Month: February 2019

There are two things every white guy secretly wishes he can do in his lifetime… 1 moon walk, and 2 dunk a basketball on a regulation height rim. I have to tell you, after seeing this debacle today … Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Cory Booker might have a problem.

As someone who actually is Michael Jackson and who himself moonwalked back in the 70’s when in high school…I can assure you there was nothing racial attached to the moonwalking per se. In fact, I became somewhat iconic with the black girls in my school. I do know this though…Putin and Trump are laughing hysterically right now. Where do you even go from here? He was going to dance at the presser but his wife wouldn’t let him. Trust me, I know that look from the woman standing next to you…and his wife had that look. Even if he wasn’t telling the truth, I have to tell you I kind of liked him. Hell…if Trump dumps Pence at some point, this guy might actually resonate. I do want to see the moonwalk first though.

This should be fairly simple. If it is proved the sitting governor of Virginia is in truth one of the people in this photo he should resign sometime today. Even in Oklahoma this wouldn’t stand given how quickly the University of Oklahoma on two separate occasions in the past several years handled similar issues of racism like this one in Virginia. I actually applaud OU in that in both instances students were expelled and a fraternity was closed down. Even in Oklahoma this doesn’t get excused in public. To think this occurred in what is regarded as a somewhat progressive state such as Virginia is disturbing, but in reality… not a shock. As crazy as this sounds, I actually think racism in America has even gotten worse despite the fact Barack Obama was elected to two terms. Actually, if memory serves me correct…Obama carried Virginia twice and at one time Senator Tim Kane was thought to be in the running to be VP on the ticket.

To me, the most stunning thing is that this photo went unchallenged by the school itself at the time thirty years ago. Reagan would have been in his second term and the nation was embroiled in Iran-Contra at the time, but it’s just stunning this photo was deemed okay in Virginia in 1985.

To the Dems credit, this isn’t going to be allowed to stand. You’ll notice, or at least I did, that Joe Biden was the first person on the record saying this isn’t okay. That would tell me Joe Biden is running for president add to the fact he served alongside Barack Obama for eight years and probably knows of stories directed at he and Obama which would probably turn our stomachs in regards to the human condition as far as the level of racism still in America.

This one isn’t on Trump. This one is just on the basic understanding that racism in America or the understanding of it is not really grasped by white Americans.

For Sam Anderson

Again, I go back to the biblical ending in Philadelphia when this season appears to have changed for the Thunder. In those waning seconds when Paul George curled along the top of the key and swished the ball thru the net to erase the bitter disappointment of what would have been a devastating loss to the Sixers….then and there this season changed.

Maybe in this age of millennial fascination with numbers and no regard for the human element in the games we play, they could be right. Maybe there’s a chart or a graph or some other bullshit from those who didn’t play or coach sports beyond the eighth grade…but I still believe the human part of the game does indeed still matter.

Last night in Miami—the Thunder won their 7th straight since the Paul George Miracle in Philly. All is smiles in Thunder Nation right now as the Thunder are in third place in the West and only two games behind the Warriors in the current fight for second place in the West. That’s right–the Denver Nuggets with a win last night over Houston sit atop the West.

Putting the Nuggets aside…think back to last season and remember how far back the Thunder were in the standings at this point in the season to the Warriors and Rockets. It was staggering as in they didn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath with those two teams. This team since Philly is different. They’ve shown when they focus and play with a mission they have a right to be in the discussion…. in fact, multiple discussions.

As in…Paul George is playing better overall basketball in Oklahoma City right now than either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook did in their MVP seasons wearing Thunder blue.

I don’t write that with my Nick Gallo Sippy Thunder Cup near my keyboard. I write that as a brutally candid observer of NBA basketball for the past fifty-five years. For the record…I became an NBA self proclaimed savant at the age of six. Take that however you might.

If I had to vote right now at this moment…Paul George would have my MVP vote for this reason…. He’s doing all this having to mesh his game with Russell Westbrook’s game and at times that isn’t easy. But what Paul George has done on both sides of the floor is beyond even what I saw with Durant in OKC’s love affair with KD. Simply put, I wouldn’t trade Paul George for the reigning two time NBA Finals MVP. Paul George is a better defensive player than Durant and has shown this season he’s an excellent passer as well. This isn’t meant as a diss of Kevin Durant, but as a compliment of Paul George.

Paul George on Friday night torched the Miami Heat for 43 points on 23 shots. He went 10-16 shooting the trey. The ten makes are a Thunder record even in the wake of Durant’s 40-50-90 MVP season when all the angry white people in Oklahoma who voted for Trump still loved KD. Back then Kevin was a slave who knew his place. Harsh? Maybe take a look in the mirror, Oklahoma. Maybe Neil Young confused Alabama with Oklahoma. We’ll have to ask Jalen Hurts at some point.

But I don’t want to write about that bullshit right now because I’m on a basketball high as are the Thunder.

If Russell Westbrook were sitting next to me right now…I’d kiss him. Through all my bitching and moaning on here about the way he plays at times…HE WAS MAURICE CHEEKS LAST NIGHT!

14 points on 6-10. 12 rebounds. 14 assists. Smart, crisp decision making. That was Maurice Cheeks in 1983. Now…I know Russell wasn’t born until 1988, but trust me, Wild Thing…you were Maurice Cheeks last night in Miami. Why would that be a bad thing to keep doing?

And for the record, Dennis Schroder was superb as well in Miami scoring 28 points and making another argument for Sixth Man of the Year consideration.

But here’s the thing in closing while I’m on this high. Paul George could win the MVP and Denis Schroder could win Sixth Man of the Year… but Russell Westbrook is the engine which drives this car. Period. This is still Russell Westbrook’s car.

And when Russell Westbrook plays like he did in Miami on Friday night, the possibilities for this Thunder team are the sky.

The Thunder at Boston on the ABC Sunday Super Bowl preview. What a time to show the world what the Thunder could be, no?

Oklahoma, this is what Sam Anderson was trying to tell you…grow up.

This was an interesting game last night in Oakland. The Warriors were riding high with an eleven game winning streak, but Klay Thompson missed his first game of the season with an illness and the Warriors were just really sloppy and got hammered on their defensive boards. The Warriors had no answer for Joel Imbiid. Watching the Warriors without Klay Thompson seemed odd. It didn’t look right with just one Splash Brother. Thompson becomes a free agent this summer and as an NBA fan I hope he stays with the Warriors. It’ll be very interesting to see how the Warriors are configured next season as Durant, Thompson, Green, and Cousins are free agents.

Amazingly…you look at the Western Conference standings and there’s the Denver Nuggets just a half game out of first behind the Warriors. This deep into the season and the realization starts to become real that perhaps these Nuggets won’t collapse and fall out of a top four seed in the West.