Portland Trail Blazers Fans, I Don't Know

That screengrab above is from underachieving Net Travis Outlaw's page on endless resource Basketball-Reference.com. As you may know, B-R.com offers cheap ad space on each and every player page. In this case, Blazer fan Whit Perkins apparently thought prudent to spend some cash to let former Blazer Outlaw (or rather those who read Outlaw's page) know how much he appreciates the late-game services Outlaw provided while in Portland. If you click on Perkins' name, you'll be directed to this YouTube video of an overtime game winner from Outlaw, then the explanation (at 1:14) of said play, which Perkins thoughtfully (and phonetically) transcribed in his "advertisement."

I guess all I'm getting at here is that the world in 2011 is goofy.

No Regard Daily Previews: 11-30-10

One Game We Will Definitely Watch Tonight: Civil War Part II: New Jersey Nets vs. New York Knicks

Finally, for the first time in a long time, things are looking up for the two NBA teams geographically located within a few miles of the Hudson River. And for a staff full of avid Knicks and Nets fans, we couldn't be happier. Personally, having no horse in this race (Let's Go Celtics!), I thought it would be interesting to point out some of the newly found similarities between the two ball clubs which suggest what may or may not be impacting each team's improvement.

First similarity: Russians. Prokhorov and Mozgov. Both newcomers to their respective franchises. Prokhorov has made an immediate impact on the Nets and declared that they must do whatever it takes to win a ring within five years. Conversely, Mozgov received a warm welcome to the league from Blake Griffin and the illest posterizing dunk of the year.

No Regard Daily Preview: 11-4-10

One Game We Are Definitely Going to Watch Tonight: New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls

For years, New York and Chicago have fought over the right to the title of Best Pizza City in America. Both sides have their loyalists, and in many ways, it purely comes down to a matter of personal preference. Tonight’s matchup in Chicago is oddly similar to this age-old clash between New York and Chi City pies. Think about it:

No Regard Daily Recap: Opening Night

One Game We Watched Last Night: Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics


Heat: 80 Celtics: 88

I haven't checked yet, but my guess is that some people are overreacting about this game, in every way possible. Sure, the Heat's offense looked like it had been diagnosed with Asberger's Syndrome, but they'll figure it out. So instead of extrapolating what this performance may mean for the rest of the season, here are a few scattered thoughts about the game:

*Starting to think Rondo's refusal to dribble in the backcourt is not to conserve time, but energy before he creates landscapes on offense. It's like one of those attacks in Street Fighter where you have to hold the back arrow for two seconds before any other button combo.

*Chris Bosh doesn't set good picks.

*Spoelstra's strongest coaching came when he refused to call timeouts right after big plays (like that trailing Shaq dunk off the pass from Rondo). But that's about it for strong coaching. The talk about Riley taking over is going to keep getting louder.

*A fast break in late first quarter was snubbed because LeBron streaked to basket and Wade, et al couldn't run an efficient break. How could Wade look so bad all night? Did sitting out until tonight effect him so much that we are going to be forced to reconsider how important the preseason is?

*According to Craig Sager's report on Shaq bringing joy to the Celtics: "This is the happiest Kevin's been in years," says Mrs. Garnett. Awwww.

*LeBron needs a softer touch around the rim. Whether it's his "post game" or runners, he just has to get better at finishing between five and eight feet from the basket.

*Marquis Daniels had a few nice baskets, mostly the result of determined footwork. Nice change for someone who normally looks like he'd be surprised if you told him there was a game going on.

*It's insane clown posse how important James Jones is going to be to this team.

*Garnett covering House on the last inbound play was smart. Even with one of the fastest shots in the league, House was forced to pass thanks to Garnett's harassment.

One Game We Didn't Watch Last Night: Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trailblazers


Phoenix: 92 Portland: 106

I told you Nicolas Batum was a thing: 26 minutes, 8 for 17 shooting, 3 for 8 from three-point range, 5 offensive rebounds, 11 total rebounds, 1 steal, 2 turnovers, and 19 points. Not sure what that all looked like, but he definitely played in an NBA regular season game. No one can say otherwise.

No Regard Daily Previews: Opening Night

Game We Will Definitely Watch Tonight: Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics

Ha. I spent some time today looking for that clip from season two of "Breaking Bad" when Jesse shoots up heroin for the first time and floats up off the bed, but couldn't find it. As NBA junkies, this isn't our first time getting high, but every time a new season hits our blood stream on opening night, it's like the first time all over again.

Anyway, I'm stalling here because what is there to say about this game that hasn't already been spewed ad nauseum. Even a bananahead knows the story lines and players taking the hardwood tonight in Boston.

Miller's injury does soften the impact of this whole exercise a bit, but only because it may force Spoelstra to play some more traditional line-ups. The match-ups are still where the intrigue resides with these two teams. More specifically, which coach will bow to the size of the other? No doubt Doc Rivers will try to force the action by trotting out very tall men like Garnett and Shaquille and Jermaine O'Neal, but does he stay the course when Wade and LeBron spit in the face of conventional positions and offensive schemes and succeed at running the show like maniacs?

I'm trying to act cool and downplay this, pretend there are other things in play here, but seriously: Heat-Celtics. It's going to be incredible.

One Game We Probably Won't Watch Tonight: Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trailblazers

Nothing against these two squads, but I'm on the East Coast, and if I stay up late tonight, it's going to be for Yao Ming and Ron Artest's haircut.

But the Phoenix game should be pretty fascinating also, and maybe even a better game (the Lakers are receiving their rings tonight, and recently, teams in that position have struggled to shake off the celebratory hangover in time to win their first game). This is Nash's first opportunity to quell everyone's fears that the Sun's front office has finally put together a ragtag group of newsies too sorry for even Nash to salvage. But don't read a strong performance by him as anything more than a competitive dude excited for another season; Nash is too busy of a guy to spend time worrying about what the trees whisper about him.

Players who should come out looking to prove something are Dudley, Dragic, and the rest of the second-stringers who's play was so vital during last year's playoffs. It's one thing to respond to a challenge, but it's another rodeo altogether to be able to rope up high expectations and keep on riding hard.

As for the Blazers: Injuries, right? And Nicolas Batum. Those are things relating to that team, I'm sure of it!