Chaos to Anarchy: Revolution from the West

Of all the new draftees, including Griffin and Rubio, fans are most enamored with Stephen Curry; and hope he can ascend in the Association as well and as quickly he did at Davidson. He has already captured our hearts through a lightning quick shot release, and we look to him as a source of joy because we naturally assume the Clippers will take Blake's and turn it into whatever potion that Mike Dunleavy uses to keep himself employed.

These youthful warriors have seemed to rekindle the excitement the Team By the Bay experienced in that "We Believe" year. The methodologies are different, but is one team more exciting than the other?

Flash yourself back to 2007. The eighth-seeded Warriors sparked a city yearning for Tim Hardaway in compression shorts. It was like the atmosphere in the Phone Booth during Part III of the Wiz-Cavs trilogy multiplied by Andres Biedrins. Oracle Arena became a place for the fusion of energies, and no team would have defeated Golden State in that first-round series—much less a Mavs team with a mentally weak star player and a coach willing to change lineups after winning 67 games. Mark Cuban became the suburban kid with the cushy life who felt he owned the best collection of talent money can buy. Then his prima donna team crossed paths with a ragtag band of men with beautiful chaos in their collective heart; possessed by the loyalty and all that's positive about a gang. Throw in the variable of the Mad Scientist who was shunned by the rich boy owner, only to actualize his visions each time Al Harrington was in the game at center. It was an S500 with bun warmers versus a '79 Chevelle on Daytons. Excuse all the "rich/poor" analogies, but if ever there was a microcosm for team, then this is it...word to Camp Lo.

Fueled by Baron's beard and their Fearless Leader in S-Jax, four wins over Dallas became inevitable. Oddly enough, the dunk over AK47 in the second round was the monumental moment of the We Believe era—despite it coming in a series loss. It was as if Rocky IV meets Straight Outta Compton in, "You Just Got Broke, Son." Even though that team had an overall losing playoff record (5-6), it was a brief victory for those hoops fans yearning for Basketball anarchy.

Return to the present. Gone are Davis and his beard, the full force of the Oracle's magic, and Matt Barnes figures in their loss somehow. However, they add the Babyfaced Killah, the new Matt Barnes in Anthony Morrow, as well as the impending sign of the revolution that is Anthony Randolph. Combine these youth with the Fearless Leader and Monta, and this team is more exciting than the 2007 edition. The West Coast vibe went from "Xxplosive" to "Dreams." Does that make Stephen Jackson or Don Nelson Dr. Dre? Where the "We Believe" team was a test run, this collection of Warriors have a myriad of possibilities at their disposal. The revolution will be dribbled.

Shout-out to Shoals and everybody at FreeDarko.

Peace.

Spottieottiedopalicious

(Editor's Note: If you need help with the title, go here. After reading, hopefully you'll catch the relation between title and post.)

After watching Nuggets-Lakers last night, I see some startling correlations between a team's offensive philosophy and they way that roster is constructed. What I mean is that the more chaotically uptempo a team plays, the more castaways that are present on that team.

The biggest example of this is the Nuggets. They look like the Association's answer to "The Longest Yard." Let's see. There's 'Melo—who seems to be sort of the Forgotten Man among the great class of 2003 as Wade and 'Bron ascend to Justice League status. J.R. Smith, who just can't seem to focus his absurd talent enough to be more than just a long-distance mercenary off the bench. They added the Birdman, the former drug addict looking for a fresh start among his semi-kinfolk. Even Nene' has been converted, and now rocks the cornrows. Perhaps the best example is Ronaldo Balkman, who is a Knicks throwaway and branded as a scrub because he was drafted by Zeke. But he is an energy guy in the second unit that heavily contributes on the defensive end for a team that plays little defense. At Denver's epicenter is Billups, a former outcast himself that found maturity in the D; and is now being brought in as the mentor who has traveled down that wayward path to stabilize the scatterbrained Nugs and teach them concentration and winning. Mainstream may be blinded by all the tattooed ink that they may not see that Nuggets are a damn good basketball team.

Another example is the Phoenix Suns under D'Antoni's influence. Those that have found oasis in the Desert include another throwaway Celtic, a Maestro without an orchestra, an allegedly immature high school monster, a small forward that can only function at the 4, Atlanta's tossed-out versatile Frenchman, Raja Bell, a man that found his ankles, Superman: Resurrected, and Matt Barnes. All these players had been thought of as expendable at one point; yet have become relevant again or have elevated his place in the Association by going through Phoenix. It also doesn't hurt to play in a style in which the goal is to attempt a shot in the first third of the shot clock.

