A friend (shout out to you KB) posted this, and it amazed and touched on so many levels. Being Filipino, it started off giving me a kick at how foreigners (specially people who drive on the other side of the road) would be shell shocked by the Manila traffic (and kamikaze driving style). But as the video wore on, it tickled many social chords, even to a man that has been around this type of thing his whole life.
Since you’re already on this page, you probably have a bit of time on your hands. I promise, pressing play on the vid will be well worth it.
Just a few thoughts, Josh was initially shocked at how Rogelio’s family is living the way they are. But as he would later know, far more live off far worse. When you can feed a family of eight and still manage to eat at a fast food chain in the mall once in a while, you’re alright by Manila standards.
Then there’s that short look into the country’s reproductive health status (24 mins). That girl that had her first child when she was 14, and eventually had to think about cutting the insane shit she was doing after kid number 13 is a great look at how ignorance is not bliss (at least not under these conditions). Then it circles back to how Rogelio’s family took the RH route after kid number three, and therein lies the difference between living in a box, and owning your own house and livelihood, however little that affords you. The episode’s a compelling way to shake your foundations by showing what seems sad, and then transitioning to what’s worse.
It either puts things into perspective, or gives you a new one. So if you’re stressing about what tablet to get and how fucked up your wireless connection is, settle down. Otherwise, look yourself in the mirror, and give the person you see the finger.
It seems that ever since the musical assault that was "Fungus Amongus" & "S.C.I.E.N.C.E." blew the minds of millions of Incubus fans, every follow-up effort has been met with trepidation. Sometimes, deserved (as Brandon Boyd would admit in the narrative below), often a byproduct of being transfixed by an effort so great that it tends to refuse evolution. We've all sneered at a post S.C.I.E.N.C.E. Incubus record at one time or another (perhaps more) before we fully let the new sound sink in and let the energy mesh with our senses. Perhaps, therein lies the genius of this band, although most likely, that's just the standard way the process of evolution is met. Here, let the man expound on it himself...
Success is a devilish opiate. A swift and heady drink that goes down smooth at first, and then starts to burn your throat and rattle your bones. Only to leave crater sized holes in your constitution the next day. We all love a good success story, don’t we? But interestingly, what usually makes it ‘good’ are not the ‘good’ things about the story. No. It’s the bad things that perk our ears up. It’s the tragedy inherent in the struggle that keeps us tuned in. I am in a band called Incubus. We are all about the same age; and we started our band in 1991. Our story is not unlike other success stories. It has its peaks and valleys, its struggles, its triumphs, its highest highs and lowest lows. But it’s not the bad parts of our unfolding story that have intrigued people over all of these years. To tell you the truth, I am not sure exactly what has kept people interested in us this long. I’d like to think it’s the music we make and ultimately share. I’d like to think it’s because we have struck chords with people at very specific times in their lives and that when they hear certain songs they are harkened back to the not so distant past wherein life changing events and turns in their own stories coincided with lyrics and rhythms. Sounds meandering into symmetry with an individual’s psyche like that rare moment when your body and your shadow line up on a wall. If the music has been the true catalyst for our (once again) unfolding success story, than I’d say we were right on track. Perhaps we are wanderers who have tasted the drug, smiled and mused at the kaleidoscope it wrought, then woke the next day, shook it off and kept truckin’.
Still mildly hungover from our night on the town, we decided that it was hi-time we wrote another record. It had been five years since the release of ‘Light Grenades’, our last full length offering, and we were feeling a collective itch to chase that dragon once again.
By about three songs into the writing process, I think we began to understand that we were unearthing something new. And excitedly, we began chasing that new rabbit as far down, around and into the wormhole as it led us. At a certain point amongst all of this creative wandering we began to understand quite clearly that certain creative mantras were reemerging. Both consciously and unconsciously. Words like, ‘economy’, ‘elegance’, ‘space’, and ‘restraint’ kept creeping back into our many conversations. Words we had toyed with in the past, but never so deliberately and never so confidently. Sprinkle into this caldron a dash of whimsy and a pinch of psychedelia, let it stew in the recording studio for a couple of months and you get this: ‘If Not Now, When?’ Our unabashed, romantic, lush, sonic love letter to the world. It’s darker, slower, more rich, more refined, and more involved than anything Incubus has birthed to date. And I am so happy to share it with all of you. This entire time, Incubus has essentially been searching for a sense of balance between all of the possibilities inherent in crafting a song. I do believe that for many years now we have been searching for something different. Something unique, both to the world and to us as a band. We decided that ‘If Not Now, When?’ our 6th full length studio album would be just that.
