From juicy discussions at the water cooler at work, to interesting fodder via social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc) about basketball, it's pretty safe to say...and very apparent to those involved in said conversations... I'm an "old man" by today's standards...
A relic...
My idea of what basketball is about was etched into my being during the 80's. The Golden Era of the NBA.
Maybe I was spoiled...
I came up during a time where STARS MADE THEMSELVES. They weren't drawn up in a boardroom. Earvin "Magic" Johnson cemented his legacy by leading his LA Laker team to a title by playing CENTER (Jabbar was out due to injury), putting up 42 pts, 15 rbs & 8 asts....AS A ROOKIE.
My "teeth were cut" while watching Isiah Thomas score 25 pts IN ONE QUARTER....ON ONE LEG (a SEVERE ankle injury that would have sidelined TODAY'S player for a MONTH)....IN THE FINALS. **STILL remains a Finals record**
I watched, as an 11 yr old, while Michael Jordan gave, in my opinion, THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST PLAYOFF PERFORMANCE EVER during a 1987 playoff game against the mighty Celtics. He single-handedly smashed them with a 63 pt putout...AT THE BOSTON GARDEN.
IN THAT SAME BUILDING....ONE YEAR LATER... I watched "The Human Highlight Film" Dominique Wilkins & Larry Bird joust in the GREATEST DUEL IN PLAYOFF HISTORY. Wilkins lit up the Celtics for 47...but wasn't enough to beat out Bird's 20 in the 4th qtr (34 overall). Boston edged Atlanta 118-116.
You can't manufacture that...
You can't script that...
Those players EARNED their stripes. During the PLAYOFFS. ALL of these battles were PLAYOFF BATTLES.
THIS is the game I know. Full of epic battles between teams that STAYED TOGETHER. There wasn't any free agency available. You stuck with your team. You got BETTER. You came back to avenge the previous year's defeat.
I watched the Bad Boys of Detroit (happily, I might add) mentally & physically IMPOSE THEIR WILL over the Chicago Bulls, year after year. A time filled with epic fights, hard fouls & the legendary "Jordan Rules". The Pistons won back-to-back titles during this time.
That didn't stop him. It ONLY fueled his desire (and his team's desire) to get over that proverbial hump, which they finally did in 1991, sweeping the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals...and beginning his own era of dominance.
These examples of GREATNESS weren't the result of careful planning in some shoe makers boardroom, or some executive pow-wow on the links. Greatness has it's own unscripted theater. It isn't manipulated by obvious rule changes to "increase scoring & fan appreciation", as David Stern (NBA commish) subtlely initiated.
Stars became stars ON THE COURT. Your greatness was DEFINED in the POSTSEASON.
When I have these conversations with those that didn't see the things I saw?? It hits me after a while. The game that they "know" isn't the one that I was blessed to see. Their "game" is but a mere shadow of the GREATNESS that it once was.
Sad...
They'll NEVER know the league as it was. They will ONLY know what it has become.
A place where you draft a TOP 5 player...and HOPE that his "potential" will be realized 4 or 5 yrs from draft night. A place where team ball is frowned upon, but crossover dribbles are CELEBRATED...even if you don't finish the play. Athletic gifts overshadow mid-range jump shots & bounce passes. Journeymen players earn MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. Coaches have NO power over players with portfolios, annually taking the fall for fundamentally lacking players. A league that has MAYBE 5 TRUE CENTERS. Inept free throw shooting from STAR PLAYERS. A CLEAR ABSENCE OF TRUE DEFENSE LEAGUE-WIDE.
A diminishing beauty of a game...
But hey...what do I know?? I'm just some "old guy"...
And that's just fine with me....
Friday, May 14, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Can't Have It BOTH ways, folks...
This past Saturday night, Floyd "Money" Mayweather entered the ring against an opponent in "Sugar" Shane Mosley, in which was widely considered MORE than a credible opponent. Pundits & naysayers alike gave Mayweather kudos for "finally fighting a true welterweight" the magnitude of Mosley. The billing had been set. Additionally, many felt like Mosley would even come out victorious, citing his vast experience, above average speed & power. Attributes that PBF had never encountered in an opponent.
