Last week I went to play basketball at a park here in Salvador, Brazil. As far as recreational sports go, you’d be hard-pressed to find a burgeoning basketball scene here in Salvador. Since this is Brazil, soccer is obviously the be-all, end-all. Hell, dominos is more popular than basketball here (I’m actually not joking. It’s a fact. A national survey found that dominos is the most popular game in Brazil. If I walk down the street right now I’ll probably find a group of men drinking beer and playing dominos.). Therefore, I didn’t have high expectations going into my Thursday night pick-up game. This story has no twist—I went and played a mediocre game of basketball with mediocre players. In fact, rather than improve my skills, that Thursday night session probably made me worse. But that’s not important. The silver lining of this tale lies in my chance encounter with a Brazilian guy who grew up in Boston and speaks fluent English. My new friend (we’ll call him João) conveniently has cable television in his house with access to the NBA playoffs. I have been dying to watch basketball all semester. I missed March Madness, the NBA MVP race (although LeBron dominated hands down), and everything else related to my favorite round ball. So getting the chance to watch Derrick Rose go off for 36 points and 11 assists against Boston was a big deal for me.
Last year I wrote a column during the NBA playoffs about some of my observations on what I had seen so far. This year I’d like to revisit that theme and talk about the first round of this year’s playoffs.
• This is arguably the best talent the NBA has had during my lifetime. If you look at all the playoff teams you’ll see that there are no cupcakes. In the past, you’d always have one or two lower seeds that had no business playing in May and June. Although the Cavaliers and the Lakers are clearly the best teams this year, there is definitely a lot more parity. Although Los Angeles won the first two games of its series with Utah, the second game was very close and, to be honest, those two teams have nearly the same amount of talent. Utah is a team built for the playoffs, with solid post players, strong defense, and one of the best point guards in the world. If Los Angeles had not shot an obscenely good percentage from the floor in Game 2, that series would be tied. And that’s just the 1 vs. 8 matchup out west...
• Although it’s bad luck that Kevin Garnett is out for the playoffs, it does make the Bulls vs. Celtics series fun to watch. I already mentioned Rose leading Chicago to the series opening overtime victory, but I preferred watching Ray Allen and Ben Gordon go nuts in Game 2. Ray Allen has the nuts of an elephant. For me the saddest thing about not having Kevin Garnett in the playoffs is the fact that I won’t be able to watch him cuss and yell at everybody on the court. KG is a bully. Everybody always attributes his behavior to his competitive nature, but he’s basically that loud kid at recess who talks shit and just happens to be bigger and more talented than everyone else. He’s a reckless man. In Garnett’s absence, Kendrick Perkins should be able to do an admirable job in the bully role (minus the talent).
• As well as Allen, Rose, and Gordon have played in that series, Rajon Rondo has actually been the best player on the court so far.
• Orlando is not ready to be a serious contender. Philadelphia is the worst team in the playoffs. There is no reason why Dwight Howard shouldn’t put up Wilt Chamberlain-esque numbers every time he goes out and plays against Samuel Dalembert, Reggie Evans, Marreese Speights, and 60-year-old Theo Ratliff. How they lost Game 1 after being up by almost 20 points is beyond me. Dwight Howard fouled out and finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds in their Game 2 victory. I’m disgusted.
• MTV used to have this basketball show called Nike Battlegrounds. One season it was a bunch of players who all played one-on-one games in a steel cage with the aim of being crowned champion. I wish that all the point guards in the NBA playoffs could play a one-on-one tournament, with each game played in a steel cage, surrounded by rowdy fans. Can you imagine that? Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Rajon Rondo, Tony Parker, Derrick Rose, Andre Miller, Mike Bibby, Jason Kidd, Mo Williams. It would be crazy. For the record, Deron Williams would win that tournament. He’s tough, real tough.
• The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to win the 2009 NBA Championship.
• Josh Smith reminds me of Asenso Ampim.
• Actually, it’s the other way around. Asenso Ampim reminds me of Josh Smith.
This column is basically what I’d be saying to my friends if we were all sitting around watching ball together. Sometimes it’s good to vent. Good luck on finals and enjoy the rest of the playoffs. Until next year...
Jelani Johnson is a Columbia College junior majoring in history. sports@columbiaspectator.com
Comments
We're looking for comments that are interesting and substantial. If your comments are excessively self-promotional or obnoxious you will be banned from commenting. Consult the comment FAQ and legal terms.