Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!

I don’t actually feel much like writing tonight. So much to say but not quite the words to say it all.

Happy (end of) Hanukkah:
Christmastime for the Jews

Upcoming:

• The legend of Butch Walker
• The genius of Andy Samberg
• The antics On Garnett

Sorry for any let-down tonight, kids.

Girls are complicated. I should know. Being the pimp that I am, managing relationship with multiple girls is a pain. Sometimes it can get you in trouble.

Na, I’m kidding. Readers, you may not believe it, but I’m actually really shy when it comes to women. I am also a hopeless romantic, who watches too many RomComs (that’s romantic comedies to you less civilized men). Why watch romantic comedies? It appeals to an inner sense and desire of many to have a perfect relationship.

Maybe video games are the same way. Immersion and experience of a relationship that’s an escapism from the truth about them. I give to you now my top 5 romantic relationships in video games. How did I determine my top 5 relationships? I used the following two criteria: “How warm and fuzzy did it make me feel?” and “How close did it get to making me cry?” For reference, please refer to the following scales:

How Warm and Fuzzy Did it Make Me Feel?

1 - Aw, that's cute.

2: Man, why can't love always be like this?

3: Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!

How Close Did It Get to Making Me Cry?

1: Man, that sucks.

2: That's. So. Sad!

3: I'M NOT CRYING.

Keep in mind that a good part of my gaming library are RPGs, so this list will also be heavily influenced by the genre. Danger! Spoilers ahoy! Skip over games that you intend to play, but haven’t yet.

5) Welkin and Alicia – Valkyria Chronicles

Nothing Can Stop Us. Our Love Will Demolish That Tank.

Yu’s Warm/Fuzzy Factor: 2

Yu’s Cry Factor: 1

In my opinion, Valkyria Chronicles is one of the most underplayed and underappreciated games of the past couple of years. If you own a PlayStation 3, you owe it to yourself to pick up this game. It has beautiful, gorgeous art direction and a creative blend of a Strategy RPG, Traditional JPRG and a First-Person Shooter.

Welkin and Alicia were made for each other. In the story, they meet under tough circumstances, as their country of Gallia is caught in a struggle between the two military powerhouses, the Imperial Alliance and the Atlantic Federation (based on, and loosely connected to World War II). They are drafted into the military and what transpires is your typical let’s-bond-and-fall-for-each-other. Then the shit gets crazy.

The reason I picked this couple is because of it demonstrates the “power of love.” Alicia is faced with a terrible burden in the game, as she learns that she is a Valkyria, part of a long forgotten race with tremendous and terrible powers. Reaching the climax of the game, she runs off to try to sacrifice herself and save those important to her and the one she loves. Welkin refuses to let that happen and uses the POWA OF LOVE to save her. He then proposes to her, with a ring made of her favorite flower. Stupid, cheesy and unrealistic, but hey, that’s what romances are supposed to be in these kind of stories right?

So what does this relationship say? Love conquers all. That’s a great “aw” message. The epilogue shows the two happily married and with a kid. It’s cute!

4) Garnet and Zidane – Final Fantasy IX

Don't ever leave me again!

Yu’s Warm/Fuzzy Factor: 2

Yu’s Cry Factor: 1

Alright, so it’s another stereotypical story. Thief-kidnaps-Princess, Thief-charms-Princess, Theif-saves-Princess. It was a satisfying relationship to see unfold from resistance, to friendship, to love.

There are two “aw” scenes in the game. At the beginning of the game, Zidane harasses Garnet, constantly teasing her and hitting on her. In the middle, traumatic events leave Garnet mute, and Zidane’s attitude changes completely. A knightly sense of duty to protect Garnet develops, and he does everything in his power to make sure Garnet talks and smiles again.

The second “aw” scene is the ending, where Zidane dives headfirst into a suicidal mission to save his brother. He leaves the rest of the group, including Garnet, in a safe place. The place he runs off to blows up (I think?) and Zidnae is presumed dead.

Garnet is heartbroken. She returns to rule as Queen, but just isn’t the same. As Queen, she is presented with a play, “I Want To Be Your Canary.” This only saddens her more, as she was kidnapped by Zidane over the course of the play in the beginning of the game (I know, these stories are messed up). It is then that the protagonist of the play reveals himself to be Zidane! She runs from the balcony and into Zidanes embrace. It’s a sweet scene, but the story does make Garnet seem completely dependent on Zidane. Sounds an awful lot like Twilight, without the glittery vampires. Instead it has monkey people (Zidane has a monkey tail). Monkeys Own Vampires.

