Professor Diesel
Shaquille O’Neal (photo. Chenoa Maxwell)Crazy how much can change over the course of one weekend. Go back to Friday, when the Lakers were sittin’ on top of the NBA world as pretty much the unquestioned best team in the League, but then the Pistons went into their house and thoroughly beat them in every facet of the game. So just when you’re re-evaluating the Pistons’ spot in the hierarchy, they show up in Phoenix yesterday — where the Suns had literally just gotten beat up by Houston — and Detroit gets cracked. In the Pistons’ defense, they were on the last day of a week-long cross-country road trip, when teams historically put up stinkers because they’ve got their minds somewhere else (like their own beds at home). Either way, we’ll try to get it all worked out later today when we post our NBA Hit List power ranking … Steve Nash (17 pts, 7 asts) helped bury Detroit before halftime, sticking a pair of backbreaking threes in the final 30 seconds of the second quarter, and Amare did his part with 29 points and 11 boards for the game. One time Amare got Amir Johnson on a hop-step/power dunk that would have broken Amir’s arm had he tried to block it … Shaq got himself ejected when he clobbered Rodney Stuckey on a drive and was hit with a flagrant-2. The foul really wasn’t that bad; it was another case of the refs taking it to an unnecessary level because of how Stuckey landed more than anything else. As for Shaq, he took the thinking man’s approach: “The laws of physics say that a body in motion stays in motion,” Professor Diesel stated. “So if you have two objects meet in the air, the smaller object is going to fall much harder. I’ve never been the type of player to take anybody out, so I obviously went to the ball. The little guy ran into a brick wall.” … Suns announcer Eddie Johnson on Boris Diaw: “You can’t guard him. You can’t guard him. He only guards himself.” And two minutes later: “He can’t be guarded one-on-one.” Chill out, EJ. It’s just Boris Diaw … Tim Duncan is doing everything he can to get the Spurs back to playing .500-level ball; he hit the game-tying and game-winning buckets in Sacramento yesterday to bring San Antone’s record to a respectable 4-5. The last shot was the result of a pick-and-roll with Roger Mason where Duncan (20 pts, 10 rebs, 3 blks) banked it home over three guys with 15 seconds left … How did the Kings even stay in this one without Kevin Martin? John Salmons (who kinda looks like Kadeem Hardison without the glasses) was getting BUCKETS. He dropped 31 points while missing only four shots total, going 10-for-13 from the field (3-for-4 from deep) and 8-for-9 at the stripe. Salmons is indispensable for the Kings and plays like an All-Star whenever K-Mart2 is hurt, but where would he fit on a real contender? Would he crack the top-eight rotation for the Celtics or Rockets or Jazz? …
The New York StranglerThe last time the Dime crew was at MSG to watch the Mavs play the Knicks, Dirk left Isiah’s team’s guts all over the floor. Sunday was more of the same: Dirk put up 39 points (with only one three) and 15 boards, and put his team on his back in overtime as the Knicks decided to fall apart at the worst possible time. After outplaying the Mavs most of the night, New York went 0-for-14 from the field over the last couple minutes of regulation and OT, and their only points in the extra frame were a pair of free throws. Josh Howard added 31 points for the Mavs, who broke a five-game skid as their other three starters — Gerald Green, Jason Kidd and Erick Dampier — combined for THREE total points … Before Zach Randolph went out and dumped 27 points and 18 boards in the loss, he was in the locker room telling everyone he was gonna put up a 20-20 line. Not quite, but pretty damn close … And in case you forgot, the Stephon Marbury saga in NY still has no end-point in sight. If you’ve only been following this thing loosely and need a user’s guide, we’ve got all the bases covered HERE. And by the way, Jamaal Tinsley is in the exact same situation as Steph, but he plays in Indiana so nobody cares … Legends’ roll call: Magic was at the Knicks/Mavs game, Muhammad Ali was at Suns/Pistons, and Michael Jordan was at the Illinois season opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Mike watched his kid, sophomore PG Jeffrey Jordan, play 16 minutes off the bench and hand out four assists. Derrick Rose was also at the Fighting Illini game … The Wolves just can’t catch a break, can they? They were up on the Nuggets by nine in the fourth quarter, (naturally) lost