Time to Thunder Up

I caught the OKC Thunder for the first time this season last night on TNT at the Portland Trailblazers. Reggie Miller was calling the game, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable, despite the Thunder blowing an early lead to go down big in the third quarter.

If I've learned anything about NBA basketball though, the good teams are the ones that are resilient. And getting two offensive boards in the expiring seconds of the fourth quarter to force overtime is certainly a sign of resilience, as is Russell Westbrook's three quarters of inspiring play (discounting the disappointing third period). In fact, Westbrook's highlight reel post-International play is nothing short of a top three point guard in the NBA (fuck you, Rondo).

One unfortunate trend that was appropriately noted by Miller and company is Kevin Durant's tendency to turn the ball over coupled with his lack of assists. Surely the two are connected, and you have to believe Durant will re-adjust to NBA play before too long. His teammate are getting it done, and sooner or later Durant will play a game in which he has as many assists as points. Go ahead and quote me one that.

One of his teammates getting it done of the bench is Dank Game favorite Serge "the Congolese Squeeze" Ibaka (it's gonna stick, just give it time to sink in). As the sixth man, Ibaka came off the bench in both halfs and provided lights out defensive play, keeping the Thunder in a game in which they gave up an atrocious number of offensive rebounds and let the 'Blazers shoot an absurdly high percentage in the second half.

More could be said about the Thunder's effort, including Jeff Green's 20+ points and Cole Aldrich's scrappy, albeit limited play (he didn't really do much, but Slim McFavorite feels like I'm supposed to be some big fan of his). But sitting at 3-2 and slowly cleaning up the mistakes, OKC next heads to Boston for their biggest game of the young NBA season (have I said fuck Rondo yet?)

*note - I'm pretty sure that picture isn't from last night's game, but I'm also pretty sure it's awesome.

Mavericks Media Day = Dirk Getting Really Excited About Cooking

Whoa...

A Belated OKC perspective on "The Decision"

I'm not here to lampoon LeBron James and his ludicrus "The Decision" ESPN special. Dank Game, among many, many others, has done that plenty already.

Instead I've allowed a little time to pass, hopefully instilling reason into my OKC-themed reaction. So here it goes:

Kevin Durant will be the 2010-11 NBA MVP. And the runner-up will probably be Kobe Bryant.

Here's why:

James won MVP honors as the defacto leader of a Cavaliers team built around him. And it is a regular season award, so any talk of him not truly stepping up in the playoffs is inconsequential. LeBron was the undisputed focus of the team that won the most regular season ball games in the NBA in the 2009-10 season.

And the runner up was Kevin Durant, from the somewhat more team-oriented Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC was only able to muster an 8th seed in a crowded Western Conference, but coming off a truly bad debut season for the OKC franchise the year before, Durant quickly reestablished himself as a young superstar. He cemented this status by supplanting James as the NBA scoring leader and again winning the All-Star weekend HORSE competition (I know nobody cares about that, but I love mentioning it).

So now, with the "Three Headed Monster" in Miami, how can James (or Wade and Bosh for that matter) truly put up MVP stats? LeBron's points per game will almost have to go down, as the offense will no longer depend on him nearly every possession; the days of him playing point-forward should be over. Although his post-season aspirations should benefit as a result of this, the fact remains James is no longer the heart and soul of his team.

But Durant is. And unless Kobe has a season that makes him look a decade younger, Durant should easily be able to repeat as scoring champion. With the Lakers getting another year older, the window is opening for the Thunder, and I definitely see them enough games (55?) to put them in the top half of the West. That coupled with his prolific scoring ability will push Kevin Durant to an MVP season.

And Kobe, the likely runner-up, will have to watch as the West begins to slip away from his Lakers.

LeBron James' Wrestling Career

Probably people have seen this already (as is usually my experience with YouTube videos), but this is actually pretty funny. Basically, if the NBA were the WWE this is what it would be like. It makes me think that maybe NBA superstars should talk like professional wrestlers.

Even though the AppleTalk replacement dialogue is stupid, the things that LBJ is supposedly saying about Ohio are pretty funny. My favorite part is Bosh in the Cowboy hat though.



