Okay, okay I admit I took a two month break for many reasons but mostly because I have become super busy doing more important things.
I recently have started coaching boys and girls youth basketball which takes up more of my free time every week. Therefore the Clip Joint has been neglected to some extent, not really the team itself but this blog to be completely accurate.
So I began stories of our first season in the big time and our early struggles which manifested themselves into mid-season struggles which culminated into a finals appearance despite said struggles. That's right, you heard me correctly the first time, despite carrying a regular season record of 1-7 into the playoffs as the lowest seed we made the championship game. Despite losing many a game we managed to find a little more cohesion towards the back end of the schedule and our losses were by 9 points or less except for two blow outs early on.
Since the league schedulers insist on being idiots we only had to win 1 game to make the finals. I know, I know seems like a cheap way to do things but we really did not care so when we defeated the #2 seeded team to get an entry for the championship we were extremely confident that we could get it done. All season long we have been playing the role of the underdog despite carrying 5 titles into this league. Nobody expected us to compete with such a small and somewhat undermanned team but we scratched and clawed our way into every game we could.
Last night we attempted to pull the big upset against the #1 seed and for a half it was back and forth as close as you could get, yet we still trailed by a point at the break. An early run and a change in defense made things difficult for us and we dug a hole for ourselves that we could not climb out of. Down by 7-10 points the rest of the way we got it as close as 5 with the ball and a couple of 3 point chances away from making it 2 points but the ball wouldn't go down for us and you combine that with their excellent free throw shooting (somewhere in the neighborhood of 90% at least, 18-20?) it was over Johnny.
So there we were on the bench after the game dejected as our shot at shocking the league had come and gone and another season had ended. A new season is on the horizon but there will be more changes coming...
K.J. has chosen to sit this one out for personal reasons to get in better game shape as he put it and to take a mental breather from all the weekly preparations needed. I will be undergoing surgery that will put me on the shelf for almost the entire season. Despite not suiting up I plan to attend most of the games if not all of them so I will be back on track with the recaps from here on forward. New players coming in, a few moving out and maybe the debut of the long promised Clip Joint movie.....I say maybe because the director has gotten a bit too lazy the last few months...or should I say pre-occupied?
Needless to say that is all for now....until next time...which I promise will not be in 2 months..
Monday, December 15, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Heartbreaker You Got The Best Of Me....
So going into game two we were more confident since we were supposed to have a full roster of players ready to go. Unfortunately, those nagging issues continued to play a large part of our early season problems and we dropped another close game by 5 points. It has been frusterating at times because we feel like despite not playing very good basketball we have been competitive in the first two games of the season. Surely we need to cut down on the amount od turnovers because in this league the margin for error is so slim for us.
Every team features athletes who can jump higher than us, shoot better than us and in general are taller than us as well. Therefore, we need to play a near perfect fundamentally sound game to succeed. It is a good learning experience for us though since we are playing shorthanded with only 7 or 8 players from week to week.
After getting used to winning all the time in the lower level league we are finding that we no longer can coast for even short stretches because every possession is important for us. Starting 0-2 is not the best way to make a first impression on these teams but I find solace in the fact that we have yet to be blown out in the first two contests.
I hope that in our next game we are able to somehow close the gap even firther and maybe even pull out a victory for the first time. Everyone is playing extremely hard and eventually that hard work should pay off for us. In the end, we want to build an even stronger franchise and program so this first "expansion" season for us is a building block towards the future of the team.
Every team features athletes who can jump higher than us, shoot better than us and in general are taller than us as well. Therefore, we need to play a near perfect fundamentally sound game to succeed. It is a good learning experience for us though since we are playing shorthanded with only 7 or 8 players from week to week.
After getting used to winning all the time in the lower level league we are finding that we no longer can coast for even short stretches because every possession is important for us. Starting 0-2 is not the best way to make a first impression on these teams but I find solace in the fact that we have yet to be blown out in the first two contests.
I hope that in our next game we are able to somehow close the gap even firther and maybe even pull out a victory for the first time. Everyone is playing extremely hard and eventually that hard work should pay off for us. In the end, we want to build an even stronger franchise and program so this first "expansion" season for us is a building block towards the future of the team.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
It's Been A Long Time Since I Left You
That is right peoples, I am back after a short hiatus to update you on everything that has gone on over the past 3 weeks or so. When I last wrote we were in between seasons looking to upgrade our roster in hopes of getting a few big men for the upcoming jump to the premier league. Well, we had a few players come in for workouts and none of them panned out. Originally, we had a free agent signed sealed and delivered but then right as we were signing the contract he got cold feet and backed off. No big deal really, but we headed intot he season with the same core group from the last season.
Our opening game was against two time champion "Shhh. Listen". Having lost their first game of the season they were going to make sure they did not drop a second straight game to us, the new kids on the block. Missing G.C. and his compadre hurt as we were left with just 7 players against what seemed like an army of players taller than 6-2. Keep in mind our tallest guy is like 6 feet tall, so the challenge was certainly a difficult one for us. Before the game started I am almost positive they felt like they were going to simply power right through us without much resistance. Unfortunately, we refused to make it easy and actually led for 2/3 of the game before finally succumbing to their size losing by 7 points.
So here we are at 0-1 ready for week 2 and the arrival of G.C. back to the lineup and allegedly two new players who look to suit up for the very first time. Looking at the competition I can honestly say that we are talented enough as a team to compete with these guys even though the majority of the players are taller, perhaps a step quicker and perhaps able to jump a little higher than us. One thing is for sure though, we have more heart and play funadmentally sound basketball that will cause other teams to work that much harder to beat us.
I expect that we will lose some games, but over the course of the season I would not be shocked to find us close to the top of the standings. I should be updating this weekly again now that the season has started so until tomorrow when I offer up a preview for our next game.
Our opening game was against two time champion "Shhh. Listen". Having lost their first game of the season they were going to make sure they did not drop a second straight game to us, the new kids on the block. Missing G.C. and his compadre hurt as we were left with just 7 players against what seemed like an army of players taller than 6-2. Keep in mind our tallest guy is like 6 feet tall, so the challenge was certainly a difficult one for us. Before the game started I am almost positive they felt like they were going to simply power right through us without much resistance. Unfortunately, we refused to make it easy and actually led for 2/3 of the game before finally succumbing to their size losing by 7 points.
So here we are at 0-1 ready for week 2 and the arrival of G.C. back to the lineup and allegedly two new players who look to suit up for the very first time. Looking at the competition I can honestly say that we are talented enough as a team to compete with these guys even though the majority of the players are taller, perhaps a step quicker and perhaps able to jump a little higher than us. One thing is for sure though, we have more heart and play funadmentally sound basketball that will cause other teams to work that much harder to beat us.
I expect that we will lose some games, but over the course of the season I would not be shocked to find us close to the top of the standings. I should be updating this weekly again now that the season has started so until tomorrow when I offer up a preview for our next game.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Daily Operations....
Here I am the day after a grueling mid week practice, feeling the effects of 1 1/2 hours of straight physical basketball. It probably was worsened by the fact that we only had 9 people show up so we were playing 4 on 4 full court the entire time. I have no problem with that set-up since it means you never leave the court and you have to work even harder to cover on defense. J.D. had his mid-range game in full effect on showcase last night. I mean he literally may have missed 6 shots the entire night and that might not sound impressive but it is when you take into consideration the fact that he probably put up about 25 shots. Allegedly he has become a clone of his brother because now he is a gym rat every morning. I am not sure how long this routine will last because all it takes is one long night out and a runny nose and that one time he skips will turn into, two and then into ahh f it, I am done with the gym. I give him credit though for at least attempting to improve his upper body strength, so kudos go out to him.
I felt like I had a pretty good showing throughout the evening, my three ball was working and I even manged to hit a few of my patented one handed "tear drops" a la Mark Jackson. Combine that with some solid defense and rebounding and I certainly put in a full nights worth of effort.
Our roster situation is as crazy as it has ever been with at least 2 if not 3 spots still available for numerous players who are looking to get in on the excitement that is Clip Joint basketball. I even received an email from the league advising me that a player was trying desperately to contact me in hopes of getting our attention and trying him out. I guess it has gotten to that point now, where the upper echelon free agents are looking to get involved. That is super positive and can only help us out in the long run when looking to expand our team.
The league was supposed to kick-off again this weekend but due to a few minor issues they decided it was best if they postponed it another week. This too is pretty good news for us as we would like to get any and all issues squared away before the first game. So here we are, playing the waiting game on these new players. Trying to hammer out contract offers in hopes of landing a true big man for the first time since J.G. Speaking of J.G., I had a conversation with him a few weeks back and the rehab on his knee is right on schedule. Maybe by the middle of next year he will be ready to come back and fill that void for us, for now though he can only sit and watch from the owners box every week.
Time to ice down the knee a little bit....adios till next time
I felt like I had a pretty good showing throughout the evening, my three ball was working and I even manged to hit a few of my patented one handed "tear drops" a la Mark Jackson. Combine that with some solid defense and rebounding and I certainly put in a full nights worth of effort.
Our roster situation is as crazy as it has ever been with at least 2 if not 3 spots still available for numerous players who are looking to get in on the excitement that is Clip Joint basketball. I even received an email from the league advising me that a player was trying desperately to contact me in hopes of getting our attention and trying him out. I guess it has gotten to that point now, where the upper echelon free agents are looking to get involved. That is super positive and can only help us out in the long run when looking to expand our team.
The league was supposed to kick-off again this weekend but due to a few minor issues they decided it was best if they postponed it another week. This too is pretty good news for us as we would like to get any and all issues squared away before the first game. So here we are, playing the waiting game on these new players. Trying to hammer out contract offers in hopes of landing a true big man for the first time since J.G. Speaking of J.G., I had a conversation with him a few weeks back and the rehab on his knee is right on schedule. Maybe by the middle of next year he will be ready to come back and fill that void for us, for now though he can only sit and watch from the owners box every week.
Time to ice down the knee a little bit....adios till next time
Monday, September 15, 2008
Mug Shot
This is the photo that the league took of us a few minutes after winning championship #4 in a row and #5 out of 6!! Unfortunately, we were missing a few valued members of the team who could not show up for the photo opportunity. A.H. & K.J. were both M.I.A. so that is why there are only 8 of us in the picture. From left to right..
J.D. G.C. J.P. M.D. J.M. J.W. D.T. & B.A
I would post the picture of the losing team just for the sake of comedy but that will have to wait for the next time. Week 1 of the Elite session begins next week and our roster still has some question marks. Hopefully by tomorrow we can work all of this out because I get the feeling we are going to have an entirely different look moving into next season.
Monday, September 8, 2008
4 Straight & 5 Out of 6!!
As I sit here contemplating our roster for next season and our highly anticipated jump to the highest level of competition I wince ever so slightly each time I move my right knee. You see, at my age there is always going to be bumps and bruises after each game I play. Today is no different except for the fact that I can celebrate a 4th straight championship with my team. Once again we were up against the odds having to play 2 games within the matter of 2 hours with only a 15 minute break in between the two games. Once again, we faced a roster that lacked the talent of seasons past. But in the end we managed to find a way to get it done and win it all one more time which is a testament of how good the Clip Joint really is.
Game 1 had us against our rivals "Dynasty" who looked the part of spoiler for most of the first half as we struggled to get anything consistent going on offense. Without their team leader "Peja" they were forced to rely heavily on two players, one of which always gives us trouble and the other a talented leaper who likes to drive to the hoop. We had the game in the bag for the most part except we like to keep it close and nearly blew a late 9 point lead by missing something like 6 out of our last 8 free throws and they managed to cut it to 3 points after draining a three ball at the buzzer. make no mistake about it though, we got lucky that "Peja" was unavailable, because if he had been there I am not so sure we would have had enough to get it done. My prediction was pretty close as I had guessed a 4 point win , not too bad missing by 1 point!!
Game 2 saw "Awards Limo" and their entourage show up to the arena on an 8 game winning streak and hungry for their first title. Another slow start saw us trail early by 6 or 7 points before we got into our game and settled down. Clearly we all were very tired and worn out already from playing in such a physical first game but we battled through the first half and only trailed by 3. Throughout the night we struggled to get good looks and when we did we were missing a lot of shots we usually make. We really are not a half court team though so we had to get opportunities off the break which came few and far between. In the second half we willed our way to the lead and never turned back. As the final couple of minutes ticked off the clock it became clear that we were headed to yet another title. It is always a great feeling knowing that you are the best team in the league despite having a few hiccups during the season.
Having to deal with A.H. and his constant injury problems preventing him from appearing in any games except 1 at the very beginning of the year to J.M. who missed 6 straight games before showing up last night to provide us some extra height and depth. Most every game we played with only 7 players and that means the stars of the team had to carry us from week to week playing heavy minutes. They deserve a whole lot of credit for this season, without a doubt and i think towards the end of the championship game you could clearly see some tired bodies. I think the low point of the season was obviously the loss to "O'Donnel" to complete the regular season at 6-2. After that game I think we all felt embarassed and never wanted to share that feeling ever again.
Looking ahead we get a well deserved day off today and tomorrow before going back at it in practice on Wednesday. Expectations are high for us around the league since everyone knows what we have accomplished heading into this next season. I think reality might see things a bit differently though because we have so many question marks before the first game. We really need a couple of big men in the worst ay otherwise we will be forced to rely on our transition game to score most of our buckets. An update will be made before the middle of the week...
Game 1 had us against our rivals "Dynasty" who looked the part of spoiler for most of the first half as we struggled to get anything consistent going on offense. Without their team leader "Peja" they were forced to rely heavily on two players, one of which always gives us trouble and the other a talented leaper who likes to drive to the hoop. We had the game in the bag for the most part except we like to keep it close and nearly blew a late 9 point lead by missing something like 6 out of our last 8 free throws and they managed to cut it to 3 points after draining a three ball at the buzzer. make no mistake about it though, we got lucky that "Peja" was unavailable, because if he had been there I am not so sure we would have had enough to get it done. My prediction was pretty close as I had guessed a 4 point win , not too bad missing by 1 point!!
Game 2 saw "Awards Limo" and their entourage show up to the arena on an 8 game winning streak and hungry for their first title. Another slow start saw us trail early by 6 or 7 points before we got into our game and settled down. Clearly we all were very tired and worn out already from playing in such a physical first game but we battled through the first half and only trailed by 3. Throughout the night we struggled to get good looks and when we did we were missing a lot of shots we usually make. We really are not a half court team though so we had to get opportunities off the break which came few and far between. In the second half we willed our way to the lead and never turned back. As the final couple of minutes ticked off the clock it became clear that we were headed to yet another title. It is always a great feeling knowing that you are the best team in the league despite having a few hiccups during the season.
Having to deal with A.H. and his constant injury problems preventing him from appearing in any games except 1 at the very beginning of the year to J.M. who missed 6 straight games before showing up last night to provide us some extra height and depth. Most every game we played with only 7 players and that means the stars of the team had to carry us from week to week playing heavy minutes. They deserve a whole lot of credit for this season, without a doubt and i think towards the end of the championship game you could clearly see some tired bodies. I think the low point of the season was obviously the loss to "O'Donnel" to complete the regular season at 6-2. After that game I think we all felt embarassed and never wanted to share that feeling ever again.
Looking ahead we get a well deserved day off today and tomorrow before going back at it in practice on Wednesday. Expectations are high for us around the league since everyone knows what we have accomplished heading into this next season. I think reality might see things a bit differently though because we have so many question marks before the first game. We really need a couple of big men in the worst ay otherwise we will be forced to rely on our transition game to score most of our buckets. An update will be made before the middle of the week...
Friday, September 5, 2008
Down to 3
Now that we are only a few days away from yet another challenging weekend of basketball, it is time to look at the opponents who stand in the way of championship #4 in a row.
