2011-05-31
JWP vs. Mike Zambidis
The John Wayne Parr vs. Mike Zambidis match was so short that someone actually shot the whole thing with a portable. Check out the last knockdown. Zambidis might as well have been a punching bag. Maybe the ref should have stopped the match after punch #50?
Memorial Weekend Sports Wrapup
Baseball
After dropping 2 close games in Seattle, including a 12-inning marathon that ended at around 2am, the Yankees followed up with a couple of great starts that gave the relievers 2 days off. On Sunday, CC Sabathia contributed 8 innings of 5-hit ball as the Yankees won 7-1. Yesterday, Bartolo Colon came up with a complete game shutout (4 hits, 0 walks) of the A's. It's hard to believe and I was shocked to hear the announcers mention that it was the first shutout of the season and the first complete game since 2009 (must have been CC). Besides pitching, Teixiera seems to be on track with his homers. Jeter is hitting and Gardner is stealing.
Muay Thai
John Wayne Parr and Mike Zambidis fought for the 3rd time for the tie breaker. Zambidis won the first match in a close one that many thought Parr should have won. A couple of years ago, JWP won the rematch by unanimous decision. There was no doubt as Parr just dominated the whole match. In this weekend's match, both guys looked to be in great shape, but it was a very quick match as JWP won by 1st round TKO. Zambidis hit with a few wild swings, but they didn't hurt JWP. Parr knocked Zambidis down with multi-hit punch combos and there was also a flying knee that took the wind out of his opponent. Earlier this year, JWP announced that he would retire at the end of 2011. Should he really? He's in better shape than when he started out in the sport!
Tennis
We're somewhere between the round of 16 and quarters in Roland Garros and I finally started watching tennis! It started with a Maria Sharpova match where she came back from being down in the first set. It looked like one of those matches where she was going to double-fault herself to a loss, but she gathered herself and recovered. Nadal is doing well as usual, though not as invulnerable this time around. He's going to face Robin Soderling, who continues to be consistent since defeating Nadal 2 years ago in the French. He was the only man to be able to do that.
After dropping 2 close games in Seattle, including a 12-inning marathon that ended at around 2am, the Yankees followed up with a couple of great starts that gave the relievers 2 days off. On Sunday, CC Sabathia contributed 8 innings of 5-hit ball as the Yankees won 7-1. Yesterday, Bartolo Colon came up with a complete game shutout (4 hits, 0 walks) of the A's. It's hard to believe and I was shocked to hear the announcers mention that it was the first shutout of the season and the first complete game since 2009 (must have been CC). Besides pitching, Teixiera seems to be on track with his homers. Jeter is hitting and Gardner is stealing.
Muay Thai
John Wayne Parr and Mike Zambidis fought for the 3rd time for the tie breaker. Zambidis won the first match in a close one that many thought Parr should have won. A couple of years ago, JWP won the rematch by unanimous decision. There was no doubt as Parr just dominated the whole match. In this weekend's match, both guys looked to be in great shape, but it was a very quick match as JWP won by 1st round TKO. Zambidis hit with a few wild swings, but they didn't hurt JWP. Parr knocked Zambidis down with multi-hit punch combos and there was also a flying knee that took the wind out of his opponent. Earlier this year, JWP announced that he would retire at the end of 2011. Should he really? He's in better shape than when he started out in the sport!
Tennis
We're somewhere between the round of 16 and quarters in Roland Garros and I finally started watching tennis! It started with a Maria Sharpova match where she came back from being down in the first set. It looked like one of those matches where she was going to double-fault herself to a loss, but she gathered herself and recovered. Nadal is doing well as usual, though not as invulnerable this time around. He's going to face Robin Soderling, who continues to be consistent since defeating Nadal 2 years ago in the French. He was the only man to be able to do that.
2011-05-28
2011-05-27
Role Reversal
The Bulls' season ended last night in another 4th quarter collapse. In this series, it was the Heat that made the clutch plays while the Bulls failed in the final minutes. It was actually one of their better games this postseason with the exception of the final 3 minutes in the 4th quarter. The game was played correctly as the Bulls made full use of their bench... something they should have done since Game 2.
On the bright side of things, despite the poor play throughout the playoffs, the Bulls made it to Game 5 of the Easter Conference Finals. That certainly exceeded expectations from everyone at the start of the season. The Bulls were at most supposed to be a 50-win team and probably a 6 seed that would get to the 2nd round and lose. Rose wasn't supposed to be MVP and Thibodeau was too new to be Coach of the Year. Even though the series against Miami was a 4-1 loss, the lost games were still close. Games 2, 4 and 5 were very winnable. The Heat played their best in Game 3, so I can concede that one. This series could have gone either way. If Rose and Korver had their normal averages and if the team had their normal FT average, this series is easily 4-1 in favor of the Bulls.
