A lot of my views are pretty in line with Glassman's but I wouldn't say quite that harsh. I don't think the game was fixed nor do I think Stern benefited in any way with one team winning or losing. Had this happened in Game 6 to get us to a Game 7 then I would be a bit more on board.
My thing is this... through 3 quarters of the game last night the two teams were allowed to bang. Dave says it perfectly when he mentions the amount of free throws attempted by each side. The sudden urge to call a tight game in the 4th quarter was ridiculous. As a matter of fact, I told Nagle before Game 7 that if the game is called tight the Lakers would win in a rout whereas if the teams were allowed to play it would be much more beneficial to the Celtics (which it was).
Basically had refs called the entire game the way they called the 4th quarter the Lakers would have won by 25 points.
I could make up my own analogy about this situation, but I heard Tony Massarotti say it perfectly this afternoon. This is equivalent to watching a baseball game where through the first 7 innings the strike zone was very big, but then at the end of the game the ump decides, ok, I'm taking over, and shrinking it down to nothing. You just don't see that, why would you see that?
I have absolutely no problems with the Lakers beating the Celtics legitimately, and they may have anyways if the refs swallowed the whistles. But.... we'll never know, and it's a god damn shame.
So now where does this rank in dick-punch losses for New England teams in recent memory..... I got it ranked #4....
Ladies and Gentlemen, your top 3 brutal losses (in reverse order).
#3. 2006 AFC Championship Game. Colts 38 - Pats 34
Patriots beating the Colts 21-3 then the Colts offense goes bananas in the second half, there are a few rotten PI's, Tom Brady & Troy Brown doesn't convert a game clinching 3rd down, Reggie Wayne fumbles right to himself, then Brady ends the game with a pick. To make matters worse douche bag Peyton Manning won the Super Bowl two weeks later and held up what should have been Brady's fourth trophy.
#2. 2007 Super Bowl. Giants 17 - Pats 14
To this day I would honestly say I think about this game a few times a week. It will haunt me until the day that I die that the Patriots didn't cap off their historic amazing season. Finally a team with the balls to go for perfection (unlike the pussy Colts - how'd that work out Pollian?) then losing it in the final 90 seconds of the Super Bowl cuz some 5th string WR caught a desperation quacker off the side of his helmet. Historically this is the worst loss in my lifetime since history was on the line. However.....
#1. 2003 ALCS Game 7. Yankees 6 - Red Sox 5
The only game to make me cry like a little girl. Absolutely agonizing defeat when all we knew as Red Sox fans was 85 years of this very same crap.
So in conclusion Celtics fans.... well I don't really know where I am going with this, but now I'm going to go pop in the 2001 Patriots America's Game DVD... I need to cheer myself up.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Game 7 Venting.... Glassman
Anyone who needs to vent after Game 7 feel free and I'll post it... I know Dave needed to, so without further ado, here's his take:
THE NBA: WHERE FIXED CHAMPIONSHIPS HAPPEN
The Fakers. It's not exactly a clever nickname but it couldn't be more fitting really could it? Fake people, fake fans, fake city full of fake boobs, a fake team in a fake league run by a fake commissioner, and most importantly, fake championships.
With that said, here my exact words entering the 4th quarter:
"The refs are actually calling this game even right now. There's been maybe 1 or 2 bad calls either way"
Given what happened, it's amazing that I actually made this statement. But should we really be surprised?
Flashback to January. LA at Boston. Boston up by 1. Seconds to play. Pierce goes to his step back shot but has a hand on Artest as he stops a la Michael Jordan on Bryon Russell. Money and the foul. C's up 3 and will win. Oh wait.. why is Artest in the 3rd row? Huh? The foul was on Pierce. I recently watched this game deciding call on YouTube and it was an even more putrid call than I remember. Artest deserves an emmy for that flop and the ref deserves to be executed for calling it.
Now let's go back to game 7. I had just made my bold statement. C's were up 6 I believe. Gasol takes a jump shot with Glenn Davis in his face. There is no contact. Swish and one. Ugh, AWFUL call. Ok, no big deal. It's just one bad call right? Kobe has the ball behind the 3 point line with Allen defending. Kobe does the move where a player tries to get a foul because Allen's right hand was in the air over Kobe's arm. Foul. 3 shots. Are you fucking kidding me? They call that? In this game?
After everything they've let go? Artest shoulder tackle into Pierce and banks it in. Foul. What the FUCK is going on? And now here it comes...
With 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Llama Gasol had the ball on the baseline and was being guarded by KG. KG put his arms in the fetal position and turned his side to Gasol as Gasol rose up over him and missed a shot. Foul.
It was with this shot that game 7 was decided. Not because LA had the lead. Not because it was a great shot. No. It was because that call was the 4th awful, attrocious call in a row that favored the Lakers. In a game where players were ripping each others heads off for 3 quarters, suddenly standing next to a player was enough to committ a foul - as long as you were wearing green while standing there.
At that point, I realized the Celtics would not be allowed to win this game. I refused to watch another second of this debacle. With 4 minutes left, I simply walked outside and waited until the game ended. Yep, you read that right and many friends can confirm it. I absolutely, positively refused to watch anymore of a game that was so obviously fixed. I almost went back in once but was told a 100% clean block on Kobe Bryant had been called a foul.
What is even more mind boggling about all of this is that the Lakers were taking jump shots. They weren't being aggressive. 3 of the 4 rotten fouls I named above were JUMP SHOTS!!!!
For 3 quarters, these teams played the same way. Tough defense and desparate, bad offense. Not one thing changed in the 4th quarter and yet take a look at the Free Throw numbers.
1st - 3rd Quarter: LA 14, Boston 11 (rough average of 5/Quarter & 3.7/Quarter)
4th Quarter: LA 23, Boston 6
These numbers are staggering. 23 to 6 in the 4th versus 14 to 11 for the first 3 quarters. Any rational, respectable, human being with half an ounce of common sense can absolutely agree that that reeks of fix. Had Jack Nicholson been officiating, there would've been less foul calls on the Celtics. Yet despite not changing their style of play one bit, the Lakers received more than QUADRUPLE the FT'S in the 4th quarter as they did in any other quarter.
What I want to know is why? I want to find David Stern and beat this information out of him. Why Stern? Why fix this game?
How could you do this to all those diehard Celtic fans who poured their heart and soul into every game? Who lost sleep every night before a game and every night after a loss? To hand another title to the arrogant, bandwagon, cocky, undeserving, condescending, assholes that are the LA Lakers is despicable.
Now hard working, good guys like KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen will end their competitive careers as losers while evil, whiny, arrogant pricks like Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and Derek Fisher walk out as winners? Whatever happened to good things happen to good people?
What's worse is that most of their faggot fans are so busy sucking Kobe's dick that they won't admit that any of their titles were fixed. ARE YOU FUCKING BLIND? 23 FTs to 6?? SIX!!! Sound familiar Kings fans? Until your team is on the wrong end of a fix, you'll never know how it feels. I always thought I understood what happened to the 2002 Kings. I was wrong. It wasn't
until last night that I finally got it.
I will never again watch a live NBA game. I will always secretly root for the Celtics and against the Lakers but I will not watch. This is after 23 years of watching my Celtics faithfully every year. I will never acknowledge this Lakers title or their 2002 one. Ask me how many titles they have and I will answer 14.
In 27 years, I have never, EVER felt this cheated in any walk of life. Everywhere you turn, people are talking about it. I checked countless forums, facebook, and even yahoo answers last night. Every other question is about the refs and the fact that this game was fixed. I guess it is comforting to know that people all over the country are just as outraged and that somewhere... 3,000 miles away... there are millions of people in Sacremento who truly understand.
THE NBA: WHERE FIXED CHAMPIONSHIPS HAPPEN
The Fakers. It's not exactly a clever nickname but it couldn't be more fitting really could it? Fake people, fake fans, fake city full of fake boobs, a fake team in a fake league run by a fake commissioner, and most importantly, fake championships.
With that said, here my exact words entering the 4th quarter:
"The refs are actually calling this game even right now. There's been maybe 1 or 2 bad calls either way"
Given what happened, it's amazing that I actually made this statement. But should we really be surprised?
Flashback to January. LA at Boston. Boston up by 1. Seconds to play. Pierce goes to his step back shot but has a hand on Artest as he stops a la Michael Jordan on Bryon Russell. Money and the foul. C's up 3 and will win. Oh wait.. why is Artest in the 3rd row? Huh? The foul was on Pierce. I recently watched this game deciding call on YouTube and it was an even more putrid call than I remember. Artest deserves an emmy for that flop and the ref deserves to be executed for calling it.
Now let's go back to game 7. I had just made my bold statement. C's were up 6 I believe. Gasol takes a jump shot with Glenn Davis in his face. There is no contact. Swish and one. Ugh, AWFUL call. Ok, no big deal. It's just one bad call right? Kobe has the ball behind the 3 point line with Allen defending. Kobe does the move where a player tries to get a foul because Allen's right hand was in the air over Kobe's arm. Foul. 3 shots. Are you fucking kidding me? They call that? In this game?
After everything they've let go? Artest shoulder tackle into Pierce and banks it in. Foul. What the FUCK is going on? And now here it comes...
With 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Llama Gasol had the ball on the baseline and was being guarded by KG. KG put his arms in the fetal position and turned his side to Gasol as Gasol rose up over him and missed a shot. Foul.
It was with this shot that game 7 was decided. Not because LA had the lead. Not because it was a great shot. No. It was because that call was the 4th awful, attrocious call in a row that favored the Lakers. In a game where players were ripping each others heads off for 3 quarters, suddenly standing next to a player was enough to committ a foul - as long as you were wearing green while standing there.
At that point, I realized the Celtics would not be allowed to win this game. I refused to watch another second of this debacle. With 4 minutes left, I simply walked outside and waited until the game ended. Yep, you read that right and many friends can confirm it. I absolutely, positively refused to watch anymore of a game that was so obviously fixed. I almost went back in once but was told a 100% clean block on Kobe Bryant had been called a foul.
What is even more mind boggling about all of this is that the Lakers were taking jump shots. They weren't being aggressive. 3 of the 4 rotten fouls I named above were JUMP SHOTS!!!!
For 3 quarters, these teams played the same way. Tough defense and desparate, bad offense. Not one thing changed in the 4th quarter and yet take a look at the Free Throw numbers.
1st - 3rd Quarter: LA 14, Boston 11 (rough average of 5/Quarter & 3.7/Quarter)
4th Quarter: LA 23, Boston 6
These numbers are staggering. 23 to 6 in the 4th versus 14 to 11 for the first 3 quarters. Any rational, respectable, human being with half an ounce of common sense can absolutely agree that that reeks of fix. Had Jack Nicholson been officiating, there would've been less foul calls on the Celtics. Yet despite not changing their style of play one bit, the Lakers received more than QUADRUPLE the FT'S in the 4th quarter as they did in any other quarter.
What I want to know is why? I want to find David Stern and beat this information out of him. Why Stern? Why fix this game?
How could you do this to all those diehard Celtic fans who poured their heart and soul into every game? Who lost sleep every night before a game and every night after a loss? To hand another title to the arrogant, bandwagon, cocky, undeserving, condescending, assholes that are the LA Lakers is despicable.
