Petition for Flopping Fouls

Great post from the Bill Simmons chat today: It shouldn't be called a "flopping foul". We should have different degrees, such as: 1) A "Bowen Grade 1" if it's obvious to all the refs, every fan, every player, every coach, and every security guard in the arena that you flopped, but yet you still raise hell like there's no tomorrow. 2) A "Ginobili Grade 1" if the movement of the air caused by a defender running along side you makes you fly no less than 8 feet in a direction completely opposite to that which your momentum is carrying you. 3) A "Ginobili Grade 2" if you fall to the ground after no contact, but stay down there for 5-10 seconds while pretending to gather yourself. 4) A "Duncan Grade 1" if if you flop while you are the offensive player taking a shot, then after hearing that you aren't being rewarding for acting your eyes literally increase in size by a factor of 3, and you hold back tears. 5) An "Oberto Grade 1" if you start falling when the player you are guarding is still 3 feet away from you. 6) An "Oberto Grade 2" if you flop on a dead ball.

Clutch Player

Random Rantings

Intro
First off, I would like to thank Andrew for inviting me to contribute to one of the premier sports blogs on "the internets." Unfortunately, me being a contributor to this site has made the title "three sports fans" somewhat less appropriate. Therefore, I would like to submit the name "three sports fans + one additional sports fan" for consideration. However, there is no need to make an immediate decision, and once again, I am just grateful to contribute.

Floppers
My wife makes fun of me because I am constantly complaining about the flopping in the NBA. I complain so much that I now carry the nickname "flopper rager." Let me just say that I think a well timed magnification of a hard foul can be a very useful tool. It can be used to call the referees attention to player misconduct, and the resulting foul can help shift the flow of the game in your team's favor. However, I think several players have taken the concept of foul magnification too far. For example, take our friend Luis Scola:

Every time I watch Luis play, I am amazed at how such a large man can fall to the ground with such incredible frequency and ease. Based on my estimation, during the Rockets current series with the Jazz, Scola has spent approximately 82% of his total playing time rolling around on the court rather than playing actual defense. However, to be fair, Scola is not the only party guilty of gratuitous flopping. Here is a short list of other floppers currently in the league:

• Baron Davis (video)
• Robert Horry (video)
• Manu Ginobili (no need for a video)
  

In my opinion, unbridled flopping destroys the integrity of the game and makes basketball into a sport for wussies. As a final thought, contrast a Luis Scola flop (wet hair flying and all) with Deron William's powerful drive and dunk in the closing minutes of Game 4. Which style of basketball would you rather watch?

Jazz on the Road
Is it just me, or was too much made of the the Jazz's horrendous road record versus their amazing home record? Before the regular season ended, the Jazz had won approximately 42% of their road games. If you look at the numbers, almost half of this year's playoff teams had very similar or worse road records. For example, Dallas, Denver, Cleveland, Atlanta, Washington, Toronto, and Philadelphia all had road records below 44%. Even San Antonio's road record was nothing to call home about. However, I didn't hear much talk about these teams being horrible road teams.

Jazz v. Lakers
Scary. I think that the Jazz may have to switch to their triangle and three offense in order to beat Kobe and the boys.

You're My Hero I Confess

Well, since the Jazz are kicking butt and the rest or the first round is turning out to be sort of a sleeper, I diverge from sports for some thoughts on music. I went to the Ben Folds concert last night. I wasn't planning on going, but I gave a printer to a good friend at work and when he called to thank me for the printer he offered me a ticket to Ben in exchange for the printer. Giddyup!

The concert was awesome. I was worried at first because he came out and opened with something I had never heard before. On top of that, the sound was not good. The bass was way too loud and I couldn't hear the piano at all. Then he played Gone, which I love, but they were still having some serious sound issues. I was starting to worry that they might not fix the sound problem. Then he played Bast***. By this time, they were starting to fix the sound issues, but I don't love that song. My worries continued. Then he played a one from his new album called Hiroshima. It wasn't bad, but now I was worried that he might play a bunch of new ones. I don't mind a new song or two at a concert, but I don't like it when they showcase most of the album that hasn't been released yet. After that though, he played Still Fighitng It which was awesome, and it was awesome pretty much the rest of the way. It just kept getting better and better. He played Annie Waits, Rockin the Suburbs, Fred Jones, The Luckiest, Not the Same, Jesusland, and Landed from his solo stuff. He also rattled off a bunch of great Ben Folds Five classics: Battle of Who Could Care Less, Kate, Narcolepsy, Army, and Lullabye. He closed his first set with Underground, which was my favorite song of the night. It rocked. He closed the encore with One Angry Dwarf, which was also amazing. It ended up being a totally awesome show.