the cushion in a blink, then with 2:30 left and Denver down by one, ‘Melo missed a free throw and the ball took a weird bounce that allowed Nene to get the offensive rebound over two guys. Nene hit a cutting ‘Melo at the rim, who poked a two-hand dunk on a surprised Al Jefferson to give the Nuggets the lead. A minute later Chauncey (26 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asts) knocked down a three that proved to be the dagger … With Will Solomon (15 pts, 11 asts) running the show for an injured Jose Calderon (hamstring), the Raptors still managed to play the kind of calm-cool-collected fourth quarter against the Heat that they should have played against the Celtics last week, picking up a much-needed win. Whenever Solomon hit a three, Calderon was up off the bench in his suit throwing up the “three” sign like he’d hit the shot himself. Stark contrast from a half-sleep Marcus Williams‘ non-reaction whenever one of the Warriors’ point guards does anything … Jamario Moon is headed for a Chris Carr-like career; being known for appearing in one dunk contest and that’s about it. After losing his starting spot to Andrea Bargnani before yesterday’s game, the only mark Moon really made was when D-Wade went baseline and crammed on him like he wasn’t there. Moon might need to sneak his way into the ‘09 contest and have himself a Fred Jones night before it’s too late … We’re out like Unstoppable Diaw …
November 17th, 2008 at 7:08 am
Steve Nasty says:
D-Wade is on steroids
November 17th, 2008 at 7:10 am
Steve Nasty says:
Speakin of Stuckey….he has been a bit dissapointing. Surely he will turn it around
November 17th, 2008 at 7:13 am
sans says:
I’d say Boris guards himself pretty well.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:16 am
sans says:
Quincy Douby taking the game winner is not a good look. Four feet short from 27. That sucks. There are high school players that I’d rather toss it too. Why hasn’t the Maloofs looked up Smush Parker yet if they’re that shorthanded?
Oh, and Shaq is too slow to be trying to get to that spot. 8 years ago it might not have been so bad. Still, it didn’t deserve a Flagrant-2…a Flagrant-1 would have sufficed.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:37 am
Dagomar says:
Biggest surprise of the year for me: Shaq’s play. The guy has been scoring with crazy efficiency while grabbing rebounds and defending the rim. He’s not the Shaq of old but as a starting 5 in a traditional offense he’s still damn good.
Is Amare a top-5 player now? He’s definitely in the top 10. And how about Bargnani getting the starting job – maybe he’s finally turning things around.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:42 am
that dude says:
@Steve Nasty
It might be hard for him to back up AI as well as playing alongside him AI needs the ball, Chauncey wasn’t that demanding. And stop calling me Surely.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:44 am
QQ says:
Haha, nice Diaw line, Dime. Team commentators will always be homers. So please someone sign Damon Jones. I can’t wait to hear announcers scream “Damon’s a beast!” and “That guys unbelievable!” when he successfully crosses the halfcourt line.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:47 am
YOUNGFED says:
@Dime
“The foul really wasn’t that bad” WTF!!!! What game were yall watchin’. Yeah it wasn’t that bad…..IF THIS WAS THE WWF!!!(Geeessshhh) If Shaq would have did that to Sheed he’d be icing his eye right about now.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:48 am
YOUNGFED says:
Oh almost forgot
YOUNGFED’S BANGER OF THE DAY: Luda, Nas, Jay-Z
http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=29923
November 17th, 2008 at 7:55 am
that's whats up says:
Douby was smoking. Douby was on fire. Douby lit it up. Douby was a hit. Someone pass the Douby
November 17th, 2008 at 7:58 am
rangerjohn says:
come on dime, i know what you are trying to do. all those people who discounted the rockets 22 game streak last year because they played a bunch of teams who where missing their stars. this is not the same for the spurs so you can give that up. 1st the short handed rockets now the “how did the kings even stay in this with out martin”
that should say, “we are surprised they didnt win with the short no handed spurs.” the interesting thing about that game, udoka and thomas didnt even play a single minute. and how about the red rocket stepping up and going 3 of 5 from 3 point land?
November 17th, 2008 at 8:00 am
rodnets says:
Has Shaq been suspended for next game?