Now hard working, good guys like KG, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen will end their competitive careers as losers while evil, whiny, arrogant pricks like Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, and Derek Fisher walk out as winners? Whatever happened to good things happen to good people?
What's worse is that most of their faggot fans are so busy sucking Kobe's dick that they won't admit that any of their titles were fixed. ARE YOU FUCKING BLIND? 23 FTs to 6?? SIX!!! Sound familiar Kings fans? Until your team is on the wrong end of a fix, you'll never know how it feels. I always thought I understood what happened to the 2002 Kings. I was wrong. It wasn't
until last night that I finally got it.
I will never again watch a live NBA game. I will always secretly root for the Celtics and against the Lakers but I will not watch. This is after 23 years of watching my Celtics faithfully every year. I will never acknowledge this Lakers title or their 2002 one. Ask me how many titles they have and I will answer 14.
In 27 years, I have never, EVER felt this cheated in any walk of life. Everywhere you turn, people are talking about it. I checked countless forums, facebook, and even yahoo answers last night. Every other question is about the refs and the fact that this game was fixed. I guess it is comforting to know that people all over the country are just as outraged and that somewhere... 3,000 miles away... there are millions of people in Sacremento who truly understand.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
NBA Finals and more random thoughts
Warning: I'm pretty jacked up for tonight's game so everything written below has a bunch of swears and foul language... if this offends you, too fuckin' bad :)
The NBA Finals kick off tonight after another ridiculous 76 day lay off. Hopefully by August the season will be wrapped up... here's a list of some random thoughts and opinions to help ya kill a little time at work.
- The 2-3-2 playoff format really ought to go away in all sports, and especially in basketball where home court means more. I could argue that the road team has a tougher challenge to wrap things up at home since game 5 is at home instead of game 6 but then again eff the road team, how about you earn home court advantage. Instead I'll steal this directly from Larry Bird, the home team *should* play game 5 at their place. This is often a tremendously important game that can tip a series in one team's favor. It's stupid that this game is played by the team with the worse win/loss record. All NBA series up to this point follow the much better 2-2-1-1-1 format. From what I understand the reasoning is for the national media to travel less. If I were David Stern I'd hold a press conference announcing the cancellation of the 2-3-2 format. When the first whiny ass media member stated to me that this isn't fair for them, I'd pause, cough gently, clear my throat for a solid 30 seconds then calmly say, too fucking bad you pussy... then walk away.
- I was watching a show on the 1960's Boston Celtics and really I couldn't be more impressed. You look back and see 11 titles in 13 years and you just figure, well they had the best team and players therefore back then you just plow through the competition. However the Celtics didn't always have the best record in their own division. They twice finished 2nd and in 1969 finished 4th. During this time frame though the Celtics went a perfect 9-0 in Game 7's. SICK
Just about every season in this run they had to go through Wilt Chamberlain the most dominant scorer in NBA history.
The best moment to me is in this clip after the 1969 NBA Championship: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j26xl9HP758
If you skip to the 7:06 mark you can see abc's interview with Bill Russell. You can tell the man poured his guts out as he's at a loss for words to start the interview. This was Russell's final game and just hearing him speak I can't see how any teammate wouldn't want to run through a brick wall for the man.
I rescind my Lakers post as the greatest dynasty in NBA history!!!!
- Just kidding about the last remark, it's definitely a very open debate. I thought of a point that I missed in my write up....
Basically everyone (especially in this area) has to realize the question is NOT who has had the better of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. We know this answer, but instead which team has had the most success in franchise history....
always think of the good stuff afterward, oh well
- Turning my attention to a few things in baseball that piss me off....
1. Jim Joyce - I won't beat this to death, just call the guy out, a fucking perfect game trumps you trying to call a close play safe. It's not about you ya tard. You shouldn't have had to even apologize, just call him out to begin with.
2. Bud Selig - Not overturning the call... pretty good decision (thick sarcasm)... baseball is so gay, I hate hate hate hate the stupid purist bull shit.... Pitchers hitting is worse than watching nascar, the lack of replay is unacceptable, the lack of accountability in the steroid era both in the game and in the media is a joke... I still love the game but I kind of feel until I have kids of my own who start playing little league or softball, baseball may slide down and stay at #3 or #4 on my sports radar...
3. I heard Bobby Valentine on ESPN boasting about the wonderful parity in the MLB. Which is fine, he's right a lot of teams are doing really well. He then pointed out that the last 5 world series champs have been different (White Sox, Cardinals, Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees)... sure that's great
Then the dink says well the NFL has the same teams every year... pauses... except the Saints last year....
Well, Mr. Valentine ... The year before we had the Cardinals in the SB for the first time ever, 2 years before that the Bears and Colts for the first time in a trillion years, the year before that the Seahawks for the first time, the year before that the Eagles for the first time in forever, the year before that the Panthers for the first time ever, the year before that the Bucs for the first time ever and Raiders first time in forever, 2 years before that the Ravens first time ever, year before that Titans first time ever and Rams first in a while, year before that Falcons first time ever....
As a matter of fact here are the NFC Champs going backwards... I'll stop once the same team has been there on my list 3 times... Saints, Cardinals, Giants, Bears, Seahawks, Eagles, Panthers, Bucs, Rams, Giants (there's 2), Rams (2), Falcons, Packers, Packers (2), Cowboys, 49ers, Cowboys (2), Cowboys (3).... 18 years it takes and 13 diff teams played in the SB
Translation... shaddup Bobby
- I guess it's always relative but man right now the Lakers are so far #1 in my team hatenicity it isn't even funny... then again football is about 3 months away... the Colts will probably reclaim this spot... as for the Yankees - read above, baseball is fading mcgee in my mind
- My prediction for the finals is the Celtics will win in 6... the Lakers are still a soft, fruity, snively, showtime wannabe, lame ass, oooh look at us we are a celeb team... I don't want to hear about how they dismantled the big bad tough Suns or the Jazz...
And if I'm wrong... Nagle... I will come back here and write a big long post about how horribly wrong I was and how great the Lakers are... I don't expect to write anything, go celts!
The NBA Finals kick off tonight after another ridiculous 76 day lay off. Hopefully by August the season will be wrapped up... here's a list of some random thoughts and opinions to help ya kill a little time at work.
- The 2-3-2 playoff format really ought to go away in all sports, and especially in basketball where home court means more. I could argue that the road team has a tougher challenge to wrap things up at home since game 5 is at home instead of game 6 but then again eff the road team, how about you earn home court advantage. Instead I'll steal this directly from Larry Bird, the home team *should* play game 5 at their place. This is often a tremendously important game that can tip a series in one team's favor. It's stupid that this game is played by the team with the worse win/loss record. All NBA series up to this point follow the much better 2-2-1-1-1 format. From what I understand the reasoning is for the national media to travel less. If I were David Stern I'd hold a press conference announcing the cancellation of the 2-3-2 format. When the first whiny ass media member stated to me that this isn't fair for them, I'd pause, cough gently, clear my throat for a solid 30 seconds then calmly say, too fucking bad you pussy... then walk away.
- I was watching a show on the 1960's Boston Celtics and really I couldn't be more impressed. You look back and see 11 titles in 13 years and you just figure, well they had the best team and players therefore back then you just plow through the competition. However the Celtics didn't always have the best record in their own division. They twice finished 2nd and in 1969 finished 4th. During this time frame though the Celtics went a perfect 9-0 in Game 7's. SICK
Just about every season in this run they had to go through Wilt Chamberlain the most dominant scorer in NBA history.
The best moment to me is in this clip after the 1969 NBA Championship: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j26xl9HP758
If you skip to the 7:06 mark you can see abc's interview with Bill Russell. You can tell the man poured his guts out as he's at a loss for words to start the interview. This was Russell's final game and just hearing him speak I can't see how any teammate wouldn't want to run through a brick wall for the man.
I rescind my Lakers post as the greatest dynasty in NBA history!!!!
- Just kidding about the last remark, it's definitely a very open debate. I thought of a point that I missed in my write up....
Basically everyone (especially in this area) has to realize the question is NOT who has had the better of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. We know this answer, but instead which team has had the most success in franchise history....
always think of the good stuff afterward, oh well
- Turning my attention to a few things in baseball that piss me off....
1. Jim Joyce - I won't beat this to death, just call the guy out, a fucking perfect game trumps you trying to call a close play safe. It's not about you ya tard. You shouldn't have had to even apologize, just call him out to begin with.
2. Bud Selig - Not overturning the call... pretty good decision (thick sarcasm)... baseball is so gay, I hate hate hate hate the stupid purist bull shit.... Pitchers hitting is worse than watching nascar, the lack of replay is unacceptable, the lack of accountability in the steroid era both in the game and in the media is a joke... I still love the game but I kind of feel until I have kids of my own who start playing little league or softball, baseball may slide down and stay at #3 or #4 on my sports radar...
3. I heard Bobby Valentine on ESPN boasting about the wonderful parity in the MLB. Which is fine, he's right a lot of teams are doing really well. He then pointed out that the last 5 world series champs have been different (White Sox, Cardinals, Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees)... sure that's great
Then the dink says well the NFL has the same teams every year... pauses... except the Saints last year....
Well, Mr. Valentine
As a matter of fact here are the NFC Champs going backwards... I'll stop once the same team has been there on my list 3 times... Saints, Cardinals, Giants, Bears, Seahawks, Eagles, Panthers, Bucs, Rams, Giants (there's 2), Rams (2), Falcons, Packers, Packers (2), Cowboys, 49ers, Cowboys (2), Cowboys (3).... 18 years it takes and 13 diff teams played in the SB
Translation... shaddup Bobby
- I guess it's always relative but man right now the Lakers are so far #1 in my team hatenicity it isn't even funny... then again football is about 3 months away... the Colts will probably reclaim this spot... as for the Yankees - read above, baseball is fading mcgee in my mind
- My prediction for the finals is the Celtics will win in 6... the Lakers are still a soft, fruity, snively, showtime wannabe, lame ass, oooh look at us we are a celeb team... I don't want to hear about how they dismantled the big bad tough Suns or the Jazz...
And if I'm wrong... Nagle... I will come back here and write a big long post about how horribly wrong I was and how great the Lakers are... I don't expect to write anything, go celts!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Greatest Franchise in NBA History Debate
The two greatest franchises in NBA history are the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. There is no arguing this statement. However there is plenty to argue about regarding which of these two is the best. Below is Glassman's argument for the Celtics and my argument for the Lakers. Enjoy!
Boston Celtics - by Glassman
THE NBA'S BEST FRANCHISE: BOSTON or LA?
When you look at these two teams, it's immediately obvious that they are the two best teams in NBA history by light years. Combined, they have 50 finals appearances and 32 championships. More than 50% of all NBA champions are either from Boston or LA. That's just insane.
The Lakers are a finesse team. They play offense. They score points and they look good doing it. It's cool to be a Lakers fan. The Celtics are a team built on hard work and effort. They play defense. They're clutch. They play ugly, scrappy games and find ways to win them.
But the obvious question becomes - Which franchise is better?
The simple way to answer this is to say that Boston has 17 titles to LA's 15 and therefore they are better. Afterall, it's all about winning the title. Fans don't care about the details as much such as: regular season win % or playoff appearances - both of which the Lakers have more of.