Rose's minutes were way too high. He basically had no rest at all except when he got into foul trouble. Over the Summer, the Bulls need to get another finisher. They're just too predictable in the final minutes of a close game. That finisher needs to be in the shooting guard position. Wonder who I'm referring to? Paxson and Foreman need to get their butts to Detroit and beg Ben Gordon to come back! Other candidates include Kirk Hinrich and Jamal Crawford. For versatility, Hinrich is better, but Crawford is a better closer. That's the only missing piece on this team.
On the bright side of things, despite the poor play throughout the playoffs, the Bulls made it to Game 5 of the Easter Conference Finals. That certainly exceeded expectations from everyone at the start of the season. The Bulls were at most supposed to be a 50-win team and probably a 6 seed that would get to the 2nd round and lose. Rose wasn't supposed to be MVP and Thibodeau was too new to be Coach of the Year. Even though the series against Miami was a 4-1 loss, the lost games were still close. Games 2, 4 and 5 were very winnable. The Heat played their best in Game 3, so I can concede that one. This series could have gone either way. If Rose and Korver had their normal averages and if the team had their normal FT average, this series is easily 4-1 in favor of the Bulls.
Rose's minutes were way too high. He basically had no rest at all except when he got into foul trouble. Over the Summer, the Bulls need to get another finisher. They're just too predictable in the final minutes of a close game. That finisher needs to be in the shooting guard position. Wonder who I'm referring to? Paxson and Foreman need to get their butts to Detroit and beg Ben Gordon to come back! Other candidates include Kirk Hinrich and Jamal Crawford. For versatility, Hinrich is better, but Crawford is a better closer. That's the only missing piece on this team.
2011-05-25
3-1 Hole
The Bulls really put themselves in the hole by dropping Game 4 to the Heat. It was another winnable game as they forced overtime in a close one. But if you saw how the Bulls were playing in the 4th, it was easy to see that Miami was going to win the OT period. The Bulls starters were fatigued and making simple mistakes. Back-to-back turnovers by Deng and Rose cost them the game. Miami played well and the Bulls didn't put up their usual numbers...
- Rose had 23
- Korver is still slumping from 3
- Bench minutes are down (Taj w/ 10 only?)
In order to correct this, if it's not already too late, Rose needs to keep driving and stay calm for the easy layups. He's able to cut the defense, but is missing because he's not slowing down at the end for the soft touch. Korver needs to start putting up 18-20 footers because walking off the bench cold turkey to fire 3's. Once he feels comfortable with the regular jumper, then he can step back. For the entire playoffs, coach has been overusing the starters. That's why this team had so much difficulty through all the rounds. The played well during the regular season because they used 10 guys instead of 5. The only games during the playoffs that the Bulls played their normal game were the last game against the Pacers, the last 2 against the Hawks and the 1st against the Heat. They were fortunate to get out of Indy in 5 and Atlanta in 6.
- Rose had 23
- Korver is still slumping from 3
- Bench minutes are down (Taj w/ 10 only?)
In order to correct this, if it's not already too late, Rose needs to keep driving and stay calm for the easy layups. He's able to cut the defense, but is missing because he's not slowing down at the end for the soft touch. Korver needs to start putting up 18-20 footers because walking off the bench cold turkey to fire 3's. Once he feels comfortable with the regular jumper, then he can step back. For the entire playoffs, coach has been overusing the starters. That's why this team had so much difficulty through all the rounds. The played well during the regular season because they used 10 guys instead of 5. The only games during the playoffs that the Bulls played their normal game were the last game against the Pacers, the last 2 against the Hawks and the 1st against the Heat. They were fortunate to get out of Indy in 5 and Atlanta in 6.
2011-05-24
Sword of Azrael: Terminator
I was very disappointed to learn that Arnold Schwarzenegger cheated on Maria Shriver years ago and had a child with a housekeeper. Celebrity marriages are meant to fail, but Schwarzenegger and Shriver was supposed to be the exception and model to strive for. Arnold was a pioneer in body building. He made it what it is today. He defined action movies for America. And he represented the American Dream as an immigrant who worked hard and made it big. All of that gets erased with this one incident. If you're a celebrity, star athlete or politician, it really is best to just stay single. You can't be marriage material. No one has done it before.
2011-05-23
Weekend Sports Wrapup
NBA
The Bulls dropped their first game in Miami, in what I thought was the Heat's first legitimate win. They played good defense on Derrick Rose, who was just kept to 20 points and he wasn't able to slip through the defense like he did in Game 2. In Game 2, I thought Rose's missed shots were causes by himself rather than the Heat defense hounding him. But in Game 3, it was the defense. While the refs called early fouls to take the Bulls out of their game early, I didn't think it was a deciding factor like it was in Game 2. So Miami earned this one. Down 2-1, the Bulls have their first losing record of the Playoffs. Tomorrow night's game is a must-win if they want to stay in this series.
