Movie Time

I saw Superman today.

I thought it was good. That's the highest praise I can give to a movie. I'm not really a movie person.

If you grew up with the original Superman movies, you'll love this one. In fact, you'll probably see it twice. If you haven't seen the originals, you'll still get a good sense of why people are crazy for Superman.

But I started out very disappointed. The previews sucked. The only good one was for Spiderman 3, but I had already seen it the day before on Attack of the Show. Also, it doesn't come out until May 4th. Otherwise, there were no good previews. A waste of 10 minutes right there.

I also didn't like the font and style used for the opening credits. Way too close to Star Wars.

Alright. I'm bored.

It's (Almost) OK

Well, I'm not nearly as pissed off as I was over a week ago. However, I'm still very bitter. In the past, I would jinx certain players. Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, and Shawn Marion. Well, they're off my list now.

I want to see Dwyane Wade fail.

Before the Finals, I was talking to Brandon and I admitted that I thought Wade was a good player. I wasn't going to put him on the throne yet. But after watching him play for 6 games, I realized something. Without the refs, he is merely average. His game is predicated on drawing fouls while waving his arms and driving to the basket. He gets every call and complains when there isn't a foul. He flops and falls to the ground on purpose. And if there's anything I hate, it's flopping.

By the way, Pat Riley might be a hall of fame coach, but he sucked as a player.

Here are some opinions (stats) on the refs during Game 5. I agree that the refs are human and thus prone to making bad calls. But why did a majority of the calls negatively impact the Mavs? And what does it say when Joey Crawford is showing more favoritism towards the Mavs?

Sometimes, I wish David Stern would find my blog.

Well, I wish he would step down. The new rules suck.

Either way, I finally finished Guitar Hero. I had one song left on expert for the longest time. I finally did it about 10 days ago. Now I can choose any song and just run through it.

My parents are coming down again in a week.

Everyone knows about "I need more cowbell!" That SNL skit. Well, I decided to check out the entire song, which is Blue Oyster Cult's (Don't Fear) The Reaper. It's a good song. I hope more people check it out.

Otherwise, I'm going to stay online for a bit and call it a night.

Results

Today on Pardon the Interruption, Tony and 'Willibuns' talked about soccer for a change. The issue at hand was how one specific referee was doing a terrible job, making it necessary for FIFA president Sepp Blatter to say, "I think there could have been a yellow card for the referee."

The question posed to the two hosts was, "Are the refs ruining the World Cup?"

The World Cup takes place every 4 years.

The Super Bowl takes place every year. The World Series is an annual event. And the same is true for the NBA Finals.

If the refs can take over an event so huge that the world is its audience, then isn't it obvious that the refs can ruin other sports championships?

David Stern, you need to take a lesson from Sepp Blatter. If you have the power to make your sport better, you need to. Don't sit in the dark when there is a controversy. Don't cup your hands over your ears.

Seriously, I am not the only one who is calling for the head of Dick Bavetta.

Test Case

Ghana just went up 2 - 1 on a penalty kick. The foul was very questionable. If we tie or lose this match, will USA fans whine about that call and the officiating?

Personally, I don't consider it "whining" when there is a real problem. In real life, if someone punches you, you don't have to whine. You have an opportunity to punch back. In the case of this soccer game, what can we do?

Kids whine when they don't get their way. When a group of people don't get their way in a political sense, it's called "protesting."

By the way, Mark Cuban would die of grief from all of the flopping going on.

It Could Be Worse

I could have been a Knicks fan.

Larry Brown is out. Isiah Thomas is in.

I've always thought that Larry Brown was overrated. But I don't think Thomas is any better.

And there are so many yellow cards flying around in the USA - Ghana match.

There was a poll on MSNBC that asked people if they thought that the NBA was fixed. At around 7:00AM, 55% said "yes."

Evidence

Final Score: Mavs 92 Heat 88 (Or that's what it should have been...and here's the video to prove it...)

He has video evidence of Wade and his flops. It's almost as if Ginobili taught him everything. And Vlade Divac must have been the TA.

I know Cuban probably has given up, but if I had any power like his, I would send this to every reporter and 2 copies to David Stern.

And here's a link to one of Bill Simmons' articles.

I'll let go eventually, but only when I think I've said enough about it.

Ass

That's a bitch move Brandon.

Dirk carried this team to the Finals. Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, and Elton Brand couldn't do it this year.