Rather than take the easy way out, let's examine how these two great franchises arrived at their respective titles.
As you will see, the Lakers have been handed success time and time again in the form of hall of famers falling into their laps, while the Celtics have had to earn all of their titles through hard work and good draft picks. I'm not saying the Lakers didn't work for their titles but given the amount of opportunities they've been given, they have severely underachieved. Read on and you will see what I mean. Further, Boston is clutch in the playoffs. They are 17-3 in the finals. LA finds as many ways to choke in the finals as to win. They are 15-15 in the finals.
So let's begin...
THE EARLY YEARS 1950-1969
The 50's Lakers were the 1st NBA dynasty and they owe it all to George Mikan, the most dominant center of his time. Thing is, the Lakers didn't draft Mikan. He had already been playing professional basketball for years and was the best player hands down. When his original team (the American Gears) folded, its players were put into a draft for the 11 NBA teams to select from. Every team had a 9% chance of winning the rights to Mikan and wouldn't you know it, the Lakers won that pick. As a result, they won 5 titles in 6 years.
The Celtics took over as the powerhouse team in the late 50's with GM and coach Red Auerbach building a team the old fashioned way. Good trades, great drafts, and hard work. Auerbach's system was revolutionary and completely changed the game of basketball. He invented the fast break, tough defense, and the 6th man. When you combine this system, the best coach in NBA history, and extremely talented players it's a recipe for success. The Celtics would win 11 of the next 13 championships including 8 in a row. I can't put into words how impressive that is, so I won't try.
During this great run of titles, Auerbach drafted the following:
1956- Bill Russell*, Tom Heinsohn, KC Jones (probably the absolute most sickest draft any NBA team ever had)
1957- Sam Jones
1960- Tom "Satch" Sanders
1962- John Havlicek aka "Hondo"
1969- Jo Jo White
1970- Dave Cowens
*Bill Russell was technically acquired in a trade on draft day. Red traded future hall of famer and all-star Center Ed Macauley for Russell. I point this out only because the trade was seen at the time as a balanced one. It wasn't Dickfuck McGee for Wilt Chamberlain like all the Laker trades were.
All of these draft picks have had their numbers retired and most are in the hall of fame. It's incredible that a team that was so dominant could actually find this kind of talent in the draft.
The Celtics didn't beat just anybody for their 11 titles though, a staggering 7 of the 11 titles came against the Lakers. In fact, the Lakers did not win a single title in the 60's. They lost EVERYTIME. The worst of these HAS to be 1969 though.
In 1969, the power of the league shifted when reigning MVP Wilt Chamberlain, the most dominant center of his time, was traded to the Lakers for... get ready for it now... Darrall Imhoff (the Knicks center who Chamberlain scored 100 points on), Jerry Chambers, and Archie Clark. I'll sum it up like this: 3 stinkin' piles of garbage were traded for the best scorer/rebounder the game had ever seen. What it came down to is that Chamberlain wanted out of Philly and he wanted to go to a winner. This gave the Lakers, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain. There are 3 major positions in basketball and one could argue that the Lakers had the best player at all 3. Surely that would be enough to beat the now older than dirt Celtics? Nope. The Celtics defeated these Lakers 4-3 in a huge upset. LA led 2-0 and had home court. No team had EVER lost a finals series with a 2-0 lead but the Lakers managed to find a way. Boston took game 7 on LA's home court in a wild finish 108-106.
THE MIDDLE AGES 1970-1995
After 1969, many of the Celtics retired including Bill Russell. Boston fell to Earth in 1970 but they still had a core of guys leftover - Havlicek, White, and Cowens. Despite having a stacked team, LA won just one title in 1972 while also losing 2 more in 1970 and 1973.
Boston rose again in the mid 70's and won 2 more titles in 1974 and 1976 with Auerbach as the GM and Heinsohn as the coach running Red's system. The players and coach that led this charge were all drafted and developed by the Celtics.
In 1975, reiging MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the most dominant center of his time, was lured from the Bucks for a big contract and the chance to play for the Lakers. At this point he already had won 3 MVP awards. He was traded for... (drum roll) Walt Wesley, Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers, and Junior Bridgeman. In summary: 5 rotten pieces of shit for the best center in NBA history (in my opinion).
The 80's saw the rivalry renewed. The Celtics drafted Larry Bird in 1979. In 1980, Red traded the 1st and 13th picks in the draft for 2nd year big man Robert Parish and the 3rd pick. With the 3rd pick he drafted Kevin McHale. Again, you see Boston acquiring top talent via the draft and smart trades.
These Celtics would win 3 titles in 5 tries with both losses coming to the Lakers. LA was certainly the better team of the decade taking 5 titles in 8 tries. LA's 1985 victory over Boston marked the first time that the Lakers had beat the Celtics in the finals. The 1987 rubber match was marred by the fact that Len Bias - who many compared to Michael Jordan - had died of a drug overdose when he was drafted by Boston in 1986.
Boston met tragedy again when another star player died. This time it was Reggie Lewis. The deaths of Bias and Lewis set Boston back by decades and it would be a long time before they would win the finals again.
Neither franchise would win in the 90's. LA made it there in 1991 but they were old and soundly beaten by Chicago.
THE CURRENT ERA 1996 to PRESENT
In 1996, Shaquille O'Neal, the most dominant Center of his time (anyone else notice a pattern here?) was traded to the Lakers... oh wait, no he wasn't traded... he just went there "because". For some odd reason, players in the NBA love to go to LA. Especially, big dominant centers. O'Neal led the Lakers to 3 titles in 4 appearances in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
Had it not been for an arrogant, enormously huge prick, LA could have more titles. However, Kobe Bryant just couldn't stand that Shaq was "the man" and his constant bitching, crying, and whining was all Shaq could take. Even the reserved Phil Jackson left briefly.
However, after another early playoff exit in 2006, Kobe was now crying, bitching, and whining about not having enough help. You gotta love irony, haha. In 2007, LA stole - er, I mean traded for - Pau Gasol. Gasol was already an established, dominant Center, blah blah blah, you know the deal. In return LA sent future hall of famers Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and some draft picks. Except that none of those bums will be in the hall of fame and I'd bet my life that none of them are even in the NBA anymore.
However, in 2007, the Celtics did some trading of their own. Old veterans Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were looking to play for a winner and the Celtics were shopping. The C's essentially traded away their whole team and all of their draft picks to form "the big 3".
Naturally, in 2007, Boston played LA in the finals. EVERYONE was picking LA in 4 or 5. 9 out of 10 experts picked LA. What a bunch of fucking idiots. Boston beat LA in 6, just as every C's fan had predicted, and they closed it out with the ultimate "fuck you, in your face" game beating LA by 39 in the clincher in Boston. To add insult to injury, Boston pulled off the biggest finals comeback ever in LA in game 4 in front of their arrogant, annoying fans by coming back from a 24 point deficit. Yet another finals choke job by the Fakers.
I'll end this with 5 quick reasons why the Celtics are better.
1) The Celtics are more successful. They have 17 titles and 31 hall of famers. The Lakers have 15 championships and 16 in the HOF. Boston owns a dominating 9-2 edge over LA in the finals, a 40-27 edge in the playoffs, and a hefty 152-120 edge in the regular season.
2) The Celtics are one of the original franchises. Their best talent (Bird, Russell, Cousy, Havlicek, Pierce, McHale, Auerbach) was drafted or traded for at a young age and developed in the C's system.
The Lakers, by contrast, are nothing but hired guns. They would have EXACTLY ZERO CHAMPIONSHIPS if they didn't pay top dollar to lure Kareem, Chamberlain, Shaq, Gasol, and Phil Jackson away from their original teams to live in Hollywood. Hell, even the team itself was stolen from it's original city.
3) Russell is the Jackie Robinson of basketball. One of the pioneers who broke the color barrier. First black coach in sports. The Celtics were the first team to start 5 black players.
4) Boston is a better sports town. Blue collar diehard fans. LA is filled with transplants and celebrities and the team priced real fans out of the Staples center long ago.
5) Kobe Bryant is easily the most hateable player the NBA has ever known. Outside of LA fans does anyone like him? If you're not a Laker fan, then you most likely hate the Lakers. They're the Yankees of basketball.
Los Angeles Lakers - by yours truly
Let me begin my post by letting it be known throughout the legion of my 7 or 8 blog readers that I am a Celtics fan through and through. More than just a Celtics fan though, I despise the Lakers. Kevin McHale clotheslining that turd Kurt Rambis is something I could watch forever on a loop. There is an endless list of the things I hate about the Lakers. I hate how rooting for the Lakers is cool. I hate their stupid colors. I hate that going to a Lakers game seems to be more about who you'll see in attendance than watching the team play. I hate that no matter what city you watch on tv there are 4 or 5 random pubes wearing a Kobe jersey even though the Lakers aren't playing. I hate how the Lakers are always a soft fruity finesse team. I hate how the team clearly had the name Lakers because of all the lakes in Minnesota but now it makes about as much as sense as the Utah Jazz. I hate that I still think "Lakers" is a pretty cool team name anyway. I hate that big time free agents always want to be in LA over any other city. I hate the absolutely attrocious calls I'd see in the Kobe/Shaq playoff era. I hate that it is basically fact that the refs took the 2002 NBA title away from the Sacremento Kings and gave it to the Lakers yet the douche bag Laker fans still have the nerve to call them the Queens. And I especially hate that the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers are the greatest franchise in NBA history.
I know you are probably muttering to yourself, "But wait a minute, Joe, the Celtics have 17 championships to the Lakers 15. Head to head in the finals the Celtics are 9 - 2 against the Lakers. "
The fact of the matter is of the Celtics 17 championships 11 of them came between 1957 and 1969. In this time the Celtics were 7 - 0 against the Lakers. Any Laker fan or rational human being on the planet can absolutely positively agree that the Celtics dynasty during this time is the greatest in all sports history. There is just no disputing the incredible dominance.
However, the Celtics team history stretches from 1946 to 2010, while the Lakers is from 1948 to 2010. If you cut out this thirteen year stretch of dominance you are left with 51 more Celtics seasons and 49 Lakers. In this time frame, it isn't even close who is the better team.
Nonetheless, I cannot pick and choose which years to count and which to avoid in my argument. I will give you the cold, hard facts of the Celtics 64 year history and the Lakers 62 year history.
Fact #1 - The Boston Celtics have won 17 NBA Championships. The Los Angeles Lakers have won 15.
Of the Celtics 17 NBA titles 2 came in the 1950's, 9 in the 1960's, 2 in the 1970's, 3 in the 1980's, 0 in the 1990's, and 1 in the 2000's. This includes a 22 year gap between titles in 1986 and 2008.
Of the Lakers 15 NBA titles 1 came in the 1940's, 4 in the 1950's, 0 in the 1960's, 1 in the 1970's, 5 in the 1980's, 0 in the 1990's, and 4 in the 2000's.
The number of teams in the BAA/NBA from 1946-1947 to 1968-1969 ranged from 8 to 14. In the 1970's this grew from 14 to 22 teams. In the 1980's this reached 25 teams. In the 1990's there were 29 teams. Then in the 2000's the Charlotte Bobcats made it 30 teams.