In the title track, we set the tone of the album. A stirring in the water somewhere, a long time ago, sends ripples outward. Beautifully. Symmetrically, and relentlessly pulsing out, out, out. They travel countless miles and eventually arrive at shallow waters. Then the triumphant finale. The breaking wave, after gaining thousands of miles of momentum, arcs forward into the future; the wave is about to break. If not now, when? A unique event in space and time. Never to be repeated ever again. Now. Now. Now.
Our first single, ‘Adolescents’ is perhaps the most familiar sounding Incubus song on this new album. It begins with Michael’s unmistakable and inimitable guitar work and rolls its way into a kind of drunken waltz. Creeping its way into the idea that we are collectively just about to reach our cultural teenage years. It does seem like we’ve been around forever. Us, I mean. People. Culture. But all it takes is a sojourn into Earth’s biological record to realize that WE are quite new! And the transitions at play in our complex little game are akin to the struggles that an adolescent might endure.
‘Promises, Promises’, is our homage to the pop songs of yester-morrow. Referencing the deservedly ubiquitous artists of our parents’ generation, we are here attempting to craft an artisan’s clock. A piece that ticks effortlessly on the strength of its good design, its beauty and its simplicity. Herein a young girl, after so many failed attempts at love, has resigned herself to a “road of least resistance”. Armoring herself against the pain of intimacy by only engaging in surface affairs. Only to meet someone who she CAN trust with her most valued of possessions, her heart. But she can barely recognize what the real thing looks like after so much time running away from it.
‘Friends and Lovers’ is a song that I always hoped we would write. I do believe it is my most favorite thus far. It speaks to the heart of many of our culturally held biases about relationships and what love looks like. It combats the long held notions of love and intimacy and plainly states that Friends make the best Lovers. And that love can in fact be born of friendship and can indeed last outside of our pre-prescribed notions of what it looks like, feels like and how it endures. Movies and Religion have largely defined our cultural notions of this most important of topics. And in this song it was my attempt to share a different idea of what modern love might look like.
‘Tomorrow’s Food’ was written about two years ago. Making it the first song penned for this album. Here Michael shows us once again how deep his musical well runs. A vibrant, sonic quilt is wrapped around us and we are lulled by its choices and its warmth. Lyrically I am specifically referencing Philosopher Ken Wilbur’s quote from ‘A Brief History Of Everything’, “No epoch is finally privileged. We are all tomorrow’s food. The process continues. And spirit is found in the process itself, not in any particular epoch, or time, or place.” No one had ever put so succinctly and eloquently into words how I felt about growing up. About reaching my mid-thirties. After reading this quote, and witnessing the vast push and pull at play between the old and the new, the young and the not so young, I saw the inherent beauty and wisdom in the process of it all. And consequently, wrote a song about it. It is in this reporter’s opinion that we are in the midst of a massive shift. Culturally, ethically, artistically, technologically, intellectually, philosophically and spiritually. Almost of the “-ally’s”. This shift has occurred before; with different details and end results of course. And this shift will happen again. Absolutely. The new thing at play is our awareness of this shift. The awareness that there is never an ‘end of the world’. Only the process and the choice to witness and to participate. What may feel like the end of the world is that humbling moment when you realize that a new set of ideas has usurped your generation’s ideas. Confused and confounded by the “way things are going” you can’t help but think it’s all going to shit, and that you have to fight to defend what you’ve built. But in actuality what is occurring is a necessary evolution. A handing over of the collective baton. If not now, when?