Yankees
The Yankees took 2 out of 3 in the first Subway Series of the year thought they really needed a sweep to make up for their recent 6-game losing streak. Playing the Mets was the perfect opportunity. But even with the 2 wins, the Yankees were able to accomplish a lot of things. Many struggling players got their averages up as the Yankees put up 7 and 13 hits on Saturday (7-3) and Sunday (9-3) respectively. On Sunday's game, Jeter had his typical clutch hits from pre-2010. A-rod racked up 4 hits to pad his average. Gardner is also showing signs of getting out of his slump.
Tennis
The French Open quietly kicked off this weekend with limited first round coverage in trhe US.
The Bulls dropped their first game in Miami, in what I thought was the Heat's first legitimate win. They played good defense on Derrick Rose, who was just kept to 20 points and he wasn't able to slip through the defense like he did in Game 2. In Game 2, I thought Rose's missed shots were causes by himself rather than the Heat defense hounding him. But in Game 3, it was the defense. While the refs called early fouls to take the Bulls out of their game early, I didn't think it was a deciding factor like it was in Game 2. So Miami earned this one. Down 2-1, the Bulls have their first losing record of the Playoffs. Tomorrow night's game is a must-win if they want to stay in this series.
Yankees
The Yankees took 2 out of 3 in the first Subway Series of the year thought they really needed a sweep to make up for their recent 6-game losing streak. Playing the Mets was the perfect opportunity. But even with the 2 wins, the Yankees were able to accomplish a lot of things. Many struggling players got their averages up as the Yankees put up 7 and 13 hits on Saturday (7-3) and Sunday (9-3) respectively. On Sunday's game, Jeter had his typical clutch hits from pre-2010. A-rod racked up 4 hits to pad his average. Gardner is also showing signs of getting out of his slump.
Tennis
The French Open quietly kicked off this weekend with limited first round coverage in trhe US.
2011-05-21
Jailing the Defender
During tonight's Mavericks/Thunder game, there was a play involving Westbrook and Nowitzki that went out of bounds. The refs made the correct call and awarded it to the Thunder. In frustration, Nowitzki pushed Westbrook. Westbrook retaliated with a swipe of his own. Guess who got the tech? Westbrook did. As the announcer said, the refs always see the retaliation and not the guy who started it. This is so wrong and they should really stop calling it this way. It only encourages players to take cheap shots because they know that the chances of the guy they're trying to agitate getting a tech is higher than getting it themselves. So Nowitzki started the alteration... got Westbrook to get a technical foul... got his team up by 2 more points.
Oh... Mavs won 93-87 to go up 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
Oh... Mavs won 93-87 to go up 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals.
2011-05-19
Series Tied
The Bulls threw away a completely winable game with a little help from the refs. In Game 2, it was easy to allocate where the 10 pt loss came from. The Bulls missed 13 freethrows. If they had made 10 of those missed ones, it's a tie game. Nobody on the Heat really stopped Rose. He made it to the basket most of the time and missed his shots. Officials made at least 3 bad calls (announcer Reggie Miller agreed) to help give the Heat an edge early in the game. The Bulls pretty much did their job defensively, holding the game close with Rose out on foul trouble. This was really a missed opportunity because the Heat opted to go with the same lineup as Game 1, with Ilgauskas sitting inactive. The Bulls were still winning the offensive rebounds. While the Heat got a lot more backtaps than Game 1, this wasn't were the game was won. The Bulls lost this one all on their own.
The good news is that I felt the Bulls controlled both their Game 1 win and Game 2 loss. Game was a blowout. If you give James his regular numbers and take a few away from Bosh's team high, it still adds up to a Bulls victory, though by a lesser margin. In Game 2, if you add in the normal FT percentage + a number slightly lower than Rose's average (just to give Miami some defensive credit), you get a Bulls win. Boozer and Noah were also off their game. Now the series is tied and we have to wait until Sunday for the Bulls to take their talents to South Beach.
The good news is that I felt the Bulls controlled both their Game 1 win and Game 2 loss. Game was a blowout. If you give James his regular numbers and take a few away from Bosh's team high, it still adds up to a Bulls victory, though by a lesser margin. In Game 2, if you add in the normal FT percentage + a number slightly lower than Rose's average (just to give Miami some defensive credit), you get a Bulls win. Boozer and Noah were also off their game. Now the series is tied and we have to wait until Sunday for the Bulls to take their talents to South Beach.
2011-05-18
Blake Griffin / AT&T Dunk
Just to follow up on the Kia Commercial that displayed what I thought was an unimpressive dunk, I wanted to post a more positive one for the best dunker in the game. I thought this one was very clever. The dunk wasn't fancy, but it was neat that he started a download on his phone and completed it just as he came down.
