Courtesy of my good friend and Oxford scholar, Dell Martin verbatim from an email this mornings. Defiantly something for you Warrior fans out there to consider and ponder.
"Last season everyone was on about the W's possibly winning 70, but this year no one seems hardly to notice that they might be the third team ever to get there (the second team, if you count last year). I actually did the math."
The [Warriors] are presently at .860 for the first 50 games. . . 43/7. If they finish the season at .860, they would win 70.5 games. If you look at the last 30 games, they are 26/4. . . that is .86666. If they finish at that pace,they will be at 71 wins for the season. I just don't get it why everyone is sort of yawning about it. . . and then last night they beat the Clippers without Livingston, ZaZa and Green. Well, they could take a bad stumble any time, but that was true last season too."
I am submitting Dell's name to the league to be considered for an Analytics Award. The math looks pretty good to me, but I flunked multiplication tables.
Have to congratulate Coach Tara Vanderveer on her 1,000th victory. Forget gender, she IS Stanford University Basketball.
Note: In last night's last second loss to the Suns, How the hell did the best shooter, arguably the best player on the Suns, Devin Booker, get the ball isolated one on one with 8 ticks left????? You gotta be kidding me.
Finally, lot's of love to Anderson Varejao, released by the Warriors, but much appreciated by the team. The Brazilian power forward had a solid and admirable 14 year career in the NBA, 12 with the Cleveland Cavs who should retire his number. Per 36 mpg with the Cavs he double/doubled. A true pro. God Speed.
It's mid-winter and the sport of Curling is coming to us live, huge from Duluth, Minnesota. Watched it last night, and felt compelled to post my Curling poem, although I posted a couple of years ago in winter. What the heck, in any poem I feature my wife, I like.
Curling by Tom Meschery
Let's hear it for Curling, a sport in which
two brooms, like blockers in the NFL
(I'm thinking Packers, Greenbay in the snow)
lead the running back, a guy named Stone
(not exceptionally fast, but relentless)
down the icy field; masked fans in parkas,
sipping from flasks. They're watching curling
on local ice, while I'm enjoying building
this extended metaphor, thinking that Milton,
had he a sense of humor, which there's no
evidence he possessed, might have appreciated.
My wife also enjoys curling. "What's not to like
about a sport played with brooms?" she asks.
"The ice needs cleaning, and the players
are only doing what any good wife would do."
She's talking to me wile dusting,
which comes before vacuuming, a rule
in her sport that must never be broken.
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Steph, his Teammates and Joy on the Hardwood
Certainly, anyone watching Steph Curry last night against the Clippers bury the half court jumper just before the halftime buzzer sounded would have to impressed. Okay, he's done it before and sometimes from longer range, so maybe you weren't jumping up and down impressed, but I was.
The reason for my excitement was not the actual shot itself, but the joy exhibited by Steph after the shot, His leap and bounce with Draymond, his airplane slide on the hardwood, the smile on his face, the victory dance of Durant and the other Warriors on the court and on the bench. For me, that was the tell. Let it be said over and over again, team chemistry, team expectations, team joy and camaraderie is what makes a true championship team. As a Warrior, I will always relish as many NBA Championship trophies the Dubs can lift over their heads, but their championship soul is what matters. And they've got it, baby, they've got it.
On to other subjects. Baring injuries, I think we NBA fans are looking at the next monster hall of fame center in Joel Embid of the Philadelphia 76ers.
It's also interesting that all of a sudden the NBA, which looked like it was going Small Ball, has some pretty damn good Bigs: Cousins, Townes, Porzingis, Embid, and the always powerful Marc Gasol. Porzingis is a "stretch" power forward, but he is 7'3" and once he figures out how to work the post, he'll be in-and-out awesome. I could probably throw in the fast improving Miles Turner of the Pacers. Lots and lots of potential in the middle there. I guess I'm a Big's fan, having come from the era of Russell, Chamberlain, Bellamy, Thurmond, Bob Lanier, Willis Reed, and Jabbar.And on the cusps of my time, Moses Malone, and Bill Walton.
