Links: Let’s Get Ready To Atrophy!
Later, Sam Vincent?
• I didn’t want to get sucked in to last night’s Suns/Nuggets game, and after watching the terrific Hawks/Grizz game and then the interminable Braves/Pirates games, I thought I’d make a courtesy stop by NBA TV to check in on the NBA game of the night. When I flipped over, it was halftime and the Suns were down 70-51. I nearly turned it off, but I figured I should at least give the Suns a few more minutes to get it going.
Next thing I knew we were going into the fourth and the Suns had closed it to 92-85. The Suns then scored 46 in the fourth to win it. It was a great game, unless you’re a Denver fan, made better by the Playoff ramifications.
This thing is, it don’t stop. There’s at least one game with Playoff implications every night for the next week. Here’s my tentative schedule…
Tonight: Phoenix at Denver
Tomorrow night: Golden State at Dallas
Thursday night: Houston at Portland
Friday night: San Antonio at Utah, and Dallas at Lakers
Saturday night: No good NBA games, but the Final Four tips off
Sunday: Daytime ABC doubleheader of Golden State at New Orleans, plus Dallas at Phoenix
I’m going to have to give my couch a pep talk tonight. “OK, I know you feel you’ve been taken for granted, and you maybe even feel used, but let’s get one thing straight: I paid big money for you and it’s time that you step up. No more lumpy pillows, no more sagging in the middle. Let’s step it up, couch. Or I’ll pull a sign-and-trade with a Barcalounger. I mean it!”
And as we roll into the real season, I’m ready to go here with The Links. I’ll have something every day between now and the end of the season. Promise. Let’s hit The Links…
• In honor of April Fool’s Day, let’s check in with Charles Barkley, Rick Mahorn and Manute Bol…
Love how Manute yells, “It was Rick Mahorn!” Yes it was, Manute, yes it was.
Later, Mahorn ate all the food on that table.
• Sam Vincent says he’s not concerned that his job coaching the BETcats is allegedly on the line. That’s a good thing, because I talked to someone today and was told Vincent’s job apparently is very much on the line. Just saying…
• Tonight in New Jersey, Gary Sussman will be dressed as a tree. And tonight in Jersey, the carbon emissions are sponsored by Izod!
• I talked about this briefly a while back, but now that the NBA has announced that bloggers are welcome at their games, Mark Cuban has declared this Pros vs. Joes as bloggers will fight for space with real, actual journalists.
But the best thing about this is that in his blog post acknowledging the new NBA policy, Mark Cuban singles out one young journalist, one bright young mind, as an example of all that can go right in the world of journalism.
Who did Cubes make an example of?
So I invite any blogger to post samples of their work here as a comment. if its good, and I am the only judge, then you will get an email invite to get credentialed to cover a game in Dallas (its up to you to get there). I don’t care if you work for a major company, or are in 8th grade. All will be given equal access.
Just as I did with Ben Collins. I think I gave him his first shot to write for the Mavs website when he was 13. If you can write, you deserve the same opportunities to communicate about the Mavs as someone who works for ESPN, a major newspaper or network. In the blogging business, the Joes can be better than the Pros.
That’s right, it’s SLAM’s own Ben Collins. Benny says he will be back around these parts this summer. Allegedly.
• Another prank video for you. Here’s Baron Davis working the drive-thru at McDonalds.
“No salt on the fries? Wow. Never heard that one before.”
• Oh, a big thanks to my main man John Schuhmann at NBA.com. We made a bet two years ago when my University of Georgia team played John’s Virginia Tech Hokies in the Chik-Fil-A Bowl. If I won the bet, John was supposed to bring me a Chik-Fil-A sandwich. I don’t recall what was supposed to happen if he won the bet, because I knew there was no chance of that happening.
In the time since, John and I haven’t had a chance to catch up for lunch. So last week I received a package from John, and inside was a Chik-Fil-A bag (greasy, I might add). Inside that bag was this. (Many of those videos were featured here.)