I first began noticing the outcast/uptempo correlation by watching everyone's recent darling, the 2006-2007 Golden State Warriors. With Boom Dizzle as their brash flag bearer that Chris Paul made everyone loathe in the Big Easy, and Stack Jack as their Ride-or-Die Fearless Captain, they held the NBA captive with their Bay Area lawlessness—rather, their making of their own laws and giving the proverbial bird to "conventional" positions and just played ball. S-Jax is interesting because he's viewed by most as a convict in a headband; but in NBA circles he's very respected as a great teammate—even when he was in the Land of Bland that is the Spurs' locker room. This current band of Warriors may not have the same appeal as the one that toppled the Mavs, but Anthony Randolph is the individual definition of Basketball anarchy. Just throwing that out there.

But why does this outcast/uptempo correlation exist? It may be because those players mentioned don't play basketball in the traditional sense, therefore must reside on teams that don't play the purists' Way. In contrast, to me, the Spurs look like the kind of guys that crack observational jokes that are funny, but funny on an intellectual level. The Warriors look like the guys that will snap on anyone and everyone, and while they may not mean a word of it, no one would dare challenge them—either to the Dozens or the physical. While I love the fundamentals of Timmy, it's nice to see J.R. Smith pull from 30 feet. Both are a pleasure to watch.

Peace.

I Blame You, C-Webb

The NBA playoffs are on the horizon. In arguably the greatest regular season in the history of the League Western Conference, die-hard basketball fans get to watch amazing basketball through all four rounds. There are storylines everywhere: can the upstart Hornets continue their run? Can Tracy McGrady get out of the first round; as well as 'Melo & AI? Will Kobe win his first title sans-Shaq? Will the Suns finally beat the Spurs? Is Dallas finished? I don't do a lot of analysis; so I'll answer all most of these in one-word fashion: For one series, no, almost, no, probably...But this isn't about the sixteen teams that made it to the second season. This is about the one with the best record that didn't.


[Sniffs]

How could you do this to me, Golden State? How could you leave me like this? Without you in the postseason, there isn't that psychotic style that breathes fresh air into the monotony that tends to invade parts of the second season. I know that Denver's in, but no one believes in them like we did with you. Phoenix seems to have begun solving the Diesel's Rubix's Cube, but they're—they're just not the same. You've supplanted them in the chaos dimension that is my heart. Your style is a symbol of my generation: and I don't mean Stephen Jackson's obvious current former gang affiliations. I mean the rebelliousness that comes with each generation. You play without many set plays, ignore conventional hoops wisdom, and survive on your own talents and abilities. Without you—though the Western Conference playoffs will be exciting—feels incomplete to me without you there.

[Sniffs again]

It's not the fact that you missed the playoffs in a tough West. It's the way it happened. The Mad Scientist benches his best two players—Captain Jack in the second quarter, and The Baron for the whole second half—in the biggest game of the year. Yes, Baron was struggling in the first half; but as much as he can shoot you out of a game, he can shoot you back in one. He can even make a game-winner or two. So, why do it? Whatever in-house animosity there was should have been settled after the game; after you made the playoffs. And now, now you're home watching the playoffs with me.


[A tear rolls down, sniff]

You know who I blame? I don't blame you, Nellie. Or you, Baron Davis. You know who I blame? Chris Webber. That's right, I blame you, C-Webb. You brought your curse of losing to the Bay Area and kept my Warriors from a playoff run. Not to mention that you didn't even play in half of the games after you were signed. In fact, I hold you responsible for hindering the entire NBA. How dare you stop the momentum of the fast break movement era overtaking the NBA? If the Warriors had made a decent run; then in no more than five years there would be uptempo teams all over the league. Now, basketball fans have to sit through hours of so-called analysts saying how much, "defense wins championships," and such. It's true, but scoring differential is more important than overall defense. The fact still remains that points wins games. We could've been on the verge of the basketball of old—where 120-point games were easily attainable. But you and your knees and invisible defense have cost Golden State, as well as the rest of the league. Thanks a lot, C-Webb. At least you now have time to produce beats for Nas...

[Another tear surfaces]

It'll take time for me to heal the pieces of my basketball heart. I should recover by...around 12:30 Eastern Time on Saturday. See you next year, Golden State. Even if your team may have a totally different look to it.




Peace.