Don't fuck with a monkey. A monkey will shank you.

3) Drake and Elena – Uncharted Series

Alright, alright! I'll come shopping with you!

Yu’s Warm/Fuzzy Factor: 2.5

Yu’s Cry Factor: 1.5

Elena and Drake are the only couple from a Western game that is on the list. Maybe the Japanese are a more sensitive people. Hm.

It’s tough for me to tell you why I love the relationship between Drake and Elena. I think a lot of it comes down to the design decisions that Naughty Dog took with the Uncharted series. For those that haven’t played an Uncharted game, it’s basically like playing a super epic Indiana Jones movie. There is a heavy emphasis on character development and story telling. When creating cut scenes, the game designers decided to have the voice actors interact with each other and play out the scene, instead of just letting them talk to each other through headphones in separate sound-proof booths.

From a plot standpoint, what makes Drake and Elena so great? Once again, it goes back to the need for that perfect relationship. They have a chemistry together, made clear through the playful banter executed beautifully by actors Nolan North and Emily Rose. It also has that “bad guy/good girl” dynamic. I’m not sure why we love this in story telling, but it’s used all the time (See: Han Solo/Leia).

If it weren’t for the story telling and great chemistry between the two actors, Elena and Drake would have been another run of the mill couple. However, the folks at Naughty Dog have figured out how to take video game storytelling to a new level, and that shows in Elena and Drake.

The greatest aw moment for the two lovebirds? The ending of Uncharted 2: Among Thieves when Elena asks Drake: SPOILERS FOR REALZ! “So on a scale of 1 to 10, how scared where you that I was going to die?” It was cute, funny and showed that the two were made for each other.

2) Yuna and Tidus – Final Fantasy X

So uh, we're drenched in water and you're wearing a white top...

Yu’s Warm/Fuzzy Factor: 3

Yu’s Cry Factor: OVER 9000!!!!!

Fine, I’ll admit it. I cried like a baby to the ending of Final Fantasy X. The whole game they develop a very strong and very powerful love for each other, only to end up losing everything to the call of duty.

Yuna and Tidus are forced to give up their love to save the world. Tidus is forced to give up his existence in the world as well. He doesn’t just die. He dissipates into NOTHINGNESS. It’s a tough decision, but one that has been explored before in countless other stories. What made this one so powerful?

The way the ending was presented was poetic and really brought home the feeling of sacrifice. They don’t get to hold each other one last time. They are denied even that right. As Yuna approaches the podium to address the millions of people she saved, she remembers everything about the one she lost. In the end, she knows that even though Tidus is gone, his legacy has changed her life, as well as the lives of everyone on the planet of Spira.

Tight.

1) Fei and Elly – Xenogears

Sorry, this was the best I could find. Just pretend the tarot card crap isn't there.

Yu’s Warm/Fuzzy Factor: Over 9000!

Yu’s Cry Factor: 2

Based off the Warm/Fuzzy and Cry Factor criteria, you may be asking, “Why does the pairing of Fei and Elly take the top spot over Yuna and Tidus?” The answer is simple:

Because I’m a nostalgic fanboy.

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve played Xenogears, so if I mess up the story I apologize. The story is so crazy and balls to the wall insane, if you call me out on a mistake, I can only assume you have either the IQ of a Mensa Member or way too much time on your hands.

The reason Fei and Elly are awesome is this: their love has lasted across multiple lifetimes. They are constantly reincarnated throughout time and they fall in love every time they’re born. However, in every single time period, Elly ends up sacrificing herself to save Fei. In Xenogears they finally break that cycle and get to spend their days getting old and having children. They’ve waited over at least three lifetimes for that to happen!

Overall, Xenogears also has a much more mature storyline than most of the other games on this list. There’s sex, blood, murder and all other kinds of juicy goodness. A more mature storyline allows Fei and Elly to be more realistic and realized as their characters develop throughout the course of the game.

What can I say? I love happy endings.

Also, don’t ask me why Rinoa and Squall aren’t on this list. I didn’t want Final Fantasy to dominate the entire list! I also hate Squall cause he’s an emo kid for 75 percent of the game.

A quarter gone by in the NBA and slowly things are walking to where we expected before the season began. The powerhouses are in control, except for Oden we did not have season ending injuries for the teams that matter, and the sleepers are those that we waited for although we did have some disappointments so far.

