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December 6, 2009
 

Jack ties shoelace during live play; Bulls watch, twiddle thumbs - Ball Don't Lie - NBA Blog - Yahoo! Sports

Oh, this is gold.

Nearing the end of Saturday night's Raptors-Bulls' third quarter action, Raptors point guard Jarrett Jack(notes) held the ball at the top of the key. Noticing his shoelace was undone — Velcro, kids! Wear Velcro! — Jack tucked the rock under his arm while the clock continued to run, bent over and tied it back up.

Not a single Bulls player tried to steal or knock the ball away.

Guess which team lost by 32 points.

Not surprisingly, the Bulls' lack of effort (and wins, and scoring, and coaching ...) has pushed some diehard fans to the proverbial edge.

Sham of ShamSports.com:

"That [play] basically summed up the whole game. The Bulls played worse than any team has ever played in any game at any standard in any season of any decade in any league in any country of any sport ever. They were listless, talentless and overmatched, with the playbook of a Corleggy cheese [...]

It's the only time I've ever turned a game because I couldn't stand to watch it. Bad, bad, bad times. If you happen to own or run an NBA team and are looking to hire someone to work 80 hour weeks as a professional nerd, hire me. Because then I can stop supporting the Bulls."

To which I say: Try and look on the bright side of things, Sham; at least none of the Bulls players offered to tie Jack's laces for him.

Video fun below.

Cheers, Tassos.

Related: Jarrett Jack

via sports.yahoo.com

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December 4, 2009
 

The Nets Finally Won

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via scores.espn.go.com

You know your team is bad when your fans are excited to see you at 1-18.

Filed under  //   New Jersey Nets  

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December 4, 2009
 

Eastern Conference Daily Rankings

Ok, so the rankings have been seriously uneventful for the last two days.  Denver moved from 9th to 6th; that's about it.  So, instead of posting the same teams over and over, we're going to do an "if the playoffs started today" thing.  All the Eastern Conference teams are listed top to bottom by seed, with their records and their rankings next to them.  My rankings are in parenthesis.

One look will tell you that the Eastern Conference is really top-heavy.  There are four teams that have a chance at The Finals, but after that it's well, kinda pointless to play the first round. 

1. (4) Orlando Magic 15-4 (5.29)
2. (2) Boston Celtics 15-4 (6.94)
3. (11) Cleveland Cavaliers 13-5 (3.77)
4. (3) Atlanta Hawks 13-5 (6.49)
5. (14) Miami Heat 10-8 (0.14)
6. (16) Milwaukee Bucks 9-8 (-0.61)
7. (20) Chicago Bulls 7-9 (-2.94)
8. (15) Charlotte Bobcats 7-10 (-0.29)
-----------------------------------------------------
9. (22) Washington Wizards 7-10 (-3.51)
10. (25) Indiana Pacers 6-10 (-4.21)
11. (24) Toronto Raptors 7-13 (-3.91)
12. (17) Detroit Pistons 6-12 (-1.07)
13. (27) Philadelphia 5-14 (-5.21)
14. (23) New York Knicks 4-15 (-3.64)
15. (29) New Jersey Nets 0-18 (-10.15)

Filed under  //   Daily Rankings   NBA Playoffs  

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December 3, 2009
 

Nets Losses Ranked From Best To Worst

There was no shuffle in the top ten today, despite the Hawks destruction of the Raptors.  Instead we will commemorate the Net's record 0-18 start with a ranking of their worst games to their best games.  The way these rankings work, each game is given a rating based on the opponent and how well the team did against them.  For the Nets, here are their 18 losses.

1. Washington Wizards 104-123
2. Denver Nuggets 94-122
3. Minnesota Timberwolves 93-95
4. Sacramento Kings 96-109
5. Milwaukee Bucks 85-99
6. Charlotte Bobcats 69-79
7. New York Knicks 91-98
8. Indiana Pacers 83-91
9. Los Angeles Lakers 87-106
10. Dallas Mavericks 101-117
11. Orlando Magic 72-88
12. Philadelphia 76ers 79-82
13. Philadelphia 76ers 94-97
14. Denver Nuggets 87-101
15. Portland Trailblazers 83-93
16. Orlando Magic 85-95
17. Boston Celtics 76-86
18. Miami Heat 80-81

Filed under  //   New Jersey Nets  

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December 3, 2009
 

Elias Sports Bureau Stats

NETS BREAK NBA RECORD, SET SIGHTS ON 88 ORIOLES

The Nets established an NBA record with their 18th straight loss to begin the season. It's the second-longest start-of-season losing streak for any club in any of the four major North American team sports. The Baltimore Orioles lost their first 21 games in 1988.

via espn.go.com

 

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December 2, 2009
 

Hawks Hang 146 Point On Raptors - ESPN Video - ESPN

via espn.go.com

Holy Friggin' Crap

Filed under  //   Atlanta Hawks   Toronto Raptors  

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December 2, 2009
 

Ron Artest admits he used to drink Hennessy at halftime - Ball Don't Lie - NBA Blog - Yahoo! Sports

Leave it to Ron Artest(notes) to try and steal a little of Tiger Woods and Allen Iverson's(notes) headline thunder.