Another reason I hate ESPN reporters, is that up until the Finals, they were calling Dirk top 3 and what-not. Now, there's tons of articles about how Dirk is soft, not clutch, etc. In the first round, with the Mavs down by 3 in Game 3, Dirk picks up the ball and knocks down a 3-pointer to tie. When Dallas needed a win in Game 7 against San Antonio, Dirk tied it up to get to overtime. In Game 5 against Phoenix, when Dallas' offense was getting stale, Dirk exploded and ended up with 50.

We need a consistent 2-guard. None of this swapping out Griffin and moving Terry over.

Scratch that. We need a consistent guard period. Or we need a post-up 4 and move Dirk over to the 3.

I think we should get Paul Pierce. Or KG. It would be easier to get Pierce, but getting KG would make us the favorites. I can't think of anyone else out there that's available and would fit.

Well, if we wanted to, we could probably get Chris Wilcox. But I dunno.

Manipulation

"The NBA wants a new MJ, so they've annointed Dwyane Wade as the savior of basketball."

"What sucks the most is that even if David Stern doesn't fix this mess, the NBA will still have a ton of viewers because it has a golden child who can do no wrong."

"It's what the league wants."

I typed all of this before tonight's game. And I'm still disappointed that this wasn't a 7-game series. Game 3 was a meltdown. Game 5 was a fix. If Miami would have won this in 7 games, in a fair game, I wouldn't complain. The better team always wins a 7-game series. After tonight, this series should have been tied 3-3.

The league wanted a new star, and they've created one. All of the announcers and analysts have been comparing Wade to MJ. Every headline is "The Next MJ?" They compare his scoring in the first 5 games to MJ's, and the point out that he is scoring more. The way they tell it, they don't want just another MJ. They want someone better.

Wade will never be half the player MJ was. Today's rules favor guards. A touch here or there is whistled more often than not. From the late 80s to the mid 90s, there was period of tough players. Finishing the shot no matter what. Taking it strong without expecting help from the refs. MJ hit game-winning shots. Wade takes game-winning free throws.

Another example of the League wanting a new star is how every halftime featured something about the Miami Heat. When Miami lost the first 2 games, it was all about what Miami didn't do. When the Heat won the next 3 games, it was all about what they did right. The way reporters made it sound, the Mavs were happy enough to just be there.

When David Stern wanted a better basketball game overall, he made many changes, including increasing the minimum age for the draft. That message was loud and clear. "We want NBA players to have college experience." What better way to put an exclamation point on his statement than to have a 4-year college student lead his team to a championship.

Every analyst will tell you that the Western Conference is much more competitive than the Eastern Conference. This stems from the West winning 6 out of 7 championships starting with San Antonio in '99. If Stern wants to create a fair balance, he would have to see an Eastern Conference team win the title. Mission accomplished.

When asked if "Mark Cuban hurts the Dallas Mavericks," David Stern hesistated and replied, "Yes." Shouldn't the answer be "No?" If there is harm, it's from the refs since Cuban always yells about them. However, Cuban doesn't yell just to be loud. He yells because there are mistakes that should be avoided. If the refs are calling things against the Mavs more often than not because of Cuban, isn't that being biased? Should refs like that really be officiating any game?

I want to point out something else. When the Mavs went up by 27 in Game 2, the refs started calling more fouls to cut into the lead for Miami. They got within 12. When Miami went up by 20 in Game 4, the refs called more travels and such on Miami, and as a result Dallas closed the 3rd quarter within 10. In Game 6, when the Mavs were up 26-12, the refs got involved and made it a close game.

During this series, it seemed like whenever a team was putting it out of reach, the refs stepped in. Ratings, anyone? The casual NBA viewer will turn off the TV if the game looks like it's been decided. So, how about making the games stay close by calling more fouls when needed?

We all know what type of relationship Stern and Cuban have. It's almost like The Odd Couple. From Stern's end, how must it have felt to present the championship to Miami in Dallas and in front of Mark Cuban? I bet pretty good.

Stu Jackson, Stern's right hand man, is the one that decided to suspend Stack for Game 5. No doubt he got his orders from Stern. I'm not saying that with Stack we would have won. I am saying that we were missing our 6th man. And our bench scoring just so happened to be really low that game.

Dallas mistakes? Announcing plans for a parade after Game 2? That one is on Laura Miller. Howard's comments about Wade and his shooting? That one is on Howard. Cuban going on Letterman and talking about the coaching of Riley? On Mark Cuban.