November 17th, 2008 at 8:13 am
Kudabeen says:
I’m not a Piston’s Fan, but the Suns were getting a lot of those touch fouls that Detroit wasn’t getting…Either way Detroit was horrible…there aggressiveness wasn’t reward, but they didn’t help themselves. Iverson wasn’t focused last night. He allowed Steve Nash to play D on him and watched the ball way to much on D trying to get steals, but lost track of his man. Rip never was that impressive to me as an all around player, but the one thing that he does as far as moving without the ball and making shots he isn’t doing with the same energy.
Detroit needs Antonio. Amir and Maxiell aren’t matching up and showing up. Kwame is actually their second best big and that’s not a knock on Kwame, because he clearly has improved. He was even catching and finishing under the basket.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:39 am
BENNYHILL says:
@youngfed
You know sheed aint doin’ shit to the big fella, he was right there when it happened
November 17th, 2008 at 9:13 am
YOUNGFED says:
You see Shaq ain’t never filed Sheed like that. The league know Sheed is straight hood.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:20 am
YOUNGFED says:
You see Shaq ain’t never tried Sheed like that. The league know Sheed is straight hood.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:45 am
rangerjohn says:
lmao at youngfed,, you think shaq is afraid of sheed? your nuts! shaq isnt scared of rasheed wallace, nor should he be!
November 17th, 2008 at 9:57 am
YOUNGFED says:
@Ranger
Size ain’t everything, you gotta know what to do with it. Shaq always going hard at lil guys.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:00 am
rangerjohn says:
lmao shaq is a brown belt in brazilian jiu jitsu under royce and rickson gracie, i think he knows what to do with it.
lmao i have seen shaq roll jiu jitsu and he is NASTY on the ground.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:04 am
that's whats up says:
even Derek Harper punched Shaq in the cock.
Sheed wouldn’t step to him
November 17th, 2008 at 10:13 am
fallinup says:
I’m sorry. Shaq could probably kill every player in the NBA with his bare hands.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:16 am
John says:
Sheed would not take his business into Shaq ,,, Thats way he is straight hood. Nobody mess with the Diesel ,,,
November 17th, 2008 at 10:27 am
that's whats up says:
this is the fear Shaq instills in everyone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIr_bNnpXMI
November 17th, 2008 at 10:27 am
dapro says:
Nobody would step to Shaq, the Pistons did the smart thing
@Rangerjohn
Rj, Shaq can’t fight bruh but all he has to do is land one punch and it’s a wrap
November 17th, 2008 at 10:30 am
rangerjohn says:
dapro
shaq sure as hell can fight, like i said i have seen him roll and he has great technique, not to mention that size.
then again if brock lesner can get a lucky one in on randy coutor then anything can happen
November 17th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Ross says:
“The laws of physics say that a body in motion stays in motion,” Professor Diesel stated.”
That mainly applies to rigid bodies in this case, Professor, where altering your body’s force (by say, twisting your hips while in the air), you can decrease your force in the x-direction.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Lee says:
Where are all the Sheed is better than Dirk now ???
November 17th, 2008 at 10:35 am
mules says:
all of this Shaq is indestructable talk sounds an awful lot like what people were saying about Kimbo a couple months ago…the bigger they are the harder they fall. Not that I see Sheed ever getting into it with Shaq…Sheed’s too busy jacking 30 footers and Shaq doesn’t generally foul too many jumpshooters that hard. But I could definitely see someone like D-Ho, Dorsey, or even Artest (if it weren’t for the v-chip) taking Shaq down a notch.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:39 am
fallinup says:
Put Shaq and any NBA player in the steel cage. I can’t think of anyone that could beat Shaq.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:43 am
rangerjohn says:
mules
lmao kimbo was/is a tomatoe can that was babyed through his fights to exploit the train wreck that he is for every dollar shaw could squeeze out of him.
i am not a fan of shaq in teh slightest but the man is one bad man if he gets his hands on you. howard is not that type of guy, dorsey? who knows (has he even made it into a game?) artest is crazy but is he stupid?
