Tag: suns

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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: 2395
Van odometer: 151992
Weight lost (in pounds): 8
Aches & pains: left achilles tendon, sciatic
Current reading: The Book of Totally Useless Information by Don Voorhees, The Areas of My Expertise by John Hodgman, My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk
Recent listening: Rage Against The Machine, This American Life, Bob Wills
Recent viewing: Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica, Warren Miller’s Ride, Suns vs. Spurs, South Park, The Office, Numbers, Cavaliers vs. Wizards
Recent playing: TypeRacer (top speed about 75 wpm)
Recently accomplished: Cat boxes, recycling, clean and lube bikes, adjusted Thomas’ “old” bike for Graham, weed & feed, 401k loan, mowed lawn, changed voter registration, weed & feed
Imperative To Do: Sell G4, get rid of junk (couch, vacuum cleaner, mower), buy trailer for van, activate new Tivo, develop comprehensive reward/punishment plan for homework, oil change for van

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Random Thoughts on the First Round of the Playoffs

  • Prediction: Luol Deng is going to be a star if not a superstar.
  • Pat Riley says the Bulls are on the verge of greatness. Aren’t they there already? They’ve got the kind of balance in their starting five that the Pistons had 4 years ago.
  • The Heat caught lightning in a bottle last year. I don’t think they’ll be doing the same with this team again. They should be in for some major reconstruction in the off-season.
  • Playoff series which I mostly fast-forwarded through: Pistons/Magic, Nuggets/Spurs, Raptors/Nets, Jazz/Rockets, Cavaliers/Wizards
  • I find myself feeling deeply satisfied watching Don Nelson’s Warriors thrash Mark Cuban’s whiny Mavericks.
  • The Heat lost to the Bulls because they couldn’t stop their offense despite apparently good defensive effort by most of the players. So where does the blame lie? The coach, of course.
  • Prediction: Shaq will win no more championships.
  • The Bulls’ acquisition of Ben Wallace will likely be the key to their next championship.
  • Prediction: Smush Parker’s days as a Laker are numbered.
  • Leandro Barbosa has an uncanny knack for making layups regardless of the angle. He really makes a non-dunk layup beautiful.
  • Make no mistake, the bottom half of the Eastern Conference bracket means little or nothing. The winner of the Detroit/Chicago series will win the East and play in the Finals.
  • Boris Diaw needs to add the three point shot to his game. If he does that, he’ll be a complete offensive threat at any position. He’s got a long way to defensively, though.
  • Diaw’s got great footwork in the lane but when you watch him, he’s so long that it seems like he’s moving in slow motion.
  • Add Jon Barry to the list of my favorite broadcasters. I liked his game when he played, too.
  • Reggie Miller, however, joins Magic Johnson in the great-players-who-suck-at-broadcasting category.
  • Did Pat Riley mortgage Dwayne Wade’s future to get Shaquille O’Neal on the Heat? Wade will be in his prime in a few years and O’Neal will be gone. Lamar Odom and Caron Butler, on the other hand, will still be young players.
  • If I were working for Suns management, I’d have Horace Grant call Shawn Marion to tell him the perils of moving out of the shadow of the two best and most popular players on a team. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.
  • Best fans in the playoffs so far? There can be no doubt – Golden State.
  • Watching this Warriors team play feels like watching Don Nelson’s Warriors teams of years past: 2 or 3 stars and 6 guys you never heard of playing way above their heads. Will Don Nelson always be the underdog?
  • Dirk Nowitzki as MVP of the NBA? If that happens, it will be a joke. In all likelihood, the Mavs won’t even be playing when it’s announced.
  • Although coming back from being down 3-1 seems unlikely, the Mavericks/Warriors series is ripe for it to happen. The Warriors are on the edge all of the time.
  • What a contrast between the demeanor of Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis in Game 2 vs. Game 4. Davis was all smiles the entire game.
  • Mavericks at Warriors, Game 4 may go down as one of the most exciting playoff games ever played. The 8 seed was down for most of each quarter but then rallied to tie at the end of the quarter and then surged at precisely the right time to end the game.
  • The swarming Warriors defense rattled even the unflappable Jerry Stackhouse at crucial moments of the game.
  • My dream series for the Western Conference Finals: Warriors vs. Suns.
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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: 656 miles
Weight lost: 52 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 10
Hours billed last week: 40
Total mice caught: 12
Current reading: 2107 Curious Word Origins, Says & Expressions by Charles Earle Funk, 7 Seconds or Less by Jack McCallum
Recent listening: Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull, Sammy Davis, Jr., XO by Elliott Smith, The Outsider by DJ Shadow
Recent viewing: Countdown, Sportscenter, Stargate SG-1, The Daily Show, Saturday Night Live, Meet the Press
Recent playing: Donut Games
Recently accomplished: Mouse hunting, picked up van from mechanic, vacuumed van
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, pay bills, hair cut, fix bathroom sink, procure longer Ethernet cable for Tivo

