|
In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream ... baby, I was born to run
I had the privilege of watching the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday dismantle the Sacramento Kings. I could not help but think back to the late 1970s Portland Trail Blazers. The speed, the quickness, the team game, the fast break, the depth, the passing, the hands. Tony Parker is like Johnny Davis and Lionel Hollins. You have no idea how easy this game is when you're the fastest guy on the court. Emanuel Ginobili reminds me of Bob Gross. So versatile, such athleticism, so smart, the first to see the play develop.
|  | | Tony Parker can fly on the court like one of the Big Red Head's ex-teammates. |
We'll run 'til we drop, baby we'll never go back
The Spurs are for real, and the world champion Lakers, like all great teams who really never take notice of any of their competition, might want to keep an eye on these guys.
San Antonio has it all, including Tim Duncan, who is near perfect in all areas -- besides having the ability to take it to Shaquille O'Neal one on one -- on both ends of the court. The Spurs are not a team based on athleticism, hype or self-promotion. They therefore do not get intimidated or psychologically devastated by those traits so prevalent in the league.
I love Big Ten basketball -- particularly now that the XFL is no longer with us. But as a basketball fan, I would have much rather seen Tony Parker's 19-point first quarter last Saturday than the battle for the bottom of the Big Ten as it went to double OT. Where is ESPN 17 when you need it?
Dallas currently leads the Spurs by 4½ games in the loss column. But the Mavericks close out the remainder of their season with two games each with the Lakers, San Antonio and Minnesota, plus single games with Sacramento and Portland. If the Spurs keep playing like this and their current run is not just a cyclical upswing, they will catch the Mavs and finish with the best record in the league.
With a lot of talk swirling around the league regarding who the best player is and who should get the MVP, the fact that Tim Duncan won it last year should not be held against him. This is the NBA's most sacred award and it should not be passed around simply to make sure everyone gets one -- a phenomenon that has hurt Michael Jordan and Shaq in the past.
Some NBA teams are having a tough time selling tickets in this war economy. Miami even had the upper balcony draped off for MJ's appearance in South Florida this past weekend. That is certainly not the case with Bruce Springsteen who sold nearly a half-million tickets in a matter of hours for a run this July at Giants Stadium. Will the playoffs be over by then?
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
Karl Malone needs about 120 games (about a year and a half) at his current pace to pass Kareem as the greatest scorer in NBA history. I think he's going to get it. But how long will that record last? Kobe Bryant, at barely 24, just became the youngest player ever to reach 10,000 points.
We can only hope that Ron Artest's meeting with NBA executives Russ Granik and Stu Jackson late last week yields the same positive results as last year's meeting between the NBA and Kenyon Martin, who hasn't self-destructed since.
|  | | Gordan Giricek sure haven't played like rookies with the Magic. |
Great things are happening in Orlando.They're winning all their games since the trade as Drew Gooden and
Gordan Giricek are playing out of their minds. Not all is peaches and gravy though as Shawn Kemp's minutes are disappearing as fast as the popularity of Darrell Armstrong, whose replica jersey price has just recently plummeted to the clearance-sale level of $9.97 plus tax. I hope we can get to Central Florida before the Bach Festival at Rollins College ends in mid-March.
Sprung from cages out on Highway 9, chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin' out over the line ...
Was I the only one more than a little surprised that Knicks owner James Dolan was absent from the Patrick Ewing lovefest? We are only left to wonder if Patrick's new Hummer is nicer than LeBron James's. Who do you think needs the tax break more this year -- Patrick or LeBron? More important, what kind of policy would encourage such waste?
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Is Jamison Brewer really the answer at the point for the Pacers? I bet Isiah Thomas can still play, particularly after watching him torch Magic Johnson at their now-classic duel during Atlanta's All-Star Weekend.
Really says a lot for the East that Detroit just got swept on its West Coast trip. New Jersey and Indiana are heading this way soon.
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
A lot of attention has been focused on Kevin Garnett as Minnesota surges to the top. But don't discount the contributions of Troy Hudson, who has averaged almost nine assists per game during the Timberwolves' best month in franchise history. Backup point guard Mike Wilks didn't have a single turnover in his first 11 games since joining the Wolves. There's no way Atlanta could have used this guy so they waived him goodbye.
