Season Openers in Review

Portland vs. San Antonio

Try as he might, he could not take down the giant. And then John Elway threw it 98 yards.

You've simply got to love the effort the Blazers put forward. They stayed with the Spurs all game, and that's with Frye and Roy pretty much underperforming. Pryzabilla, Aldridge, and Webster were BEASTS. If they could've gotten a couple more guys to have decent nights, I daresay the Blazers might've won. Oh, I have a feeling Channing Frye will have a minimal role this season....

The Big Blazers Q is: Will they be just as good with Oden?

It's possible that he might even drag them DOWN a bit. However, they just have to go along like this is their roster, and they're sticking to it.

As for the Spurs....Blah. Bruce Bowen had a terrible game.

Utah vs. Golden State

The 3 players in this pic and what they're doing symbolize the whole game.

Blowout? Is Baron hurt? Is Golden State in Trouble? The answer is no.

They simply need to figure out their optimal lineups. For example, Nelson insisted on playing Troy Hudson and Matt Barnes the whole game, even though they played like trash. It was so ugly, they almost reminded me of Dunleavy on his bad days. Now, Barnes is proven, but if Hudson can't get himself in gear within the next few games, he should have no problem benching him in lieu of Bellinelli.

You also have to take into fact that Stephen JAckson wasn't there. Not THAT major, but a hit nonetheless.

Croshere- Solution to the Warriors rebounding problem. This guy needs to PLAY!

Azubuike did well in the first, but he needs to create mroe for himself and try not to fizzle out.

NO BLAME shall touch Pietrus. He performed better than a lot of the team.

As for the Jazz? Well, lets just say they don't miss Derek Fisher. Giricek was....playing defense. It was scary. Harpring was seldom used. Only guy who had a bad game was Okur. Look out for this team.

Houston vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Might as well do that all season, Kobe.

It's total BULLSHIT that the Rockets aren't playing Steve Francis. The Rocekts complain they have crap for PG, they get a potential All-Star PG, and they BENCH him? Worse yet, don't let him play a SINGLE MINUTE?! Why even sign him? Honestly, if they do that, get ready for another 45 win year, Houston. You're obviously not ready to take the next step.

NO WAY this game should've been close. Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming did everything for Houston, and Mike James did a little. And agian Houston fails. IF you really wanted to improve, why not tryout more Luis Scola? It's not like Hayes is...doing much at all, really.

Also, Scola should have made better use of his 9 minutes.

The Lakers? What a sad sack of a team. Looking at the box score, it's OBVIOUS one person did all of the work. Fisher shot a few 3s. Now when almost a 6th man steps into another team and immediately becomes a 2nd or 3rd scoring option (when Odom comes back) you know that there's something wrong with that team.

Walton, however mediocre his game was, did pull it out in the clutch though. I have to give him props.

Honestly, without Kobe, this team IS trash. Trashy Trash. But Mr.Ballhogging pig just forces them to be semi-competetive with an underperforming Rockets team. Please, Lakers. No more. It will only take you 1 season or so to rebuild, you're LA!

Or, on second thought, keep him. It would be better if he didn't ruin any other teams.

Silly Side Note: A TNT graphic late game said the Lakers had -1 timeouts. Rightfully so?

Jim Barnett Quote of the Game: Find the hot hand and feed the hot hand.

The last night of the WFL

Before reading my post, please refer yourself to my Golden State of Mind Diary, "The Last Night of the ABA".

So, I went to the "real" last time the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets would be in Oklahoma City. If I could describe it in one word....it would be "spooky".

So, I walked in to the Ford Center, and the same attendants were there. A good feeling filled my lungs. I grabbed a program, a towel and slapped Hugo (the Mascot)s' hand. I then walked in to the concourse....and that feeling was gone. I realised that the "program" was a roster and a thank you to sponsors printed in black on a piece of blue construction paper. The towel had this stupid design on it and said "New Orleans Hornets" instead of the good old "Hornets Basketball". The magic was gone.

Program indeed....

I then went to the pizza stand where I used to get pizza, and the sellers had no spunk. My $4 pizza tasted the same, and so did my $3 bottled soda, but it just didn't feel the same.

I sat in my seat, and there was little to no pre-game entertainment. All of the sponsorships were gone. Very little fans were there. The players seemed lackluster.

Fast forwarding to 5 minuse before the game, there was a sudden INFLUX of fans. Like 2000. There were even some crazy Asians who came just to cheer for Yao Ming. In any case, by tipoff we had about 7000 fans. I was disappointed. They had a few videos thanking OKC, and Chris Paul came out and said, "Yeah, we're in New Orleans now, but keep supporting us!" (Yeah, we'll support you like Omaha fans support the Sacramento Kings!!!!)

So, the game started (the announcer kept calling the team New Orleans instead of "Hometown Hornets" like he used to). The Hornets performed like poo. At least Rob Nice was there. They had the same entertainment, but minus the sponsorships. (IE, instead of Super Sonic Seat Upgrade, it was Hornets Seat Upgrade.) Notes on some of the players:

- Peja was definately shaking the rust off. Dude played like poo.

- Adam Haluska should've been MVP. Pretty good at his deep 2s and short 3s, and he kept us in the game.

- At first, Luis Scola was BALLIN, but then faded out a bit. I have high hopes for this d00d, although not as high as the hopes I have for Tiago Splitter. TAU Ceramica will really suck this year.

-Hilton Armstrong was alright. I'll give him another year.

-Steve Francis looks like he might not start. Looks liek they're trying to get him into the flow of the team first.

-Melvin Ely didn't play. I don't think he'll even make the 12 man roster, maybe on IR.

-Where's David Wesley? I didn't see him, I was looknig forward to him.

-A lot of fans were like, "PUT IN MOTUMBO!" Sadly, he didn't play a lick. He laughed at the thought. (The Dudes 41! Like he needs Preseason!)

-Kirk Snyder was cheered for. Nice to see we all remember him.

Yao make Basket!!!!

-Yao dominated. No suprise. The asians were going crazy.

In any case, the first half was pretty bad, with a bit of positive in the 2nd. At the half, attendance was so low that Loud City fans were invited to come on down to the Lower Level. Strangely, some stayed up there.

But then when the comeback started coming on, it felt like old times. All of the old fans (like Brick guy) were there. It was JUST as loud as 19,000 fans. The hornets were making a big comeback, and once they came back, staying with (even ahead of) the Rockets. It was the perfect game. My spirit was uplifted. And even when the game was almost over, and it was pretty assured that the Hornets would win, only about 5 fans left. Everyone else stayed. You could tell that everyone here was the real hardcore fans. It was crazy....you just had to remind yourself not to look up, or the dream would be ruined (empty seats).

So, the game ended, the Hornets won an irrelevant game. I stood for a while, taking it all in. I then left the practically empty stadium to the cold, dark night. I never looked back, knowing that I wouldn't see NBA Basketball again for quite some time. I now know how it was in the last night....of the World Football League.