The Rubber Match: Stucko/Giuliano III

You may remember last July when I joined my friends Sam Lamont (the Rory McIlroy of golfing in Western New York) and Collin Stucko (the Ray Charles of golfing in Western New York) for a day of golf at Stafford Country Club. We played in a torrential downpour, we saw a snake, a tree fell down, I almost lost my left big toe and a once-in-a-generation rivalry had begun. Collin and I had now played two rounds of 18 holes against each other. In 2007, Collin won by 4 strokes at Terry Hills (our 2011 venue) and in 2010, I won by 1 stroke at Stafford. The rivalry needed to continue in 2011. Just like Ali v. Frazier, Celtics v. Lakers, Yankees v. Red Sox and Duke v. North Carolina, Stucko v. Giuliano is a monumental rivalry that will never be forgotten. Here are the events that transpired on almost three weeks ago on June 24th during Stucko/Giuliano III.


9:20- “Baby I like it, the way you move on the floor. Baby I like it, come on and give me some more. Oh yes I like it, screaming like never before. Baby I like it…” Yes, that’s the same song I awoke to last year. Normally when I hear I Like It, I am overjoyed and ready to fist pump while being surrounded by dozens of hot girls. But it’s 9:20 a.m., an awesome dream had just been interrupted, and I’m about to participate in a sport that I play once a year just so I can do a running diary chronicling how bad I am at it. Why am I not still sleeping? Collin slept over at my Grandmas house with me and he looks excited to be awake too. Hey, when you could wake up 3 hours earlier than usual to do something you suck at, you have to do it right? I think I understand why some kids are high school dropouts now.

9:22- Collin and I walk into the kitchen to see my Grandmas dog Luigi pooped and peed all over the kitchen floor. He is walking around his masterpiece proudly. What a moment!

9:30- I just pulled a Luigi in the toilet.

9:35- I come out of bathroom, and Collin yells “You ready for some galf?” I don’t have the slightest idea as to why he is pronouncing golf with an A instead of an O or how he managed to gain so much energy in a 15 minute time period. He must be juicing.

9:40- Our pre game meal is Special K Cinnamon Pecan cereal. Thanks to Aunt Mary for being our cook.

9:45- Sam arrives right on time. To no one’s surprise it starts raining just like last year. He asks if we like his Ricky Fowler hat. I actually know who Ricky Fowler is. Kind of.

9:48- As Sam is spouting off rules for today’s game, I’m dozing off in the back seat. He’s beyond giddy. I don’t completely understand why Sam is so excited to golf with us again. I thought we scarred him so bad last year he wouldn’t even want to mini golf with us, but apparently he is a glutton for punishment.

9:52- I still have eye boogers. They now belong to the back of the passenger seat in Sam’s car.

10:01- When we get to Terry Hills, Collin asks if there is a snack shop. Clearly his head is in the right place. Sam looks like he just found a treasure at the end of a rainbow.

10:10- Eddie, a man in some type of power position at Terry Hills is bombarding us with questions like we are potential terrorists. How many people are in your group? What’s the last name? Are you going to use a golf cart? Are you two really sharing clubs? You guys suck don’t you? It’s idiots like you that make me hate my job! Okay the last two sentences were made up, but they were implied by his body language and over-exaggerated sighs.

10:12- Sam puts his white golf glove on. He must’ve developed amnesia after last years’ excursion.

10:33- Some key rules for the golf outing: Sam allows us each 5 mulligans in the front nine, and on holes 10 thru 15. Mulligans mean we get the shot over or place the ball wherever Sam’s shot landed. 16-18 no mulligans are allowed, and any whiffs count as a stroke. With that said, after Hole 1 the scores are Sam 4, Sonny 10, Collin 11 (plus his 1st of five mulligans). Collin has already been forced to fix five divots.

10:35- Collin decides to MJ it (tee in his mouth as if it were a cigar). It was hokey last year. Nothing has changed since then.

10:40- On my 2nd shot on Hole 2 my ball deflects off a tree right in the middle of the fairway. That’s how good I am. I’m taking tough bank shots when I don’t even need to.

10:46- Hole 2 scores: Sam 4, Sonny 10, and Collin 8. Yes sir, that’s 20 after two holes. Meanwhile, I just heard the thunder for the first time today. It’s not too late to quit right? Could I go back inside the dream I was having if I go to sleep within a half an hour?

11:05- I just had a serious drive to start Hole 4 after a nice double bogey on the par three Hole 3. Am I in a groove right now? As Marv Albert would say, “YES!!!!”

11:07- Collin says he has a left nostril gem, aka a snot rocket (Nobody in the world provides a more entertaining snot rocket than Collin.) Sam is much more animated and goofy than last year when he was in stone cold killer mode. He just took the glove off. He finally snapped back into reality.

11:10- We just saw a much bigger snake than the snake we saw last year. I feel like Ice Cube in Anaconda. Wait a second, did it get J-Lo already?

