Yes, I'm still alive. Things have been - shall we say - busy.
Now a married man, and a full-time freelancer to boot, I'm once again looking to get back into the bloggin' swing of things.
Still, I've written a few apropos articles in recent months, but wasn't able to post them ....... until now.
I went to a Thunder-Grizz game in December and wrote about some of the young foreign players permeating that scene in an article for SLAM. So, here's the courtside low-down on Thabeet, Thabo, Serge Ibaka, M. Gasol et al.
Drink it in.
Here are more clips from the December 22 game between the Lakers and Grizzlies in Memphis. Fast forward to the last clip to see how Grizzlies fans sent Pau off after the game.
This series was by far the most animated people got all game. Thanks, Gasol and Guy Complaining in the Background.
The Grizz are still a young team and it's evident in how the players fail to mesh on the court sometimes. Here, Gasol sets a high screen and then cuts to the basket, only to be hit in the face by the ball before he can turn around to receive the pass. Kobe then goes down and makes them pay, followed by a OJ Mayo passing out gifts like Santa to Lowry for a three.
Ouch. Gay and Mayo throw up a pair of airballs, but Mayo shows awesome defensive ability in skying for a block, while the Gasol bros tussle underneath the boards.
Here's proof in the pudding of why Pau was the 3rd overall pick in 2001 and an all-star: very nice agility and touch for an extremely lanky 7-footer..
More proof in the aforementioned pudding: Big Brother again takes Little Brother off the dribble. Just like they used to do in the backyard.
Memphis guard Kyle Lowry shimmys into the paint and shows nice play-making, setting up Marc Gasol for a twisting lay-up conversion between two Euros.
For international fans who may have never seen an NBA game live before, here's a smattering of of the joie de vivre that goes on during breaks. Lots of lights, loud sounds, and a marching band.
Pau met a range of fan reactions when he left Memphis' FedEx Forum court after his post-game interviews. He naturally met tons of people during his 6.5+ years in Memphis, and some of then showed him mad love as he entered the tunnel leading to the locker rooms.. Other fans, though, still carry a carload of resentment toward him for somewhat-sudden his exit to LA last season, as was evident in "We hate number 16!" chants I heard behind me while he was waving to the fans. I think Pau carried off the whole returning thing as classily as he could.
On Monday, I visited my first NBA game of the season, and saw the Lakers' Pau Gasol make his long-awaited return to play his former team, the Grizzlies. Adding to the intrigue was his shaggy-bearded face-off with his brother, Marc Gasol, now manning the same position for the Grizzlies Pau once did. Here are first-half highlights:
Like Serbian Sasha Vujacic in the latter part of this courtside video, the Lakers nearly bobbled the win away, but hung on to secure a 105-96 victory by yet another round of Kobe Bryant heroics.
Vujacic substantially more sticky-fingered in this go-around, showing some court generalship and entry passing saavy.
Memphis center Marc Gasol is normally not considered the quicker of the Gasol brothers. The seven-footer is, after all, 20 pounds heavier than his lithe Laker sibling. In the sequence below, however, he posts Lamar Odom, executes an impressive spin move, and is fouled before he can drop the "Spanish Hammer."
After converting the free throw, Odom gets Gasol back, proving even the up-and-comer still has a bit farther up to come to stop the "Odom bomb" from dropping! At the end of the clip, M. Gasol shows his quickness again in diving into the paint.
Gay shows some impressive blow-by speed against the Lakers' swingman Trevor Ariza. Not sure about the subsequent "MVP" chants, though, especially in light of how he finished the game.
All hail Darko! The oft-ridiculed Serbian center shows his defensive wares againt Pau and then go after a three-point miss by Gay with the tenacity of a preying mantis tearing into her mate! He had 8 rebounds in the game.
Marc misses a jump hook shot over the long-armed defense of his older brother, and then Kobe trots down the court and unfurls a trifecta, making it look ridiculously easy.
The end of the first half brings physical play between the Gasol brothers and more proof that quicksilver Memphis point guard Mike Conley is the first human to ever be born with ice skates on.
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