NBA Blog

I am a walking zombie right now.  I could easily pass for one of the characters from “Night of the Living Dead”, “Shaun of the Dead”, “Land of the Dead” and all the other zombie-flick re-treads (except “Shaun of the Dead” is brilliant).  The east coast time zone is completely sucking the life out of me.  I checked the time during the third quarter last night and it was already past midnight.  Ridiculous.  If I were a casual NBA fan, I would be fine, because I would only be watching my team play.  But NO.  I have watched each minute of all the Western Conference games this playoffs.  I even try to watch the Eastern Conference games, you know, if they actually took place and all.  Fortunately, there is no real NBA playoff game tonight, and I might have the opportunity to get to sleep before 1:30 a.m.  Seriously, the only thing keeping my head from bouncing off my giant wood desk is the 32 ounces of black sludge i created in my office this morning.  I used so much coffee for my two cups of joe, I feel like I need to chew it to drink it down.  I also have my head propped up by one of my worthless law school books (I used one from my third year, because it is the most sturdy, having never been opened before).

While I’m here, I might as well give some incoherent, java-infused ramblings on last night’s game. 

1.  The game was very well played.  Phoenix actually moves a lot better without Stoudemire (I apologize for spelling his name wrong previously) on the defensive end.  I noticed before his suspension that he picks up a lot of stupid fouls because of laziness.  Amare is slow to rotate and move his feet on the defensive end, which should not happen to such a quick big man.  He just has not committed to the defensive end of the court.  Then again, you could say the same thing for Nash, but Nash is tough enough to exert a little bit more effort on D. 

2.  Leandro Barbosa has yet to make an appearance in this series.  I think his complete failure on the offensive end has cost Phoenix a lot.  If he provided any type of a spark last night, the Suns would have won that game.

3.  Thank you Phoenix Suns for last night’s game.  That was a phenomenal game.  I know Phoenix fans will b*&^% and moan because they could have won that game if they had their stars, but I think they showed the toughness that they have lacked in the previous four games.  They fought hard and pushed the Spurs to their limits.  I really enjoyed the game, and aside from Raja Bell’s atrocious flop, it was an outstanding game across the board.  Sure, both teams had their dry spells on the offensive end, but I think that was due to some extra effort on the defensive end by the opposing team.

4.  Speaking of egregious flops, Raja Bell (as I already mentioned) is criminalizing it.  Check out the Sports Guy’s article yesterday about flopping and what it is doing to the game, and then go to YouTube to check out some of Bell’s flops this postseason.  They are hideous, and last night’s was the worst.  Only Andrei Kirilenko’s swan dive in game 5 against Golden State compares to that thing.  I am really, really sick of the dives that these players are taking.  It looks more like soccer (a European sport that just has not caught on, probably because of the incessant flopping) than a basketball game.

5. For the Phoenix fans: Helmets = Brillliant.  That was high comedy, and I have a newfound respect for them as fans after last night.  Have they been poorly represented by the crybaby bloggers?  Yes.  Last night they flocked to the arena in elbow and knee pads, helmets, band-aids, and all other amenities from a first aid kit.  Then, throughout the entire course of the game, they cheered for their boys when they had the ball and booed loudly and continuously when the Spurs had the ball.  Great stuff.  I hope my trusted Spurs fans live up to that effort tomorrow night.

6.  Have you ever noticed how easily Tony Parker zooms down the court for a fastbreak layup, and then he has to grimace to run back the court on the defensive end, despite the fact that he’s running back on defense at half the speed?  Gets me every time.

7.  Saw someone call the San Antonio Spurs the “Rick Mahorn-esque Spurs.”  You, sir, are an idiot.  Do the Spurs constantly maintain contact with the guy they are guarding?  Yes.  Do the Spurs bump players coming off of screens?  Yes.  Do they hand check?  Yes.  Do they grab a guy everytime he runs into the lane and throw them down only to stand over the injured wreckage?  No.  Do they throw elbows in the face of their opponent constantly?  No.  Do they get into fights constantly to assert their toughness?  No.  Don’t compare the Spurs to Rick Mahorn, that just makes you look stupid.

