Phoenix Rises
The Suns excellence helps brighten a mood soured by the hell that is moving.
By Ben Osborne
My wife and I moved this past weekend. Brooklyn, NY to Montclair, NJ. The emotional consequences of such a journey—leaving my favorite part of New York City after living there for nine years to move to a town I know little about—can be explored at a later time (and on a different website, as no one here will care). The practical consequences of this move (really, any move) are more relevant to the SLAM readers. Basically, between packing, unpacking, dealing with address changes, leaving one cable service, starting a new one (Comcast and I are not friends yet), I have barely been in front of a TV.
This would be one thing if it was mid-November (baseball done, hoops just starting and NFL only halfway through) or mid-July (only baseball), but a relative media blackout as the playoffs get underway?! This is not a good look for your boy Ed. The only game I’ve seen every second of so far was game one of Mavericks-Warriors, held after the first weekend we started trekking stuff to Jersey and on the eve of my last week in BK. Fittingly, this was as important a game as has happened in the Playoffs, seeing as it set the tone for what will be the upset of the of the Tournament should Dirk not grow some of what Sam Cassell has, but still, I clearly need much more. What I need in my life is more T-Mac (aiming to prove Big O wrong?), LeBron and Steve Nash in my life. Pronto.
Speaking of Nash, while I haven’t been able to watch the postseason like usual, I’ve still followed them closely, in the papers and on this site, where Sam is doing his increasingly predictable bang-up job running things, and one of the things I’ve enjoyed the most is the Suns surgical dismembering of the Lakers. I’d prefer not to be tossed in as Kobe-hater, but in basketball terms I just don’t see any way he and the Lakers deserve to beat the Suns. The Suns have a system more suited to their players, solid on-court chemistry and a ring leader that is (somehow) playing as well as ever. And, oh yeah, they’re on our cover!
We are just days away from unveiling our next issue on the site, a process that is sure to invoke some laughter (and, unfortunately, in certain business-minded circles, tears), but I think I’m gonna’ leave it to Lang to get into all that. In the meantime, dear readers, we have an issue on stands now that is looking as relevant as ever. Our Suns cover seemed scary for a second when they went into a mini-funk just after the classic Dallas OT win in mid-March, but ever since they crushed the Mavs in the rematch on April Fool’s they have been in a rhythm, living up to our cover line on a nightly basis. As for our cover and it’s burned-logo imagery, has anyone seen this? Did they bite us a bit or has that been part of the suns.com look for a minute? I’m not mad either way; just curious.
As a staff, we chose to cover one other team to feature in the Suns issue as we headed into the playoffs, and for obvious reasons we wanted someone from the East. Coalescing as they were pretty much from the All-Star Game on, the Bulls were the choice. Russ went out there and did his thing, blessing us with what proved to be a perfect pick for this issue. For while the Warriors beating the Mavs will deservedly be the bigger story, what the Bulls have just done in knocking off the defending champs is hella impressive as well. And again, not that we predicted it, per se, but we were certainly implying that the Bulls brand of tough-nosed basketball could cause fits for whoever they faced in the Playoffs, and so far that’s looking awfully accurate. So, if you still don’t have the Suns issue, pick it up now before it’s too late. Remember, the mag is what ultimately pays the bills around here. As for the predictions we (everyone but Khalid and Russ, at least, which seems appropriate) do make in that issue? They only run on two pages ard are easy to skim right over.
I’m leaving work early today as the folks from Comcast are supposed to come back to really get my cable, internet and phone squared away. Assuming they do, I’ll be back in business. Just in time for another big Mavs-Warriors game and round two around the corner, which is when the real fun should begin.
29 Responses to “Phoenix Rises”
May.1 at 12:15 pm
2G40 says:
I got the mag….and it’s tight!
May.1 at 12:19 pm
Ryan Jones says:
Leaving NYC? Ben, you’re such a sell-out.
May.1 at 12:39 pm
rob stewart says:
Don’t tell me the Mavs are on the cover. Then again they might comeback though. Baron Davis is balling out of control though.
May.1 at 12:50 pm
2G40 says:
I do think it was a little premature for six of you guy’s to anoint the Mav’s champs, especially before the playoffs started. May be that article is the root-cause to this ass kicking their getting…LOL!
May.1 at 1:04 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
The Mavs brought a knife to a gunfight.