Sorry to take you away from Dank Game's regularly scheduled content of little football helmets dotting the screen.

Thursday Throwback Posterization: LeBron Over KG

Normally, for Throwback Posterizations, I like to find videos of dunks from at least ten years ago. Hence the name Throwback Posterization. But this week I'm making an exception and using a dunk from just two years ago.

With the internet going nuts over LeBron's miserable outing two nights ago, I figured it'd be appropriate to show a video of what LeBron should have been doing in game 5 at the Q. This is from game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which the Cavs would win to even the series at two games a piece. The Celtics would go on to win the series en route to their 17th championship in franchise history.

LeBron has Pierce guarding him at the top of the key and loses him by dribbling around a pick by Joe Smith. James Posey comes out to help Pierce, so LeBron does a quick fake as if he's going to crossover into the paint. Posey bites on LeBron's fake forcing Garnett to come off of Varejao to help, but LeBron is just too quick in elevating to the rack.

Despite this being a memorable dunk in and of itself, Marv Albert proclaiming that LeBron has "no regard for human life" makes it that much more of a classic.

Thursday Throwback Posterization: Horry on Terry Mills

Unfortunately the video quality on this Throwback Posterization is sub-par at best, but this is such a sick dunk that I just had to post it anyway. This is from back in the mid to late 90s when someone in the Pistons organization decided to change their team colors to teal and red, and to incorporate a horse into their logo. Not a good idea. But hey, it was the 90s. There were a lot of bad ideas going on with sports teams logos and jerseys.

Ok, back to the dunk. This is one of those all or nothing dunks. The type where you just launch your body at the defender and pray in mid-air that you'll be able to reach the rim. And if you don't, you're probably in for a nasty fall. In this case, Horry was able to reach the rim and put the ball through the hoop while picking up the and 1 for good measure.

Big Baby Wants To Be Called The "Ticket Stub"

Glen "Big Baby" Davis is once again trying to shed his long-time nickname of Big Baby after his first attempt to adopt the nickname "Uno Uno" failed. I'd like to think that myself and Teenage Mustache played a role in putting "Uno Uno" to bed early.

Kevin Garnett has been known as the "Big Ticket" ever since he was drafted out of high school by the Timberwolves in 1995. Apparently someone started calling Big Baby the "Ticket Stub" when he had to fill in for Garnett during last year's playoffs. I think it's safe to assume that Big Baby coined the nickname for himself, especially considering how he's embraced it. He's gone as far as referring to himself as the "Ticket Stub" in first person... twice in a row!

"The ‘Ticket Stub,’ he’ll be ready,” said Big Baby. “I just can’t wait to help them. The ‘Ticket Stub’ loves to fill big shoes.”

In addition to being a shameless rip-off of Chad Ochocinco, I think one of the main reasons "Uno Uno" didn't catch on is because it failed to emphasize Davis' stocky build. If a Glen Davis nickname is going to have any staying power, this physical attribute must be incorporated. Why do you think the nickname Big Baby has stuck with him for so long?

Unlike "Uno Uno," the "Ticket Stub" actually does make reference to Big Baby's build, as he's basically a walking stub. This makes it slightly better than "Uno Uno," but I still question the nickname's potential for longevity. Big Baby is just so perfect. I can't imagine any other nickname taking it's place.

Sorry, Big Baby. Nobody's going to call you the "Ticket Stub" except for maybe your teammates, who will probably do it either to make you feel better about yourself or to make fun of you behind your back for constantly referring to yourself as the "Ticket Stub" in first person.

Your nickname is Big Baby. Deal with it.

Quotes from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports

Unsung Player Day: Jamaal "The Big Cat" Magloire

April 14th has become known as Unsung Player Day in the NBA blogosphere, thanks to the Lakers blog With Malice. The goal is to come up with a player who averages under 10 minutes a game, but makes the most of his time when the coach calls him up. Naturally, I immediately looked at the Miami Heat's roster to come up with my own unsung player. My initial reaction was to go with "The Dayton Kid" Daequan Cook, but to my surprise, he averages over 15 minutes a game. Also, he really hasn't contributed much this season, so I went with Canadian center Jamaal "The Big Cat" Magloire instead.