It’s probably not as good as a Chik-Fil-A sandwich, and definitely not as good as a Chik-Fil-A breakfast biscuit, but I will admit that the DVD consumed about two hours of my Friday night leisure time.
• As it turns out, everyone does racist LeBron covers…except SLAM!
• Happy birthday today to my main man Jesse Dunn. Holler at your boy, Jesse.
• And finally, one more prank video, although this is really more like bloopers. It does involve mascots, though, which is always fun. I laughed out loud a few times watching it…
45 Responses to “Links: Let’s Get Ready To Atrophy!”
Apr.1 at 3:50 pm
Cheryl says:
you know what? I don’t think I’ve watched one BETcats game this season. I wish that were true for the Heat… Anyway, MJ shouldn’t make coaching or player decisions. His resume sucks in that area. In fact, maybe he should just stick to hanging out and exchanging underwear with Cuba Gooding.
Apr.1 at 3:56 pm
RV says:
Clutch ain’t no joke…good stuff
Apr.1 at 3:58 pm
TADOne says:
That mascots video was classic.
Apr.1 at 4:04 pm
Eboy says:
The Rockets mascot doing a pelvic thrust at the Sonics fan after he hit him with the cake made me spit up my root beer. Now I’m looking for Shout wipes. F*cker.
Apr.1 at 4:09 pm
Sam Rubenstein says:
Ben Collins is a never-ending source of entertainment, the enigma of enigmas. He is SLAM’s Gilbert Arenas. PLease, other NBA bloggers don’t be jealous of Cuban’s love for him.
The LeBron covers post is well done. Good photo research.
Apr.1 at 4:13 pm
H to the izzo says:
I would advise everyone to read Ben Collins’ piece that Cubes linked to.I contains a picture of him and a William Shatner album review.
Apr.1 at 4:15 pm
Homie says:
Jesse Dunn, born on April 1? Hmm…
Apr.1 at 4:17 pm
Eboy says:
That photo of Ben has to be a April Fools Joke, right? Was he really thirteen in that shot?
Apr.1 at 4:19 pm
H to the izzo says:
Seeing as it was posted in 2004,I doubt it.
Apr.1 at 4:19 pm
Eboy says:
Chick Fil A breakfast biscuits changed the fast food breakfast game forever.
Apr.1 at 4:19 pm
Holly MacKenzie says:
Yeah, Ben!!
Apr.1 at 4:19 pm
Eboy says:
9?
Apr.1 at 4:21 pm
albie1kenobi says:
thank you Lang for posting the mascot video. i was not having a good day until that. thanks again.
Apr.1 at 4:24 pm
ED LEEDSKALNIN says:
YOU DONT WANT NO SAUCE THATS ON YOU. EAT EM DRY.
Apr.1 at 4:29 pm
ED LEEDSKALNIN says:
ben collins looks like a retarded pistol pete, most likely with downs syndrome.
Apr.1 at 4:36 pm
albie1kenobi says:
inspired by the Links, i’m gonna go pick up a few NBA dvds. any recommendations?
Apr.1 at 4:40 pm
Bigi says:
That Rockets mascot is just mean…
Apr.1 at 4:43 pm
Ben Osborne says:
This is a TREMENDOUS collection of Links. Lang must be getting ready for the Playoffs. Someday, Ben Collins will be editor of whatever magazine he wants.
Apr.1 at 5:14 pm
Khalid Salaam says:
Clutch..king of the mascots….
Apr.1 at 5:23 pm
Vortex Knight says:
Was all that Rockets bear stuff from a spoof segment or something? Or is he just a mean S.O.B.? Funny as hell either way.
Apr.1 at 5:26 pm
RV says:
he can be pretty mean, but i’m pretty sure the popcorn vendor was in on it, as well the guy sitting next to the lady who got the cake in her face (probably her birthday)..the seattle fan was probably a fake.
