Live Blogging the NBA Finals, Game Two.
Warm up your witty comments for some FTB live bloggings. Coming live starting at five.
Dancing with The Dubs? Why T-Will deserves a shot.
Okay, I know The Warriors desperately need a point guard - Brandon Jennings, Darren Collison, Patty Mills even. But I want to give you four good reasons why The Dubs should pick T-Will aka Terrence Williams:
1. Check out his dance moves (above). We get a twofer - mascot and player. After losing Thunder, we need someone who can hype the crowd at halftime. Biedrins sure ain’t gonna Two Step at mid court.
2. He will use all 140 characters when he Twitters (see the article in today’s SF Chronicle). Let’s just say that most athletes’ tweets don’t really maximize all the platform has to offer. Sometimes on Twitter less is more (like with Shaq), but for most of these dudes, less is just less.
3. According to the same article in The Chron, T-Will makes the case that he “can play point forward, center, Gatorade protector, anything.” Now, I think this can be huge for The Warriors. It’s been a while since they had a true Gatorade protector. With all of the injuries The Warriors had last year, I kept asking myself “who’s protecting the damn Gatorade?”
4. He will revive the art of the “Rock The Baby” Dunk. I’m not sure if I’ve seen that dunk used in a game in the last 20 years, so it’s time it makes a resurgence. If Brandon Jennings was still rockin’ the Hi-Top Fade, then I’d have to give him the nod for kicking it Old School, but since he got rid of it, it’s all about T-Will’s dunks.
M. Meschery
Extra days off + conference finals + dunk contest in SF = awesome weekend.
First, some local news. You know you’re having an interesting day when you get an invitation from the NBA or one of its representatives. And when that letter includes the promise of a “meet and greet” with “Chocolate Thunder” himself, Darryl Dawkins, I’m circling the date.
See, here’s the deal. Sprite and the NBA are adding a new event to next year’s All-Star festivities: an amateur dunk contest, the winner of which apparently gets to compete against the big boys from the league proper. And they’re traveling the country hosting dunk contests for local schoolyard Supermen to round up contestants. The Bay Area’s event is this Saturday at San Francisco’s Carnaval street fest on Harrison Street. The winner gets to go to the big show. And will probably do some sort of interview for FTB. Hopefully, I’ll get to find out what’s good on Planet Lovetron too, if I can get a little face time with Chocolate Thunder. C’mon! The man used to name his dunks!
Video of some vintage Chocolate Thunder and a few thoughts on the Conference Finals for those so inclined after the jump. Otherwise, hopefully, I’ll see some of you at the dunk show.
Turman
Chris Mullin, you will be missed.
It seems like a lifetime ago, when the Warriors drafted a floppy-haired sharpshooter out of St. Johns. The Run-TMC years that followed are certainly remembered fondly in these parts as well, but seem nearly as far in the rearview mirror. Then it seemed like a sheer impossibility when he played on the first Dream Team, alongside Magic, Larry, Charles, and all of the other titans of hoops. And then finally, after some years in Indiana, his surprise return as GM breathed new life into a franchise that had fallen into a sickly reverie of poor draft choices, bad veteran signings, and a pervasive culture of losing.
Now, he is gone.
Sure, there were ups and downs during his tenure, but I don’t really want to get into that here. That’s what the comments are for. I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to the guy who was ballsy enough to stand tall against the best players of his day and ballsy enough to make mid-season deals for Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson. In fact, a strong argument could be made that he has had more to do with the Warriors making the playoffs over the past 25 years (and their chances therein) than just about any other single individual. Don Nelson is the only other person really in the conversation. But tonight, in spite of my impulse to, I’m not even going to waste any hate on Robert Rowell. I just wanted to take a minute to say “thank you” to a true Warrior who deserves a better farewell than the “don’t let the doorknob hit ‘cha where the dog shouda bit ‘cha” that he’s getting from the clothes-less emperors currently micromanaging the Warriors’ basketball operations back into irrelevance.
Mully, you deserve better. And I’m sure none of us would be shocked to see you return home to New York to reunite with your old trading partner from Indiana, Donnie Walsh, and run the Knicks. But I’m getting ahead of myself again. This is supposed to be a thank you, and a thank you it shall be. We all owe you one. Thanks for doing everything you’ve done for the Golden State Warriors. You will not be forgotten soon.
It was a great ride,
Turman
Chocolate Rain. Trying to pull me in again.
The regular season is long gone, and so are the dubs. Now all we have left is this Warriors propaganda. Frankly, they’re going need lots of this in the off season.
How many of these plays do you remember? I, for one can tell you that #6 is etched in my mind. Particularly memorable since “Chocolate Rain” (as MM dubbed A-Mo) did it on Baron Davis and the Clippers crew.