The only negative were the FOUR opening bands we had to suffer through. The first one was Chris Merritt. He we the best one and I am going to check him out on iTunes. The next one was some lame group that sucked and then the third one took the cake. It was just a dude and his guitar and he had the whiniest, ugliest voice I had ever heard. To make things worse, he played TOP 40's COVERS! I'm talking Avril Lavigne, Dashboard, etc. And he had the longest set of the first three acts. Then he said he was playing his last song and it was going to be a U2 song. I said, "If he plays With or Without You I am going to throw up in my mouth." Sure enough, he played it. It was an absolute atrocity. Some of the people I was with at the show said that the kid used to be in their ward and they said he was unbelievably full of himself and annoying. Anyway, the last act was Ben Lee from the Three Bens and he wasn't bad, but they were having some major audio/technical difficulties during his act and it kind of ruined it. I don't understand why they have to keep cramming in so many opening acts. I actually don't mind an opening band, but four is just ridiculous. And if you are gong to do four, give us some sort of schedule so we know when everyone is coming on.

In closing, I would say that Ben has re-solidified his place as one of the greats. I am excited for the new album. He said it was done and should be out soon.

Reality Check

Okay, so now I am a little bit scared. I feel a little bit like it's the end of summer vacation and the drudgery of school is right around the corner. I'm living it up right now, but I know the fun is going to end soon.

Let's face it. The Jazz are going to beat the Rockets. Without Yao, they simply cannot keep up with a high-scoring, fully healthy and hungry Jazz team. Every game is going to a blast. A sweep is a definite possibility. Those are good times. But the good times are not going to last forever, just like summer always ends and school always starts back up again. I am talking about the Lakers. Them beating the Nuggets is as much of a reality as us beating the Rockets is. It is going to happen. So the stage is set for a great second round matchup with the Jazz and the Lakers. But I am going to be honest here when I say that I am scared to death. I want to say that I am confident that we can win, but when I do, I feel like one of those Rockets fans (and some national experts) that claimed the Rockets would win the series. I feel like I am being unrealistic. Now, before I get too far into this, let me make something very clear: I KNOW that we can beat the Lakers. Talent for talent, I think our roster is equally matched, if not a little better than theirs. But, it is going to take everything we have in the tank, plus a little extra. We are going to have to play four perfect games to beat these guys. I am talking 25 and 10 for Boozer, 25 and 10 from Williams, and 20 and 10 from Okur. Plus all the other guys doing their thing like I know they can. So my question is, has that ever happened all in the same game? Can we put together that kind of effort? And can we do it on their home floor? I am not saying that we will or won't win this series. I am saving my prediction until tipoff of game one. I am just trying to be realistic. So, rather than cast a dark shadow over the upcoming series, I am asking for help and other opinions. Am I doubting this teams heart? Am I underestimating their abilities? What are your thoughts? Until then, let's kick some Rocket butt and pray that the good times continue to roll all the way to the NBA Finals.

What a Difference a Year Can Make

I distinctly remember Game 1 in Houston last year. We were petrified. We were rigid, nervous, scared, and the complete opposite of confident. Now I totally understand that Houston did not have Yao Ming, and my comments have taken that into consideration. But last night, we started CONFIDENT from the jump. We looked like a veteran team out there. Precision execution. Not-perfect ball-handling, but what I liked is that we were unflappable in the face of possible breakdowns. We were poised. I felt so confident watching the Jazz last night, just like I did in the early rounds of the 97 and 98 Jazz.

Could it be possible that the Jazz are serious contenders? It took the Stockton-Malone led Jazz about 4 years until they made the conference finals and really made "championship noise." The way I see it, it started in 1988 when they had their improbable run, stretching the Lakers to 7 games in the second round before finally falling - until 1992 when they first played in the conference finals against Portland. Could it be possible that this "new" Jazz team made the leap that it took the "old" team 4-5 years to get to in just 1-2 years? With the way this current Jazz team is built, it sure looks like that is the case.

Hopefully last night's poise and execution is a sign of more good things to come.