Dallas not winning the title? That one is on David Stern. He controls Stu Jackson, and he controls the refs. He dislikes Mark Cuban. And he wants a new star.

I have lost faith in the NBA. I have lost faith in sports media. Considering that for the past few years, I would have quit everything to be a 12th man on a bench for an NBA team, or a basketball reporter for a moderately popular newspaper, that speaks volumes.

I didn't just watch the Mavs play. I watched Houston, Denver, New Orleans, Cleveland, and even San Antonio. I'll watch the Mavs, and I'll watch T-Mac. But there's nothing I can expect. I can't have any expectations for their seasons.

By the way, if LeBron doesn't sign an extension and ends up in the Western Conference, you'll know that Stern wants an MJ-Magic type rivalry. It's the best way to get ratings during the NBA finals.

And one last thing. A quote from Bill Simmons, the only ESPN reporter I respect.

"Second, everyone knew the officiating would be a problem heading into this series because of Cuban's past problems with the league. In my Finals preview, I wrote that 'No team depends on the refs quite like the Heat. When the refs are calling all the bumps on Shaq and protecting Wade on every drive, they're unstoppable. When they're calling everything fairly, they're eminently beatable. If they're not getting any calls, they're just about hopeless. I could see the refs swinging two games in Miami's favor during this series, possibly three. In fact, I'm already depressed about it and the series hasn't even started yet.' Well, we had our two games -- Game 3 (the last five minutes were just obscene) and Game 5 (again, a top-five debacle). And the series isn't over yet."

It's over now.

David Stern Sucks

We got jobbed. The NBA wants a new MJ, so they've annointed Dwyane Wade as the savior of basketball. Any other player, and the reporters would be screaming, "Let the players play!"

Dwyane Wade took as many free throws as the entire Mavs team. Crap. Absolute crap.

Also, the Mavs had 9 total free throws through the first 3 quarters.

During the 3rd quarter, the Heat didn't commit a foul until 10 minutes into it.

I'm not saying he was the difference, but Stack was suspended for this game, even after Shaq said it was just a hard NBA foul. That's on Stu Jackson.

What sucks the most is that even if David Stern doesn't fix this mess, the NBA will still have a ton of viewers because it has a golden child who can do no wrong. The next MJ.

It's what the league wants. Stern can't put his ego aside and let the games be decided since it's obvious Dallas is the better team. Stern doesn't want anything to do with Mark Cuban.

It's been some great playoff basketball, but the ending is sucking right now.

Losing Two

After Game 3's loss, I couldn't sleep.

I'm not going to get any sleep tonight.

Everyone sucked. Everyone.

So, I'm going to freeze a water balloon, go outside, toss it as high as I can, and get underneath it. It'll get my mind off of this.

Going After Three

From Marc Stein's most recent article:

"They're mad at themselves for their offensive timidity and stagnation in crunch time when they badly needed scores to counter Tuesday's in-a-zone Wade. They're mad about two clock malfunctions acknowledged Wednesday by the league office that incorrectly erased 3.4 seconds. They're also mad about a couple late non-calls on Wade, who played the final 10:56 one foul away from a spot on the bench."

And all of these reasons justify my anger.

I hope the Mavs are a little like me when it comes to anger. I play my best when I'm angry. It's that extra spark, extra motivation to embarrass the competition.

It's the reason some people talk trash to me. To get under my skin. To witness my best. And it's the reason new-comers make sure not to piss me off.

If the Mavs truly are angry, then we will all be happy after the game. Well, Mavs fans at least.

Losing One

There's a ton of things I could say about this game.

You can point at the fact that Dirk missed a free throw that would have tied the game. You can point to Payton's game-winning shot. And you can point to the fact that when we needed to score, we didn't.

But that goaltending non-call on Alonzo Mourning really came back to bite us.

Terry hit a layup and got a foul, but they ruled that Van Horn touched the ball in the cylinder. Terry hits his first free throw and misses the second.

A minute later, they show the replay a few times, and it's obvious that Van Horn did not touch the ball. Alonzo Mourning did. That means the basket should have counted. 2 points we didn't get.

Oh, we lost by 2? Really? Wow.

Missing 8 free throws throughout the game hurt too. Not pushing the ball for 4 minutes in the 4th quarter hurt. But man, did Miami get lucky or what?

