Melo and Active Hands

Abides and I watched the Knick game last night and simply put, it was a wonky affair. Here are some talking points we found hilarious, mind-boggling, and entertaining.

*Throughout the entire broadcast Mike Breen consistently harped on how well Carmelo was playing on defense. Almost every time he noted this, Melo was reaching in and waving his arms furiously—flapping around like a child aggressively attempting to swim out of the deep end. That was pretty much it. No clear shift in strategy, no sign of better communication, no calculated positioning, and no formula—just active hands.

*It was great to watch the Knick cheerleaders present Walt Frazier with a massive goblet filled with Snickers to celebrate his birthday. That should happen at basketball games more often.

*Mr. Candace Parker deserves more playing time. He checked Dwight better than any other Knick big and had some clutch plays down the stretch. And: Why haven't we seen Candace in the Garden yet?

*Chauncey Billups is so far beyond a joke that it's hysterical. If that makes sense.

*Gil showed flashes of OG Gil with some high-pressure threes.

*I get that Dwight's 6th foul call was pathetic, but he needs to calm the fuck down. Go ahead and try not arguing every single time a call doesn't go your way. Grow-up, Peter Pan.

*Melo and Amar'e never really looked to get each other open looks. This might be an option to consider down the road.

*You can't blame Hedo for fouling out: Whatever it took to get out of that arena fast enough for him to stuff three slices of the best pizza in the world into his mouth and rip seven vodka shots as quickly as possible.

*At one point late in the game, J-Rich and Melo looked like 6th graders wrestling as they desperately tried to trip and prevent one another from getting up off the hardwood. Awesome.

*I know this is overstated, but Walt Frazier literally just states words. Nothing he says makes any sense. After listening to him for almost 20 years, it still continues to baffle me.

*Melo should have put back his own miss at the end of regulation.

*This Knick team is great for the league.

*I wonder how many different people in the Knick organization Ewing asked about D'Antoni's job security.

Bibby's World: There is No 'I' in 'One Percent'

"Offensively, the ball is in our hands 99 percent of the time and Mike Bibby has it one percent right now." - Dwyane Wade

I couldn't have said it better myself. The Big Four have arrived. 

I wonder how heavy the ring is going to be on my finger? 

NBA Middle Names: Serge Ibaka

We at No Regard spend a lot of time in our NBA knitting circles trying to figure out the human side of these players. Whether it's musing about their commutes to work, how much "Call of Duty" they play, or what their favorite snack food is, we like to remind ourselves that NBA players are nothing more than young men with enviable jobs. What better way to humanize our heroes than look up their middle names?

 

Sergeballu LaMu Sayonga Loom Walahas Jonas Hugo Ibaka

D'Antoni and Home Cookin'

Big, big news over here at No Regard.

Andrew Abides and I talk about a lot of stuff when it comes to the NBA and a fair amount of our banter has nothing to do with actual basketball.

One of our favorite topics is Mike D'Antoni and his passion for Italian food. In fact, we hypothesized that during the Knick's preseason camp, which took place in Westchester, NY, coach Mike probably pestered the security guards for their favorite eggplant parm spot.

So tonight, as I was flicking through channels and came across "The Mike D'Antoni Show," an MSG program in which D'Antoni gets interviewed, magic happened.

In the last section of the show D'Antoni answers questions from fans via video and email. One question, from Syracuse coach Jim Boehiem, caught my attention: "What is the best Italian restaurant in New York City?"

My heart stopped and my attention was furiously grabbed.

"Lot's of pressure here," Al Trautwig, the host of the show noted.

"No there's not," D'Antoni chuckled.

"There are too many good ones to name one. The best is when my wife is in the kitchen cooking pasta."

There you have it, folks.

Power Trio

Big-ups to Andrew Abides for finding this picture for me (from Rondo's Twitter feed). The two best players on my favorite soccer team in the world standing next to my favorite point guard in the world. My mind just exploded along with some other parts of my body that may or may not have exploded.

As Andrew and I sat there last night drinking black n' cans (Saranac Black and Tans, in cans), his streaking Nets took it to my first place Celtics with dead-eye three point shooting and passionate defense, which stifled Paulie Walnuts and Rondo.

We bet $5,000 on the game. Neither of us have close to that. I owe him 5k and I don't have it. Celts are now tied with Chicago for first place in the East due to this loss.

None of that matters because of this glorious picture this game produced.

Thank you, Twitter. It's moments like this when you prove why you're the best invention ever.

Thank You, Jalen

Just want to give a "Facebook thumbs up" to Jalen Rose and whoever else was involved in the making of the Fab Five documentary which premiered on ESPN last night. If you didn't get to watch it, I strongly suggest doing so whenever it airs next. Here are some of the highlights that stood out as particularly noteworthy for No Regard staffers:

NBA Middle Names: Chris Webber

We at No Regard spend a lot of time in our NBA knitting circles trying to figure out the human side of these players. Whether it's musing about their commutes to work, how much "Call of Duty" they play, or what their favorite snack food is, we like to remind ourselves that NBA players are nothing more than young men with enviable jobs. What better way to humanize our heroes than look up their middle names?

Mayce Edward Christopher Webber III

Celtics Nab Music Star

Yesterday, I wrote a post about how I was confused by the decision the Celtics made to sign Carlos Arroyo. Upon reading this, Andrew pointed me in the direction of Arroyo's other career. And as such, I am no longer perplexed, but instead, elated.

In case you missed it, check this out.



As Abides aptly stated to me last night, "There's nothing you love more than NBA players making music videos." And he's dead on. Arroyo is killin' it. Plus, it's in Spanish, which elevates the genius behind this video to another level.

Amazing move, Danny Ainge. Really just inspired general managing. Welcome to Boston, pop star Carlos Arroyo. You'll always have a place in my heart.