2011-05-17
Subway Tales: Wet Seat
It's a rainy week and we won't see sun until the weekend possibly. So for many of the rush hour commutes, I saw wet seats across several train lines. Usually, the first few people who walk in will notice them and choose the dry ones. When the train starts filling up, the rest of the passengers just panic and sit without looking. Some people get warned by the people sitting next to the puddles. I just let them go for it if I'm sitting next to the puddle. I'm not going to spend the rest of my commute warning idiots who don't look before they sit. This is NYC... don't do anything with blind trust! If there's an empty seat on a crowded train, suspect that there's something wrong. Just like if you see an empty train car when the rest are filled. Something's wrong! There's either a smelly bum sleeping or there's no AC. Getting back to the puddles... usually after a few stops, there will be one well-prepared woman (never a man) who has paper towels = free seat!
2011-05-16
Eastern Conference Finals Game 1
From one blowout to another. The Bulls continued where they left off with Game 6 against the Hawks and blew out the Heat. What a great time for this team to wake up! Blowing out the Hawks is expected, but it's truly an accomplishment to dominate the team that ran over the 76ers and Celtics in the first 2 rounds. The strongest statement that I think the Heat made was the first 2 dunks by Wade and James to take a 4-0 lead. The rest of the 1st half was back and forth with several lead changes and ties. Derrick Rose actually had a slow first half and it was Boozer that carried the team... generally a good sign. Rose will get his points one way or another. And it's important to get Boozer going early. Taj Gibson had a posterizing dunk over Wade in the 2nd quarter that fired up the team.
As in typical Bulls victories, the team pulled away in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. But again, the surprising thing was they did it against a team built to easily win the Finals. Rose ended with 28 pts despite the slow start. Boozer had 14 pts & 9 rebs. Deng added 21 and most importantly shutdown James (15 pts). Deng also had 4 steals. Gibson had 9 very loud points including a 2nd quarter dunk over Wade and a 4th quarter exclamation point put-back. All 10 players scored for the Bulls. The Heat got nothing beyond the big 3 lead by of all people, Bosh (30 pts). It's not a bad trade though. Let Bosh get 30 and play tough defense on James and Wade. The Bulls bench will beat the Heat bench any day.
As in typical Bulls victories, the team pulled away in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. But again, the surprising thing was they did it against a team built to easily win the Finals. Rose ended with 28 pts despite the slow start. Boozer had 14 pts & 9 rebs. Deng added 21 and most importantly shutdown James (15 pts). Deng also had 4 steals. Gibson had 9 very loud points including a 2nd quarter dunk over Wade and a 4th quarter exclamation point put-back. All 10 players scored for the Bulls. The Heat got nothing beyond the big 3 lead by of all people, Bosh (30 pts). It's not a bad trade though. Let Bosh get 30 and play tough defense on James and Wade. The Bulls bench will beat the Heat bench any day.
2011-05-15
Tech Deals of the Week (5/15-5/21)
iLive Soundbar @ RS for $89.99
This is up $10 from the last time I posted it, but still a good price compared to the $130 regular. I forgot to mention last time that this thing includes an iPod dock with adapters for every generation and model.
Sony h.ear Headphones @ RS for $6.99
Even the regular $13 tag for these headphones is already good. This set is great for running because of the ear clips. They won't fly off like standard earbuds. The audio jack also has a thin casing so it can plug into an iPod with its 3rd party case on... not all headphones can.
LCD's @ ST
- 20" Hannspree for $99.98
- 23" Acer for $149.98
- 25" Hannspree for $199.98 (this one has a VGA + 2 HDMI)
iPod Deals
- 32 GB iPod touch @ RS and TG for $295
- 8 GB iPod touch @ RS for $225
This is up $10 from the last time I posted it, but still a good price compared to the $130 regular. I forgot to mention last time that this thing includes an iPod dock with adapters for every generation and model.
Sony h.ear Headphones @ RS for $6.99
Even the regular $13 tag for these headphones is already good. This set is great for running because of the ear clips. They won't fly off like standard earbuds. The audio jack also has a thin casing so it can plug into an iPod with its 3rd party case on... not all headphones can.
LCD's @ ST
- 20" Hannspree for $99.98
- 23" Acer for $149.98
- 25" Hannspree for $199.98 (this one has a VGA + 2 HDMI)
iPod Deals
- 32 GB iPod touch @ RS and TG for $295
- 8 GB iPod touch @ RS for $225
| Store Key: BB = Best Buy, CC = Circuit City, CU = CompUSA.com, DI = Directron, NE = NewEgg.com, OD = Office Depot, RS = Radio Shack, ST = Staples, TG = Target |
2011-05-14
Blake Griffin & Kia Optima
After this year's Slam Dunk Contest, Kia took Blake Griffin's dunk and used it in their commercial for the Optima, the car Griffin jumped over. The commercial plays the dunk back in super slow motion, so you can see what I was talking about when I wasn't impressed by it in February. They also changed the colors so that Griffin and the car are fully saturated and the background drops out. So you can easily see the details and height. It's really just a normal game dunk if you take everything out of the scene. Don't get me wrong. I think Griffin is the best dunker in the game. I just think that particular one was lame.