(on a side note, we found out last thursday that the 11,500 sq foot hosue my wife is building right now has apparently been bought by my artest, provided the rockets decide to re-sign him. it is going to be one NICE freakin house too. the out door or, “summer kitchen” facing the golf course is awesome, and the 250 sq foot refrigerated wine storage room is NICE! (i also pour the concrete on this house) no room for him to let his dogs loose though lol, and the 85 year old grouch across the street is just as crazy as artest so that should be an interesting combo
November 17th, 2008 at 10:43 am
Michorizo says:
Brad Miller would rather get hit in the back of the head than to face Shaq one on one!
November 17th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Sweet English says:
Yo did you not play Shaq-Fu?
When i’m kickin it on Live playin Sheed-Jitsu, I’ll believe that Wallace is harder than the big man.
Until then…
November 17th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Da Chi 23/33 says:
Nobody on the Pistons squad of tough guys was trying to see Shaq..NOBODY!! Sheed included. had Robyn Lopez committed that foul, the whole team would’ve been all over him. But since it was Shaq the worst he got was…A big fella don’t hurt him or I told him not go in there against you but these young guys just don’t listen! No one has had the nuts to step to Shaq since Barkley dropped him…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpoAqEbxS18
I guess this was before he took all the jui jitsu! lol Maybe its why?
November 17th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Sweet English says:
On the subject, Everyone jabbers on about the whole Basketball/Rap crossover garbage all the time, but the whole basketball/martial arts crossover has been slept on. Shaq would Jet Li yo ass, but wasn’t it Kareem who was one of Bruce Lee’s students? I’m sure he was in a film too. Yo that guy would kick you in the nose if you were three storeys up. Apparently bruce liked fighting him because his reach was such a challenge. My man Abdul Jabbar was like Dhalsim up in that Dojo with his stetchy ass arms. YOGA FIRE BITCHES!
November 17th, 2008 at 11:10 am
YOUNGFED says:
All yall acting like Shaq that deal. And Ranger J you ain’t seen sh*t so stop lying. For all yall talking about Shaq over Sheed, remember ain’t nobody steppin to Sheed either. As far as Shaq goes, “The Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall.”
November 17th, 2008 at 11:12 am
mules says:
I’d like to see Shaq and Craig Smith mix it up
November 17th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Sweet English says:
Abdul-Jabbar made his movie debut in Bruce Lee’s posthumous 1978 film Game of Death, in which his character Hakim fought Billy Lo (played by Lee). His character was the last and most dangerous guardian that Bruce Lee’s character had to face. In the extended footage of the final fight scenes of the film (which was shot in 1973), which last about half an hour, Abdul-Jabbar and Lee fight on the highest level of a pagoda in which Lee’s character had to fight his way up. From Lee’s viewpoint, the highest level on the pagoda is where Jeet Kune Do, represented by Abdul-Jabbar himself, is found. Through the entire fight, both men not only fight with an ease hard to obtain, but they both make it known neither of them fear death.
… to be precise.
November 17th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Lee says:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G4wO3tTYD5M
Yougotta watch Shawn Bradley with those Razor sharp knees and elbows !!!
November 17th, 2008 at 11:14 am
YOUNGFED says:
Hey Ranger, where was all that Ju Jitsu stuff when Barkley whooped Shaq’s A$$. Ain’t nobody beat Sheed up B4.
November 17th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Sam I Am says:
Sheed looks like he would fight for a sandwich…
Hobo lookin fool
November 17th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
Shaq: “I’ve never been one to go after a guy…”
WHAT?! Immediately I’m thinking Brad Miller and Andrew Bynum. If you want to hurt someone, you’ll try to do it as slick as possible.
November 17th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Byrd says:
@ youngfed
LOL hell yeah Sheed would have done Shaq big Z style… yeah elbow to the skull.
November 17th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
french says:
Hope you cats can pull some money together to put in a bid for the soft ass mavs
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081117/ap_on_bi_ge/mark_cuban_insider_trading
November 17th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
MSkittle says:
Moon has game. He was shutting down DWade whenever he guarded him!
