhogs Day. And it was. The more fascinating story will be to see if Ra'Sheed can lose 10 pounds before the playoffs.

Sixers Glory Days: Remember when Iverson was on the team for a second time? Those were the days...

Toronto Raptors "Canada's Team": Are they still playing? I thought the NBA Season stopped for the Olympics.

Tales of Bango the Buck: He has got to be liking his job as of late. The Bucks seem to be the only team with a full stadium judging by the highlights.

The Atlanta Hawks: Keefe or Dominique They really haven't been either the last couple months. I'd say they are stuck somewhere around Steve Smith or Kevin Willis.

The Charlotte Scrap Heap: Yes they added a couple more to the pile at the trading deadline. They added Ty Thomas in exchange for career scrap-heapers Flip Murray and Acie Law. Also, they are solely in the hands of His Airness. I'm not sure what that means but I thought it was worth a mention.

Washington Bullets: We had to put these to rest after someone took our demands a little to seriously.

Dirk as Sandra Bullock:Mavs on a tear just as Sandra wins her first Oscar. Coincidence? We like to think it isn't.

Morey Smart Points: Last year's overachievers are sinking a little. But he did get rid of T-Maq. He will always have that shining gold star at the top of his report card.

Spurs Typical Season: Its been typical in that we haven't thought about them even one bit since January. Other than that, I think they are getting too old. (Which is they typical response every year) And they got a steal in the draft. (Wait...that always happens too) I guess there is nothing new here.

Trailblazers: The Hold Steady or The Animal Collective: They are in the same boat as the Hawks. Not great but not terrible. Kind of like the new Beach House album.

There you go. Now we are up to speed on the season (save a few story lines). I hope when I wake up from my bracket-filling-induced coma that the Heat are no longer a .500 team. I'll take .515 or even .508. But come on, this .500 business is killing me.

Its 5:37

23 to 6 might be a more appropriate way to say it since thats whats happening in LeBronland right now. He has confirmed that he will be changing his number from 23 to 6 for next season, apparently to honor Michael Jordan.

Someone might need to get LeBron a set of Basketball History tapes that date back before the he was born because 6 is just as important of a number for two reasons; Bill Russell and Julius Erving. But not too wax too nostalgic for a couple of legends, I'll take the time to speculate what this switch might mean.

Theory 1: He is going to channel Dr. J and grow out a 'fro and participate in the dunk contest. Likelihood: 3%

Theory 2: He wants to win as many titles as Russell and thinks that having the number will help him. Likelihood: 5%

Theory 3: He is going to play for the Miami Heat next year and the number 23 is retired there (Michael Jordan). Likelihood: 15% (he could have whatever number he wanted upon changing teams)

Follow-Up Theory A: He is going to play for the Chicago Bulls (MJ), Atlanta Hawks (Lou Hudson), Boston Celtics (Frank Ramsey), Houston Rockets (Calvin Murphy), or New Jersey Nets (John Williamson). All have the number 23 retired. Likelihood: 25% (again, he could have whatever number he wanted upon changing teams)

Theory 4: He is sending a message that he will hot be playing for the following teams that have the number 6 retired; Boston (Russell), Orlando (their fans), Philly (Dr. J), Phoenix (Walter Davis), Sacramento (their fans). Likelihood: 10% (again, he could have whatever number he wanted upon changing teams...and we already know he won't be playing for any of those teams)

Theory 5: LeBron secretly wants to be Kobe (though nobody can figure out why) and has decided that he is staying in Cleveland and wants to give his career a re-start a la Kobe Bryant when he went from 8 to 24. Likelihood: 50%

Theory 6: Back to the Kobe Envy Theory from above, he saw that Kobe changing his number made Kobe's jersey the highest selling jersey. LeBron wants to have the highest selling jersey so he is switching his number. Likelihood: 60%

Theory 7: Number 6 is LeBron's Team USA number and he wants to recreate Team USA in New York with Wade and Bosh. This is the first step. Likelihood: 45% (Bosh and Wade could just change their numbers upon switching teams)

Theory 8: LeBron is tired of Shaq getting all the media attention with his thumb surgery. Likelihood: 80% (LeBron is an attention hog, this story puts him on the front page and gets people talking about him)

Theory 9: He actually wants to honor Air Jordan. Likelihood: 65% (never take anything at face value)

Theory 10: Nobody really knows, not even LeBron himself. Likelihood: 95%

Blow the Speakers

What happens when you have the music turned up too loud for too long? You're going to blow the speakers.