Hey, if season’s got you feeling a bit apathetic, I can totally empathize. I want to throw the towel. But then there are those damn rays of hope. Pulling me back in. Like Marrow’s 37 in his first start! Maybe a visits to GSW’s YouTube page for a tour of the top 10 dunks, assists and blocks will get me back on the bandwagon.
Maybe.
Gd.
PS – The post game interview:
Lonely Island: Somewhere in Louisiana - the Berkeley part of Louisiana
I would have posted this last night, but after watching The Warriors lose another meaningless game at the end of a meaningless season, I was stricken with complete existential paralysis. I’m surprised I was even able to pour milk in my cereal this morning. That’s the nice thing about the internet though. It’s a nice way to distract yourself from facing your own irrelevant existence. And so it is that I have finally returned to post this little interview with The Lonely Island courtesy of Pitchfork. Just in time for Friday - the weekday where this blog probably sees the least amount of traffic, woo hoo!
Fred Armisen of Saturday Night Live is doing the interviewing. The Lonely Island guys don’t say much but they do let us know they’re from Louisiana and grew up listening to Zydeco. That’s funny because all this time I thought they were from Berkeley, CA. I knew I couldn’t trust those people I’ve met who said they “went to school with Andy Samberg.” People love to lie about celebrities they say they know. In fact, someone just the other day told me that they used to hang with Baron Davis when he played for The Warriors. Hahaha. That’s a good one. Baron Davis on The Warriors - like that ever happened.
M. Meschery
Hater Tuesday Spelling Special: “Yew Can Hate Az Much Az You Like”
Nump VS T.I.- “Yew Can Hate Az Much Az Yew Like” from The Sultan of Slap on Vimeo.
Nump is E-40’s engineer and, oh yeah, he spits too. If you remember a few years back he hit us with “I Gott Grapes.” Now he’s pushing the bounderies of spelling to make up for the lack of bounderies pushed on this video. I loved “I Gott Grapes.” I even loved both t’s in “gott,” but, since I have permission, I’m going to hate az much az I like on this joint. Or maybe the whole thing is code for “yew trees,” and some really sophisticated horticultural slang reference we’re not even knowing about. Could be. Let’s give Nump the benefit of the doubt and pass those yew berries mayne!
M. Meschery
Portland Trail Blazers beard up, FTB endorses move.
(AP Photo/Don Ryan)
After the listless loss by the Warriors on Saturday, Meschery and I switched over to the Blazers game against Memphis. I had watched them on TNT on Thursday against the Suns too. And I noticed something: they’re growing playoff beards.
Yes, the entire team is bearding up. Cheryl Miller confirmed it by flirting with Brandon Roy and scratching his man moss. Now, there’s really no reason not to embrace this team. They play ball unselfishly and with gusto. They know their roles and play as a unit. And they seem like decent, bearded folk.
After an emergency staff meeting over a game of 21 at the Y, it is official. FTB unanimously endorses the Portland Trail Blazers as our team of record for the duration of the NBA Playoffs. Our mole in the Rose Garden has been notified. This does not come without a parallel observation. The Dubs are tanking and it is hard to watch.
Saturday was the tipping point. Warm weather in The Bay. Teriyaki chicken wings on the grill. Dubs game on the tube. And I’m wearing my “We Believe” Western Conference Semifinals shirt from the night of The Dunk. It didn’t take long to realize how far the team has fallen and how shockingly fast it has occurred. Two years ago, there would have been ten people crowded into my living room to watch the game. This night, three. But why the Blazers? Read More »
Italian appreciation day in San Francisco.
I took the day off to hang with my boy on his 10th Birthday. In the morning, Griffin opened his presents — Pro Evolution Soccer for his Playstation and an official AC Milan jersey and shorts. Ronaldinho of course. He put it on immediately (he’s still wearing it today).
After a few games of PES and some light soccer in the park we headed into San Francisco. First stop, Japantown for lunch and a visit to Fatlace and Super7.
Afterward we rolled through Hayes Valley then over to the Mission. Being 72° and sunny, our roll was slow. We sauntered into Density to say hi to the extended family. A few minutes later Marco Bellinelli and a few of his buddies also sauntered in. A leisurely day of shopping in SF seemed to be on everyone’s agenda.
“Hey Marco Belinelli” I said, “Nice to see you. Welcome to Density.”
Just as I approached to shake his hand, one of guys in his entourage pointed a finger just over my shoulder and exclaimed “Hey!”
I turned to see that he was pointing at Griffin, who was standing by the cash register like a deer in headlights. Then he added, “AC Milan! Number 80. Ronaldinho! He’s a gooda football player. Now, that’s a smarta boy.”
Well, I’m pretty biased, but I had to agree. I told the crew that we had indeed spend some time that morning using the digital version of AC Milan to womp on the élite teams in the English Premier League. They fully approved.
After some more mutual appreciation, a good browse around the shop and our photo op, Macro and friends, as well as Griffin and I departed.
Molto buono!
Gd.