Magloire has been the epitome of a journeyman throughout his career, spending time with the Hornets, Bucks, Blazers, Nets and Mavericks before signing with the Heat. His time in Miami has seen him mostly on the bench, but when he's been called upon he's provided toughness and great effort in the middle.

Averaging just 9.7 minutes a game, he's managed to put up 2.1 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 50% from the floor. Obviously not overwhelming numbers, but certainly not bad for the limited minutes. He isn't shy to dish out a hard foul when players try to take it to him, so his presence alone will make the opposition think twice about driving into the lane.

One thing about Magloire that stands out to me is that Dwyane Wade seems to trust him on the pick and roll more than any other center on the Heat. Jermaine O'Neal does his best offensive work in isolation plays while fellow Canadian Joel Anthony can't catch a pass half the time.

It's hard to say whether or not Magloire will be back in a Heat uniform next season, as the Heat have most of their money tied up in trying to resign Dwyane Wade and another marquee free agent. With that said, his current salary is just $825,497 so there's definitely a chance that he'll be back as a reserve center. At 31-years old, Jamaal has hinted that he might retire sometime soon to be with his family, but he also admits that it's hard to turn down the money.

Wade Turns Up the Heat in Indy

Tonight I had the pleasure of witnessing a 43-point performance by Dwyane Wade in a 105-96 overtime win against the Pacers. Typically I get to Pacers games early before they start checking ticket stubs for the lower section, but bad traffic led to us arriving shortly before tip-off. We nearly eluded an old guy who was checking some other people's tickets, but dude took his job seriously and chased us down. Even if we had escaped that diligent old man, it would have been tough to find vacant seats because this weekend's Final Four in Indianapolis brought in a considerable crowd for the oft-empty Conseco Fieldhouse. Normally I wouldn't mind sitting in the nosebleeds, but it would've been nice this time to see Dwyane Wade do stuff like this from up close:



And that was just one of many highlight worthy plays by Wade.

Michael Beasley struggled yet again as my faith in him continues to fade. I really want to believe in the kid, but he just doesn't seem to quite get it. He did come out strong at the beginning of the game with a few encouraging plays, including this drive on Troy Murphy AKA Big Ugly:



But overall, the self-proclaimed Supercool Beas was pretty disappointing. He and Haslem couldn't contain Big Ugly, who finished the game with 29 points and 15 boards! Also, Big Ugly had the runner-up for play of the game with this put back dunk:



It was a great game to see, especially since the two Heat games I went to last season at Conseco Fieldhouse were losses. And one of them was a heart breaker that ended with a would-be game winner by Wade that just rimmed out. This time around, Wade sealed the deal in OT with consecutive three-pointers that had me grimacing upon their release, but celebrating after they dropped. The victory extended the Heat's win streak to seven games and moved them ahead of Milwaukee for the 5th seed.

Kevin Durant Is Top Dog

Quick question:

What NBA player to date has scored the most points this season?

It isn't Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade or even LeBron James. As diehard Thunder fans who frequent the site likely already know, it's OKC forward Kevin Durant! (pictured)

Durant has scored 2,195 points through 74 games played. King James is trailing by 25 points with one fewer game played. The two each have an impressive 29.7 points per game average.

As a side note, I am pleased that in Dank Game's first NBA season, it appears every team we represent will be in the playoffs, barring an epic collapse by either the Heat or the Thunder.

Thunder Weathering the Storm

Step 1:  Kevin Durant wins NBA scoring title the same year he becomes old enough to drink

Step 2:  Oklahoma City goes to playoffs for first time since relocation from Seattle

Step 3:  Team finally gets decent looking uniforms

If all three happen, I may have to start coming up with less cliched post titles.  But seriously, Durant is scoring just about 30 points every game.  This has led to a six game winning streak.  The Thunder are now back in playoff position, rallying all the way to the 6-seed with number 5 just a game ahead.

Give it two more years and no one will even remember who the Supersonics were

Where there's Thunder, there's Heat

It's on!  Slim's McFavorite team (the Miami Heat) vs. yours truly's favored Oklahoma City Thunder.  Tomorrow night, baby!