11:17- Collin’s 5th shot on Hole 4 is a bomb. “Welcome to the F****** show” he shouts. There is no way he should be as excited as he is, but I don’t want to take this moment from him.

11:35- The best hole for us so far is Hole 5, which is a par 3. Sam 4, Sonny 4, Collin 5. No mulligans for either of us. I just tied Crosby Lamont on a hole. For my next act, I’m going to hit a Mariano Rivera slider.

11:42- Either Sam is actually impressed by us or clapping out of pity. I feel like it’s choice B. In other news, Collin just tickled the tips for the first time today. Amazing that it took a whopping six holes for him to completely whiff on a shot.

11:50- I hit a tree on 3 of my first 6 shots on Hole 6. I think the deadline for me quitting has been surpassed. I’m glad I’m here.

12:02- After two hours and seven holes, I have a one stroke lead on Collin. We are forced to take a break in order to let a group pass us because of our current tortoise pace. We are looking to get done at around midnight tonight.

12:05- 12:15- In our break Collin not only looks for a tree to climb, but we also ponder how eating a golf ball would affect his insides. I personally thought both climbing the tree and eating the golf ball would be a poor decision on his part. However, doing either of those activities would increase the chances that Collin would have to forfeit and thus give me the win early. Go for it Collin! I’ve always believe in you!

12:32- Collin and I both have par puts ahead of us. This is beyond exciting.

12:35- Collin bogeys it and I double bogey it. Nobody was really surprised. We are tied after Hole 8. In other news, my left big toe is about to fall off again. It’s simple, my size 14 feet aren’t made for golf.

12:45- Collin and I decide to eliminate the mulligan rule after the 9th hole in order to maintain the high competitive level of this mockery of a golf match. Sam is now hitting with his eyes closed. I have a two stroke lead after nine holes.

12:55- Eddie (we actually find out his name may or may not be Nick) gives us a carrying cart to help us move along faster. Apparently our tortoise pace was no longer acceptable at Terry Hills.

1:18- We finish up Hole 10, and I’m now up one on Collin. Meanwhile, we are close to getting passed up again. Me and Collin decide it’s time for Power Galf.

Definition- Golfing without measuring any shots, taking any practice swings and power walking to each of our balls after every hit.

1:30- Collin unleashes 3 bombs on Hole 11 and follows up each one with a Sammy Sosa-esque Home Run Skip. Chris Berman would be in Home Run Derby form right now watching these powerful swings. Back, Back, Back, GONE!!!!! By the way, Chris Berman makes the Home Run Derby at least ten times more watchable than it should be. He’s the Gus Johnson of baseball.

1:35- Collin is in a zone right now. He is so excited he is making crowd noises. He is also yelling Shoo Doggy! I wish I could tell you what the logic behind this was, but I can’t.

1:40- Power Galfing is such a success we have caught up to the group who passed up. Who’s playing at the tortoise pace now!

1:47- I think Sam is terrified of our fast paced Power Galfing. He looks like the witness of a murder who can’t deal with talking to the cops anymore. I think I see his bottom lip quivering. I just want to give him a hug and tell him it’s almost over.

2:00- Collin loses his ball in the water on Hole 14. He’s currently ball-less going onto Hole 15. This presents a major problem since you need a ball to be able to play golf. Especially power galf.

2:05- Me and Collin skip Hole 15 because of the lack of balls between the two of us. Wait a second; I paid $23 to play less than 18 holes of golf??? Someone is busting my chops.

2:15- We come to the decision that I will play the par 4 Hole 16, Collin will play the par 4 Hole 17 and Sam will sit out Hole 18 so we can both play. I don’t think Sam has ever been so discouraged playing golf.

2:20- I get an 8 on Hole 16 with Collin as my caddy. Now it’s time for me to play Steve Williams.

2:25- Sam leaves his self-induced coma and yells “He’s fixing a divot!” after Collin’s poor tee shot. It’s good to see he’s still alive. In a shocking turn of events, I’m actually advising Collin on what club he should use for each shot. Not that I have any clue what club is best. I think he just hit it out of the rough with a putter.

2:35- Collin answers on Hole 17 with an 8 of his own. I have a one stroke lead going onto Hole 18. Suddenly, demons from 2007 are creeping into my psyche. Let me explain: Back in 2007, Collin and I were tied going onto Hole 18 at Terry Hills. What ensued was me choking hard and losing by 4 strokes on the hole and game. 3 years later Collin had a lead going into Hole 18 and ended up blowing it. The lesson learned: Absolutely no lead is safe when you have players as bad as Collin and I fighting it out.

2:50- I couldn’t even jot down details during the final hole because I was in the middle of a Bill Buckner/Scott Norwood level choke-job. Collin ends up beating me on Hole 18 by 8 strokes. Nope, that wasn’t a misprint. Eight strokes. And he shot a triple bogey. He wins by 7 overall. Words cannot describe my frustration right now. Actually they can, because I just verbally abused Sam on the way back to the car. I’m not sure if he is giving me a ride home.