Looks like our favorite Pacer rookie just blew his speakers. Looks like the Psycho T meter is now off. See you next year Psycho T.

Mr. Big Z Goes To Washington

We figured since Big Z has been so gracious to us all season we should give him another opportunity to voice his thoughts to our readers, even though he is no longer with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Big Z, the floor is yours.

"I thought after this commercial that I was finally one of the guys and could start participating in the timeout photo shoots and the all-night poker parties at 'Bron's house. I also thought that being one of the guys meant I was going to get to finish out my contract with the only team I've ever known.



I guess I was wrong. But now I'm not sure what to do. My agent thinks I love Cleveland, my new team has no problem with me sightseeing all day, I'm still getting paid and The Commish is trying to keep me from being able to sign back with the Cavs (assuming I get released). I'm starting to think that this new gig isn't so bad. Why would I want to go back to the Mistake By The Lake? To Witness greatness? I know what thats all about. I'm witnessing greatness everyday as I make my way through the Smithsonian. I witness greatness on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Cleveland broke my heart when they sent me away...I'm not going to let them do it again.

Boston, Orlando...If you're listening...I am ready and willing to come teach you the handshake. Just let me finish the Air and Space Museum.

Z

P.S. You can only be Superman as long as you can fit into the tights. I don't make the rules, I just enforce them.

P.P.S. I know a lot of you have been getting some good laughs off my bald head being likened unto a Bullet, but just because I'm in Washington doesn't mean the Bullets are back."

Well there you have it....Big Z in his own words.

All-Star Weekend 2010 Roundup

Remember when there were 108,000+ people were watching basketball on the same tv in the same room?

Remember when Gerald Wallace actually cared during All-Star Weekend?

Remember when Deron Williams exacted his revenge on the Nuggets and kept Carmelo from winning the MVP?

Remember when Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Dwight Howard had a dunk contest?

Official TBC Results from that contest: 1.Wade 2. LeBron (could have won but had a couple too many layups) 3. Howard (though he might have had the dunk of the game)

Them Crooked Fortunes

Dear Seattle,

I am sorry for the dismal luck you have had with your most beloved, specifically the Sonics and Grunge. As if things aren't bad enough just thinking about what could've been, I can only imagine how its been a tough past week for you.

First, Dave Grohl was front and center during this last episode of Saturday Night Liveas a the drummer of a band reuniting. This was after he was behind the drum kit just killing it for the sake of killing it. I'm sure there is some consolation in seeing Dave actually playing some hard rock and having long hair again, but its probably very small if its there at all.

Then just last night the Team That Could Have Been (KD and the Boys) made a visit to your little brother (Portland). Not only did he have a game (33 and 11) but he reached a milestone only two other players in recent history have hit. He has now scored 25+ points in 25 straight games. Only The Answer and Air Jordan have surpassed that feat. I won't mention that they are in the playoff picture, pushing for home court, and have won 6 straight.

You might want to stay away from your TV's and computers this weekend with the All-Star game approaching. If Kobe isn't playing, KD is the front runner to get the MVP and has an official coming out party. You're going to want none of this type of news, especially if you're already rock bottom after last night in Portland.

Again, I am sorry things have worked out this way. You can only be excited about Pete Carroll for so long.

Sincerely,

Charlie T Hustle Jr.

Leave The Best One Behind

It happens to me all the time. I get a new album, find a song or two on it I like and then play them to death. Its really a habit I should break because its ruined so many songs for me. Upon getting the newest Retribution Gospel Choir album, I found that the first song, Hide It Away, was far and away my favorite. And it didn't help that it was the first track, making it all too easy to repeat it without hearing anything else. Then I got worried that I might play it to death. Something had to change.

I got in my car one morning and the album was in the cd player. The first song had just finished but I wasn't paying too much attention to that. I just let the album play. A few songs into it, I found my self really liking the rest of what I was hearing. But I mean really liking it. I had given the cd a few plays clear through, but because I loved the first song so much, it made the rest of the songs seem very ordinary and unexciting. But something great happened that morning when the album got a good listen without being in the shadow of the best song. And turns out, the rest of it is even better than I had thought.