Some background:

Slim started Dank Game back in July of 2009 to fill the large void in opinionated sports writing on the internet.  Suffering from a lack of charisma, Dank Game turned to Cincinnati wunderkind Teenage Mustache (actual name). 

For the most part, a decision was reached that Slim would continue to focus on the NBA, while America's real pro sport was covered by the 'Stache.  We even got some dick from Columbus to cover English football (you know, soccer), just to round out our coverage.  Naturally, baseball was considered non essential.

However, football season will end (hopefully after the Bengals win the Superbowl for the first time), and the 'Stache needs to keep this good thing going.  Without a Cincinnati team to root for (until we bring the Royals back), Mustache scanned the league for a team worthy of his fandom.  Not surprisingly, his heart landed in Oklahoma City.

Slim meanwhile has been rooting for the Heat since boyhood.  Mistaking Miami, FL for Miami of Ohio (and thus thinking it was a local team), Slim nevertheless stuck with his choice after discovering his initial mistake.  He was rewarded with a Miami NBA championship, thanks almost entirely to the addition of Shaquille O'Neal to the team.

Flash forward to Tuesday, Nov. 16th - the first Thunder-Heat showdown since Dank Game was launched.  Bragging rights will be established, fun will be had, I will be working :(

OK, so it's not a perfect night.  But once the Thunder have secured victory, it won't matter.  Game on.

No, make that Dank-Game on!

Big Baby to the NFL

According to ProFootballTalk.com, Glen "Big Baby" Davis has a serious itch to play NFL football some day. Specifically, after he becomes a super star in the NBA. I could continue to regurgitate information from Mike Florio's post, but his trademark wit was clearly on when he wrote his article, so why don't you just read that instead.

In the meantime, I've made this ridiculous Photoshop art for you to marvel at.

Slim, does this count as an NBA or NFL post?

OKC Thunder have the best . . .

You'll all be pleased to hear that the word to close the headline sentence is "mascot."

Yes, Oklahoma City Thunder mascot Rumble the Bison received an award Tuesday for NBA Mascot of the Year. Yes, the one pictured to the left.

The trophy was presented during the first quarter of their OT loss to the Lakers. The Utah Jazz Bear accepted the invitation to present the award. Video can be seen here.

So even though the Thunder's inaugural season may not have gone as smoothly as we would have liked it to, they are perfect in one area:

They have won NBA Mascot of the Year every year of their existence.

This was 'Staches first NBA post. How am I doing?

Dank Game Showdown - Heat vs. Thunder

Yesterday, there was a Dank Game preseason showdown between my own Miami Heat and Mustache's beloved OKC Thunder (I'm anxiously awaiting your Thunder season preview, 'stache). This match up was also a showdown between young stars Michael Beasley and Kevin Durant, who were childhood friends having grown up in Washington D.C. together. The Thunder would pull this one out 96-91 after the Heat controlled the game through the first three quarters. Listen Mustache, before you get too excited, fantasizing about the Thunder bringing home the Larry O'Brien trophy, keep in mind that Dwyane Wade sat this one out due to a strained muscle in his left rib cage.

Michael Beasley (seen throwing down a fastbreak oop from Chalmers at the beginning of the video) had an excellent game, going 9-13 from the field and 6-6 from the line to finish with 24 points in 38 minutes. Despite those impressive numbers, Beasley only pulled in 4 rebounds, none of which were offensive, and he turned the ball over 7 times. The rebounding numbers could be worse, but the turnovers are a real concern. Beasley started at small forward but would see plenty of time at power forward when the Heat played small ball with Haslem at center.

Haslem was his reliable self, adding 9 points, 9 boards, and 2 blocks in 35 minutes. Unspectacular as usual, but mildly effective nonetheless. The Heat might continue to utilize Haslem at center (who's already somewhat undersized as a power forward) as Jermaine O'Neal continues to struggle with rebounding, pulling in just 3 in 23 minutes. Numbers like these are all too familiar after acquiring him last season. J.O. did go 4-7 from the field and 2-2 from the line for 10 points, though.

