Spurs Thump Thunder

Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals

by Jeff Jones

“I want some nasty!” 

By now all those seriously following the NBA playoffs have heard this quote SEVERAL times over – many to the point of annoyance.  Unfortunately for those already annoyed, just because the quote has been over-hyped doesn’t make it any less true or less impactful to the series.  Spurs head coach Greg Popovich asked his players to deliver some “nasty” during the second half of game one and in the five quarters since then, “nasty” is what the Spurs have provided!

Last night, in game two of this series, the Spurs attacked the court with the kind of tenacity and technical soundness those in my generation haven’t seen since Kobe, Shaq, and Phil Jackson put on a clinic against all opponents in the 2000-2001 playoffs.  Through the first two rounds, the Spurs (similarly to the 00-01 Lakers) have looked unbeatable – a trend that has continued even against the “formidable” Oklahoma City Thunder.

For those unable to see the basketball clinic the Spurs put on, San Antonio beat Oklahoma City in three ways: 1.) being good at what they do; 2.) Weathering a familiar storm; and 3.) Playing younger.

Two things should come to mind when one thinks of Greg Popovich, one being his unfortunate beard stage, and two being his relentless desire to stress basketball fundamentals.  Though his beard has yet to make an appearance in this series, those basketball fundamentals have been VERY present.  San Antonio’s pick-and-roll offense paired with its stifling defense (lead by the number two all-time playoff shot blocker Tim Duncan) proved to be a fundamentally sound mixture that was too much for the Thunder to handle.

Being ill-equip to handle this barrage of fundamentals, Oklahoma City chose to switch things up midway through the third quarter and employ a strategy very familiar to basketball fans – the "hack-a-whoever" game-plan.  This time 'whoever' was backup big-man Tiago Splitter.  When looking at Splitter’s free-throw percentage from game two (50%), it appears as though this strategy would make the game competitive once again.  Instead, this altered game-plan stayed in place for about seven minutes and only helped OKC diminish San Antonio’s lead by a single point.

Lastly, an aging Spurs team found a way to close the game out by playing younger and faster than the young Thunder team.  This could be seen in 36 year old Tim Duncan’s ability to block shots, display a nasty dunkface, and sprint after loose balls more often than any member of the opposing squad.

Admittedly, this series is far from over – and I very much expect OKC to steal a game or two – but at this point, all indicators point to this being Greg Popovich and those nasty San Antonio Spurs’ series to lose.

3 Reasons Why...

The Dolphins Should have Passed on Hard Knocks

by Jeff Jones

Top notch athletes.  Intriguing storylines.  And, Antonio Cromartie struggling to name all of 9 of his kids.  Many of us know (and love) the HBO series Hard Knocks, but just because it’s an entertaining watch for me doesn’t mean it’s the right show for all sports fans.  And similarly, just because it was done well by the Cowboys, Jets, and others, doesn’t mean it’s the right fit for all NFL teams.  The Dolphins are one of those poor fits for AT LEAST three reasons.

1. Private Politics will be Public: The Dolphins are one of a handful of organizations that enters OTAs with a QB controversy on its hands – joining the Browns, Titans, and Jets to name a few.  What separates the Dolphins' battle from these others?  We don’t know who has the upper hand!  Garrard, Moore, and rookie Ryan Tannehill all seem to be relatively even going into pre-season activities. 

Why is this a bad thing?  Well, Hard Knocks’ audience members will probably watch Tannehill get outplayed in camp and still “win” the starting position over the two older, less-coveted veterans.  Similar political moves take place camps all over the NFL, but those other 31 teams and those other players won’t be the biggest storyline on HBO for several weeks in August and September… Shady NFL politics: 1 Miami Dolphins: 0

2.  Rookie Head Coaches have Enough to Deal With:  Hard Knocks has a way of polarizing the images of those involved.  Some coaches/players leave with many more loyal fans, while others are vilified by the public – as we saw with the scrutiny that followed Rex Ryan after his appearance on the show two years ago.  Having to worry about potential damage to his image, tending to a very public QB controversy, all while rebuilding a franchise that seems destined for mediocrity is a tough task to ask of any head coach.  Add the fact that this will be Joe Philbin’s first year as the head man in charge, and this seems certain to be a recipe for disaster… Sabotage of a young head coaching career: 1 Miami Dolphins: 0

3.  Unrealistic Expectations:  I fully realize that no NFL team or player can/should enter camp thinking that they will go 0-16 – but on that same note, it’s important to maintain realistic, achievable expectations.  Apparently no one told Dolphins LB Karlos Dansby about the importance of setting attainable goals.  Dansby openly stated that he is “expecting us [the Dolphins] to win the AFC, period.  Point Blank.” 

Excuse me?!

The same Dolphins who opened last season with an impressive 0-7 record, failed to beat a single playoff team, and lost their leading receiver AND their leading tackler (neither of whose names happen to be Karlos Dansby) in the offseason?... good luck with that.

This is not the first time the talented defenseman has seen the world through rose-colored glasses.  Who can forget Dansby proudly asserting “I’m better than everybody!” when asked to compare himself to other linebackers during a post-game interview in 2011.

As a huge fan of the Auburn Tigers – and their alumni – I must say I do have a soft spot for Dansby’s confidence… err, overconfidence.  But confidence like this, combined with a stage like Hard Knocks, can easily lead to complacency – which can be the downfall of even highly talented, worthwhile teams… Boastful overconfidence: 1 Miami Dolphins: nil.

More than Just a Game

Revealing the True Potential in Modern-day Videogames
by Jeff Jones

I recently visited my parents for about a week, and engaged in the typical ‘home with the family’ activities.  We visited the local hotspots (my family currently lives in a town of about 11,000 so trust me, the hot spots are HOT!), I ate my favorite home-cooked meals, and I hung out with my little brother.  While hanging out with my little brother our conversations centered, predictably, on sports – namely college football.  Imagine my surprise when my 11-year old brother told me about the advantages/disadvantages of zone-blitzes, how to properly set up a play action pass, and the areas of vulnerability present in a cover 6 zone.

Even though he has some experience playing little league football, these are concepts that I hadn’t grasped until I was well into my high school years, and I doubt many other 11 year olds could get a handle on these ideas.  My first thoughts were the obvious ones: “Oh dang, this little guy must be a prodigy like Tiger Woods, or those kids who can stack cups really fast!” and “This must be what Bill Belichick was like as a kid”.  So I asked Kyle (my brother) how he knew all about these concepts; he proceeded to show me videogames in a way that I had never seen them before.

Kyle turned on his PlayStation and we played NCAA 2009 (I know, I know... I’m working on getting him the newer version) for hours and hours.  Sure enough all of the ideas that he told me about earlier were there – you just had to put a little effort into actually seeing them and learning from them. 

He was able to accurately learn and analyze some of the toughest concepts present in God’s most beloved sport (aka football) because of lessons learned playing a videogame.  This blew my mind!

Upon further examination it shouldn’t be as shocking as it is to think that gamers of all ages are able to learn football from this medium.  We have known for decades that some people are visual learners and others are auditory learners so when looking at these ‘games’ as sets of visual cues about football concepts and not simply an entertaining escape from reality, it makes sense that gamers – in particular those who are visual learners – can learn from playing games like EA Sports’ NCAA.

 Lesson of the day:  I should have started playing videogames way earlier; I’d probably be in the NFL by now...