"Dynasty" is a team that has become somewhat of a friendly rival over the past couple of seasons as a level of respect is shared between the two programs. Originally spotted during the holiday tournament they managed to defeat the Clip Joint and eliminate us from said tourney. I think we all knew at that point that they were a talented group of players who could give us problems each time we faced them. They feature several very good players and I think this session they struggled a lot with injuries to key players as well as having guys miss games for whatever reason. It never seemed liked they had their core group of players from game to game and I think that is the only reason their record was as medicore as it was. Many people probably slept on them as a factor in the championship chase but as I predicted weeks ago, I knew they would be a team that could easily advance if they brought all of their talent to the games.
Make no mistake about it, with a healthy lineup that features not one but two centers taller than 6-5 it will be important that we control the tempo. One of them is coming off a major leg injury and the other just does not have the fitness to continually run up and down the court. "Peja" Mendez as he is affectionately known to us is always their top scoring threat but if he is not clicking on all cylinders they still have a pair of asian guys who hustle after the ball and hit the glass hard on every possession. To me the key will be whether or not they have their power forward who has been known to give us trouble in the past. He is a leaper with scoring ability inside that could make the difference between winning and losing for them.
At the end of the day it will be up to us to control the tempo and to ensure that we rebound well if we want a chance to win the game and advance to the title game.
Waiting in the wings for the winner of the first game is "Awards Limo" winners of the pathetic South division. Winners of 8 straight games they are certainly not to be overlooked. We are familiar with most of their players as we have competed against them in the seasons prior to this one. I think that they are a difficult team in terms of matching up but at the same time they hold an advantage regardless since they only have to play 1 game to take home the championship whereas we would have to play back to back. If we get to the final game against them it will be very important that we play hard nose man to man defense. They have too many outside weapons to play much zone in my opinion. Obviously the game against "Dynasty" will be tough and I hate to make any predictions because I have been so bad at it but here goes.
In a game that will be decided by tempo Clip Joint 59 Dynasty 55 similar to the very first meeting of the season. Then in the championship game I am predicting that Clip Joint defends their title winning 64-53. Lets hope the predictions are true and we come back after the weekend with nothing but positive reports from the game.
"Dynasty" is a team that has become somewhat of a friendly rival over the past couple of seasons as a level of respect is shared between the two programs. Originally spotted during the holiday tournament they managed to defeat the Clip Joint and eliminate us from said tourney. I think we all knew at that point that they were a talented group of players who could give us problems each time we faced them. They feature several very good players and I think this session they struggled a lot with injuries to key players as well as having guys miss games for whatever reason. It never seemed liked they had their core group of players from game to game and I think that is the only reason their record was as medicore as it was. Many people probably slept on them as a factor in the championship chase but as I predicted weeks ago, I knew they would be a team that could easily advance if they brought all of their talent to the games.
Make no mistake about it, with a healthy lineup that features not one but two centers taller than 6-5 it will be important that we control the tempo. One of them is coming off a major leg injury and the other just does not have the fitness to continually run up and down the court. "Peja" Mendez as he is affectionately known to us is always their top scoring threat but if he is not clicking on all cylinders they still have a pair of asian guys who hustle after the ball and hit the glass hard on every possession. To me the key will be whether or not they have their power forward who has been known to give us trouble in the past. He is a leaper with scoring ability inside that could make the difference between winning and losing for them.
At the end of the day it will be up to us to control the tempo and to ensure that we rebound well if we want a chance to win the game and advance to the title game.
Waiting in the wings for the winner of the first game is "Awards Limo" winners of the pathetic South division. Winners of 8 straight games they are certainly not to be overlooked. We are familiar with most of their players as we have competed against them in the seasons prior to this one. I think that they are a difficult team in terms of matching up but at the same time they hold an advantage regardless since they only have to play 1 game to take home the championship whereas we would have to play back to back. If we get to the final game against them it will be very important that we play hard nose man to man defense. They have too many outside weapons to play much zone in my opinion. Obviously the game against "Dynasty" will be tough and I hate to make any predictions because I have been so bad at it but here goes.
In a game that will be decided by tempo Clip Joint 59 Dynasty 55 similar to the very first meeting of the season. Then in the championship game I am predicting that Clip Joint defends their title winning 64-53. Lets hope the predictions are true and we come back after the weekend with nothing but positive reports from the game.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Practice Is Intense
During practice last night I learned that it is always competitive no matter what the circumstances are. With the conference finals only a few short days away we were able to get back on the freshly finished Wooton High School basketball court for a few hours. Having not been able to access the gym for a couple of months it was nice to have the opportunity to work in the middle of the week before the weekend. I think that it is natural to want to play well and play hard as we would normally do and with that might come the extra pushing and shoving and battling between teammates. Overall, I felt like the practice was needed and that in the end everyone did what they do best.
There has been so much speculation on what the final roster was going to be for the big game(s) this weekend and with A.H. not making an appearance last night as scheduled it is harder and harder to expect anything more than a possible cameo in the games this weekend. Any time you are coming off a semi-serious injury and are forced to sit out for several weeks without playing you are going to be rusty, bottom line. Without getting some work last night I think A.H. went from being a solid contributor to mostly a spectator this weekend. It would be great if we could get him 10-15 minutes in the opening game but I am worried he is not going to be much help. I guess we will see how it goes and make the decision once things get going.
Without looking past the importance of this weekends action, the NBA starts for us in about ten days and as usual we have questions on who exactly is going to be made available to participate. Making the jump from what essentially is the "D" league up to the big show is a step we have been talking about making for a couple of years now. Finally, we feel like we need to be tested regardless of the outcome this weekend. Win or lose, we need to see where we are at. Granted, we have high expectations and believe in our team, we still realize it is going to be a struggle to compete week in and week out if we do not give 100% effort every game. I guess we will patch together the best roster we possibly can before this weekend and submit our final opening day roster and hope for the best!
A preview of the remaining 3 teams headed into the championship weekend will be available soon, maybe today but certainly tomorrow at the latest. I think these two teams rival the last two we defeated last season to win the championship so I know it is going to take a supreme effort to get it done. Especially since they once again have stacked the deck heavily against us with the "no rest policy" if we do happen to win the first game. I expect nothing less from a place that does not want to see us with 4 straight titles to our name....
There has been so much speculation on what the final roster was going to be for the big game(s) this weekend and with A.H. not making an appearance last night as scheduled it is harder and harder to expect anything more than a possible cameo in the games this weekend. Any time you are coming off a semi-serious injury and are forced to sit out for several weeks without playing you are going to be rusty, bottom line. Without getting some work last night I think A.H. went from being a solid contributor to mostly a spectator this weekend. It would be great if we could get him 10-15 minutes in the opening game but I am worried he is not going to be much help. I guess we will see how it goes and make the decision once things get going.
Without looking past the importance of this weekends action, the NBA starts for us in about ten days and as usual we have questions on who exactly is going to be made available to participate. Making the jump from what essentially is the "D" league up to the big show is a step we have been talking about making for a couple of years now. Finally, we feel like we need to be tested regardless of the outcome this weekend. Win or lose, we need to see where we are at. Granted, we have high expectations and believe in our team, we still realize it is going to be a struggle to compete week in and week out if we do not give 100% effort every game. I guess we will patch together the best roster we possibly can before this weekend and submit our final opening day roster and hope for the best!
A preview of the remaining 3 teams headed into the championship weekend will be available soon, maybe today but certainly tomorrow at the latest. I think these two teams rival the last two we defeated last season to win the championship so I know it is going to take a supreme effort to get it done. Especially since they once again have stacked the deck heavily against us with the "no rest policy" if we do happen to win the first game. I expect nothing less from a place that does not want to see us with 4 straight titles to our name....
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Summer Session 08' - Playoff Game #2
After completing our first playoff game we sat around watching the rest of the league go to work and immediately before we returned to the court we watched the other semi final game which featured "Dynasty" against the # 1 seeded "Team Rock". I was unsure how this game was going to play out since it appeared as if "Dynasty" might have been a little tired and "Team Rock" was fresh coming in to play only one game. I thought the game would be a closely contested game with a finals berth on the line in the division but I was completely wrong about that as "Dynasty" jumped out early and never looked back easily winning. "Dynasty" is making another appearance in the division finals and they did not stick around to found out who their opponent was going to be.
The second semi-final game of the night featured the main event A.K.A The Clip Joint defending their three straight titles against the upstart "Beltway Ballers". We knew this was going to be a difficult game since the first time we faced them we handed them their only legitimate loss of the season and we only had 5 players that night. Revenge was on their mind and they came prepared to eliminate us from playoff contention. Early on the game went back and forth but eventually they managed an early 11 point lead about halfway through the first half. Without panicking we were able to make some adjustments and during one stretch we cut that defecit right before halftime to only a couple of points. Feeling the momentum we came out in the second half and erased the lead completely and actually had a 6 point lead with about 13 1/2 minutes to play when things got a little crazy.
Throughout the entire game things were quite chippy, as every basket was contested and every call or non-call for that matter was challenged. Honestly, we may have said a couple of things to the referee but for the most part it was the "Beltway Ballers" doing a lot of campaigning. So much so, that I dubbed them Obama & McCain they were doing so much politicking. they had already picked up one technical foul leading up to this point in the game and the notorius complainer ( a 6-3 lanky, athletic guy_) who thinks he is better than he really is...started in on the referee after feeling that he was fouled during an illegal screen and expressed he was afraid he might get injured if the play would be allowed to continue. In my humble opinion he is not a bad guy, he talks more than he should and I guess his NBA career went astray somewhere but overall I think he was just frusterated. Needless to say I made a remark from the bench to the team that we needed to "just play ball". Well, I guess he thought I was talking to him so he approached me on the bench while he was still in the game. We made some small talk back and forth and everything seemed fine until he brushed me with his elbow. Again, if he wanted to connect he could of, the guy is not dumb. I think it was more of a warning shot to chill out on my part, but the referee felt otherwise and called the game right there and then forfeiting the "Beltway Ballers" from the playoffs.
Trust me when i tell you that it is a chaper way of advancing to the finals in our division but do not think for a second I was going to try and get them to play the rest of the game out. Not because we could not hold on to the lead and win because we had just hit our stride but that team is very dangerous and any opportunity to use a spark could have led to a comeback and a loss for your boys. Therefore, you can punch our ticket for the division finals and another rivalry game against "Dynasty". We have beaten them twice this season already but they give us trouble especially if they use both big guys in the middle. I predict a tough game but if we run and play at our speed, I think we should be able to escape to the title game.
A preview will be available later in the week...
The second semi-final game of the night featured the main event A.K.A The Clip Joint defending their three straight titles against the upstart "Beltway Ballers". We knew this was going to be a difficult game since the first time we faced them we handed them their only legitimate loss of the season and we only had 5 players that night. Revenge was on their mind and they came prepared to eliminate us from playoff contention. Early on the game went back and forth but eventually they managed an early 11 point lead about halfway through the first half. Without panicking we were able to make some adjustments and during one stretch we cut that defecit right before halftime to only a couple of points. Feeling the momentum we came out in the second half and erased the lead completely and actually had a 6 point lead with about 13 1/2 minutes to play when things got a little crazy.
Throughout the entire game things were quite chippy, as every basket was contested and every call or non-call for that matter was challenged. Honestly, we may have said a couple of things to the referee but for the most part it was the "Beltway Ballers" doing a lot of campaigning. So much so, that I dubbed them Obama & McCain they were doing so much politicking. they had already picked up one technical foul leading up to this point in the game and the notorius complainer ( a 6-3 lanky, athletic guy_) who thinks he is better than he really is...started in on the referee after feeling that he was fouled during an illegal screen and expressed he was afraid he might get injured if the play would be allowed to continue. In my humble opinion he is not a bad guy, he talks more than he should and I guess his NBA career went astray somewhere but overall I think he was just frusterated. Needless to say I made a remark from the bench to the team that we needed to "just play ball". Well, I guess he thought I was talking to him so he approached me on the bench while he was still in the game. We made some small talk back and forth and everything seemed fine until he brushed me with his elbow. Again, if he wanted to connect he could of, the guy is not dumb. I think it was more of a warning shot to chill out on my part, but the referee felt otherwise and called the game right there and then forfeiting the "Beltway Ballers" from the playoffs.
Trust me when i tell you that it is a chaper way of advancing to the finals in our division but do not think for a second I was going to try and get them to play the rest of the game out. Not because we could not hold on to the lead and win because we had just hit our stride but that team is very dangerous and any opportunity to use a spark could have led to a comeback and a loss for your boys. Therefore, you can punch our ticket for the division finals and another rivalry game against "Dynasty". We have beaten them twice this season already but they give us trouble especially if they use both big guys in the middle. I predict a tough game but if we run and play at our speed, I think we should be able to escape to the title game.
A preview will be available later in the week...
Monday, August 25, 2008
Summer Session #8 - Playoff Game #1
The opening game of the North Division playoffs featured the Clip Joint against a revamped "Tenatious Teabaggers" team that looked to pull the first round upset. Featuring a new point guard at the helm the "Teabaggers" tried to follow the recipe for success that "O'Donnel" used one week prior. A focused Clip Joint came out of the gate on a mission to get out early and not look back. Once again shorthanded the Clip Joint jumped out to a big lead early leading 14-0 before the game was 5 minutes old. This of course is a stark contrast to what had been going on all season but with the big lead the Clip Joint was able to cruise to a solid 19 point victory. In an earlier post I predicted a 15 point victory (59-45) so I was not too far off in my vision. Overall, we played fairly well and only suffered through a couple of tough stretches where they were able to cut the double digit lead down to 8 or 9 but we never really felt threatened. Due to the poor schedule we were forced to endure a 2-3 wait before our next game so a few of us decided to go home and come back and a couple of us chose to stick around to watch the rest of the action.
Some brief recaps and information about the other games that caught my attention from the opening round.
"Yo Momma" squared off against "Dynasty" who was looking to assert themselves as the dominant team they once were before the injuries and roster issues. "Dynasty" was still without their point guard and without the starting power forward who has been out for quite a while now. Returning to action was one of their two stud centers giving them back that deep inside presence that makes them very difficult to play against. It was close for the first half but in the end "Dynasty" was able to wear them out using their inside players and advanced to the second round. One thing I noticed was that their fitness upfront was not where it could be and I think they could have been exploited if "Yo Momma" had pushed the tempo more aned made some of their shots.
In the final Round 1 game, Cinderella team "O'Donnel" faced off against "Beltway Ballers", but before the game started there was already controversy as the "Beltway Ballers" arrived late to the party causing a delay in the starting time. It was difficult to figure out exactly what was going on but we later found out that "O'Donnel" had the option of taking a forfeit win but were coerced into actually playing the game after several of their players were ruled ineligible and not on their original roster. Despite all of this they managed to hang close and actually led the game down the stretch before finally bowing out ending their mini run.
Up next Round 2.....
Some brief recaps and information about the other games that caught my attention from the opening round.
"Yo Momma" squared off against "Dynasty" who was looking to assert themselves as the dominant team they once were before the injuries and roster issues. "Dynasty" was still without their point guard and without the starting power forward who has been out for quite a while now. Returning to action was one of their two stud centers giving them back that deep inside presence that makes them very difficult to play against. It was close for the first half but in the end "Dynasty" was able to wear them out using their inside players and advanced to the second round. One thing I noticed was that their fitness upfront was not where it could be and I think they could have been exploited if "Yo Momma" had pushed the tempo more aned made some of their shots.
In the final Round 1 game, Cinderella team "O'Donnel" faced off against "Beltway Ballers", but before the game started there was already controversy as the "Beltway Ballers" arrived late to the party causing a delay in the starting time. It was difficult to figure out exactly what was going on but we later found out that "O'Donnel" had the option of taking a forfeit win but were coerced into actually playing the game after several of their players were ruled ineligible and not on their original roster. Despite all of this they managed to hang close and actually led the game down the stretch before finally bowing out ending their mini run.
Up next Round 2.....
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Playoff Preview - Round #1
As we approach the playoffs this weekend, it is time once again for the preview of all previews that trumps the coverage provided by ESPN, CNNSI etc.