When we recorded and released our first album ‘S.C.I.E.N.C.E.’, we were but wee lads overflowing with enthusiasm and energy. We’d never really toured, we’d never had an audience other than our family and friends. We ended up touring around America and Europe quite relentlessly for over two years in search of… rock and roll? By the time we sputtered, coughed and crawled our way home we were exhausted. But strangely inspired. We began writing songs for what became our sophomore effort, ‘Make Yourself’. An album that when finished, evoked a kind of head scratching reaction out of us. Being that we had unintentionally helped define a new sub-genre of music with the previous one. It seemed almost counterintuitive that we had just written a rock and roll album filled with melody, restraint, thoughtfulness (both musically and lyrically), and God forbid…singles! (If this narrative had moving imagery attached, I would place a quick edit to Godzilla tearing apart a city somewhere. People running frantically in all directions and a few brave souls here and there pointing up at the fiendish, pre-historic creature from the deep.) Make Yourself was met with trepidation by our newfound listeners. We had flipped the switch on them. Pulled the old switcheroo. We even got nervous at certain points that perhaps we had made a mistake in trusting those instincts to keep moving in this more ‘song’ oriented direction. But a few months after its release, things began slowly arcing towards success. And I stress, slowly. Slowly but surely. In the end, our creative instincts had pointed us in the right direction. It was a meandering compass, but a good one.
If Not Now, When? is the coalescing of this slow arc. The wave that has been traveling so long, about to break. A force that is capable of both beauty and destruction, but is most noteworthy because of it’s uniqueness as an event that will never occur again. Waves have broken before it, waves will break afterwards, but each one is an individual canvas. This one is ours. Yours and mine.
So, if success is a drug, then Incubus is a functioning addict. I know how trite it sounds to be commenting on our own success but I see our addiction as a collective one. You have enabled us thus far and what we are creating in the process will be worthy of conversation for a long time to come. When I say ‘WE’ I mean you and I. All of us. This is, after all, a conversation that started in the early 90′s and has continued until today. A stroll along a winding path through many landscapes and over much terrain. Yes, our bones ache, our dogs are barkin’, our shoes have holes in them, and we don’t look as good with our shirts off anymore. But that doesn’t mean we won’t keep walking! And conversing along the way. I’d like to start thinking of success less as an opiate and more of a segue into the good parts of a conversation.
See you soon, girls and boys. We love making music and we feel blessed and grateful to have your attentions today and hopefully tomorrow!
Cheers,
Brandon Boyd
In the spirit of The Mavs WCF game one victory, Sasha Vujacic, Shane Mosley, J.J. Barea, here’s a little photo montage:
is reportedly engaged to this guy... and this smoking specimen... ..is dating the guy on the left And in case you still haven't heard, Puerto Rican J.J. Barea's coming out party in the playoffs might have something to do with this Latin jewel: Yep, that's 2006 Miss Universe from Puerto Rico dating this guy: Look, I'm not hating on any of the guys above, even though I may have given Bynum a nod of approval when he Shawn Michaels-esque forearm bashed "poor" J.J. back in game four of the first round (but, hey, pardon a Laker fan), I'm just uttering a collective "Daayuum, you go brothas.." to these hombres. Again, your 2006 Miss Universe, Zuleyka Rivera.
I thought I had a lot more to say about that, but, apparently, pictures do paint a thousand words.
In totally unrelated news. Add “have a 39 year old chick that looks like this” to your bucket list.
Alrighty...hoops. If you’re a friend of mine or have skimmed through the blog a bit, you understand that I was thrilled to see the Bulls take game one of the ECF. And even more thrilled that LeBron “I overreact to a second round series victory” James went for all of 15 points, missing 10 of his 15 shots. Neither team, with exceptions coming from Bosh and Deng shot particularly well (although in spite of what you may have heard and read about the Bulls’ defense in game one, the Heat shot 47.1 percent from the field, 37.5 from deep), but they didn’t exactly stink up the joint either. So what does that tell us? Nothing. Except that another Bulls win at home in game two will put a ton of pressure on the “Heatles” (Am I the only one that thinks that nickname sucks a boatful of ass??). Can’t wait. That should be a fun blog entry, should that happen, and should the universe spare that previous line the jinxing power that I currently (and unfortunately) possess.
