Classy Utah. Classy.
Whining? Sour grapes? The NBA Playoffs.
I am not going to lie. I didn’t watch the Western Conference game 3 at all, and was lucky that the Cleveland-Detroit game 3 was in crunch time when I got home from a long drive back from one of my Memorial weekend vacation spots. Vincent Thomas sent in his recap of Utah’s re-entry to the series, and our newest addition to the Game Notes roster, B.J. Reyes handled game 3 of Cavs-Pistons from Cleveland. I got them posted in a fairly timely fashion.
LeBron was incredible in the fourth quarter of game 3. It’s almost like he went through what happened last week just to add some pressure and drama for last Sunday night. Now Larry Hughes will probably miss game 4 with a foot injury. The Pistons are known to play down to their competition, but this is a big stretch for Cleveland. Sure, Larry hasn’t done much since the first few games of the first round, but LeBron needs all the help he can get. The Cavs did beat Detroit a few times in the playoffs without Larry Hughes last year when Hughes spent time away due to the death of his brother. Somehow it feels less likely to happen this time around. Despite the 2-1 lead, the Pistons have not played one of their real Detroiiiiiit baaaaaasketball games yet. They are due.
Last night the Spurs took control of their series, which caused a select few of the Utah fans to get a little bit upset and start throwing things. Derek Fisher, who was called the classiest player in the league a few weeks ago, started taking subtle cheap shots at the king of flops. If the Jazz want to keep their season going, they have to win a road game in a place they have not won at since 1999. That is a long streak to break. San Antonio is in The Finals already. We’ll have more on their game 4 win later today.
One of the treats of playoff games on ESPN is the Stephen A experience. Sure, he annoys many people, but his passion is impressive. His disgust when talking about Kirilenko, Okur, and Larry Hughes among others was off the charts. It’s like they poisoned his food or something. I really hope his shtick is just an act, cause if not he will die from high blood pressure before he hits 40.
The weekend was a lot of fun. I participated in the most intense game of eight-person paddleball that has ever been played. I’m still sore two days later. This was the day after our annual 3 A.M. pitch-black bike ride of danger. I don’t want to be accused of snitching here, but I think me and my friends may have witnessed a murder. Either that, or someone drove their car into the water like the Hummer commercial. There is no way to prove any of this. In case you were all clinging to every last word and wondering, yes I was in the Hamptons. You don’t have to say balling, I already know. Do you have any idea how hard it is to stay focused on the paddleball with so much “scenery” on the beach?
O-kay… there is an Eastern Conference Final game tonight, which could be the last meaningful game until the Finals. You have to think that Detroit and San Antonio will both wrap up their series once they have a 3-1 lead.
75 Responses to “Classy Utah. Classy.”
May.29 at 9:00 am
teis says:
1st
May.29 at 9:01 am
Cheryl says:
Something about Detroit seems off to me. Yeah, they tend to play down to their competition, but they don’t look as focused as they were in the Chicago series. I really think it may be Flip and his coaching, as I’ve been saying since he arrived in Detroit. He doesn’t seem to be very good at making in-game adjustments. You would think that this Detroit team would be demolishing the one-man Cavs team, but they seem to be struggling. I will not be at all surprised to see this go seven games, though the popular notion is that Detroit will close out. I’m not so sure.
May.29 at 9:03 am
Ryan Jones says:
For some reason — I think because I was folding laundry at the time — I found myself actually paying attention to the ESPN halftime crew last night. Watching Stephen Naismith, all I could think of was how the guys in the production truck must be hovering over the board whenever he’s about to start talking, ready to turn the volume down like 90 percent so that all of us at home don’t have our eardrums shattered. They must hate that guy more than I do.
May.29 at 9:04 am
Ryan Jones says:
I kind of agree with you, Cheryl, but then I don’t think it’s Flip’s fault that Chauncey and Tayshaun are shooting a combined -4 percent in the series.
May.29 at 9:04 am
Russ Bengtson says:
What a terrible fourth quarter last night.
May.29 at 9:13 am
Paps says:
1st
May.29 at 9:13 am
Paps says:
top ten
May.29 at 9:17 am
robertp says:
I wish Stephen A was in that car in the Hamptons…
May.29 at 9:21 am
Alex says:
Did you see how uncomfortable Dan Patrick and the rest of the panalist were when Stephen A. kept saying that Jazz - Spurs series are flat out over… Dan quickly added that they’re still hoping that we would watch the game, but the damage was already done… Gotta respect Stephen A. gangsta for speaking his mind and not caring about ratings and the suits who runs the network.