Collin is awarded his trophy after winning our annual event

Final Scores: Sam +6, Collin +43, Sonny +50

Our day ends with a delicious lunch at Burger King. It was highlighted by Sam sitting there with a look of relief on his face similar to Andy Dufresne’s after he broke out of Shawshank Prison, and Collin trading one of his onion rings for eight of my French fries. Like last year, we are wet and my feet are sore because of the lack of golf cart and abundance of puddles on the course. Some closing thoughts:

We still went way too early even though we started roughly an hour and a half later than we did last year. And again, I would prefer to go on a day when Batavia wasn’t giving its best Seattle impersonation. One could say this is an end of a rivalry since Collin has now won 2 of 3 games. As far as I’m concerned, the Stucko/Giuliano rivalry has just begun. I could see this being something Collin, Sam and I do every year even when we are old men. Sam will still be awesome, and Collin and I will still suck. But it’s tradition. If I have it my way, we’ll be back next year for more Power Galf.

2011 NBA Draft Live Coverage

The Challenge Rivals Draft: Podcast/Results

Paul Clark and I took this idea from ESPN Columnist Bill Simmons. We each drafted 14 player rosters, broke down our draft picks and will use the scoring system as seen here: http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/153/grantlands-reality-tv-fantasy-league-the-complete-rules-and-draft-results




Team Giuliano: Chris Tamburello, Evan Starkman, Laurel Stuckey, Adam Royer, Jenn Grijalva, Paula Meronek, Adam King, Sarah Rice, Jonna Mannion, Nehemiah Clark, Jasmine Reynaud, Robin Hibbard, Tyrie Ballard, Katelynn Cusanelli

Team Clark: Johnny Devenanzio, Kenny Santucci, Evelyn Smith, Wes Bergmann, Leroy Garrett, Ty Ruff, Cara Maria Sorbello, Tyler Duckworth, Mandi Moyer, Camila Nakagawa, Brandon Nelson, Theresa Gonzalez, Davis Mallory, Aneesa Ferreira

NBA Finals- Game Five Running Diary

Welcome to the Game Five running diary of one of the most compelling, competitive and dramatic NBA Finals in recent memory. Will LeBron revert back to the MVP caliber LeBron James in the most important game of his career? Will Dirk Nowitzki continue to elevate his play on the biggest stage? Will Dwyane Wade keep playing at the level he did in the 2006 Finals? It’s all answered here!

1st Quarter

Before we get to the game, I have a couple nits to pick with the NBA Finals Intro that ABC runs that for the most part is spectacular. First off, ending the montage with Pre-Hair Loss Ginobili fist pumping isn’t acceptable. I’m not saying this because I’m not a Spurs fan, but you can’t end a montage of great finals moments with the third best player on his respective team. That would be like putting Buffalo Bill last on a montage of the greatest movies of All-Time instead of Hannibal Lector. Second, the montage is missing a three key finals moments:

1: Kevin McHale clotheslining Kurt Rambis in the 1984 Finals.
2: Scottie Pippen helping an ailing Michael Jordan off the court in the flu game in 1997.
3: Mark Madsen Dancing as Shaq rapped during the championship celebration for the 2002 Lakers.

9:45- LeBron takes his first shot of the game… Air balled an awkward lefty floater. Not exactly what myself and other Heat fans were hoping for to start.

8:00- After Dirk knocks down his first jumper, Mike Breen tells us that Dirk has had a lot of Chicken Soup since game four. I’m glad I know that when I have a 102 degree fever I treat it the same way as a 7’0 German super star. Does he have ginger ale or Gatorade? I tend to go with Gatorade. What about crushed up ice? Did he have a sore throat or was it a stomach flu? Mike Breen needs to tell us more.

7:12- After an awkward Shawn Marion lay-up on a fast break, Dallas leads 13-6. Timeout Miami. Is there some type of Reset button I could hit to start this game over? Can Miami get a do-over?

6:14- We get to see Juwan Howard yelling to Shawn Marion after Matrix picked up a foul on LeBron. Juwan Howard is definitely that guy. If I could pick one player mic’d up for the NBA Finals I think I would pick Howard. You know he talks all kinds of trash throughout the whole game.

The Custodian falls to the floor so gracefully

3:46- Quite a sequence for Brian Cardinal. First he gets called for a block, and only fifteen seconds later he hits a three. One of the most interesting things about the NBA Finals so far has been learning that Brian Cardinal’s nickname is The Custodian. I can’t help but wonder why that is his nickname? He looks like he could be a custodian during the summer for the American Airlines Center. Or maybe it’s because he mops the floor with the competition… He cleans up the offensive glass… His go to shot is the sweeping hook. Okay, I’m done.

2:58- Wade goes back to the locker room with an apparent back injury. I seriously doubt it’s a major issue. Let me rephrase, I seriously hope it’s not a major issue.

1:56- Mark Jackson just called Brian Cardinal a winning player. Plus he does the teams’ dishes, laundry and cleans the locker room before he goes home. He’s a jack of all trades.