However...
Somebody forgot to mention the "other" elephant in the room...
Likewise, Mosley hadn't faced an opponent the magnitude of PBF. The quintessential boxer. Tactician. Defensive stalwart. Simply put, a once-in-a-lifetime pugilist the sport hasn't seen since its heyday....
Not a big deal, eh?? Oh, let's not get FACTS get in the way of a good "story"...
Fast forward to the fight. Through the first round, Mosley is ahead & looking great, as most expected. Round two begins. Mosley is looking magnificent. So great that 1 minute into the round, Mosley ROCKS PBF with an overhand right, CLEARLY staggering Mayweather. PBF weathers the initial storm, clenching, grabbing...albeit in a calm manner. Nevertheless, the pundits seemed to be correct. Mosley was giving PBF a true test. BOOM!! ANOTHER RIGHT HAND STUNS MAYWEATHER. He's ready to go. Legs are rubbery. Distress that PBF has never been subjected to is upon him. Yet, Mosley SURPRISINGLY doesn't appear to be able to take full advantage. This is his moment. His opening. Surely, with 1:48 left in the round, he has a plethora of time....right?? Instead, PBF masterfully (and calmly) avoided any further harm & survived the round. The bell rings...
Mosley's corner: "You're doing good, champ. This is what we've worked on. You gotta keep the pressure on. Take it to 'em.
Mayweather's corner: "Floyd, you DON'T HAVE TO TRADE PUNCHES with this guy. WE BOX!! THAT'S WHAT WE DO!!"
Both fighters respond to the bell, signifying round 3... A round that would see Mayweather's GENIUS take effect. Subsequently, a round that saw Mosley's chances evaporate into the night air of Las Vegas. PBF took the fight over, pummeling Mosley with counter shots. The likes of which he hadn't seen since his losses to Vernon Forrest & "Winky" Wright. A systematic destruction took place for 10 straight rounds. Mosley's hammer cocked every single round, with his unwillingness to pull the trigger coinciding with his unwillingness to get countered (and beaten) unmercifully. The fight ended unceremoniously. PBF, the winner via unanimous decision.
Let's move ahead to the post-fight rhetoric, shall we??
"Shane is way past his prime"
"Mosley hadn't fought in a year. Too long of a layoff"
"The fix is in"
Wow... Just like that. The credible challenger, worthy of many predictions in his favor, now reduced to a not-so-worthy charity case. A sideshow.
Color me confused...
I get it. PBF's "antics" turn many people off. Him flaunting his lavish lifestyle isn't befitting of someone who's been blessed with the finer things in life, thanks to his unparalleled gifts in a boxing ring. Doesn't help that he lets ANYBODY WITHIN AN EARSHOT know how rich he is, how handsome he apparently is, and that those "hating on him" are simply jealous. Not exacly a choirboy. I get it.
What I DON'T GET is...how do these things relate to giving credit where it's due??
You can ogle about him being an egotistical jerk. Laud him for embarrassing his opponents unnecessarily. Maybe even dislike him. That's your choice. Can't blame you for that. I'd even say that it's terribly understood. However...that's where you should draw the proverbial line.
Like him or not?? His pure boxing prowess is UNDENIABLE. His ring generalship is SECOND TO NONE in this era. Arguably comparable, if not better than most of the greats this sport has EVER seen. What he "lacks" in power (with "only" 25 KO's out of 40), he trumps the card with UNADULTERATED SKILL. His speed is unmatched. His defense is impenetrable. And aside from what many pundits say is a lack of "quality opponents", a notion that I DISAGREE WITH WHOLEHEARTEDLY, if for NO other reason than it's the norm.... He's UNBEATEN. Undefeated. No losses. Unblemished.
Speaks for itself...
So, while you may dislike the man that is Floyd Mayweather??
Try appreciating the accomplishments of said man in the ring. Suffice it to say that you don't see this level of greatness often.