You can't expect Wade to get more than 40 for the rest of this series. Our defense is going to adjust. You can't expect Dallas to miss 8 free throws again.

This game was a must-win for Miami. Game 4 is a must-win for Dallas.

I Hate You

Michael McDonald. I hate you so much. No one could understand how much I hate you.

And now I hate Miami even more.

Winning Two

We did what I expected. We won the first two games. Now we have to walk into Miami and show them what's up.

Dirk and J-Ho both pulled down double-digit rebounds while shooting 50% from the field. Stack put together one of the best 10-point streaks I've seen. And besides the beginning of the 4th, when we decided to waste time and stop playing hard, we dominated Miami. Their faces said it all.

Game 3 is a must-win for Miami. I expect them to put together their best game. If Dallas wins, this series will be over. As a Miami player, it is easy to accept these 2 losses by saying, "Dallas did what they were 'sposed to. Now we have to hold our court." The problem is that Dallas is more than capable of winning on the road. You HAVE to win all of your home games. If you lose just one, this series becomes very difficult. If it's Game 3, you're down 3-0 and you have nothing positive to build on for Game 4. If you win Game 3, but lose Game 4, you're down 3-1, and you couldn't put together a pair of wins. Not only will you have to win 3 straight to not lose this series, but 2 of those games will be in Dallas, where you haven't won.

What's more likely? Dallas wins 2 of the next 5 games, or Miami wins 4 of the next 5? And for anyone who picked Miami in 6, do you expect them to win the next 4, given the way they've played in the first 2 games?

If Dallas wins Game 3, they will sweep. Otherwise, I expect Dallas to finish this in 6. (I predicted Mavs in 6 the day before Game 1.)

By the way, Dirk's B-Day is between Game 5 and Game 6. Fitting, eh?

Winning One

Let's go over some of the things I mentioned in my last post.

Antoine Walker shot 33% from the 3-point line. Sounds about right. I was worried when he hit his first two, because he is very streaky. Afterwards, he shot 1 of 7. Figures that it would balance out. Also, his playmaking ability was not a factor tonight. Four assists to six turnovers. Doesn't surprise me at all.

Jayson Williams can't shoot 3's. He was 40% today, but the play drawn for him to hit a 3 in the corner failed. He was open, but he was falling to his left. Set your feet! Or don't.

(Speaking of which, what was Riley thinking when he drew that play, knowing he was only down by seven with 3:00 on the clock? Any smart coach would have went for an easy shot. That leads me to my next point.)

"For one night at least, experience looked awfully overrated."

This sentence was written by John Hollinger. He is a master of stats. Most of his predictions are dead on. And it backs up what I said last night.

Dirk was off. Josh Howard was off. This was Miami's tempo. Shaq was throwing 'bows and making noses bleed. Wade was getting to the free-throw line.

Miami still lost by 10.

Experience

They just don't get it.

Chris Broussard is reaching into his imagination for any reason to pick Miami to win. The statements he makes are too incredible to be real.

"J-Will will hit 3s."

Jason Williams has a career 32% 3-pt shooting percentage. In these 2006 playoffs, his 3-pt percentage has dropped to 24%.

"Antoine Walker will make 3s and plays at just the right time."

Walker's career 3-pt percentage is 33%. In these playoffs, he is at 34%. A slight improvement, but nothing spectacular. As far as his playmaking skill is concerned, he has a 1.33 assist to turnover ratio. In these playoffs, it drops to a ratio of 1.25. And just for kicks, Walker is shooting 58% from the free throw line.

Playoff experience seems to be the reason for most analysts to pick Miami. I say that experience is overrated and useless. Pau Gasol, who has been to the playoffs three times in a row, has yet to win a playoff game. Kobe Bryant, who has three championship rings, didn't make it out of the first round this year. In the 2004 Finals, Detroit beat the L.A. Lakers, who had Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton as four of their starters. All four had NBA Finals experience. They were demolished by the Pistons.

A lack of experience isn't doom for that team. LeBron James, with no playoff experience, forced Detroit to play a game 7 in the second round. The L.A. Clippers forced a game 7 against the Phoenix Suns in the second round.

Shaq and Gary Payton just so happen to be on the roster for the Miami Heat. Pat Riley has experience, but his last attempt at winning a championship was well over a decade ago.

Experience is just the nice way of saying, "old."

Shaq is 34. Payton is 37. Alonzo Mourning is 36. Pat Riley is 61.