The Celtics have the best record of the league and are dominating opponents defensively. Kevin Garnett is back and Rasheed Wallace, although fat, has been fairly consistent shooting behind the 3 point line, at least on big games. The Lakers are a ½ game behind and after the return of Pau Gasol they have been the most dominant offense of the NBA (watch out for Kobe’s injury, he won’t undergo surgery no matter what but it can’t affect the way he plays for now on). Orlando is already without Jameer Nelson which allowed them to use the depth acquired on the offseason and maintained them on the top. The only problems on Disneyland have been outside the court. Both Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis had altercations with Coach Stan Van Gundy which is clearly the beginning of something bigger.

One of the biggest surprises so far is the way the Atlanta Hawks have behaved on big games. It’s clear that they have a good starting five in Georgia and that the additions of Jamal Crawford and Joe Smith would boost their second unit but the birds have played elite basketball so far and show that can at least compete with the powerhouses this year. Maybe another surprise for a few people is the run and gun Suns who are back. Steve Nash may be on his way for a 3^rd MVP and the up tempo offense is back to where they used to be two years ago but it’s clear that the results on the playoffs will be the same from two years ago as they can’t guard teams with an inside presence.

The upcoming team of the season is clearly the Oklahoma City Thunder. We all knew they were coming but now that they are actually translating talent into wins, we start to see them as a threat to possible playoff upsets.

The most disappoint teams: the Spurs, the Wizards and the Clippers. We all expected the injuries to be a huge factor for San Antonio but not this early on the season. Parker, Ginobili and Duncan all missed a significant amount of time already and Jefferson hasn’t adjusted to the offense yet. Washington is another team that also has been dealing with injuries however they spent enough money to assure a better record than 7-14. The case is the same with the Clippers. Griffin hasn’t played yet and Eric Gordon has been banged up lately but when everybody was available they didn’t play good basketball anyway. The Clippers were supposed to be the comeback team of the year but the 9-12 record doesn’t fulfill the expectations around them.

On the bottom teams that are treating the season as a throwaway targeting the 2010 free agent summer, like the Knicks and the Nets, and teams that are on rebuilding processes, like the Timberwolves and the Grizzlies.

A team who deserves a whole paragraph about is the Sacramento Kings. They are, hands down, the surprise of the season so far. Expected to have the worst record of the league, maybe 10 wins total, the Kings are now 10-12, doing it without Kevin Martin. Although the schedule Sacramento has had is the easiest of the league on the first quarter of the season, behind Tyreke Evans, who is on the hunt for Rookie of the Year, Sacramento has been able to stand up against the bad teams, something they couldn’t do last season.

Despite the economy the early NBA attendance is down only 2% and that says a lot about the league so far. A down market like Milwaukee found in Jennings, somebody to carry the franchise over and sell tickets. The Sixers went back to basics and signed old franchise buddy Allen Iverson to boost attendance. A quarter gone by in the NBA and slowly things are walking to where we expected before the season began.

Three nights of restful home sleeping and that was all they could muster? A tie game with five minutes to go against a slumping team Bucks team? It makes you wonder if the Celtics were too rested last night because they were as flat as a two-day old soda. And only a surge in the forty-fourth minute saved last night from being a nail-biter or worse. 

That surge was once again fueled by Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett, who has been all-NBA first team since Thanksgiving. Garnett was 9-13 last night and that leaves him at 44-59 over his last five games and 50-65 over his past six. That is an unfathomable (and unsustainable) seventy-seven percent. The only blemish on KG’s recent resume ……. Where are the block shots? Big Ticket hasn’t had a Big Swat in nearly three weeks. Clearly, Garnett still lacks some of his old lift, but his defense has otherwise been solid and I will trade some blocks for that shooting prowess any day of the week.

How bout this line from your PG ….. 11 points, 13 assists, 9 rebounds and 5 steals. If Rondo had made another field goal (just 3-9), he might have been in line for a gold star.

Other points from last night ……

The Celt’s rebounding woes continue …… the Bucks were plus nine last night and that included 14 offensive boards. Rasheed and Perk managed just seven boards in forty-eight minutes. I’ve already discussed this subject at length so I will let Bob Ryan offer today’s critique of the Celts’ glasswork:

“ People may be getting tired of reading and hearing about how opponents are abusing the Celtics on the offensive boards, but it will keep being said until the Celtics do something about it. The Bucks stayed in the game for the better part of 45 minutes despite shooting 43 percent because they had 14 offensive rebounds, good for 13 second-chance points (to Boston’s 2).”

It was just his first game back, but Tony Allen is no Marquis Daniels.

After a torrid stretch of shooting, the Celts now lead the league in FG%. That plays pretty well when you also lead the league in points against.