From Basketbawful.com
But how about the big German, yea? Dude is playing berzerko right now and so are the Mavs. Can you imagine what kind of shit Mark Cuban’s gonna try and pull off when they actually win it all?
That’s it. Just had to let the rest of the office hear me punching on the keyboard. Cheers, mofos!
So I wake up today on time for work for what seems like the first time in months. I switch on to NBA Premium only to find out that the signal’s still down from the heavy rains of the night before. No worries. Coffee, cigarettes, another try at catching some playoff action. Bulls vs. Hawks just starting. Fair enough. East coast games start earlier, right? Wrong. I get to the office and my iPod explodes with alerts from what I presume was Facebook. That would have been fine any other day, quite normal, even. But today was Game Four of the Lakers-Mavs series, my boys down 3-nil. You know what I’m getting at, right? I wouldn’t get a shit load of “congratulations” for still being down 3-1. So what’s the first shit I see? 122-86. I couldn’t even muster a grumbled “fuck.” All that came out was what has come out during every game of the series, a semi-high pitched, “really???” So as it turns out the Mavs bench went mega-pistachios from deep on their way to sweeping Phil Jackson and the Lakers out of the league.
So, I let it sink in for a bit, but it doesn’t. So I do the only logical thing to absorb the loss and go on Facebook to face the wrath of a hundred haters. Look, I talk a lot of smack because I’ve been spoiled by my Laker fandom and the frequent success (and trash talking rights) Laker fans enjoy. So, I understand that when we fall, I deserve all the smack sent my way. Fair game. So every thing's fine (I even post a few congratulations to a couple of Mavs fans), until I saw this video...
Ok. I didn’t watch it. As a true and loyal Laker fanboy, I couldn’t stomach it. But the title...”All We Do Is Win”
I mean....just check out the recent history:
2001-2002 - 57-25 record in the regular season. Which lead to a second round exit vs. The beautiful basketball of the Sacramento Kings.
2002-2003 - 60-22 record. They came out smoking in their first round matchup vs. the Blazers storming to a 3-0 series lead. So they do what a virgin urged to give head does and choke all the way to game 7, flirting with becoming the first team to blow a 3-nil series lead. Fortunately, they escape game seven and come through another game seven in the second round vs. the Kings to eventually enter the WCF against the Spurs. So here’s how it went, they beat the Spurs in the opener. Lost game two, where as luck would have it, they lost Dirk to a sprained knee. Bummer. After that, they do what they’re supposed to and crumble to go down 1-3. But these Mavs were a resilient bunch as they fought back to win game five without their star. And with Dirk still in a sweater for game six, they held a 69-56 lead entering the fourth. But reality sets in during the fourth, as a barrage of threes from Steve Kerr leads to the Spurs outscoring the Mavs 34-9 in the fourth. Not quite the choke job they would get famous for later in the decade, but a decent gagging rendition nonetheless.
2003-2004 - 52-30 record. Chris Webber gets back at their previous year’s tormentors (a series where he injured his knee) as Sac eliminates the Mavs in the second round.
2004-2005 - 58-24 record. From sportsencyclopedia.com: Despite the loss of Steve Nash, the Mavericks remained one of the best teams in the Western Conference as they got off to a strong start as Jason Terry acquired in a trade from the Atlanta Hawks for Antoine Walker averaged 5.4 assists per game. However feeling something was lacking the Mavericks would land Keith Van Horn for stretch run. The deal gave them a solid 6th man off the bench as Van Horn averaged 12.2 ppg in 29 games in Dallas. Meanwhile Don Nelson would step down and hand the coaching reigns to Avery Johnson, because in select game the team played better under Johnson when Nelson let him run the team. The change would be a boost for the Mavericks, who won their last nine games to finish in second place in the Southwest Division with a 58-24 record. In the playoffs the Mavericks faced the Houston Rockets in a first round Texas Tussle. Despite having their strong finish the Mavs stumbled when the series started dropping the first two games at home. Staring an 0-3 deficit in the face the Mavs staged an amazing 4th Quarter comeback going on a 20-0 run in the 4th Quarter to win Game 3 in Houston 106-102. The Mavericks would keep the momentum rolling winning Game 4 and Game 5 to take control of the series. After losing Game 6 in Houston, the series went to decisive seventh game, where Jason Terry and Josh Howard dominated the game as the Mavs won convincingly 116-76. In the second Round the Mavericks faced the Phoenix Suns led by Steve Nash who won the NBA MVP leading the Suns to the best record in the NBA. IN a back and forth showdown of two of the NBA's highest scoring teams the series would go back and forth through the first four games with both teams cracking 100 in each game. In Game 5 it would be Steve Nash that would knock the Mavericks on the ropes as he scored 34 points in a 114-108 win for the Suns, needing a win at home in Game 6 to force a seventh game the Mavericks would battle the Suns into overtime where Nash again haunted his former team leading the comeback that forced Overtime and continuing his hot hand in OT as he scored 39 points in a 130-126 win to advance to the Western Conference Finals.