8.  Is some of the criticism of Bruce Bowen unfair?  Yeah, I think so.  While he does more than what he should on the basketball court, I really do not think he is out there with the intent to hurt the opponent.  I have been around enough people that have met Bruce, and I have watched everything he does in the San Antonio community, and he really, really is a nice guy.  I also do not buy into the “great athlete with complete control of his body” routine for those people trying to call him dirty.  The man is a small forward/shooting guard that shoots 50% from the free throw line for crying out loud.  When he first arrived in San Antonio, he drove me nuts with his inability to throw a crisp pass and inability to dribble the ball.  I honestly and (writer’s freedom to use a pseudo-word) unbiasedly think that he is not as great of an athlete as everyone thinks.  He is constantly in the grill of his oponent, and uses a tremendous amount of effort to stay with the younger, more athletic players.  The close proximity he is able to keep with his opponent leads to the closeout that rolls ankles.  (Sarcasm alert) Also, have you seen the size of his feet?  They are huge in proportion to his body, with the exception of his giant, melon noggin.  Steve Nash even tripped over Bowen’s feet at the end of last night’s game, and Bowen was not even moving. 

9.  I am glad that Bowem knocked down what proved to be the game winner in front of Mike Iavoroni last night.  I have a real big problem with Iavoroni, and have for several years.  He’s a coach that runs at opponents as they are shooting jumpers in front of the Suns bench.  Read that last sentence again.  This is not a new trend either, he’s been doing it for at least four years.  I remember him doing it against San Antonio in 2003.  I have no problem with bench players screaming at the shooter, because that is what they are supposed to do, but a coach has no business jumping up with the players to scream and jump at a shooter.  It is just wrong.  Maybe if Iavoroni realized he was a coach and no longer a player, he could have turned and stopped Stoudemire and Diaw before they got too far from the bench in Game four.  That is, after all, one of the important jobs of being an assistant coach. 

Oh my goodness.  The suspensions of Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw are having some major fallout across the ‘net.  During one of my few (read multiple) daily breaks from the legal grindstone, I checked out some of the links at ESPN.com.  Wow, the so-called NBA fans are going crazy.  Spurs fans are calling Suns fans whiners, and vice-versa.  Spurs (who as of recent history had been labeled “too soft” and ”too nice”) are dirty and whiners while the Suns are too soft and crybabies.  David Stern was even called a fascist in one comment to an article.  To the reactionary media of the world, REJOICE!

People are missing the big picture here.  Whining has been an ongoing problem in the NBA for many years.  Why do you think Stern tried to implement the no whining rule this year?  This is nothing new. 

Physical play is also nothing new to the NBA.  See my article yesterday.  This has been an incredibly timid playoff stretch by comparison to everything that happened in the 1980’s and 1990’s.  Get real.

Anyway, I do believe the suspensions were warranted by league rule and policy.  I also feel that the league will need to re-evaluate the rule after the season ends, just as the league reviews other questionable rules and policies for each and every year for as long as I can remember.  There needs to be some leniency for the emotional levels and intensity that occurs in the postseason.  However, rules are rules, and they were clearly broken, and Stern HAD to suspend Diaw and Stoudamire.  Does it suck for the next game?  Somewhat.  Does it take away from the series?  Not really, because there has been more NBA press and publicity over this than there has been for anything else this postseason, including the Cinderella Warriors.  (For the record, the Jazz-Warriors series was incredibly physical and intense, maybe more than the Spurs-Suns series, and I did not see nearly as much crying from those fans as I have seen from Suns and Spurs fans.  Grow some.)

Does the ruling seem fair?  Who cares.  If you want fair, go watch a youth recreational league game where everyone gets to play and everybody gets a soda and orange slice after the game.  Fair, ha!  That is absurd.  That is the one gripe that is bothering me the most.  Is it fair that the Boston Celtics got shafted by ping pong balls in 1997 when they were clearly the team in most dire need of Tim Duncan’s help?  Is it fair when you get pulled over going 67 in a 60 after some jerk in a souped up 2 fast 2 furious car goes zooming by at 75 mph?  There are a lot of things in this world that aren’t fair, and a lot of rules don’t seem fair when you are on the losing end of them.  But crying about fair when your players are dumb enough to RUN ONTO the court, and your coaching staff (who is probably way too emotional anyway)  is too slow to react and stop them is stupid.  Go pull your achievement ribbon out of the drawer, dust it off, and put it on your shirt for the game tonight.  Meanwhile, I will continue to focus on what makes a WINNER in professional sports. 