Couldn't we all agree that it is far easier to win an NBA title when you are 1 of 8 teams as opposed to 1 of 20 something or even 30? I also would assume that free agency and salary caps didn't loom over every franchise back then either.
I'm sure we'd all agree that the New England Patriots winning 3 titles in the 2000's when they competed against 32 teams in a free agent/salary cap era was more impressive than the Green Bay Packers of the 1960's who basically could keep players throughout their career. It's not to say we don't tip our cap to Green Bay but there are just far fewer obstacles.
Jumping back to the Celtics - Lakers, the Celtics won 11 titles when the league was miniscule in size to the Lakers 5 titles. Since this time (1970 and forward) the Celtics have won an additional 6 titles to the Lakers 10.
Fact #2 - The Celtics have made 20 NBA finals while the Lakers have made it to 30 (these numbers do not include 2010 - both teams could notch another appearance).
It's easy to crap on the Lakers for losing so many NBA finals but wouldn't reaching the finals be greater than not reaching the finals? The 10 fewer seasons the Celtics did not make the finals correlate to them having lost sometime BEFORE the finals.
Here's an example of what I mean. The Celtics made the finals in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987. The Lakers made it in 1984, 1985, and 1987. Each team won 2 titles and the Lakers went 2 - 1 against the Celtics over these 4 years. So who had the better run.... THE CELTICS!!!!! The head to head didn't matter, the Lakers forgot to show up in 1986!!! They lost to the effin' Rockets before reaching the finals!!! Reaching the finals > Not reaching the finals.
I can make the same argument for 2008 & 2009. The Celtics had 1 title (over LA), the Lakers had 1 title but made it both years. Who had the better two year period? The LAKERS!!!! In my opinion it is always best to have made it as far as you could!!!
Also think about this, the Lakers have made 30 (possibly 31) NBA Finals in there 62 year history. Wouldn't one be impressed with a team who made the playoffs 50% of the time, let alone the finals?
Fact #3 - The Celtics have made the playoffs 48 times while the Lakers have made it 57 times.
To put this in perspective the Lakers have NOT made the playoffs 5 times!!! That's just stupid. They failed to reach the playoffs in 1958, 1975, 1976, 1994, and 2005. The longest stretch not making it was 2 seasons. Year after year, generation after generation you can always count on the Lakers to be a dominant force. From Mikan, to West, to Baylor, to Chamberlain, to Magic, to Kareem, to Shaq, and to Kobe the Lakers have just trotted out absolute superstars for 62 years!
The Celtics have made the playoffs in 48 of 64 seasons which certainly is outstanding as well. However since the 1986 title the C's have fielded some pretty craptacular teams - many of which were strung together for years at a time. This includes teams that lost 50, 49, 67, 46, 31 (in a strike year of 50 games), 47, 46, 49, and 58 games.
There is no disputing that the Lakers have never had a lull in their dominant franchise history. The Celtics were a bit top heavy in that their former years were by far and away their most formidable.
Fact #4 - Lady luck sometimes needs to be on your side.
I'm by no means attributing either team's success entirely on luck but you do need to get some good breaks along the way. The Celtics had to deal with the tragic loss of two immensely talented players that could have helped extend their run into the late 1980's. Losing Len Bias and Reggie Lewis were two very large blows to the Celtics success. In the Celtics 67 loss season of 1997, they had two lottery draft picks. All anyone could envision was how good Tim Duncan and Keith Van Horn would look in Celtics green. Low and behold the C's ended up with the 3rd and 5th picks that year.
Lady luck was kind to the Lakers when Chris Wallace and the Memphis Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers for a bag of pubes and some used toilet paper. The Lakers were also pretty fortunate that the Charlotte Hornets felt it was smart to trade Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divac & a bin of beard grooming kits.
All in all, when you comb through the facts - fuck I hate to say it - the Lakers are the greatest franchise in NBA history. And what makes me even more miserable is that this 62 year run of dominance isn't going to stop any time soon, unless that slut Lady Luck decides to stop sleeping with those bastards out west.
Boston Celtics - by Glassman
THE NBA'S BEST FRANCHISE: BOSTON or LA?
When you look at these two teams, it's immediately obvious that they are the two best teams in NBA history by light years. Combined, they have 50 finals appearances and 32 championships. More than 50% of all NBA champions are either from Boston or LA. That's just insane.
The Lakers are a finesse team. They play offense. They score points and they look good doing it. It's cool to be a Lakers fan. The Celtics are a team built on hard work and effort. They play defense. They're clutch. They play ugly, scrappy games and find ways to win them.
But the obvious question becomes - Which franchise is better?
The simple way to answer this is to say that Boston has 17 titles to LA's 15 and therefore they are better. Afterall, it's all about winning the title. Fans don't care about the details as much such as: regular season win % or playoff appearances - both of which the Lakers have more of.
Rather than take the easy way out, let's examine how these two great franchises arrived at their respective titles.
As you will see, the Lakers have been handed success time and time again in the form of hall of famers falling into their laps, while the Celtics have had to earn all of their titles through hard work and good draft picks. I'm not saying the Lakers didn't work for their titles but given the amount of opportunities they've been given, they have severely underachieved. Read on and you will see what I mean. Further, Boston is clutch in the playoffs. They are 17-3 in the finals. LA finds as many ways to choke in the finals as to win. They are 15-15 in the finals.
So let's begin...
THE EARLY YEARS 1950-1969
The 50's Lakers were the 1st NBA dynasty and they owe it all to George Mikan, the most dominant center of his time. Thing is, the Lakers didn't draft Mikan. He had already been playing professional basketball for years and was the best player hands down. When his original team (the American Gears) folded, its players were put into a draft for the 11 NBA teams to select from. Every team had a 9% chance of winning the rights to Mikan and wouldn't you know it, the Lakers won that pick. As a result, they won 5 titles in 6 years.
The Celtics took over as the powerhouse team in the late 50's with GM and coach Red Auerbach building a team the old fashioned way. Good trades, great drafts, and hard work. Auerbach's system was revolutionary and completely changed the game of basketball. He invented the fast break, tough defense, and the 6th man. When you combine this system, the best coach in NBA history, and extremely talented players it's a recipe for success. The Celtics would win 11 of the next 13 championships including 8 in a row. I can't put into words how impressive that is, so I won't try.
During this great run of titles, Auerbach drafted the following:
1956- Bill Russell*, Tom Heinsohn, KC Jones (probably the absolute most sickest draft any NBA team ever had)
1957- Sam Jones
1960- Tom "Satch" Sanders
1962- John Havlicek aka "Hondo"
1969- Jo Jo White
1970- Dave Cowens
*Bill Russell was technically acquired in a trade on draft day. Red traded future hall of famer and all-star Center Ed Macauley for Russell. I point this out only because the trade was seen at the time as a balanced one. It wasn't Dickfuck McGee for Wilt Chamberlain like all the Laker trades were.
All of these draft picks have had their numbers retired and most are in the hall of fame. It's incredible that a team that was so dominant could actually find this kind of talent in the draft.
The Celtics didn't beat just anybody for their 11 titles though, a staggering 7 of the 11 titles came against the Lakers. In fact, the Lakers did not win a single title in the 60's. They lost EVERYTIME. The worst of these HAS to be 1969 though.
In 1969, the power of the league shifted when reigning MVP Wilt Chamberlain, the most dominant center of his time, was traded to the Lakers for... get ready for it now... Darrall Imhoff (the Knicks center who Chamberlain scored 100 points on), Jerry Chambers, and Archie Clark. I'll sum it up like this: 3 stinkin' piles of garbage were traded for the best scorer/rebounder the game had ever seen. What it came down to is that Chamberlain wanted out of Philly and he wanted to go to a winner. This gave the Lakers, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Wilt Chamberlain. There are 3 major positions in basketball and one could argue that the Lakers had the best player at all 3. Surely that would be enough to beat the now older than dirt Celtics? Nope. The Celtics defeated these Lakers 4-3 in a huge upset. LA led 2-0 and had home court. No team had EVER lost a finals series with a 2-0 lead but the Lakers managed to find a way. Boston took game 7 on LA's home court in a wild finish 108-106.
THE MIDDLE AGES 1970-1995
After 1969, many of the Celtics retired including Bill Russell. Boston fell to Earth in 1970 but they still had a core of guys leftover - Havlicek, White, and Cowens. Despite having a stacked team, LA won just one title in 1972 while also losing 2 more in 1970 and 1973.
Boston rose again in the mid 70's and won 2 more titles in 1974 and 1976 with Auerbach as the GM and Heinsohn as the coach running Red's system. The players and coach that led this charge were all drafted and developed by the Celtics.
In 1975, reiging MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the most dominant center of his time, was lured from the Bucks for a big contract and the chance to play for the Lakers. At this point he already had won 3 MVP awards. He was traded for... (drum roll) Walt Wesley, Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers, and Junior Bridgeman. In summary: 5 rotten pieces of shit for the best center in NBA history (in my opinion).
The 80's saw the rivalry renewed. The Celtics drafted Larry Bird in 1979. In 1980, Red traded the 1st and 13th picks in the draft for 2nd year big man Robert Parish and the 3rd pick. With the 3rd pick he drafted Kevin McHale. Again, you see Boston acquiring top talent via the draft and smart trades.
These Celtics would win 3 titles in 5 tries with both losses coming to the Lakers. LA was certainly the better team of the decade taking 5 titles in 8 tries. LA's 1985 victory over Boston marked the first time that the Lakers had beat the Celtics in the finals. The 1987 rubber match was marred by the fact that Len Bias - who many compared to Michael Jordan - had died of a drug overdose when he was drafted by Boston in 1986.
Boston met tragedy again when another star player died. This time it was Reggie Lewis. The deaths of Bias and Lewis set Boston back by decades and it would be a long time before they would win the finals again.
Neither franchise would win in the 90's. LA made it there in 1991 but they were old and soundly beaten by Chicago.
THE CURRENT ERA 1996 to PRESENT
In 1996, Shaquille O'Neal, the most dominant Center of his time (anyone else notice a pattern here?) was traded to the Lakers... oh wait, no he wasn't traded... he just went there "because". For some odd reason, players in the NBA love to go to LA. Especially, big dominant centers. O'Neal led the Lakers to 3 titles in 4 appearances in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
Had it not been for an arrogant, enormously huge prick, LA could have more titles. However, Kobe Bryant just couldn't stand that Shaq was "the man" and his constant bitching, crying, and whining was all Shaq could take. Even the reserved Phil Jackson left briefly.
However, after another early playoff exit in 2006, Kobe was now crying, bitching, and whining about not having enough help. You gotta love irony, haha. In 2007, LA stole - er, I mean traded for - Pau Gasol. Gasol was already an established, dominant Center, blah blah blah, you know the deal. In return LA sent future hall of famers Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and some draft picks. Except that none of those bums will be in the hall of fame and I'd bet my life that none of them are even in the NBA anymore.
However, in 2007, the Celtics did some trading of their own. Old veterans Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were looking to play for a winner and the Celtics were shopping. The C's essentially traded away their whole team and all of their draft picks to form "the big 3".