You may not ever see it again in your lifetime....
However...
Somebody forgot to mention the "other" elephant in the room...
Likewise, Mosley hadn't faced an opponent the magnitude of PBF. The quintessential boxer. Tactician. Defensive stalwart. Simply put, a once-in-a-lifetime pugilist the sport hasn't seen since its heyday....
Not a big deal, eh?? Oh, let's not get FACTS get in the way of a good "story"...
Fast forward to the fight. Through the first round, Mosley is ahead & looking great, as most expected. Round two begins. Mosley is looking magnificent. So great that 1 minute into the round, Mosley ROCKS PBF with an overhand right, CLEARLY staggering Mayweather. PBF weathers the initial storm, clenching, grabbing...albeit in a calm manner. Nevertheless, the pundits seemed to be correct. Mosley was giving PBF a true test. BOOM!! ANOTHER RIGHT HAND STUNS MAYWEATHER. He's ready to go. Legs are rubbery. Distress that PBF has never been subjected to is upon him. Yet, Mosley SURPRISINGLY doesn't appear to be able to take full advantage. This is his moment. His opening. Surely, with 1:48 left in the round, he has a plethora of time....right?? Instead, PBF masterfully (and calmly) avoided any further harm & survived the round. The bell rings...
Mosley's corner: "You're doing good, champ. This is what we've worked on. You gotta keep the pressure on. Take it to 'em.
Mayweather's corner: "Floyd, you DON'T HAVE TO TRADE PUNCHES with this guy. WE BOX!! THAT'S WHAT WE DO!!"
Both fighters respond to the bell, signifying round 3... A round that would see Mayweather's GENIUS take effect. Subsequently, a round that saw Mosley's chances evaporate into the night air of Las Vegas. PBF took the fight over, pummeling Mosley with counter shots. The likes of which he hadn't seen since his losses to Vernon Forrest & "Winky" Wright. A systematic destruction took place for 10 straight rounds. Mosley's hammer cocked every single round, with his unwillingness to pull the trigger coinciding with his unwillingness to get countered (and beaten) unmercifully. The fight ended unceremoniously. PBF, the winner via unanimous decision.
Let's move ahead to the post-fight rhetoric, shall we??
"Shane is way past his prime"
"Mosley hadn't fought in a year. Too long of a layoff"
"The fix is in"
Wow... Just like that. The credible challenger, worthy of many predictions in his favor, now reduced to a not-so-worthy charity case. A sideshow.
Color me confused...
I get it. PBF's "antics" turn many people off. Him flaunting his lavish lifestyle isn't befitting of someone who's been blessed with the finer things in life, thanks to his unparalleled gifts in a boxing ring. Doesn't help that he lets ANYBODY WITHIN AN EARSHOT know how rich he is, how handsome he apparently is, and that those "hating on him" are simply jealous. Not exacly a choirboy. I get it.
What I DON'T GET is...how do these things relate to giving credit where it's due??
You can ogle about him being an egotistical jerk. Laud him for embarrassing his opponents unnecessarily. Maybe even dislike him. That's your choice. Can't blame you for that. I'd even say that it's terribly understood. However...that's where you should draw the proverbial line.
Like him or not?? His pure boxing prowess is UNDENIABLE. His ring generalship is SECOND TO NONE in this era. Arguably comparable, if not better than most of the greats this sport has EVER seen. What he "lacks" in power (with "only" 25 KO's out of 40), he trumps the card with UNADULTERATED SKILL. His speed is unmatched. His defense is impenetrable. And aside from what many pundits say is a lack of "quality opponents", a notion that I DISAGREE WITH WHOLEHEARTEDLY, if for NO other reason than it's the norm.... He's UNBEATEN. Undefeated. No losses. Unblemished.
Speaks for itself...
So, while you may dislike the man that is Floyd Mayweather??
Try appreciating the accomplishments of said man in the ring. Suffice it to say that you don't see this level of greatness often.
You may not ever see it again in your lifetime....
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