Press Hop 2

This is DJ Steve Porter's sequel to his internet sensation Press Hop. This is the same guy that did those annoying ass NBA commercials that were on during the end of last season and the Playoffs. It features some entertaining footage of Ochocinco dancing shirtless on Dancing With The Stars, but sadly it only has one tiny clip of Ron Artest saying "psychiatrist" which is spliced in with Allen Iverson bitching about coming off the bench. You would think that DJ Steve Porter would have been able to milk Artest's amazing NBA Finals post-game interviews to greater effect.

Worst Time of the Year

With the NBA season over and the NFL yet to start back up, it's officially the worst time of the year. Baseball dominates SportsCenter making for the most excruciating television known to sports fans around the globe. Shit, I would even settle for some soccer but the World Cup has already come and gone. Even NBA free agency is boring now, as Matt Barnes remains the most intriguing player on the market outside of washed up superstars like Shaq, Iverson and T-Mac.

And so, I've decided to post something baseball related. I know, I know. It goes against the Dank Game Manifesto (still in progress, by the way) to write about baseball, unless of course we are discussing how it's inherently boring, but I've come across an animated short from No Mas and artist James Blagden about baseball that's actually worthwhile. It's about a pitcher named Doc Ellis, who supposedly threw a no-hitter while tripping on LSD in 1970. So escape the throes of baseball season by sitting back and enjoying the coolest thing to ever happen in baseball other than Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier.

From No Mas:

In celebration of the greatest athletic achievement by a man on a psychedelic journey, No Mas and artist James Blagden proudly present the animated tale of Dock Ellis' legendary LSD no-hitter. In the past few years we've heard all too much about performance enhancing drugs from greenies to tetrahydrogestrinone, and not enough about performance inhibiting drugs. If our evaluation of the records of athletes like Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Marion Jones, and Barry Bonds needs to be revised downwards with an asterisk, we submit that that Dock Ellis record deserves a giant exclamation point. Of the 263 no-hitters ever thrown in the Big Leagues, we can only guess how many were aided by steroids, but we can say without question that only one was ever thrown on acid.

Sadly, the great Dock Ellis died last December at 63. A year before, radio producers Donnell Alexander and Neille Ilel, had recorded an interview with Ellis in which the former Pirate right hander gave a moment by moment account of June 12, 1970, the day he no-hit the San Diego Padres. Alexander and Ilels original four minute piece appeared March 29, 2008 on NPRs Weekend America. When we stumbled across that piece this past June, Blagden and Isenberg were inspired to create a short animated film around the original audio.

Thursday Throwback Posterization: A.I. Put Back Over Camby

Allen Iverson is in the midst of some troubling times, so I figured this week was an appropriate time to pay homage to his legendary career with a Throwback Posterization. Iverson has recently parted ways with the Philadelphia 76ers, which could likely be the end of his career. His remarriage with the Sixers ended after he had been missing games to attend to his daughter, who has had an undisclosed illness. Shortly after this, news broke that he and his wife are in the process of being divorced. To make matters worse, Stephen A. Smith has revealed that Iverson has been struggling with drinking and gambling problems to the point that he's been banned from casinos in Detroit and Atlantic City. Needless to say, it's been a rough year for A.I.

But let's forget about all that, and take a moment to appreciate what this guy could do on the court. Iverson brought a style of play to the NBA that was incomparable to anyone that had played the game. Ultimately his game and attitude kept a championship just out of reach, but he did manage to carry a 76ers team to the Finals in 2001 that really had no business making it all the way to June.

Now, let's get back to the dunk. Eric Snow misses the short jumper, and Iverson soars up for the put back dunk over fellow 1996 draftee Marcus Camby. A.I. gets some serious air, which makes me pine for the days before his athletic ability began to fade. To add insult to injury, Iverson hangs on the rim over Camby for a moment, as Camby tries to inbound the ball and move on from a moment he'd like to forget.

All Good Things Come to an End

One by one, the Thunder's streaks have both been stopped. On Tuesday, their 9-game winning streak was brought to an end at the hands of the Suns (without Steve Nash) after a last second floater by Jason Richardson. Jeff Green nearly hit a desparation three with under a second remaining, but it just missed.

And last night, Kevin Durant's streak of scoring at least 25 points or more was ended at 29 games in a 95-87 loss to the Spurs. Durant appeared to be on track to keep his streak alive as he finished the half with 17 points, but in the second half the Spurs held him to just 4 points.

Despite not reaching 30 games of 25 points or more, KD's streak puts him in good company. Allen Iverson (ok, maybe A.I.'s not the best of company) had a streak of 27 games with 25 points or more, while Jordan managed two 40 game streaks in his career.