0:26- Does anyone else hear that? Good God! That’s Juwan Howard’s music. Back to back jumpers for the crafty veteran.

0:00- Mario Chalmers knocks down his second end of the first quarter half court heave in the series. Ever since Derrick Rose missed a big free throw in game five of the Eastern Conference Finals Chalmers has been absolutely tearing it up for Miami. It must be a mental thing for him. Takes him back to his days in Kansas when he was knocking down game tying three’s after Memphis completely choked away a championship.

2nd Quarter

11:35- Off a missed Chris Bosh jumper LeBron snatches the offensive rebound over two Mavericks and lays it back in. I’m not saying LeBron is going to have a break out game because of this, but that sequence was absolutely not occurring in game four.

9:20- Doris Burke tells us that Dwyane Wade is questionable to return with a left hip contusion. I’m pretty sure I played a whole season with one of those. Not too bad. I expect Wade to be in within the quarter.

9:00- Just as I expected, Wade’s back in. Clearly, this proves one thing… we can’t trust Doris Burke. Can ESPN please replace her with Erin Andrews? I don’t care if she doesn’t know the first thing about basketball, because apparently neither does Doris Burke.

7:04- We get to see a close up of Mike Miller who has played inspired ball over the past couple of weeks as well as dealing with his daughter being born with some complications. Understandably, he hasn’t found any time to shave. He has the white man’s Paul Pierce beard. Eddie House checks into the game. Mark Jackson tells us that Eddie House is the type of guy who could shoot getting out of bed. Can we actually rule out that this doesn’t happen?

6:17- Eddie House looks like a crack addict who desperately needs his fix. He’s been in the game for about 45 seconds and hasn’t gotten a shot yet. Wade’s at the free throw line and you can hear Eddie House talking to LeBron in the background. “Come on man! Get me a shot Bron! I need my fix damn it!!!”

5:45- ABC shows a shot of Dwyane Wade wincing. My Dad looks to me and says, “Can’t they get him a shot?” Not too hard to tell this is a guy who has had back surgery.

2:15- Technical foul on Marion after he picks up a foul guarding LeBron in the post. I don’t know what he said, but even as a Heat fan I disagree with the call. I wasn’t alive during the 1980’s but I’ve watched enough games on tape and on YouTube to know that players didn’t get a technical for raising their voice to officials or for looking at each other without a smile on his face. In 1984 McHale did everything short of actually taking Kurt Rambis’ head off his body, a fight ensued, benches cleared and they played on. No one was kicked out. Hell, I don’t think McHale or Rambis even got a technical. Let the players play, and let them maim each other in the playoffs. That’s how it should be.

0:05- Dirk is left completely wide open for a short jumper that puts Dallas up 60-57 at the half.. LeBron has still been quiet based on typical LeBron standards. Wade missed a longer than normal portion of the 1st half, plus he was relatively ineffective after he returned. And Dallas started out hot, prompting Erik Spoelstra to call a time out five minutes into the game. All things considered, I would say Miami is in decent shape.

3rd Quarter

12:00- Wait a second, Mike Miller starts the 2nd half. Wade is back in the locker room. I think we need a Zach Morris TIME OUT!

It was LeBron's time to take
over but he failed to deliver

-Alright, here is the point in the game where “I’ll let Wade do everything” LeBron should turn into “I’ll shoot every damn time if I have to, but we aren’t losing this game” LeBron. It’s that damn simple. With all of the talk about legacy, LeBron needs to step up and show he isn’t just a decoy to Dwyane Wade. He needs to be able to go shot for shot with Nowitzki and prove he can lead this team to a championship. TIME IN!

10:15- Two three’s for Mike Miller, filling in for Dwyane Wade. Despite two half functioning arms and some terrible facial hair, the man can still knock down an open three. Heat only down 2.

7:01- Dirk nails a HIGH arching three at end of shot clock and nearly causes Mike Breen to have an orgasm. That’s the “Heat can’t win shot.” Anyone who has played a video game knows what I’m talking about. The computer will be running no offense whatsoever, then nail a 35 footer as the shot clock expires. From that point you no longer score, they don’t miss, and you end up breaking the controller when you throw it against the wall. Well at least that’s what happens with me.

6:00- As I’m typing in Cardinal for the T Mobile Player of the Game vote, Barea hits a high arching floater off the glass. He’s making me remember why I wasn’t excited when the Heat picked up a 6 years past his prime Mike Bibby.

4:33- Wade comes out of the locker room and re-enters the game for Mike Miller. Its shades of Paul Pierce from 2008 minus the wheel chair. We need that type of performance from Wade here.

3:46- A high school level defensive break down for Miami leads to a beyond wide open Tyson Chandler dunk. Right now you could actually see Miami collectively shitting their pants. A much needed timeout called by Coach Spo.

1:20- Jason Terry hits another jump shot as Dallas goes up by 7 again. Apparently Joakim Noah wasn’t kidding when he said Miami was “Hollywood as Hell” because the Mavericks are shooting like they did against the Lakers tonight.