Naturally, in 2007, Boston played LA in the finals. EVERYONE was picking LA in 4 or 5. 9 out of 10 experts picked LA. What a bunch of fucking idiots. Boston beat LA in 6, just as every C's fan had predicted, and they closed it out with the ultimate "fuck you, in your face" game beating LA by 39 in the clincher in Boston. To add insult to injury, Boston pulled off the biggest finals comeback ever in LA in game 4 in front of their arrogant, annoying fans by coming back from a 24 point deficit. Yet another finals choke job by the Fakers.
I'll end this with 5 quick reasons why the Celtics are better.
1) The Celtics are more successful. They have 17 titles and 31 hall of famers. The Lakers have 15 championships and 16 in the HOF. Boston owns a dominating 9-2 edge over LA in the finals, a 40-27 edge in the playoffs, and a hefty 152-120 edge in the regular season.
2) The Celtics are one of the original franchises. Their best talent (Bird, Russell, Cousy, Havlicek, Pierce, McHale, Auerbach) was drafted or traded for at a young age and developed in the C's system.
The Lakers, by contrast, are nothing but hired guns. They would have EXACTLY ZERO CHAMPIONSHIPS if they didn't pay top dollar to lure Kareem, Chamberlain, Shaq, Gasol, and Phil Jackson away from their original teams to live in Hollywood. Hell, even the team itself was stolen from it's original city.
3) Russell is the Jackie Robinson of basketball. One of the pioneers who broke the color barrier. First black coach in sports. The Celtics were the first team to start 5 black players.
4) Boston is a better sports town. Blue collar diehard fans. LA is filled with transplants and celebrities and the team priced real fans out of the Staples center long ago.
5) Kobe Bryant is easily the most hateable player the NBA has ever known. Outside of LA fans does anyone like him? If you're not a Laker fan, then you most likely hate the Lakers. They're the Yankees of basketball.
Los Angeles Lakers - by yours truly
Let me begin my post by letting it be known throughout the legion of my 7 or 8 blog readers that I am a Celtics fan through and through. More than just a Celtics fan though, I despise the Lakers. Kevin McHale clotheslining that turd Kurt Rambis is something I could watch forever on a loop. There is an endless list of the things I hate about the Lakers. I hate how rooting for the Lakers is cool. I hate their stupid colors. I hate that going to a Lakers game seems to be more about who you'll see in attendance than watching the team play. I hate that no matter what city you watch on tv there are 4 or 5 random pubes wearing a Kobe jersey even though the Lakers aren't playing. I hate how the Lakers are always a soft fruity finesse team. I hate how the team clearly had the name Lakers because of all the lakes in Minnesota but now it makes about as much as sense as the Utah Jazz. I hate that I still think "Lakers" is a pretty cool team name anyway. I hate that big time free agents always want to be in LA over any other city. I hate the absolutely attrocious calls I'd see in the Kobe/Shaq playoff era. I hate that it is basically fact that the refs took the 2002 NBA title away from the Sacremento Kings and gave it to the Lakers yet the douche bag Laker fans still have the nerve to call them the Queens. And I especially hate that the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers are the greatest franchise in NBA history.
I know you are probably muttering to yourself, "But wait a minute, Joe, the Celtics have 17 championships to the Lakers 15. Head to head in the finals the Celtics are 9 - 2 against the Lakers. "
The fact of the matter is of the Celtics 17 championships 11 of them came between 1957 and 1969. In this time the Celtics were 7 - 0 against the Lakers. Any Laker fan or rational human being on the planet can absolutely positively agree that the Celtics dynasty during this time is the greatest in all sports history. There is just no disputing the incredible dominance.
However, the Celtics team history stretches from 1946 to 2010, while the Lakers is from 1948 to 2010. If you cut out this thirteen year stretch of dominance you are left with 51 more Celtics seasons and 49 Lakers. In this time frame, it isn't even close who is the better team.
Nonetheless, I cannot pick and choose which years to count and which to avoid in my argument. I will give you the cold, hard facts of the Celtics 64 year history and the Lakers 62 year history.
Fact #1 - The Boston Celtics have won 17 NBA Championships. The Los Angeles Lakers have won 15.
Of the Celtics 17 NBA titles 2 came in the 1950's, 9 in the 1960's, 2 in the 1970's, 3 in the 1980's, 0 in the 1990's, and 1 in the 2000's. This includes a 22 year gap between titles in 1986 and 2008.
Of the Lakers 15 NBA titles 1 came in the 1940's, 4 in the 1950's, 0 in the 1960's, 1 in the 1970's, 5 in the 1980's, 0 in the 1990's, and 4 in the 2000's.
The number of teams in the BAA/NBA from 1946-1947 to 1968-1969 ranged from 8 to 14. In the 1970's this grew from 14 to 22 teams. In the 1980's this reached 25 teams. In the 1990's there were 29 teams. Then in the 2000's the Charlotte Bobcats made it 30 teams.
Couldn't we all agree that it is far easier to win an NBA title when you are 1 of 8 teams as opposed to 1 of 20 something or even 30? I also would assume that free agency and salary caps didn't loom over every franchise back then either.
I'm sure we'd all agree that the New England Patriots winning 3 titles in the 2000's when they competed against 32 teams in a free agent/salary cap era was more impressive than the Green Bay Packers of the 1960's who basically could keep players throughout their career. It's not to say we don't tip our cap to Green Bay but there are just far fewer obstacles.
Jumping back to the Celtics - Lakers, the Celtics won 11 titles when the league was miniscule in size to the Lakers 5 titles. Since this time (1970 and forward) the Celtics have won an additional 6 titles to the Lakers 10.
Fact #2 - The Celtics have made 20 NBA finals while the Lakers have made it to 30 (these numbers do not include 2010 - both teams could notch another appearance).
It's easy to crap on the Lakers for losing so many NBA finals but wouldn't reaching the finals be greater than not reaching the finals? The 10 fewer seasons the Celtics did not make the finals correlate to them having lost sometime BEFORE the finals.
Here's an example of what I mean. The Celtics made the finals in 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987. The Lakers made it in 1984, 1985, and 1987. Each team won 2 titles and the Lakers went 2 - 1 against the Celtics over these 4 years. So who had the better run.... THE CELTICS!!!!! The head to head didn't matter, the Lakers forgot to show up in 1986!!! They lost to the effin' Rockets before reaching the finals!!! Reaching the finals > Not reaching the finals.
I can make the same argument for 2008 & 2009. The Celtics had 1 title (over LA), the Lakers had 1 title but made it both years. Who had the better two year period? The LAKERS!!!! In my opinion it is always best to have made it as far as you could!!!
Also think about this, the Lakers have made 30 (possibly 31) NBA Finals in there 62 year history. Wouldn't one be impressed with a team who made the playoffs 50% of the time, let alone the finals?
Fact #3 - The Celtics have made the playoffs 48 times while the Lakers have made it 57 times.
To put this in perspective the Lakers have NOT made the playoffs 5 times!!! That's just stupid. They failed to reach the playoffs in 1958, 1975, 1976, 1994, and 2005. The longest stretch not making it was 2 seasons. Year after year, generation after generation you can always count on the Lakers to be a dominant force. From Mikan, to West, to Baylor, to Chamberlain, to Magic, to Kareem, to Shaq, and to Kobe the Lakers have just trotted out absolute superstars for 62 years!
The Celtics have made the playoffs in 48 of 64 seasons which certainly is outstanding as well. However since the 1986 title the C's have fielded some pretty craptacular teams - many of which were strung together for years at a time. This includes teams that lost 50, 49, 67, 46, 31 (in a strike year of 50 games), 47, 46, 49, and 58 games.
There is no disputing that the Lakers have never had a lull in their dominant franchise history. The Celtics were a bit top heavy in that their former years were by far and away their most formidable.
Fact #4 - Lady luck sometimes needs to be on your side.
I'm by no means attributing either team's success entirely on luck but you do need to get some good breaks along the way. The Celtics had to deal with the tragic loss of two immensely talented players that could have helped extend their run into the late 1980's. Losing Len Bias and Reggie Lewis were two very large blows to the Celtics success. In the Celtics 67 loss season of 1997, they had two lottery draft picks. All anyone could envision was how good Tim Duncan and Keith Van Horn would look in Celtics green. Low and behold the C's ended up with the 3rd and 5th picks that year.
Lady luck was kind to the Lakers when Chris Wallace and the Memphis Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers for a bag of pubes and some used toilet paper. The Lakers were also pretty fortunate that the Charlotte Hornets felt it was smart to trade Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divac & a bin of beard grooming kits.
All in all, when you comb through the facts - fuck I hate to say it - the Lakers are the greatest franchise in NBA history. And what makes me even more miserable is that this 62 year run of dominance isn't going to stop any time soon, unless that slut Lady Luck decides to stop sleeping with those bastards out west.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Quit Being a Bitch
I will admit this. I'm very late in coming over to the Lebron James hateration club. As a matter of fact I didn't really hate Lebron at all. I will always of course root for the Celtics but should they fall I would probably rest my rooting interests on "The King."
There are a number of reasons for this:
1. I hate Kobe, I hate the Lakers, and I hate their stupid fans a ton - This is the NBA. It's a league where your Cinderella feel good teams may win one round but they sure as shit aren't winning a championship. Therefore to stave off another Lakers gay ass championship I will put my alliance with a team and star player who I think could beat them. So out of necessity I would pull for, wouldn't quite say root for, the Cavs n James.
2. Cleveland deserves a title - If you think New England was ever down on its sports luck you haven't met our friends in Ohio. Cleveland has three professional sports teams: Indians, Browns, and Cavaliers. Of these three teams the Browns were the tits in the 50's and 60's. That's it. The 1964 Browns are the last Cleveland team to win a title. Since that time these fans have dealt with: John Elway raping them in the 1986 AFC Championship with The Drive, Earnest Byner blowing the AFC Championship game the next year with The Fumble, a boner of a loss to the Raiders in I believe either 1980 or 1983 where they were down a point and instead of running to set up a FG threw an INT, the Browns being moved to Baltimore, no football from 1996 to 1998, the New Browns coming in and sucking for 10+ years, the Ravens (the old Browns) winning a Super Bowl and being a perennial playoff team, the Indians getting good directly as a result from the strong vibes of the Major League movies, the Indians then blowing the 1995 World Series to the inferior Braves, the 1997 Indians & namely Jose Mesa REALLY blowing the World Series to the Marlins, the 1990's Indians in general never winning a championship despite being so dominant, the 2007 Indians blowing a 3 games to 1 lead to the Red Sox where a win left them against the inferior Rockies, the Cavs losing in 1989 on Michael Jordan's famous buzzer beater over Craig Ehlo, the team sucking giants balls for a good 10 years, then landing a franchise saving first pick in James, who still hasn't delivered because he hasn't really stepped up the last two years in the playoffs, AND TO BOOT the Cavs could lose this year and legitimately see James go on to the Knicks or Bulls. Needless to say I sympathize with these fans.
3. James' game, in my opinion, is much more likable than Kobe's. He's a phenomenal teammate, great passer, jokes with the guys, and doesn't call them out publicly although it's pretty apparent he hasn't really had the talent he needs around him and no one would really blame him if he were to bitch. Whereas Kobe is just a giant pube of a human being.
