Familiar heroics, a questionable investment and some questionable morals
05/15/2001
Codding Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home
A lot of people don't really like the NBA anymore. Not since Michael left. They say the game just isn't the same. They say the last true superstars departed when Jordan, Magic and Bird hung up their high-tops.
Apparently, these people haven't been watching the playoffs this year.
If they had been watching throughout the second round of the postseason, they would have noticed that there are still a few guys in the league who have that "killer instinct" that made Magic magical, Larry legendary and Michael... well, Michael.
Check out these stats:
* 12 for 25, 32 points, 20 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 blocks in 45 minutes
* 21 for 39, 9 for 9 FT, 54 points (19 in the fourth), 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 47 minutes
* 19 for 29 (9-13 -- 3pt FG), 50 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks in 45 minutes
* 15 for 29, 17 for 19 FT, 48 points, 16 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 block in 48 minutes
* 17 for 32, 44 points, 21 rebounds, 4 assists, 7 blocks and 2 turnovers in 44 minutes
* 18 for 26, 43 points, 20 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks in 47 minutes
Anyone who's ever seen a basketball knows those are some impressive numbers, the kind of production those fans who deserted the NBA would expect to see from guys like Jordan, Magic, Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and some guy everyone called Kareem.
But those are recent playoff performances handed in by Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant and some guy everyone calls Shaq.
The San Antonio Spurs took a convincing 3-0 lead in their series with Dallas before the Mavericks squeaked out a 112-108 game four victory. Understanding how quickly a series lead can transform into a series loss, Tim Duncan responded in game five with 32 points, 20 rebounds and five blocked shots, overpowering the Mavs despite an equally impressive 42-point, 18-rebound, six-steal performance from Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki. Duncan looks ready for the Lakers, even with guard Derek Anderson done for the year with a separated shoulder.
In Philadelphia, the 76ers were in danger of heading to Toronto down two games to none after the Raptors pulled out a three-point victory in game one. But MVP Allen Iverson gave Vince Carter and Charles Oakley all they could handle in game two, dropping 54 points and five rebounds on Air Canada & Co. Not to be outdone, Carter turned right around in game three and unloaded for 50 points, six boards and seven assists, not to mention four blocked shots, sparking the Raptors to a 24-point victory and a 2-1 series lead.
The Lakers whooped up on the Sacramento Kings behind their two superstars, Shaq and Kobe. In the first two games of the series, Shaq notched two 40-point, 20 rebound performances, becoming the first player in NBA history to reach those levels in two-straight playoff games. But when Shaq fouled out in the final quarter of the fourth game, Kobe responded by pouring in 48 points and snagging 16 rebounds while playing 48 minutes and only turning the ball over twice.
Many of the game's legendary players used the postseason's glamorous stage to magnify their reputations. Who could ever forget "The Shot," Jordan's majestic, game winning bucket over Cleveland's Craig Ehlo that knocked the Cavs out of the playoffs in 1989? For Magic Johnson, superstardom came calling in 1980. As a rookie point guard for the Lakers, Johnson hung out in the towering shadow of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. But with Abdul-Jabbar unable to play in the sixth game of the 1980 NBA Finals, head coach Paul Westhead asked the 6-9 Magic to move from guard to center. Johnson responded with 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists, claiming the first of his three Finals MVP awards while leading the Lakers to the title.
This year, Kobe, Carter, Duncan, Iverson and Shaq are turning in playoff performances that will be talked about for years, possibly leading their respective teams to an NBA championship. It's just a shame so many fans are too focused on the game's past to recognize the legends being born today.
Lone Star suffering
We all shuddered when the Texas Rangers signed all-world shortstop Alex Rodriguez to a $252 million deal this winter. Now we're all laughing at owner Tom Hicks. The Rangers are currently nine games under .500 and 15 games behind division-leading Seattle, they're dead last in the Majors with a 6.35 team ERA, and manager Johnny Oates already has "resigned." Now there's even talk that, if the deal made sense, Texas would trade Ivan Rodriguez, who's considered by many to be one of the best catchers in baseball history. Of course, not all of this is A-Rod's fault, but Rangers fans can't be too happy with their team's $25 million addition.