I have a feeling KD's name will end up near the top of that list again.

To add insult to injury, with just under three minutes left and the Spurs up by one, Manu Ginobli somehow managed to do this:

Lady Lakers to fill in for missing NBA All-Stars

It has been reported from several super trust worthy news sources that the Lady Lakers of, uh, Michigan will replace the NBA players who will sit out this Sunday night for the NBA All-Star Game in Dallas at 7 PM EST on TNT. Commissioner David Stern attempted to find NBA players to replace the All-Stars who will miss Sunday's game, but apparently every player he contacted had already planned a vacation and/or told him to "get the fuck out [they] face with that All-Star Weekend bullshit." Stern had hoped to have the following players to replace these All-Stars:

Denver's Chauncey Billups for New Orleans' Chris Paul (injured knee)

The Clippers' Chris Kaman for Portland's Brandon Roy (injured hamstring)

New York's David Lee for Philadelphia's Allen Iverson (attending to sick daughter)

Dallas Maverick/New Beginnings Retirement Home resident Jason Kidd for the Lakers' Kobe Bryant (injured ankle, broken finger, back spasms, obsessive work ethic, delusions of grandeur, unhealthy Michael Jordan fetish, etc.)

The Lady Lakers seem poised to take the court at Cowboys Stadium in front of the largest crowd assembled in basketball history with more than 90,000 expected. When reporters asked if they were ready to perform against the NBA's elite in front of a record breaking crowd, they responded in unison with a resounding "Duh!"

Can't spell Philadelphia without A.I.

In an unlikely reunion, Allen Iverson has officially signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. After playing for the Sixers for 10 years, his tenure ended in 2006 with him feuding with former head coach Maurice Cheeks and refusing to play the fourth quarter of his final game against the Bulls. And now, he's back after a brief "retirement" following a three game stint with the Memphis Grizzlies.

With guard Lou Williams out with a broken jaw and rookie Jrue Holiday the only other capable point guard, Iverson has been guaranteed a starting spot. Apparently, when coach Eddie Jordan told Iverson he would like for him to start, Iverson was "like a kid on Christmas." I'm sure if he had been told he wasn't starting he would have acted like a kid on X-Mas who didn't get a PSP, or whatever it is the kids want these days.

So, is this really a basketball move or a business move? Team president Ed Stefanski insists that it's not simply to improve Philly's poor tickets sales this season, but I think it's pretty obvious that it is a move to get the city excited for the team again. The Sixers have lost seven straight games and look to be on their way to a loss to 'Stache's OKC Thunder as I write this. Apparently it has the city buzzing, as people have been calling into radio stations to talk about the signing. Whatever the motivation is for this move, I can't say I blame the Sixers for giving it a try. It's not a huge risk financially, and I'm guessing that the transition will be easy for Iverson due to the nostalgia. And let's face it, the Sixers aren't contending for shit this year, so they might as well have done it in hopes of getting a return from ticket and jersey sales. And if it actually does help the team, great.

The last remaining question is whether Iverson's isolation style of play will fit in with coach Eddie Jordan's Princeton offense, which puts an emphasis on ball movement. The Sixers' marquee player Andre Iguodala has even brought up this very issue when questioned about Iverson prior to the signing. Will Eddie Jordan move forward with his offense or try to adapt to Iverson's style? Despite his reputation to dominate the ball, Iverson does have a career average of 6.2 assists per game, so maybe he can find a way to fit in. But you also have to take into account that he has averaged 41.4 minutes per game over his career, which inflates his stats. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I just hope that this can lead to Iverson ending his career on a respectable note, because it has definitely been rough for him since arriving in Detroit, even if it is largely his own stubbornness that got him there.

Reunited?

According to Dime magazine, Allen Iverson has reached an agreement with the Charlotte Bobcats to sign a contract sometime next week. However, Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer claims that a reliable source has refuted this report. Bonnell does go on to say that there have been serious discussions with the Bobcats and a reunion between Iverson and former coach Larry Brown remains a possibility. Brown has seemed open towards coaching A.I. again, but has also acknowledged that there are several obstacles preventing such a reunion. The Bobcats are very close to the luxury tax threshold and restricted free agent Raymond Felton has yet to resign. If the Bobcats do sign Iverson, the money likely won't be great. Another issue is how the Bobcats would divvy up minutes, with second year guard D.J. Augustin, Raja Bell, and Raymond Felton – if he's resigned – all vying for playing time. Iverson does make sense going to Charlotte on a number of levels. The Bobcats were last in the league in scoring last season and Iverson is obviously a proven scorer. Charlotte also could use a big name player like Iverson to sell tickets and merchandise. But everyone saw what went down in Detroit last year and Iverson could bring a lot of baggage along with him.