North Division:
#1 "Team Rock" - Bye
This team should be re-named Houdini because the way they win games is like a magician working his magic on stage with smoke and mirrors. They finished the campaign with only 1 loss which is impressive on paper. Any time you only lose once during the season you must be doing something right even if their lone defeat came by 20 points to the #3 seeded "Beltway Ballers". Looking into the numbers they have scored 415 points for an average of 51.8 per game and have given up 384 points for an average of 48 points per game. The easy analysis is simple. They play close games and manage to pull it out when they have to. Their winning margins this season have been 10,3,8,6,4,10 & 10 for an average of 8.7 per win. They play in the 2nd round vs. the winner of the 4-5 match-up which features "Yo Momma" vs. "Dynasty".
#2 The Clip Joint vs. #7 "Tenacious Teabaggers"
Coming into this match-up most people would not even consider this a game that could be close but after losing to the previous basement team the week prior Clip Joint has its work cut out for them trying to get back on track. Listen, 3 straight championships means something regardless of what anyone might want to say so the favorite has to be the Clip Joint no matter how you look at it. In their regular season game they defeated the Teabaggers by 43 points which was their largest margin of victory all season. Can they repeat that feat? Well, I highly doubt the margin will be that wide but I think playing with a huge monkey on their back after being embarassed last week will factor into the outcome. This game is all about what Clip Joint does and not about what the Teabaggers can do or will do, they are a non-factor. If Clip Joint falters it will be their own doing.
Final Score prediction: Clip Joint 59 "Tenacious Teabaggers" 45
#3 "Beltway Ballers" vs. #6 "O'Donnel"
Before last week i would have said there is no chance that this game would be close and on most levels I still believe that the "Ballers" should win by double digits but there is a small part of me that now believes in this cinderella team labeled "O'Donnel" after their shocking upset of heavily favored Clip Joint. The "Beltway Ballers" record is a bit deceptive too since 2 of their 3 recorded losses were due to forfeits on their part. When they have shown up to play they have only 1 defeat aand that was to the previously mentioned Clip Joint. Adding two new players to their lineup helped "O'Donnel" last week and i think they should help this week too. In the end I do not think it will be enough because they will have to repeat their perfect performance again for a second straight game against a quality opponenent and I do not see it happening. This one stays close early but in the end I predict the "Beltway Ballers" will win 64-48.
#4 "Dynasty" vs. #5 "Yo Momma"
During the regular season "Dynasty" won by 10 points 58-48. This "Dynasty" team is not the same team that started the season as they have struggled through injury after injury forcing them to re-arrange their line-up from week to week. 4-4 during the regular season I still would not be shocked if they made a run to the conference finals if they get healthy and organized. I have little confidence in "Yo Momma" as they were a decent opponent but never really challenged the upper echelon teams in the league. There are a lot of "ifs" for "Dynasty" but if they have the players available I like their chances in the long run to compete in every game they play in. They never blow teams out but I expect a solid victory in Round 1. Final score will be "Dynasty" 51 "Yo Momma" 42
That is it for Round 1. Round 2 is taking place on the same day as Round 1 so that preview will be available Friday. Until then, stay tuned to the latest Clip Joint news.
North Division:
#1 "Team Rock" - Bye
This team should be re-named Houdini because the way they win games is like a magician working his magic on stage with smoke and mirrors. They finished the campaign with only 1 loss which is impressive on paper. Any time you only lose once during the season you must be doing something right even if their lone defeat came by 20 points to the #3 seeded "Beltway Ballers". Looking into the numbers they have scored 415 points for an average of 51.8 per game and have given up 384 points for an average of 48 points per game. The easy analysis is simple. They play close games and manage to pull it out when they have to. Their winning margins this season have been 10,3,8,6,4,10 & 10 for an average of 8.7 per win. They play in the 2nd round vs. the winner of the 4-5 match-up which features "Yo Momma" vs. "Dynasty".
#2 The Clip Joint vs. #7 "Tenacious Teabaggers"
Coming into this match-up most people would not even consider this a game that could be close but after losing to the previous basement team the week prior Clip Joint has its work cut out for them trying to get back on track. Listen, 3 straight championships means something regardless of what anyone might want to say so the favorite has to be the Clip Joint no matter how you look at it. In their regular season game they defeated the Teabaggers by 43 points which was their largest margin of victory all season. Can they repeat that feat? Well, I highly doubt the margin will be that wide but I think playing with a huge monkey on their back after being embarassed last week will factor into the outcome. This game is all about what Clip Joint does and not about what the Teabaggers can do or will do, they are a non-factor. If Clip Joint falters it will be their own doing.
Final Score prediction: Clip Joint 59 "Tenacious Teabaggers" 45
#3 "Beltway Ballers" vs. #6 "O'Donnel"
Before last week i would have said there is no chance that this game would be close and on most levels I still believe that the "Ballers" should win by double digits but there is a small part of me that now believes in this cinderella team labeled "O'Donnel" after their shocking upset of heavily favored Clip Joint. The "Beltway Ballers" record is a bit deceptive too since 2 of their 3 recorded losses were due to forfeits on their part. When they have shown up to play they have only 1 defeat aand that was to the previously mentioned Clip Joint. Adding two new players to their lineup helped "O'Donnel" last week and i think they should help this week too. In the end I do not think it will be enough because they will have to repeat their perfect performance again for a second straight game against a quality opponenent and I do not see it happening. This one stays close early but in the end I predict the "Beltway Ballers" will win 64-48.
#4 "Dynasty" vs. #5 "Yo Momma"
During the regular season "Dynasty" won by 10 points 58-48. This "Dynasty" team is not the same team that started the season as they have struggled through injury after injury forcing them to re-arrange their line-up from week to week. 4-4 during the regular season I still would not be shocked if they made a run to the conference finals if they get healthy and organized. I have little confidence in "Yo Momma" as they were a decent opponent but never really challenged the upper echelon teams in the league. There are a lot of "ifs" for "Dynasty" but if they have the players available I like their chances in the long run to compete in every game they play in. They never blow teams out but I expect a solid victory in Round 1. Final score will be "Dynasty" 51 "Yo Momma" 42
That is it for Round 1. Round 2 is taking place on the same day as Round 1 so that preview will be available Friday. Until then, stay tuned to the latest Clip Joint news.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Summer Session 08' - Game #8
Just when you thought you had the Clip Joint figured out.....
This session has been played in a way that is unlike any other season in a long time for the orange and black. It started like every other season, high expectations, lofty goals, one more tune-up before making the jump to play with the elite etc. As things progressed we lost the "big man" we signed who has been missing in action for the past 4 weeks. (Not that anyone is complaining). We lost A.H. to injury for all but 1 game. (Rumor is he might be making a return beginning next week for the playoffs) We beat teams but not because we were blowing them out, we were trailing early in pretty much every game we have played and then we would come back and squeak out a win agains the good teams. Then we would beat the teams close to the bottom of the league by 10-15 points when in the past we would win by 30+. Last night the switch never turned on for us and we fell to the second worst team in the league.
Before I go off the deep end like I have been known to do every once in awhile, let me just say that the game was meaningless. In the sense that win or lose we were cemented in the #2 spot regardless of the outcome so we really weren't playing for anything other than exercise and the opportunity to go into the playoffs on a positive note. However, the other team had everything to gain since they were tied for the worst record and needed a win to avoid us again next week in the opening round of the playoffs. Yeah, so the script went ahead and played itself out like it has all season long. Start off SLOW , trail by 7 points and eventually tie the game and take a brief lead in the second half. Except this time, we could not recover once they regained the lead. Too many turnovers and not enough shot attempts as we were held to under 50 points. That alone tells the story because if we score less than 50 the odds are that we probably are going to lose the game.
Delving a little deeper into things, we decided to start the game playing a 1-2-2 full court trap just to show them a little something different since we were aware from playing them before that they could be rattled rather easily. Shocker, after only a couple of possessions we were all mixed up and all it takes is one player to be out of position for that defense to fail and of course it did. Keep in mind this team went ahead and recruited a point guard and a big man for the playoff push. Neither was super talented but both were the keys to their victory without a doubt in my mind.
Needless to say for whatever reason we let these two destroy us and the role players for them all managed to make some shots when we though they could do nothing but stand there and take up space on the court. I suppose you could say we overlooked them because we did, no question. We beat them earlier in the season with no problem and not one of us felt we would have any trouble doing the exact same thing this time. They had other plans and simply wanted it more than we did when the game was on the line. We did beat ourselves though because we probably had something like 20 turnovers give or take a few. Hell, I would not be shocked if someone had been keeping track and told me we turned it over 30 times because a few of them were during key possessions when we had to get a basket, and we simply frittered those chances away.
So, here we are finishing the season 6-2 as the #2 seed. Oh by the way, the next time a team wants to act arrogant during a game and disrespectful as if they were the better team I promise you that will not go down without a confrontation. There was potential yesterday for that to happen and a few times late in the game there were some harder fouls issued. Expect more of the same, although it is a shame that we will not get the chance to play them again. Assuming we are able to dispose of the "Tenatious Teabaggers" and the "Beltway Ballers" do not suffer the same fate in Round 1 , there will be no re-match unfortunately.
I think I might be done making predictions here but at least mine was realistic unlike a few of my Clip Joint breatheren who went off the deep end and thought we would win by 20+...I;m not sure what orange and black team they have been watching all season because it certainly is not the same one that took an L last night in possible the worst loss in Clip Joint history.
Until next time when we look at the playoff preview. Adios Amigos. Nighty Night.
This session has been played in a way that is unlike any other season in a long time for the orange and black. It started like every other season, high expectations, lofty goals, one more tune-up before making the jump to play with the elite etc. As things progressed we lost the "big man" we signed who has been missing in action for the past 4 weeks. (Not that anyone is complaining). We lost A.H. to injury for all but 1 game. (Rumor is he might be making a return beginning next week for the playoffs) We beat teams but not because we were blowing them out, we were trailing early in pretty much every game we have played and then we would come back and squeak out a win agains the good teams. Then we would beat the teams close to the bottom of the league by 10-15 points when in the past we would win by 30+. Last night the switch never turned on for us and we fell to the second worst team in the league.
Before I go off the deep end like I have been known to do every once in awhile, let me just say that the game was meaningless. In the sense that win or lose we were cemented in the #2 spot regardless of the outcome so we really weren't playing for anything other than exercise and the opportunity to go into the playoffs on a positive note. However, the other team had everything to gain since they were tied for the worst record and needed a win to avoid us again next week in the opening round of the playoffs. Yeah, so the script went ahead and played itself out like it has all season long. Start off SLOW , trail by 7 points and eventually tie the game and take a brief lead in the second half. Except this time, we could not recover once they regained the lead. Too many turnovers and not enough shot attempts as we were held to under 50 points. That alone tells the story because if we score less than 50 the odds are that we probably are going to lose the game.
Delving a little deeper into things, we decided to start the game playing a 1-2-2 full court trap just to show them a little something different since we were aware from playing them before that they could be rattled rather easily. Shocker, after only a couple of possessions we were all mixed up and all it takes is one player to be out of position for that defense to fail and of course it did. Keep in mind this team went ahead and recruited a point guard and a big man for the playoff push. Neither was super talented but both were the keys to their victory without a doubt in my mind.
Needless to say for whatever reason we let these two destroy us and the role players for them all managed to make some shots when we though they could do nothing but stand there and take up space on the court. I suppose you could say we overlooked them because we did, no question. We beat them earlier in the season with no problem and not one of us felt we would have any trouble doing the exact same thing this time. They had other plans and simply wanted it more than we did when the game was on the line. We did beat ourselves though because we probably had something like 20 turnovers give or take a few. Hell, I would not be shocked if someone had been keeping track and told me we turned it over 30 times because a few of them were during key possessions when we had to get a basket, and we simply frittered those chances away.
So, here we are finishing the season 6-2 as the #2 seed. Oh by the way, the next time a team wants to act arrogant during a game and disrespectful as if they were the better team I promise you that will not go down without a confrontation. There was potential yesterday for that to happen and a few times late in the game there were some harder fouls issued. Expect more of the same, although it is a shame that we will not get the chance to play them again. Assuming we are able to dispose of the "Tenatious Teabaggers" and the "Beltway Ballers" do not suffer the same fate in Round 1 , there will be no re-match unfortunately.
I think I might be done making predictions here but at least mine was realistic unlike a few of my Clip Joint breatheren who went off the deep end and thought we would win by 20+...I;m not sure what orange and black team they have been watching all season because it certainly is not the same one that took an L last night in possible the worst loss in Clip Joint history.
Until next time when we look at the playoff preview. Adios Amigos. Nighty Night.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Exclusive Interview!!
We would like to bring you another exclusive interview with one of Clip Joint's most popular players. He has always been coy with the media and shied away from the spotlight, until now. I bring you a short interview with #21 B.A. while finishing up another round of golf at N.W. Park. I arrived early as I was told to do by the President of the team J.W. Once or twice a week J.W. and B.A. enjoy knocking around the golf course and therefore I was lucky enough to gain access if I came by early before the duo hit the clubhouse for a few cold ones.
I was carted to the 14th tee where J.W. had just drove his tee shot down the right side on the short par 3. B.A. gave me this look like he wanted no part of the interview so I waited until he took his tee shot and then I made my move. (Keep in mind he had just put the ball 10 feet from the pin and three-putted for a bogey so he wasn't exactly thrilled at this point)
Interviewer:
Describe what it was like when you first heard that the Clip Joint was interested in signing you to a free agent contract?
B.A.
Ahh, I mean I was nervous at first because J.W. talked a lot and uh and he liked to slap at the ball so I was kind of scared of him. Once J.D. came in I was calmer because I knew that he had only been on the team for a couple of seasons. The bar was set high for me but at the time the team was not playing on the high level that the fans are now accustomed to so it was an easy transition from the courts of White Oak.
Interviewer:
Do you recall your first game playing for the Clip Joint?
B.A.
I do not remember the last game I played so, no.
Interviewer:
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
B.A.
You mean other than the championships? The four trophies that sit atop of my television. A close second to that would be the game a few years back against the Indian team when A.H. went for like 40 and I went for 25.
Interviewer:
What has been the lowlight of your career so far?
B.A.
Probably when Dave uh, I believe the quote was “If your not gonna f----n hustle, get off the f----n court”. That was my lowlight even though I had just suffered a death in my family and the comment wasn’t directed right at me, I knew who he was talking about because, in all honesty I wasn't hustling back on defense.
Interviewer:
What skills or attributes do you think B.A. brings to the team every game?
B.A.
Uh, efficient offensive player, uhh versatility and selflessness.
Interviewer:
Are you mentally and physically prepared for the jump to Elite?
B.A.
No and No. I'm not sure any of us are prepared for that just yet.
Interviewer:
Can you think of a player who has given you and/or the team a difficult time?
B.A.
Opposing player?
Interviewer: Yes.
B.A.
Wow good question, let me think about this..hold up, hold up, hold the phone. Peja Mendez from "Dynasty", uhh Jesus, I'm trying to think back. G.C. but luckily he is on our team now. Vlade from the Greek team was tough to handle in the middle.
Interviewer:
Is there a team in the league who you think has given the Clip Joint trouble now or in the past?
B.A.
Yes, I can name a few. The all brotha team we lost in the finals to a few seasons back that prevented us from having 5 straight titles. JP’s team gave us fits because of their style, uhh that’s about it.
Interviewer:
What does the future hold for The Clip Joint?
B.A.
I mean, obviously it is going to be difficult next season moving up and if we struggle and go 1-8 we might not be able to come back from that type of letdown, so only time will tell.
Interviewer:
What are your thoughts on the upcoming documentary?
B.A.
I have been waiting for this since half a year ago when I first heard about it and I cannot wait, it should be brilliant.
Word Association:
Purest Shooter - A.H.
Winning - Clip Joint
Losing - Eigen Vectors
Hustle - J.W.
Dynasty - Not really a dynasty
Interviewer:
Any final words?
B.A.
Nope, that will do it.
Interviewer:
Thanks for your time, I know your stance on the media and I really appreciate it.
