Brian Shaw and the Lakers put the Historical Smackdown on Big Dirk
All For Naught?
How do you un-do a 14-0 start to the regular season? You allow the largest comeback in the last 25 years to the team that you know you have to beat in the post-season. Loyal reader Mike B. suggests that the Mavs' stunning loss to the Lakers this weekend, after having a 28 point lead at halftime, essentially invalidates their tremendous start. Certainly, from the standpoint of record, the Mavs are still 18-2 and looking great in the race for a top seed. But mentally, what do you think the Mavs are thinking about right now? When you reach a certain level of quality as a team in the NBA, say a 60-win level, you have to begin to set your sights higher. All that matters to them is showing that they can beat that Lakers team. The Mavs take no solace in beating up on the Warriors last night; they will have a very bad taste in their mouths until April 3, when they play the Lakers again. That's right-The Mavs and Lakers don't play again till early April, on the 3rd and 8th. That's a long time to have to carry around the burden of the greatest collapse of the last 25 years.
Look at the West. The Mavs and Kings are going strong. The Lakers might finally have the swagger and health they need to put their own 10 game streak together. But what of the Spurs? Looking a very pedestrian 12-9, and still all playing like robots. They got smacked pretty good in Sac town last night. After them, who's next? Houston?
Reader Andrew B. took serious issue with my statement that the West had the top four teams in the NBA. When it's all said and done, I still think the Lakers are going to be there. But Indiana and Philly are maintaining their hot starts; maybe the East will finally produce a team that can challenge the West winner, which hasn't happened since Air 2 retired. Still, I'm not entirely sold. The West holds a 55-50 edge vs. the East so far in interconference play, and the Lakers are 2-6. The East isn't the pushover it's made out to be, but it's going to take a strong post-season push to convince me.
Ugly...
Saw the footage of the Rudy T./Kermit Washington punch last night for the first time. It's pretty bad stuff; if that had happened today, there would be so many more camera angles to see that horrible incident. I'm glad we don't have those.
Which reminds me, am I the only person in the world who has never seen the Theismann video? It's not that I want to see it, necessarily...OK. I want to see it. Is that so wrong? Is there a "gruesome sports violence" website I can go to? I absolutely do not condone that sort of thing. I'll only go there for the Theismann footage, I promise. Well, and maybe for the Nolan Ryan/Robin Ventura fight. But that's it, really.
Walton Family Matters...
I have never been able to stand Bill Walton. As near as I can tell, public opinion is almost 100% on this matter. But I might be changing my opinion on the matter. I never saw the "real" Bill Walton play, as I said before. I have no idea what his particular genius is, though I read all the time that he was one of the best-passing big men of all time, and just generally a force on both ends. Watching his son Luke play this weekend gave me a little glimpse into what seeing the elder Walton might have been like. Luke's not as big as his dad, but man, can that guy pass. He does things I just don't see other players do, and it's not fancy passing. It's the different angles he takes, and his accuracy with the ball. Watching Luke Walton pass is like watching a truly great pool player. The secret to great pool isn't making a bunch of trick or difficult shots (though great ones can certainly do that), it's about seeing things that other players can't see. Pool is essentially geometry, and Walton uses that same type of knowledge to distribute the ball. Many times, I saw him get a defensive board, and start the break with a fantastic outlet pass, or just start bringing the ball up himself, with a nice dish at the end. He did it in the full court and half court games. I was impressed with him, to say the least.
And, what made the game strange was that Bill Walton was the color announcer. This was a revelation to me, because Walton put away his critical bombast and just talked about the game. He's a smart guy, and he's seeing things from a different perspective than most former players, because of his style. Walton is a big believer that today's game could be improved in many ways, and many of those ways are things that Walton himself excelled at, like passing and dedication in practice. So, it's no wonder the guy sounds critical sometimes. He was much more enjoyable to listen to when he just analyzed the game. It's certainly strange that he was calling his own son's game; he referred to him as "Luke Walton". That's the right thing to do, it just was weird. He seemed pretty objective to me, though he needs to stop genuflecting at the alter of Lute Olson, who looks so much like my father-in-law, it's scary.
I'm not saying I'm sold on Bill Walton yet. But if he calls games a little more like he did this weekend, he could be one of the best, as opposed to just one of the loudest.
10:52:20 AM 
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