Spurned

If we were going to track the workmanlike predictability and consistency of the Spurs (like we said in our ambitious 910 Preview), then last night would be a big red (or in the Jazz's throwback case, green and yellow) anomaly.

Why?

During Pop's tenure, the Jazz had never swept the season series with the Spurs. Never. In fact, November's win at San Antonio was the first Jazz@Spurs win in, what, forever?

But there it was. Compliments of double doubles by D-Will and Boozer. Compliments of a big all-around (especially on offense) game by Kirilenko. And gutsy play by the benchguys- Milsap, even my love/hate whipping boy Ronnie Price. And maybe compliments of some reffing that seemed- even to a Jazz fan- to be out for Timmy's scalp like he were a nazi and the refs were the Basterds. He must've done his trademark Wide Eyed Glare one too many times.

What else was anomalous? (Is that a word? Do I care? Do you get what I'm getting at? OK.)

Duncan denied a milestone. One of the most consistent, come-through players of all time. And he stopped one short of the point milestone.

What I love about Duncan: he didn't care at all about it. He would've been embarrassed by any stoppage of play, any confetti or recognition; even postgame questions would've been an annoyance. He just wanted the W. And that's why he's one of (if not THE) greatest PF in history.

Wow. And to think I'm a Jazz fan.

Harlem Shakes Box Score

Its not often you can find an album that is overly energetic and enthusiastic and still want to listen to it without being completely annoyed. Technicolor Health is just that album. Maybe its just me, maybe its the residue from a presidential campaign, but this year in music seems to be filled with optimism and fun. I got into this album in the spring shortly after it came out because of the attractive album art and I wasn't disappointed with what I found behind it.

Allow me to explain some of the categories.

Fun-da-mentals - The songs are not very inventive, but they are very fundamentally sound and it works for the upbeat-ness of the album. Thus, its the rudimentary nature of the songs that make them fun. This category measures how well that all works.

Appropriately Garnished - Each song has some sort of weird synth sound, guitar tone, drum beat, harmony or other eccentric addition. This category measures how well the "garnish" works with the song itself.

Melange Infused - There is a wide variety of musical styles infused into each song. The different beats and different sounds sometimes add a lot to the song and sometimes don't add as much. This measures that.

Beat-ing the Mood - This measures how well the drum beats add to the happiness of the song.

Selling the Song - Lexy Benaim has a unique voice and delivery. But he is committed to the songs and the lyrics. This commitment makes me believe in the songs, like he is selling them to me. This measures how well the songs are sold.

John Starks Reference - Listen closely to see if you can pick it out. It has to do with a Starks Poster. Or just Google it.

[Total Score : 826]

We Keep Waiting

Rewind to mid-February. Rumors were rampant of blockbuster trades to shed salaries. But all we ended up with was Jermaine to the Heat, Chauncey to Denver and a few other minor trades that were over hyped due to the lack of movement. Then we waited for Utah to become the sleeper in the West, Shaq to put the Suns in a first round match-up with Kobe, LeBron to collect his first title, KG to come hobbling out of the tunnel and be an instant "Where Amazing Happens" commercial. But as much as we hoped for it, nothing happened. Orlando made the Finals beating both Boston and Cleveland who were scheduled to battle for the Finals from the get go of the season. The Lakers silenced darlings all the way to the Larry O'Brien trophy; Houston and Chris Rock Jr's Red bow tie, Denver and Chauncy's home coming and finally Orlando's hot shooting. Time and again we (or maybe just me) kept talking ourselves into something new and exciting that could happen, that we wanted to happen.

Then the NBA Draft started creeping up on us. And the days prior to it were like a page taken from a video game where you make the computer accept ridiculous trades in order to load your team up. Shaq to Cleveland. 5 months too late. VC to Orlando. A big game choker to a team that recently did just that only in the process they their only two clutch players; Hedo and Courtney Lee (I don't think Lee's missed lob was his fault at all) Richard Jefferson and his tiny ears to the Spurs. How fast do you think it took for RC Buford (best GM name ever) to say yes to this one? I say he put his hand over the phone and whispered over to Pop something like, "Would you trade your '96 Corolla, '94 Ford Ranger and $500 bucks for a '05 5 series?" To which Pop replied, "Is that the Bucks on the other line?"

So now we have Cleveland, Phoenix, Orlando, New Jersey and Milwaukee talking themselves into things. The Shaq Era, The Steve Kerr Era, The Vinsanity Era, 2010 Leftovers in Jersey, and the Fabricio Bogut Era. Maybe these trades will end up being just what everyone needs, but I'll wait until I'm proved wrong.

The Draft was a night of Stu Scott, Marc Jackson and JVG trying to get excited about each draft pick and at the same time avoid eye contact with Jay Bilas. Even the "at the chair" interviews were painful, like trying to get through a blind date with your aunt's neighbor's daughter at Red Robin painful.

Looking at the first two quarters of music, there is a bit of a parallel. Earlier we highlighted a few anticipated releases for the first half of the year, which never really panned out to be what he had hoped. We keep hoping, waiting for that to change. Signs point for that to happen next week. So stay tuned.