2011-05-13
Packing for Miami
The Bulls finally closed out the Hawks last night in the blowout fashion (93-73) that they should have 2 games ago! There was offense lead by Boozer, who finally broke out of his slump to score 23 pts and grab 10 rebs. Rose had 19 pt and 12 asts. The team moved the ball well the whole night. Almost all points came off assists. The defense was there also as Johnson, Smith and Horford were smothered. Deng had 5 steals and Noah 3 blocks. The Hawks shot just 30% while the Bulls shot over 50%. 11/12 players scored in contrast to game 5 where only 4 players did all the scoring (but the Bulls even won that game!). Korver was off in the beginning, but stepped in for some 18-20 footers to get his shot on track. We'll need him to be on fire in Miami. This was all done away from home too.
If you compare this win to the Heat clincher over Boston, there was a big difference. The Bulls shook hands with the Hawks, did their interviews and walked quietly off the court as Bulls fans chanted MVP for Rose. The Bulls were ready for Miami at the final sound of tonight's buzzer. There was no celebration. The Heat rocked the Celtics 4 games to 1 and acted like they won the NBA Finals. Guys were celebrating and impersonating the Jordan Father's Day championship win. I thought that was a little overboard. The didn't even win the Eastern Conference Finals yet! And they acted like Boston was a tough opponent to get by. I'd have to say that the Bulls are probably more mentally prepared. And that's good because they'll need any edge they can get. Even though the Bulls had the season sweep, the margins of victory were pretty much single shots for all 3 games.
If you compare this win to the Heat clincher over Boston, there was a big difference. The Bulls shook hands with the Hawks, did their interviews and walked quietly off the court as Bulls fans chanted MVP for Rose. The Bulls were ready for Miami at the final sound of tonight's buzzer. There was no celebration. The Heat rocked the Celtics 4 games to 1 and acted like they won the NBA Finals. Guys were celebrating and impersonating the Jordan Father's Day championship win. I thought that was a little overboard. The didn't even win the Eastern Conference Finals yet! And they acted like Boston was a tough opponent to get by. I'd have to say that the Bulls are probably more mentally prepared. And that's good because they'll need any edge they can get. Even though the Bulls had the season sweep, the margins of victory were pretty much single shots for all 3 games.
2011-05-10
Subway Tales: Elbow Spacing
It really sucks when you have a seat in the train and it starts to get crowded. Someone sits two seats away, leaving the one next to you open. Who's going to take the open spot? Will it be a thin woman or some fat ass who can't gauge available empty space? I have a tip that can help in this situation. If you absolutely had to take up as little room as possible, you'd place your arms in front of you, making yourself slightly thinner. If the seat next to you is empty, DO NOT do this! You want to be as wide as possible. Leave your arms at your side, but don't overly expand or put your bag next to you. That would be overboard. With your arms at your side, you can sway the person sitting next to you to some degree. Move your arms slightly forward to invite the thin person who passes by. Leave your arms in place for the wide load. If someone who's a poor judge of space tries to sit next to you anyway, leave your arm there at all costs. Do not move it to scratch your head or get something from your bag. You want to make him as uncomfortable as possible. A nice sharp elbow on the ribs can sometimes cause him to move on.
2011-05-08
Tied
The 3rd Quarter was more of the same. The Bulls struggled offensively, but managed to go up by 2... 69-67. Their best run was a 7-0 run in the middle of the quarter. It seemed like every time they had a chance to tie or go ahead, they would miss the shot. But they're grinding this one out so far. One of the key factors is Boozer's numbers. Besides his one good game in the Pacer's series (a loss), he's been off for the rest of the playoffs. Through 3, he had 18 points and cleaned up a lot of missed shots. Asik didn't have any big numbers, but as usually, his hustle plays were key.
The 4th quarter wasn't a typical one tonight. The Bulls didn't pull away. It stayed close the whole time. Then it was the Hawks that pulled away in the final minutes. Missing from this game were obviously Korver's 3's and Deng was ineffective in the 2nd half. There wasn't much production from the bench that was very effective in game 3.
So the series is tied at 2 with Game 5 on Tuesday.
The 4th quarter wasn't a typical one tonight. The Bulls didn't pull away. It stayed close the whole time. Then it was the Hawks that pulled away in the final minutes. Missing from this game were obviously Korver's 3's and Deng was ineffective in the 2nd half. There wasn't much production from the bench that was very effective in game 3.
So the series is tied at 2 with Game 5 on Tuesday.
Bulls at the Half
This looks like another sloppy game with both teams trying to grind out points. The Hawks are shooting 43% while the Bulls are at 39%, but trail by only one... 47-46. The Bulls seem to be doing OK. The starters have theuir usual halftime numbers... Rose (13 pts & 5 asts), Noah (6 pts & 5 rebs), Deng (9 pts & 6 rebs) and Boozer (10 pts). Boozer is actually looking good. The Bulls are behind because their 3 point shooting is off... 2 of 9 (Deng & Rose). Korver is 0 for 5. The good news is he may go 5 for 5 in the second half based on the law of averages. He also tends to be a 4th quarter pressure player. So look for Korver to get his touch. The Bulls really need him when they go on their shooting droughts. Johnson (15 pts) and Smith (9 pts) are hot for the Hawks tonight with Horford and Crawford starting out slow.