November 17th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
BEdger says:
I’ve been shaq as long as I’ve been playing ball (I play against normal sized guys but I’m 6′8″ and 320lbs) and I can tell you that nearly every foul I commit, the other guy thinks I’m trying to kill him. I’m not, but when you are as big as I am, guys just fly off of you. Shaq is trying to make the same play that Amare might make, but his impact is much greater because he’s Shaq. It’s a completely bogus call to toss him for playing hard….what a joke
November 17th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
sans says:
@ that’s what’s up…hilarious.
Also, FED, “Size ain’t everything, you gotta know what to do with it,” might be true, but rushing to that argument tells a whole lt about you pimpin’, a whole lot. Go ask your last 8 girlfriends about whether or not size matters…
ain’t nobody messing with Chuckster, not the drunk dude he threw out a window, not Shaq, not even that little girl he spit on–nobody can mess with Barkley.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
parinaz suns says:
blessing in disguise that shaq got ejected it forced him to rest up for tonights game against the jazz. pissed instead of getting to watch the suns beat the hell out of the pistons i had to watch the knicks loose in OT gaayy
November 17th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
YOUNGFED says:
@Sans
Dude you just want somebody to talk too you. lmao
BTW WTF are you talking about. I hope that wasn’t a joke. I glad to see you worried about my penis, but homie thats really really GAY son.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
vinny says:
@23-thats whats up-that is some funny shit, if you click on a related video they show some guy in argentina knocking some ref out. thats some crazy shit!
@ sans- gotta go with youngfed on this 1- wtf!!
November 17th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
GEE...always smell it and look at it first! says:
Houston Up!
5 minutes of funk!
First off a man is a man. Shouldn’t nobody be afraid of anyone that can’t decide where your soul is going.
2nd Ranger I know some cats that practice many different arts, and I don’t know whether it’s culture (they are black) or what but in real scuffs they resort back to basic street fighting, which is what Shaq seems to do.
Young, man please! E-40 was dissin Sheed back in his Portland days. Sheed remind me of KG to an extent, he gotta a lot of bark but who he done beat fa real….
…I’ll wait?
None of us no who will win what if the two got in it, cause the real line is none of them want to see a “drive by punch” by Carmelo lollllll followed by a backwards run?!?!?
Seriously though, isn’t this like my dad can beat your dad? Crazy.
Don’t get me wrong I would love to see them get into it and settle it. Since it likely ain’t gonna happen no way we can really prove.
They both, as all people, can be taken out though.
Time and chance pimpin’ , time and chance!
November 17th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Buffalo Brave says:
sans says:
I’d say Boris guards himself pretty well.
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 17th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
baron von faulk says:
shaq and sheed still ain’t as negrocious as kg
November 17th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
rkraicek says:
rangerjohn can lick dirk’s balls
November 17th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
rangerjohn says:
ok so where should i start?
hmm youngfed, yes actually i have seen shaq train jiu jitsu at the gracie miami school which is run by pedro valente and his brother gui, this is a royce/helio/rickson gracie affiliate.
gee, yeah dependin on what a person trains and how “serious” or even “realistic” a style actually is, or how seriously they train, it is easy to “revert to street” lol.
i have seen guys who train bjj/mma go nuts with the stuff, and a i have seen some completely forget all about it.
and now to rkraicek
you know i knew you where weak but damn i didnt realize you where that weak!
besides i could not get down there to do it BECAUSE YOU ARE ALREADY IN THE WAY SUCKING DIRKS NUTSAC YOURSELF.
November 17th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
SayIt IsntSo says:
I am a fan of Shaq but that foul was a little over the top. He doesnt deserve to get suspended or anything, but he did need to get ejected. Had that been a superstar that got fouled that hard people would be up in here cryin’..but since its a superstar doing the fouling its okay? Please….
Also, im not one to complain about officiating..but the refs were real suspect lastnight in that game. The Pistons probably would have lost anyway because it was the end of a long roadtrip and they just didnt play well, but still. I seen that Iverson (probably the top player that gets to the ft line) didnt get to the ft line once. I read in an article the last time that happened it was like five years ago. I understand the Pheonix crowd got their feelings hurt that some of their players got suspened this week..but these people need to keep an eye on these refs. Im not worried at all about this loss for the Pistons, ESPN was saying how they’ve owned the Suns over the seasons. Chalk it up as a bad night and move on.