HERE WE GO AGAIN...

I was going to say "T-minus one hour until playoff basketball" but I somehow become so superstitious around playoff time that I don't want to even make one reference towards our Rocket opponent, so I will refrain. Let's just say that I am extremely amped up for Jazz Playoff Basketball. Is there anything better in sports? I don't think so. The excitement, the drama, the anticipation, the feeling of success. Now I'm sounding like Bill Walton. I just start going crazy this time of year.

I am feeling fairly confident that the Jazz will win this series. I don't know why I feel that way, but I'm just not super worried. I hope that doesn't come back to bite me. Again, my superstitious tendencies at play. But I have a totally different feeling than last year going into game 1 in Houston. I went to the Jazz-Rockets game last Monday, and my analysis is that, while the Rockets played tough defense and played respectably, the Jazz were basically toying with them. The Jazz weren't even playing very well, and they still led by 20 late in the third and coasted. Now I know that playoff ball is totally different, but I just think the Jazz have grown so much this year that we will hopefully win.

GO JAZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Being a Nuggets Fan Would Be Torture

The Boys of Summer

I'm so glad I embraced baseball. It really has been a life-changing decision for me. The Red Sox have saved me from long boring sports summers. I used to think the baseball season was too long (and it still may be a little too long) but now I think of baseball as a smooth follow up to basketball and a beautiful lead-in to football. Growing up I followed a few baseball teams, usually the team that (name drop alert!) Wally Joyner (my cousin, whose skills obviously translated to me) played for. After Wally got old and retired, all I was left with was my hatred for the New York Yankees. I can't remember a time when I did not hate the Yankees, they were always good and thousands of annoying people who did not know a thing about sports claimed to be Yankees "fans." One of my greatest sports moments to this day is game 7 of the 2001 World Series when Gonzo blooped a single for the game winner over the Yanks. From there it was a smooth transition into becoming a Red Sox fan. I owe my compadre Tyler a lot for helping me see the light as well. I found that I loved the chemistry and attitude of the Red Sox and suffered greatly as Aaron Freaking Boone crushed the 2003 season. But then came new life. I will never forget the 2004 season, in fact, I feel that Tyler and I actually played a pivotal role in securing a world series title for the Red Sox. Our efforts to travel to Fenway on July 24th actually willed the umpires to allow the teams to play and inspired Bill Mueller to hit a walk-off homer. Exact locations and dates will be remembered for life: Seats on the first base side as Varitek two-hand punched A-Rod, In my car on 4th South as Dave Roberts stole second. Anyway, I'm getting emotional here.....2004, combined with the Utes BCS busting season, turned out to be one of the two greatest sports years ever for me (1998 being the other with the Jazz in the finals and the Utes in the championship game.) I guess my point is: sports is one of the true joys in life, what else could make you exclaim "We'll do some more tomorrow" in a hotel room in Denver, Colorado? It's a beautiful time of year right now.

Notes From Las Vegas

It's late and I am still up. I am watching a re-run of the San Antonio - L.A. game that took place yesterday. I am also listening to some very good latin music. It's a good time. You know they say that what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, well, my big indulgence on this particular trip has been to watch a lot of sports. It's been nice. Watching this particular game with the Spurs and the Lakers has gotten me a little bit excited. It's gotten me excited because I think we can beat these guys. As I sit here and watch, I keep waiting for all of the Spurs players to flip that magical switch on their minds and bodies that switches from we-don't-care-it's-only-the-regular-season mode to we-are-going-to-grind-this-out-and-domintate-because-it's-the-playoffs mode, but it isn't happening. Instead, I am seeing a team that is unravelling with each passing second. Granted, Ginoboli isn't playing in this game and that means a lot, but still, they aren't looking invincible. Duncan rarely takes over games anymore. I know he can, but it just doesn't seem like it happens that often. Parker can, but again, he seems stoppable as well. Ginoboli scares me more than all of them because he can go off. I was pleased that the Jazz last time were able to frustrate him. I guess the close we get to the playoffs the more I am adapting D-Will's attitude of, "Hey, if we are going to win this thing, we want to play the toughest teams." I think this year we may see a passing of the torch. We definitely have the talent. It's going to come down to sheer will. Anyway, before I get ahead of myself, let's get out and kick some Spur butt tomorrow. I know we can.