0:34- The Custodian tries to take another charge, but gets called for the block on Chalmers. He does all the dirty work for Dallas…

0:00- Dallas only leads 84-79 at the end of 3. Miami should be getting killed right now considering Dallas is shooting like they are in a sports movie, Wade only played 4 minutes in the third quarter and LeBron is still playing like it’s the 58th game of the regular season.

4th quarter

11:42- J. Howard delivers a crushing foul to Stevenson. Not that it should’ve been, but I have no idea how the refs didn’t call that a flagrant. Hell, I’m not sure how Juwan Howard wasn’t kicked out of the game. Usually with a foul like that the refs react like the police officers on To Catch A Predator do when the pervert walks out of the house.

11:17- J.J. Barea with an “And One.” I can live with it if Dirk carries the Mavs in the fourth quarter. I could even deal with it if it’s Jason Kidd or Jet, but not this Gnome. He can’t beat Wade and LeBron.

9:35- Goodness gracious! Two spots for the upcoming sci-fi flick Super 8 in one commercial break. These NBA Finals commercials are absolutely ridiculous.

8:09- Barea hits another three. If someone would’ve told me before the Finals started that in Game five J.J. Barea was going to make more big shots than LeBron James I would’ve questioned their sanity.

6:48- I need to flip channels to How I Met Your Mother to take my mind off the fact that Miami isn’t going to win this game because of a guy who I would have an advantage on in the post (I would Dream Shake him so bad!) By the way, I love the remake of “I Want It All” by Queen that the NBA finals is using.

5:55- James to Wade for a fast break lay-up gives LBJ the quietest triple double in NBA Finals history and brings Heat within one.

5:16- Miami takes the lead!!! I never lost faith! Somehow Dallas has given up a lay-up or dunk on at least five straight possession. I don’t have the slightest idea why Dallas isn’t playing zone and forcing LeBron and Wade to be jump shooters.

4:35- WADE FOR 3!!!! 9-0 run for Miami gives them a 99-95 lead.

3:52- Dirk just absolutely lit into Tyson Chandler for not catching his pass out of the double team. I think it’s appropriate/slightly stereotypical to assume he was yelling at him in German since Chandler shook his head and walked away.

3:20- Jet wide open at top of the key for three. “BANG” says Mike Breen. Game tied at 100. 

2:27- Referee Joey Crawford just called LeBron for a questionable charge. This led to my Dad unleashing an absolute tirade on Crawford. He said things that wouldn’t even be allowed in The Hangover Part II. Without question, my Dad would’ve been kicked out of the game, fined and suspended if he was a player.

1:26- That’s what we call a dagger. Jason Kidd wide open for three (becoming a trend). The Mavericks fans are in an absolute frenzy. Dallas leads 105-100.

0:56- Bosh goes to the free throw line, makes the first and misses the second. I have to say I could’ve seen that one coming. I think I saw his bottom lip quivering when he walked to the free throw line.

The Jet took off in Game 5

0:33- Jason Terry just hit a three from San Antonio, with LeBron right in his face. That’s a perfect example of the video game shot. Lights out for Miami. 108-101 Mavericks.

0:25- A rare LeBron James sighting. His first fourth quarter points since early in game 3 come by a lay-up where Tyson Chandler ran away from him like he had a bomb strapped to his chest and contact would detonate it.

Dallas 112, Miami 103… Closing Thoughts:

1: If Dallas shoots this well they can beat anyone, anywhere. Home court advantage in games 6 and 7 won’t mean jack if Jet, Gnome and Kidd make every open or contested three they take.

2: LeBron James isn’t Michael Jordan. Let’s end that debate for LeBron’s sake, and for Jordan’s sake. It’s unfair to both of them.

3: Dwyane Wade isn’t Michael Jordan either. Wade has been without question the best Miami player in the Finals, and potentially the best player not named Dirk in the playoffs. But there is no fricking way Jordan plays only 34 minutes in a game 5 and misses the first 8 minutes of the 3rd quarter. In his 35 NBA Finals games, MJ played under 40 minutes only 3 times:

Game 2 1991: 36 minutes, 36 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds, 15-18 field goals, Bulls win 107-86
Game 1 1992: 34 minutes, 39 points, 11 assists, Six 3’s, One Shrug, Bulls win 122-89
Game 3 1998: 32 minutes, 24 points, Bulls win 96-54

Also, take a look at the Flu Game from 1997 where the series was tied 2-2 in Utah:
44 minutes, 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, Bulls wins 90-88.

No more Jordan comparisons are allowed for anyone. A hip contusion wouldn’t even hinder Jordan. If anything he would’ve found Brian Cardinal, dunked on him for causing the injury in the first place, and then unleashed hell on the rest of the Mavericks team.
4: Dirk is one game away from putting himself into the top 20 all-time discussion. He got a lot of help tonight, there is no doubting that. But in the first four games he carried Dallas to two wins.

5: The series isn’t over. Last year the Lakers were down 3-2 heading back to LA and ended up winning the series in a dramatic 7th game. Even though Wade is playing with a hurt hip and LeBron is… well I’m not sure what’s wrong with him, Miami won’t die easy. Or maybe they will.