May.29 at 9:26 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Actually, you don’t gotta respect Stephen A. Smith at all.
May.29 at 10:15 am
Detroit11 says:
Cheryl and Ryan, I agree with both of you about the Pistons. Although it is not Flip’s fault that the Pistons guards and Prince are shotting horrible in the series, it is Flip’s fault that Billups has been stymied so much by the Cavs trap. While I know that Billups has to play better, Flip needs to realize what is happening and stress trying to run more and let Tayshaun bring the ball up to counter attack the trap…
May.29 at 10:18 am
DK52 says:
Stephen A. Smith should just stick with boxing because he doesn’t know hoops the way he thinks he does. I do like how he speaks his mind and calls people out though. But he is wrong too many times.
May.29 at 10:21 am
Ben Osborne says:
What a weird night; everyone seemed to catch Stephen A in action. Oddly compelling when you haven’t seen him in awhile. Flip may be the best thing the Cavs have going for them.
May.29 at 10:27 am
Sesa says:
What’s a paddleball?
May.29 at 10:27 am
K22C says:
I am a tid bit upset. I was on vacation for a little bit and when I came home I get on SLAM first look see the rumor of a Kobe trade. I read all of it and the posts and that brightens my day. Then you guys post that it was a false rumor and I cut my wrists and bled basketballs (as Nate would say). So thanks for that.
May.29 at 10:31 am
Nine E. Leven says:
Jazz in 7
May.29 at 10:32 am
Sesa says:
@K22C.
So you’re hoping that your San Antonio Spurs didn’t have to deal again with Kobe again 4 times per season?
May.29 at 10:40 am
Russ Bengtson says:
I actually didn’t pay attention to Stephen A. at all. He’s the Ginobili of announcers—he’ll do anything to draw attention to himself, no matter how annoying it is.
May.29 at 10:49 am
Tariq says:
Although it’s highly unlikely, I hope the ECF ends up being a 7-game series. That way we get more Barkley. The Finals are on ABC, right? So no Chuck? I don’t have TNT, but I only recently realized that I can watch Inside the NBA on NBA.com, so I’m not sure how these TV schedules work.
May.29 at 10:54 am
Mike C. says:
Anybody else getting sick of all the flopping and flailing going on? Charles Oakley and Anthony Mason need to storm the court and choke slam Ginobili and Varejao next time they flop.
May.29 at 11:08 am
Allenp says:
Damn, Ryan hates Stevie. Sometimes he is irritating, but most of the time he makes me laugh because he’s so over the top. It’s kind of like Bill Walton, except louder.
May.29 at 11:12 am
Russ Bengtson says:
There’s a great story about Celtic great Dave Cowens that’s been repeated in several books where he was called for a ticky-tack BS retaliation push foul while heading back upcourt. Well, he didn’t like that much, so on the next play he ran straight for the guy, straight-armed him into the seats, turned to the ref who’d blown the whistle the first time and said “now THAT’S a foul!” Cowens got thrown out of the game, of course, but I think he proved his point.
May.29 at 11:25 am
Mack So Fly313 says:
lol@ Dave Cowens, he’s on the pistons sideline, we got some great asstaint coaches
May.29 at 11:57 am
Alex says:
@Russ.
I didn’t say you have to respect Stephen A. Smith. I said you have to respect his gangsta. Meaning, he’s not a greatest and most knowledgeble “NBA analyst?”, but what makes him great is that he’s not another ESPN stooge announcer who’s just reading from the script. I admit that the whole screaming act is a bit gimmacky, but who cares. Most of the time what he says does make sense even if he’s stating the obvious that other announcers too scared to say. Just like him saying that Jazz-Spurs series is over. Everyone knows that it’s over but out of four panelists, Stephen A was the only who was able to say that. Other 3 characters had a look on their face like he just called someone a nappy headed ho… And the reason it seems that he’s wrong a lot of times because he’s one of the few (if not the only one) analysts who actually make predictions and sticks by them. I respect that. PS. yea, what’s the paddleball? Wikipedia didn’t have nothing on it. I hope it’s not some game Sam invented like Joye from Friends invented fireball.
May.29 at 12:09 pm
Harlem_World says:
What does the ‘A’ standfor? Prizes for the best answer…
May.29 at 12:11 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
paddle ball is as simple as it sounds. You have a paddle and you hit a ball back and forth. But it’s more fun when you risk your life to make sure the ball never touches the ground. It is played at the beach, so diving with full extension and landing on your face is fun.
