Kevin Durant

While watching Monday night’s game between the Thunder and the Spurs, I had a thought that was very unlike the thoughts I usually have.  I was watching the Thunder head into the locker room after getting it handed to them in the first half, and I actually had a cohesive moment of clarity where I expressed sympathy for someone who is crazy stupid rich.

I feel kind of bad for Kevin Durant.

Now before you think that I’ve quit SBM to head to my new gig blogging about my feelings over at lifetimemovienetwork.com, hear me out for second.  Kevin Durant does everything that we can expect an athlete to do.  He plays with a freakishly elevated level of consistency compared to the rest of his peers.  He’s polite, smart, and well spoken.  He’s an impeccable dresser and almost never gets technical fouls although he did on the evening I am writing this.  All of these things add up to the fact that Durant is one of the most likable guys in all of sports.  He’s the kind of guy that you could bring over to your grandparents’ house, unless of course your grandfather was Donald Sterling.  Off the court stuff set aside, he’s a beast at playing basketball.  He plays the game with respect and dignity.  And as much as it kills me to say it, I don’t ever think that he’ll win a championship.   

SBM Exclusive: Sports Doppelgangers, Volume 62 – Explaining the Indiana Pacers

Throughout the length and breadth of this NBA season, all we heard about was this vaunted race between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers for the coveted #1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.  For 62 games, the Pacers looked like a championship team waiting to happen. The Pacers were 18-2 in their first 20 games, which included wins over play-off teams such as the Chicago, bulls, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Clippers, and the West’s #1 seed, the San Antonio Spurs. The Circle City Five reached the 62-game mark sporting a  46-16 mark, which was good to keep them 3 games ahead of the Heat.

But then the wheels came off. Over the last 20 games of the regular season, the Pacers limped to a 10-10 mark, including a 36-point ass-hammering by the Spurs, and a 20-point manhandling at the hands of the very same Atlanta Hawks who look to be taking command of their first-round series with Indiana.

So, what the hell happened? You can get as many different answers to that question as people you ask.  So, I’ve taken it upon myself to offer something you won’t get anywhere else on the web: A Doppelganger-based explanation as to what is wrong with the Indiana Pacers.

1) Luis has been a “Firework”

While there are several theories as to who isn’t performing, you can’t apply any of them to Luis Scola. Unfortunately, you can’t say the same for his doppelganger, Russell Brand. That’s because nobody has given a shit about Brand since he stopped sticking his “firework” into Katy Perry.

2) The Disappearance of “P-Mac” George

I’m not sure why it took until now for me to realize the resemblance between the Pacers’ Paul George and Tracy McGrady, unless it because George lately has been playing like T-Mac, and not the NBA All-Star McGrady was in days gone by. Paul George has been basketball playing more like today’s T-Mac, who is now pitching for the Sugar Land Skeeters in the independent Atlantic League.

3) The Island of Dr. Hibbert

Say what you will, but at some point in the last month, Roy Hibbert went from a potential All-Star center to the chuckling Cosby-esque Dr. Julius Hibbert from The Simpsons, except the doctor never got stuffed twice in one game by Kyle fucking Korver.

4) You Can’t Spell “DissaPPointment” without “P”

Face it, the letter “P” doesn’t bode well for championship hopes. The last time the Pacers won a league title was in 1973 when they topped the now-defunct American Basketball Association. 60 miles to the northwest of Indianapolis lies Purdue University, which despite having won more B1G Ten titles than any other school has yet to win a national championship. Then there’s the Pittsburgh Pirates, who since their last World Series win 35 years ago have only managed four first-round play-off losses.

Top 10 First Round Series In NBA History

jsportsblogger

The first round of the NBA playoffs have a history of being slightly disappointing. Unlike the NHL, the NBA usually looks at its first round as television fodder for the networks to discuss future matchups in later rounds. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been memorable moments. In fact, the first round has seen some of the most dramatic moments in NBA history. Here are the 10 best first round series in NBA history.

1989: Chicago vs. Cleveland

The series that saw the beginning of how clutch Michael Jordan was at crunch time. But it wasn’t supposed to go that way. The Cavaliers were favoured to win the series, after a franchise best 57-25 record. Led by the trio of Mark Price, Ron Harper and Brad Daugherty, the Cavs were poised to make a long run in the playoffs.

The Bulls had Jordan, a rising star in Scottie Pippen, and not…

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Dallas Mavericks Playoff Chances

Do the Dallas Mavericks have a realistic shot to make the playoffs?