For those people that tried to link Tim Duncan’s actions by stepping onto the court when Francisco Elson smacked the ground after his dunk (AND ALL THE OTHER PLAYERS WERE HEADING TO THE OTHER END OF THE COURT), you are wrong to compare Timmy’s conduct and Amare’s actions.  Amare ran towards the action and even circled around a coach to get there.  There was a confrontation going on at the time, because Horry and Raja Bell (who has taken flopping to an obscenely new level light years beyond what I thought even Manu Ginobili or the great Doc Rivers were capable of) were entangled in a pseudo-brawl type of thing.  Tim walked onto the floor during a stoppage in time (the official had blown the ball dead) after Elson crashed down to the floor and the other players began to make their way onto the court.  Try to take a second from your furious and incoherent Internet postings and review the rules for the MANDATORY one-game suspension when leaving the bench DURING AN ALTERCATION. 

Also, for those morons who think that this will be Robert Horry’s defining professional moment, I have six things to say to you.  1.  Clutch shots for the Rockets for their first championship.  2.  Clutch shots for the Rockets second championship.  3.  Clutch shots for the Lakers (and his third) championship.  4.  The game 6 winner against the Kings en route to the Lakers second championship in a row and his fourth championship.  5.  Incredible defense and backbreaking threes against the Spurs en route to the Lakers third championship in a row and his fifth championship.  And finally, the picture on my wall of the Game 6 winner with less than 5 seconds left against the Pistons for Big Shot Rob’s sixth ring and the Spurs third title.  I’m pretty sure that people will remember those things long before they remember the hip check heard around the Arizona metroplex. 

Enjoy the game everyone, and try to be reasonable for once. 

Sidebar: The Jazz-Warriors series was a delight to watch.  The games were fast and physical.  Sure, Don Nelson’s coaching flaws were exploited; too many rushed threes, not enough defensive stops, lazy fastbreak passes, poor execution, and missed free throws.  But the games were consistently exciting.  It looked like fights were going to break out during each stoppage of the game last night.  Both teams were attacking each other, including the perenially soft Mehmet Okur.  It was an exciting series to watch.  Then when all was said and done, the teams exchanged handshakes and hugs out of respect for the competition and tenacity.  It was good stuff.

Of course, the irregular fans of the world have already crowned the Spurs or Suns (whomever wins this series, probably the Spurs because the Suns can’t possibly win two games in a row against San Antonio since David Stern is biased and unfair in his iron clad rulings), despite the fact that the Jazz have already shown that they can win no matter what type of game is played.  They beat the Rockets at Houston’s slow-down-no-fastbreak-physical system and then went on to  beat the Warriors at their own uptempo game.  Utah has developed to one of the deepest and versatile teams in the league.  They really remind me of San Antonio with their two-man game, dominant power forward and point guards (Boozer and Williams), excellent outside shooting (Okur and Fisher), incredible coaching and execution (Sloan), outstanding individual and team defense (Kirilenko and Fisher), and mid-range game (Harpring), toughness, and rebounding at both ends of the court.  They break you down throughout the course of a game by executing their offense and efficiently running when the opportunity presents itself.  Gordan Giricek will have to step up his game though, because he looked absolutely dreadful against the Warriors.

Wow, not 10 minutes after I posted my prediction for the suspensions, Biaw and Stoudamire both received one game suspensions and Horry got a two game suspension.  I think Horry’s was too harsh, but he probably got one for the hip check and one for the elbow on Bell afterwards. 

Let’s just hope for a Game 7 to see Horry come back and nail the game winning dagger to add to his collection of highlight reel shots. 

Oh yeah, I also need to send a thank you to my brother for the kiss o’ death he gave last night.  After Manu Ginobili made a knifing layup to give the Spurs the lead early in the second quarter, my all-knowing bro called me up to let me know that Manu was going to kill the Suns and the Spurs were winning the game.  So what happens, the game ends, Manu is 3-for-11 and the Spurs lose the game.  Great! Grand! Wonderful! 

Peace out G.