Bulls Awaken
The Bulls finally woke up on Friday night with the type of game they've been playing during the regular season. They went up 2-1 in the series with a 99-82 win in Atlanta. Derrick Rose had his best playoff performance yet... 44 pts, 7 asts, 5 reb, a block and a steal. 15 rebs for Noah, a double-double for Gibson, 3 3's by Korver. Deng and Boozer had off nights, but Rose's 44 was solid enough to get a blowout win. The Hawks never lead in this game. The Bulls defense smothered Crawford and kept him to 7 pts in 30 in, Teague still got a team high 21. I think this guy earned more minutes for next season. He's been the best player on the team and he's normally just a backup PG!
Hopefully this is the way the Bull play for the rest of the postseason. When they're like this, they can beat anyone. The Pacer's series and even the first 2 Hawks games were just ugly games. Game 4 is later tonight. I think going up 3-1 is pretty going to seal the deal. Boston beat Miami last night, so that means that series will go at least 5. The Bulls have a chance to cap it off at 5 to tie the Heat, should they win the rest of their games.
Hopefully this is the way the Bull play for the rest of the postseason. When they're like this, they can beat anyone. The Pacer's series and even the first 2 Hawks games were just ugly games. Game 4 is later tonight. I think going up 3-1 is pretty going to seal the deal. Boston beat Miami last night, so that means that series will go at least 5. The Bulls have a chance to cap it off at 5 to tie the Heat, should they win the rest of their games.
Pacquiao vs. Mosley (Part 2)
Round 7: Mostly Pacquiao moving forward again with combos... many landing. Mosley was defensive and efficient with his punches. Pacquiao's round.
Round 8: Pacquiao got the crowd going with a low high combo. Mosley retaliated with a body shot. The rest of the round was more of Pacquiao landing light combos. Mosely hit with a nice hook. The round still goes to Pacman though.
Round 9: The crowd got into it whenever Mosley hit, but Pacquiao always returned the favor with a flurry. Mosley seemed fatigued as his punched had no pop in them. Pacquiao ended with a strong combo... his round again.
Round 10: Pacquiao tripped, but for some reason, they gave him a 5 count. After that, Pacquiao went into full attack mode to make up for it. This one will likely go to Mosley, but if they look at the replay, it was a push.
Round 11: Pacquiao continued his attack... looked pissed. He was going for the KO all the way... landed a lot of power punches, but Mosley survived it all. Easily Pacquiao's round.
Round 12: Pacquiao attacked first, but both guys were looking for the KO. There should be more desperation on the other side though. This one went the full distance. Pacquiao likely won the fight based on my judging.
Round 8: Pacquiao got the crowd going with a low high combo. Mosley retaliated with a body shot. The rest of the round was more of Pacquiao landing light combos. Mosely hit with a nice hook. The round still goes to Pacman though.
Round 9: The crowd got into it whenever Mosley hit, but Pacquiao always returned the favor with a flurry. Mosley seemed fatigued as his punched had no pop in them. Pacquiao ended with a strong combo... his round again.
Round 10: Pacquiao tripped, but for some reason, they gave him a 5 count. After that, Pacquiao went into full attack mode to make up for it. This one will likely go to Mosley, but if they look at the replay, it was a push.
Round 11: Pacquiao continued his attack... looked pissed. He was going for the KO all the way... landed a lot of power punches, but Mosley survived it all. Easily Pacquiao's round.
Round 12: Pacquiao attacked first, but both guys were looking for the KO. There should be more desperation on the other side though. This one went the full distance. Pacquiao likely won the fight based on my judging.
2011-05-07
Pacquiao vs. Mosley (Part 1)
Round 1: Both fighters came out cautiously in the first round to feel each other out. Both guys landed a few, but didn't really hurt each other. Mosley did a good job of keeping distance while Pacquiao worked his way in for a few shots. This one could go either way.
Round 2: More feeling each other out early in the round, but with heavier blows. Both fighters showed their power although the earlier shots were blocked. Pacquiao unloaded a couple of good combos towards the end. I give this one to the Pacman.
Round 3: Pacquiao controlled the beginning of the round, although Mosely did back him up with a power punch. Pacquiao knocked down Mosley towards the end, but Shane was able to make it to the bell. Pacquaio wins round 3.
Round 4: More of the same with Pacquiao advancing straight forward and Mosley backing down. Mosley's defense started to open up. He threw a strong combo towards the end, but Pacquiao still won this one.
Round 5: Mosley started working the body as the scouting reports mentioned. This one had some good combos by both fighters. Mosley seems to have recovered from the knockdown and is now wide awake. I have this as a draw.
