April 26, 2007 1:15 am  |  71 Comments

Links: Quick Dallas/G-State Reactions

As Stephen Jackson screams Thug Life…

by Lang Whitaker

I’m sure Ben Collins will have more on this game later, but I jotted down a few quick and random notes during tonight’s Dallas/Golden State game two.

• Imagine being the person at the ad agency who had to sell that weird Sprite commercial idea to LeBron. “OK, so you’ll be wearing a tuxedo and holding a paintball gun, and then this guy in a huge tongue costume will come in. No, no, it’ll be totally cool. We’ll make you look great!”

• During the first half, the Warriors players all looked so happy and committed to each other. And you know why? It’s not because they’re all happy with their contracts, probably not because they’re all great friends off the floor, not because they love and embrace their respective roles. These guys looked giddy because of all the bad shots they are currently being encouraged to take. They’ve spent their careers being told to move the ball and find the open guy, and now it’s shoot it if you got it. It’s almost like they stumbled into a free all-you-can-eat buffet.

• Did you notice that on the basket Dallas was shooting on in the second half, the foam padding was dangling sort of loose on one side? Just like all the baskets at high schools across America. At my high school we had to crudely reattached with athletic tape. If Mark Cuban wants another billion he should invent a glue for basket padding that will never fail.

• Dick Stockton said, “Don Nelson doesn’t seem to be pleased with the turnovers the Warriors are committing.” You think?

• When that rumble broke out in the third quarter, TNT gave us the greatest shot of the postseason thus far: The cameras weren’t focused on the Mavs and Warriors pushing and shoving, but instead on Stephen Jackson, who had just been called for a foul. This is understandable, because after any call against him, Stephen Jackson always seems liable to bite the referee in the face. Anyway, the players started beefing, and when Jackson saw what was unfolding, his eyes shot wide open and he took off on a sprint to get himself involved. Seconds later, all the Warriors were having to hold him back, and he didn’t even really know what the beef was all abot. It was dramatic, like a scene from a movie. If any five second clip deserves to live forever on YouTube, that’s it. Please, someone put this online and send us a link.

• Matt Barnes looks like he’s in Fishbone.

• Dallas built a nice lead, but they were really forcing a lot of bad passes throughout the game. I don’t know if that’s a sign that they’re still pressing a little, or if it signifies that they’re just bad at passing the ball.

• I wrote on my Sidekick:
“Once they called all those Ts on the warriors they started going crazy on the officials.”
And they really were. It was like they knew the refs were going to give them some leeway before getting tossed.

• Weirdest play of the game was at the end of the third quarter when Jason Richardson had the ball up top, isolated against Josh Howard. He dribbled and dribbled and then made his move: He crossed over himself. I’m not sure exactly what happened — it was like as J-Rich crossed the ball over, his feet just stopped working. He crashed to the floor and turned it over.

• As Baron Davis stood clapping derisively at the refs, I think everyone in the gym saw that the refs didn’t want to toss him. Reggie Miller said that “the officials, in lieu of Joey Crawford, have been under a lot of pressure.” I think Reggie doesn’t know what “lieu” means. Also, and maybe I’m just getting old or something, but I can barely understand Reggie Miller when he’s talking during the games. TNT should force him to speak in a much lower register, which would not only make him easier to hear but also almost certainly sound hilarious.

• I’m really disappointed with Baron Davis. He’s such a bright guy and a nice guy, but he totally lost it tonight. How do you let yourself get thrown out from the biggest game of your season when you’re only down 9 points with a quarter left to play? Would Steve Nash or Kobe let that happen to them, regardless of how upset they are?

• My favorite bit of Jason Terry trivia — and I’m not sure how often this has been discussed in Dallas, but I’m bringing it anyway — is that Slick Watts was Jason Terry’s elementary school gym teacher. Cool, huh?

• Very weird game from Dirk, who finished with a deadly quiet 23 and 7. He was second in scoring for Dallas, but at no point did he seem like a lethal threat out on the floor.

• During the fourth, Stephen Jackson kept mouthing off from the bench and then from the floor, and I didn’t think his ejection or his reaction to being ejected was much of a surprise. I just kept waiting for him to scream Thug Life and empty the clip.

• If I was the owner of an NBA team, I’d fill the row of seats behind me with Playmates wearing bikinis. Think you’d get a little TV time and free PR for your team?

• And even though Reggie and Dick Stockton suggested otherwise, I don’t think Stephen Jackson will get suspended, because as Charles Barkley said, “You can’t suspend a guy for being a nitwit.”