Also, the MAVS are done. Especially with the drama that is going on with Mark Cuban right now.
November 17th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
rangerjohn says:
here you you go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w_21QYarNE&feature=related
November 17th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
rkraicek says:
nah ranger lemme lay some info on you. see, i know that one day, someone’s going to say “omfg dirk is teh suck n he cant score in da clutch yo!!!!”
so here YOU go.
most points in the game (39), 15 boards, oh yea and in OT (some might call that a clutch time) he scored 7 of his team’s 12 points. 4 assists a steal a blocked shot, no TO, and all Dime can say is that he made a 3 (that was in OT btw). In the last 3 and a half minutes of regulation (which may or may not be clutch time, you tell me), he had 4 points.
i could get into the rebounds and assists he had in that span of time, too, but since i know you’re such a student of math, you could probably figure that out on your own.
like i said, there’s some nuts need some lickin. i’m out like rangerjohn (and yea ranger that’s a double meaning for your slow a$$)
November 17th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
vinny says:
Damm Ranger that dude got stomped in that video!!!
November 17th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
rangerjohn says:
see here is the problem with you dirk fans, you guys think because dirk has ONE good game where he “performed” in a crunch time situation that he is all of a sudden some hard core clutch tough, not soft player in the league. bottom line, dirk can score, and EVERY NOW AND THEN he has a good clutch performance, but hey didnt that kid over in GS who was undrafted and a rookie just score 37 or something and come down with some clutch plays at the end of the game? so is that guy the new kobe or manu or labron or duncan? fuck no he is some kid who had a nice game and will more then likely never have another game like that in his life.
one game doesnt make you clutch, 5 games a season doesnt make you clutch, day in and day out makes you clutch. hell look at TD, his numbers where not crazy last night but when his team needed a score he got it and the spurs won, same thing friday against houston, his numbers where not nasty but his team needed him in the crunch time and he pulled them through. THATS CLUTCH!
and vinny, yeah that vid is nasty, there are a ton of those fights, felony fights has some pretty interesting fights. bunch of guys right out of the pen throwin hands for 1000.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
rkraicek says:
sooooo a guy doesn’t get crazy numbers but he hits big shots, so he’s clutch. makes sense, except if a guy scores 25 in the first half, they still count for 25.
also, your point that one game or series doesn’t make someone clutch makes sense. therefore, one game or series doesn’t make someone un-clutch. it’s all perception. you’ve proved your point.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
Brett says:
I’d say Salmons would DEFINITELY be in the top-8 of any contending team. You said Jazz, Rockets and Celtics. Here’s where he would fit
Rockets: Over Rafer Alston and Brent Barry.
Jazz: Over CJ Miles and Matt Harpring
Celtics: Over Tony Allen and Eddie House
I don’t think there is any disputing he is better than all 6 of those guys.
November 17th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
rangerjohn says:
@rkraicek
your right, one series or one game does not make someone unclutch (if that is a word) BUT in the case of dirk, he has had MANY MANY MANY more “none clutch” games then he has had clutch games. if someone scores 25 points in the 1st half, and the game is still down to the wire and that same person cant score at all, or doesnt take the initiative to “lead” or take over and the team loses or someone else on the team has to consistently take over the game then would that same person be “clutch” because of his 25 points? no, he might be a good scorer, but putting up numbers is one thing, putting up numbers when the game is on the line is totally different.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
baron von faulk says:
dirk and pau gasol should get in a slapfight, it would be like 2 baby ducks paddling after each other
November 17th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
rkraicek says:
…but if the game is out of reach because of how many points you’ve scored in the first half, that’s even better. Point is, when Chauncey hits a big shot, it’s “Mr. Big Shot strikes again!” When Dirk plays well down the stretch, it’s an aberration.
It’s ok, it’s the NBA. It’s all about perception. In a league where 100 point games are the average and no one REALLY plays defense all the time, it’s really just about who you SEE not playing defense. Example: Chris Paul lights up everyone. But against Steve Nash, he scores an extra 4 points above his average. So automatically, if you saw the game, Nash is the worst defensive PG in the League. Because of 4 poitns. Or whatever it works out to be. Bottom line, I know that you don’t like Dirk, because “he’s soft,” “he’s not clutch”, “he doesn’t play defense”, or whatever other reason you make up, because you saw his TEAM lose to Dwyane Wade’s in a BS series in 06. And then the Warriors series in 07.
