how the "p" in mvp certainly doesn't stand for "player"

okay, you're the eventual MVP of the NBA. you are in the midst of being waxed by a team that barely made the playoffs. as they begin a run that has the makings of an embarrassing beatdown. you are faced with an important decision each time you catch the ball. do you:

A. pass it quickly to someone else and make scoring their problem.
B. hide in the corner and hope that your teammates don't sees you.
C. put up only one shot as your team goes scoreless for over four minutes.

if you're dirk nowitzki, who has the killer instinct of a treehugger, who melts like ice cream in equador, who plays seven feet smaller than his listed height of seven feet, it's all of the above, and you've just rendered your MVP trophy as completely worthless while essentially flushing your legacy down the crapper.

well done, dirk. i'd tell you to enjoy golfing this summer, but you might interpret that as a challenge and refuse to tee off.

by the way, i got really sick of listening to steve kerr defend dirk through the game. "well, look, he always has someone on him." or "he looks of out sync." or "they're doubling him each time he catches the ball." or "they're taking him out of the game". or "i feel bad for all the criticism he's gonna hear". you know what? boo hoo. dirk is four inches taller than their tallest player. he should post up. plant himself somewhere near the basket. force up a shot so devean george doesn't have to shoot it. drive to the hoop. get fouled. call for the ball and take what he wants, and not what the defense gives him.

you know, make something happen. that's what the greats do.

great players make great plays. like baron davis did - on a bum hamstring.

oh, that's right. this is dirk. i forgot.

go warriors. although if houston beats utah, that might be a problem for them.

how i'm sure that everyone is gonna applaud dirk

by the time you read this, you'll probably have also read or watched highlights from the dallas mavericks' improbable comeback against the golden state warriors, outscoring them 15-0 with 3 minutes to go to save their season.

and much will probably be said or written about how eventual NBA MVP dirk nowitzki lead them to this win.

you'll read that because people are idiots.

here's the real breakdown:

nowitzki was nowhere to be seen throughout the entire second half, when his team lost their lead, when they needed him most. before the final three minutes, he shot the ball twice in the second half - when his team was struggling. he was invisible.

still, he came through at the end, scoring 10 of those 15.

but here's the thing of it: he didn't win the game. golden state blew it.

you see, they didn't score in the final three minutes. without that, nowitzki is a player who folds, who disappears, who only shows up when the game is over.

if golden state doesn't stop rotating the ball immediately after baron davis gets trapped, causing the mavs to scramble to find the open man but being one pass behind the play that leads to a wide-open three, you know, doing the things that got them a 9 point lead and a 3-1 series lead, well, dirk's MVP trophy would be worthless right now, and his legacy tarnished.

i guess what i'm saying is that dallas' win had little to do with dirk nowitzki, even though that's all you'll hear.

if golden state continued to attack the hoop instead of milking the clock, if they continued to pass instead of holding for one, if they just kept on playing the way they played for 45 minutes, the stories would be totally different.

how nothing beats playoff time

i watched two great playoff games today in which i had rooting interest. the edge of my couch is completely worn out, and my voice left me for good sometime before dinner.

NHL: RANGERS over SABRES, 2-1 in 2OT

the rangers needed this desperately. we're just another win from tying this shindig up. it's funny how the stanley cup playoffs work: the rangers have been the better team during the past two games, but ryan miller has been insane in goal for the sabres. that's just the way the puck bounces.

this game was back-and-forth, artistic, thrilling and punishing. it's everything thats makes hockey great. and, with everything at stake, every crossing pass, every slapshot, every scrum outside the crease takes such heavy importance, and rushes your heart up your throat.

i wish the NHL could bottle stanley cup playoff games and market it throughout the season. or, better yet, just hype it up throughout the season to make it something even the casual fan would look forward to.

because, simply, it is worth looking forward to.


NBA: WARRIORS over MAVERICKS 103-99

it's amazing how, after 8 NBA seasons, dirk nowitzki has yet to grow a set.

the assumed NBA MVP plays like a scared pussycat. from fading away on all his jumpers (even from three), to passing up open shots, to hiding in the corner during crucial offensive sets and to letting drivers attack the rim unimpeded, it takes a yeoman effort to even notice that he's even on the court. and, of course, you won't find him in the paint. you can't trust him to lead a team to anything other than disappointment.

simply put, he sucks.

on the other hand, baron davis is playing like the best basketball player on the planet. and, when the point guard is playing out of his mind and is the absolute top dog on the court, he winds up making his teammates look like all-stars. he's personally responsible for this upset in the making, from his aggressiveness to power to speed to absolute daredevil attacks to the hoop and avery johnson doesn't seem to have a clue as to how to stop him (although going to a zone would be somewhat obvious). baron is everything nowitzki is not.

the mavs look like that good white suburban team playing their first game against a team from the city.

and the warriors are feasting on it.