However these feelings changed just about a week ago. Sure, I still feel sorry for the Cleveland fans but that sally-ass, pussy-elbow, left handed free throw shooting bull shit was some of the lamest nonsense I've ever seen.
All James is accomplishing by crying about his wimpy "injury" is he gets to protect the Lebron James product. It's pretty friggin expected that this man will win multiple NBA championships. Maybe his elbow is a little sore (I'm sure just about every player is at this point) but what's there to gain by faking this lame injury???
Basically Sportscenter and reporters who take turns giving him HJ's will make the story even bigger than it already deserves to be. Then when (not if) the Cavs blow it - whether it'd be to the Celtics, Magic, or Lakers - James can fall back on his sore wittle elbow as the excuse to why he STILL hasn't delivered.
Is it just me or does this seem as if it is becoming a trend?? James and the Cavs look unbeatable in the regular season, and hell I admit I was ready to hand them the trophy the past TWO seasons, then in the playoffs they look very ordinary. They are lucky to not be down 2-0 to the aging freaking Celtics!!
We will have our answer in about a month, but if I were to bet I would say an NBA Finals loss to the Lakers and an offseason filled with mysterious elbow excuses & Lebron James free agency tour is what's in store.
At least the Cleveland fans have Mike Holmgren in town to turn around the Browns, right?
There are a number of reasons for this:
1. I hate Kobe, I hate the Lakers, and I hate their stupid fans a ton - This is the NBA. It's a league where your Cinderella feel good teams may win one round but they sure as shit aren't winning a championship. Therefore to stave off another Lakers gay ass championship I will put my alliance with a team and star player who I think could beat them. So out of necessity I would pull for, wouldn't quite say root for, the Cavs n James.
2. Cleveland deserves a title - If you think New England was ever down on its sports luck you haven't met our friends in Ohio. Cleveland has three professional sports teams: Indians, Browns, and Cavaliers. Of these three teams the Browns were the tits in the 50's and 60's. That's it. The 1964 Browns are the last Cleveland team to win a title. Since that time these fans have dealt with: John Elway raping them in the 1986 AFC Championship with The Drive, Earnest Byner blowing the AFC Championship game the next year with The Fumble, a boner of a loss to the Raiders in I believe either 1980 or 1983 where they were down a point and instead of running to set up a FG threw an INT, the Browns being moved to Baltimore, no football from 1996 to 1998, the New Browns coming in and sucking for 10+ years, the Ravens (the old Browns) winning a Super Bowl and being a perennial playoff team, the Indians getting good directly as a result from the strong vibes of the Major League movies, the Indians then blowing the 1995 World Series to the inferior Braves, the 1997 Indians & namely Jose Mesa REALLY blowing the World Series to the Marlins, the 1990's Indians in general never winning a championship despite being so dominant, the 2007 Indians blowing a 3 games to 1 lead to the Red Sox where a win left them against the inferior Rockies, the Cavs losing in 1989 on Michael Jordan's famous buzzer beater over Craig Ehlo, the team sucking giants balls for a good 10 years, then landing a franchise saving first pick in James, who still hasn't delivered because he hasn't really stepped up the last two years in the playoffs, AND TO BOOT the Cavs could lose this year and legitimately see James go on to the Knicks or Bulls. Needless to say I sympathize with these fans.
3. James' game, in my opinion, is much more likable than Kobe's. He's a phenomenal teammate, great passer, jokes with the guys, and doesn't call them out publicly although it's pretty apparent he hasn't really had the talent he needs around him and no one would really blame him if he were to bitch. Whereas Kobe is just a giant pube of a human being.
However these feelings changed just about a week ago. Sure, I still feel sorry for the Cleveland fans but that sally-ass, pussy-elbow, left handed free throw shooting bull shit was some of the lamest nonsense I've ever seen.
All James is accomplishing by crying about his wimpy "injury" is he gets to protect the Lebron James product. It's pretty friggin expected that this man will win multiple NBA championships. Maybe his elbow is a little sore (I'm sure just about every player is at this point) but what's there to gain by faking this lame injury???
Basically Sportscenter and reporters who take turns giving him HJ's will make the story even bigger than it already deserves to be. Then when (not if) the Cavs blow it - whether it'd be to the Celtics, Magic, or Lakers - James can fall back on his sore wittle elbow as the excuse to why he STILL hasn't delivered.
Is it just me or does this seem as if it is becoming a trend?? James and the Cavs look unbeatable in the regular season, and hell I admit I was ready to hand them the trophy the past TWO seasons, then in the playoffs they look very ordinary. They are lucky to not be down 2-0 to the aging freaking Celtics!!
We will have our answer in about a month, but if I were to bet I would say an NBA Finals loss to the Lakers and an offseason filled with mysterious elbow excuses & Lebron James free agency tour is what's in store.
At least the Cleveland fans have Mike Holmgren in town to turn around the Browns, right?
Monday, February 15, 2010
Top 5's
This time of year sucks. No football for a good five months and no meaningful football for about seven months. So here's a bunch of top 5's... mostly football but with a few other lists sprinkled in...
Super Bowl Favorites for 2010
5. Dallas - Had only they canned Wade Phillips for a Bill Cowher/Jon Gruden/Mike Shannahan type coach
4. Green Bay - Love Rodgers and where that shit is going
3. Indianapolis - I sniff a hangover but then again they'll win 12+ games and take that division
2. San Diego - I think losing LT and the obligation to feed his old ass the rock will be a weight off the Chargers shoulders
1. New Orleans - Drew Brees is a pimp
Teams that will make the playoffs after a 2009 miss
5. Panthers - Hog tie Jake Delhomme and launch him off a cliff... Start Matt Moore (anyone really who won't fuck it up)
4. Titans - They aren't as good as the 2008 13-3 record but they don't nearly suck as much as the 0-6 start... I'd peg them at 10-6 and a wild card spot
3. 49ers - Kurt Warner's retirement opens the door for San Fran to take that craptacular division
2. Giants - Waaaaay too good to be finishing 8-8
1. Steelers - Keep... Polamalu... HEALTHY!!!
Teams to fall off after making the playoffs in 2009
5. Patriots - The Dolphins and the Jets are younger and getting better n better each year... the Pats need to make some noise this offseason
4. Eagles - This team should be in the playoffs again but I'm afraid of how they'll handle the McNabb situation. The right move would be to ship him off and start the Kevin Kolb reign in Philly but who knows what they'll do.
3. Jets - I love the Jets roster but you just never know with young teams. They could fall off a bit in year 2 of the Sanchize era or they could go 12-4. Neither would shock me.
2. Cardinals - I'm not a Matt Leinart believer
1. Bengals - Will NOT be going 6-0 in the division again
If I started an expansion team and could have 1 QB for 1 Year it would be...
5. Aaron Rodgers - The only blemish I see so far is that he takes far too many sacks..
4. Ben Roethlisberger - Classic case of taking your stats and shoving em up your ass... Man has intangibles through the roof
3. Tom Brady - I'm thinking year 2 after the injury is more like the Brady of old and less like Carson Palmer after his knee injury
2. Peyton Manning - hmmm well where will this expansion team play? In a dome, maybe I put Manning #1... in a cold wintery city he may drop to 3 or 4
1. Drew Brees - The man put on a clinic at the Super Bowl with good, but not great talent around him.
If I could pick a QB and have him at least a good 5-7 years...
5. Tom Brady - A teeny weeny bit fearful of how it'll play out for Tom... I should be struck down for such blasphemy
4. Philip Rivers - Like I said above, losing LT is going to be huge for the Chargers... just wait and see
3. Peyton Manning - Manning will age gracefully and still be very effective right down to the end of his career
2. Drew Brees - 31 years old and should be plenty good this decade to come
1. Aaron Rodgers - I'm the conductor of the Aaron Rodgers train... hop aboard
Top 5 NBA Title contenders this season (just for the record 3 through 5 don't matter on this list)
5. Spurs - Eh maybe they have a big upset in em
4. Magic - Still a tough matchup for the Cavs
3. Mavs - Sure... why not...
2. Cavs - Regular season is paralleling last season... gotta not shit the bed before the finals this time
1. Lakers - Champs til someone knocks em off
Top 5 best uniforms in the NFL... I always go for simple over too much shit going on... fewer colors is a huge plus and I don't like teams who have like 19 variations of their uniform... I also like uniforms that are tried and true lasting years and years
5. Jets - Ditching the all greens and going back to the Joe Namath unis was a great move... probably have the best helmet in the NFL
4. 49ers - Losing the busy maroon unis that I linked above for the cherry red Joe Montana 1980's look was very smart... more teams need to take notice
3. Colts - I hate them with every fiber of my being but they look good out there... Royal blue and white, simple as hell and you'd think Johnny Unitas was running out of the tunnel onto the field.
2. Raiders - It's too damn bad they suck so much cuz that is a nice looking uniform. Remember when the silver and black meant something?
1. Saints - Black and Gold are so solid together. Simple design and I love the logo n helmet
I also like the Steelers, Cowboys, Chiefs, Browns (home), Packers, and Bears
5 Worst Uniforms...
5. Redskins - Just a dumb team name and dumb logo... imagine if they had a derogatory name/logo for any other ethnic group? People be up in arms...
4. Rams - Here is a classic case of trying to modernize something that already looked great and failing
3. Bengals - Just ugly crappy uniforms... and another team with 76 different variations... each of them sucking
2. Seahawks - I admit that the Seahawks uniforms needed an update but the blue on blue with a tint of lime green is awful... and those alternate unis they wore against the Bears were the worst atrocity in NFL history... the man who decided to put that out there should be killed
1. Bills - Here is a team with a fantastic throwback uniform and a decent former uniform but instead decided on this heinous look
I also hate the Chargers, Broncos, Panthers, Jaguars, and Titans
Top 5 Running Backs of my lifetime - In other words if I could pick a player and have him for the duration of his career on the Pats
5. LT - He's a snivelly bitch but I can't leave him off the list he was a sick player
4. Marshall Faulk - He could run, catch, block, was smart as hell, scored a ton of touchdowns, and from what I gather was a good teammate too
3. Barry Sanders - I don't know that Barry Sanders fits the bill of a running back I'd build a championship team around... he'd run for 2 yards, -4 yards, then bust one for 35... however it would have been friggin sick to have seen him play in person during his prime
2. Terrell Davis - Crazy how quickly he has been forgotten but I'd match TD's prime with any running back in NFL history... a shame injuries ended his career so soon
1. Emmitt Smith - A start to his career that rivaled TD along with longevity hardly anyone has ever seen... heart of a champion and an absolute battering ram to get you 4 yards every carry.
Top 5 Dumbest NHL Teams - I'm still not over the ridiculous amount of over expansion that went on in the 90's
5. Florida Panthers - People in Miami have better things to do than watch hockey..
4. Atlanta Thrashers - Let's give Atlanta another sport where they don't show up to things...
3. Columbus Blue Jackets - So Cleveland and Cincinnati have proven to be decent Ohio sports towns but instead you stick a franchise in Columbus? I couldn't even name 1 player to have ever played for the Blue Jackets
2. Nashville Predators - Really? It was a good idea to put an EXPANSION team in Tennessee of all places???
1. Phoenix Coyotes - There has never been one crystal of ice in Arizona... they don't care about hockey whatsoever... move these guys back to Winnepeg!!!