A couple thoughts on the Bucks ……Andrew Bogut is a GOOD player. He isn’t close to elite and your team is going to stink if he is your number one, but he is very solid. And Brandon Jennings has some work to do before his game catches up to his reputation, which got a little ahead of itself after he rang up 55 earlier this season.  Call this the “Clay Buchholz No-Hitter” syndrome.

When the hell is Big Baby going to return? Brian Scalabrine plays every minute like it’s going to be his last in the NBA but I don’t want to see that fifteen times a night. And something has to be done about all these minutes Pierce is racking up. Thirty-eight clicks against the Bucks on a December night is four too many.

The Celts now stand at 17-4, which trails last season’s team by two games. That team went on to win 27 of their first twenty nine and there is no way this club can match that but can they pull even by game 38 (29-9)? In other words, is 12-5 possible over the next seventeen? I think that is possible and there might even be room for an upside surprise. Next up ……the Washington Wizards at the Phone Booth. Dial up another W.

Until booth time next summer, you can find me baking for the Coffee Loft in Garnett starting in January (which is hopefully when the building is finished.) We’ll be in downtown Garnett on the south side of the square. There’s a weekly menu of rotating sweet and pastries, plus a Friday bread bake. To start, we’ll have limited quantities, but we will take orders as well. Otherwise, come early to get what you want. I’ll post an update here again when we’re officially open for business.

To be clear, the bakery items are on top of a full menu of breakfast and lunch and specialty coffee drinks. Yes, get excited. The Coffee Loft is going to be great!

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged about the antics on garnett, so, for an update on the fine folks of the saga:

The Boy With the Gorilla Complex (also: The One Who Can’t Commit) - The Boy is the de facto crux of the group. He is unintentionally (and hilariously) bigoted and bellicose when caught in inebriated debauchery. He has a penchant for mascots and embarrassing stories. Update: The Boy is my male counterpart. He is the Fred to my Wilma, the Jack to my Meg, the peanut butter to my oh-so-jelly. He has become somewhat reclusive in the previous months, but he is still as boisterous and endearing as before.

The One With the Slutty Pumpkin (also: BaBe) – Barney is the jokester. He enjoys quotes from sitcoms, self-deprecation and music he can’t quite explain. He anticipates being an old man, replete with fist-shaking and legitimate nostalgia for boys and girls in America.

The Woody Allen (also: The Hair) – Alvy is the sole empathetic one of the group. Oft-composed but vulnerable, he is the quiet self-imposed recluse, clinging close to that which he knows well. He laments decades past but still enjoys a solid laugh at the comforts of familiarity. He is content in his interests and surroundings. He enjoys hip hop and mockery.

The Brute, Brute Heart (also: The Patriarch) – Don Kwon is the contested leader of the Asian mafia. He is also my father. He is never seen but always heard. Update: The Brute’s influence is less pervasive, though the stifling threat of his control remains a point of contention. His phone calls have become shorter and less frequent, and he maintains a semblance of jolliness despite current economic conditions, in the household and otherwise.

The Evil One (also: Satan’s Spawn) - The “other woman,” Beelz is a constant fixture in conversation. She bakes cookies but does not share. She’s incapable of love. Update: According to The Boy, The Evil One has all but relinquished her reigning crown. She remains a point of conversation and/or a “part of the group,” but she has become the benign tumor of the gang, always with the possibility of becoming malignant once again.

Squeaky Eyed Knight – The third male roommate of the actual Garnett residence, Squeaky is an enigma. He displays remarkable acumen in chess, in addition to a unique ability to perform well under all mental conditions. His eyes betray a stark and often jarring resemblance to the philistine of the M. Family.

The Jelly Bean Ace – The Jelly Bean Ace is the foil to the Garnett residents. She is the clean-cut, quasi-innocent daughter of the WASP’iest family on the block, all J. Crew and Scandinavian suave men. She is also among the kindest and most clever of the characters. She is also the most naive.

The Acronym Enthusiast - The indisputable vamp of the group, The Acronym Enthusiast exhibits an unexpected profundity for domestic duties. She is a bit of a basket case, particularly in fluid social situations, the self-proclaimed “dumbest smart person.” She is also a global heroine, big time in a small world.

Sound Conglomeration (also: The Mini-Van Maven) – The cheeky grin of Sound Conglomeration is enough to melt hearts and frozen drinks alike. He is simultaneously nowhere and everywhere at once, appearing in most social settings while seeming to fail to exist elsewhere. He is a good friend of The Residents (collectively), and he is reticent about his familial background (from wealth).