  • Add a Comment
    • Digg
    • del.icio.us
    • Facebook
    • Google
    • StumbleUpon
    • TwitThis
    • Yahoo! Buzz
    • Print this article!

This story is filed under: Blogs, NBA, The Links

Read more like this in: Tags:

  • Evil E Posted: Apr.26 at 1:38 am
    “Matt Barnes looks like he’s in Fishbone.” Hahaha I like the playmates wearing bikinis idea but I wouldn’t put them behind me (well I guess a few wouldn’t hurt). I’d have them sit in the first 3 baseline rows under the basket of the opposing team, switching sides at halftime.

  • Evil E Posted: Apr.26 at 1:39 am
    GO WARRIORS!

  • James Posted: Apr.26 at 1:47 am
    first. never done that before… the thug life part made me laugh out loud, and i’m reading this in a library.

  • Bigi Posted: Apr.26 at 1:48 am
    …Got tired of runnin from the police!Go Steph JackASS!Can we have a rapper/Nba-star lookalike contest…?50-Nate,2Pac-Mamba,Jeezy-Brandmania42,?uestLove-B.Diddy,Snoop-D.Miles(both skinny ass HELL…Yeah,and the hole weed thing…)

  • JR Posted: Apr.26 at 1:53 am
    i wonder what would happen if stephen jackson and pacman made it rain at the same time. im not sure the world could handle that.

  • ALX8725 Posted: Apr.26 at 2:24 am
    up until the 2nd T, Jax was a total gentleman the entire game. Everytime he was whistle for the foul he would calmly and respectfully talk to the ref. His first T was totally uncalled for. Matt Barnes started shit with Diop, JET then stood up for his boy Diop and Baron got into it to back his UCLA homie Matt. Those 4 shouldve been T’ed up. Only Baron and Diop were. Matt and JET should’ve gotten T’s. Jax rushed into the scene to break everything up, he was clearly trying to be a peacemaker, not an instigator. But I guess his reputation got the best of him and the refs laid the T down on him. His 2nd T is more understandable, the refs just threw out Baron and Jax was just making comments. He wasnt mocking the refs, he wasnt being demonstrative, he was making calm (probably witty insults, too witty for his sake I guess) but even then I thought the refs were going too far with punishing Stephen. Baron’s 2nd T was deserved, he should’ve been more respectable towards the ref. All in all, GSW still had a chance and were clearly hanging in there before the two ejections which led to a total meltdown.

  • ALX8725 Posted: Apr.26 at 2:25 am
    btw, your Thug Life joke hella cracked me up Lang. I’m still sort of laughing.

  • ALX8725 Posted: Apr.26 at 2:28 am
    and Lang, since you watched the game, do you still think the Warriors don’t play defense? this question is only for pre-meltdown gameplay.

  • ALX8725 Posted: Apr.26 at 2:33 am
    btw one of the biggest knocks on Jrich is that he has a TERRIBLE handle. everytime I watch him handle the ball against a guard or foward that is remotely capable of playing defense I tremble with fear of a turnover, which is exactly what happened when Jrich crossed himself up.

  • what Posted: Apr.26 at 2:44 am
    reggie miller sounds like he’s wearing the world’s biggest retainer

  • Co Co Posted: Apr.26 at 2:52 am
    Every team needs a Stephen Jackson type player. Someone whose down for a good old fashion fight even though it has nothing to do with him and he doesn’t even know who started it. I swear I wrote the same thing about his eyes lighting up before I read this Lang. We think alike! It must be the Atlanta Hawks fan connection!

  • Gilbert0 Posted: Apr.26 at 3:11 am
    the image of whoo rushing into the stands to swing haymakers at random strangers will live with me forever

  • Kevin Wilson Posted: Apr.26 at 3:22 am
    Now I’d have guessed the Sprite guys called you and asked how you got him in that big-ass crown. That’s the direction I would have went.

  • tito puente Posted: Apr.26 at 4:32 am
    the Warriors could’ve ended this series in the 3rd qtr…we have to get back in their head on Friday…Can someone name me a single MVP in the history of the league that needs other people to create shots for him? (And I’m not talking entry passes).

  • Gilly Posted: Apr.26 at 4:39 am
    I always thought Stephen Jackson was crazy, but after watching this youtube video he’s just stupid. The weirdest thing is when he says “I never wear a t’shirt twice. Once i wear it i wash it and then donate it or throw it out”. That man has some money to burn!!!

  • Gilly Posted: Apr.26 at 4:40 am
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=rn6iIQvsY2w&mode=related&search=

  • Kev Posted: Apr.26 at 5:14 am
    playmates behind the bench sounds good but you’d have to play your starting 5 all game, none of the bench guys would be able to stand up….

