Just John

This whole situation is really stupid, and everyone is in the wrong to some degree. Dirk shouldn't have made his comments to begin with, because they were disrespectful. It's not like the Mavs lost to the Hawks or anything... They lost to a team that was playing quality basketball in the NBA Finals. Wade got some bad calls in Game 5, but to say that was the entire reason they lost is ridiculous. Wade should've not commented or at least come back with something better than personally attacking Dirk. Stand up for your team but don't single anyone out from the other team, even if you don't like their comments. And Cuban is wrong for jumping in late and taking even more personal shots at the Heat team. The argument between Dirk and Wade concerned on-court stuff... None of which concerned Cuban.

I was just talking about Cuban being an ass in this situation, which is undeniable after reading that blog entry that sounds like something written by a bitter high-schooler. He jumps into a situation where no one calls him out, takes all kinds of cheap shots at Wade, and then attacks the rest of the Heat as well for no reason. I hated the Game 5 officiating as much as the next guy, but seriously Mark, get over it. At least Wade's being the bigger man and not dignifying Cuban's bullshit with a response.

To be fair, Cuban is being an immature ass.

I remember during their one national tv game this year, one of the announcers said that Sloan's defensive philosophy is be as physical as possible because the refs can't call all the fouls... But, I do agree with Ripper, you need another nickname. If it were Miami, then "cheat" would be ok, but for Jazz... Not so much.

Words can't describe how fucking stupid this is. Of course it's from the same company that put Melina in "wrestler's court," so it isn't really that surprising.

Superstars get all the national tv. Same reason we've had to suffer through a ton of mediocre Heat games this year. At least Mavs/Rockets gets coverage this week. Hopefully the game is more competitive this go around.

The first stage looked really fun. The last 3 just looked hard as hell.

I know the Mavs are at the top of the NBA class this year, but I'm disappointed the Rockets just bent over and took it tonight in Big D. Hopefully they can at least get the split by winning in Houston later this week. I guess it wasn't better than that Heat/Cavs game after all, though that was still pretty bad.

I'll take the 86 Stros.

89 Ric Flair 96 Dean Malenko 96 Kevin Nash 96 Rey Jr. 98 DDP 98 Mick Foley 01 Steve Austin 04 Randy Orton 06 Edge

My friends and I laughed immaturely at that, but someone's actually taking it seriously? Not surprising, but still a head shaker.

I wouldn't be so quick to give the Colts the best odds, since they looked vulnerable at many points during this post season. KC should really be kicking themselves for not capitalizing on Indy's worst performance. I think you'll have some of the usual suspects back next year in the AFC (Indy, NE, SD), plus Pittsburgh returning to form and a couple surprise teams that you get every year. Though, who knows in today's NFL. We could just as well be watching a Jags/Cards SB next year.

My bad on the rule change. I know why I couldn't remember it now... I didn't watch All-Star Saturday Night the year it was put in, right after the Fred Jones win. The rule needs to change, though, because the way it's set up now sucks. I think they should go back the "2 misses" rule, then do a freestyle thing after it's over where everyone can come back and try their crazy dunks. That way the fans are guaranteed to see some dunks without ruining the idea of the actual contest.

I think the rule has always been if you miss 2 in a row, you lose your turn. I have no idea why they let Nate keep going last year. Probably because he's small. It wouldn't have been so bad if they declared Andre Igoudala the winner, then let the guys keep trying to give the fans a show. The fact that Lil Nate missed 15 dunks in a row and still won was what was really stupid about the contest. None of those judges should ever be allowed back since it was obvious they were fixing it.

The Cavaliers have to be one of the worst hyped teams ever. I don't know how anyone thinks they're good enough to make it to the ECF, let alone win the East. They seldom show any heart, and can't get any consistent scoring from someone not named Lebron. Outside of the usual Lebron highlights, I really don't like watching them play. It looks like they're just trying to coast into the playoffs, even though they aren't good or credible enough to do so. Along with the Raptors quietly coming along, I think another team that will surprise in the playoffs is Indiana. I don't see them being an easy out for anyone.

Well, that game was about as ugly as I was expecting. The Bears offense looked absolutely terrible, and their D wasn't up to carrying the load today, even with the weather seemingly in their favor. Manning should not have won the MVP, but it doesn't surprise me. At least we can stop hearing "Is he the next Dan Marino?" and "Can he ever win the big one?" On that note, does else think Marino is pissed now that Peyton has passed him in status? He didn't look too happy during the post game show. Probably doesn't help that Favre is gonna take his big claim to fame next year either.

Rockets/Mavs can't get coverage, but at least we get to watch another mediocre Heat/Cavs game.

Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart, 3/23/97, WrestleMania 13, "I Quit" match OR Rocky Maivia vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, 8/30/98, SummerSlam, Ladder match for IC Title Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith, 12/17/95, In Your House #5, WWF Title OR Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair, 4/5/92, WrestleMania VIII, WWF Title Ten Man Tag, Canadian Stampede, 7/6/97 OR Undertaker vs. Mankind, 6/28/98, King of the Ring, Hell in a Cell Royal Rumble, 1/19/92, Royal Rumble, Winner gets WWF Title OR Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper, 4/5/92, WrestleMania VIII, IC Title Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, 3/20/94, WrestleMania X OR Steve Austin/Shawn Michaels vs. Owen Hart/Davey Boy Smith, 5/26/97, Monday Night RAW, Tag Team Titles Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon, 8/27/95, SummerSlam, Ladder match for IC Title OR Owen Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith, 3/1/97, Monday Night RAW, European Title Tournament Final Randy Savage vs. Ultimate Warrior, 3/24/91, WrestleMania VII, Retirement match OR The Rock vs. Mankind, 1/24/99, Royal Rumble, "I Quit" match for WWF Title Bret Hart vs. Curt Hennig, 6/13/93, King of the Ring, KOTR Tournament Semifinals OR Bret & Owen Hart vs. Steiner Brothers, 1/11/94, Wrestlefest 1994 Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind, 6/22/96, Mind Games, WWF Title OR Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels, 11/25/92, Survivor Series, WWF Title Steve Austin vs. Dude Love, 5/31/98, Over the Edge, No CO/No DQ for WWF Title OR Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart, 3/31/96, WrestleMania XII, Iron Man match for WWF Title Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith, 8/29/92, SummerSlam, IC Title OR Bret Hart vs. Undertaker vs. Steve Austin vs. Vader, 2/16/97, Final Four, WWF Title Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon, 3/20/94, WrestleMania X, Ladder Match for IC Title OR Diesel vs. Bret Hart, 11/20/95, Survivor Series, NO CO/No DQ for WWF Title Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels, 10/5/97, Badd Blood, Hell in a Cell OR The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge/Christian, 10/17/99, No Mercy, Ladder Match Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart, 8/29/94, SummerSlam, Cage Match for WWF Title OR Bret Hart vs. Curt Hennig, 8/26/91, SummerSlam, IC Title Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin, 11/17/96, Survivor Series OR Diesel/Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid, 10/30/94, Action Zone, WWF Tag Titles Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Jarrett, 7/23/95, In Your House #2, IC Title OR Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel, 4/28/96, Good Friends/Better Enemies, No CO/No DQ for WWF Title

I agree with that, but that isn't to discredit the Suns at all. They've built their team around the philosophy of "get everyone to shoot quickly" and very few teams are disciplined enough to not take those tempting shots early in the shot clock. The Suns just sucker people into their game, and then kill 'em. It's usually just them out-smarting their opponents. They have 7 guys who are legit double-figure scoring threats playing every night. Occasionally, the opponents might have an equally good shooting night and win, but more often than not, the Suns simply overwhelm people with their high shooting percentage. A high shooting pecentage (esp. from 3) plus taking more shots is why they really rack up the point differential. The only points for their D actually being good is that they draw charges and get steals because of their quickness. Other than Marion, they're undersized at most positions and don't bother many shots. I don't know why Suns fans take offense when people say they don't play great D. The Suns are a really good team, but their strength lies in their offense and game strategy.

I don't know if it's so much that Phoenix's D is good, rather than they are just good at beating the shit out of people who try to play their pace. When some team like San Antonio slows down the game on them, they don't win a lot.

Zack Randolph is only one of four players averaging 20/10, so other than playing for the Blazers, I'm not sure what prevented him from getting in.

Hey, this one isn't looking so bad. Sure, T-Mac's had his annual back spasms and Yao hurt his leg, but the team has proven to be dangerous with only one of the big two playing at a time. If T-Mac rests down the stretch, while Yao comes back with a couple months rest, you're looking at a real playoff threat.

The thing with the Clippers is they're as big of a threat as anyone if they get in rhythm, low seed or not. I guarantee you Phoenix doesn't want to see them again. If the Clips get going, then there's 7 legit teams in the West playoffs, though you can't even count out Denver with two all-stars like Melo and AI. Man, there's gonna be some exciting basketball in April and May.

That Spurs/Jazz game was pretty good. Utah made some great hustle plays and hit the big shots. I was particularly impressed with Millsap and Okur, who has improved greatly since the last time I saw him play (I haven't seen any Jazz games this year). As an added benefit, Houston is now only 2 games behind San Antonio for one of the top 4 spots. With Houston hovering in the 4/5 range, I really hope Phoenix loses more down the stretch and stays as the 2 seed. Phoenix is the last team I want the Rockets to face in the playoffs.

Nice game by Austin Croshere tonight. I know Dallas has a stacked roster as is, but I always wondered why Croshere couldn't get anything but garbage minutes.