The Uncommon Garden Mallet – The Uncommon Garden Mallet is Tommy Solomon, too young a body for such a sharpened, wise mind. He is not as cute as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but he is close. He immerses himself in both the academic and social worlds, a stunning example of having his cake and eating it too. He is from the high-class area of the Shore, country club suave.

Next up on “On Garnett”: The one in which I remember I dislike cheddar cheese (for reals).

"Why are you so mean, KG?"

I usually love watching the Celtics play, but that mood changes considerably when they’re facing the Raptors. Fresh off a 116-81 pounding at the hands of the Bobcats, Toronto will look to bounce back tonight against Jose Calderon’s best friend (Mr. KG, in case you forget) in Boston. As always, check in at Raptors Republic for the best preview in the business.

As easily as the Celtics have handled us in Toronto the past couple years, the Raps have actually put up some decent battles on the parquet floor in Boston. Calderon took over a game in January ‘08 (the Celts’ championship year) before his famous encounter with Garnett early last season, and Andrea Bargnani forced overtime with a late three in an eventual 115-109 loss in the second meeting. The Celtics come into this one looking a little susceptible too, following a tight win over a Sixers team they usually pound and a near-disastrous loss to the Knicks over the weekend. Still, at 11-4 and with the Fantastic Four still in tact, they’re as good a bet as any to win the East this season.

Toronto comes in desperately in need of a bounce-back following Wednesday’s embarrassment in Charlotte. I called out Chris Bosh yesterday and stand by it — now’s the time to step up, big man. This is as tough a game as you’ll play all year, so let’s go make a statement.

The Raptors and Celtics get going from TD Banknorth Garden at 7:30.

With about fifteen games in the books now, I have updated my by-possession numbers for every NBA team.

Despite its weak schedule, the numbers still look good for Portland. The Trailblazers are scoring exactly as many points per possession as their opponents have given up (on average) this season, which basically means they have an average offense. However, on the defensive side, Portland is second only to Boston in terms of least points allowed per possession. While the Blazers’ schedule has been pretty lame, the offenses they have played against are still scoring at the league average clip, preserving the significance of that defensive stat. In fact, the Blazers are also second in the league behind those Celtics for best point differential, thanks mostly to their tough defense.

So often we hear announcers talk about the pace of the game, as in, “The Blazers need to keep the score in the 90s to beat this Golden State team.”  I’m curious this season as to whether or not the pace of the game (meaning total number of possessions) matters all that much in the outcome. So far it seems that slower paced teams are able to also defend more efficiently. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell whether it’s because good defensive teams tend to be slower teams, or conversely, because slower paced teams are able to play better defense.

In Portland’s case, 12 of its 15 games have been played at a slow pace.* The Blazers are 8-4 in these slower games, 1-0 in medium games, and 1-1 in fast-paced games, so they haven’t played enough games at a faster pace to make any claims about their ability to adjust various teams. Portland did look pretty damn awful playing the fast-paced Warriors the other night, and in their two fast-paced games combined, the Blazers are shooting just  42.5% from the floor and turning the ball over as though it were smothered with Sex Panther Cologne (24.5 average/game). As the season progresses, the Blazers should play a few more fast-paced games so we can really see if it hurts them.

Taking a look at the rest of the league, the fastest teams by possession go, one through five, Golden State, New York, Indiana, Denver, and the LA Lakers. The slowest, ordered 30-26, are Detroit, Portland, Charlotte, Boston, and Miami.

The most efficient offensive teams are Phoenix, Toronto, Atlanta, Denver, and San Antonio. The least efficient are New Jersey, Minnesota, Charlotte, Chicago, Washington.

And finally, the most efficient defensive teams are Boston, Portland, Charlotte, Milwaukee, and Oklahoma City. The least efficient are Toronto, New Orleans, Memphis, Sacramento, and Golden State.

One final note: it’s interesting that the top two defensive teams, Portland and Boston, have some of the league’s best shot blocking combinations. Oden and Przybilla have combined for nearly 4 blocks a game, while Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett erase three shots every game. Interior defense is definitely more than just blocking shots. But the fact that the Blazers and Celts are first and fourth, respectively, in opponents’ field goal percentage suggests there is definitely something to having some shot blockers down low.

*The average possessions per game this season is 99. All teams/games that average 99 +/- 2 possessions are considered medium paced teams/games. Obviously the fast and slow paced teams/games are those that fall outside the range of 97-101.