After the brief back and forth i was quickly carted off into the sunset as B.A. and J.W. were about to take on the vaunted Par 3 17th. I realized what an opportunity it was to spend some time with a couple players from the greatest program and franchise this area has seen in a long time. I look forward to my next assignment covering the team and I only imagine where it might take place next.
I was carted to the 14th tee where J.W. had just drove his tee shot down the right side on the short par 3. B.A. gave me this look like he wanted no part of the interview so I waited until he took his tee shot and then I made my move. (Keep in mind he had just put the ball 10 feet from the pin and three-putted for a bogey so he wasn't exactly thrilled at this point)
Interviewer:
Describe what it was like when you first heard that the Clip Joint was interested in signing you to a free agent contract?
B.A.
Ahh, I mean I was nervous at first because J.W. talked a lot and uh and he liked to slap at the ball so I was kind of scared of him. Once J.D. came in I was calmer because I knew that he had only been on the team for a couple of seasons. The bar was set high for me but at the time the team was not playing on the high level that the fans are now accustomed to so it was an easy transition from the courts of White Oak.
Interviewer:
Do you recall your first game playing for the Clip Joint?
B.A.
I do not remember the last game I played so, no.
Interviewer:
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
B.A.
You mean other than the championships? The four trophies that sit atop of my television. A close second to that would be the game a few years back against the Indian team when A.H. went for like 40 and I went for 25.
Interviewer:
What has been the lowlight of your career so far?
B.A.
Probably when Dave uh, I believe the quote was “If your not gonna f----n hustle, get off the f----n court”. That was my lowlight even though I had just suffered a death in my family and the comment wasn’t directed right at me, I knew who he was talking about because, in all honesty I wasn't hustling back on defense.
Interviewer:
What skills or attributes do you think B.A. brings to the team every game?
B.A.
Uh, efficient offensive player, uhh versatility and selflessness.
Interviewer:
Are you mentally and physically prepared for the jump to Elite?
B.A.
No and No. I'm not sure any of us are prepared for that just yet.
Interviewer:
Can you think of a player who has given you and/or the team a difficult time?
B.A.
Opposing player?
Interviewer: Yes.
B.A.
Wow good question, let me think about this..hold up, hold up, hold the phone. Peja Mendez from "Dynasty", uhh Jesus, I'm trying to think back. G.C. but luckily he is on our team now. Vlade from the Greek team was tough to handle in the middle.
Interviewer:
Is there a team in the league who you think has given the Clip Joint trouble now or in the past?
B.A.
Yes, I can name a few. The all brotha team we lost in the finals to a few seasons back that prevented us from having 5 straight titles. JP’s team gave us fits because of their style, uhh that’s about it.
Interviewer:
What does the future hold for The Clip Joint?
B.A.
I mean, obviously it is going to be difficult next season moving up and if we struggle and go 1-8 we might not be able to come back from that type of letdown, so only time will tell.
Interviewer:
What are your thoughts on the upcoming documentary?
B.A.
I have been waiting for this since half a year ago when I first heard about it and I cannot wait, it should be brilliant.
Word Association:
Purest Shooter - A.H.
Winning - Clip Joint
Losing - Eigen Vectors
Hustle - J.W.
Dynasty - Not really a dynasty
Interviewer:
Any final words?
B.A.
Nope, that will do it.
Interviewer:
Thanks for your time, I know your stance on the media and I really appreciate it.
After the brief back and forth i was quickly carted off into the sunset as B.A. and J.W. were about to take on the vaunted Par 3 17th. I realized what an opportunity it was to spend some time with a couple players from the greatest program and franchise this area has seen in a long time. I look forward to my next assignment covering the team and I only imagine where it might take place next.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Summer Session 08' - Game #7
I think it is time for me to stop predicting the final outcomes every week because I have not been close in a long time. Heading into the game I figured we would be in for a difficult rivalry matchup with our nemesis "Dynasty". Little did I know that they would be missing "Peja" and their point guard who sat courtside with crutches. Still missing in action were their big man and they were without their two asian hustle guys who always give us a hard time. In their place was the other big man who killed us in the tournament game we lost to them and a couple of other fill ins who were less talented than the guys they were replacing. Needless to say things got off to another wonderful start as we quickly trailed 7-0, 3 minutes into the game. The 2-3 zone was tooe asy to penetrate and they were getting easy looks at the bucket. As the half wore on we started to impose our will and they began to tire a little bit. Before I knew it, we were leading at halftime by 4 points 26-22. Their big man who had been a key for them was missing easy shots and was having a hard time keeping his hands on the ball. Defense was key for us as we poked, stripped, swatted balls and were scrappy getting steals all night long. J.W. had another stellar defensive effort and continues to lead the league in charges taken. D.T. was back at it with the swipes underneath and M.D. and B.A. had a field day getting some easy break away lay ins. J.D. also got in front of some passes that led to easy opportunities for the team. In the second half our starters put the game out of reach and the lead bloated to 20 points. J.P made a nice hook shot and played another very solid game inside for us despite giving up 6 inches to the man he was covering. G.C. ran the show nicely and maintained the tempo for us while playing the full 40 minutes at the point position. Overall, we did leave some points on the floor like usual as we had a couple of bad stretches where we were held without a basket for a few minutes here and there. At the end though we were too much and the defecit was too much to come back from and we won going away 51-37. giving up under 40 points is very strong even if we were not facing the "A" team that "Dynasty" usually brings to the table. Next week we get "O'Donnell" who is coming off their first win of the season and is looking to improve on their 1 game winning streak going into the playoffs. If we win, we would face them again in the first round most likely. This will be a good chance for us to use some pressure. J.M was out again this week and is supposed to return next week. Rumor has it that A.H. might also return giving the team a huge boost headed into the playoff season. My prediction regardless of who we have is Clip Joint 64 and O'Donnell 48.
Teaser Trailer - Part 1
The teaser trailer with the full length trailer to come in the next couple of weeks....
Friday, August 8, 2008
Movie Clip
Just a little taste of what's to come in the Spring of 09'....
Previewing the game against "Dynasty" this weekend I would predict that it will be a very close game and if I had to be honest I would give them the edge. Coming off such an emotional victory last weekend I am not sure we can keep the same energy level and we might suffer a letdown of sorts. Combine that with a short bench and we could be in for a tough task. Win or lose it will be within 5 points, that's my prediction. Final score Clip Joint 57 Dynasty 54 in a close one. Until next week with a recap of the game...
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The Bug That Keeps On Biting
That would be the injury bug , native to the Clip Joint which ravages the players and takes its toll on the roster. A.H. has a slight partial tear in his knee which has prevented him from being an active participant for much of this season. Thankfully, the team doctor has cleared him to play despite the injury even though he did recommend about 6 months of full rest to recover 100%. We all know that there is no way possible A.H. is going to sit out that long but he has decided to shut it down for now until further notice.
James also has been hit with some sort of back ailment which prevented him from playing this past week and will possibly keep him out of the rotation for another 2 weeks. As for the rest of us, we are all dealing with minor aches, pains , bumps and bruises per usual. Looks like we will be a bit shorthanded the rest of the way heading into the home stretch of the regular season and in to the playoff run for the title.
James also has been hit with some sort of back ailment which prevented him from playing this past week and will possibly keep him out of the rotation for another 2 weeks. As for the rest of us, we are all dealing with minor aches, pains , bumps and bruises per usual. Looks like we will be a bit shorthanded the rest of the way heading into the home stretch of the regular season and in to the playoff run for the title.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Summer Session 08' - Game #6
Just when I thought I had seen it all, I arrived to the game last night expecting that we would be prepared to face one of the better teams in our league. What I got was D.T. and I chatting it up for ten minutes realizing that nobody else was in the building. No G.C, No A.H. not even James our newest player was anywhere to be found. I know B.A. was busy at home enjoying the Redskins and Colt Brennan leading the Skins to a comeback PRE-SEASON win and M.D. was probably running suicides in the parking lot or jogging from his house to the game to warm-up. Finally, J.D. was busy working hard in hopes of getting out on time. So there we were the two of us, warming up watching the clock slowly tick down when all of the sudden B.A. rolled in, weary and blurry eyed, then M.D. with his canvas bag full of jellybeans and his gear. The 4 of us took the court hoping that the beating would be painless and quick since it was late and all and we really did not want to be a part of the slaughter that was to come.
Except, something happened and there would be no beatdown. Starting the game 4 against 5 is never fun, especially since the other team featured some very athletic players and they decided that they would trap whomever had the ball. Brilliant plan obviously and they forced us into a couple mistakes early on but we did enough to hang close for the first 4 minutes when J.D. sauntered into the arena. Down 10-5 at that point we were in an early hole (as usual) and we had a lot of work ahead of us if we were going to get back into this game.
Facing a team that had beaten "Team Rock" by nearly 20, that is right the same "Team Rock" that handed us our first loss of the season last week, they were primed for taking us out and earning sole possession of second place. I recognized their point guard from back in the early days of our program, he was very good and I knew he would be a handful. Combine that with a long big man and a thick big man who had a nice touch from the outside and a couple uber athletic guards and swingmen we were going to struggle to put up any consistent offense. Somehow we managed to hang around enough to tie the score and eventually take a 3 point lead going into the second half.
The five of us were certainly tired and we used every timeout made available to us to catch our breath and to their credit, the "Beltway Ballers" were offensively running like a machine. They were able to pretty much get any shot they wanted against our soft zone. The point guard I mentioned a bit earlier must have hit 6 or 7 triples alone, not to mention another 5 or 6 by various other teammates. We scratched and clawed our way to baskets. B.A. was agressive, the most agressive in fact he has been all season and it paid off big dividends for us. He got to the rack at ease and even looked like he was starting to get his touch back from the outside too burying a couple trifectas. D.T. looked like vintage D.T. canning a half dozen threes of his own from all parts of the floor. Before I could look up there were a couple minutes left in th egame and we were up 5. A few poor turnovers later on our part, including a couple bad ones by me it was super tight down to only a 2 point lead with the enemies on the free throw line and 20 seconds to go. The plan was to call a timeout if he made both and hold the ball for the final shot.
At this point they were pressing us man to man as soon as the ball was inbounded so we knew it would be a tough task to get it done. I was fearing the worst and when they made the front end of the two shots I knew we were headed for a tie game. Everyone was holding out hope that he would miss the second shot somehow and we could secure the rebound and get out of there with a win. I knew I was tired and I could see the rest of the guys were down to reserves in the tank as well. Second shot went up and he missed it!! The guy who talked the most and complained the most all night missed it and J.D. got the rebound and was fouled immediately. He calmly sank a couple of free throws giving us our 3 point lead back with a little less than 20 seconds to go. Down they came looking to tie with one shot and the guy who had killed us all game long missed a three from at least 3 feet behind the arc. The rebound came loose off a couple sets of hands and I tried to bat it further up court after realizing I could not grab it. Deja then batted it further and then managed to secure the ball and toss it ahead to M.D. for the easy lay-up as time expired. A 5 point victory for the team that came out fallter than a month old soda last week. The core group of guys who have been through the battles together before got it done against a really good team.
Everything went according to plan.....up next week a rematch vs. our number one rival "Dynasty"
Except, something happened and there would be no beatdown. Starting the game 4 against 5 is never fun, especially since the other team featured some very athletic players and they decided that they would trap whomever had the ball. Brilliant plan obviously and they forced us into a couple mistakes early on but we did enough to hang close for the first 4 minutes when J.D. sauntered into the arena. Down 10-5 at that point we were in an early hole (as usual) and we had a lot of work ahead of us if we were going to get back into this game.
Facing a team that had beaten "Team Rock" by nearly 20, that is right the same "Team Rock" that handed us our first loss of the season last week, they were primed for taking us out and earning sole possession of second place. I recognized their point guard from back in the early days of our program, he was very good and I knew he would be a handful. Combine that with a long big man and a thick big man who had a nice touch from the outside and a couple uber athletic guards and swingmen we were going to struggle to put up any consistent offense. Somehow we managed to hang around enough to tie the score and eventually take a 3 point lead going into the second half.
The five of us were certainly tired and we used every timeout made available to us to catch our breath and to their credit, the "Beltway Ballers" were offensively running like a machine. They were able to pretty much get any shot they wanted against our soft zone. The point guard I mentioned a bit earlier must have hit 6 or 7 triples alone, not to mention another 5 or 6 by various other teammates. We scratched and clawed our way to baskets. B.A. was agressive, the most agressive in fact he has been all season and it paid off big dividends for us. He got to the rack at ease and even looked like he was starting to get his touch back from the outside too burying a couple trifectas. D.T. looked like vintage D.T. canning a half dozen threes of his own from all parts of the floor. Before I could look up there were a couple minutes left in th egame and we were up 5. A few poor turnovers later on our part, including a couple bad ones by me it was super tight down to only a 2 point lead with the enemies on the free throw line and 20 seconds to go. The plan was to call a timeout if he made both and hold the ball for the final shot.
At this point they were pressing us man to man as soon as the ball was inbounded so we knew it would be a tough task to get it done. I was fearing the worst and when they made the front end of the two shots I knew we were headed for a tie game. Everyone was holding out hope that he would miss the second shot somehow and we could secure the rebound and get out of there with a win. I knew I was tired and I could see the rest of the guys were down to reserves in the tank as well. Second shot went up and he missed it!! The guy who talked the most and complained the most all night missed it and J.D. got the rebound and was fouled immediately. He calmly sank a couple of free throws giving us our 3 point lead back with a little less than 20 seconds to go. Down they came looking to tie with one shot and the guy who had killed us all game long missed a three from at least 3 feet behind the arc. The rebound came loose off a couple sets of hands and I tried to bat it further up court after realizing I could not grab it. Deja then batted it further and then managed to secure the ball and toss it ahead to M.D. for the easy lay-up as time expired. A 5 point victory for the team that came out fallter than a month old soda last week. The core group of guys who have been through the battles together before got it done against a really good team.
Everything went according to plan.....up next week a rematch vs. our number one rival "Dynasty"
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Clip Joint All-Stars
The board of directors finally came up with the Clip Joint all-time team by compiling votes taken from every sponsor, alumni, and "friend" of the program. Below are the first and second team. Congratulations to all of the players selected, your achievements have been noticed and the organization would like to thank you for your hardwork and dedication.
First Team:
Center - R.V.
Forward - A.H.
Forward - D.T.
Guard - G.K.
Guard - L.H.
6th Man - J.W.
Second Team :
Center - J.G.
Forward - J.D.
Forward - J.C.
Guard - B.A.
Guard - M.D.
6th Man - Ko.J.
First Team:
Center - R.V.
Forward - A.H.
Forward - D.T.
Guard - G.K.
Guard - L.H.
6th Man - J.W.
Second Team :
Center - J.G.
Forward - J.D.
Forward - J.C.
Guard - B.A.
Guard - M.D.
6th Man - Ko.J.
Keeping Up With Former Players
A well informed source within the league placed a phone call to me yesterday afternoon filling me in on a former player. He told me that A.K. was now a member of a different team that participates in a league on Monday nights. We at the Clip Joint wish him nothing but success in his new role on the currently 1-4 Cunninghams.On a lesser note the same team also features former starting center on the very first Clip Joint team J.C. Looks like the two of them might be trying to start a new super team that one day might challenge the greatest program in the country. They obviously have a long way to go but cheers to them for giving it that old college try!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Summer Session 08' - Game #5
Dissapointing Effort Leads to First Loss of Season...
*Sigh*...where do I start? I am warning you now that this could be the longest entry I have ever written because I have a lot to say it could take awhile. For starters I probably should give credit to "Team Rock" for implementing a solid gameplan to control the tempo and slow it down to a snails pace. They took the air out of the ball all game long up until about 4 minutes to go in the game. They did what they had to do to get the job done and played hard from the moment the game started until the final horn sounded. They made shots, we did not. They rebounded, we did not. So now they control their own destiny and have the inside track on the number one seed going into the playoffs with only a handful of games remaining in the regular season.
I guess I am now going to list off a few things that I know and a few things I do not know before moving on to the regularly scheduled portion of the entry.