That leads me into my next point. Here at TBC, we've been mostly down on LeBron James. Not because he is a bad basketball player, but mostly because we didn't like being force fed hearty helpings of King James everywhere we looked. We, or maybe just me, felt that the hype was vastly over done for a guy so young and relatively unaccomplished. This season, I am starting to have a change of heart. I have seen quite a few Cavs games, though they are hard to miss, and James has definitely taken his game to another level. Its not only effecting his game, but the rest of his team looks phenomenal. He makes JJ Hickson look like the second coming of Scottie Pippen (which he isn't...Hickson will be out of the league a year after he stops playing with LeBron), he makes Boobie Gibson still look like a 12 year old and he makes Shaq (at least for 5 possessions a game) look like Lew Alcindor out there. Nobody else could do that I am convinced. Kobe would chew those guys out to the point that they wouldn't even show up to practice. Wade (as much as it pains me to say this) would get his 20 and then take the rest of the game off.

So it made me think, if you took the best player off all the teams in the league, like I did with the best song off the RGC album, which team would shine the brightest? I would be that Cleveland would not be the first team to come to mind. Or the second, third or the twentieth. This is not a new revelation. Everyone knows LeBron has been on bad teams his whole career but has managed to make them competitive. But there is something about this particular cast of characters playing with him this season that has upped the degree of difficulty, to which he has responded incredibly. And that is why I now buy into LeBron. And the Cavaliers.

48 point games by Vinsanity won't stop them. The athleticism of the Hawks won't either. Neither will KG's wooden leg. Chauncy and the Gang won't get a shot at them. Nor will Deron and his Merry Men. This year will be the matchup everyone wanted last year, Kobe v LeBron. I will stand by this prediction, even though a two year old could see this coming. The difference is, I'm not one to pencil in the favorites.

Who Scorecard

Well, after gloating about last year's minor victory, it's only fair that I concede to Charlie T for his Halftime Music Guess win this year. The medleys killed me; I had suspected they might give snippets of some songs, but not to the degree they did. I should've read this. No Springsteenian crotch slide, no wardrobe malfunctions (if you don't count the shots of Pete Townshend's midriff), some windmills, and a lot of Pete Townshend Not Trying To Pretend He's Ever Been Capable of Glossy Which Spike Totally Dug. The actual results:

Pinball Wizard (a verse and a chorus, at most)
Baba O'Riley (yes, they shortened the intro and outro, but they still gave this one a whole chunk of their time)
Who Are You? (totally blindsided TBC)
See Me, Feel Me (what?????)
Won't Get Fooled Again

Charlie T.'s Picks
(3/5, but WRONG about order and WRONG about only song from Tommy. I just wanted to write wrong in all-caps twice. See my pick results for the reason why.)
(I've decided that 5 songs is the magic number)
1. Baba O'Riley
2. Pinball Wizard
3. We Won't Get Fooled Again
4. My Generation
5. I Can See For Miles


Spike's Picks
(2/5 and a big fat slap on the wrist for not trusting my Baba O'Riley instincts.)
1. My Generation
2. Pinball Wizard
3. The Seeker
4. Magic Bus
5. Won't Get Fooled Again

Oh, and the Saints won. Can we just place a moratorium on Who Dat? Please?

Somewhere Googs Is Hearing Footsteps

Its been awhile since we've checked in on Al Jefferson's assault on Timberwolves' history and if trade rumors yield any kind of fruits, it could potentially be the last time we check in. Needless to say this has been quite the journey through the storied past of the Minnesota NBA Franchise.

Last we checked he was sitting comfortably at 11th all-time in points and 7th all-time in rebounds. Flash forward about two months and 9th and 5th respectively. That means in 180 career games as a T-Wolf, he went from dead last to Top Ten and Top Five in two huge categories. He now sits squarely behind Tom Gugliotta in both the points and rebounds categories, and he did it in 50 fewer games.

All-Time Points

8. Tom Gugliotta 4,201
9. Al Jefferson - 3,254
10. Pooh Richardson 3,698
11. Anthony Peeler 3,622

All-Time Rebounds

4. Tom Gugliotta 1,970
5. Al Jefferson - 1,958
6. Wally Szczerbiak 1,932
7. Rasho Nesterovic 1,711

Not much funny or interesting here, except that once KG retires (or sooner) there is a valid argument for the team to change their name to the Minnesota Garnetts. Because really, thats all there is to this franchise, 12 years with the Big Ticket.