Finally, the team with the talented Big Man, will still win out, historically, over the small ball team. But to hedge my bets and give me a little wiggle room, the Warriors are well on their way to prove me wrong. Except, wouldn't they love to have Joel Embid on their team? Wouldn't any team?
Sometimes you can feel when something is right. In this case Kyle Shannahan as the 49ers new head coach does. Here in the BAY AREA where his dad cut his football coaching teeth. Makes for a full circle.
And lets not forget, as we delve into today's sports page, the Williams sisters playing against each other in the finals of the Aussi Open. Serena won, but she doesn't always. 17-11 Serena over Venus lifetime. If Serena had chosen basketball as her sport, I suggest to you she might very well have been the first woman to play in the NBA. She's got more muscles than a lot of the NBA players, past and present. One day it's going to happen, a three point shooting female point or two guard in the NBA.
Love it that Pop would bench Trump. Hell, I'd cut him and let him try out for the Euro League. Since Trump doesn't believe NATO is relevant, I doubt he'd make it in Europe. On a Russian team maybe, since he's such a big fan of that KGB thug, Putin.
Lot's of praise for Curry, here's a haiku I wrote for Durant.
Durant
His arm snakes backward
Basketball cupped in his hand
Cobra coiled to strike
The reason for my excitement was not the actual shot itself, but the joy exhibited by Steph after the shot, His leap and bounce with Draymond, his airplane slide on the hardwood, the smile on his face, the victory dance of Durant and the other Warriors on the court and on the bench. For me, that was the tell. Let it be said over and over again, team chemistry, team expectations, team joy and camaraderie is what makes a true championship team. As a Warrior, I will always relish as many NBA Championship trophies the Dubs can lift over their heads, but their championship soul is what matters. And they've got it, baby, they've got it.
On to other subjects. Baring injuries, I think we NBA fans are looking at the next monster hall of fame center in Joel Embid of the Philadelphia 76ers.
It's also interesting that all of a sudden the NBA, which looked like it was going Small Ball, has some pretty damn good Bigs: Cousins, Townes, Porzingis, Embid, and the always powerful Marc Gasol. Porzingis is a "stretch" power forward, but he is 7'3" and once he figures out how to work the post, he'll be in-and-out awesome. I could probably throw in the fast improving Miles Turner of the Pacers. Lots and lots of potential in the middle there. I guess I'm a Big's fan, having come from the era of Russell, Chamberlain, Bellamy, Thurmond, Bob Lanier, Willis Reed, and Jabbar.And on the cusps of my time, Moses Malone, and Bill Walton.
Finally, the team with the talented Big Man, will still win out, historically, over the small ball team. But to hedge my bets and give me a little wiggle room, the Warriors are well on their way to prove me wrong. Except, wouldn't they love to have Joel Embid on their team? Wouldn't any team?
Sometimes you can feel when something is right. In this case Kyle Shannahan as the 49ers new head coach does. Here in the BAY AREA where his dad cut his football coaching teeth. Makes for a full circle.
And lets not forget, as we delve into today's sports page, the Williams sisters playing against each other in the finals of the Aussi Open. Serena won, but she doesn't always. 17-11 Serena over Venus lifetime. If Serena had chosen basketball as her sport, I suggest to you she might very well have been the first woman to play in the NBA. She's got more muscles than a lot of the NBA players, past and present. One day it's going to happen, a three point shooting female point or two guard in the NBA.
Love it that Pop would bench Trump. Hell, I'd cut him and let him try out for the Euro League. Since Trump doesn't believe NATO is relevant, I doubt he'd make it in Europe. On a Russian team maybe, since he's such a big fan of that KGB thug, Putin.
Lot's of praise for Curry, here's a haiku I wrote for Durant.
Durant
His arm snakes backward
Basketball cupped in his hand
Cobra coiled to strike
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)