These games may go on past their bedtime.

Win It All

Yea, it's been a while. I know.

Where to begin...well, the Mavs are in the Finals. Definitely one of those things where you know it's going to happen, but when it does, it's hard to believe. When they got past San Antonio, I knew they were going to make it. When they beat Phoenix in Game 6, it was like a dream. Such is the reward for a true fan.

Miami is a good team and all, but they have many weaknesses. In fact, the only two positive things about Miami are Shaq and Wade. I've read plenty of articles about how Dallas won't be able to stop either. Poppycock. Shaq is pretty much guaranteed 20 points and 8 rebounds. Wade will get his 16-6-6, possibly more. But the other guys are going to get shut out.

Sure, Miami is going to focus on Dirk. Obviously. But we have proven shooters in Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, and Devin Harris. Three of those guys can knock down the three-ball. All four can drive to the basket.

During the two regular season matchups, Dwayne Wade shot a combined 13 of 32. Antoine Walker shot 3 out of 19. Miami as a combined team shot 2 of 20 from the arc. In the one game Shaq played in, he got 23 and 8. The Mavs' three-headed center went for a combined 17 and 17.

Sure, you can say that the Miami team we see today isn't the same as the one that got pounded by 36. But you can also say that the Mavs have improved as well. They have learned a few more styles of play, their defense is more consistent, and their offense is better than before.

Dallas in 6.

I expect the Mavs to hold their court for the first two games. I also expect them to win once in Miami. They'll come back to Dallas up 3 to 2, and get the trophy in their gym. Mark Cuban will cry like a baby.

Heroic

Dirk is the man. Only the 5th player since 1970 to get at least 50 and 10. He single-handedly kept the Mavs from losing in the 4th. The things he did can be described as "demoralizing."

Now, this series is not over. Phoenix is not going to lay down and give the game up. We have to walk into their arena and take it. If we close it out Saturday, we can get 2 extra days of rest. If there's a game 7, we will only get 2 full days of rest.

I expect Miami to finally win this series in game 6. Should they lose, Detroit will win the series.

Feeling better already.

Don't Tell

Another hot teacher gets busted.

I understand why the rule is there. I really do. I know that I have been intimidated by teachers before. But sometimes, the punishment is just a little much.

Sure, she is 7 years older than he is, but the student is of legal consenting age. The law does not see the difference in that regard, so the teacher can face up to 20 years in prison.

I know that when I was in high school, there may have been one teacher that all of the male students found more than moderately attractive. And I'm sure that all of those guys who were 17 or older would have said, "I'd hit that." (I love that PSP commercial. Those squirrels are hilarious.)

And after a round or two of intense, steamy, dirty sex, that student would calmly say, "So that's what it's like. Don't worry, I won't tell." Ok, they'd probably brag about it to their friends, but they wouldn't go to the authorities.

What she did was wrong. I just think this particular student is kind of lucky. No punishment for him? Get laid by a teacher and nothing can happen to you? I think his name should be made public. At the very least. And if there were romantic feelings involved, he should sit next to her in court.

From what I witnessed at my own high school, each incoming class was worse than the previous. The classes of '02 and '03 were full of intelligent and civil human beings. The class of '04 was dominated by the slutty and vain. '05 was just pitiful. Most of those teenagers will either be in jail or asking if you'd like to try the new Big Mac Jr. Deluxe with cheese. I didn't see the class of '06 first-hand, but I can only imagine.

If this were 2002, this teacher would not be in trouble. But it's not 2002.

Yes. A UT-Austin alum who coaches track, teaches Spanish, and was a Miss Texas contestant. It's no wonder I'm sticking up for her.

Would I "make love" to a woman that's 7 years older than me? Given the right circumstances, probably. And if she were a grad student at UT, could talk dirty in Spanish, had amazing legs, AND had a chance at being Miss Texas? Definitely. No doubt.

Umm...either way, the point is that the male student was legal. He deserves some of the blame!

"Whoa! Got it bad,
Got it bad,
Got it bad,
I'm hot for teacher!
I've got it bad, so bad
I'm hot for teacher!"

Van Halen - Hot For Teacher

Van Halen knew it. It's not a secret. There's something about teachers. Especially when you see them an hour a day, everyday.

But really, her mistake was all about timing. Wait until after graduation, and things would have been ok. But because it started in February, there's a possibility of 20 years in prison. It's amazing how much difference 4 months can make.