A New kind of Toughness

Are you kidding me?
Did our point guard seriously just throw that down?
Did you see that look on his face, like he was about to kick one of Nowitzki's kids in the privates?
Who is this guy?

Ok, I just have to rant for a little about Deron Williams. I, for one, am not used to this kind of attitude, nor this type of vengeance. Deron Williams is a warrior. He gets pissed. His game rises to new levels. He has a major attitude and a swagger. And I love every bit of it.

I'm sure John Stockton had a major attitude and a swagger as well. But the difference is, we rarely, if ever, saw it. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that. I love a cool confidence as much as anybody. But I'm up for a change of pace with this new generation Jazz team. And I think we are witnessing it as it develops. I love how Deron takes things personally. He remembers. Everything. He remembered in a pre-season game when irrelevant D.J. Strawberry flagrantly fouled him with only a few minutes left of a Sun's 25 point blowout. Totally unnecesary. I remember watching the foul and I was obviously disgusted with Strawberry. After the game, I thought nothing of it again. Until about three months later, I heard Deron on the radio recall that play, explain how he was ready for some payback, and best of all, he pretended to not even remember the guy's name who committed the foul. There's no doubt in my mind he remembers, but what a sweet slap in the face to not even acknowledge the second-round scrub.

Like all great NBA legends, Deron Williams is developing that sixth gear that sets him apart from the other players. The gear that makes amazing plays. That hits three's with the clock winding down and a guy draped all over him. The gear that motivates him to drive past his defender and throw down a hammer dunk. Are you kidding me? I'm not used to that. He is a special player. I love to see him angry. It makes me believe in his ability to lead this team even more. He is so mentally tough. Of course, everybody says they want to win. But Deron Williams wears it on his sleeve. Losing ruins his nights. After Nowitzki hit that three to win on Thursday, Deron's body language on the bench showed that he was in anguish about losing that game. But the best part of it is that he channels all that anguish, anger, and desire to win into game-changing performaces that leaves fans and crowds astonished and amazed. That's the guy who I want leading my favorite team.

To Win or Not to Win

Much has been said about the Western Conference and the historic playoff race that we are witnessing this season. As scary as it has been and continues to be, I must say that I have enjoyed this regular season most thoroughly. I think the playoffs are going to be even better. But the closeness of this race has brought up some interesting discussion. Every season at about this time, you start to hear that the really bad teams are talking about tanking a couple of games to increase their chances of winning the lottery (Does it really matter though what the odds are? Portland is somehow going to win it again. That really sucked that they got Roy and Oden in two consecutive years.) Anyway, the idea of tanking for better lottery position is well documented and discussed. But there is a similar phenomena manifesting itself right now in this ever-so-tight playoff race in the West. Some teams have the incentive to lose games now in order to secure the seed that will hopefully give them the path of least resistance to the finals. Take the Jazz for example. Let's face it, we don't want to play the Lakers or the Spurs in the playoffs. Heck, I'd be happy if we never had to play either of them again ever. But back to topic. If you take a look at the way the brackets would shape out today, the Lakers and the Spurs would be on the other side of the bracket which would mean we wouldn't have to face them until the conference finals. However, that could change if either San Antonio or LA was able to catch the Hornets. As it stands right now, the gap between the Hornets and the Spurs and Lakers is only two losses. If we play and beat the Hornets, that gap would shrink and New Orleans still has to play the Lakers later this week. If LA wins that, they could grab the #1 seed and we would most likely be playing them is the second round. Not Good. Now, for all intents and purposes, the Jazz have the four seed locked up. The magic number is down to one. With the way the Jazz and the NugNugs have been playing lately, I think we can go ahead and pencil that one in as a done deal. What that means is that we can stomach a loss a little easier now because our position is somewhat locked. I know, I know, we haven't talked about home court advantage yet, but I will. Just be patient. So what some are suggesting is that the Jazz should let the Hornets beat them tonight (it hurts just typing in those words) in order to help New Orleans solidify their position as the #1 seed out west. Well, I don't like it. I think it is a terrible idea. Maybe I have a little bit of Jerry Sloan in me, but I just can't really seem to figure out how losing EVER helps. I think you have got to go out there and play your hardest to win every single game, regardless of the way it will affect the standings and seedings. For one thing, if you let New Orleans win, you are assuming you aren't going to lose to the Rockets and Nuggets at home which you really can't assume. Two or three unexpected losses right now would really hurt. This is also where home court becomes a huge issue. The Jazz have proven that they are darn near unbeatable at home this season. I personally think that in the playoffs it will be even harder to win there. So, I think home court advantage is way more important than who we play because I think we can beat anybody if we have home court. So, at the end of it all, I think we need to win as many games as we can. It will help us in the standings and more importantly, it will help our confidence going into the playoffs. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think the Jazz are going to make some serious noise in the playoffs.