2006-2007 The “All We Do is win team gets the best record in the league, finishing with a 67-15 record. Which leads to a “Heather the Deep Throat Queen” masterpiece at the hands of the eighth seed Warriors. Back then, it was only the third time a top seed had that much cock shoved in their mouths by an eight seeded team.
2007-2008 Proving that last year’s regular season was by no means an aberration, they finish with another 50 win season. Then, just to prove that last year’s post season was also no fluke, they come out of the first round to bow out in the first round. Encore “Heather.”
2008-2009 - 50-32. 2nd round exit.
2009-2010 55-27. Lost to the Spurs in six games in the first round.
“All We Do Is Win”
Anyway, this season marked many firsts for a Phil Jackson coached. None of them good. There were loads of tell tale signs that the ship be sinking, but fans, experts and haters have all been in this tango with the Lakers before. They’re the only team that has that proverbial “switch,” and almost everybody, at one point or another, been proven wrong when the Lakers actually manage to flip that switch. So in spite of everything bad that was brewing throughout the season, Laker Land had this inner belief that things will be well once June rolls along. We have Phil, in what he says will be his last year, and we have Kobe to make sure he gives his Zen Master the perfect send off into the Montana sunset. The Lakers fans believed it, and apparently, the team believed it. The team believed it so much that they figured things will take care of themselves, so they came out and played like asses most of the year. That was still good enough to get them the second seed in the West. And it was still good enough to get them past the wounded Hornets. It was still good enough to “almost” get them wins in games one and three. But to the way this year’s Mavs played this series, it was good enough to have them broomedthafuckout.
In case, you needed another kind of an insight into the mind of a Laker fan. Check out this vid.
Notice how the tones of Phil and Kobe contrast. Phil has the subdued, near surrender going on. While Kobe has absolute denial written in his face. That’s the way I felt, myself. The whole “this can’t be happening, so Kobe will do something to prevent it from actually happening” got to me, and apparently, it got to Kobe as well.
I suppose this crazy post season just keeps on getting crazier. Kinda’ like Black Swan. Here’s how Basketbawful.com puts it...
So like I’ve been saying ever since it began to feel like the ship be sinking. Spurs, Magic, Knicks and Laker fans, let’s raise our glasses, light one up and pray to the heavens that when we flip on the games this June, we’ll be watching Memphis and Atlanta in the Finals. It’s a combination of misery loving company and the playoffs just being fucking crazy right now. I love this game.
UFC 129. In case you didn’t see it, you should find a way to do so. It was a good night of fights. Outside of highlight reels, I got my first look at much hyped UFC Featherweight champion Jose Also. I got to hand it to the guy, he deserves all the hype. The striking was incredible for most of the fight. Although, I could nitpick and point out that beyond the first round, his cardio didn’t look the same as it did in that amazing first round performance, but that would be...well, nitpicking. The guy is serious. I mean, could you really blame him for not being used to fighting all five rounds? His opponents rarely get out of the first round, let alone stretch him to all five. Instead of saying, his punches lost a lot of zing as the fight went on, what about pointing out how lethal that leg kick was throughout the fight. Or how that right hook fake to left hook to right leg kick would kill anyone that’s not an elite fighter. Or how he smothers his opponents to death. It’s more of a testament to how much heart Hominick possesses (although 55,000 fans backing you up helps too) than the holes in Aldo’s game (or hole). And while, Aldo was killing him until that mistake in the final round on his way to pounding a baseball inside Hominick’s forehead, I say that if Hominick wins his next two fights, and Aldo dominates his, that they should make the fight happen again.