Things I know:
A.H. is horrible at evaluating talent
Our team's passion and desire is questionable
G.C. has been terribly inconsistent so far
We need to start playing like an "elite" team is supposed to
We are better than we are playing right now
Things I don't know:
Why all the sudden half the team waits until a minute before tip off to arrive for the game
Why we struggle so mightily during the first 5-10 minutes of each game
Why our court awareness is so poor at times
Why the passion to play defense is absent to so many players
I have more I could list under both categories but I think I should move on to the remainder of the post.
You probably think I am going overboard but it pains me to lose to a team that we should beat. If we lose to a team who outplays us and beats us straight up, I have no problem with that because we gave our best effort. But to go out and lay an egg for the first 15 minutes of the game and allow them to take control of the game is unacceptable to me. Truly, it is only one game and at the end of the day we can still recover from this loss. I just feel like we failed as a team and my team failed me during key points of the game. Being the "coach" as some like to think I am is a double-edged sword. On one hand I like the role of leader on the team because I feel like I am prepared each week to go against the opponent with full knowledge of what we need to do to win. The correct line-ups and substitution patterns etc...diving after loose balls, taking charges, getting the team that emotional lift when we need one. On the other hand if that is the role people expect of me then let me do what I do and listen to what I have to say. Otherwise, it will not work out, if i tell you to go in the game for so and so, do it. There is a reason I am telling you to do so....if I start yelling and getting excited after a big play , ride the wave and get invested emotionally with me. We are all adults, and certainly I am one of the least gifted players on the team so the role of "coach" works for me and has worked for me my whole career. I will never lead our team in scoring or rebounds or steals but I will be the most prepared player week in and week out.
Well that is it...Im mentally exhausted at this point thinking of all things we could have done and should have done to win the game. I take the blame for not adjusting until it was too late. "Beltway Ballers" are tied with us for 2nd and we play them next week. We need to rebound with a solid effort and get the victory or else we could be watching ourselves slide down the divisional rankings. Until the next episode....
*Sigh*...where do I start? I am warning you now that this could be the longest entry I have ever written because I have a lot to say it could take awhile. For starters I probably should give credit to "Team Rock" for implementing a solid gameplan to control the tempo and slow it down to a snails pace. They took the air out of the ball all game long up until about 4 minutes to go in the game. They did what they had to do to get the job done and played hard from the moment the game started until the final horn sounded. They made shots, we did not. They rebounded, we did not. So now they control their own destiny and have the inside track on the number one seed going into the playoffs with only a handful of games remaining in the regular season.
I guess I am now going to list off a few things that I know and a few things I do not know before moving on to the regularly scheduled portion of the entry.
Things I know:
A.H. is horrible at evaluating talent
Our team's passion and desire is questionable
G.C. has been terribly inconsistent so far
We need to start playing like an "elite" team is supposed to
We are better than we are playing right now
Things I don't know:
Why all the sudden half the team waits until a minute before tip off to arrive for the game
Why we struggle so mightily during the first 5-10 minutes of each game
Why our court awareness is so poor at times
Why the passion to play defense is absent to so many players
I have more I could list under both categories but I think I should move on to the remainder of the post.
You probably think I am going overboard but it pains me to lose to a team that we should beat. If we lose to a team who outplays us and beats us straight up, I have no problem with that because we gave our best effort. But to go out and lay an egg for the first 15 minutes of the game and allow them to take control of the game is unacceptable to me. Truly, it is only one game and at the end of the day we can still recover from this loss. I just feel like we failed as a team and my team failed me during key points of the game. Being the "coach" as some like to think I am is a double-edged sword. On one hand I like the role of leader on the team because I feel like I am prepared each week to go against the opponent with full knowledge of what we need to do to win. The correct line-ups and substitution patterns etc...diving after loose balls, taking charges, getting the team that emotional lift when we need one. On the other hand if that is the role people expect of me then let me do what I do and listen to what I have to say. Otherwise, it will not work out, if i tell you to go in the game for so and so, do it. There is a reason I am telling you to do so....if I start yelling and getting excited after a big play , ride the wave and get invested emotionally with me. We are all adults, and certainly I am one of the least gifted players on the team so the role of "coach" works for me and has worked for me my whole career. I will never lead our team in scoring or rebounds or steals but I will be the most prepared player week in and week out.
Well that is it...Im mentally exhausted at this point thinking of all things we could have done and should have done to win the game. I take the blame for not adjusting until it was too late. "Beltway Ballers" are tied with us for 2nd and we play them next week. We need to rebound with a solid effort and get the victory or else we could be watching ourselves slide down the divisional rankings. Until the next episode....
Friday, July 25, 2008
Golf Course Business Meetings
"Tell me how my ass taste", were the words muttered to the older asian gentleman and his female friend as they begged B.A. and I to play through the 4th hole. Of course that quote comes from the great rapper Shaq-Fu and not an original line from either one of us. But overall, it was nice to get back on the course after so many years away from the game. Don't get me wrong, there was more chatter and business discussion in regards to a new contract for B.A. and the overall culture of the Clip Joint moving forward as we reach the midway point of our season than there was actual pure golf being played. Neither one of us dominated the course, but it was certainly a beautiful day outside and the commentary was light hearted and fun.
Now on to the preview of our game against "Team Rock" this weekend at 9:00 P.M. Every week we seem to be getting the opposing teams' best shot, and I expect no different this weekend because from day one they have been calling us out basically and waiting for the opportunity to play us. I believe #4 said it best we he told us he would be "circling the date on his calendar". I'm pretty sure that guy has zippy calendar and if he does he probably never really circled it. But, the game itself has the potential to be a difficult one for us if they play hard for 40 minutes. My gut tells me they won't sustain all that raw emotion and will either fold under the pressure if they fall behind or will wear down if we keep the tempo the way we like it. Afterall, they have a hard time getting more than 6 players to show up each week.
The bottom line is this, if we build on what we did last week we should be fine. If we somehow regress and put up a half ass effort, well we might taste defeat for the first time this season. The key is getting on top early and not letting up on them. The biggest challenge for me will be trying to distract myself so I do not have to listen to J.M. in my ear all game long calling me "coach" and filling my head with ideas on what we should be doing all game long. Until the recap on Monday....
Now on to the preview of our game against "Team Rock" this weekend at 9:00 P.M. Every week we seem to be getting the opposing teams' best shot, and I expect no different this weekend because from day one they have been calling us out basically and waiting for the opportunity to play us. I believe #4 said it best we he told us he would be "circling the date on his calendar". I'm pretty sure that guy has zippy calendar and if he does he probably never really circled it. But, the game itself has the potential to be a difficult one for us if they play hard for 40 minutes. My gut tells me they won't sustain all that raw emotion and will either fold under the pressure if they fall behind or will wear down if we keep the tempo the way we like it. Afterall, they have a hard time getting more than 6 players to show up each week.
The bottom line is this, if we build on what we did last week we should be fine. If we somehow regress and put up a half ass effort, well we might taste defeat for the first time this season. The key is getting on top early and not letting up on them. The biggest challenge for me will be trying to distract myself so I do not have to listen to J.M. in my ear all game long calling me "coach" and filling my head with ideas on what we should be doing all game long. Until the recap on Monday....
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Motivation
Athletes are motivated by many different things. Competition, pride, anger, and money to name a few. As a coach or general manager the hard thing is to find that motivating factor.
Certain players on the team would be motivated by a light verbal jabbing of their poor performance to do better the next game. For example, I might say to someone after a poor performance, “Hey rough game were you drinking before you came here,” or “Wow that was some awful shooting why don’t you get your eyes checked out this week, no, no here [hand them money] go to Lenscrafters its on me.
Some players answer to verbal threats. I know in the past myself or coach J.W. may have said to a player something like, “You better step it up if you want to see your grandmother again.” Luckily if has never gotten to that point.
Yet still these strategies might discourage certain players. Over the last few weeks our big man play has improved, and I believe it to be due to motivation of competition. J.P. is not the type of person to be motivated by verbal lashings. It actually stumped me on how I could motivate him on the court. This was until about 3 weeks ago.
I was hanging out with a friend of mine, Silky. Silky has his own business and was sharing with me some of his business predicaments, getting his money on time, developing arthritis in the back side of his hand, providing GPS for his employees who are constantly on the street. He then told me, “You know what motivates my [fine young women]?” “The one who is out there not earning what she should, if she ain’t motivated by the hand then you get another one just like her. She sees this new girl come in trying to take her place and all of a sudden the [farming tool] is out there earning like A-Rod.”0A
Then it hit me. What J.P. needed to earn, I mean play to the level that he’s capable of is some competition. When James joined the team two weeks ago, J.P. played a great game and followed it up with another solid performance last week. It was as if a light bulb went off in his head and he realized that someone could potentially take his place. Consciously or subconsciously I think this happened in some regard and he has done the things that team is asking of him, rebound and play defense. Now that is pimping.
J.D. #10
Certain players on the team would be motivated by a light verbal jabbing of their poor performance to do better the next game. For example, I might say to someone after a poor performance, “Hey rough game were you drinking before you came here,” or “Wow that was some awful shooting why don’t you get your eyes checked out this week, no, no here [hand them money] go to Lenscrafters its on me.
Some players answer to verbal threats. I know in the past myself or coach J.W. may have said to a player something like, “You better step it up if you want to see your grandmother again.” Luckily if has never gotten to that point.
Yet still these strategies might discourage certain players. Over the last few weeks our big man play has improved, and I believe it to be due to motivation of competition. J.P. is not the type of person to be motivated by verbal lashings. It actually stumped me on how I could motivate him on the court. This was until about 3 weeks ago.
I was hanging out with a friend of mine, Silky. Silky has his own business and was sharing with me some of his business predicaments, getting his money on time, developing arthritis in the back side of his hand, providing GPS for his employees who are constantly on the street. He then told me, “You know what motivates my [fine young women]?” “The one who is out there not earning what she should, if she ain’t motivated by the hand then you get another one just like her. She sees this new girl come in trying to take her place and all of a sudden the [farming tool] is out there earning like A-Rod.”0A
Then it hit me. What J.P. needed to earn, I mean play to the level that he’s capable of is some competition. When James joined the team two weeks ago, J.P. played a great game and followed it up with another solid performance last week. It was as if a light bulb went off in his head and he realized that someone could potentially take his place. Consciously or subconsciously I think this happened in some regard and he has done the things that team is asking of him, rebound and play defense. Now that is pimping.
J.D. #10
Defense
Every team has their own identity. Most teams believe that playing man to man is the best way to go about defending. That may be true for most, but then again we aren't most teams. From time to time we have dabbled in the man to man schemes, played a box and one every now and then but for the majority of the time we have stayed in our 2-3 zone. Yes, that isn't very exciting for a team as good as we are, but it works for us for several reasons.
1. There are very few players not wearing an orange jersey who can consistently make 3 point shots throughout the course of a game. So, because of that we know that it is rare that we will encounter a team that has guys who can hurt us from behind the arc. Sure, we have played games where a guy will get hot and make 3 or 4 from back there and we figure oh well, great game. But overall, it's not going to happen when a team is full of players who will beat us by hitting a ton of triples.
2. Our zone is probably a little more passive than most but we can create alot of ball pressure when necessary. This allows us to jump passing lanes, create turnovers and get into what we do best and that is get fast break opportunities for our offense.
3. Rebounding. They say it is more difficult for teams who play zone to be a good rebounding team because everyone is focused on their spot on the floor rather than putting a body on each opposing offensive player. I guess this is true for us but in our zone it allows the guards the freedom to release after a shot is attempted giving us access to a clean easy breakway layup after a missed shot and rebound.
Overall, we are a very strong defensive team who season in and season out is near the top of the league in least points allowed. We play bigger teams, stronger teams, quicker teams than us all of the time but when it comes down to getting stops when we need to, we get the job done. We may stray from that 2-3 zone from time to time but when the game is on the line you can be sure that we will be laying back in that traditional 2-3 scheme.
Just think, a little 1-2-2 full court trapping pressure to cause some havoc and then a little 2-3 zone infused? Wow, the possibilities are endless...now if I can just get the rest of the team to buy into my idea....
1. There are very few players not wearing an orange jersey who can consistently make 3 point shots throughout the course of a game. So, because of that we know that it is rare that we will encounter a team that has guys who can hurt us from behind the arc. Sure, we have played games where a guy will get hot and make 3 or 4 from back there and we figure oh well, great game. But overall, it's not going to happen when a team is full of players who will beat us by hitting a ton of triples.
2. Our zone is probably a little more passive than most but we can create alot of ball pressure when necessary. This allows us to jump passing lanes, create turnovers and get into what we do best and that is get fast break opportunities for our offense.
3. Rebounding. They say it is more difficult for teams who play zone to be a good rebounding team because everyone is focused on their spot on the floor rather than putting a body on each opposing offensive player. I guess this is true for us but in our zone it allows the guards the freedom to release after a shot is attempted giving us access to a clean easy breakway layup after a missed shot and rebound.
Overall, we are a very strong defensive team who season in and season out is near the top of the league in least points allowed. We play bigger teams, stronger teams, quicker teams than us all of the time but when it comes down to getting stops when we need to, we get the job done. We may stray from that 2-3 zone from time to time but when the game is on the line you can be sure that we will be laying back in that traditional 2-3 scheme.
Just think, a little 1-2-2 full court trapping pressure to cause some havoc and then a little 2-3 zone infused? Wow, the possibilities are endless...now if I can just get the rest of the team to buy into my idea....
Offense
There is a drastic difference between what we used to be to the modern day version of what we currently have become. At first, we were a half court, slow the tempo down to a halt , value every possession as if it was our last, low scoring, New York Knicks of the 90's team that relied heavily on our defense to keep us close in games so that we could do just enough on the offensive end to get by. That is a long poorly written line but it describes us perfectly when we first came into the league. If we scored more than 50 it was a miracle and a rarity that we barely achieved more than a handful of times. We would rely on our stout defensive tactics and rather than run out and take advantage we would immediately walk the ball up the court in hopes of boring our opposition to the point where they would be so bored that they would simply give up their goal of trying to score the basketball. Sounds crazy I know, but it worked....once in awhile.
Now we have done a 180 degree turn in terms of what we try to do week in and week out. Turning over the ball is a problem for all teams and it certainly has been an issue for us at times, but when you play the style of basketball we like to play, accruing 12 turnovers a game isn't out of the realm of possibility. That would have been enough for 2 games back in the old days because when you walk the ball up the court and run a half court set by passing the ball 15 times around the horn it is tough to throw the ball away. Nowadays, we are flying up and down the court like greyhounds and it is very likely that in that rapid topsy-tervy style there will be some passes that are a bit more risky or that somehow never reach their intended destination.
As a casual observer you might think that we play somewhat recklessly, as if we do not value the ball or the possession as much as we used to. That is a fair assumption I suppose but I guarantee that there is no team playing that can handle what we do for 40 minutes a game. Sure, there are games where we get a little winded and have to slow things down for a couple of minutes but when we are playing Clip Joint basketball at our peak, we never stop pushing the tempo. From the minute we get a rebound or the minute we are taking the ball out of the basket after a made shot, that ball is being shoved down the throat of our opponent. Want to make a substitution after a loose ball goes out of bounds? I don't think so, the ball is thrown in bounds quicker than Rob can take his breath to blow the whistle.
We went from being a team that struggled to score 50 to a team that scores in the 70's and 80's on a good day. You would think teams would adjust and realize that they do not want to get into a run and gun situation with us. Slow it down, walk the ball up the court, force us into half court sets where at times we do have a harder time enforcing our will. We feature one player who is taller than 6-1, and he plays only about 15 minutes a game. We have no real inside presence. Part of that is because we try to constantly push the tempo and part of that is we love to shoot the 3-ball. I guess we could be compared more easily to the modern day Phoenix Suns....the team before they went ahead and traded for Shaq.