If Only I Could Forget

I wish I could forget easier. It would make being a Jazz fan this season so much more fun. Let me explain why. I think that the Jazz team this year is really, really good. Good enough to put some banners up in the rafters. I am not saying they are a lock for anything because the western conference is just that competitive, but what I am saying is that, if they play well, they have as good of a chance as anyone to win it. But it has been a weird season for me, and I am just starting to figure out why. It is because my emotions are a little bit scarred. I know it sounds overdramatic and cheesy, but the 1998 finals series with the bulls has left some possible permanent damage to my heart strings. I thought, and still believe actually, that we were the better team that year. Not only were we the better team, but I loved our team so much. I had so much confidence that we were going to win it all that year. So when it didn't happen, it threw me into a tailspin. It skewed my perception of how good you have to be to win. I thought to myself, "If Stockton, Malone, and Hornacek couldn't win a championship, who can?" At the time I didn't realize that that thought had been embedded into my thinking, but now I can plainly see that it has.

So that is why this season has been so weird for me. The Jazz are legitimately good this year and they are getting some positive, national attention. I am totally enjoying the ride and I love our team, but deep down inside there is still a part of me that says, "Don't kid yourself Andrew. They can't win it all. John and Karl couldn't even win it all in their prime. So why should you take these guys seriously." I also run into frustration if I compare our team with other teams that have won the title in recent history. L. A. had Shaq and Kobe, two of the best to ever play the game, San Antonio has Tim Duncan, and Detroit had one of the best and most defensive starting fives in the history of basketball. I just have a hard time thinking that we really measure up with those great teams. Basically what it comes down to is that I have low Jazz self esteem. And it all stems from Michael Jordan.

So this is why I wish I could forget those heartbreaking series back in '98. If I could, then I wouldn't be afraid to face the Spurs or the Lakers in the playoffs because I would know that we can beat them. I would have no doubts about Deron Williams being the bomb, becuase he IS the bomb. And I would have no doubts about this team being able to win it all, because dawg gonnit, they can win it all. This is a really, really good team.

Speaking of the playoffs, there is something that I have been thinking about. So much has been said about the Jazz and their inability to win on the road. It is true that our road record is terrible. And it is also true that our bad road record will most likely cost us home-court advantage for sure in the later rounds and possibly in the first round as well. But, I do believe that there is a silver lining. The silver lining is that we are way better than our record shows and that will allow us to sneak up on people in the playoffs. Since the all-star break, we have the second best record in the league, with Houston obviously having the best due to the long win streak. Also, since the Korver trade, we have been much better on the road. So, if other teams take a look at our record, they may not take us as seriously as they should. Think about this. The average road record for the top nine teams in the west is 20-17. If you gave the Jazz that average road record, the Jazz would be sitting at 55-21. First place in the West with a 1 1/2 game lead over the Hornets. We would trail only the Celtics for the best record in the league. I don't think that it is unreasonable for us to believe that we are the best team in the west. I know that every team has easy games that they wish they would have won but didn't, but I think that this years Jazz team has had an abnormal amount of those kinds of games. I can't explain why that is the case, but I do feel that it is more of a fluke than a reflection of our true ability. That is why I am okay with a mental changing of our record that puts us in a better situation, because I truly believe that we are one of the best, if not the best team in the west. Now, having said that, could we lose in the first round of the playoffs? Yes, because the gap between all the playoff teams this year is so small. There may be no gap at all. When I look at the first round matchups, its hard to pick favorites. If you couldn't see the seedings, would you really be able to pick a clear cut winner in any of these series? I don't think so. It is going to come down to matchups. How well does our particular team's strengths and weaknesses match up with those of our opponent. I am so excited for the first round of these playoffs. I think we are going to see a historic series. I just hope that the Jazz come out on top. I know that they can. Now if only I could shake off the Michael Jordan curse, I might be able to enjoy it even more. Well, here's to hoping.