In a lengthy and candid interview for the upcoming issue of Sporting News magazine, Artest — best known as the central figure in the infamous Malice at the Palace in Detroit — lets it fly, including a startling admission that he drank alcohol during games as a member of the Chicago Bulls.

"I used to drink Hennessy ... at halftime," said Artest, who played with the Bulls from 1999-2002 and now is with the Los Angeles Lakers. "I (kept it) in my locker. I'd just walk to the liquor store (near the stadium) and get it."

Note: For those unfamiliar with the prestigious alcohol landscape, Hennessy is a brand of cognac, which is a French variety of brandy. It contains 40% alcohol, and is reportedly North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's drink of choice. (Of course it is.)

Artest has said, and done, a lot of wild things over his career, but this "halftime Henny" revelation might be the most shocking one yet.

Is he admitting to being an alcoholic, but now, being older and more mature, recognizes the problem? Was he just a big kid thinking a little sip or two was all fun and games? Or, as can be the case with Ron-Ron sometimes, is he exaggerating the story to land bigger and bolder headlines?

I don't know the answer, but let's hope it's something close to option one.

Artest speaks openly in the interview on many other sensitive topics, including his life as a St. John's college basketball star ("I was a single pimp!"); his feeling towards The Brawl's instigator Ben Wallace(notes) ("I'm always in the mood to fight him"); and his plans to become a professional boxer ("In four years, I'm going to try to have my first fight").

Sharp is right: Ron should be obligated to give a feature-length interview at least once a month.

What a character.

via sports.yahoo.com

Filed under  //   Ron Artest  

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December 2, 2009
 

Daily Rankings - The Knicks Show Up Edition

Good teams lose games. We know that. This isn't college football; no
one goes undefeated. But it's not too common of an occurrence for the
team with the best record in the NBA to totally get blown out by one
of the worst teams.

One of the goals of this blog is to show how good teams really are.
Exhibit A: The Phoenix Suns. They came into last night's game with
the best record, but the worst strength of schedule. They were 7th in
these rankings. Obviously we aren't going to predict every game, but
we hope to give a little insight into what teams really aren't as good
as they look.

1. Los Angeles Lakers - 6.95
2. Boston Celtics - 6.75
3. Atlanta Hawks - 5.36
4. Orlando Magic - 5.30
5. Dallas Mavericks - 5.15
6. San Antonio Spurs - 4.97
7. Oklahoma City Thunder - 4.69
8. Utah Jazz - 4.29
9. Denver Nuggets - 4.22
10. Houston Rockets - 3.08
11. Phoenix Suns - 2.81
12. Portland Trailblazers - 2.79
13. Cleveland Cavaliers - 2.76
14. Miami Heat - 0.61
15. Charlotte Bobcats (-0.39)
16. Milwaukee Bucks (-0.45)
17. Detroit Pistons (-0.46)
18. Sacramento Kings (-1.64)
19. New Orleans Hornets (-2.18)
20. Toronto Raptors (-2.74)
21. Golden State Warriors (-3.10)
22. Chicago Bulls (-3.31)
23. New York Knicks (-3.45)
24. Washington Wizards (-3.74)
25. Indiana Pacers (-4.11)
26. Los Angeles Clippers (-4.13)
27. Philadelphia 76ers (-5.12)
28. Memphis Grizzlies (-5.36)
29. New Jersey Nets (-10.24)
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (-11.20)

Filed under  //   Daily Rankings   Phoenix Suns  

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December 1, 2009
 

Phoenix Suns vs. New York Knicks - Recap - December 01, 2009 - ESPN

via espn.go.com

Filed under  //   New York Knicks   Phoenix Suns  

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December 1, 2009
 

Did Anyone Really Think A.I. Was Retiring?

If you haven't heard this news, you've been living under a rock.

PHILADELPHIA -- Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers are closer to a reunion.

The Sixers offered a one-year, non-guaranteed contract to Iverson on Tuesday, a source confirmed to ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher. Iverson has not yet accepted the deal, according to the source.

Iverson
Iverson

Iverson, his agent and business manager met with team president Ed Stefanski, coach Eddie Jordan and two other members of the organization Monday during the first formal meeting between the Sixers and their former MVP.

read the rest at sports.espn.go.com

Filed under  //   Allen Iverson   Philadelphia 76ers  

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