No offense to Tommy Heinsohn, a Boston Celtic's legend as a player and a broadcaster, but I'll take Bill Walton's color commentary over Tommy's any day of the week. Let's face it; Tommy's analysis of basketball has been reduced to saying the C's have to "pound it inside" or "get to the rim" on offense, and on defense he always says the Celtics have to "stay infront of their man". Other than that, he has become legendary now for complaining about the refereeing. And as we all know, hearing someone who complains about the refs all the time never gets old . . . Anyway, it was definitely a treat having Walton call the game against the Portland Blazers (is the "Trail" still there? or is it just "Blazers" now?) on Thursday and the Phoenix Suns last night. I love the lyrical verbiage and colloquialisms that come from his mouth. For a guy that used to stutter, Walton is a wordsmith, a man that can watch a play and describe it as if he were breaking down the differences between Beethoven and Mozart. Further, and maybe most unique about Walton, is his propensity to say random and oft outrageous thoughts and theories that are usually shared by nobody, especially no one else in the broadcasting world. My fave from Thursday night was when Celtics big man Semih Erden came out of the game and lead commentator Mike Gorman pointed out that coach Doc Rivers was telling Semih that he should've dove for the loose ball on the last possession. Bill replies, "If you're so far out of the play that you have to dive for it, wait, and make up for it the next time down." Gotta love it!
The New York Knicks are becoming relevant again and with the success comes the celebrities in the stands for the big games. We always see Spike Lee and Jerry Seinfeld, but this year has inspired many a star with New York roots to show out with confidence in the team. One of those stars is Brooklyn native Tracy Morgan. Now if you don't know Tracy, a stand-up comic-turned-actor who loves to adlib, he has a way of saying things that, maybe in his mind were O.K., but when they come out of his mouth, you're either gonna be terrified he just said that, or laugh hysterically. The clip explains itself.
The best way to stop Kobe . . .
Basketball players can't fight. It's been a known fact for years now and last night's tussle between New York Knicks forward Shawne Williams and Atlanta Hawks forward Marvin Williams proved it once again. You would think that those type of athletes with the physiques they have would be able to handle their own and scrap a little if push came to shove but we just haven't seen it. Chris Childs stealing on Kobe comes to mind. Alonzo Mourning getting into it with the Knicks in the late '90s. Only basketball dude to really get a clean punch in a fight was when Kermit Washington broke Rudy Tomjanovich's jaw in the '70s, and that was a straight up cheap shot. Oh, and Stephen Jackson did f*ck that dude up in the stands in the Ron Artest/Palace at Auburn Hills Melee. Shawne and Marvin Williams (not to be confused with Shawn and Marlon Wayans) last night, could've been alot worse. They could've actually landed some punches, Houston Texans Andre Johnson-style and did some real damage but, they are basketball players. Forget throwing hands guys, just stick to the pushing and shoving and face-to-face stare downs . . . and punching guys in the balls when they go up for jumpers.
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