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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: 622 miles
Weight lost: 53 lbs. (fixed 2/7 – bad math)
Hours of sleep last night: 11!
Hours billed last week: 35
Current reading: The Prince by Machiavelli, 2107 Curious Word Origins, Says & Expressions by Charles Earle Funk, 7 Seconds or Less by Jack McCallum
Recent listening: DrugMusic, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joe Walsh
Recent viewing: My Name Is Earl, The Office, High Stakes Poker, Saturday Night Live, Sportscenter, Countdown, Power Fuse, Super Bowl
Recent playing: Bust-A-Move, Castle Smasher
Recently accomplished: Updated personal wiki, renewed prescription, called mechanic (van is done), re-positioned mouse traps, groceries, cleaned office, paid bills
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, pickup van from mechanic, vacuum van carpet, pay bills

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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: 596 miles
Weight lost: 49 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 9
Hours billed last week: 39.5
Current reading: The Prince by Machiavelli, Against All Enemies by Richard A. Clarke, 2107 Curious Word Origins, Says & Expressions by Charles Earle Funk
Recent listening: Two Lane Highway by Pure Prairie League, Infected by The The, Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull, Necktie Second by Pete Droge
Recent viewing: The Daily Show, Wisconsin at Iowa, Suns at Bucks, Suns at Cavaliers, Classic Albums: Nevermind, Countdown
Recent playing: Bust-A-Move
Recently accomplished: Dropped van at mechanic, mouse hunting, bike maintenance, new tubes and tire for bike, cardboard recycling, Sunday dinner (hot dogs & sweet potato fries), cleaned and disinfected CPAP parts, paid bills
Imperative To Do: RMA old Tivo drive, vacuum van carpet
Cool Link: The CIA and Saddam Hussein: A Short History by Juan Cole

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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: 505 miles
Weight lost: 48 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 8
Hours billed this week: 8
Current reading: The Prince by Machiavelli, Against All Enemies by Richard A. Clarke
Recent listening: Sings Some Ol’ Songs by Victoria Williams, Broken Boy Soldiers by The Raconteurs, Welcome to Woody Creek by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Recent viewing: My Name Is Earl, The Office, CSI: Miami, Heat at Suns, AFC Division Playoffs, NFC Division Playoffs, 24
Recent playing: Wii Sports, ExciteTruck, Elebits
Recently accomplished: Re-partitioned Thomas’ hard drive, completed Super Excite Platinum cup, Pinewood Derby cutouts & shaping
Imperative To Do: Pinewood Derby sanding, Pinewood Derby weights, Pinewood Derby paint, Pinewood Derby axels & wheels, call mechanic, RMA old Tivo drive, vacuum van carpet, ride more/snack less, Super Excite Diamond Cup
Cool Link: Top Ten Myths About Iraq by Juan Cole

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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: n/a
Weight lost: 50 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 8
Hours billed this week: 14
Current reading: The Prince by Machiavelli
Recent listening: Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Coverville, Corinne Bailey Rae by Corinne Bailey Rae
Recent viewing: Sportscenter, Suns at Mavericks, Comedy Central’s Roast of William Shatner, Dr. Who
Recent playing: Sketchfighter
Recently accomplished: Paid bills, bought Wii, finished Thomas’ “new” computer, created my Mii (which looks just like me according to all accounts)
Imperative To Do: Finish garage, finish old blog entries, call mechanic, rake, fix laundry room door, RMA old Tivo drive, Best of 2006
Cool Link: Wii for Christmas: Thomas and Graham opening their box of cash to be used for purchasing a Wii (which we did two days later).