Ecco le nuove realese di Skullcandy per NBA Player Series sono attese come nuovo orgoglio per tutti i tifosi del globo. Questa nuova serie di cuffie sarà disponibile dal mese di dicembre: inizialmente la serie delle NBA Player sono state lanciate con la firma di Deron Williams e Andre Iguodala. Skullcandy ha ottenuto la licenza per prodotti NBA e che include stilose headphones per alcuni dei più famosi players di oggi: Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Garnett Dwight Howard e LeBron James.
State connessi per eventuali firme di nuovi giocatori nei mesi successivi, tutti gli 8 headphones sono disponibili in nuove versioni colorate.

Big Baby has big dreams

Big Baby Davis is gonna become an NBA All-Star and leave on a high note — Costanza-style — to play in the NFL. That’s what he’s telling us, at least. The 6-foot-9, 500 pound Boston big man made known his plans to branch out today, according to an article on ESPN.com. Of course, he’ll have to wait a couple months or so for that broken thumb he picked up in a fight a few weeks ago to heal before he can get started on his plan to take over the sporting world.

I like Big Baby — after all, I declared my love for the Celtics in a post yesterday so I can’t really go back on it. Plus, I found this whole “incident” to be very amusing in last year’s playoffs. With his size and considering he played football in high school, he probably could make the NFL — but an NBA All-Star? I don’t see it happening. If that’s what it’s gonna take for you to hang up the sneakers and move to the gridiron, you might have to play basketball for another 142 years, big boy.

Nevertheless, I wish Davis the best in his attempt to become an NBA star and his more-reasonable goal of making it as a pro football player. Before you get too far ahead of yourself, Big Baby, remember: There’s no crying in football.

Anything is possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forget 72-10, I’ve got the Boston Celtics going 82-0 this year. Yeah, MJ and Pip, step aside. The Rondoooo Show made it five straight to start the season last night with a 105-74 road win in Philly, giving them three wins of at least 28 points in the season’s first week, not to mention a pretty, pretty nice road victory in Cleveland on opening night.

There were some question marks surrounding Kevin Garnett’s health coming off last year’s knee sprain, but the games thus far have made it pretty clear The Big Ticket can coast — through five, he’s averaging 11.2 points and 6.8 boards per game. Expect plenty more blowouts and Doc Rivers to keep putting KG to bed as early as possible. And why not? Rasheed Wallace has adjusted to his sixth man role admirable, making 15 threes through five games and averaging 12 points in 21 minutes.

Of course, I can’t do a Celtics post without showing some love for my man Rajon Rondo. Last night’s win was the first in which he didn’t grab at least 10 assists — instead he went 5-of-7 and picked up four steals in 28 minutes. Oh yeah, and his efforts the past couple years scored him a five-year, $55 million contract extension just last week. (Attn: Jose Calderon — Please follow Rondo’s lead and be a good point guard.)

Anyway, with Cleveland’s slow start (though they’re rolling now) and the Lakers nearly getting Thunderstruck in OKC last night, I figured to give the league’s best team their due this morning.

Now that baseball is done I figured there was no better time to focus my attention on the future.  The future being basketball!  The Celtics are poised to bring another Championship back to Boston after coming up short last year.  The fact that KG is back should be enough to bring another title to Beantown, but with the addition of Wallace, it’s almost a sure thing in my eyes.  After watching their first few games I don’t see how they are not going to win it all.  They are in full control of their opponents and show so much more energy and pride than I have seen in years.  I wonder if they can hear Tommy Heinsohn from the bench, because if I could hear my hometown announcer talking about how much he HATES the visiting teams, I would be so excited to play every night too!  My favorite quote of his last year has to be, “that slimy Brad Miller! I HATE HIM!!!!”  Come on,  how could you not like an announcer like this!  And they have played the Bulls already this year and Tommy shows now signs of laying off Mr. Miller!  This season will be filled with memorable quotes!

-Matt P

Throw it down, big man

Step aside, LeBron — there’s a new king in town. Andrea Bargnani led Toronto with 28 points and the Raptors weathered a second-half Cavs run to take the season opener 101-91.

I’ve watched thousands of basketball games in my life but still haven’t comprehended that it’s a game of runs. Not that I counted Cleveland out after the Raps built a 20-point first half lead, but I was about ready to write the season off after a third quarter three-point barrage pulled the Cavs even. I started getting flashbacks to that hellish night in Boston last November when the Celtics overcame a big deficit and ended up pounding us, aka the Kevin Garnett “Bring It On” game. Toronto bounced back tonight though, re-extending the lead to 13 in the fourth to put it away.