  • Boing Dynasty Posted: Apr.26 at 5:51 am
    Can Jackson just go back to San Antonio, before he winds up on some A&E tv show(with Ray Carruth & the fist Jay Williams)narrated by some creepy mono-toned dude.

  • Hersey Posted: Apr.26 at 7:26 am
    I like Stephon Jackson. I like how he’s going right at Dirk. I hope this series goes 7 because I love watching it.

  • Jake Appleman Posted: Apr.26 at 7:45 am
    I’m with you re: the LeBron sprite thing. I say they still owe him back money thanks to their first marketing disaster.

  • Sam Rubenstein Posted: Apr.26 at 8:47 am
    Gilly, Stephen Jackson wants you to know he wears red not blue. Wink.

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Apr.26 at 9:15 am
    Great find Gilly, and even better because it led me to this link:
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=hAAgfY_NHzw&mode=related&search=
    For those of us old enough to appreciate Lang’s Bangles reference last week, this brings back wonderful memories. I’m guessing, what, 1700 yards?

  • 1hush D Posted: Apr.26 at 9:26 am
    That second T on Jackson was the only warranted one. Unless of course you reside in the Joey Crawford school of logic. I hope by some miracle the Suns can get past San Antonio or better yet Denver and get a shot at Dallas. I love watching Cuban squirm. Where is the stairmaster?

  • 1hush D Posted: Apr.26 at 9:30 am
    By the way, giving two guys a T because a scuffle breaks out is no more balanced than saying that the middle ground between a progressive and a right-wing neocon idiot is a good position to be in.

  • » Parsley! - SLAM ONLINE Posted: Apr.26 at 9:34 am
    [...] Reggie Miller just earned himself a nickname. Lang has touched on this topic already today, but in my opinion he missed the most awesomest example yet of just how bad Reggie Miller is at talking. [...]

  • Redrum Posted: Apr.26 at 9:35 am
    the idea about the playmates is the most brilliant thing I have heard so far… If you do get the NBA team, and do get the row with playmates, can I have a sit behind them? thanks

  • Sparker Posted: Apr.26 at 10:00 am
    my fav reggie moment was when josh howard got the ball at the top of the key, decided to drive, then got called for travelling. reggie said “you got to shoot that.” actually, you don’t, unless you’re reggie.

  • Mike Posted: Apr.26 at 10:00 am
    That YouTube clip is priceless. Whoo pretty much said “I am in a gang, I am a Blood, I don’t like Crips” without actually saying any of those words.
    Only Whoo Jackson would bang on TV.

  • Sparker Posted: Apr.26 at 10:05 am
    this is the first time i saw this series, or golden state, for that matter, since the big trade. and i have to say i was blown away by their attitude out there. the black uniforms, the lip to the refs, the trash talk… and warden nellie just sitting there ice cold in the background. you could feel the fear in the dallas faithful. it was almost like they were afraid to cheer. i felt like i was watching a prison movie, and the warriors were the badass motherf*ckers who wouldn’t be leaving the premises after the final whistle

  • DubsGonDoIt Posted: Apr.26 at 10:23 am
    Damn, there was bad calls both ways & BOTH teams were complaining to the refs. Baron just needed to calm down because the team really looks to him as their on the court leader. I believe he did just pick up his 5th foul on th play before his 2nd tech, so he probably was going to not be much of an impact on the court from that point on. Still, he didn’t help by getting tossed for sarcastically applauding the refs. JET & Stackhouse had much better games & I’m still waiting for Harrington & J-Rich to get it together. Hats off to Dallas, but they are not prepared for the atmosphere in Oakland on Friday. Just know Stephen Jackson loves Oakland & Oakland loves S-Jax. Oakland is THUG LIFE! We are going to bring it! Oh and did anybody else notice that punk that kept popping his green & blue Nowitzki jersey and talking ish to Baron as he was getting escorted off the court. That got me heated!

  • bootlace Posted: Apr.26 at 11:02 am
    All of the TNT crew saying GS lost the advantage for Game 3 because they lost their cool…Just horribe analysis, they obviously dont know Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis, two of the most confident and fearless guys in the NBA. They gona come out with a vengence.

  • Gilmatic Posted: Apr.26 at 11:08 am
    Reggie Miller please read a book. . . and the book should be the dictionary. The ‘in lieu’ comment plus earlier in the game he said Brendan Roy should ‘garnish’ the Rookie of the Year award, which would mean that he should decorate or embellish is. I know he had a good season, but I don’t think he should be able to design the trophy. I think Reggie probably meant ‘garner’ Roy would gather or collect the Rookie of the Year Award.

