The Drubbing

 I’m no fan of Doris Burke, and I make no apologies for that. Not because she’s a female announcer (I love me some Erin Andrews) but because she’s awful at her job. And that makes my game-viewing experience less enjoyable.

And last night she apparently went into a comatose state during the final minute of the game. During a post-game interview with Rafer Jamel “Skip to My Lou” Alston, she asked him about their hot shooting and scoring 106 points. They actually scored 108 thanks to Rashard Lewis’ two free-throw makes with 0:00.2 left on the clock.
Continue reading “Doris Burke blacks out at NBA Finals game” →

A year and a half after the Mitchell Report solved absolutely nothing [see Manny Ramirez]. And a month after Congressional representatives made good on their promise to hold hearings on the College Football Bowl Championship Series. Another elected politician is taking aim at the sporting world to right a wrong that is at the bottom of the voting public’s wish list.

This time Representative Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat has had enough of the NBA’s minimum age limit. He calls the league’s 19 years old and one year removed high school an “unfair restriction on the rights of these young men to pursue their intended career.” In a letter he asked NBA commissioner David Stern and union leader Billy Hunter omit the requirement from the next collective bargaining agreement. And the member of the House Judiciary Committee told the AP that he would consider both hearings and legislation if the league didn’t comply.
Continue reading “Politics and sports just don’t mix” →

The NBA Finals are set:

the Texas, Boston College game was insane, including 170 pitch, 12 inning performance from Texas’s closer.  Who is probably walking around with a jello-o arm for the next 2 months.

Meet John Calipari, the ncaa bball coach who leaves schools in utter chaos, may want to re-think things Kentucky.

The Man who inspired Michael Jordan to be as good as he is, Leon Smith.

Your Weekly Chuck Norris Fact:

Chuck Norris is where babies come from.

* Please note that Chuck Norris is in no way affiliated with The Drubbing or its writers. If he did find out we were using his name in a gimmick he would roundhouse kick all of us to death.

For Dwight's sake, i hope Kobe wore a rubber.

The Finals are set, and much to ESPN and Nike’s dismay, it will be the LA Lakers versus the Orlando Magic.  Lets break down the series by the 5 positions, the respective benches and the coaches and see what we have:

PG – advantage: wash.  The Lakers biggest issue has been their inconsistent guard play.  This was the one area teams could force LA into defensive sets they did not want to use; doubling off picks, help side pressure, etc.  Unfortunately for Orlando, they do not have anyone who can take advantage of this area.  Skip to my Lou is a nice player but he cannot take over games and i think will struggle at times with Derek Fisher.  Now, if Jameer Nelson can somehow play, this changes things.

SG – advantage: Lakers.  Courtney Lee looks like a young Rip Hamilton, and is nailing jumpers.  But Kobe is, well Kobe.  I expect Kobe to win at least 2 games for LA this series.
Continue reading “2009 NBA Finals Predictions” →

We love Chuck. He’s right up there with Jeff Van Gundy on our list of favorite TV sports personalities. But come on Chuck, keep it clean. Just cause you’re bitter that you’re on at 2:00 AM ET doesn’t mean you can talk like you just lost $20,000 at the craps table.

If you believe this, I have a bridge to sell you...

Basketball is a beautiful game. It can be played with grace and athleticism from the NBA all the way down to your local rec league. Unlike the four other major sports, it requires no alteration of the game or rules to be played by average people. We simplify baseball with softball, pacify football with flag and touch alterations, and forego skate and pucks in hockey in favor of our feet and balls. Basketball requires no such alterations, which makes it a relatable game to everyone. Besides the three point line and playing two 20 minute halves, most rec league games are played under the same conditions as an NBA basketball game. This should be a tremendous advantage to the NBA in terms of generating fans. People are excited about the PGA playing the U.S. Open at a course that regular people play on. The NBA has an almost exact version of this in every game. What is the problem you ask then?

The problems are numerous, and were dealt with quite eloquently by the Sports Guy here. For our purposes, lets just focus on two or three obvious ones:
Continue reading “The NBA has an image problem” →

I’m not talking about 45 and the Sports Illustrated video series. I’m talking about the best story of the NBA Playoffs. I’m talking about the Birdman. I’m talking about Chris Andersen. Even 45 couldn’t fly like the Birdman.

For example, take the main event of NBA All Star Weekend—the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest. I know that 45 won the dunk contest multiple times. I still see the highlights of 45 versus the Human Highlight Reel every All Star Weekend.

I ask you—what is more impressive, winning the dunk contest or attempting 50 dunks in a five minute span? The Birdman attempted 50 dunks in five minutes because he can fly. Jordan can’t fly, he simply dunks.
Continue reading “Come Fly with Me” →