NBA Finals: Legacies On The Line



The Larry O'Brien Trophy

Help me out here and pretend that it is a month and a half ago. Don’t answer the following question until after you read the two paragraphs that follow it.

What two players in the playoffs need to win the NBA title this year the most?

Basketball is unique in that it is the ultimate team game, yet at the professional level the individual is glorified more than in any other sport. The NBA is currently sky rocketing in popularity mainly because of the incredible number of identifiable players to its fan base. That’s why we hear the word “Legacy” brought up so often in NBA discussions. Legacy focuses on more than just individual skill. It focuses on how a player will be remembered. How talented was the player, how good of a teammate was he, what awards did he win, how was he regarded by his peers, etc…. and how many titles did he win? That’s the most important question. It’s the crown jewel of a player’s legacy and the question that is routinely relied on when debating the classic question “All-time, who’s better?”

Let me use Karl Malone and Charles Barkley as examples to further express the point I am trying to make. Malone and Barkley were year after year two of the best players in the NBA during the 1990’s. It is extremely difficult to make a case for one or the other as to who the better player was. You could say that Malone’s longevity and superior conditioning gives him the edge over Barkley. Or you could say that because Barkley’s MVP season (1993 with Phoenix) was during one the NBA’s most talent rich stretches in league history, and Malone’s two (1997 and 1999) came in a much less competitive period, that gives Barkley the edge. Neither player has a title, so there is no crutch to rely on for anyone making a serious argument for either player. What if Barkley and the Suns defeated Michael Jordan’s Bulls in 1993 when they had home court, and might have had a better overall team? Suddenly it becomes very easy to say Barkley’s legacy was greater. On the flip side, what if Utah wouldn’t have lost game 5 in 1997 at home, and then went on to win either game six or seven in Chicago. Don’t we look at Malone as the set-in-stone better player than Barkley? The biggest determinant of a player’s individual legacy all hinges on team success. Malone, Barkley, Baylor, Stockton, Ewing, Wilkins, Gervin and many others are missing the crown jewel. As great as they are, they aren’t in the same discussion as Jordan, Russell, Kobe, Jabbar, Bird, Magic, and Duncan. I’m not saying that to be considered an all-time great a player needs to win a title. One player doesn’t win a title. It takes a ton of lucky breaks and team success to win a championship. For some reason though, the individuals who play the game end up being immortalized by their team’s success.

The answer to the question was pretty simple.

Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James. Whoever gets four wins first will take their name off the list of current players without the crown jewel.

Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant are early in their careers. They have a decade full of title opportunities ahead of them. Kobe, Shaq and Duncan have all won multiple titles, and their reputations as the three best players from late 1990’s to the mid-2000’s is pretty much set. The Celtics Big Three already won a title together. So by process of elimination, you have Dirk and LeBron left.

Dirk has another chance to beat
 Miami in the Finals.

Five years ago, Dirk Nowitzki was two games away from a championship, and two games away from making a serious argument for himself as a member of the pantheon of all-time NBA greats. His run this year has been phenomenal, I’ve gone as far as saying he has cemented himself as the best offensive player in the game. But this isn’t the first time Dirk has been sensational in the post season. Check out the numbers from 2006 and 2011, in the first 3 rounds of each playoff run.

2006: 28.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 49.3% Field Goals, 90% FT
2011: 28.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 51.6% Field Goals, 95% FT

As you can see, this year isn’t the first time Dirk has gone bonkers in a terrific playoff run. And keep this in mind: seven of the games in 2006 (where he averaged 11.9 rebounds) were against the defending champion, and number one seed San Antonio. Dirk not only averaged 13.3 rebounds against Tim Duncan, who averaged 11.7 rebounds in the series, but also slapped together a 37 point and 15 rebound masterpiece in game seven in San Antonio… an overtime win for Dallas. At this point, doesn’t Dirk look like he might end up carrying the hypothetical NBA torch?

You know the rest of the story; Dallas blew a 2-0 series lead to Miami in the finals, Dirk was underwhelming and missed a game tying free throw in game three with just seconds left to play, and Dallas/Dirks time had seemingly come and gone. The next year Dirk won the MVP but Dallas was eliminated by eighth seed Golden State in the 1st Round. After a few more playoff disappointments, I claimed that going into this year’s postseason that the Mavericks championship window “was taken out and replaced by a brick wall.” Little did I know, Dirk was allowed to bring with him to the playoffs a huge-ass jackhammer (metaphorical of course) and has been smashing down the brick wall for the last 15 games, and getting a ton of Larry Bird comparisons in the process. I won’t get into whether they are warranted or not, but you need to be special to get that kind of hype.