We have made it in the home stretch of the NBA season and with less than 15 games remaining the Dallas Mavericks are in position to sneak into the playoffs when many people within the area thought they wouldn’t even be close. As of right now the Mavs are sitting in the 8th spot just a game and a half over the Phoenix Suns. But the upcoming schedule for the Mavericks is anything but a cake walk.

To read the rest of this piece; please continue to Kody’s Sports Korner

Before We Get Carried Away…The Miami Heat Are Not The NBA’s Newest Dynasty

I know you are going to be shocked by this, but here comes another Dubsism rant that flies in the face of popular opinion and the bilge being pumped out by ESPN.

First, let’s be magnanimous. The Heat won their second straight NBA Championship last night, and for that, I only have one word. Congratulations. Winning a title in any professional league is tough enough; winning consecutive championships is tougher than getting through an afternoon with your in-laws while simultaneously battling a toothache and hemorrhoidal flare-up.

Click to continue reading…

MEEHAN’S NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS PREVIEW

by Ryan Meehan

While not as glamorous as those in the Western Conference, the Eastern Conference Semis still have some great storylines that are full of wholesome family entertainment. And since it’s my job to take such entertainment and turn it into what essentially amounts to material that’s unsafe for your work computer, let’s take a look at what you can expect to see in the second round.

Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls

Joakim Noah and Lebron James will get the opposite of cuddly starting this week

What happened last round:

Proving once again my theory that sub .500 teams should never make the playoffs in any sport, the Miami Heat wiped the Milwaukee Bucks off the face of the earth. I don’t have nearly enough euphemisms to describe what happened in that round, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to give it a shot. Basically LeBron James heard that Brandon Jennings predicted the Bucks to win in six games, and after he stopped laughing he realized something had to be done about that. So James showed up at Jennings’ farm in the middle of the night, opened the barn door, and then it got really quiet for a few seconds. After that, the clucking started and what happened next was one of the most grisly displays of chicken sexploitation in American history. As my buddy DJ KFC would say “That shit was mad fowl”. Of course, none of that actually happened but if it did would it have been any less embarrassing than the series itself? Not bloody likely, and my version gave you a better visual didn’t it? Don’t you just hate it when somebody ends three sentences in a row with question marks?

THE DEEP SIX: THOUGHTS ON THE NBA PLAYOFFS SO FAR

Zach Randolph is slowly elbowing his way into America’s living rooms

by Ryan Meehan

Wednesday night was a great time for me to sit back and go over some things that have crossed my mind during the recent first round of the NBA Playoffs. So here is an abbreviated version of some observations that I have had regarding what’s transpired so far:

SBM Exclusive Feature: The BLAST-CAST – Volume 8: Talk NBA Playoffs With J-Dub and Meehan LIVE!

The BLAST-CAST, the audio incarnation of the most dynamic independent sports blogging group on the web is going LIVE Tonight! Sunday, April 21st, 8 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) time…or 10 a.m. Monday April 22nd for our listeners in Papua New Guinea, the BLAST-CAST will be live and taking your calls!

Even if you couldn’t give a frog’s water-tight ass about what J-Dub and Meehan think  about the NBA Playoffs, you will not want to miss what the headshrinkers who are worshipping a 1937 Buick left behind by the U.S. Army after World War II think about Carmelo Anthony’s chances of leading the Knicks to an NBA Championship.

Want to be a part of history? All you have to do is go to Talkshoe.com.  If you sign up for a free account, you can follow this podcast and receive updates as to when new podcasts are scheduled. You can also pick an ID, which will matter if you want us to know who you are when you call in. Otherwise, you will be displayed to us as a simple geographic description of your area code.  It doesn’t cost anything to have an identity better than “somewhere in  South Dakota.”

Whether you sign up or not, to participate all you need to do is call (724) 444-7444. When prompted, you will need the call ID number – 127035.

With that, come join the BLAST-CAST on Sunday night and share your NBA playoff thoughts with us!

Click here to listen live to or download the Blast-Cast (MP3 format)…The Blast-Cast is also available on Itunes; just search “SportsBlogMovement.”

NBA Playoff Preview & Predictions

 

I know I’m not the first person to say it, but this year’s NBA playoffs will be extremely entertaining. As you can see from my predictions above, I have the Miami Heat winning back-to-back championships. The competition level has increased a lot since last year but I don’t think any team has reached the Heat’s level.