Apparently, that is what this post is supposed to be considering all the news and hype that the Robert Horry hipcheck has caused.  Let’s forget the ongoing feud between Sasha Pavlovic and Mikki Moore.  Of course, I’m referring to an Eastern Conference Playoff game, which leads me to the philosophical question, “If Mikki Moore shoves Sasha Pavlovic to the ground with no one watching, does Pavlovic’s body make a sound?”  Horry’s hip check has caused a greater stir than Baron Davis’ elbow to the head of now-superhero-status Derek Fisher.  Yet, Fish did not get as much love and Davis did not take as much of a beating in the press.  Then again, what happened to J-Rich’s flying forearm to Memo Okur?  Obviously, since Okur is a Turkish Jazz man, no one really cares.  (Quick sidebar: Okur looks so much like one of my college football teammates, it is crazy.  I’m calling him Memo Cheatham for the rest of the article.)  Memo Cheatham was actually going up for a dunk when J-Rich slammed into him.  And Richardson hit him hard. 

Now, I will not attempt to justify Horry’s hip check.  I can only think that he was trying to get in front of a surging Nash to draw a charge.  After all, Robert does those smart things at the end of games.  But another thing Robert Horry knows is winning.  And if it requires sending a message to the other team’s star in preparation for the next game, so be it.  This is the playoffs people.  Things get more physical, and teams get more chippy as the intensity and the games progress.  Hell, I was always hated my good friends the most at the end of two-a-days.  Once you have gone up against one team or one person for an extended period of time at a high level, these things are bound to happen.  I don’t want to watch the playoffs and have the players hold hands after every game.  That is what the lame regular season was for.  Man up.

However, I am somewhat concerned about the ramifications of Horry’s shot.  Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw HAVE to be suspended for one game.  NOW WAIT YOU CRAZY SUNS FANS, DON’T ATTACK ME YET BECAUSE I’M NOT DONE HERE.  It sucks that those guys MUST be suspended, because it will seriously hurt the Suns’ chances for next game, even if it is at home.  Without Amare and Diaw, we might get to see the two-headed monster of Sean Marks and Pat Burke on Tim Duncan when Kurt Thomas gets in foul trouble and knocks himself out with a smack to his forehead.  I only say that both players HAVE to be suspended because Stern has always stuck to his guns about leaving the bench during a fracas.  If he lets up on Stoudamire and Diaw here, he will have softened his reign of power for the first time ever allowing other players to challenge similar suspensions.  Stern has established a bright-line rule for leaving the bench, and he cannot waiver on his committment to that rule.  It is just a shame that it will hurt this series in the long run. 

Of course, it could lead to a Spurs win on the road, and then a Suns win on the road to force a game 7 and then everybody wins.  Stern maintains his iron fist, while the best series of these playoffs goes the distance. 

In summation, I think Diaw, Stoudamire, and Horry should all miss one game.  Raja Bell should receive a fine for his retaliation on Horry, and I think that should be the end of it. 

All I know is, somewhere Rick Mahorn and Bill Laimbeer are calling today’s NBA players a bunch of b*&^#$s for their lack of toughness. 

The Warriors-Jazz series is rapidly becoming one of my favorite playoff series of all time.  And that list would shock you.  I try to limit my homer-ness (inventing new words by the minute) by adding such thrilling series as the Houston Rockets-San Antonio Spurs series in the mid-90’s.  You know the one I’m talking about.  The series where we were witness to a barrage of ‘Dream Shakes’ when Hakeem took (the Defensive Player of the Year) took out his anger on David Robinson (the League MVP).  At the time, I was too young to fully appreciate what Hakeem did, but I will admit that I was in the driveway practicing up-and-under, and ‘Dream Shake” moves everyday after that series. 

Well, right now, that series is light years behind what we have been lucky enough to see from Utah and Golden State.  These two teams have been attacking each other at both ends of the court.  Utah’s toughness is amazing, and Golden State just will not go away.  Last night, after the Jazz stretched their lead to the biggest of the night (twelve points) in the third quarter, Golden State just buried four straight threes to get back into the game.  Then, the J-Rich step-back three to take the lead was outrageous. 

Sure, Golden State choked at the end of regulation by missing some key free throws, but Utah took advantage of those misses by knocking down clutch jumpers.  Memo’s two from the corner was ridiculous.  It was an anti-Dirk jumper that had no business going in the basket.  Utah has been able to run with Golden State, yet they have still been able to use their size, strength, and Jerry Sloan-influence to be incredibly physical with the Warriors’ smaller lineup.  And, the refs are letting them play, which is a great thing.  This series will only get more chippy as the games progress and the tension increases.