Apr.1 at 5:29 pm
RV says:
that looked like a high school football team, but Clutch lowering his shoulder on them was still great, it always impresses me how mobile some of these guys get with those suits on.
Apr.1 at 5:35 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Khalid: You take that back right now! Rocky is the best there ever was, the best there ever will be. That mutated Build-a-Bear got nothin’.
Apr.1 at 6:02 pm
Reggie Evans says:
Awesome youtube link. Thanks.
Apr.1 at 6:08 pm
arthur says:
Or as Cuban calls him, Ben Collns. The man can’t stop disrespecting bloggers even when he wants to
Apr.1 at 6:26 pm
Cameron says:
the rockets mascot was the only funny one.
Apr.1 at 6:31 pm
Lang Whitaker says:
@arthur: Cuban leaves out the “i” in Collins because nobody is greater than Cuban himself.
Apr.1 at 7:01 pm
Clendon says:
The Last clutch cake prank was funny haha just his belly dance over the top of him haha classic
Apr.1 at 7:17 pm
Balling NZ says:
None of those vids are avaialable any more, gutted.
Apr.1 at 7:27 pm
Maurice Garland says:
man…i was sweating a little in the last 5 mins of that Hawks/Grizz game, they was acting like they was gonna let them come back….anyways, i pre-ordered tix to Game 1 of what I hope will be our first playoff series in damn near a decade…am i being too faithful?
Apr.1 at 10:56 pm
Dacre says:
I was watching those prank vids…that baron davis is funnier than gilbert arenas QUOTE ME.
Apr.2 at 12:50 am
Lang Whitaker says:
No you are not, Maurice. Keep the faith!
Apr.2 at 1:00 am
Joel O's says:
Man. Baron Davis was awesome, I especially loved him asking if the guy wanted sauce on his Sprite, couldn’t stop laughing haha. The mascot video was so funny too… the fact that they’re all padded is nice cuz they aren’t gonna get really badly hurt for the most part, but it makes em so clumsy that it’s always fun, heh.
Apr.2 at 2:59 am
hursty says:
All the videos were heaps funny. Keep em up Slam.
Apr.2 at 3:11 am
hursty says:
Go Rockets! (even though we lost), (also, Ron Ron is underrated offensively).
Apr.2 at 6:30 am
Mike says:
Now how bout Vince Carter’s dunk over Dalembeast last night? Is it the sixth now? http://youtube.com/watch?v=em0ivZo0ccE http://ezinearticles.com/?Vince-Carter-Dunk-or-How-to-Dunk-Like-Air-Canada&id=581663
Apr.2 at 6:39 am
nick says:
Clutch is the best in the business.
Apr.2 at 7:59 am
BETCATS says:
FIRE HIM!!! The reason Sam Vincent will be fired is because everybody in the Bobcats organization is p!ssed off that he plays a 3 guard 1 Small Forward 1 Power Forward/Center system, good for college, not NBA. Sam should go coach Butler or something
Apr.2 at 8:15 am
BETCATS says:
and those videos were masterpieces
Apr.2 at 9:16 am
Randy Brown says:
The Houston mascot is a G
Apr.2 at 10:57 am
Maurice Garland says:
“No salt on the fries? Wow. Never heard that one before.” Unfortunately, I have…. http://www.therezidue.com/2008/03/wheres-beef.html
Apr.2 at 11:00 am
Maurice Garland says:
oh yeah…Clutch is from the land of the Trill…what would you expect?
Apr.2 at 11:50 am
John Schuhmann says:
Gotta use my NBA connect while I still got it. And the grease is just because I care.
Apr.2 at 12:11 pm
Jim says:
Great vids man the sir charles, bol had me crackkin up
Apr.2 at 1:46 pm
Arvydas Sabonis says:
Man, I was totally LOLing at that mascots video. Nice one.