The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive ...
Seattle, dead in the water WITH Gary Payton, is suddenly back in the playoff picture WITHOUT him. Ray Allen is averaging almost a triple-double in Payton's place. Milwaukee is right there, though -- they just beat Atlanta. Since the trade for Payton, the Bucks' opponents are shooting 53 percent from the field.
Bucks fans must be so encouraged about their team's chances of signing Payton to a long-term contract after Gary kindly characterized his stay for the remainder of the season in Milwaukee as "not a life sentence."
Everybody's out on the run tonight, there's no where else to hide
How many teams can Gary Payton play for at the same time? Every paper in the country has an article about how GP is coming your way. Who do you think starts those stories?
I realize that timing is everything in basketball, but the irony of giving out 5,000 Gary Payton bobblehead dolls in Seattle AFTER he was traded and with the team regaining its legitimacy is a bit much to take.
And the boys try to look so hard ...
|  | | Blazers bad boy Rasheed Wallace has been on his best behavior. |
Rasheed Wallace has been a changed man since returning from suspension for his ugly altercation with the refs. Sadly, he was forced to sit out Portland's big win over the Clippers with an injury but still, on the bench in uniform, he was the emotional driving force behind the Blazers' sparkling performance. But I'm still trying to figure out why 'Sheed had to wear his headband on the bench that night.
Philadelphia is 11-1 since the All-Star break, coinciding with Derrick Coleman's insertion to the starting lineup. After the big loss to Sacramento, the 76ers have bounced back with wins at Portland and Seattle and play the Lakers on Sunday.
At the top of the list of the things that have always impressed me about Michael Jordan is his duty, sense of responsibility and obligation to deliver when his team needs him the most. As Larry Bird used to say, "Karl Malone may be the Mailman, but the post office in my town closes at 5." Michael Jordan, like Larry, is Federal Express.
Before Michael's train was temporarily derailed this week due to back spasms, MJ was averaging almost 28 points in 44 minutes a night since he turned 40. It's probably a good thing that there are no more Wizards-Bulls games and not just for Jalen Rose's teeth. In the six games Michael has played against his former team, he is getting just a bit over 15 points a contest.
I'll love you with all the madness in my soul ...
All of our love, support and sympathy to Lorenzen Wright, who lost his 11-month-old daughter last weekend. Those who don't have children have no idea of the constant fears and worries.
Together we'll live with the sadness
The Hornets have found a way to survive the loss of Baron Davis. They've won eight in a row and have been pounding their opponents on the glass, having won or tied THAT battle 16 straight times. Who was that criticizing the selection of Jamal Mashburn as a first-time All-Star this year?
Did you know that Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire are the only teammates in the NBA averaging nine-plus rebounds a game? It must be so much fun to play with Stephon Marbury.
Together we could break this trap ... Baby, we'll never go back ...
Dirk Nowitzki must be really good. Don Nelson says that Dirk is the best player he's ever coached. So much for Bob Lanier, Marques Johnson, Sidney Moncrief, Terry Cummings, Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond, Chris Webber and Patrick Ewing.
How nice of Bimbo Coles to wait until the Cavs paid him off on his contract before he started trashing them and accusing them of losing on purpose.
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
Oh the cruelties of life -- only six weeks left in the regular season.
What a week for me. Blazer Sponsor Appreciation Week in Phoenix, Minnesota at Sacramento on Wednesday, Senior Weekend at the U of A in Tucson and Thursday night when Maurice Lucas and I sat proudly together in the McKale Center for the Oregon State-Arizona game. Our sons played against each other.
I made it to this REALLY cool place this week -- San Diego -- and met a really great looking babe -- her name was Lori.
Someday girl I don't know when ... We're gonna get to that place where we really want to go and we'll walk in the sun ... But 'til then, tramps like us, baby we were born to run ...
Bill Walton, who is a regular contributor to ESPN.com, is an NBA analyst and shares his thoughts on "NBA Shootaround" at 7:30 p.m. every Friday for ESPN.
| |
|