Chris Bosh had 21 points and 16 boards but struggled from the field, shooting 6-of-17. Still, he stayed aggressive in the second half, getting to the line 12 times in total. Bosh, Bargnani and Rasho Nesterovic kept Shaq in check too, limiting him to 12 points and seven rebounds. The Big Diesel, actually, was brutal — his six missed shots were from a combined two feet and he spent much of the fourth quarter on the bench. In total, Shaq was a Kevin Durant-esque -25.

Other notables for the Raptors: Jose Calderon scored just five points but had 11 assists, Marco Belinelli had 10 in 19 minutes off the bench and Hedo Turkoglu had 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in his debut. DeMar DeRozan looked comfortable in his first NBA game, scoring eight points in 24 minutes.

Anyway, a fine start to the season. I’ll check back in tomorrow with some more analysis on the win.

Rondooo and the Celtics came out of Cleveland with a win

The NBA season opened last night with four games: Boston overcame an early deficit to beat Cleveland 95-89 despite 38 from LeBron, Portland beat Houston 96-87, the Lakers beat the Clippers 99-92 and in the upset of the night, the Wizards, who I wasn’t picking to do much this year, won in Dallas 102-91. Here are my musings from opening night:

- Rondoooooooo! My favourite stat-stuffer (yes, he’s on my fantasy squad) put up eight points, six boards and 10 dimes and Kevin Garnett had 13 and 10 in his first regular season game since March. How about Boston, though? A lot of people are sleeping on them and there’s no better way to wake them up than with a win in Cleveland (where the Cavs were 39-2 last season) on opening night.

- Baron Davis boasted that he’s ready to bounce back after a nightmarish first year with the Clippers. Way to get started then, Baron: 1-of-10 from the field for two points. Surprisingly, the Clippers were in it until the fourth, trailing by just one entering. Kobe, by the way, had 33 to lead the Lakers.

- Yeah, so how about those Wizards? I said last week Gilbert Arenas is going to have to ditch his shot-happy approach for Washington to be a winner, and he did a bit of that last night, dishing out nine assists in the upset over Dallas.

- Looks like Trevor Ariza isn’t set to come in and be the focal point in Houston. His line tonight: 3-of-8, 12 points, three boards, two assists and four turnovers. Of course, that’s just one game, but I don’t see Ariza putting up the numbers many are predicting him to.

Lebron y Garnett, dos de las principales estrellas de la NBA.

¡Atención señoras y señores porque empezamos! Esta noche arranca la mejor liga del mundo, y lo hace de la mejor manera posible. El primer partido será entre Boston Celtics y Cleveland Cavaliers, posiblemente dos de los mejores equipos de la liga y claros aspirantes al título. Dos equipos que han reforzado su plantilla con estrellas consagradas en la liga como son Rasheed Wallace por parte de Boston y Shaquille O’neal para Cleveland. Con sendas incorporaciones ambos equipos buscan ese empujoncito que les faltó el año pasado para dar el gran salto y adquirir el tan preciado anillo de campeón de la NBA.

Cabe destacar por parte de Cleveland tres incorporaciones más, que son ni más ni menos que Leon Powe (que viene de Boston pero este año no jugará por lesión), Jamario Moon y Anthony Parker (Toronto Raptors). Jugadores los dos primeros muy físicos y defensivos que aseguran mucho rebote y espectacularidad ofensiva, y el último buen tirador, que servirá para intentar anotar todos los tiros abiertos que le puedan llegar de asistencias de Lebron James. Junto a estos jugadores tendremos que estar atentos a la aportación de Mo Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas saliendo del banquillo como suplente de Shaq, y de la enorme progresión que están teniendo sus ala-pivots J.J. Hickson y Anderson Varejao.

Por parte de Boston las cosas continúan exactamente igual, excepto la baja de Leon Powe antes mencionada y el fichaje de Rasheed Wallace. El big three se convierte en algo más que eso con esta incorporación, traerá calidad desde el banquillo, puntos y veteranía. Este año si tienen suerte con las lesiones y Garnett está en plena forma podrán volver a llegar a los más alto. Junto a ellos tendrán a un gran base en progresión, Rajon Rondo, aún un poco irregular pero que este puede ser un gran año para él. Y desde el banquillo a un auténtico “microondas” como Eddie House, que con sus rachas de triples puede fulminar a cualquier equipo.

En definitiva, tendremos que estar muy atentos a la adaptación a sus nuevos equipos de los fichajes y sobre todo ver el partido de inauguración de la temporada de esta noche. ¡Comienza el showtime!

The NBA is a window league and Danny Ainge gets that. With a nucleus that’s not getting any younger, led by 33 year old Kevin Garnett, who just underwent another knee surgery, the Celtics knows that the upcoming season could be their last chance with this generation and they want win again and win right now.