Two of the Heat's youngsters, Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers, had some solid production with both playing about 30 minutes. Both of these guys have been having decent games with Wade out since they can look for their own offense without having to defer to Wade. Dayton native Daequan Cook would only shoot 5-15 from the field, but he did hit 4-7 three pointers, two of which can be seen in the highlights. He would finish with 14 points. Chalmers shot 4-7 from the field and 4-4 from the line for 13 points and added 4 assists. He also had 4 turnovers, though. Chalmers can be seen setting up J.O. for a dunk with a nice pass at the 1:16 mark on the video.

As for the rest of the Heat, James Jones shot well in limited minutes, Quentin Richardson struggled shooting going just 1-7 from deep, and newly acquired point guard Carlos Arroyo was quiet with a couple of dimes in 16 minutes.

Kevin Durant continues to look like a superstar in the making, going 10-16 from the field and 9-10 from the line for 30 points. His dunk on Joel Anthony at the 0:25 second mark on the video is reminiscent of Clyde Drexler and he can be seen dominating throughout the rest of the highlights, including the game clinching shot in the final minutes. I guess he had something to prove after firing back at Truehoop's Henry Abbot via Twitter after Abbot wrote a piece about Durant hurting his team when he's on the floor, despite being an obvious star.

The Thunder's Jeff Green also had an impressive game, going 9-16 from the field and 3-3 from deep for 25 points in 36 minutes. For as much hype as KD gets, I've always thought Green has shown a lot of promise. Second year point guard Russell Westbrook struggled from the field going 3-12 and 6-10 from the line for 12 points, but he did add 7 dimes.

We have yet another Dank Game showdown tonight in Kansas City between the Heat and HAM's New Orleans Hornets. I guess you would only know that from the Hornets logo on the side of the blog, though. Wade could play, so hopefully the Heat can pull it together as a team with only three more preseason games left and no wins.

2009-10 NBA Season Preview - Western Conference

Look no further, Dank Game is the place to prepare you for a season of losing money betting on the NBA.





You know the drill. Here are my thoughts and predictions on what will go down in the NBA's Western Conference. I'm feeling more confident with my predictions in the West than what I've got for the East. I was tempted to change my Eastern Conference playoff seeding after posting it, but what do I look like to you, a cheat?

Northwest

When looking back at last season's standings, I was somewhat surprised to see that Portland had the same record as Denver. Because the Blazers had a bigger off-season, I'm going to give them the number one spot. It's a tough call though, as I'm still pretty enamored with Denver's roster despite losing Dahntay Jones to Indiana and Linas Kleiza who left for Greece. With the addition of veteran point guard Andre Miller and the continued development of their young core, Portland seems poised for a big year. But then again, Andre Miller might sulk so much that he throws off the team's chemistry. He's like a contestant on one of those competition reality shows that keeps insisting they're just there to win, not to make friends.

It's hard to predict what will happen with the Jazz this season because of the situation with Carlos Boozer. Will Milsap get more minutes than Boozer after having capably filled in for him last season? Will Boozer even be with the team by season's end? Expect the Thunder to improve this season as their young talent grows. The Timberwolves will probably be lottery bound.

Pacific

Obviously no team in this division will even come close to hanging with the Lakers. With the addition of Ron Artest, they could be virtually unstoppable. Should Amare Stoudemire remain healthy and isn't traded, his presence alone should be enough to put the Suns above the rest of
the pack.

I expect the Clippers to improve with #1 pick Blake Griffin contributing immediately (why the hell are they talking about bringing him off the bench?). I also anticipate Baron Davis to bounce back and I think second year guard Eric Gordon could have a big year. Golden State is in an utter mess going into the season and the Kings are pretty much guaranteed to totally suck. Oh wait... that's right. I'm trying to bring the Kings back to Cincinnati as the Royals. Now that I think about it, they're going to be totally great this year. Come back to Cincy already! On the real though, I am excited to watch Tyreke Evans and Kevin Martin.

Southwest

The Southwest is by far the hardest division to predict who will come out on top, but I'm going with the well-oiled machine that is the San Antonio Spurs. The trade for Richard Jefferson and the free agency pick-up of Antonio McDyess will bolster both the their offense and defense, respectively, but the health of Duncan and Ginobili is most critical to their success. I hate myself for putting the Mavericks over the Hornets (sorry HAMS), but I just don't like New Orleans roster outside of Chris Paul, David West, and James Posey. I'm also not too sold on Emeka Okafor, who was traded from the Bobcats for Tyson Chandler.