In a game with the White Sox on May 7, the Rangers find themselves down 7-4 in the bottom of the eighth when A-Rod steps to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Making that kind of money, owner Tom Hicks and every Rangers fan in the world expects Rodriguez to thrive in this exact situation. Instead, Sox closer Keith Foulke squelches the threat by getting the young shortstop to ground into an inning-ending, 6-4-3 double play. Rangers lose 7-4. Two nights later in Detroit, A-Rod, who went 0-5 on the night, grounds into a game-ending double play with the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth. Rangers lose 3-2. The next night in Detroit, Rodriguez's eighth error of the year allows Tony Clark to score, then in the top of the ninth he strikes out with the tying run on first. Rangers lose 6-5, their fifth-straight loss and their 12th in 14 games. Tough week for "Richie" Rodriguez.
Still consider yourself an A-Rod fan? Then click here to find out how many hours it takes this 25-year- old kid to make your yearly salary... playing a freaking game. You'll quickly learn to despise him as much as I do.
Why so we still watch?
I love sports. I love rummaging through a bag of peanuts and hailing down the beer man every half hour or so at the ballpark. I love watching Edgerrin James pick his way through the line for a six-yard gain. I love watching Kevin Garnett jam a basketball down Shawn Bradley's scrawny throat.
But I'm tired of hearing Lawrence Taylor tell me he was set up. And please, I don't really care about Darryl Strawberry anymore -- just let the man snort, smoke or inject whatever he wants and stop trying to make me feel sorry for him. The same goes for Dexter Manley.
But even if I never heard or read another story about those three lifetime losers, it wouldn't matter. Because everyday, another athlete finds his name in the newspapers or splattered all over the Internet. Take Cleveland Browns fifth-round pick Jeremiah Pharms, a 22-year-old linebacker out of the University of Washington who pleaded not guilty to a first-degree robbery charge on May 9. Pharms, who is married with three -- yes, three -- children, is accused of stealing $1,500 worth of marijuana from an alleged drug dealer, then pistol whipping and shooting the dealer during the attack. The player's blood, along with the blood of the victim, was found on a football glove in the car of Pharms' ex-girlfriend. The rookie linebacker apparently has admitted to buying pot from the dealer before the attack took place.
Or how about former super middleweight boxing champ Dave Hilton Jr.? On May 9, apparently a popular day for lowlife athletes, he was sentenced to seven years in prison after a jury found him guilty of sexually assaulting two teenage sisters between 1995 and 1998, starting when the two girls were only 12 years old. Of course his lawyer is already appealing, saying his client's crime, "... wasn't the worst type of offender and certainly didn't meet... the criteria for a sentence of seven years." He's right, of course. A seven-year sentence is much too lenient. Incidentally, I bet Dave Sr. is a very proud papa right now.
Then there's Seattle Supersonics forward Ruben Patterson. He was sentenced to a year in jail -- with all but 15 of those days suspended -- on May 14 after entering a modified plea to an attempted rape charge, meaning he didn't admit he was guilty but agreed that a jury might convict him. Patterson's nanny accused the 25 year old of attempted rape.
Finally, New York Giants defensive end Jeremiah Parker was charged with one count of child endanger- ment and another count of neglect after his live-in girlfriend's four-year-old son died from a subdural hematoma and diffused brain swelling on May 14. Parker's 19-year-old girlfriend, Tauleah Kelly, is accused of shaking her son, Elijah Lamont Kelly, to death and has already been charged with child endangerment, neglect and two counts of aggravated assault. She could also be facing murder charges after doctors found bite marks and belt lashes on Elijah's body. Unbelievable.
Kinda makes Straw's coke problem seem insignificant, huh?
QuickQuote:
"I had to look in the mirror and see things I didn't do right as a person or a player. I promised myself when I look in the mirror after this season, I'll know I did everything right."
-- Philadelphia 76ers guard
Allen Iverson
after accepting the NBA's MVP award