C's/Bobcats - 11/8/06

A few observations

I was in a bar for the fourth quarter and someone changed the channel to Dog the Bounty Hunter. Sometimes the type of people who watch Dog the Bounty Hunter in bars are not the type of people you want to engage in a conversation about your desire to change the channel. Thankfully there were two televisions. That was close.

It’s a little know fact Emeka Okafor plays for the Bobcats and Celtics Bandwagon – my fantasy squad. I’m too much of a Celtics fan to enjoy Emeka’s 28 and 18 if the Bobcats were to win. So I’m pretty satisfied to see it worked out.

Rajon Rondo’s DNP (coach’s decision) falls into the old, “I did not see that coming” realm.

It looks like Ratliff can help. I’m guilty of underestimating what a veteran presence can bring. That said he did seem exhausted at times.

It was interesting to see Gerald get some burn. But I was more intrigued by Delonte’s role as the back up point guard.

Delonte Quotes

“Exactly what you seen, that’s exactly what was called.” – Delonte West responding to Greg Dickerson asking what play was called at the end of the game.

“When we execute we can play with anyone. We can win games.” Delonte West getting caught up in the moment after the first win of the season.

Doc critique of the night

"The Knicks just blew a 19-point lead and got the ball back with 16 seconds left in a tie game. Isiah calls a timeout, presumably to call a play. What do they do? Inbound it to Crawford. Everyone else goes under the basket and watches Jamal dribble until there are six seconds left and he pulls up for a crazy 3-pointer.” - A portion of a random e-mail to Bill Simmons that describes a scenario, minus the 19 point lead, eerily similar to the end of regulation in Boston tonight. Before it’s all said and done Doc and Isiah may put a new, negative spin on an old coaching axiom. The new axiom?

“He can lose to yours with his and lose to his with yours.”

Around the NBA

- The best part about Vince Carter selling out Jason Kidd in the new fantasy basketball commercial is that it definitely could happen. If they were going for believability Carter was a good choice. However, if they were hoping to show the conflict between real life and fantasy teams they had to choose Richard Jefferson as Kidd’s co star.

- “He's the ugliest productive player I've ever been around.” – Greg Poppovich on Fabricio Oberto. If you haven’t seen Oberto and his game yet trust me, it makes sense either way.

- I’m not sure I want a league where guys can’t slam basketballs and catch them at waist level after bad calls. That’s a victimless crime.

- “No you’re the one who’s under the influence…of being a jerk.” – Eric Musselman’s possible last words to Ron Artest. It’s important to note that I stole that line from Chief Wiggum and I made up that scenario all together.