Stephen A is a performance artist, not an NBA analyst.
May.29 at 12:11 pm
Co Co says:
Aggravating
May.29 at 12:37 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Alex, I gotta co-sign Russ here: When it comes to Steven Naismith, I both hate the player AND the game.
And anyone who’s ever been to a beach should know what paddle ball is. If not, you’re probably a commie.
May.29 at 12:51 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I don’t respect Stephen A. Smith’s gangsta, either. Loudly disagreeing with former NBA players about things that happen IN THE NBA doesn’t make you gangsta, it makes you stupid.
May.29 at 12:55 pm
Co Co says:
Watching the ESPN crew makes me appreciate the TNT crew even more. I think I respect the legends TNT has over the guys like Legs and Greg who averaged about 7 points per game over their careers. It’s just hard for me to look at them as experts.
May.29 at 12:59 pm
DP says:
I don’t give a crap what no one thinks, Stephen A. is the stuff. Yeah he may be wrong sometimes but he doesn’t care what others may think about him. I believe that is what makes a great analyst, being stubborn and fearless. play wit it.
May.29 at 1:01 pm
Co Co says:
I believe Stephen A and his “I don’t give a damn” demeanor is all a big act. He never goes after the big names, especially the ones he has a crush on like Shaq. It only seems like he’s stepping out on a limb and being all gangsta because he’s normally going up against the likes of Marc Stein and Ric Bucher. I could look like a “G” arguing with those two.
May.29 at 1:05 pm
Jason says:
I don’t watch ESPN/ABC with sound. I pressed the mute button 5 years ago and closed captioning has provided a gratifying, life changing experience.
May.29 at 1:13 pm
Co Co says:
I normally mute ESPN and ABC too, but I have a slight crush on Mark Jackson so I like the sound of his voice. Ha.
May.29 at 1:14 pm
Billy Blanks says:
Stephen A. should write for SLAM LOL!!!
May.29 at 1:34 pm
MALONE_FT_CLOCK says:
wheres all the media backlash at the utah fans????? if it happened in detroit, they would be all over it. but since it happened in utah, its all white
May.29 at 1:41 pm
Steve O says:
If screaming like a jack*ss and shooting down everyone else’s opinion is what it takes to become a “qualified” NBA source I think every poster on SLAMonline could work for ESPon
May.29 at 1:43 pm
Steve O says:
Screamin A might be my least favortie TV personailty ever… which is probably why he is getting air time. Everyone tunes in just to get pissed at him.
May.29 at 1:43 pm
Steve O says:
favorite
May.29 at 1:47 pm
Tdspurs says:
The SPURS will win back home. Utah will then go back home with their “sore loser” fans. Utah fans say “NOT IN OUR HOME”. Well, we did it in your HOME!!!! GO SPURS GO!!!
May.29 at 1:58 pm
deestarbuckz says:
GO CAVS!!!
May.29 at 2:03 pm
Jason says:
Makes me long for the days of NBC when the only annoying thing about the playoffs was Jim “The Stalker” Gray.
May.29 at 2:13 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
I’ll never forget a few years ago when I had ESPN on and Wifey was in the other room and she heard Stephen A. yelling from a good 30 feet away. She walked in and said, “Why is that guy so ornery?”
May.29 at 2:43 pm
Dennard says:
I wonder what Ralph Wiley would have to say about Screamin A?
May.29 at 2:50 pm
Holiday says:
Go Detroit! Im a Jazz fan in Utah and I was at game 4, and if you have to cheat to win you don’t deserve it! and that’s exactly what the Spurs did, and Fisher’s hit on Ginobli was well deserved he was throwing so many elbow’s and how they don’t call that in amazing! The series should be tied, Stern need’s to step up and do something about the ref’s and all the bad calls cause this is just rediculous!
May.29 at 3:26 pm
Alex says:
Did any of you ever watched Quite Frankly? He doesn’t actually spends an entire hour screaming and arguing with people. He provides great and entertaining analysis, and his interviews usually are highly entertaining… He needs to be shutting down other people opinions when it comes from the likes of Jon Barry, Dan Patrick or Michael Wilbon. He knows what he is and he’s not there to blow your mind with in depth Hubie Brown type of analysis. He’s there to hold your attention and keep you from switching the channell to Wife Swap. I think he does a great job in doing that!!!