Oh by the way, this happened.
Oh, I’m sorry, This happened...
Apparently, Mr. Miyagi...err, Steven Seagal is a bad, bad man even beyond the horrible films and TV shows. I mean...
Also, GSP (as expected) got through Jake Shields, although not in the fashion he wanted to, getting his cheek cut, and his left eye closed, mostly due to a freakish punch that damaged (I’m inclined to say it was more of the glove than the impact of the punch) his eyeball making everything, at least according to him, a blur. People are a little bit on him for not finishing Shields, or at least not dominating him the way people have been accustomed to him doing. Watching the fight, I think he was experimenting with a lot of different things in his standup game. There was the overhand right haymaker that, while connecting early in the fight, he kept on throwing (and missing) even when Shields got the timing of that move down. There was also the spinning side kick that he kept on trying to pull off time and time again. I dunno’, maybe he had a bet with Joe...
What does the fight mean to the UFC landscape? I’m not really sure. Maybe it shows that in spite of the fact that the GSP-Silva super fight will make a ton of sense financially, it might not be the best idea for GSP. Reports have come out that after the weigh-in, the plan was to put on as much as 25 lbs. once he got in the octagon. Perhaps, it was a matter of him trying to get accustomed to fighting at a heavier weight to try and see how ready he is to move up in case the Silva fight happens. Whatever the reason maybe for the weight gain, it appears that there’s a lot of work to be done in those terms. Either that, or people just have to accept that there’s no way GSP can handle the length and size of the Spider. He may be the best welterweight champion (and perhaps will go down as THE best champion in UFC history, depending on what Bones Jones does over the next decade) in the history of MMA, but maybe he’s better served not reaching for Anderson Silva just yet. Not everyone can move up in weight as successfully as Pacquiao.
In related news, Manny Pacquiao has just been annihilated in the girlfriend / wife smokin’ hot ass division by Sugar Shane Mosley.
As is the case with most promotional videos, this serves its cause as it (sort of) stirs the imagination that the fight might be competitive. Head on to YouTube for the rest of the series, or just forward to 8:00 to check out what Shane’s hitting....cue “gooootdaaaaaang!!” and “meeeeeerrrrrrcccyyyyy”
This weekend, GSP takes on Jake Shields, a fighter I’ve only seen Shields fight in the once, and I was so unimpressed, I don’t even remember who it was against, except that it was his fight in the UFC. Now, if I’m correct in saying that was his only fight in the UFC so far, then that’s the fight I’m talking about. Anyway, you can never be sure with primer videos. Since they’re obviously marketing tools, you really don;t know how competitive a fight’s going to be just based on those. What I do know is that Shields is riding the crest of a 15-fight, 6-year winning streak. Instead of me telling what’s more, just watch the vid below.
So yea...In my head, a few things hinge on this fight. If GSP disposes of Shields he like ought to, I suppose the UFC will finally stop putting him in fights in the welterweight division. That’s no expert opinion, but how many times will he have to defeat inferior opponents while waiting for a true challenge. Everyone knows who the real challenge is, and he’s up at 185. Rumblings at the rumor mill has it that the UFC is just waiting for the right tie to finally make it happen, but until then, there’s really no sense for GSP to fight at welterweight anymore, assuming he wins this Sunday.
If Shields, shocks the world though, my instincts tell me that an immediate rematch is the direction they’re going to take. I mean, I suppose they owe GSP that much. That will, in turn (at least in this fan’s head), make the fantasy matchup of Bones and Spider a little more likely. I know Bones is too big, but with no real threat at middleweight, what’s Silva gonna’ do? Plus, he’s not getting any younger. Add to that the fact that that fight would be delish...
Dream-like scenarios aside...look for GSP to use that jab and left hook he’s been working on with Freddie Roach to be a factor in the fight, since based on the video above, it doesn’t seem like GSP will be too eager to take it to the ground. Plus, he’s got this...