Boston’s biggest move of the offseason was the signing of veteran Forward/Center Rasheed Wallace. Wallace’s well known lack of respect for hierarchy seems won’t be a problem because the C’s have in Doc Rivers a proven coach and enough leadership in that locker room. What Rasheed does bring to the table is good outside shooting and his presence inside the paint, plus since KG’s procedure was way more complicated that announced, they have in ‘Sheed a insurance policy although at this point of his career he is kind of a question mark.

Another additional is Marquis Daniels. During the instant classic against the Chicago Bulls last season, it became clear their problem about scoring off the bench when Eddie House doesn’t get hot. Daniels comes to fix just that. He’s a very explosive score that can put a lot of point on the board in a few minutes which fits perfectly for the sixth man role. Daniels also comes in order to decrease the minutes of Capitan Paul Piece who is getting in that age when a player starts to get banged up all the time.

Not everything was roses on the summer in Massachusetts. Rajon Rondo was surprisingly involved in trade conversations which was incredible weird because he was supposed to be this one guy to lead their transition between this old team and whatever the new team comes to be a couple, triple years from now and now nobody knows how he’s going to react after this whole situation.

The super free agency summer of 2010 is coming and the fighting Irish have a couple of key players on it: Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Since Allen is a very smart guy and knows that this is probably his last big contract, he’ll try to get his money which Danny Ainge most likely won’t pay. It’s really tough to imagine Pierce opting out of his contract however after everything he has been through his this franchise and with the lockout coming we really can’t say. All of this means that this year is, most likely, the last act of the core who took this team to the championship almost two years ago.

The #4 Boston Celtics is clearly one of the top contenders for the East spot on the Finals. They have as much talent as anybody and more experience that anybody. No other group of guys combined is more used to clutch moment than these players however this is an aging team, always fearful of injuries and we have seem what happens to them without the big ticket. Boston has this great team a step away from going to the Finals but also a step from dieing somewhere near from there too.

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Sono iniziati i training camp. Celebriamo l’inizio della nuova stagione con un po’ di foto, che testimoniano come sia bello iniziare scherzando e ritrovando i vecchi amici. Il momento più bello dei training camp sono i Media Day. Un giorno in cui la squadra si dedica anima e corpo alla stampa. Vengono strapazzati, scherzati, ripresi, fotografati. Con il permesso dell’Nba, per cui, deo gratias, i media sono sacri.

Sir Richard of Garnett

Last week Richard called with another crazy Garnett animal story.  It seems that a mother dog has given birth under an old abandoned house on the other side of the village, and she was crossing two highways to get to an area where she can scrounge food.  Richard started taking food to her, but she was skittish and wouldn’t let him get near.  He was getting concerned that the puppies would start to come out from under the house as they got older, and get killed on the road.  So he makes a grand scheme to trap the mother and puppies.

Using the same dog trap that we used to trap Flannery, he and Sugar set it up by the old house.  They can hear the sounds of the puppies underneath the house but can’t actually see them.  The mother wouldn’t go into the trap so Sugar takes Richard home and drops him off, then drives back by the old house on the way home. 

Mom

She’s in the trap!  And he goes back to pick up Richard so that they can transport her to Richard’s house.  When they arrive back at the old house, they realize that the puppies won’t come out.  Richard crawls under the house and retrieves a total of nine – count ‘em – nine puppies!  That’s an amazing amount of puppies for one litter!  And they transport everyone back in the MPV – otherwise known as the Multi Pet Vehicle – and everyone goes into the enclosure that Richard built connected to his house in his backyard. 

The Garnett Hilton

Richard, ever resourceful, has created a shelter for the family from an old non-functioning refrigerator.  He put it on its side and swung the doors completely open so that they rest on top. 

The next morning, when Richard gets up, the mother is gone.  She has broken out and leaped over the porch railing.  On a hunch, Richard went back to the old house.  Sure enough, the mother is there, nursing a puppy. 

One last puppy, bigger than all the others, knew to hide from the men.  He never made a sound, but must have been lonely and cold that night.  The mother risked life and limb to get back to him.  She left the others in a safe haven to take care of the lost lamb.

The family is now reunited.  Had they stayed at the old house, it wouldn’t have been long before they ventured out and into the highway.  Richard saved the day. 

You know you want one

This little girl is the runt.  The others are twice as big as she is, and the mother is not nursing her very well.  Richard is hand-feeding her, but we’re not sure she’ll make it.  Whatever the outcome at Richard’s house, it’s safe to say that she wouldn’t have made it at all if she’d stayed by the highway.