Scribbler's 11th Hour Post of the Week: Why Kevin Durant's Big Decision Gives Me Cause for Pause

I had every intention of keeping this post as simple as possible, but when have y'all ever known me to do that?!?!  I'm not afraid to admit it: I just don't do brief, especially when it comes to breaking news like seven-time All-Star, four-time scoring champ and former NBA MVP Kevin Durant signing a two-year, $54.3 million deal with the Golden State Warriors--yup, the same team that kept him, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder from what appeared to be a surefire date with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.  It seems like more people have been talking about this and nearly choking on their burnt hot dogs and potato salad in the process than the news that the FBI has decided not to charge former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified information in her emails.  (You're probably thinking, "Well Dirk, you're doing the same thing."  My response: politics suck right now.  It's either going to be a shady Hillary Clinton or a baseless Donald Trump for President of the United States...who TF wants to talk about that?!?!)  My overall position, however, is simple: neither am I in love with this move for Durant nor the Warriors...yet.  Indulge me...

When Winning DOESN'T Cure Everything: How the Golden State Warriors' Historic Season Was a Failure

Confession time: as much as Steph Curry is my current favorite player in the NBA and as much as I cheer for the Golden State Warriors because I appreciated how they assembled their team, a small part of me had a Skip Bayless moment and hoped that they wouldn't win the title for selfish reasons.  It honestly wouldn't have been as interesting from a writer's perspective if all of the historic accomplishments that happened this year culminated in a second-straight championship.  When they struggled mightily and historically overcame the 3-1 deficit against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, I was sure that they had momentum on their side.  When they went up 3-1 on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals, I felt like my actual prediction was going to come true.  However, when Draymond Green got tossed for a game and Klay Thompson had his tricky "feelings" comments about LeBron James, I knew that King James and the Cavs were coming with the guillotine much like the Warriors came for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook when they clowned Steph Curry's defense.  When the Cavs forced a Game 7, I didn't have a good feeling about the Warriors' chances, felt like Cleveland stole the momentum and, unfortunately, that bad feeling came true.  One of my good Facebook friends and fellow sports enthusiasts took me to task for saying that breaking the Bulls' 20-year record for regular season wins means nothing if they don't win the championship.  While I understand the historical gravity of their season, I stand by my assertion: the Golden State Warriors' 2015-16 season is a failure.  In explaining my adamant position, allow me to summarily dismiss any potential excuses...

Coronation of the Prodigal Son: The Biggest Win of LeBron James' Career

There's nothing like being on the right side of history, but until the Cleveland Cavaliers won the first championship of their 46-year existence, the team was an extension of a city that had grown accustomed to being on the wrong side of history.  Even though they rolled through the Eastern Conference on their way to their second consecutive NBA Finals appearance against the defending-champion Golden State Warriors, many pundits still gave them little to no shot against the team that set the new record for regular season wins at 73 led by the league's first unanimous MVP in Stephen Curry.  Meanwhile, LeBron James made history by being the first player in NBA history (along with teammate James Jones, who was with him all four years in Miami) to make six consecutive Finals appearances.  However, when they lost Game 4 at home of all places, LeBron and the Cavs faced an uphill battle that no other team in NBA Finals history had ever been able to overcome: come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series.  However, with a tenacity like perhaps no other player before him, King James willed himself and his teammates with a "why not us" mentality and rallied to accomplish what seemed impossible against arguably the best team in basketball.  The Warriors' historic season quickly paled in comparison as the Cavs made team history, NBA Finals history and, most important, Cleveland history as the region's "Prodigal Son" finally brought one home for "the 'Land".  So let's explore parts of the path to LeBron's ultimate victory...

Same Teams, Different Stakes: Why Picking a Side in the NBA Finals Is Harder Than Last Year

After achieving another historical feat by becoming the first team in NBA history to be the No. 1 seed with the league MVP but be down 3-1 in a playoff series to come back and win the series, the Golden State Warriors might just change some analysts and odds makers' minds about their rematch with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.  A lot of people including myself wrote off the defending champions' chances of accomplishing such a tall order, and we just assumed that the Oklahoma City Thunder would win the series and the Cavs would have a little easier path to the crown because most people didn't give OKC a chance against LeBron & Co.  However, living up to their namesake, the Warriors manifested an unprecedented amount of resolve, persistence and tenacity.  Although Steph Curry is my favorite player in the NBA right now and has been for the past three years, it's still hard to pick against King James as I have been a fan of his overall game, instant impact on any team for which he plays and being one of the most unselfish superstars that the game of basketball has ever seen since his high school days.  So as we prepare for what should be another thrilling matchup between the Warriors and the Cavs, allow me to explain how this year's NBA Finals is a little harder to pick than last year...

