I don’t like the NBA. It’s a boring, bland, and blah product - all wrapped into one mega-marketing David Stern snooze-fest. The old rivalries (the Lakers and Celtics anyone?) are all but nonexistent now - and have gone the way of Luke and Laura, Bird and Johnson, and Hall and Oates.
The owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, is a poor man’s George Steinbrenner - and a sorry, simpering, excuse for a “sports villain“ at that. As the Darth Vader of his “evil empire,” Steinbrenner has the money and megalomania to make every non-New Yorker hiss in his general direction every time he tosses another pile of his obscene free agent Yankee money onto the fiscal MLB fire. Mark Cuban is a dot.com bust who meddles more in his team’s affairs than any hysterical intern ever could on Grey’s Anatomy.
And, hey, I like my “bad boys and thugs” to have endearing pop culture pseudonyms from my childhood to sugarcoat their off-court antics (Thank you, Pacman Jones). It shouldn’t take some Ricky Williams-induced haze to see that Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns doesn’t have a whole lot of “street cred” in my sports universe - even if he does cut in line at the grocery store with more than 12 items in the express lane (Easy there, white bread!).
The NFL, with all it’s flaws, is still the pigskin “passion of the Chris” - while baseball is surely the most enduring as America’s national pastime on a warm summer day. And even though college basketball is getting watered down by the monetary allure of the NBA, give me the electrifying event and student spectacle of “March Madness” any day.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this: I don’t like the NBA. I understand this creature as well as I understand the “fascination” with watching NASCAR or, more importantly, why the followers of NASCAR seem to enjoy the fine flavor of Pabst Blue Ribbon so much (Honestly, I’d rather suck on a urinal cake - on both counts).
But here’s what I do know: LeBron James is a phenomenal force to be reckoned with and he has single-handedly breathed “new life” into my hometown of Cleveland. All the so-called “intellectuals” can spew gibberish as they sip Chardonnay from their overpriced lofts down in “Dumpster City” - because (sigh) sports are so “beneath them.”
Article comments
1 - RJ
Pistons vs. Cavs will prolly go six games before King James is deposed once again by Tayshaun the Prince...
2 - Count Dunkula
Naw. It goes 6 alright, but in the final game in OT, the Cavs pull it out and go to the Finals. Then Jose "GasCan" Mesa is announced as the guest referee...
3 - Tom
Sorry Chris. Daryl Hall & John Oates are still performing. Where have you been?
4 - Chris McVetta
I was probably in the same place the CAVS were last night: Being held hostage (with Charlie) by the underwater babes in the "Looking Glass" Dharma station on "Lost"...
5 - Count Dunkula
Like I said, LeBron and the Cavaliers in 6.
Don't be surprised if the same happens in the Finals. The Cavaliers beat the Spurs 2-0 during the regular season. (I know, so did the Milwaukee Bucks). Here's hoping the Spurs split the first two at home, and win game 5, but Cleveland snags 3 at home. Series in 6, Cleveland.
And you'll be able to see Northeast Ohio from outer space afterwards...
6 - Chris McVetta
Yes, you did, Count Dunkula - Kudos to you!
You have better insights than most of the "professionals" on ESPN - who are quickly backpeddling NOW (after the fact) and proclaiming that Cleveland suddenly (again, AFTER the fact) - ROCKS in regards to their sports teams.
But the superior cabal of sinister writers (like yourself) here at Blogcritics ...already knew that.
It's a great time to be a TRUE fan of Cleveland sports to be sure ...unlike those shameless snake-oil salesmen on ESPN!
Yes, I'm looking at YOU, "Cold Pizza" - who recently reformatted their entire show because of lackluster ratings...
7 - Matthew T. Sussman
The Cavaliers might play six games.
8 - Count Dunkula
... and will win 4 of them.
9 - Count Dunkula
Well, I suppose all my predictions can't be perfect. Where are the Cavaliers? Defensively, they have been really great, but they can't sink a bucket to save a life. Depressing. I think it's over.
10 - Chris McVetta
Chin up, Count Dunkula! The Cavaliers are ...frustrating ...to say the least.
But, you know what-? I wouldn't trade these last few weeks of excitement in Cleveland for anything.
It's STILL a great time to be a fan of sports in Cleveland. I recently had a chance to interview for a writing job at The Sporting News (who knows what will come of it) - but, there's no doubt, it was because of Blogcritics that I got a shot at this in the first place (and I won't forget that).
So, keep bringing those predictions, Count Dunkula, because I would honestly listen to YOUR comments before I would even give a second glance to "Skip Clueless" of ESPN.
We've got a good thing going here at Blogcritics to be sure - Matt Sussman is one of the best sports editors I have ever worked with (and I've worked with some good ones in my time).
Regardless, more on the CAVS later - I'm too busy sunning myself on a rock, sampling "Beach Bum" beer and taking summer road trips to Chicago and the University of Notre Dame (but I'll be writing from the road in the meantime).
But go CAVS - and the Indians, for that matter.
MR. BURNS: "Smithers, pour us some coffee - we're not licked yet!"
ADVISOR: "Oh yes we are. The old man's finished!"