  • Sachino Posted: Apr.26 at 11:08 am
    is it just me, or do ne-yo and devean george look like they were separated at birth … damn

  • allenp Posted: Apr.26 at 11:16 am
    Yo, Stephen Jackson didn’t deserve that first tech. Lang, you were totally wrong about what his role in the scuffle was. He was holding people back, which he kept telling the refs when they gave him the tech.
    Dirk was a punk. Dude scored 23, but he didn’t assert himself at all, and drifted around the perimeter most of the game, while also setting horrible screens. That’s was the worst performance by a future MVP I have ever seen.

  • eyehatedirk Posted: Apr.26 at 11:30 am
    Robert Horry-Will Smith, Steve Nash-John Ritter.I love the Elton Brand/Jeezy comparison.

  • ojmayonnaise Posted: Apr.26 at 11:32 am
    Stephen Jackson is gangsta!

  • Zee Posted: Apr.26 at 11:41 am
    Even with the techs, even with the ejections, the warriors were still within 8 points of the mavs halfwat thru the 4th quarter with a squad consisting of Ellis, Pietrus, Azibuke, Biedrins and Keith Smart. This is going six at the least. “Dallas will win tonight and then win the next three straight” - Barkley is an idiot, still love him though.

  • Zee Posted: Apr.26 at 11:43 am
    Oh yeah, Jackson is totally giving Dirk the business in this series. Dirk is beyond soft, he’s EURO-soft.

  • Shiz Posted: Apr.26 at 11:43 am
    Every crew needs a whateva-type dude like Stephen Jackson. Dude’s a livewire…that’s the shit…

  • Brian Posted: Apr.26 at 12:04 pm
    If you are the type of person who gets upset if everyone doesn’t like you then maybe you’re not cut to be a ref?

  • sixthman6 Posted: Apr.26 at 12:10 pm
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=gO8TXpUX6C0

  • sixthman6 Posted: Apr.26 at 12:21 pm
    he took an extraor- i mean, extradanory amount of time to leave….gotta love Miller Time..

  • allenp Posted: Apr.26 at 12:23 pm
    I thought Stephen Jackson was going to whip some ass when he left the court. I know everybody else thought he was too. I was hoping a fan threw something and shit jumped off. I know that’s wrong, but I still wanted it.

  • tike Posted: Apr.26 at 12:25 pm
    Stephen Jackson is defintely a thug i know you seen him on the Smack DVD

  • Ben Osborne Posted: Apr.26 at 12:32 pm
    That Fishbone line is one of the funniest things Lang’s written…Check our current issue for Young Buck’s thoughts on Steve Jackson. Classic.

  • StephenJacksonLovesOakland Posted: Apr.26 at 12:37 pm
    Baron getting himself thrown out was a terrible move, and Jackson needs to chill before he gets himself thrown out next time too… however, the Warriors NEED this kind of intensity. Even though it may have been in poor taste to bitch at the Ref’s contacntly… Murphy and Dunleavy were like robots, they had no heart and it never looked to me like they wanted to win when they played. When I see Jackson and Baron leading this squad, you KNOW they want to win cuz they play like it. They play hard and they’re all over the place… thug life or not, the GSW needed swagger and they needed experience with a new attitude. So atleast they care and are hungry… and i know for a fact that the Oakland Coliseum is going to be crackin a lot louder than the Dallas crowd last night, which seemed almost worried for 3 quarters. They have even more to worry about now because GS has one of the best home records in the L and it’s going to be nuts!

  • Tommy Patron Posted: Apr.26 at 12:56 pm
    Lang-I would bet large money that the stupid Sprite commercial was LeBron’s idea. Any way for this to be confirmed or denied?

  • Chris Posted: Apr.26 at 1:17 pm
    You’re absolutely right about the warriors shot selection LAng. I love that they play free and with passion, but they are so undisciplined offensively and take terrible shots, how many times did jrich, sjax, or baron take fadeaways from the perimeter after going one on one, move the ball around or take it to the rim, damn. I still think the warrior will win at least another game though

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Apr.26 at 1:18 pm
    Tommy, those spots have “edgy young marketing exec” written all over them. I’m not giving LBJ credit for how clever “The LeBrons” are, but I’m not gonna blame him for the Sprite ones, either.

  • Russ Bengtson Posted: Apr.26 at 1:25 pm
    I just loved how Jax kept yelling ‘you bitch’ over and over again during the 47 minutes it took him to leave the court.