Since a lot of members of the blogger-verse are doing it. And, more importantly, since I’m done tiptoeing around my deadlines, let me get started on my own take.
The man sprang up and surprised everybody back when he came in as the starting point guard of the Sacramento that, up until he ran the show, had no identity whatsoever. Chris Webber was the only established star, and even then was only beginning to come to grips with the fact that he was going to be balling in Sac-Town for the meanwhile. This was before the age of YouTube and viral videos, but “White Chocolate” made sure that you had enough of a fix with his nightly appearances on Sportscenter. He made the Kings the most exciting team in the league. He reestablished the basketball culture long lost in that part of America.
Here in Manila, it was nearly impossible to get hold of a Jason Williams jersey, so like most kids who played basketball religiously and had to get in the J-Will bandwagon, I toyed with the idea of switching my jersey number to 55 and shaved my head when he did. I took my dribble a little higher, shot a little farther, and practiced that left fling pass against the wall when no one was around. He captured everyone’s imagination. Yes, there were young Allen Iversons and Kobe Bryants doing their spectacular deeds. Vince Carter, who blew everyone’s mind with every dunk, came in as a rookie the same time he did, but the dude was just different. Well, to be completely honest, and just steer clear of any racial backlash, he was white. Apart from the time, and in spite, my dad taking me to the cinemas to see “The Pistol,” I had not seen anything that white come close to what he was doing on the court. I’m not sure any of you who have stumbled upon this blog are too young not to remember what kind of magic the man was, but just in case you’ve been celebrating 420 day earlier than I am, here’s a refresher...
I gotta' be honest, in spite of the slew of crazy athletic point guards that have stormed the league in recent years, if he had come into the league now, he'd still be his own beast. I mean behind the back fake to elbow pass?? Seriously?? We all had to wait for YouTube to arrive before we could truly understand what he just pulled-off right there.
Even when he toned down the act in his stops in Memphis and Miami, I was still rooting for the guy, waiting for that moment when he made my jaw drop (and not in that Glee-watching dude kind of way).
Also, you gotta' love him for this side of him... Gotta' love the look on Matt Barnes' face... So yea, good luck with whatever is you're going to do next, Mr. Williams. And to the rest of you mofos, Glorious 420 to y'all!
I knew that the Playoffs would be exciting, but the with the rest of the first games of each series nearly done, who knew it would be this good this quick?. In what most everyone considered a brooming waiting to happen, the Indiana Pacers nearly shocked the Bulls with solid play until they were reminded who’s season this has been so far. Three words: Fast.Don’t.Lie There’s a reason #gotdamnderrickrose was trending on Twitter, and in Game 1, he gave us all a good glimpse, setting a playoff career high with 39 points, and one incredible play after another that left the TV guys just laughing at how incredulous the things he was pulling off were. A few thoughts: that game for the Pacers can be one of two things. Having come that close to winning a game against a heavily favored team only to have it slip away can end a series in a certain way. Sort of like when Nick Anderson missed those four straight free throws in game one of the Finals. After that, it was like they had the soul sucked right out of them (in spite having a couple more close games en route to that 4-game sweep). Hopefully (if only for good TV), they can build confidence from that performance. I’m not sure they can play any better than they did, though. Tyler Hansbrough played out of his mind, shooting like he was alone in a gym, the way he drilled jumper after jumper. Daren Collison was toe to toe with D-Rose until the final minutes of the fourth. And Hibbert and Granger also had their moments.
Anyway, if the first day of the Playoffs was good, the second was even better (although not for this Laker fan). As I am writing this, the number 1 & 2 seed in the West lost Game 1 for the first time in the history of the NBA. Boston and New York came down to the last shot. And at this very moment, the Nuggets and the Thunder are locked up in a real battle. So here in Manila, people might be looking forward to the Holy Week, but hoop heads are going to be treated to some ‘holy shit’ basketball-wise.
In case you still haven’t heard, the Lakers came out flat against the Hornets, while Chris Paul played his best game of the season with 33 points 14 assists 7 rebounds and 4 steals as he led his team to an upset win on the road against the two-time defending champs. Curiously, this happened recently...
see it from a different angle... I’m a fan of lap dances myself, but if Nicki Minaj and that humongous thing behind her can induce a performance like the one Paul just had, “GoootDaaamn”. I wonder if the wood Paul gathered from that lap dance was the reason he was able to pick the Laker defense apart. Well, having an extra leg always helps.