The Tuesday Slider Special (Vol. 1, No. 1)

I know...you're getting hungry, but please try to focus and wipe that drool off of the side of your mouth.  I don't want you getting committed somewhere by accident because you're reading this post.  Anyway, do you ever go out to eat and just want appetizers?  Specifically, do you ever have a taste for a burger, but you don't want the heaviness that comes with it or to have to split it in half--knowing the hassle that comes along with reheating a burger and recapturing the essence of it from the restaurant?  If on the menu, do you opt for the sliders instead to give you that taste for burgers without the need to be trotted out on a wheel barrel?  Well, in an effort to cover a wider array of topics without a five-to-seven-paragraph soliloquy for each one, I bring to you a brand new posting series: "The Tuesday Slider Special".  Quick takes from your soon-to-be favorite blogger that are easier to digest, but still filling nonetheless.  So without further ado, let's eat...

Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport, Part 2

Six days ago, we witnessed one of the most memorable and historic nights in "The Association".  In Oakland, two historic moments occurred: 1) the Golden State Warriors soundly defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104 to become the first team in NBA history to record 73 wins, besting the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' 72-10 record; and 2) Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history to make at least 400 three pointers in a single season (402).  Down the coast in Los Angeles, five-time champ Kobe Bryant brought his illustrious 20-year career to an end by being the first player in NBA history to play 20 years for the same team as well as the first to score more than 50 points (60) in his final game on the way to overcoming a ten-point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz, 101-96.  After those two big games and reading Part 1 of this two-part series, O.G. Buddy of the Blog Country sent me an email that said, "Kobe went out to 60 and steph hit 73 w and 402 threes...Is that not enough to pull you back to basketball lol?"  I responded, "Still not kinging it over football, but it works for now LOL!"  As much as I loved seeing such a momentous occasion happen, Bryant and Curry are bookends of sorts as the former signifies remnants of a golden era while simultaneously ushering in a certain attitude in a newer one while the latter embodies certain fundamental elements while epitomizing how the game of basketball has transformed.  So what exactly do all of my convoluted observations mean?  Well, in the second and final part of "Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport", I shift focus from my personal connections to my observations of the game itself...

Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport, Part 1

So early last week, Big Little Brother Scribbler sent me a text saying that he was on his way to Houston for the announcement of Allen Iverson's possible induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame along with four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal.  When he mentioned those names, it reminded me of two things: 1) being happy when the Sixers took Game 1, but being disappointed when the Lakers swept the rest of the series; and 2) when basketball was still competing with football as my favorite sport.  Although Michael Jordan had retired for the second time in 1998, Dominique Wilkins (my favorite player of all time) retired a year later and Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing were on the downside of their careers, the new breed that included Iverson, O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett were keeping the party going.  However, somewhere along the way, I stopped watching as many regular season games because 82 games just became too much to follow and I simply focused my energy on the playoffs--treating what was once my favorite sport with the same attentiveness that I give the MLB.  So what made me trade in what seemed to be an undying love for basketball for just a casual and sometimes strong like?  Well, in the first of what has become a two-part series, "Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport," I will discuss the more personal reasons why I am no longer as smitten with hoops as I was in the 80s, 90s and early 00s...

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week: Manu Ginobili's Big Time Shot

Up to this point, Manu Ginobili was not having his best game ever.  In fact, Tony Parker was a huge amount of the reason why the San Antonio Spurs erased a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter and sent Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Golden State Warriors, led by Stephen Curry's amazing 44-point performance with 11 assists, to two overtime periods.  Ginobili not only badly missed a shot that could've ended the game in the first overtime, but he took an errant three pointer when the score was 126-123 with about 48 seconds to go, which led to Curry scoring another one of his signature floaters and a later assist to Ken Bazemore after Parker missed a layup to give the Warriors a 127-126 lead with only 3.9 seconds.  Ahhh, but redemption can be so sweet...