Round 6: Both guys came out swinging. Pacquiao was still the aggressor and got some good headshots in. Mosley continued on the body. Draw.
Round 2: More feeling each other out early in the round, but with heavier blows. Both fighters showed their power although the earlier shots were blocked. Pacquiao unloaded a couple of good combos towards the end. I give this one to the Pacman.
Round 3: Pacquiao controlled the beginning of the round, although Mosely did back him up with a power punch. Pacquiao knocked down Mosley towards the end, but Shane was able to make it to the bell. Pacquaio wins round 3.
Round 4: More of the same with Pacquiao advancing straight forward and Mosley backing down. Mosley's defense started to open up. He threw a strong combo towards the end, but Pacquiao still won this one.
Round 5: Mosley started working the body as the scouting reports mentioned. This one had some good combos by both fighters. Mosley seems to have recovered from the knockdown and is now wide awake. I have this as a draw.
Round 6: Both guys came out swinging. Pacquiao was still the aggressor and got some good headshots in. Mosley continued on the body. Draw.
2011-05-05
The Hawks
The first 2 games have been pretty competitive so far. Atlanta was a team the Bulls blew out during th regular season... one game was by something like 47 points. So this was expected to be an easier opponent than the Pacers. Hinrich is out with injury, so it made the Hawks look even weaker coming into the second round. But backup guard Teague has done a great job running the team and scoring. The Hawks came in and stole the first game as the Bulls slump continued. Boozer again had a bad game. Rose did OK, but didn't have his usual FG% and FT attempts. In a must-win game, the Bulls played more like they usually do in Game 2. While they won by a respectable margin, it wasn't the knockout game Bulls fans have been waiting for. Rose didn't play that great, but Boozer finally had a good game. Taj was great off the bench and Deng hit whenever they needed something. The difference in Game was the Bulls got the hustle points... more rebounds, more loose balls and tough defense.
With 2 off games, it seems like Rose might be bothered by the ankle injury originally sustained in the Indiana series and then aggravated in Game 1 of this series. Korver has yet to have a break out game, but the law of averages says he'll hit close to 100% in one of these upcoming games. This is the series the Bulls have to start dominating because Miami is beating the crap out of Boston with 2-0 lead.
On a side note, the Lakers lost their 2nd straight game to the Mavericks. Dirk is playing great. Just as Charles Barkley said, he's the best player in that series.
With 2 off games, it seems like Rose might be bothered by the ankle injury originally sustained in the Indiana series and then aggravated in Game 1 of this series. Korver has yet to have a break out game, but the law of averages says he'll hit close to 100% in one of these upcoming games. This is the series the Bulls have to start dominating because Miami is beating the crap out of Boston with 2-0 lead.
On a side note, the Lakers lost their 2nd straight game to the Mavericks. Dirk is playing great. Just as Charles Barkley said, he's the best player in that series.
2011-05-04
COY & MVP
Just after the work day, I got an alert that Derrick Rose had been officially announced as the MVP of the league. It was expected as he publicly got votes from Jordan, Pippen, just about every TV analyst and even LeBron James! It really could not have been anyone else this year. The voting was a landslide with Howard finishing 2nd. The only player with comparable numbers was James, but he didn't carry the team and hit game winner after game winner. The difference was the impact on the team. Rose kept the Bulls winning while Boozer and Noah were injured. The team had the best record in the NBA and never lost more than 2 games in a row. All other MVP candidates don't have these stats.
Over the weekend, Coach Tom Thibodeau also got the coach of the year award. Again, the most standout thing is team's record. No one at the beginning of the year would put money on the Bulls winning the East. They were probably a low seeded team... maybe a 6 or 7. Even with seeing much improved, all-star Derrick Rose up to the break, the Bulls would be at most a 3rd seed. Boston and Miami were set to be 1 and 2. But they crumbled in the 2nd half and the Bulls beat all of the top teams. Winning with different lineups and setting up buzzer beaters can be credited to coaching strategy. Thibs was the man behind the Celtics' success. And now he's brought that to Chicago with a more talented team.
Over the weekend, Coach Tom Thibodeau also got the coach of the year award. Again, the most standout thing is team's record. No one at the beginning of the year would put money on the Bulls winning the East. They were probably a low seeded team... maybe a 6 or 7. Even with seeing much improved, all-star Derrick Rose up to the break, the Bulls would be at most a 3rd seed. Boston and Miami were set to be 1 and 2. But they crumbled in the 2nd half and the Bulls beat all of the top teams. Winning with different lineups and setting up buzzer beaters can be credited to coaching strategy. Thibs was the man behind the Celtics' success. And now he's brought that to Chicago with a more talented team.
2011-05-03
Death of Bin Laden: Ordinary Day
When I look back at it, yesterday was a very ordinary day for me. I went to work and went straight into my projects, had lunch and a few meetings. It wasn't the holiday it should have been with the death of Osama Bin Laden. I was surprised at how regular everything was. There was not mention of it in the office. Both directions in my commute were also uneventful. I think that maybe the pursuit of Bin Laden went on for so long that it became a normal thing. 10 years later, when he's finally killed, people have forgotten what he did and went on with ordinary life.