  • cdrumz86 Posted: Apr.26 at 1:26 pm
    Who gives a f**k if Jackson used to bang? He’s hardly the first athlete with gang ties(i.e. Stacy Augmon), he’s just more open about it than most. He’s an emotional guy, wears his heart on his jersey, and plays his ass off- and that first tech was bull. He really was trying to hold people back.

  • soyboy Posted: Apr.26 at 1:55 pm
    is it just me or does Don Nelson resemble the late Boris Yeltsin? I think his recent passing, and the fact that Nelson is in the playoffs (and so the media) at the same time, made that realization occur.

  • joe Posted: Apr.26 at 2:13 pm
    Monta has won MIP, at least this comes after he actually played well.

  • ALX8725 Posted: Apr.26 at 2:27 pm
    the reason the Warriors shoot like they do is because Nellie gives them the green light to do so, actually he encourages it. so it’s not so much a knock on their approach to the game, if anything you all should be criticizing Nellie’s gameplan, which is to shoot the first open shot you get.

  • Mr. 416 Posted: Apr.26 at 2:55 pm
    Best Idea ever !!……….. If I was the owner of an NBA team, I’d fill the row of seats behind me with Playmates wearing bikinis. Think you’d get a little TV time and free PR for your team?

  • 8-Ball Posted: Apr.26 at 3:10 pm
    devin harris and diop should just go and blow each other cuz theres such little b*tches.warriors got frustrated man and jackson is serious about his inner gangsta. thats how life is lived in the oak

  • JJ Posted: Apr.26 at 6:06 pm
    Wow, this comment section is HARD. The Golden State Warriors are HARD. Stephen Jackson used to BANG. He’s my HERO. He cusses a lot and that’s because he’s got HEART and SOUL. Thug life! We represent! It’s all about PRIDE. And PLAYMATES. And people who aren’t afraid to stop playing a game and FIGHT! Any idea how stupid all this sounds? This chest-banging attitude and the “I’m calling you out because you’re soft” crap is so played. I love to hoops but sometimes I HATE hoop culture. Oh and 8-Ball, you’re so right: Devin Harris and DeSagana Diop SHOULD have oral sex. Why do they continue to play basketball when they could be expressing who they really are? They’re really WOMEN - ha ha! Almost forgot: Oakland and the surrounding metropolitan area is HARD.

  • Nathalie Posted: Apr.26 at 6:19 pm
    That game was horrific to watch come the second half. TICKY TACK calls, I hate screaming at the television.

  • DubsGonDoIt Posted: Apr.26 at 6:59 pm
    LOL JJ “It’s all about PRIDE. And PLAYMATES.” - classic. People are obviously fired up about last nights game & you know sometimes people say some stupid ass things when they are ticked. I just hope game 3 is more about the game & not complaining about the refs. That was ugly. Oh and Oakland is hard =).

  • Cam'Ron Posted: Apr.26 at 7:00 pm
    Hey JJ..U Mad B

  • Dennard C Posted: Apr.26 at 8:34 pm
    Stephen Jackson = gangsta. This is going to be a hell of a series, I can’t wait to till Friday night. I live in Dallas and the people around here are nervous.

  • JON Posted: Apr.26 at 9:13 pm

  • drudown Posted: Apr.27 at 1:04 pm
    I know I’m late to the party, but could someone please explain to me the origination of Stephen Jackson’s nickname “Whoo”. I have no idea but my only guess is that it’s a play on Mike Jones…Who?, but that never made sense to me. Thanks in advance.

  • Mr. 416 Posted: Apr.27 at 1:50 pm
    didn’t Stephen A. give him that nickname ?

  • Ryan Jones Posted: Apr.27 at 2:38 pm
    I believe Lang Whitaker gave him that name.

  • Bizzle McGrizzle Posted: Apr.27 at 3:34 pm
    lang did come up with whoo! years ago, hilarious sh!t

  • [...] “Warriors Lose Cool as Mavs Win Game 2.” [...]

  • drudown Posted: Apr.27 at 5:31 pm
    ok, so lang came up with it, but what’s the joke?

  • Lil D Wade Posted: Apr.27 at 10:06 pm
    Lets go GS shout out to my boy JRich even tho D Wade is my fave player n the Heats are my fave team. GO HEATS YALL CAN GO ALL THE WAY LIKE LAST YEAR…

  • John Posted: Apr.28 at 7:18 pm
    The Price Is Right was on Stephen Jackson’s TV…Thug Life

  • [...] On Thursday night, as I documented here, Reggie said the officials have been under more scrutiny “in lieu of Joey Crawford.” [...]

Comments