Top 5 Nastiest Teams in Tecmo Super Bowl for NES
5. Bears - Very underrated team... Neil Anderson and Brad Muster are solid rb's and the D has a lot of nasty players in Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, and company
4. Oilers - If you like to pass it doesn't get better than Moon and four nasty receivers in Hill, Givens, Jeffires, and Duncan
3. 49ers - The niners have a solid ass hall of fame offense with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Jon Taylor, Brent Jones, Roger Craig, and Tom Rathman but they don't really have that go to pass rusher which is a must... Charles Haley and Ronnie Lott are solid on defense but not quite top tier
2. Giants - They don't have the greatest offense but Meggett n Andersen are strong enough and LT (the real and original LT) is sick nasty
1. Bills - People may not agree but tell me where the Bills are weak? Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, James Lofton, QB Bills (Jim Kelly), Bruce Smith, Darryl Talley... strong ass team but I won't lie I'd take any of the top 3
* Not putting the Raiders in here... Bo Jackson is a 1 man attack... Two plays against the computer may work but against another person doesn't cut it
5 Crappiest Teams in Tecmo....
5. Bucs - The Bucs actually have a few decent players but if you were to simulate 50 seasons they might make the playoffs in 3 of them
4. Cardinals - Can anyone name any player from the Cards? Via Sikahema and Johnny Johnson are the only two coming to mind... they have been a pretty miserable franchise for a good 75 years... Tecmo is no different
3. Seahawks - VERY underrated shitty team... they fly under the radar but if you try to play with them you will quickly realize that they don't have shit for players
2. Colts - Jeff George has a strong arm but after that they don't have shit for playmakers...
1. Patriots - Steve Grogan didn't even play in 1991... he retired and we know why... good God he sucks in Tecmo. The Pats defense is littered with slow ass guys too.... I wish I were lying but I've played in/simulated THOUSANDS of tecmo seasons and not one time, NOT ONE TIME has the Patriots made the playoffs (unless I controlled them). I've seen them finish 7-9 once and 8-8 once.
5 Best Characters on The Office
5. Kevin - I love his deliberate slow talking.. especially in the solos to the camera
4. Jim/Pam - They were better in the older episodes
3. Andy Bernard - Ed Helms just friggin kills me... he plays the goofball perfectly
2. Dwight - Rainn Wilson has been forever typecasted
1. Michael - He's everything you'd want in a main character... polarizing as all hell, selfish, unprofessional, flat out terrible at his job... He drives everyone crazy yet he shows his softer side here and there
That's all for now....
Super Bowl Favorites for 2010
5. Dallas - Had only they canned Wade Phillips for a Bill Cowher/Jon Gruden/Mike Shannahan type coach
4. Green Bay - Love Rodgers and where that shit is going
3. Indianapolis - I sniff a hangover but then again they'll win 12+ games and take that division
2. San Diego - I think losing LT and the obligation to feed his old ass the rock will be a weight off the Chargers shoulders
1. New Orleans - Drew Brees is a pimp
Teams that will make the playoffs after a 2009 miss
5. Panthers - Hog tie Jake Delhomme and launch him off a cliff... Start Matt Moore (anyone really who won't fuck it up)
4. Titans - They aren't as good as the 2008 13-3 record but they don't nearly suck as much as the 0-6 start... I'd peg them at 10-6 and a wild card spot
3. 49ers - Kurt Warner's retirement opens the door for San Fran to take that craptacular division
2. Giants - Waaaaay too good to be finishing 8-8
1. Steelers - Keep... Polamalu... HEALTHY!!!
Teams to fall off after making the playoffs in 2009
5. Patriots - The Dolphins and the Jets are younger and getting better n better each year... the Pats need to make some noise this offseason
4. Eagles - This team should be in the playoffs again but I'm afraid of how they'll handle the McNabb situation. The right move would be to ship him off and start the Kevin Kolb reign in Philly but who knows what they'll do.
3. Jets - I love the Jets roster but you just never know with young teams. They could fall off a bit in year 2 of the Sanchize era or they could go 12-4. Neither would shock me.
2. Cardinals - I'm not a Matt Leinart believer
1. Bengals - Will NOT be going 6-0 in the division again
If I started an expansion team and could have 1 QB for 1 Year it would be...
5. Aaron Rodgers - The only blemish I see so far is that he takes far too many sacks..
4. Ben Roethlisberger - Classic case of taking your stats and shoving em up your ass... Man has intangibles through the roof
3. Tom Brady - I'm thinking year 2 after the injury is more like the Brady of old and less like Carson Palmer after his knee injury
2. Peyton Manning - hmmm well where will this expansion team play? In a dome, maybe I put Manning #1... in a cold wintery city he may drop to 3 or 4
1. Drew Brees - The man put on a clinic at the Super Bowl with good, but not great talent around him.
If I could pick a QB and have him at least a good 5-7 years...
5. Tom Brady - A teeny weeny bit fearful of how it'll play out for Tom... I should be struck down for such blasphemy
4. Philip Rivers - Like I said above, losing LT is going to be huge for the Chargers... just wait and see
3. Peyton Manning - Manning will age gracefully and still be very effective right down to the end of his career
2. Drew Brees - 31 years old and should be plenty good this decade to come
1. Aaron Rodgers - I'm the conductor of the Aaron Rodgers train... hop aboard
Top 5 NBA Title contenders this season (just for the record 3 through 5 don't matter on this list)
5. Spurs - Eh maybe they have a big upset in em
4. Magic - Still a tough matchup for the Cavs
3. Mavs - Sure... why not...
2. Cavs - Regular season is paralleling last season... gotta not shit the bed before the finals this time
1. Lakers - Champs til someone knocks em off
Top 5 best uniforms in the NFL... I always go for simple over too much shit going on... fewer colors is a huge plus and I don't like teams who have like 19 variations of their uniform... I also like uniforms that are tried and true lasting years and years
5. Jets - Ditching the all greens and going back to the Joe Namath unis was a great move... probably have the best helmet in the NFL
4. 49ers - Losing the busy maroon unis that I linked above for the cherry red Joe Montana 1980's look was very smart... more teams need to take notice
3. Colts - I hate them with every fiber of my being but they look good out there... Royal blue and white, simple as hell and you'd think Johnny Unitas was running out of the tunnel onto the field.
2. Raiders - It's too damn bad they suck so much cuz that is a nice looking uniform. Remember when the silver and black meant something?
1. Saints - Black and Gold are so solid together. Simple design and I love the logo n helmet
I also like the Steelers, Cowboys, Chiefs, Browns (home), Packers, and Bears
5 Worst Uniforms...
5. Redskins - Just a dumb team name and dumb logo... imagine if they had a derogatory name/logo for any other ethnic group? People be up in arms...
4. Rams - Here is a classic case of trying to modernize something that already looked great and failing
3. Bengals - Just ugly crappy uniforms... and another team with 76 different variations... each of them sucking
2. Seahawks - I admit that the Seahawks uniforms needed an update but the blue on blue with a tint of lime green is awful... and those alternate unis they wore against the Bears were the worst atrocity in NFL history... the man who decided to put that out there should be killed
1. Bills - Here is a team with a fantastic throwback uniform and a decent former uniform but instead decided on this heinous look
I also hate the Chargers, Broncos, Panthers, Jaguars, and Titans
Top 5 Running Backs of my lifetime - In other words if I could pick a player and have him for the duration of his career on the Pats
5. LT - He's a snivelly bitch but I can't leave him off the list he was a sick player
4. Marshall Faulk - He could run, catch, block, was smart as hell, scored a ton of touchdowns, and from what I gather was a good teammate too
3. Barry Sanders - I don't know that Barry Sanders fits the bill of a running back I'd build a championship team around... he'd run for 2 yards, -4 yards, then bust one for 35... however it would have been friggin sick to have seen him play in person during his prime
2. Terrell Davis - Crazy how quickly he has been forgotten but I'd match TD's prime with any running back in NFL history... a shame injuries ended his career so soon
1. Emmitt Smith - A start to his career that rivaled TD along with longevity hardly anyone has ever seen... heart of a champion and an absolute battering ram to get you 4 yards every carry.
Top 5 Dumbest NHL Teams - I'm still not over the ridiculous amount of over expansion that went on in the 90's
5. Florida Panthers - People in Miami have better things to do than watch hockey..
4. Atlanta Thrashers - Let's give Atlanta another sport where they don't show up to things...
3. Columbus Blue Jackets - So Cleveland and Cincinnati have proven to be decent Ohio sports towns but instead you stick a franchise in Columbus? I couldn't even name 1 player to have ever played for the Blue Jackets
2. Nashville Predators - Really? It was a good idea to put an EXPANSION team in Tennessee of all places???
1. Phoenix Coyotes - There has never been one crystal of ice in Arizona... they don't care about hockey whatsoever... move these guys back to Winnepeg!!!
Top 5 Nastiest Teams in Tecmo Super Bowl for NES
5. Bears - Very underrated team... Neil Anderson and Brad Muster are solid rb's and the D has a lot of nasty players in Mike Singletary, Richard Dent, and company
4. Oilers - If you like to pass it doesn't get better than Moon and four nasty receivers in Hill, Givens, Jeffires, and Duncan
3. 49ers - The niners have a solid ass hall of fame offense with Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Jon Taylor, Brent Jones, Roger Craig, and Tom Rathman but they don't really have that go to pass rusher which is a must... Charles Haley and Ronnie Lott are solid on defense but not quite top tier
2. Giants - They don't have the greatest offense but Meggett n Andersen are strong enough and LT (the real and original LT) is sick nasty
1. Bills - People may not agree but tell me where the Bills are weak? Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, James Lofton, QB Bills (Jim Kelly), Bruce Smith, Darryl Talley... strong ass team but I won't lie I'd take any of the top 3
* Not putting the Raiders in here... Bo Jackson is a 1 man attack... Two plays against the computer may work but against another person doesn't cut it
5 Crappiest Teams in Tecmo....
5. Bucs - The Bucs actually have a few decent players but if you were to simulate 50 seasons they might make the playoffs in 3 of them
4. Cardinals - Can anyone name any player from the Cards? Via Sikahema and Johnny Johnson are the only two coming to mind... they have been a pretty miserable franchise for a good 75 years... Tecmo is no different
3. Seahawks - VERY underrated shitty team... they fly under the radar but if you try to play with them you will quickly realize that they don't have shit for players
2. Colts - Jeff George has a strong arm but after that they don't have shit for playmakers...
1. Patriots - Steve Grogan didn't even play in 1991... he retired and we know why... good God he sucks in Tecmo. The Pats defense is littered with slow ass guys too.... I wish I were lying but I've played in/simulated THOUSANDS of tecmo seasons and not one time, NOT ONE TIME has the Patriots made the playoffs (unless I controlled them). I've seen them finish 7-9 once and 8-8 once.
5 Best Characters on The Office
5. Kevin - I love his deliberate slow talking.. especially in the solos to the camera
4. Jim/Pam - They were better in the older episodes
3. Andy Bernard - Ed Helms just friggin kills me... he plays the goofball perfectly
2. Dwight - Rainn Wilson has been forever typecasted
1. Michael - He's everything you'd want in a main character... polarizing as all hell, selfish, unprofessional, flat out terrible at his job... He drives everyone crazy yet he shows his softer side here and there
That's all for now....