Dirk and the Mavericks are just four games away from a championship. In a crazy way, the last five years of regular season success followed by post season failure have been good for Dirk. It’s hardened him and gave him a bit of an Eff-You edge. While he was an offensive dynamo five years ago, he is virtually unstoppable now. He’s not bothered by smaller players like he was with Stephen Jackson in the Golden State debacle, he’s able to pass out of double teams as well as an 7 footer in the league, and he’s completely shed the “soft” label that was once placed on him. The fact that he is carrying around a metaphorical jack-hammer helped him with that. You could even say he’s been better than anyone in the 2011 playoffs, unless you want to make the case LeBron James.

LeBron craves an NBA Title

If you are thinking to yourself “Of course he is going to say LeBron has been the best player in the playoffs, that is all he ever talks about,” then I am thinking to myself “Whoever is saying that about me is either ignorant or stupid, because LeBron has been the one of the two best players in the playoffs.” If you want to disagree with how LeBron handled the off-season, I have no problems with that. If you want to say he took the easy way out, go for it. If you try to tell me LeBron James isn’t the best overall player in the NBA, you are crazy. Or you haven’t been watching the games I’ve been watching.

Don’t think of this as another “LeBron is the next Jordan” comparison. LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Durant, Rose… none of them are the next Michael Jordan. There will never be another Michael Jordan. Ever. No one should be allowed to make that argument. LeBron James is however:

A) The best and most versatile defensive player in the league. Evidence of this is LeBron guarding Derrick Rose, the MVP, and Rose shooting just 6.3% when LeBron was guarding him in the Eastern Conference Finals. Follow that up with the fact that it is very likely that LeBron will be guarding Dirk Nowitzki at key points in the NBA Finals. That’s a 9 inch difference in defensive assignments.

B) Making anyone who has said “LeBron James isn’t clutch” eat their words. LeBron and the entire Heat roster had their regular season crunch time struggles. The Playoffs have been a completely different story. The Evidence: Game four in Boston where LeBron had 35 points, 14 rebounds and a game tying 3 in regulation; Game five at home against Boston, scoring 33 points, and the last 10 of the game which put away Boston; Game two at Chicago, putting up 29 points, 10 rebounds and taking all of the big shots down the stretch; Most recently, game five in Chicago, 28 points, 11 rebounds, game tying three and a go ahead jumper with under 30 seconds to play. As far as clutch play in a two series span goes, LeBron’s Celtics/Bulls run ranks right up there.

C) Four wins and a Finals MVP away from hopefully shutting up any LeBron James hater. Maybe he did need Wade and Bosh to win a championship. But they needed him more this year than he needed them. Miami is Dwyane Wade’s city. But make no mistake, LeBron James is the best player on the Heat.

Before Jordan won six titles he was viewed as a selfish player who didn’t embrace or care about his teammates. Kobe’s legacy was momentarily tarnished when he clashed with Shaq, was accused of rape and then tried forcing his way out of Los Angeles before winning two titles as the best player on the Lakers. Legacies change over time. They can be broken down or built up. Winning a championship as the Alpha Dog on your team is what can give a player’s legacy stability. It’s the antidote to any type of possible damage that has already been done. That’s why if Dirk wins a championship people will forget about the 2006 NBA Finals and the playoff struggles that followed for the next four years. For LeBron, if Miami wins the title the only thing people will be saying about “The Decision” is “Damn, that was a good decision!”


Paul Clark and I break down the NBA Finals.

NBA Playoffs/Draft Lottery Podcast

Paul Clark joins me to talk about the NBA playoffs so far. We also discuss how the NBA Draft may turn out.

The Greatness of Boston Rob

The 22nd Season of Survivor

I’ve been an avid sports fan for as long as I remember. My first sports memory is watching Michael Jordan rap up an iconic NBA career with the Chicago Bulls by nailing the game winning shot against the Utah Jazz in game six of the NBA Finals. I picked a good time to start remembering. Since I watched the final game of Michael Jordan’s dominant career with the Bulls, I can recall many memorable dominant performances, on individual and team levels. The Los Angeles Lakers winning three titles on the backs of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. The New England Patriots running through the league in 2007-08, finishing 16-0 in the regular season before falling short in the Super Bowl. Darko Milicic going from 2nd overall pick to franchise NBA center (wait, that’s bizzaro world NBA, my bad). LeBron’s 48 special, Kobe’s 81 point game, the Redeem Team, the quiet Spurs/Steelers Dynasties of the 00’s, Florida Gators football/basketball. We always remember iconic performances where one player carried the team on his back or when a team is virtually unstoppable. That is why for fans of Survivor, Rob Mariano just entered the pantheon of Survivor greatness, if he wasn’t already there.

The journey began ten years ago when Rob Mariano was a contestant on Survivor Marquesas. Rob lasted only 21 days, didn’t even make the jury that would decide the winner but was without question the star of the season. He left enough of an impression that a few years later he would be asked to come back for Survivors first All-Star season. From day one in All-Stars Rob Mariano was the unquestioned leader of his Chapera tribe, and the consensus best player in the game. His cut-throat tactics, Machiavellian-esque approach of “By any means necessary” and his dominance in individual and tribe challenges got him to the end of the game with his eventual wife, Amber Brkich. You couldn’t dispute that Rob played nearly perfect. The jury however came off like a bunch of pissed off former lovers who didn’t appreciate Rob using them like pawns in a game of chess, and being rather insensitive in the process. They took the game personal and gave the million dollar prize to Amber. Such an “Aw shucks” moment for Rob. He didn’t win the million, but his girl did.