Big Deal or Not? A Perspective on Jason Collins' Announcement

After weeks of discussions about the possibility of a male athlete in one of the four major sports in the United States coming out as openly gay, NBA free agent center Jason Collins has decided to carry that gauntlet.  In a joint article with Franz Lidz from last Monday's edition of Sports Illustrated, Collins stated this:

I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black. And I'm gay...I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation. I wish I wasn't the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, "I'm different." If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I'm raising my hand.

Mind you, this announcement comes nearly two weeks after former Baylor University women's basketball star and Phoenix Mercury No. 1 overall draft pick Brittney Griner admitted that she was a lesbian.  However, that neither received the same amount of fanfare nor--and I say this with the utmost respect--wasn't as much of a surprise on a couple of different levels--though equally encouraging for other female athletes who may have trepidations.  Ironically after the whole debate about whether Griner could be successful playing in the NBA, homosexuality may be the only arena where female athletes aren't susceptible to as much scrutiny as male athletes.  Thus, I believe that's one of the many reasons why Collins' willingness to be the first has been heralded as such a "landmark" event in American professional sports--even drawing strong comparisons to Jackie Robinson becoming the first Black player in Major League Baseball in 1947.  (I personally wouldn't go that far because racism was much more prevalent during Robinson's era whereas homosexuality is significantly more tolerated, accepted and/or celebrated in this day and age, but it's still an important event nonetheless.)

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week (Part I): DeAndre Jordan's Entry for NBA Dunk of the Year

For once, I planned to post a highlight this week that was completely unrelated to sports, unless they have an official league called the "NTA" as in the "National Twerking Association".  (I'm sure a lot of brothers would pay top dollar to attend a "game" like that.  Oh wait, they already do...it's called the strip club.)  Mrs. Scribbler and I were up watching some hilarious videos from Dormtainment.com, and I was like, "Yeah, I'm posting something from their site this week!"  However, it's unfair to them when the Los Angeles Clippers, a.k.a. the 2013 version of the 1980s "Showtime" L.A. Lakers, are playing the most exciting basketball that we've seen in a very long time.  I might have to do two highlights this week, but I doubt that the young bulls need any plugging from a largely unknown blogger like me.  (Heck, I might need help from y'all, so can y'all please throw some Twitter followers and Facebook friends my way?!?!)

Singing Out of Tune: The Blunder Years

On the latest edition of the His & Hers podcast hosted by ESPN's Michael Smith and Jemele Hill, they discussed Golden State Warriors' shooting guard & small forward Klay Thompson, who was fined $35,000 for being one of the escalators in the February 26th "brawl" between the Warriors and the Indiana Pacers.  Consequently, his father Mychal Thompson--the No. 1 overall draft pick for the Portland Trail Blazers in 1978 and two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1987 and 1988--docked him pay out of his "allowance" for his involvement...mind you, that "allowance" comes from Klay's money that he makes as an NBA player.  The Thompson parents literally hand their young adult son an envelope full of spending money once a week.  Wild, right? Jemele Hill seemed to think so and had this to say:

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week: The Miami Heat Take On Harlem

So all of my highlights will not necessarily be from the same week...in fact, it'll typically be something that I came across or simply thought about posting that week.  Anyway, anyone who knows me knows that I always complain about being the last to know about everything and anything.  So when my best friend Country showed me some clips of people doing the new Harlem Shake, I felt lost as usual--mainly because I thought, "This doesn't look like the Harlem Shake that I remember!"  Nevertheless, I quickly got over it as I was wildly and thoroughly entertained by most of the clips.

Scribbler's Highlight of the Week: Blake Griffin...And One, Son

So since I'll be sharing sonically-pleasant favorites once a week, I have to get on my Warner Wolf and "go to the videotape" as well.  Thus, the "Scribbler's Highlight of the Week" is born.  Usually, I'll feature a spectular sports play--mainly because I live vicariously through athletes since I'm probably the least athletically-inclined member of my father's side of the family for this generation--but don't be surprised if it's just something funny, swaggerific or just flat-out random as a mugg.  With that said, on to the inaugural feature...