I'm really not sure what to expect from Dallas this year. Shawn Marion could work well in their offense, but missing out on Marcin Gortat in free agency leaves them with Erick Dampier at the 5 for yet another season. I expect Houston to struggle after losing Yao Ming to injury and Artest in free agency. Memphis will be intriguing to watch, but an aged, stubborn Allen Iverson and the troublesome Zach Randolph can't be a good combo to have around their young talent.

Playoff Picture

Yeah, I know, Mustache. I don't have your Thunder in the playoffs. Give 'em a year or two of seasoning, and then we can start talking.

2009-10 NBA Season Preview - Eastern Conference

Look no further, Dank Game is the place to prepare you for a season of losing money betting on the NBA.





Much like my colleague/arch rival, Teenage_Mustache, I shall begin this post by acknowledging that these predictions will either make me out to be a genius, or a complete moron. As of now, I'm banking on genius. The NBA season is fast approaching (thank Christ!), the NFL season is well underway, and I think baseball is probably almost over by now... but I really wouldn't know, because baseball is boring. Without any further introduction, here is my take on what will go down in the NBA's Eastern Conference.

Atlantic

As the old adage goes, if they can stay healthy, Boston is the obvious frontrunner in the Atlantic division. I expect the Raptors to bounce back this season with the acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu, while the Sixers may have taken a step back with the loss of Andre Miller to Portland. If Lou Williams proves to be capable of running Philly's offense and Elton Brand can come back strong and find chemistry with the team, they could easily finish ahead of the Raptors.

With promising second year forward Danillo Gallinari returning from an injury plagued rookie season, I expect the Knicks to finish ahead of New Jersey. The Nets seem bound to regress after trading Vince Carter to Orlando, although second year center Brook Lopez and point guard Devin Harris could have very big years.

Central

The Cavs are clearly ahead of the pack in the Central Division. They won 66 games last year and because they acquired Shaq for next to nothing, I don't see them going anywhere but up. That's not to say the Shaq experiment will necessarily work come playoff time, as I still have my doubts. I'm not sure if the Bulls will be much better than last year now that their leading scorer, Ben Gordon, has left for Detroit. Having John Salmons for a full season – barring a trade – and having a healthy Luol Deng might prove to make Gordon's departure a non-issue, though.

Putting the Pacers over the Pistons might be a bad move, but I have trouble picturing Detroit playing anything close to mediocre defense with the addition of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. The loss of Sheed and McDyess won't help that cause either. I think Danny Granger could finally break into the crop of second-tier elite players this year, which is another reason I have Indiana over Detroit. Milwaukee seems lottery bound, especially if Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut can't remain healthy.

Southeast

The Magic dominated the Southeast last season and have only gotten better this off-season, while the rest of the division – besides the Wizards – hasn't made any significant strides. My team loyalty forces me to put Miami in second, although that will probably be a mistake. The Heat should be better this season if J.O. can return to form and their young talent shows improve. It's just really hard to predict how things will shake out amongst the Wizards, Hawks, and Heat.

The Wizards will obviously be better with Gilbert Arenas and Brendan Haywood returning. Acquiring Mike Miller and Randy Foye from Minnesota for their first round draft pick should also bolster their roster. The Hawks addition of Jamal Crawford will give them more offensive fire power and Joe Smith will help their frontcourt, but I still think their core of Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford can only get them so far. I'll probably regret putting them this far back, but I'm going with it. The Bobcats might prove me wrong, but I have trouble putting any faith in that team.

Playoff Picture

I'm guessing my bias towards the Heat will end up messing this all up and I'm probably not giving the Hawks nearly enough credit by taking them out of the playoffs, but otherwise this seems entirely possible.

Another Preseason Posterization by Gerald Wallace

Ok, so this one isn't nearly as nice as Shannon Brown demoralizing Mikki Moore, but it's still a pretty sick dunk. The main reason I wanted to post this one was that Gerald Wallace's victim was New Orleans' Sean Marks, who HAMS once described as looking like a high school science teacher. I always thought that was pretty hilarious and true.