May.29 at 3:33 pm
Paul says:
Well, now all the jazz fans know how we Suns fans feel. Misery loves company. By the way, what have the spurs done to turn NBA officiating into more of a joke than it already was?
May.29 at 3:45 pm
Zee says:
Ralph Wiley tried to say what was on his mind, and ESPN wasnt havin it. Maybe Steamin A Smith is sleeping with Mickey Mouse.
May.29 at 3:46 pm
Ron says:
Sam, that wasn’t a murder you witnessed, that was some rich guy retiring his out Bentley with a burial at sea. The Spurs, for all their greatness, are a horrible team to watch.
May.29 at 3:52 pm
Grim Reaper says:
Malone how many fans rushed the players or threw a beer on someone on a scores table? No way was what happened right but dont let 4 a holes represent all of a city. Or should we believe that all of Detroit are those fat little buys who rushed Artest? All white nice comment make it racial.
May.29 at 4:17 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Ron, is that Bentley funeral a real thing? It would help explain A LOT.
I wonder if you were to bump Manu on the street, would he flop? Does he flop in his private life or when it’s windy out?
May.29 at 5:25 pm
Dutch Rich says:
Both teams flopped hard!
May.29 at 6:01 pm
Dennard says:
Ralph did his thing, he got his points across, but he didn’t scream like a jackass everytime he was on TV. Quite Frankly wasn’t a bad show(IMO), but Screamin has been makes a fool out of himself by yelling like that. If you think dudes are playing well just say so and so could contribute better by…. This right here, “MEHMEUT OKUR WAS HORRIBLE, KIRIELINKO WAS GOD AWFUL, THESE GUYS ARE THROUGH, THIS SERIES IS OVAH!!!!” I mean damn, that’s not necessary. Just one man’s opinion.
May.29 at 6:07 pm
Dennard says:
Damn I can’t type, I meant if you think dudes aren’t playing well.
May.29 at 6:58 pm
Holiday says:
First off I (and many other NBA fan’s) was outraged over the result of the Suns/Spurs series the Jazz should be playing the sun’s right now! But no we got those cheap, dirty Spurs but I can’t completely blame the Spurs cause that was the worst officiated game I’ve ever seen! Ginobli should be banned of course if they change that rule so that flops are offensive fouls’s he’ll be completely useless!
May.29 at 7:19 pm
Tdspurs says:
I can’t believe there are so many SORE LOSERS!!! The Suns did not move on because they are not as good as the Spurs…obviously. The Jazz will go home because they too do not match up to the Spurs. Every team has someone that “flops” or makes a dirty play. Get a grip!! At least be a loser with some sort of CLASS. The Spurs have always been a TEAM. They have TEAM PLAYERS and this is why they will be in the championship. If you feel they are so bad to watch….I have a simple answer DON”T WATCH. GO SPURS GO!!!
May.29 at 8:06 pm
Holiday says:
You Spurs fans act as if the Spurs have won the last 10 championships or something! Just so you know the ‘99 win was tainted, oh and the Jazz aren’t out yet beside’s the Pistons are no walk in the park buddy! and just so you know us fan’s didn’t lose anything the Jazz did but the Spurs didn’t beat them the Ref’s did smart guy! Oh and of course leave it to a Spurs fan to overlook the fact that the Suns got cheated just like the Jazz are getting now!
May.29 at 8:08 pm
ALX8725 says:
both teams were flopping all night long. for every Ginobili flop, Derek Fisher countered with an equally despicable flop. It’s sad to see what the spectacle of the Western Conference has become. BTW, Sam is BBBBBBBAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLIINNN /w vacationing at the Hamptons.
May.30 at 8:22 am
Ronald says:
Stephen A Smith? Urm.. its not AGGRAVATING. Everyone know it stands for Annoying
May.30 at 11:43 am
tike says:
Stephen A. Smith doesnt bother me one bit..guy flat-out tells it how it is..wats realer then that…and majority of the time hes right about what hes saying Russ doesnt like em oh well.
May.30 at 2:06 pm
gizmo says says:
I witness LBJ 23 throwdown on the piston!
May.30 at 2:23 pm
gizmo says says:
hey Holiday! Stop crying You sound like a B*tch! Just to let YOU know the SPURS IS the better team in the L! 210 4 life! thats for all you haters out there!