And really, that’s the only set of games you can come up with where he wasn’t clutch. MANY MANY MANY?! Ok. If you say so. You’re the only one who remembers, I guess, because no one else that agrees with you will ever put up a game where he wasn’t, either.
I don’t know why people make this stuff up – I assume it’s xenophobia, racism, afraid of new style, or because he’s not smooth.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
rangerjohn says:
see this is where you are so off, racism? so i dont like dirk because he is white? hmmm so i am a racist against white people now? man i hate white people so much i must hate myself cause while dirk is whiter then i am but thats because i have let my legs see the sun.
see “mr big shot does it again” because he makes htose shots when it counts. so lets see, kevin durant is a “clutch player” because he can score? see your math doesnt work. puting up points is one thing, doing it when it counts is clutch. putting up big numbers has nothing to do with clutch, UNLESS it comes with the game on the line. when your team is down by 2 with 3.2 left and dirk takes the ball to the rack for the 2 points then he might lose some of that stigma.
a BS series lmao bitter MUCH? and the warriors punked dirk, bruce bowen punks dirk, david west punked dirk. the reason nobody who agrees with me can remember those games, because dirk is so not clutch that he is just not memorable. everyone remembers those series because it was so unfair how abused dirk got.
November 17th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
rkraicek says:
i didn’t say that YOU are a racist. you might not be able to read all that great, but i didn’t say that you were a racist.
i said that there must be some random reasons people don’t like him, because he does everything the same as other elite players, but there’s a negative perception. if you didn’t feel like looking up xenophobia, here ya go – it means i don’t think people like him because he’s from a different country. a european country, to be exact. and we all know that european players are ALL soft, right? i also said it might be because he has a different style. dunking wasn’t accepted right away, and it appears that 7 footers that can shoot aren’t easily accepted either. i also said that maybe it was because he wasn’t smooth. if he could glide to the rim, people would like him better. but, just like manu, because his shots aren’t really graceful and enjoyable to watch, maybe they should count for less than 2 points.
no, my math DOES work, it’s just that you can’t add. let’s see. KD scores 30 in the first half, which leads to a final score of 100-99. Chauncey scores 30 in the second half, which leads to the same score. if both of their teams win, it DOESN’T MATTER WHEN THEY SCORED. if KD scored so many points that the game was out of reach for the opponent, who cares if he bricked every shot in the second half? i swear clutch is the most retarded stat in the world, but regardless, it gets played up. i would love to have some program on nba.com that gave me the info on “clutch”.
yea, i am bitter. wade won that series. he played very well, but no one abused DIRK – the refs abused the mavs. it’s a series well known for its controversy, so go kick rocks.
and yea, that warriors series was sick. it sucks that when dirk got doubled every time down the floor, his other teammates couldn’t seem to throw the ball into the ocean. when your center is 7 feet and he can’t abuse the other team’s much smaller center who happens to be doubling someone else, you tell me what the real problem is.
November 17th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
rangerjohn says:
see here is the problem, you say if someone scores 30 in the 1st half or in the second, and his team wins then its all the same. sure it is, but in the context of the conversation (dirk being a “clutch” player or not soft)those stats dont make any sense. if a player scores 30 in the 1st half and his team is still in a possition to lose at the end and the same person is not able to take the team on his back to win the game then he would not be clutch he would be soft. but then dirk is considered soft because he lets people punk him, he has zero defense, just like his best frind steve nash. if dirk where in there blocking shots, taking charges, if dirk didnt let david west put his hands all over his face and then run off to the corner to hide, if he didnt let bruce bowen who is what 4-5 inches shorter and 40 lbs lighter guard him with relative ease, or steven jackson, he MIGHT not have that stigma. and he is not the only 7′er who plays his game, look at okur, they play the same game but okur defends and he damn sure isnt getting punked buy some of those guys.
you can love dirk all you like, doesnt mater to me, IMO (along with 90% of the nba fans in the world) think he is soft, and anti-clutch