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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: 368 miles
Average speed: 9.5 mph
Weight lost: 44 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 8
Hours billed this week: 40
Current reading: The Prince by Machiavelli, Magical Thinking: True Stories by Augusten Burroughs
Recent listening: Coverville, DrugMusic, Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses by Slipnot, Iowa by Slipnot, Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Authorized Greatest Hits by Cheap Trick
Recent viewing: Species II, Species III, South Park, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Mavericks at Suns, Sportscenter
Recent playing: Zuma, Halo
Recently accomplished: Put Tivo in working order, talked to Thomas’ principal re: lack of text books
Imperative To Do: Recycle cardboard, finish old blog entries, build new computer for Thomas, rake, clean garage, fix laundry room door, RMA old Tivo drive, Tivo wishlists
Cool Link: Marmaduke Explained

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Vital Statistics

Bike odometer: 343 miles
Average speed: 11.4 mph
Weight lost: 42 lbs.
Hours of sleep last night: 8
Hours billed this week: 31
Current reading: The Prince by Machiavelli, Magical Thinking: True Stories by Augusten Burroughs
Recent listening: Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground by Bright Eyes, Digital Ash In A Digital Urn by Bright Eyes, Frances the Mute by The Mars Volta, Coverville
Recent viewing: Suns at Lakers, Bulls at Heat, The Punisher, Sportscenter, My Name Is Earl, Millennium (movie), The Office, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Recent playing: Zuma, Halo
Recently accomplished: Bought new front and rear bike lights, called Thomas’ principal again, installed new temporary Tivo hard drive
Imperative To Do: Follow-up with Thomas’ principal, vote, recycle cardboard, finish old blog entries, get Thomas’ computer to boot, rake, clean garage, install new permanent Tivo hard drive, fix laundry room door
Cool Link: Devil Cat

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Playoff Notes

  • How do you think Shaq feels when the double-team comes and the open man is Antoine Walker? Is he thinking he should repost and wait for the ball to come back? Hahahaha!!
  • Walker obviously didn’t watch any of the Phoenix games where the announcers kept repeating that missed three pointers ignite the fast break.
  • Everybody talks about the excellent Mavs defense being the reason that the Heat can’t score. I’m not so sure. The Heat aren’t capitalizing on their mismatches especially Shaq vs. Diop/Dampiere. Those guys should have 5 fouls each at the end of the game, not 5 fouls total.
  • The Heat pull within 13 with 5 minutes remaining in the game. Shouldn’t Riley put Wade and Shaq back into the game?
  • Don Nelson did an incredible job building this team. Everybody thought he was crazy when he dismantled the “3 J’s” team of the 90s and replaced them with the likes of Nowitzki and Shawn Bradley. I found myself questioning Nelson’s sanity as late as 2003 when he acquired both Antawn Jameson and Antoine Walker, effectively creating a logjam (or Antoine jam?) at power forward. Here’s a few highlights:
    • 1998: Traded the draft rights to Robert Traylor and Pat Garrity for the draft rights for Dirk Nowitzki.
    • 1999: Acquired Steve Nash via trade
    • 2000: Drafted Eduardo Najera
    • 2003: Drafted Josh Howard
    • 2003: Signed Marquis Daniels as a free agent
    • 2003: Acquired Walker and Jameson in trades
    • 2004: Drafted Devon Harris
    • 2004: Traded Najera for Erick Dampier
    • 2004: Traded Antawn Jameson for Jerry Stackhouse and the #5 draft pick (which ended up being Devon Harris).
    • 2004: Traded Antoine Walker for Jason Terry after losing Steve Nash to free agency (effectively making lemonade out of lemons).
    • 2005: Signed DeSagna Diop as a free agent.
  • Given Nash’ weak defense, it now appears that letting him go was the right move for the Mavs. Terry and Harris are a potent 1-2 combination at point guard and both play better defense than Nash.
  • If Haslem can’t play because of the shoulder injury on Tuesday, I think Riley should start Mourning at power forward. Of course, I also think he should take Walker out of the starting lineup in favor of Posey, but that won’t happen, either.