May.30 at 3:08 pm
Mark says:
@ Holiday-
Bro - you cannot be serious. Are you for real ? The ‘99 ring was tainted? Please explain…. tell me why and or how it was tainted? Everyone played the same amount of games. Would it have been tainted if your team won ? I hate that Phil Jackson Zen philosophy comment. The Spurs got jobbed in game 4 of the SUn-Spurs series — and even if you throw out game 5 the Spurs still would have won that series. The refs did not give them anything. Bad calls happen for both teams. Fisher flops - Ginobili flops -the Jazz shoot jumpers and fade-a-ways and the Spurs go to the basket. The Spurs force the action and the Spurs play through the officiating. The Jazz still had opportunities to score and they still had chances to stop the Spurs. They didn’t and tonight the Spurs will move on. I hope they play the Cavs too. I would love to see LBJ average 50 and get swept.
May.30 at 4:58 pm
Holiday says:
Hey Im just defending my team, I gave Duncan and Parker respect but you Spurs fan’s act as if there gods and every other team is garbage! It’s the lack of respect that pisses me off! Everybody hates the Jazz, and can’t give them any credit for making the WCF, and I wasn’t saying the Sun’s would have won but they were robbed of an opportunity, and I belive they could have pulled it off! And yes every team has somebody that flops once in a while but that’s all Ginobli does I mean if every team complains about it, and only about the Spurs maybe theres some truth to it, think about it!
May.30 at 5:56 pm
G J says:
If Utah doesn’t have Williams or Fisher…game over. SA advances.
May.30 at 8:27 pm
DK52 says:
Alright Alright everyone listen to me. San Antonio is a Dynasty and the best NBA team of the last 20 years. Sike j/k I hate the Spurs and all of these people seem to be jumping on the Spurs bandwagon just becasue they are going to the finals and perhaps win. Fact of the matter is everyone is jealous of Parker because he is with Eva, and unless you live in Texas you hate the Spurs for the simple fact that you can’t like them. Duncan is fundamental which people find boring, Horry is dirty, Bowen and Ginobli are flopping floppers and the coach is ugly which all you people hate. People like to stand up for their team and then you bandwagon riders jump in and make me sick.
May.30 at 8:29 pm
DK52 says:
@ G J- I think as long as Utah has DWill they have a very good chance, they can win without Fisher, but Williams scoring is irreplaceable. Go JAZZ!!!!!!!
May.30 at 10:01 pm
Holiday says:
Well reguardless, the Jazz will be on of the Elite next season and if they can get a decent and well sized shooting guard or a defensive center that can score a little they’ll have a great chance at a title!
May.30 at 10:16 pm
DK52 says:
@ Holiday-even if Utah loss tonight they had a great season and came out of nowhere. Williams established himself as a star and Boozer contunued to show what he is about. Kobe could go to Utah next year and that would be their missing piece to a title. Utah really leaned on a 2nd year point guard, and huge minutes for a couple of rookies this year, along with a ton of inexperience players minus Harpring and Fisher, so it’s all good. Go JAZZ!!!
May.30 at 10:27 pm
DK52 says:
Dwill=MVP candidate next season. He has been the MVP of this year’s playoffs. Want proof? How about only player in NBA history to score at least 25+ points and 8 assists in the first 4 conference finals games. Not bad for a second year point guard, and first time playoff performer, not to mention he’s doing this against the best defensive team in the NBA.
May.31 at 3:30 am
Holiday says:
DK52 you talk real sh*t, and at least we will be legit next year! But Im still mad about game 4!
May.31 at 9:15 am
DK52 says:
@ Holiday- Yea game 4 was nonsense and it should be 3-2 Spurs going back to Utah on Friday night. But sometimes good teams and good people get screwed. It’s part of life. I hope Spurs lose in finals to Lebron or even Detroit I wouldnt mind beating them.
May.31 at 2:14 pm
Air Haiti says:
Dont know why but Stephen A doesnt annoy me as much as he does every1 else
Jun.6 at 2:18 am
Steph says:
Damn some ppl just don’t know how to stop hating on the Spurs (holiday,dk52)…I give credit to the Jazz for not being LOSERS but for tryin and being FAILURES…hahaha…
Its all about the Spurs baby and we’re kickin LBJ’s a**….oh and quit hating on ginobili and our other players and coach..yall just mad cuz they aint on UR team…GO SPURS GO!!!!!!
Jun.13 at 6:59 pm
Tdspurs says:
I’m with you STEPH. There are a bunch of haters and cry babies. Now look at the SPURS!!! One more game…..one more CHAMPIONSHIP. Go to sleep all you haters!!! GO SPURS GO!!!