Now we have done a 180 degree turn in terms of what we try to do week in and week out. Turning over the ball is a problem for all teams and it certainly has been an issue for us at times, but when you play the style of basketball we like to play, accruing 12 turnovers a game isn't out of the realm of possibility. That would have been enough for 2 games back in the old days because when you walk the ball up the court and run a half court set by passing the ball 15 times around the horn it is tough to throw the ball away. Nowadays, we are flying up and down the court like greyhounds and it is very likely that in that rapid topsy-tervy style there will be some passes that are a bit more risky or that somehow never reach their intended destination.
As a casual observer you might think that we play somewhat recklessly, as if we do not value the ball or the possession as much as we used to. That is a fair assumption I suppose but I guarantee that there is no team playing that can handle what we do for 40 minutes a game. Sure, there are games where we get a little winded and have to slow things down for a couple of minutes but when we are playing Clip Joint basketball at our peak, we never stop pushing the tempo. From the minute we get a rebound or the minute we are taking the ball out of the basket after a made shot, that ball is being shoved down the throat of our opponent. Want to make a substitution after a loose ball goes out of bounds? I don't think so, the ball is thrown in bounds quicker than Rob can take his breath to blow the whistle.
We went from being a team that struggled to score 50 to a team that scores in the 70's and 80's on a good day. You would think teams would adjust and realize that they do not want to get into a run and gun situation with us. Slow it down, walk the ball up the court, force us into half court sets where at times we do have a harder time enforcing our will. We feature one player who is taller than 6-1, and he plays only about 15 minutes a game. We have no real inside presence. Part of that is because we try to constantly push the tempo and part of that is we love to shoot the 3-ball. I guess we could be compared more easily to the modern day Phoenix Suns....the team before they went ahead and traded for Shaq.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Summer Session 08' - Game #4
Why So Serious?
That's what I should be asking my teammates during our huge performance last night against our overwhelmed opponent. I'm not one to usually engage in trash talking back and forth because to be honest when you are the best team in the league it can only benefit the other team and give them a slight edge mentally. However, last night was a little different simply because they were being utterly disrespectful. I cannot fault them though, they were a team made up of mostly younger guys who brought out about a dozen fans to watch them play not including the 3 person coaching staffon the bench. One of them was spotted holding a dry erase board which they used to draw up plays? I mean, they came into last night 1-3 with their only win against a team who is currently winless, and it took them 3 overtimes to get it done in that game. It always amazes me to hear guys on a team barking at us when they are trailing by double digits only 5 minutes into the game.
So yeah, we were missing A.H. for the third time in four games which is a mystery itself. Typically he will miss a few games here and there but he hasn't exactly been around much this season for whatever reason. I do not care how well we played , we always miss him and his top notch skills when he is not present. Then a kind of funny moment fot D.T. who sauntered into the gym as we were collecting our stuff to leave AFTER the game. With a confused look on his face he had thought our game was an hour later than it obviously was. So a wasted trip in the car for D.T. which sucks for him.
Without arguably our best two players, you would think that this game might be closer than the score I had predicted in this space a week ago. That was until we decided to come out and shoot like 75% from behind the three point line! Give it up to G.C. for finally showing everyone that he can indeed light it up as he poured in something like 8 triples during the game. After his 3rd or 4th in a row one might think that the coaching staff of the other team would make the necessary adjustments to control him a little better, yeah not so much. Combine his effort with another strong game by myself (making it hard to go ahead and have the surgery so quickly, the last 3 games I am 8-12 from behind the arc) and we were off to the races early. M.D. did what he does best and thats get out for layups and get to the free throw line. Allegedly he was practicing his shooting before the game at some local park, hopefully he works on those free throws because I think he was somewhere in the realm of 2-7 with an air ball. He usually is pretty solid from the line so Im not sure what is the issue there. That might be the only down spot for the entire night though as we cruised to a 76-33 victory. I had wanted to hold them to under 30 but what can you do? We probably left a good 15 points out on the court so despite lighting it up we kind of went into cruise control mode down the stretch and missed some easy shots. J.P. was strong inside again grabbing close to 6 or 7 rebounds and our new center "James" did well contributing a few inside buckets for us. I still think he is trying too hard, and needs to take a downer before the game. That guy doesn;t stop talking from the minute he arrives to the minute he leaves. It hurts him on the court because he needs to relax and then maybe he won;t have rebounds slip through his hands. J.D. and B.A. did what they always do and thats fill up the stat sheet across the board. Overall a dominating performance over a team that clearly was not ready for the onslaught.
Kind of makes you appreciate the effort without our two stars to play the way we did. Hopefully, we continue that because we have three difficult games on the horizon against the best our league has to offer. "Team Rock" bounced back from last week and defeated a "Dynasty" team that is looking more and more average as the weeks go by. Granted, they were without a couple key players, they just don't score enough points for some reason. "Team Rock " is now 4-1 and they will be looking to pull off the upset against us next week. Everyone wants a piece of us, we are the best team so it is understandable, but I know that we should beat them.
It will be close enough that we get a little worried but in the end we should get it done so my prediction is this : Clip Joint 61 Team Rock 53
That's what I should be asking my teammates during our huge performance last night against our overwhelmed opponent. I'm not one to usually engage in trash talking back and forth because to be honest when you are the best team in the league it can only benefit the other team and give them a slight edge mentally. However, last night was a little different simply because they were being utterly disrespectful. I cannot fault them though, they were a team made up of mostly younger guys who brought out about a dozen fans to watch them play not including the 3 person coaching staffon the bench. One of them was spotted holding a dry erase board which they used to draw up plays? I mean, they came into last night 1-3 with their only win against a team who is currently winless, and it took them 3 overtimes to get it done in that game. It always amazes me to hear guys on a team barking at us when they are trailing by double digits only 5 minutes into the game.
So yeah, we were missing A.H. for the third time in four games which is a mystery itself. Typically he will miss a few games here and there but he hasn't exactly been around much this season for whatever reason. I do not care how well we played , we always miss him and his top notch skills when he is not present. Then a kind of funny moment fot D.T. who sauntered into the gym as we were collecting our stuff to leave AFTER the game. With a confused look on his face he had thought our game was an hour later than it obviously was. So a wasted trip in the car for D.T. which sucks for him.
Without arguably our best two players, you would think that this game might be closer than the score I had predicted in this space a week ago. That was until we decided to come out and shoot like 75% from behind the three point line! Give it up to G.C. for finally showing everyone that he can indeed light it up as he poured in something like 8 triples during the game. After his 3rd or 4th in a row one might think that the coaching staff of the other team would make the necessary adjustments to control him a little better, yeah not so much. Combine his effort with another strong game by myself (making it hard to go ahead and have the surgery so quickly, the last 3 games I am 8-12 from behind the arc) and we were off to the races early. M.D. did what he does best and thats get out for layups and get to the free throw line. Allegedly he was practicing his shooting before the game at some local park, hopefully he works on those free throws because I think he was somewhere in the realm of 2-7 with an air ball. He usually is pretty solid from the line so Im not sure what is the issue there. That might be the only down spot for the entire night though as we cruised to a 76-33 victory. I had wanted to hold them to under 30 but what can you do? We probably left a good 15 points out on the court so despite lighting it up we kind of went into cruise control mode down the stretch and missed some easy shots. J.P. was strong inside again grabbing close to 6 or 7 rebounds and our new center "James" did well contributing a few inside buckets for us. I still think he is trying too hard, and needs to take a downer before the game. That guy doesn;t stop talking from the minute he arrives to the minute he leaves. It hurts him on the court because he needs to relax and then maybe he won;t have rebounds slip through his hands. J.D. and B.A. did what they always do and thats fill up the stat sheet across the board. Overall a dominating performance over a team that clearly was not ready for the onslaught.
Kind of makes you appreciate the effort without our two stars to play the way we did. Hopefully, we continue that because we have three difficult games on the horizon against the best our league has to offer. "Team Rock" bounced back from last week and defeated a "Dynasty" team that is looking more and more average as the weeks go by. Granted, they were without a couple key players, they just don't score enough points for some reason. "Team Rock " is now 4-1 and they will be looking to pull off the upset against us next week. Everyone wants a piece of us, we are the best team so it is understandable, but I know that we should beat them.
It will be close enough that we get a little worried but in the end we should get it done so my prediction is this : Clip Joint 61 Team Rock 53
Thursday, July 17, 2008
"My Philosophy"
and I'm not talking about Boogie Down Productions...
I have received a ton of e-mails and comments about the blog lately in regards to more in depth analysis of what we do on and off the court. What makes us such a successful program? What do we look for when recruiting players? Why do we only play a 2-3 zone instead of man to man defense? So here it goes, a little behind the scenes on the what?, where?, why?, and how on the Clip Joint. This post will focus mostly on what we look for when putting our team together each season.
First of all, when we look for players to come in and contribute to the program we look for the complete player. Sure, being a talented hoopster is most important and we are always on the lookout for that superstar to add to the roster. That doesn't mean we discount the less talented or one dimensional player. If you cannot hit a jump shot to save your life but you are 6-5 220 and can rebound like nobody else then you might have a spot on the team. Maybe you have handle like Philip " Hot Sizzle" Champion, well then you could be a part of the program. The point is this, championship teams need all types of players, not just superstars. This seperates us from most of the other teams in the league. Teams want to load up on individual talent who are poor team players whereas we focus on building a true "team" on and off the court.
Consistency is also a major key in keeping that winning tradition alive from season to season. I like to keep our players well taken care of so that they want to play for our team. Building that foundation and keeping a core group of players together allow us to maintain that atomosphere of winning.
Up next, a look at how we prepare for each game.
I have received a ton of e-mails and comments about the blog lately in regards to more in depth analysis of what we do on and off the court. What makes us such a successful program? What do we look for when recruiting players? Why do we only play a 2-3 zone instead of man to man defense? So here it goes, a little behind the scenes on the what?, where?, why?, and how on the Clip Joint. This post will focus mostly on what we look for when putting our team together each season.
First of all, when we look for players to come in and contribute to the program we look for the complete player. Sure, being a talented hoopster is most important and we are always on the lookout for that superstar to add to the roster. That doesn't mean we discount the less talented or one dimensional player. If you cannot hit a jump shot to save your life but you are 6-5 220 and can rebound like nobody else then you might have a spot on the team. Maybe you have handle like Philip " Hot Sizzle" Champion, well then you could be a part of the program. The point is this, championship teams need all types of players, not just superstars. This seperates us from most of the other teams in the league. Teams want to load up on individual talent who are poor team players whereas we focus on building a true "team" on and off the court.
Consistency is also a major key in keeping that winning tradition alive from season to season. I like to keep our players well taken care of so that they want to play for our team. Building that foundation and keeping a core group of players together allow us to maintain that atomosphere of winning.
Up next, a look at how we prepare for each game.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Exclusive Interview
We recently sat down with former player K.J. and asked him a few questions about his time playing for the Clip Joint. Keep in mind none of these answers were manipulated, these are his own words.
Q: When was your first season and what was it like getting drafted to play for the Clip Joint?
A: After my sophomore year at college I think, so summer 2000. Getting the phone call while sitting in front of the television at home with my friends and family was a dream come true.
Q: When did you last suit up for the Clip Joint?
A: Tough one, I want to say summer of 06'.
Q: What is your fondest memory as a player on the Clip Joint?
A: Being a part of the very first Clip Joint championship team is something that I will never forget.
Q: What was the most embarassing or dissapointing moment that you remember as a player on the Clip Joint?
A: Tight ball game. 2 bricks at the free throw line. Fortunately we got the win anyway.
Q: What do you miss most about playing for Clip Joint?
A: Just being a part of the weekly grind with the fellas. Comradarie came naturally, everyone was family and still is.
Q: What was your best individual performance?
A: Exploded against some scrub team for 15 pts which was huge since I was known more as a complimentary player.
Q: When did Clip Joint go from medicore to perennial contenders?
A: I want to say the summer before our first title, so 2005.
Q: When I say the following words, who is the first player that comes to mind.
Overrated? Jason L.
Laziest? Andy B.
Underrated? "The Bench Mob", don't sleep (K.J., Ko.J. & J.W.)
Best Defender? R.V. or S.G. , pure hustle
Overall Most Talented? A.H.
Pure Scorer? A.H.
Q: Is there any truth to the rumor on DraftExpress.com that your son is already working on his inside game in hopes of being a part of the 2025 Clip Joint draft class?
A: Was trying to keep it under wraps...but....CONFIRMED. They are already calling him the next Tim Duncan but with zest!
We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule as team lawyer to answer our questions and we hope to add a few more trophies to your growing collection.
Q: When was your first season and what was it like getting drafted to play for the Clip Joint?
A: After my sophomore year at college I think, so summer 2000. Getting the phone call while sitting in front of the television at home with my friends and family was a dream come true.
Q: When did you last suit up for the Clip Joint?
A: Tough one, I want to say summer of 06'.
Q: What is your fondest memory as a player on the Clip Joint?
A: Being a part of the very first Clip Joint championship team is something that I will never forget.
Q: What was the most embarassing or dissapointing moment that you remember as a player on the Clip Joint?
A: Tight ball game. 2 bricks at the free throw line. Fortunately we got the win anyway.
Q: What do you miss most about playing for Clip Joint?
A: Just being a part of the weekly grind with the fellas. Comradarie came naturally, everyone was family and still is.
Q: What was your best individual performance?
A: Exploded against some scrub team for 15 pts which was huge since I was known more as a complimentary player.
Q: When did Clip Joint go from medicore to perennial contenders?
A: I want to say the summer before our first title, so 2005.
Q: When I say the following words, who is the first player that comes to mind.
Overrated? Jason L.
Laziest? Andy B.
Underrated? "The Bench Mob", don't sleep (K.J., Ko.J. & J.W.)
Best Defender? R.V. or S.G. , pure hustle
Overall Most Talented? A.H.
Pure Scorer? A.H.
Q: Is there any truth to the rumor on DraftExpress.com that your son is already working on his inside game in hopes of being a part of the 2025 Clip Joint draft class?
A: Was trying to keep it under wraps...but....CONFIRMED. They are already calling him the next Tim Duncan but with zest!
We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule as team lawyer to answer our questions and we hope to add a few more trophies to your growing collection.
Monday, July 14, 2008
The Clip Joint & The Public Eye
As the General Manager and Public Relations rep for the team, personnel image is an important part of this franchise. Our work in the community and "clean" public image is something that this teams takes pride in. On occasion however, an incident arises that must be addressed in the media to curtail any negative publicity for the team.
One of the more infamous situations surrounded around former Clip Joint member George Kambanis. If you may remember George missed significant time due to hand injury suffered in a bar fight, hence why George is a basketball player and not a MMA fighter. A public apology was issued by George and the team and the matter faded within a week.
This past weekend members of the Clip Joint patronized a local bar in the downtown Bethesda area. The team's official stance on public gathering is that it is encouraged, but in an cautionary manner. As a part of the orientation process for new team members is a workshop on public outings. In this workshop "nightlife" is major topic covered. Issues that are discussed are: how to spot groupies, avoiding "making it rain", injury prevention, hangovers, photography and video (we do not condone Ray J type behavior), holding your liquor, paternity testing, child support, and Kobe Bryant.
During this weekend events it is alleged that the DJ made it very well publicized that "the Clip Joint is in the building," and taunted less successful franchises whose team members happened to be in the building. The teams official stance on this is that we do not feel responsible for comments made by a DJ who is obviously a loyal fan of the team and were not done in an offensive manner, although it could have led to us getting shot by people whom the comments rubbed wrong.
The other issue at hand was the actions of one particular player that was caught on video quickly released on youtube and just as quickly removed. It is alleged that B.A. #21 was spotted staggering through the streets of Bethesda headed towards the Metro which he then threw up on a crowded Metro cart followed by him shouting a couple "Oh baby and Clip Joint is in the building, bbbbllllllatttt, bbbbllllllattttt!!!!" The teams official stance on this is that Mr. B.A. did not do anything offensive towards anyone in the public. The only thing that could be interpreted as public indecency is the public display of vomiting. It has been determined that on the crowded train there were many who recognized and attempted to speak to B.A. Not one for public attention it made him upset to his stomach and mixing with the alcohol caused the vomiting. The shouting that then occurred was due to feelings of relief from his queas iness. This being said B.A. will review certain sections of the Nightlife code of conduct which will include holding your liquor. I would also like to state there is no truth to the accusations that B.A. was spotted with a girl of large physical stature that was thought to be a new "big man" recruit for the Clip Joint.