May.1 at 1:08 pm
2G40 says:
Can somebody at SLAM please tell me why most of the slamadamonth’s are on Eric Dampier? Is there anybody in the league who hasn’t mashed one on this guy….it seems like every issue you guy’s have someone flushing it on this dude.
May.1 at 1:32 pm
Jake Appleman says:
Ben, I fear that you and I may both be in tears at the end of the night. And if the rabbits foot needed to prevent our worst frears from coming true got sent to BK instead of Montclair…oh boy…..
May.1 at 1:50 pm
Ryan Jones says:
2G40: I believe your second sentence answers the question posed in your first.
May.1 at 2:49 pm
Mike C. says:
Ben: Get ready for a very prolonged and deeply infuriating lifetime of dealing with Comcast. I used to work at a call centre doing tech support for their hi-speed Internet. Many many many neighbourhoods in New Jersey lose their hi-speed service several times per week. Calling tech support will do nothing as it has to do with the infrastructure, and Comcast being too cheap to replace the cable lines.
Good luck b.
May.1 at 2:59 pm
Derms says:
The Mavs, brought a pen to a test.
May.1 at 3:05 pm
tedturner says:
i bet irk is on the next cover.
May.1 at 3:10 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Just remember, there are other things to read and photos to look at inside of the magazine besides the cover story.
May.1 at 3:24 pm
caputo says:
are the Nets moving into your old apartment?
May.1 at 5:13 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Farmer Jones, everyone, chiming in from the urban metropolis that is College Park, PA.
Sam, thankfully you’re right, though that may be a point that becomes more important next week.
Mike C, that is one sobering comment. I actually got a totally competent and professional tech guy today (as opposed to yesterday’s clown who seemed hung over and was taking birthday phone calls and ran out without even cleaning up). For now, I’m up and running and cannot wait to peer over the unpacked boxes in our living room at the Playoff Games tonight (and maybe catch up on HBO late night)…
Caputo, the Nets are moving damn close to where I lived. Will be sad to miss the chance to walk to their games, but their presence (not to mention the presence of the luxury condos being built in conjunction with the arena) are going to worsen the neighborhood in my opinion (though lifelong Brooklynite Sam can comment on that with more authority).
May.1 at 7:18 pm
Ryan Jones says:
That’d be State College, Ben. Thanks.
May.1 at 11:25 pm
Ben Osborne says:
I knew that. I’m a moron.
May.2 at 12:10 am
edwin says:
SUN’S ALL THE WAY. I HAVE THE MAGAZINE , IT’S COOL
May.2 at 12:11 am
edwin says:
STEVE NASH:MVP 3 TIMES
May.2 at 9:39 am
Connor says:
yo
May.2 at 10:44 am
shelbie_phx_SN13 says:
STEVE NASH U ROCK!!! I may be a girl but i know alot abt steve nash…
May.2 at 10:47 am
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
edwin right on…yea do u have the one that has amare,nash and marion on it and it says THE BIG BANG ?
May.2 at 10:49 am
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
THE magazine is pimpin
May.2 at 10:50 am
shelbie_PHX_SN13 says:
i got it like 4 days ago
May.2 at 1:45 pm
K22C says:
Phoenix… I hope Gully State (coined by SLAM) kicks your ass in the Western finals
May.2 at 3:39 pm
Hersey says:
This issue is the first issue of SLAM i’ve ever bought, strange because I’ve been on this site everyday for like three years. I like it. Go Suns!
May.2 at 6:39 pm
Ben Osborne says:
Glad to hear it, Hersey. If the Suns win it all they’ll be back on in a few months. Either way, I hope it’s not the last one you buy…
May.2 at 11:15 pm
8-Ball says:
as much as i like the lakers and respest what they do, its totally suns game serious
May.3 at 10:52 am
whats with... says:
..you guys fixing steve nash’s eyes on the cover. it looks like a different person.
May.11 at 11:17 am
» Dirk Nowitzki: SLAM 109 Coverboy - SLAM ONLINE says:
[…] As I hopped off 6 Train on my way to work, a mere six hours after I’d gone to bed, I quickly beelined for the newsstand. Just as I had thought, there fate was, ridiculing us, while looking dope as F—. When I saw the quote that had been pulled for the cover (“We’re not the hunted. We’re still hunting.”) I laughed out loud, and then some of the leftover sleep in one of my eyes became a tear, though I don’t think this happened on purpose. So yes, Ben, technically I laughed and I cried. […]