Rob and Amber celebrate
after her win in
Survivor All-Stars

What eluded Rob however was the win. If you are a reality television buff like me, you know that Rob and Amber are pretty set financially. Not only did Amber win the Million Dollar prize, but Rob came in 2nd place which earned him $100,000. And let’s not forget, they each won a car during the season as well. From there they competed on The Amazing Race twice, where they won $25,000 for finishing 2nd overall in season seven. Additionally, they won trips to the Bahamas, London, Monaco, British Columbia, a home entertainment system, two off road motorcycles, and two home gyms for finishing first place in certain legs of their two Amazing Race seasons. Did Rob really need money after all of this? I would say no. What he needed was to win Survivor.

Just like every sports icon, if they don’t win a title, it is hard to consider them the greatest ever. Peyton Manning’s legacy shifted after he won a Super Bowl. LeBron James still needs a ring to put his name in the conversation of “Greatest of All-Time.” The story was the same with Boston Rob. He returned to Survivor in 2010 during the “Heroes vs. Villains” themed season but he was the eighth player voted off. In a way, Rob’s dominance in seasons past had hurt him. Some of the best players in Survivor history realized that he was better than they were, and if they gave him time he would methodically take out all of them like he did six years earlier in his first All-Star season.

At this point it appeared as if Boston Rob’s time on reality television had come to an end. It seemed unthinkable that with the reputation he had, that Rob would be able to be a power player on Survivor as he had before. At the Heroes vs. Villains season finale Rob jokingly challenged notorious Survivor villain Russell Hantz to another Survivor duel. One year later, it was on.

Rob and Russell returned to the game in Survivor Redemption Island to act as leaders to their respective tribes. Russell’s tribe quickly schemed to eliminate him in fear of what he could do given the time. Rob on the other hand was setting up for the greatest individual season in Survivor history. His tribe quickly embraced him for his hard work around camp, ability to perform in challenges and general know-how of the game. He formed an alliance with five members of his nine person tribe, and stuck with them until they were the final six remaining in the game. The fact that Rob was the centerpiece of an alliance that made it so far in the game was already impressive enought, but the style in which Rob ran this alliance is what should be noted. Players of the opposing tribe mentioned the cult-like mind control that Boston Rob had over his alliance. Rob’s “Ometepe Six” rarely conversed with the Zapatera tribe members after the two tribes merged. If they did, they immediately reported back to Rob to discuss what had been talked about. The defining story of Rob’s mind-control came when members from Zapatera caught a fair amount of fish one day and offered it to members of the Ometepe tribe, all of whom declined the offer simply because Rob told them not to eat it. How does one man convince a group of people not to eat when they have been starving on an island for nearly a month? Remarkable! Members of Zapatera were methodically picked off one by one in true Godfather fashion. It wasn’t personal, it was just business for Boston Rob and the Mariano Crime Syndicate.

Rob's fourth
Immunity victory

When it came to the point in the game when Ometepe needed to start eliminating from within, Rob’s name was never mentioned. And even if it was, he had no reason to be concerned because of his physical dominance (winning four individual immunity challenges, including the most physically demanding challenge I recall in Survivor history, where Rob collapsed afterwards from exhaustion) and a hidden immunity idol that he found in the initial stages of the game that would keep him protected if he was ever in danger. Rob was in the place he needed to be to get to the end stages of the game. To get to the one million dollar prize. To put himself in the pantheon of Survivor greatness.

As Rob won the last immunity challenge in the final four that secured him a spot in the end, he nearly started crying tears of joy. He knew he had won the game. He knew that the 117 days away from home were worth it. He carried with him to the final 3 two of the strategically and physically weaker players in the game to ensure that he would have the votes to win. The jury saw the control he had over his competitors and they were well aware of his physical dominance throughout the game. I didn’t think it was possible for Boston Rob to play as complete of a game as he did seven years ago. He not only matched it, he easily surpassed it. Even host Jeff Probst said that Rob played “as close to a perfect game as anyone’s played.”

Rob received eight of the nine votes from the jury. He won the $1,000,000 prize, and the Sprint Player of the season, as voted on by the fans which banked him an additional $100,000. His season was equivalent to an NBA player averaging a triple double, a quarterback throwing for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns, or a baseball player hitting 75 home runs. And winning the championship in the same year.

Boston Rob reacts after winning
Survivor Redemption Island

Boston Rob has been my favorite reality television competitor for seven years. To me, this will be an equivalent feeling to if LeBron James and the Miami Heat win the NBA Championship this year. However, not even LeBron James could dominate an NBA season like Boston Rob did in this season of Survivor. This was the season of Rob Mariano, where he became the greatest Survivor ever.