J.D. #10
One of the more infamous situations surrounded around former Clip Joint member George Kambanis. If you may remember George missed significant time due to hand injury suffered in a bar fight, hence why George is a basketball player and not a MMA fighter. A public apology was issued by George and the team and the matter faded within a week.
This past weekend members of the Clip Joint patronized a local bar in the downtown Bethesda area. The team's official stance on public gathering is that it is encouraged, but in an cautionary manner. As a part of the orientation process for new team members is a workshop on public outings. In this workshop "nightlife" is major topic covered. Issues that are discussed are: how to spot groupies, avoiding "making it rain", injury prevention, hangovers, photography and video (we do not condone Ray J type behavior), holding your liquor, paternity testing, child support, and Kobe Bryant.
During this weekend events it is alleged that the DJ made it very well publicized that "the Clip Joint is in the building," and taunted less successful franchises whose team members happened to be in the building. The teams official stance on this is that we do not feel responsible for comments made by a DJ who is obviously a loyal fan of the team and were not done in an offensive manner, although it could have led to us getting shot by people whom the comments rubbed wrong.
The other issue at hand was the actions of one particular player that was caught on video quickly released on youtube and just as quickly removed. It is alleged that B.A. #21 was spotted staggering through the streets of Bethesda headed towards the Metro which he then threw up on a crowded Metro cart followed by him shouting a couple "Oh baby and Clip Joint is in the building, bbbbllllllatttt, bbbbllllllattttt!!!!" The teams official stance on this is that Mr. B.A. did not do anything offensive towards anyone in the public. The only thing that could be interpreted as public indecency is the public display of vomiting. It has been determined that on the crowded train there were many who recognized and attempted to speak to B.A. Not one for public attention it made him upset to his stomach and mixing with the alcohol caused the vomiting. The shouting that then occurred was due to feelings of relief from his queas iness. This being said B.A. will review certain sections of the Nightlife code of conduct which will include holding your liquor. I would also like to state there is no truth to the accusations that B.A. was spotted with a girl of large physical stature that was thought to be a new "big man" recruit for the Clip Joint.
J.D. #10
Summer Session 08' - Game #3
Yo Momma.....featuring Wilmer Valderrama gave us a pretty good run despite the fact that they probably should have been beaten by at least 15 points. My prediction was off by a whole lot, as I gave us way too much credit coming off a bye week and playing the West Coast tip a little after 10. We came out of the gates slow as a turtle like usual trailing 12-2 before deciding we probably should go ahead and start playing. It was already 11 minutes into the game before we got things going. It is probably not a good idea to continually give teams double digit leads because one of these times we will not be able to come back and win.
For the first time all season we featured all 9 players and we finally got to see the debut of our newest "big man". I use that word very loosely because he was taller than anybody we have but not really that big. There must be something with people trying a little too hard the very first time they play for us. Like A.L. before him, James as we will call him came into the game like he was doing speed. Everything he did was a little too fast including the running commentary while he was on the bench sitting or shall I say pacing next to me. Don't get me wrong, the guy seems nice enough, but after awhile it started to get a little aggravating listening to him tell me or suggest what we should do as a team. I love the enthusiasm and all, but it is only the first game so maybe he should relax a little and soak it all in before telling me who needs to sit out and why he should be in the game. He did drop a nice fade away 12 footer in the second half so I thought that was a positive for him. My hope is to reign him in a little bit as we play week to week. J.P. had his best game in a long time for us in the middle. Yeah he only had 2 points which came at the line very early in the game but he was a presence grabbing 5 or 6 rebounds, blocked a shot and overall just played with some more confidence than usual. I think everyone on the team admired that and enjoyed seeing him do well.
Our play was sloppy and during stretches we could not get anything going on offense, we did just enough to get it done after taking a 9 point lead with about 6 minutes to go when we nearly let them steal one and held on by just a bucket. It is what it is, they were scrappy and enjoyed trash talking us throughout the affair. I give them credit, they had a couple pretty good players but for the most part I'm not worried about them at all in the grand scheme of things. We had a balanced attack and I am happy we were able to get out of the game with another victory catapaulting us to first place at 3-0.
"Team Rock" was a team I was keeping an eye on and now I have my official opinion on them, they suck. They have no heart at all and when we play them I am confident we will win that game fairly easily if we play the way we are capable of. "Beltway Ballers" will be a more difficult game than I originally had been thinking. Overall, I still think it will come down to us and "Dynasty" but I would not be shocked if "Beltway Ballers" pulled off the upset.
Up next a date with the "Tenatious Teabaggers" who should serve as fodder for us to get back on track offensively. I am making a bold statement here and I am going to go out on a limb BUT the final score will be something a little more conservative like 67-44. We need a nice 20 point drubbing to get our swagger back before we match up with "Team Rock" in 2 weeks.
For the first time all season we featured all 9 players and we finally got to see the debut of our newest "big man". I use that word very loosely because he was taller than anybody we have but not really that big. There must be something with people trying a little too hard the very first time they play for us. Like A.L. before him, James as we will call him came into the game like he was doing speed. Everything he did was a little too fast including the running commentary while he was on the bench sitting or shall I say pacing next to me. Don't get me wrong, the guy seems nice enough, but after awhile it started to get a little aggravating listening to him tell me or suggest what we should do as a team. I love the enthusiasm and all, but it is only the first game so maybe he should relax a little and soak it all in before telling me who needs to sit out and why he should be in the game. He did drop a nice fade away 12 footer in the second half so I thought that was a positive for him. My hope is to reign him in a little bit as we play week to week. J.P. had his best game in a long time for us in the middle. Yeah he only had 2 points which came at the line very early in the game but he was a presence grabbing 5 or 6 rebounds, blocked a shot and overall just played with some more confidence than usual. I think everyone on the team admired that and enjoyed seeing him do well.
Our play was sloppy and during stretches we could not get anything going on offense, we did just enough to get it done after taking a 9 point lead with about 6 minutes to go when we nearly let them steal one and held on by just a bucket. It is what it is, they were scrappy and enjoyed trash talking us throughout the affair. I give them credit, they had a couple pretty good players but for the most part I'm not worried about them at all in the grand scheme of things. We had a balanced attack and I am happy we were able to get out of the game with another victory catapaulting us to first place at 3-0.
"Team Rock" was a team I was keeping an eye on and now I have my official opinion on them, they suck. They have no heart at all and when we play them I am confident we will win that game fairly easily if we play the way we are capable of. "Beltway Ballers" will be a more difficult game than I originally had been thinking. Overall, I still think it will come down to us and "Dynasty" but I would not be shocked if "Beltway Ballers" pulled off the upset.
Up next a date with the "Tenatious Teabaggers" who should serve as fodder for us to get back on track offensively. I am making a bold statement here and I am going to go out on a limb BUT the final score will be something a little more conservative like 67-44. We need a nice 20 point drubbing to get our swagger back before we match up with "Team Rock" in 2 weeks.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
4 Times The Charm
At least that is what I keep saying to myself as I gaze at trophy numero 4 on my mantle. Thinking back on all the years we never won a championship and all the disappointing title games we lost before finally breaking through. Now it seems like we can never lose a big game, the sense of being unstoppable. I'm not sure it is a good thing to be so confident about it but at the same time there is no reason not to feel that way. I realize we are not even halfway through the current season but is it wrong to expect to be playing for #5 in a few months? I think at this point anything less and we are a failure in our own eyes. I just look forward to getting back on the court Sunday, but in the meantime i am going to go back and stare at the newest addition to my trophy collection.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
When Is The Right Time?
That is the question that I have to pose to myself after discussing things with the team doctor on my broken nose. Oddly enough I can't remember the last time my nose was not broken to some extent because throughout my life I have lived with it in various states of fracture. However, none were as bad or as noticeable as the current one that happend about 5-6 weeks ago in practice.
I was told that in order to fix my breathing they could easily go in and take care of that without much trouble, clean a few things up and in a few weeks I would be ready to hit the court again. BUT, (isn't there always a but?) in order to completely fix my nose inside and out which includes straightening it back to where it should be located not at a 45 degree angle shaped like a "C", I am going to have to do the rhinoplasty on top of it. Now, Im strictly speculating here, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that in order to do that and have it heal properly I will probably be out of action for upwards of 3-5 weeks after the surgery is completed.
So, should I go ahead and do it this season when I know the competition is weak and prepare myself mentally and physically for the next season when we jump up to the big leagues? Or, do I complete this season and do it at the very beginning of the next season , miss the first half and be ready for the playoff run and playoffs?
This is my dilemma. Keep in mind I could have the surgery and get hit in the nose a week later, which would be just my luck. Anyway, I guess I have some thinking to do.
**Update**
Yeah so my estimate was close, after going over the finer details it turns out that I will be out of action for about 6 weeks following the surgery.
I was told that in order to fix my breathing they could easily go in and take care of that without much trouble, clean a few things up and in a few weeks I would be ready to hit the court again. BUT, (isn't there always a but?) in order to completely fix my nose inside and out which includes straightening it back to where it should be located not at a 45 degree angle shaped like a "C", I am going to have to do the rhinoplasty on top of it. Now, Im strictly speculating here, but I am going to go out on a limb and say that in order to do that and have it heal properly I will probably be out of action for upwards of 3-5 weeks after the surgery is completed.
So, should I go ahead and do it this season when I know the competition is weak and prepare myself mentally and physically for the next season when we jump up to the big leagues? Or, do I complete this season and do it at the very beginning of the next season , miss the first half and be ready for the playoff run and playoffs?
This is my dilemma. Keep in mind I could have the surgery and get hit in the nose a week later, which would be just my luck. Anyway, I guess I have some thinking to do.
**Update**
Yeah so my estimate was close, after going over the finer details it turns out that I will be out of action for about 6 weeks following the surgery.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Quoting David Coverdale "Here We Go Again"
This refers to the recent news that yet another free agent has been brought in through the pipeline to fill a roster spot vacated by the loss of K.J. Originally we had hoped to bring in Reggie Evans errr...Patrick Diawara errrr...B.C. but of course he backed out at the last minute citing immigration problems or something like that. So I really know nothing about this player but according to our scouts he should help our inside game and improve our numbers on both ends of the floor when it comes to rebounding.
We have been down this road before of course with a few guys who have come in for a look and they either do not live up to the hype given to them or they simply no-show and we move on. Hopefully this signing is a positive one that we can use to build towards creating a solid up and down roster going into the highest level of competition this fall. As always I hesitate to get excited until I actually see the guy show up for the first game, pay his dues for the game, arrive with an orange jersey and show some kind of skills on the court. I'm pessimistic like that, what can I say?
We have been down this road before of course with a few guys who have come in for a look and they either do not live up to the hype given to them or they simply no-show and we move on. Hopefully this signing is a positive one that we can use to build towards creating a solid up and down roster going into the highest level of competition this fall. As always I hesitate to get excited until I actually see the guy show up for the first game, pay his dues for the game, arrive with an orange jersey and show some kind of skills on the court. I'm pessimistic like that, what can I say?
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sizing Up The Competition, Or Lack Thereof
Having a bye week this early in the season might seem detrimental since we have yet to field our full team for either of the first two games. However, this is something that we have grown accustom to over the years so it really will not affect us as we progress next week in our game against "Yo Momma". The same "Yo Momma" we were supposed to play in the first round of the tournament earlier this summer before they backed out leaving us without a first round opponent. Maybe they knew back then what they were up against.
They played "Dynasty" last night and held their own it appears but in the end lost dropping them to 1-2 on the season. I already gave my prediction so after next Sunday they should be 1-3 and already out of contention for one of the top 3 spots in the standings. "Team Rocks" (lame name by the way) continued their winning ways improving to 3-0 on the season and in first place all alone. I guess that is impressive, but they have been feasting on the lower level teams so far and have yet to play "Dynasty" or us yet. I suspect they will lose both of those games, so they should return to to their rightful position behind both of us before all is said and done.
"Tenacious Teabaggers" are not a threat and they lost to the "Beltway Ballers"who showed up after forfeiting their week 1 game. Who knows maybe those ballers from around the beltway are halfway decent, odds are they probably are not that good. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to check them out before we meet on the schedule.
Over in the pee-wee division that "N.W.O." fixed for themselves so they could be successful and not have to worry about making the finals. They won again, no shock there since their division is full of garbage competition, the way they like it. 3-0 right now and I am going to go out on a limb and predict an undefeated season for them until they get to the finals where they will certainly face their demise...
"Awards Limo" and "ASM Paving" played a high scoring game in the 90's, not sure how that is even possible but obviously defense was not a factor in that game whatsoever. The two primarily Indian teams got hammered again, big shocker right? I mean what are they doing in the league? The one team "HCAC" or something to that effect have won like 1 or 2 games lifetime in the league, they constantly suck and they never get better players, what's the point? Do they like getting the beatdown week to week? do they enjoy other teams making fun of them and running up the score? Or do they like trotting out their hot Indian cheerleader for other teams to stare at in hopes of distracting them? I might have to investigate this one....
Bottom line, the league is weak outside of 2 other teams, okay 3 if you want to include "Team Rocks", but I am skeptical at this point. I suppose we shall see...
They played "Dynasty" last night and held their own it appears but in the end lost dropping them to 1-2 on the season. I already gave my prediction so after next Sunday they should be 1-3 and already out of contention for one of the top 3 spots in the standings. "Team Rocks" (lame name by the way) continued their winning ways improving to 3-0 on the season and in first place all alone. I guess that is impressive, but they have been feasting on the lower level teams so far and have yet to play "Dynasty" or us yet. I suspect they will lose both of those games, so they should return to to their rightful position behind both of us before all is said and done.
"Tenacious Teabaggers" are not a threat and they lost to the "Beltway Ballers"who showed up after forfeiting their week 1 game. Who knows maybe those ballers from around the beltway are halfway decent, odds are they probably are not that good. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to check them out before we meet on the schedule.
Over in the pee-wee division that "N.W.O." fixed for themselves so they could be successful and not have to worry about making the finals. They won again, no shock there since their division is full of garbage competition, the way they like it. 3-0 right now and I am going to go out on a limb and predict an undefeated season for them until they get to the finals where they will certainly face their demise...
"Awards Limo" and "ASM Paving" played a high scoring game in the 90's, not sure how that is even possible but obviously defense was not a factor in that game whatsoever. The two primarily Indian teams got hammered again, big shocker right? I mean what are they doing in the league? The one team "HCAC" or something to that effect have won like 1 or 2 games lifetime in the league, they constantly suck and they never get better players, what's the point? Do they like getting the beatdown week to week? do they enjoy other teams making fun of them and running up the score? Or do they like trotting out their hot Indian cheerleader for other teams to stare at in hopes of distracting them? I might have to investigate this one....
Bottom line, the league is weak outside of 2 other teams, okay 3 if you want to include "Team Rocks", but I am skeptical at this point. I suppose we shall see...
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Clip Joint Gives Out More Than Beat Downs
I remember one summer the family and I took a trip to Canada. On that trip we got to go see the USA Basketball team, Dream Team II play in Toronto. One night as we were walking the streets way pass my bed time when suddenly what seemed to be a giant was walking in a zig zag motion towards us. My dad shouted in a surprised tone that it was [will not mention the name] from the Dream Team. He had his arm around this lady who couldn't keep his eyes open and my dad couldn't keep his eyes off. Upon asking him for an autograph he replied, "Kid I will give you something much better, a word of advice. Always, always, always strap IT up." Then he proceeded to zig zag between the sidewalk and street with his sleepy friend. That advice stuck with me from that day forth. I have always strapped on my shoes for every practice and game always, always, always.