I do not see Golden State losing at home.  The only game that they could lose at home would be Game 4, simply because they will (possibly) be running on fumes at that point.  Adding Derek Fisher to the mix will really help the Jazz because he is an extremely physical defender on the ball (read, he fouls a ton, but it doesn’t get called), and might be the only player to limit Baron Davis in the playoffs. 

Speaking of Fisher, I have never liked him.  He’s from the State of Arkansas.  I’m a Texan and obligated to dislike all things Arkansas, and if you have driven through that state as many times as I have you would probably feel the same way.  He was a Laker.  He hit the back-breaking .6 second jumper against San Antonio that cost the Spurs the series and probable title in 2002.  He flops and whines a lot (in my opinion, more than any Spur).  He is considered a solid defender, yet he hammers players.  I don’t like the look of his three point shot, and I have had the misfortune to see it a lot.  And now, he plays for the Jazz.  On my list of disliked teams, the Jazz finish tied for fourth with Houston, behind the Lakers, Mavericks, and Knicks.  I mean, that is a lot of stuff to dislike.  But last night showed me a lot about the guy.  He is a good person, which says a lot this day in age.  I just hope that his daughter fully recovers, and Fish is able to help out other children with his fame and money.  Sure, I will not root for him, per se, but I will not openly root against him anymore.  I think that says something about an Arkansas native who is a former Laker-Jazz(er?). 

Sidebar:  Quick rant on Bomani Jones of Page 2:  How can you say that the Playoffs need LeBron to save them?  Have you watched any of the Western Conference playoffs?  Did you see what GSW did to Dallas?  Do me a favor, get out the clips of Baron Davis so far, review them, realize he is doing more than any other player thus far, and then compare his work to that of Deron Williams in the Utah-Golden State series.  Deron is on the verge of making the leap to a star.  Then tune into Game 3 of the San Antonio-Phoenix series, so you can watch San Antonio battle with a suddenly tougher Phoenix team (thanks to Kurt Thomas’ increase in minutes).  After all of that, get ready for an awesome Western Conference Finals, no matter who is playing.  So far, I think the playoffs have seriously salvaged a lackluster regular season.  It is a shame that you have missed them, because you continue to wait for LeBron to go one-on-five against the Nets. 

While I’m here: Is Vince Carter the anti-LeBron James or vice-versa?

Did you ever think that Ivan Drago would be able to block so many shots simply by shedding 50 lbs. of muscle?

There is no way Stephen Jackson drew as much contact in the shooting incident as he has in the first two games against Utah, which is impressive because Jax has been relatively calm.

Who has crazier eyes, Kurt Thomas or Reche Caldwell?

When do the Eastern Conference Playoffs start?

Sure, I thought that the Golden State Warrior - Utah Jazz matchup would be great, but even I did not think Game 1 would be like that.  Deron Williams and Baron Davis lived up to the hype.  AK-47 is out of his season-long funk, and Stephen Jackson continued to play well (despite forcing too many shots on AK-47).  Unfortunately, as a Stephen Jackson enthusiast (have been ever since he lazily stepped foot on the court in San Antonio) I could see the forced drives coming a mile away. 

Al Harrington woke up for the postseason, which did not surprise me at all.  He is the perfect player to play against the physical Jazz players.  Harrington is a bruiser of a small-forward/power-forward combo player.  He’s like Antawn Jamison with a mean streak.  This is the perfect series for him, especially with Boozer and Harpring throwing their bodies around in the paint. 

If the rest of this series plays out the way Game 1 did, I’m on board for every single second of every game, even if it ruins my soon to be marriage. 

So a couple of big playoff games start this weekend, and I need to give my series predictions.

Suns - Spurs - I see this as being one of the best series of the entire playoffs.  The Suns will try to run the Spurs to death, but the Spurs have the ability to slow the pace just enough (while allowing Parker and Ginobili) to get out and run.  The Spurs will win this one in 7.  (Man, I’m such a homer).

Warriors - Rockets/Jazz - For the record, I think T-Mac pulls an anti-Dirk and goes for at least 29 points to propel the Rockets into the second round.  If that happens, I think the Warriors have a puncher’s chance at beating the Rockets in 7 games.  Yao and Deke would become complete liabilities against the Warriors.  If the Jazz win tomorrow night, I see them beating the Warriors in 6.  The Jazz have enough versatile players, Kirilenko, Harpring, Giricek, Okur, and Brewer to get up and down the court with the wild lineups the Warriors will throw out there.  I hope this series happens, because it would be fun to see Baron Davis match up with Deron Williams.  They are eerily similar as far as how their games play out.  Both are big, strong, versatile points, but also have the ability to get out and run.  They can post up smaller guards and knock down big shots outside.  I think Baron is a much, much better defender, but I also think he may the best defensive point guard in the NBA.  Also, watching Al Harrington and Carlos Boozer duke it out would be exciting.  There are a lot of awesome match ups for that series.