Shannon Brown Posterizes Mikki Moore

Shannon Brown has been making waves on Twitter because of this ridiculous posterization of Mikki Moore from the Lakers 118-101 preseason victory over the Warriors. Personally, I avoid Twitter at all costs (unless, of course, it involves Ron Artest), so I could really care less about that. But seriously, that dunk was NASTY and deserves all the attention it can get. So if that means people have to be "tweeting" about it, I guess that's fine.

Football vs. Basketball

It's ON in Cleveland!

(graphic courtesy of SlimMcFavorite . . . it was my idea though)

Specifically, Browns "star" (he's really not that good) Braylon Edwards and Cavaliers mega-super-all-time-greatest-to-ever-wear-23-according-to-himself-best-of-all-time-floats-like-a-butterfly-stings-like-the-manta-ray-that-killed-the-crocodile-hunter-(what-too-soon?)-star LeBron James are in the middle of an ugly public feud.

So, LeBron is apparently friends with some Cleveland-area events promoter named Edward Givens. At roughly 2:30 in the morning, Braylon approached Givens, who was talking with people outside a nightclub. The conversation quickly went sour.

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, according to Givens:

"Braylon comes up and started saying things, degrading me. He said if it wasn't for LeBron or the Four Horsemen, I wouldn't have what I have, nor would I be able to get girls. Everyone knows Braylon has a problem with LeBron. So I had to speak up for myself. The conversation started to escalate. As some of his teammates started to pull him back, he punched me. I have a black eye and a cut. I'm not a violent guy.

"As long as I've known Braylon, I've allowed him and his friends to come into our events free of charge. Whatever jealousy he has with LeBron, he felt he needed to take it out on me."

Juicy! The best part is the revelation that "everyone knows Braylon has a problem with LeBron." Well if they didn't, they sure do know! And Edwards may be facing assault charges.

But it totally doesn't end there. LeBron had more than a little bit to say on the matter, per the Associated Press:

"I've never crossed paths with Braylon before, but it seems like there's a little jealousy going on with Braylon and me and my friends. I have no idea why. I've never said anything to Braylon at all. But for him to do that is very childish. My friend is 130 pounds. Seriously. It's like hitting one of my kids. It doesn't make sense."

Not the harshest of words, but a slight escalation. Speaking later to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, James pushed the envelope:

"I know how to handle myself as a professional athlete and I take care of my friends and my family. It is unfortunate that some guys don't understand that. You are a role model to kids and you should carry yourself that way on and off the field. And I carry that. I'm not going to do anything to jeopardize myself or my family. I'm one of the guys that look at being a professional athlete at more than just being out on the court."

James more or less does seem to carry himself well as a professional athlete, but clearly this comment will only inflame this "rivalry." I shudder to call it that though, as Edwards will never have the cachet that LeBron does in Cleveland. Why he choses to carry beef with LeBron, who claims they've never met, seems pretty pointless.

On a wider scale, it seems odd that an NFL player would bother beefing with an NBA player. The NFL is currently considerably more popular. But if it were going to happen anywhere, it would have to be Cleveland. The Mistake on the Lake is probably the only city hosting both an NBA and NFL team were the NBA team has eclipsed the NFL team in popularity.

In Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Washington and Dallas, the NFL teams are more popular - no contest. As much as Boston loves the Celtics, they are nuts for the Pats. Even during Jordan-mania, Chicago seemed to more-or-less equally love their Bears.

But in Cleveland, the Cavs are the only glimmering hope for a city that is currently most famous for having low budget tourism videos written about how shitty it is (I won't even mention the Indians World Series appearance from a few years back, as baseball is boring).

But maybe, just maybe this will be the beginning of an all out-war between the two greatest American sports. Is it possible that Miami-residents Dwayne Wade and Jason Taylor carry a deap-seated hatred of each other? Could Kevin Garnet and Randy Moss fight for the hearts of Boston? Will Steve Nash and Kurt Warner prove that the old guys in Phoenix want in on the fight?

Or maybe some drunk asshole just punched some dude.

UPDATE:

Braylon Edwards was traded to the New York Jets this morning.