Kobe has an off-night, scores 43

Let me first say that this guy is incredible. It is a complete and awful shame that his name is not brought up more often in MVP discussions.

So while the NBA has shown that it is very much into promoting its favorite neophytes (LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwayne Wade), I really don’t think any of them can hold a candle to Kobe Bryant right now.

This guy has been the best player in the league for years now and it’s about time that we all started saying it.

We’ve expected the world from Kobe Bryant. We expect him to be everything positive about Michael Jordan and we expect him to be completely blameless (as Michael Jordan was).

But Kobe isn’t the media darling that MJ was and whereas the media was inclined to look the other way when MJ was less than superhuman, they have pounced on Kobe Bryant in similar situations.

So in keeping with the media roller coaster that so many famous people ride, it’s time for us all to bask in Kobe Bryant’s second upswing. That’s right. It’s okay to love him again.

Kobe's maturation is clearly evident if you have paid any attention to this man in the last two years. Kobe’s team leadership gets better every day and he can still wow us with his individual abilities.

Let’s take this opportunity to thank our lucky stars that we’ve had the privilege of watching one of the best do his best.

Ron Artest Needs Help. NOW!

I understood when he threw that TV at MSG. I tried to understand when he punched that fan in Detroit. I couldn’t understand his fiasco with his dogs and I won’t understand his latest fiasco with his family.

And I certainly don’t understand what’s (apparently) coming out of his mouth lately. A few days ago the rumor was that Artest will retire. This morning I read that the rumor is that he will play overseas for a while. Tomorrow the rumor will be that he plans on joining the circus.

Sure, sometimes it’s funny to watch the crazy guy do crazy stuff, but after a certain point it’s cruel and irresponsible. Our society loves watching a train wreck in action (right, Brittney?) but at what point is the carnage all of our faults?

When does it become our duty to step in and stop the insanity? I say, “right now.” Let’s not let Ron Artest be our next Mike Tyson.

Ron Artest needs to take time off right now and he should not come back until his life is more in order. Forget basketball for 5 minutes. This is a person and this person’s life is spiraling ever downward on a second by second basis.

Sixers Suffer Worst Home Loss Ever

So to follow up winning 8 of their last 10 games (they did, in fact, lose to the Hawks) and being a hot team in the NBA for the last couple of weeks- the Sixers registered their worst home loss ever in their 58 year history. The Houston Rockets came into Philly and stomped on the Sixers- beating them by 50 POINTS! Yao Ming, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Tracy MacGrady, who had 21 points and 8 assists, sat out for the whole fourth quarter. Andre Iguodala was benched for the entire fourth quarter, finishing with a pitiful 6 points and 4 turnovers. Kyle Korver led the team in scoring with 17 points. I don't know if I have much to say about this ball club other than the fact that they are a young club that desparately needs some type of go-to superstar.

Sixers Get Hot, Win 7th Straight Game!

In a remarkable second half turnaround, Maurice Cheeks has the Sixers looking like a competitive young ball club. The Sixers had a 6 game home stand that they managed to run the table on. And this homestand hosted 5 west coast competitors including the Lakers and Suns. The Sixers rebounded the ball and played good defense. Sammy Dalembert pulled down double digit rebounds in all but one game of the win streak.
Andre Iguodala has been playing the role of superstar on the team averaging 25 points a game and grabbing his third triple double of the season against Seattle. He is complimented very well by the experience and passing skills of Andre Miller. Miller has been averaging 7.8 Assists and 13 Points per game during the winning streak.
Their latest win comes on the second night of a back to back, where they played Kobe and the Lakers in Philadelphia last night, and then had to play the Pacers in Indianapolis on tonight. Neither of those teams are piece of shit teams, either one can be dangerous on any given night. The Sixers outplayed both ball clubs and came out on top (although the Pacers were playing without Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley, which I'm sure improved the Sixers chances of keeping the streak alive). I'm also impressed that the Sixers managed to maintain the streak as the went on the road, until tonight in Indiana- all their games were at home.
Their next game is Tuesday in Atlanta. I think with a couple days rest, this red-hot Sixers team can really pull one out against the Hawks. But there is always a chance that the old ghosts of the inexperienced Sixers will come back to haunt them and break their beautiful streak against such a lameduck opponent as the Atlanta Hawks. I say go Sixers! Keep the streak Alive! 8 in a row baby!

Denver Nuggets Flying High, Yet Full of Smoke

Ok, as I watch the Denver Nuggets get blown out by the San Antonio Spurs on a TNT nationalized telvised game Tuesday night, I thought I would comment on how awful the Nuggets look.

Good GOD!

I thought that if you wanted to compete to win a championship, especially in the West, you had to at least play some defense.

I mean the Suns really are an exception to that rule, but then again they have two-time (and soon to be three-time) MVP Steve Nash to drive their ship - however the Suns have yet to go to the Finals.

But the Nuggets lack anything of the sort.
As Charles Barkley said on TNT- The Nuggets defense is horrible. The Nuggets have the two leading scorers in the league, but the have no players doing the dirty work. No guys who don't really want to score, but will play defense and rebound and hustle. And he loves Allen Iverson, but Iverson pounds the ball too much. David Aldridge mentioned Eduardo Najera as a gritty player, but Barkley said Najera's not a good enough player.
They lack any confidence in their defensive play. And the Spurs just picked them apart like the veterans they are, while Reggie Miller proclaimed that "this" is why the Nuggets are not being considered to go far in the playoffs. They don't have the ability to compete on a higher level with those elite teams of the West. The Spurs weren't even playing that complex a defense, but their excellent execution managed to hold the Nuggets to 49 points through three quarters. The Nuggets recorded their lowest scoring quarter of the season with only 10 points in the third, as they crawled into the fourth quarter with a 31 point defecit.

It was ugly.

Iverson and Melo have only played 7 games together and they are 2-5.

You do the Math. At number 7 in the West- it is not looking good.

John Amaechi declares “I’m Gay” to the World…. The World replies, “Who the hell is John Amaechi?”

I’m sorry, but I don’t really care about John Amaechi. It’s not that I’m insensitive toward gay people; it’s that I’m insensitive toward mediocre ball players.

A lot of sportscasters have been saying the same thing: it will be real interesting when an active NBA player comes out publicly.

To that end, let me know when Vince Carter holds his press conference (zing!)

(Come on, this dunk was clearly just an excuse to get close with Frederic Weis)

Cuban, Dirk and Wade get ugly

So Dirk Nowitzki says that the Dallas Mavericks gave the Miami Heat the NBA Championship last year. He’s arguably right: The Mavs were up two games to zero on Miami in last year’s finals and they ended up losing the series.

Still, you don’t say that sort of thing publicly because it implies that they other team didn’t do anything to deserve the championship. It’s one thing to say that you should have won; it’s another to say that you gave it away.

So naturally, Wade is insulted and fires back at Dirk. Wade called out Dirk, saying:

“He’s the reason they lost the championship, because he wasn't the leader that he's supposed to be in the closing moments. That's because of great defense by us, but also he wasn't assertive enough as a leader's supposed to be.”

Wade is arguably right too. It’s not the classiest comment in the world, but he’s not completely off-base.

Now, enter Mark Cuban to add some more drama and his trademark cutting remarks:

“You are an amazing player, Dwayne. I love watching you shoot free throws.”

This is clearly a shot at both Wade and the NBA’s Referees. If you can’t read between the lines, Cuban is saying that Wade gets preferential treatment from the league’s officials. Guess what? He’s arguably right too!

One things for sure, we have a bona fide rivalry on our hands. The question remains: does anyone care?