Cavs - Nets/Raptors (Is it sad that it took me like 20 minutes to remember who the Heat were going to play?) - Sorry Raptor fans.  They cannot beat the Nets without both of their point guards.  I wish they could, but it won’t happen.  Bummer.  Anyway, the Cavs will beat the Nets in 5, and LeBron James should destroy the tandem of Carter-Jefferson.  The only way the Nets can win this series is if Lawrence Frank puts J-Kidd on LeBron.  Seriously.

Bulls - Pistons - Your guess is as good as mine.  This will be a long, low scoring battle.  I actually think the Bulls will pull this one out in 7, especially after Rasheed loses his cool in the physical series.  Ben Gordon should light it up with at least one 33+ point game.  Hinrich and Billups should be an awesome matchup as well.

As for Saturday, my early pick is Storm In May.  That may change after several tequila juleps (modified mint juleps in honor of Cinco de Mayo, I must pay homage to my hometown of San Antonio baby.)

Enjoy the festivities.

An exchange at the end of last night’s game (tribute to “The Warriors”):

Dirk (with teammates behind him): “You Warriors are good.”

Baron (with his crew standing proud on their home territory): “The BEST!” 

Fade to black.  Roll credits. 

Thanks for coming out Dallas.  We really enjoyed it.  Hope to see you soon.  No, seriously, you played hard and shouldn’t be ashamed.  You really put forth a solid effort.  And Dirk, don’t feel bad, I’m sure that plenty of MVP’s have laid stink bombs in the biggest game of the season, and 2-13 really is not that bad when you think about it.  You could have missed all of your shots.  It is a shame that I did not write something about this team’s flaws early in the season when they struggled out of the gates…oh wait.  (Yes, I always reserve the right to refer back to long-lost articles where I was actually correct.  When you have your own site, you can do the same).

Obviously, my disdane for all things Dallas Mavericks, including fans, players, uniforms, etc., made me thoroughly enjoy their historic series.  The only thing I can hope for now is a complete panic by Mark Cuban leading to the firing of Avery Johnson.  ‘The Little General’ belongs elsewhere, so I can root for him again.  I would have no problem seeing Avery coaching the Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Bobcats, or even the Seattle Sonics.  Let us keep our fingers crossed. 

Get ready for Derby folks.  I have not made a decision on who I will be choosing in the big race.   However, I will be in the infield tomorrow with the rest of the common-folk enjoying the festivities.  Mardi Gras at the track as some people call it (I really don’t know if anyone calls it that, but they should).  Enjoy the “greatest two minutes in sports” people.  I’ll be back next week. 

It seems as though NCAA basketball officials are finally getting it.  First they put restrictions on college coaches and their constant use of text messages.  I can only imagine the number of text messages Kelvin Sampson would send to a blue-chipper.

Now, they finally moved the three point line back.  Of course, it is only about four years too late.  This will do so much for the college game.  It will force coaches to once again establish half court offenses instead of the “hoist-a-three” approach that so many use now.  Maybe we will even get to see coherent offensive plays drawn up at the end of games!!!!!  Coaches may also have to employ some man-to-man defenses and more aggressive zone techniques, because the extended three point line will spread out the court.  Players won’t clog lanes anymore.  Could you imagine a college game where the court is wide open, allowing players to move without the ball and drive.  Sorry Notre Dame, no more park and shoot.  You may actually have to move. 

Moving back the three point line will also weed out some of the frauds in the college game that allegedly live by the three.  Sorry, but the other day I was in the gym and did a little “Around-the-World” shootaround, and knocked down college threes at a 45% clip.  Sure, I play pickup games once a week, but does that mean I should be able to shoot the rock as good as a college blue-chipper?  It shouldn’t, but with the old three point line that is exactly what happened. 

Trust me, NCAA hoops traditionalists.  This is for your own good.  With teams forced to move and drive more, games may average more than 68 points per game.