I can’t find a video just yet, but there’s something about the Kobe Bryant post game presser that elicits some concern from me as a hard core Laker fan. If you recall during the past two championship runs, Kobe Bryant would be as grumpy as a dude who can’t score on his chick whenever the Lakers lost. After Game 1 against the Hornets, he was very calm, laughing, even joking with the members of the press. I understand a lot of it can be confidence in what his team can do, but I also understand that it could be overconfidence. There was no sense of urgency in his demeanor, his tone, or his face. I won’t ever doubt the Lakers, I’m just saying that the Lakers might have become bored even by the 1st round now. Cocky bastards, I know...
Anyways, enjoy hoop heads!
Western Conference talk -- In case you missed out on it or just read a tweet, Andrew Bynum stepped on DaJuan Blair’s foot, slid and in the process hyperextended his right knee. Phil Jackson said that the big man, vital in the defensive schemes of the Lakers, may be out a couple of games. Bynum, despite the initial fear (understandably so) on his face after the incident, was more optimistic afterwards, saying he’ll be fine. MRI’s revealed a bone bruise confirming he’ll be ready, albeit doubtfully a hundred percent for the 1st game of their series vs. New Orleans.
In that game against the Spurs, Gregg Popovich opted to rest his big 3 and allowed the Spurs’ B team to grind it out with the struggling Lakers, in spite of Chicago threatening to catch them for the overall top seed and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Curiously, though, “Pop” then decided it was a good idea to play his stars the next game against the already eliminated Suns. Throughout the past couple of weeks, bloggers and sports heads have been debating the subject of resting stars and manipulating games to choose a better match-up. As it turns out, Karma would have none of that.
While both will reportedly be good to go for the first round, it’s a truly tough break for the top two teams in the West. And while you may think the East have it better, Joakim Noah hurt his ankle in yesterday’s game vs. the Knicks, while Ronnie Brewer, an important part of the Bulls’ rotation, hurt his wrist in the same game. For Boston, Shaq is still hurt, Kristic (aka the dude they got for Kendrick Perkins) is also hurt, while Jermaine O’Neal has given up looking for both his legs since it was reported missing since 2005. And two of the Miami Thrice have been known to be prone to alien abduction around this time of year. So no one has fully been spared.
All beware!
This weekend, the NBA Playoffs are officially on. But in case, you’re too busy with work, stressed with bills, mortgages, or crazy ex-girlfriends, which have led you to forget, here’s something to get your blood pumping for some great hoops.
Nice, eh? But a couple of things stood out: 1) Did that vid just open with LeBron talking about what it takes to win in the post season?!? Who-How-Whu---nevermind. Must be on Wikipedia or somethin’...or Twitter. 2) If you ever thought, Chris Bosh was one big flapping vagina, well know this...he likes his titties just as much as the next guy. Need proof? Skip to 1:45 of the video above.
It’s been a fun season, what with all the back stories starting from the craziness of the free agency period, the evil alliance down in South Beach, the Melo trade rumors all season long, the break-out seasons of some young stars. But now the real season starts. Blake Griffin treated us all to a few years worth of highlights in his first season, but now, he’s got to let the men play.
For the usual suspects, it’s been business as usual. If, at the least, you’ve kept your pulse on the NBA, you know that save from some surprises from feel-good teams like the Sixers and Grizzlies, basically the same cast of teams are out to battle it out in the NBA’s second and more important season. But in case you’ve been living under a rock with a sack full of Diazepams and some tequilla, here’s a little bit of a refresher...
Yes, most pundits have it as inevitable. While, I'm sure everyone involved (fans included) are keeping their fingers crossed, they're also preparing for the worst. This may a satirical take on the looming lock-out, but it also may be the simplest way to explain why a bunch of multi-millionaires can't all just get along. Nuff said. Likewise... But wherever your alliances may lie, you need to understand that the road to the NBA Title still goes through... Damn straight.
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