On Sunday, we learned the consequences of laughing at a superior. Tim Duncan got kicked out of the game by NBA referee Joey Crawford for laughing on the bench. On Tuesday, we learned the consequences of kicking Tim Duncan out of a game. NBA referee Joey Crawford has been suspended for the rest of the season, including the playoffs. Eye for an eye? Maybe. The Mavs fan in me is torn. I think Tim Duncan is one of the top 5 crybabies in the league. That has to wear on a ref over the course of a player's career, listening to a player whine that he never commits a foul yet gets fouled every .8 seconds. But Joey Crawford is one of the top 5 hot head refs in the league. He makes the game about him, not about the players, and holds grudges against players (and owners that will remain nameless) that he feels try to show him up. I loved seeing Duncan kicked out of the game, but I thought it was for the wrong reasons. I loved Crawford getting kicked out of the league, but sadly Crawford was one of the better refs despite his flaws. That just means that he will now be replaced by some inexperienced, crummy ref for the most important time of the year, the playoffs. The blogger in me is having a field day, though. Duncan got tossed by Crawford in Sunday's game against the Mavs for laughing on the bench after some questionable calls by Crawford against the Spurs. I didn't know robots like Duncan had the ability to laugh like humans do.
3 CHEERS: MAVS 91 vs. SPURS 86
DIRK'S DIGITS!
Dirk was only supposed to play 26 minutes in this game, but when things got tight and the intensity increased, Avery opted to play him 36 minutes. Dirk responded by shooting 10 of 21 for 21 points, 4 boards, 4 assists, and 2 steals.
1. Devin Harris - Harris was the one that made the difference in last year's second round defeat of the Spurs, and he showed that he's still that X-factor. Harris shot 7 of 13 from the field (6 of 8 from the line) for 21 points, 4 boards and 2 assists.
2. Tim Duncan - Despite getting 2 technicals while laughing on the bench, he still managed to score 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting, grab 7 boards, dish out 6 assists, and block 2 shots. As much as I get down on Duncan, it's only because he plays for the enemy. You have to appreciate how great he is. In 10 years, he's won 3 titles, made the playoffs every year, won 6 division titles, snagged 2 regular season MVP's, won 3 Finals MVP's, and has won 559 games. They said that 559 wins is the most in the NBA, but I'm only guessing that's among active players. Still, as much as I ridicule Duncan (and I will always ridicule Duncan) I view him as one of the greatest players this league has ever seen. Honestly.
3. Bruce Bowen - Just kidding. He doesn't get a Cheer. I can't stand this dirty hack.
RANDOM CRAP!
- I had to watch this game on Monday on my Tivo. I was out golfing for the first time this year with all my buddies on Sunday. I shot a riveting 125, which isn't a personal best but far from my worst game ever. I did bogey one hole! I also lost 3 straight balls into the same creek at the exact same location on the exact same hole. In other words, Tiger Woods shouldn't quiver at the mention of my name. Trees, wildlife and pedestrians should.
- Jerry Stackhouse has worn number 42 for his entire career and even in college in honor of Jackie Robinson. On Sunday, Major League Baseball dedicated the entire day to honoring the 60th anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier in the MLB. Stackhouse asked the league if he could wear the name "Robinson" on his jersey instead of "Stackhouse" and the league said no. I think the league dropped the ball on this one. Instead, Stack wrote "Jackie Robinson" on his shoes. I have a hard time understanding the logic behind the league's decision. They claim that if one person did it, then everyone could do it. Everyone could do what? Honor one of the most influential men in the history of our country? Pay homage to a man that transcended sports to make a larger, positive change in American culture and society? You're right, NBA. We sure wouldn't want everyone doing that.
- During the broadcast, they mention that DeSagana Diop speaks 5 languages: English (okay, I know that one), French (so he can cuss at Tony Parker), Spanish (so he can live in Texas), Arabic (so he can, well, I'm not sure what you can do with Arabic), and Wolof. What the hell is Wolof, you ask? Well, here you go: Wolof, black African ethnic group numbering over 3 million, along the Atlantic coast of W Africa; most live in Senegal, but there is a significant minority in Gambia. Traditional Wolof society was distinguished for its rigid social classes. There were nobles and farmers among the free born; below them were lower classes of artisans and minstrels; slaves were the lowest class. Chiefs were elected by the nobles. By the 14th cent. the Wolof had established a separate state. They were converted to Islam in the 18th cent. That makes so much sense now. I bet it helped on his SAT's.
- They show a pregame interview with Stack about Jackie Robinson, and all I can think about is that he wears larger diamonds on his ears than my wife wears on his finger. Don't get any ideas, Kim.
- Bruce Bowen is a bitch. Sorry, Gramma, but he is. I guess he gets the job done by antagonizing opposing players into getting out of their rhythm, but I think he's given WAY TOO MUCH credit for being a tough defender. He's a cheap shot artist and a dirty player with mediocre basketball skills at best who for some reason or another is allowed the benefit of the doubt on everything. Bowen is setting an illegal screen, so when JET gets around it, Bowen lowers his shoulder and plows in to JET. JET tosses his arms up to push off and the refs give double technicals. This should have been a foul, and nothing more. If anything, Bowen should have gotten a "T". But hey, at least nobody was laughing.
- If Duncan is a robot, then Crawford is a pimple on my ass: irritating and ready to pop.
- The Mavs need to get their free throws right and the sooner, the better. We only shot 20 of 27 in this game. In the playoffs, it comes down to clutch free throws. For a team that has consistently been a great free throw shooting team for the last 5 years, this is a very huge concern for me.
- Tony Parker got whistled for a 8 second violation for lolly-gagging and not getting the ball across midcourt in time. It does seem kind of unfair, since he runs on French time and all.
- The Mavs held the Spurs scoreless for the last 4 minutes of this game, and held them to 10 points the entire 4th quarter. That should give them something to think about should we meet in the Conference Finals.
- The announcers kept talking about how the Spurs are having to adjust to the Mavs, how they are trying to be like the Mavs. Wasn't it just 2 years ago that it was the other way around?
I wish the Spurs luck in the playoffs for a few reasons: 1) Some of my family live in or around San Antonio and are Spurs fans. However disgusting that may be, I will pull for the Spurs on their behalf as long as they aren't playing the Mavs. 2) I would much rather play the Spurs than the Suns in the Conference Finals from a matchup standpoint. I don't think the Spurs would be easier; it would just be different and more in the Mavs favor. 3) For everything that I truly hate about the Spurs (Duncan's whining, Ginobili's flopping, Parker's fiance, everything about Bruce Bowen), there is also the utmost respect for coach Greg Popovich, their fans, their city and Duncan's ability as a player. I said respect, not love, just respect. If you think I'm getting soft and warming up to the enemy, I have one thing to say: Don't make me laugh. Go Mavs!
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