There were people very excited at public locations like Time Square and Ground Zero, but I felt like there were to many people out there that didn't care. Thousands of people lost their lives in 9/11 and then more in pursuit of the terror leader. His death is a victory for the free world, our troops who have dedicated their lives and for those who died in the attacks. We should celebrate, appreciate and remember. Osama's death IS a big deal.
There were people very excited at public locations like Time Square and Ground Zero, but I felt like there were to many people out there that didn't care. Thousands of people lost their lives in 9/11 and then more in pursuit of the terror leader. His death is a victory for the free world, our troops who have dedicated their lives and for those who died in the attacks. We should celebrate, appreciate and remember. Osama's death IS a big deal.
2011-05-02
Sword of Azrael: Osama Bin Laden
10 years and 2 Presidents later, Osama Bin Laden is finally dead! Obama and the US military really studied the layout of Osama's hideout in depth. Surprisingly, with all the media around, they did this in great secrecy too. So there IS such a thing as classified still. People were celebrating everywhere the moment the news broke out. Crowds were singing the national anthem outside of the White House and Ground Zero. His followers still have to be taken down, but this was a huge step in the seemingly never ending war.
The original plan was to take him alive, but with the way our system works, this outcome is much better. Though longterm torture before death is what Bin Laden deserves, a gunshot to the head guarantees that he's dead and gone for good. If he's locked up, there's always chance of escape. Look how long Hussein's execution was dragged out. There would be trials and stupid hippies protesting against the death penalty. Now we can all breathe sigh of relief. Today is a holy day. It should have been declared a day off from work!
PS: Obama just won the 2012 election. There's no need to campaign or even take votes. It's a done deal!
The original plan was to take him alive, but with the way our system works, this outcome is much better. Though longterm torture before death is what Bin Laden deserves, a gunshot to the head guarantees that he's dead and gone for good. If he's locked up, there's always chance of escape. Look how long Hussein's execution was dragged out. There would be trials and stupid hippies protesting against the death penalty. Now we can all breathe sigh of relief. Today is a holy day. It should have been declared a day off from work!
PS: Obama just won the 2012 election. There's no need to campaign or even take votes. It's a done deal!
2011-05-01
Round 2... Fight!
Round 2 kicked off today and with 2 exciting games.
Thunder vs. Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are out to shock the world. Just Friday night, they sent the Spurs, the best team in the West home in the first round with a 4-2 series win. Not only did the Grizzlies make history by getting the first postseason win for the franchise, but they just got the series win. Could there be another step by making the first conference finals? They're at least part of the way there now as they took the first game against OKC. The Thunder seemed to be the hottest Western team in the first round, so I was shocked that the Grizzlies won. Durant (33 pts) and Westbrook (29 pts) both had big games. Ibaka added a double-double to the mix, but the rest of the team had no other player with more than 5 pts. The Grizzlies had 5 guys in double figures led by Randolph's 34. All players with minutes scored. No matter how good Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka were, 3 players against 8 = Memphis victory.
Heat vs. Celtics
The heavyweight battle between the 2 teams that were expected in the Eastern Conference Finals from the start of the season was the 2nd game of today's doubleheader. Like the Thunder, this wasn't a team effort by the Heat. It was James, Wade and Jones. But the Heat somehow ended up from the win. The Celtics spread out their scoring with all active players on the board. The key to this game was Miami's defense as they kept Rondo to 8 pts, Garnett to 6 pts and O'Neal to 9 pts. The Heat as a team had 8 blocks (good for -16 pts).
Thunder vs. Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies are out to shock the world. Just Friday night, they sent the Spurs, the best team in the West home in the first round with a 4-2 series win. Not only did the Grizzlies make history by getting the first postseason win for the franchise, but they just got the series win. Could there be another step by making the first conference finals? They're at least part of the way there now as they took the first game against OKC. The Thunder seemed to be the hottest Western team in the first round, so I was shocked that the Grizzlies won. Durant (33 pts) and Westbrook (29 pts) both had big games. Ibaka added a double-double to the mix, but the rest of the team had no other player with more than 5 pts. The Grizzlies had 5 guys in double figures led by Randolph's 34. All players with minutes scored. No matter how good Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka were, 3 players against 8 = Memphis victory.
Heat vs. Celtics
The heavyweight battle between the 2 teams that were expected in the Eastern Conference Finals from the start of the season was the 2nd game of today's doubleheader. Like the Thunder, this wasn't a team effort by the Heat. It was James, Wade and Jones. But the Heat somehow ended up from the win. The Celtics spread out their scoring with all active players on the board. The key to this game was Miami's defense as they kept Rondo to 8 pts, Garnett to 6 pts and O'Neal to 9 pts. The Heat as a team had 8 blocks (good for -16 pts).
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