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Rope a Dope
Oh Brett Favre you were starting to fake some people out. I've known for a long while that you were a gun slinging, egotistical, media whore, interception machine, but you even made me drop my guard for a moment! All season long I've posted blog after blog which forecasted that Favre the phony would throw a critical interception at the worst possible moment.
Why would anyone not think this way? Favre has 317 career interceptions and an additional 30 playoff INT's. Only Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, and Fran Tarkenton have more career TOUCHDOWNS then Favre does interceptions in the history of the NFL. Favre has thrown more than 20 interceptions in a single season SIX times!
He has thrown two of the most egregious interceptions I have ever seen. In 2003 in a playoff over time game at Philadelphia, Favre threw a back footed floater about 40 yards down field. There wasn't a Packer within 20 yards of the ball and Brian Dawkins looked as if he was fielding a punt. Needless to say he intercepted the pass and a few moments later David Akers & the Eagles ended the Packers season.
The second despicably bad interception was his last throw as a Packer. In the 2007 NFC Championship game the Packers had been let off the hook not once but TWICE by Lawrence Tynes who missed both game winning field goal attempts. You'd figure with the temperature being approximately minus 72 that this would discourage the Giants and invigorate the Packers to steal a win in what had seemed to be a magical season for Green Bay. This is probably true if you have anyone but Brett Favre under center. In his typical boner fashion this boner threw an interception on (I believe) the VERY FIRST PLAY of over time!!! Again, needless to say, a few moment later Tynes gained redemption and kicked a frozen brown block through the uprights propelling the Giants into the Super Bowl.
I'd personally like to say fuck you to Favre for this one in particular. I would have preferred he held that interception in him for another week. In that case my living room would currently be decorated with 19-0 apparel.
All the while we have irrefutable evidence, as the officials would say, of how much Brett Favre sucks (well I guess he doesn't suck in the sense that JaMarcus Russell sucks but aside from his incredible longevity he is a top 15 quarterback at best). You would never know any of this if you were, for instance, a foreigner who came over to America to learn about the National Football League. This foreigner would tune into Sportscenter, pregame shows, and watch each game to see analyst after analyst after announcer after analyst giving Favre a never ending knob job.
"He's a warrior."
"This guy here is such a competitor, does it get any better than Brett Favre?"
"Nobody has more fun out there than Brett Favre."
I honestly want to know, what is each of these idiots actually DOING when they see him throw another interception?
(Pans to Ron Jaworski's house as Jaws is coming back from the bathroom.... "Hmm, I wonder how the Bears got the ball back. The Vikings must have punted.")
I however heard two of the most asinine comments I have ever heard regarding Favre courtesy of Terry Bradshaw and Tom Jackson. Prior to the NFC Championship Bradshaw said, and I'm paraphrasing, 'I have loved watching Brett Favre and he in my opinion is the greatest quarterback to ever play.'
Made me want to puke. Off the top of my head without even stopping to try and think of other players, I would rather have: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Steve Young, John Elway, Dan Marino, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Otto Graham, Johnny Unitas, Fran Tarkenton, Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Aikman, and Kurt Warner.
Notice that I didn't put Bradshaw on there. That overrated piece of crap won four Super Bowls riding a hellacious defense and stellar running game. Had you replaced Bradshaw with Favre... well... uhhh... ok I'll put Bradshaw in there too cuz at least he didn't fuck it up for his team.
The second comment from Tom Jackson came AFTER the Vikings crushing loss to the Saints. Jackson said, and I quote, "That’s the thing about Brett Favre; he’s not afraid to throw an interception. That’s one of the things I most admire about him." Ummm... what?!?!?! Tom, if you want me to throw on some shoulder pads, a helmet, and throw 15 picks a game for the Vikings I'd be happy to. It's been my life long dream to garner your admiration and, shit, you don't seem hard to please!
It's maddening!!! Maddening, maddening, maddening, maddening!!!!
So as the Saints-Vikings game kicked off, I all but had black and gold pumping through my veins. After all, what's worse than the Colts in the Super Bowl? Brett Favre being the opponent! As the game moved on though something funny happened....
I watched this game by myself so here's a bit of a synopsis of what went through my head...
--------------------
- Jeeze, they couldn't capitalize on that Reggie Bush turnover!! Oh man ANOTHER Vikings fumble?! They took out Peterson, my gahd they are falling apart!
(Shots of Brett Favre talking AP through it on the sideline, keeping him & his team mentally in the game)
- Holy shit what a hit!! He musta broke his ribs on that?? No flag!?!?! Favre just got clipped below the knee, jesus!!!
(Shots of Brett Favre grimacing but continually getting up and fighting)
- Fuck me, I'm not actually starting to pull for the Vikings am I? I mean I hate Favre but even the most venomous hater like myself can't do anything but admire that he's fighting his balls off for this.
(Vikings ball 2 minutes and change left. Completion, completion, SEEEEEEED to Sidney Rice. 10 yard run by Chester Taylor)
- Oh my gahd they are going to win this game. Favre!! FAVRE?!?! BRETT FAVRE has held his team together and displayed the type of gritty winning performance that would put Willis Reed to shame!!!!!
- Damn this is a big play, 3rd down... oh shit he has maaad room to run...
*************************************
ROPE A MOTHER FUCKING DOPE!!!!
*************************************
(Favre rolls right and that gun slinging, egotistical, media whore, interception machine throws completely across his body to a covered Sydney Rice, PICKED OFF!)
--------------
I mean could there have been a more fitting ending to this? The microsecond after the interception I knew this game was over. They didn't need to flip the coin in over time because 100 out of 100 times the Saints would have won the toss. They didn't need to review a single play, they didn't need to even play the effing over time. That game was over.
Just another case of Brett Favre being Brett Favre. I just can't believe he was starting to rope me in..... I feel dirty.....
Why would anyone not think this way? Favre has 317 career interceptions and an additional 30 playoff INT's. Only Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, and Fran Tarkenton have more career TOUCHDOWNS then Favre does interceptions in the history of the NFL. Favre has thrown more than 20 interceptions in a single season SIX times!
He has thrown two of the most egregious interceptions I have ever seen. In 2003 in a playoff over time game at Philadelphia, Favre threw a back footed floater about 40 yards down field. There wasn't a Packer within 20 yards of the ball and Brian Dawkins looked as if he was fielding a punt. Needless to say he intercepted the pass and a few moments later David Akers & the Eagles ended the Packers season.
The second despicably bad interception was his last throw as a Packer. In the 2007 NFC Championship game the Packers had been let off the hook not once but TWICE by Lawrence Tynes who missed both game winning field goal attempts. You'd figure with the temperature being approximately minus 72 that this would discourage the Giants and invigorate the Packers to steal a win in what had seemed to be a magical season for Green Bay. This is probably true if you have anyone but Brett Favre under center. In his typical boner fashion this boner threw an interception on (I believe) the VERY FIRST PLAY of over time!!! Again, needless to say, a few moment later Tynes gained redemption and kicked a frozen brown block through the uprights propelling the Giants into the Super Bowl.
I'd personally like to say fuck you to Favre for this one in particular. I would have preferred he held that interception in him for another week. In that case my living room would currently be decorated with 19-0 apparel.
All the while we have irrefutable evidence, as the officials would say, of how much Brett Favre sucks (well I guess he doesn't suck in the sense that JaMarcus Russell sucks but aside from his incredible longevity he is a top 15 quarterback at best). You would never know any of this if you were, for instance, a foreigner who came over to America to learn about the National Football League. This foreigner would tune into Sportscenter, pregame shows, and watch each game to see analyst after analyst after announcer after analyst giving Favre a never ending knob job.
"He's a warrior."
"This guy here is such a competitor, does it get any better than Brett Favre?"
"Nobody has more fun out there than Brett Favre."
I honestly want to know, what is each of these idiots actually DOING when they see him throw another interception?
(Pans to Ron Jaworski's house as Jaws is coming back from the bathroom.... "Hmm, I wonder how the Bears got the ball back. The Vikings must have punted.")
I however heard two of the most asinine comments I have ever heard regarding Favre courtesy of Terry Bradshaw and Tom Jackson. Prior to the NFC Championship Bradshaw said, and I'm paraphrasing, 'I have loved watching Brett Favre and he in my opinion is the greatest quarterback to ever play.'
Made me want to puke. Off the top of my head without even stopping to try and think of other players, I would rather have: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana, Steve Young, John Elway, Dan Marino, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Otto Graham, Johnny Unitas, Fran Tarkenton, Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Aikman, and Kurt Warner.
Notice that I didn't put Bradshaw on there. That overrated piece of crap won four Super Bowls riding a hellacious defense and stellar running game. Had you replaced Bradshaw with Favre... well... uhhh... ok I'll put Bradshaw in there too cuz at least he didn't fuck it up for his team.
The second comment from Tom Jackson came AFTER the Vikings crushing loss to the Saints. Jackson said, and I quote, "That’s the thing about Brett Favre; he’s not afraid to throw an interception. That’s one of the things I most admire about him." Ummm... what?!?!?! Tom, if you want me to throw on some shoulder pads, a helmet, and throw 15 picks a game for the Vikings I'd be happy to. It's been my life long dream to garner your admiration and, shit, you don't seem hard to please!
It's maddening!!! Maddening, maddening, maddening, maddening!!!!
So as the Saints-Vikings game kicked off, I all but had black and gold pumping through my veins. After all, what's worse than the Colts in the Super Bowl? Brett Favre being the opponent! As the game moved on though something funny happened....
I watched this game by myself so here's a bit of a synopsis of what went through my head...
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- Jeeze, they couldn't capitalize on that Reggie Bush turnover!! Oh man ANOTHER Vikings fumble?! They took out Peterson, my gahd they are falling apart!
(Shots of Brett Favre talking AP through it on the sideline, keeping him & his team mentally in the game)
- Holy shit what a hit!! He musta broke his ribs on that?? No flag!?!?! Favre just got clipped below the knee, jesus!!!
(Shots of Brett Favre grimacing but continually getting up and fighting)
- Fuck me, I'm not actually starting to pull for the Vikings am I? I mean I hate Favre but even the most venomous hater like myself can't do anything but admire that he's fighting his balls off for this.
(Vikings ball 2 minutes and change left. Completion, completion, SEEEEEEED to Sidney Rice. 10 yard run by Chester Taylor)
- Oh my gahd they are going to win this game. Favre!! FAVRE?!?! BRETT FAVRE has held his team together and displayed the type of gritty winning performance that would put Willis Reed to shame!!!!!
- Damn this is a big play, 3rd down... oh shit he has maaad room to run...
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ROPE A MOTHER FUCKING DOPE!!!!
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(Favre rolls right and that gun slinging, egotistical, media whore, interception machine throws completely across his body to a covered Sydney Rice, PICKED OFF!)
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I mean could there have been a more fitting ending to this? The microsecond after the interception I knew this game was over. They didn't need to flip the coin in over time because 100 out of 100 times the Saints would have won the toss. They didn't need to review a single play, they didn't need to even play the effing over time. That game was over.
Just another case of Brett Favre being Brett Favre. I just can't believe he was starting to rope me in..... I feel dirty.....
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