This NBA star was a role model of mine growing up and his words meant a lot to me. So it was very important to me that the team establish the same relationship with the community. My Uncle Ben told me, "With great power comes great responsibility." I take that to heart.
The Clip Joint has many programs and visits with the youth. For starters there is our Clip Joint Jrs program, made up of kids from the Dominican Republic. They have gone undefeated in 2 years of play, yet there was some controversy this year about birth certificates.
We also have a monthly program where a team member(s) meets with a group of inner city youth. Last month #21 B.A. took some kids skeet shooting. They raved about how the experience would help improve their aim.
Our elementary school assembly program entitled, Strap It Up, affectionately entitled after my boyhood experience has been to over 50 schools in the Washington DC area. In this program we urge students to strap it up on and off the court, because you don't want to be caught with your "pants down on defense and in life."
Finally there is our partnership with Childrens Hospital, Clip Joint Provides the Oint(ment)." Here we make visits to sickly youth with disorders and diseases. I had a moving experience with shooting around with a group of kids last week. Actually they were paraplegic so they watched me shoot for a couple hours. Their tears of joy said it all. The experience meant a lot to them and me.
The Clip Joint is the community and together we can create a 2-3 zone that can defend against any obstacles.
#10 J.D.
This NBA star was a role model of mine growing up and his words meant a lot to me. So it was very important to me that the team establish the same relationship with the community. My Uncle Ben told me, "With great power comes great responsibility." I take that to heart.
The Clip Joint has many programs and visits with the youth. For starters there is our Clip Joint Jrs program, made up of kids from the Dominican Republic. They have gone undefeated in 2 years of play, yet there was some controversy this year about birth certificates.
We also have a monthly program where a team member(s) meets with a group of inner city youth. Last month #21 B.A. took some kids skeet shooting. They raved about how the experience would help improve their aim.
Our elementary school assembly program entitled, Strap It Up, affectionately entitled after my boyhood experience has been to over 50 schools in the Washington DC area. In this program we urge students to strap it up on and off the court, because you don't want to be caught with your "pants down on defense and in life."
Finally there is our partnership with Childrens Hospital, Clip Joint Provides the Oint(ment)." Here we make visits to sickly youth with disorders and diseases. I had a moving experience with shooting around with a group of kids last week. Actually they were paraplegic so they watched me shoot for a couple hours. Their tears of joy said it all. The experience meant a lot to them and me.
The Clip Joint is the community and together we can create a 2-3 zone that can defend against any obstacles.
#10 J.D.
When It Is Not By Choice
Over the years I have suffered several minor injuries while suiting up for my beloved Clip Joint squad. A sprained ankle here or a broken thumb there, stuff happens. Especially when you get to my age and the body doesn’t bounce back like it used to. While my injuries have caused me to miss a game or two I have been fortunate to not have to miss any significant time…until now.
In a playoff game against NWO last season I took a charge that sent me careening head first into the end wall at the plex. Even though I saw stars for a few moments I was still able to finish the game as well as play in the games the following week. A shot to the dome felt like nothing compared to a sprained ankle. I was wrong. The impact from that shot to my head continued to linger for weeks. I tried to ignore it but at the urging of family and friends I decided to go see the doc.
“No more basketball” is what the doc told me. Or at least not “until we figure out what’s going on and the symptoms go away.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. Now in all honesty, due to family obligations I was already considering taking the season off but at the urging of J.W. I was going to remain on the roster and play in a handful of games as we look for that unprecedented 4th championship in a row. That was my choice and I was good with it. I could have changed my mind at any time and decided to play in more or fewer games. The good doc took that away from me. Now I’m sidelined indefinitely and can only wonder about my future.
I know the squad will continue to prosper and win ‘cause that’s what the Clip Joint does! But not being a part of it leaves me feeling a bit empty, like there’s something missing. I follow the team in the news and stay abreast of what’s going on with the squad but it’s not the same as being out there. At this stage in my career I’m not looking for the fame or the big contract, it’s the competition and the camaraderie with the fellas that I enjoy. And I look forward to getting back out there. To quote the body builder turned actor turned Governor, I’ll be back!
#12 K.J.
In a playoff game against NWO last season I took a charge that sent me careening head first into the end wall at the plex. Even though I saw stars for a few moments I was still able to finish the game as well as play in the games the following week. A shot to the dome felt like nothing compared to a sprained ankle. I was wrong. The impact from that shot to my head continued to linger for weeks. I tried to ignore it but at the urging of family and friends I decided to go see the doc.
“No more basketball” is what the doc told me. Or at least not “until we figure out what’s going on and the symptoms go away.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. Now in all honesty, due to family obligations I was already considering taking the season off but at the urging of J.W. I was going to remain on the roster and play in a handful of games as we look for that unprecedented 4th championship in a row. That was my choice and I was good with it. I could have changed my mind at any time and decided to play in more or fewer games. The good doc took that away from me. Now I’m sidelined indefinitely and can only wonder about my future.
I know the squad will continue to prosper and win ‘cause that’s what the Clip Joint does! But not being a part of it leaves me feeling a bit empty, like there’s something missing. I follow the team in the news and stay abreast of what’s going on with the squad but it’s not the same as being out there. At this stage in my career I’m not looking for the fame or the big contract, it’s the competition and the camaraderie with the fellas that I enjoy. And I look forward to getting back out there. To quote the body builder turned actor turned Governor, I’ll be back!
#12 K.J.
Cheap Photo Opportunity
The league finally came to their senses and recognized the greatness that is Clip Joint and called me to confirm that they wanted to take a photo of the team to put on their website. Adding "winning four in a row would be a record". Getting the team together for the cheap, shameless promotion will be difficult, though I am sure the core group will be available.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Addressing The Rumors
Strictly 4 My C.L.I.P.P.A.Z.
My publicist wanted me to address the streak that came to end this past Sunday. Contrary to what the media has reported, I was not forced to end my consecutive games started streak by coaches, teammates, or management. It was completely my decision. With the addition of the cyborg, it is time to adjust my role on the team. G.C. is quality and M.D. has been in good form of late. Interesting to note, I have never seen M.D. in the weight room on the bench press or on the pull down machine working his latissimus dorsi muscles. Must be genetics. Anyway, those two are outperforming me at the moment. I take this new role as motivation to play the way I know I can. Which is to brick 3's not air ball them. As has been previously stated "winning is everything and losing is not an option", minutes do not matter to me.
I am a little concerned about the attitude of J.D. aka swiss cheese. His lack of commitment and general disregard to the most important area of championship level basketball will come back to bite us. Maybe not in rec level basketball, but it certainly will when we make this alleged jump to the big dog court. The Clip Joint, like the great Ken Beatrice would say, "can not I mean can not" get away with lapses on the defensive end of the floor. Not only that, we can't go Cal Ripken Jr. over there and expect to win.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to Jeff, who has the best release on his jumpshot I have ever seen. Without Jeff, I would never have been a Clip Joint member. Also shout out to Bird, who has taught me a lot about the game and made me recognize a lot of my weaknesses.
Check me out on me new website: http://www.robgetscisedfor3seconds.org/.
#21 B.A.
My publicist wanted me to address the streak that came to end this past Sunday. Contrary to what the media has reported, I was not forced to end my consecutive games started streak by coaches, teammates, or management. It was completely my decision. With the addition of the cyborg, it is time to adjust my role on the team. G.C. is quality and M.D. has been in good form of late. Interesting to note, I have never seen M.D. in the weight room on the bench press or on the pull down machine working his latissimus dorsi muscles. Must be genetics. Anyway, those two are outperforming me at the moment. I take this new role as motivation to play the way I know I can. Which is to brick 3's not air ball them. As has been previously stated "winning is everything and losing is not an option", minutes do not matter to me.
I am a little concerned about the attitude of J.D. aka swiss cheese. His lack of commitment and general disregard to the most important area of championship level basketball will come back to bite us. Maybe not in rec level basketball, but it certainly will when we make this alleged jump to the big dog court. The Clip Joint, like the great Ken Beatrice would say, "can not I mean can not" get away with lapses on the defensive end of the floor. Not only that, we can't go Cal Ripken Jr. over there and expect to win.
Finally, I want to give a shout out to Jeff, who has the best release on his jumpshot I have ever seen. Without Jeff, I would never have been a Clip Joint member. Also shout out to Bird, who has taught me a lot about the game and made me recognize a lot of my weaknesses.
Check me out on me new website: http://www.robgetscisedfor3seconds.org/.
#21 B.A.
Answering The Age Old Question
"Is it more important for everyone to play equal minutes or play to ensure that we win the game"?
This is something that often comes up every couple of sessions when manuevering throughout the course of a season. There will be a game or two when some of players who spend most of their time on the bench stand up and wonder aloud why they only got on the court for 5 minutes instead of their normal 15 to 20 minutes. Back in the infant stages of the franchise things were admittedly a lot easier. The talent on our team was such that it really did not matter who was on the court because we lacked any real super star players. Fortunately, over the years we have improved that talent and brought in athletes who have a different gear who can reach that elite level of basketball.
Herein lies the problem. When you know you are that much better than the next guy and the game is close do you feel comfortable raising your hand to come out of the game knowing you could be hurting the team? Do you stay in the game a few minutes too long knowing you are exhausted but do not have faith in your teammate who is less skilled than you are? These are probably all things that run through the heads of said elite players. Luckily for me, I am not an elite player, heck I'm not even close.
I would be delusional to think that I should be playing an equal amount of minutes as our best players like D.T. & A.H. etc. First of all I am a few years older than them and second of all even when I was their age I was only 1/3 as good as they are now. So I know my role on the team and I have accepted that fact and realize that I am best served at helping the team in other ways. Sure, I would love to be on the court for 40 minutes a game, thats the competitor in me speaking. The realist in me knows that playing about 18 minutes a game suits me just fine and I still contribute something on the court. The rest of the time I am the vocal leader and ultimate strategist on the bench.
Unfortunately, we run into some problems from time to time. Nobody on the team has ever refused to come out of a game when told to do so. There have been a couple times when it has come close but ultimately and sometimes begrudgingly I am sure they have removed themselves from the game and come to the sidelines. I get all that, wanting to be on the court when the game is on the line. But at the end of the day we all have to make the best decisions when trying to WIN the game. If that means you have to play 5 minutes or 2 minutes or 25 minutes to help us win then so be it. If you are used to playing 30 minutes a game but have been playing terrible and are not running back to play defense then you might be coming out of the game and be better served doing so.
I guess to answer the question above, there is no real cut and dry answer other than to say that the team should come first regardless of the situation. 90% of the time everyone buys into that thought process, it is the other 10% that I worry about and have to deal with. I guess that's part of the job and par for the course. I know that I will do whatever it takes to win and if that means our best player only plays 20 minutes and our least talented player gets 20 minutes than so be it. If our starters play almost an entire game and our bench does nothing but stand and sit all game long rooting on the starters than it will have to be that way.
Winning is everything and losing is not an option. Anyone who feels otherwise, has never won anything in their lives.
This is something that often comes up every couple of sessions when manuevering throughout the course of a season. There will be a game or two when some of players who spend most of their time on the bench stand up and wonder aloud why they only got on the court for 5 minutes instead of their normal 15 to 20 minutes. Back in the infant stages of the franchise things were admittedly a lot easier. The talent on our team was such that it really did not matter who was on the court because we lacked any real super star players. Fortunately, over the years we have improved that talent and brought in athletes who have a different gear who can reach that elite level of basketball.
Herein lies the problem. When you know you are that much better than the next guy and the game is close do you feel comfortable raising your hand to come out of the game knowing you could be hurting the team? Do you stay in the game a few minutes too long knowing you are exhausted but do not have faith in your teammate who is less skilled than you are? These are probably all things that run through the heads of said elite players. Luckily for me, I am not an elite player, heck I'm not even close.
I would be delusional to think that I should be playing an equal amount of minutes as our best players like D.T. & A.H. etc. First of all I am a few years older than them and second of all even when I was their age I was only 1/3 as good as they are now. So I know my role on the team and I have accepted that fact and realize that I am best served at helping the team in other ways. Sure, I would love to be on the court for 40 minutes a game, thats the competitor in me speaking. The realist in me knows that playing about 18 minutes a game suits me just fine and I still contribute something on the court. The rest of the time I am the vocal leader and ultimate strategist on the bench.
Unfortunately, we run into some problems from time to time. Nobody on the team has ever refused to come out of a game when told to do so. There have been a couple times when it has come close but ultimately and sometimes begrudgingly I am sure they have removed themselves from the game and come to the sidelines. I get all that, wanting to be on the court when the game is on the line. But at the end of the day we all have to make the best decisions when trying to WIN the game. If that means you have to play 5 minutes or 2 minutes or 25 minutes to help us win then so be it. If you are used to playing 30 minutes a game but have been playing terrible and are not running back to play defense then you might be coming out of the game and be better served doing so.
I guess to answer the question above, there is no real cut and dry answer other than to say that the team should come first regardless of the situation. 90% of the time everyone buys into that thought process, it is the other 10% that I worry about and have to deal with. I guess that's part of the job and par for the course. I know that I will do whatever it takes to win and if that means our best player only plays 20 minutes and our least talented player gets 20 minutes than so be it. If our starters play almost an entire game and our bench does nothing but stand and sit all game long rooting on the starters than it will have to be that way.
Winning is everything and losing is not an option. Anyone who feels otherwise, has never won anything in their lives.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Confessions of a "Swiss Cheese" Defender
As a veteran of this franchise I have quite often gotten some ribbing from my teammates, which usually relates to unnecessary behind the back passes and my lack of devotion to defense. I have to admit on occasion I have had lapses on certain ends of the court. My vice in basketball is offense. It always has and it always will be. No matter if it is shooting or passing what ever makes those light bulbs collectively change on the scoreboard I am for. In movies, sex and blood sell, and there is nothing more bloody sexy than a high scoring offense.
It is hard to stay motivated during games when certain opponents can only offer a 30-40 point thrashing if we play well on both ends of the floor. This past season however, has been our most challenging in recent seasons, which made the championship all the more satisfying. The fire was lit for us as a team last session but the meat (competition) ended up cooked just the same... well done.
This is why we need to make that jump to the next level, time to move up in weight class. We need to stay hungry and even though we are already looking past this current season preparing for our inevitable move; I believe this to be an important season for us. We need to prepare for each game as the underdogs not 4 time champs. Devote ourselves to defensively harassing opponents to the point where they want to file restraining orders. Execute sharply on offense as one collective symphony in artistic glory working for open shots, and easy transition scores that provide an infecting melody to those that watch and listen.
We have to envision ourselves as once more the team that opponents would look at in warm ups, and couldn't help but smile thinking they were going to have there way with us. We need to be out for blood, no letting up, no backing down, and no mercy. Our business is winning and business is good. This means hard-nosed defense, this means being an offensive juggernaut, this is Clip Joint basketball. I am getting too hype right now - OH Baby!!!
#10 - J.D.
It is hard to stay motivated during games when certain opponents can only offer a 30-40 point thrashing if we play well on both ends of the floor. This past season however, has been our most challenging in recent seasons, which made the championship all the more satisfying. The fire was lit for us as a team last session but the meat (competition) ended up cooked just the same... well done.
This is why we need to make that jump to the next level, time to move up in weight class. We need to stay hungry and even though we are already looking past this current season preparing for our inevitable move; I believe this to be an important season for us. We need to prepare for each game as the underdogs not 4 time champs. Devote ourselves to defensively harassing opponents to the point where they want to file restraining orders. Execute sharply on offense as one collective symphony in artistic glory working for open shots, and easy transition scores that provide an infecting melody to those that watch and listen.
We have to envision ourselves as once more the team that opponents would look at in warm ups, and couldn't help but smile thinking they were going to have there way with us. We need to be out for blood, no letting up, no backing down, and no mercy. Our business is winning and business is good. This means hard-nosed defense, this means being an offensive juggernaut, this is Clip Joint basketball. I am getting too hype right now - OH Baby!!!
#10 - J.D.
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