Let's face it, can there be any greater compliment to bestow upon any baller than to simply say: he's a winner. You take your scoring titles, MVPs, and endorsement deals...in the end, it's all the ring, isn't it? It is easy to point at Carmelo or McGrady, and scoff: "All flash, he ain't no Russell, Jordan, or Kobe! Now, those guys are the winners!" But isn't that going after the low-hanging fruit? After all, It's easy to pick out winners that have the skills and the ESPN highlights. But what about those that toil anonymously in the shadows of the greatness, but somehow, inevitably end up delivering their indelible stamp when the game hangs in the balance? No lead actors here, I'm talking about the supporting cast. The William H Macy's of the court to whom you never give a second thought when the game begins. The guy with the awkwardly goofy shot and too-short shorts that you almost feel sorry for while simultaneously thinking: Oooh, I can't wait to take that sorry fool to the bucket! And yet, SOMEHOW, that fool always ends up holding up the golden ball in the locker room?! You know who I'm talking about: the Derek Fishers, Robert Horrys, and Mario Elies of the world.
With several KBA stars (BSR, Wah-qaeda...newly renamed Taliban) opting to check out early for the All-Star break (along with the entire Lakers roster), the KBA was forced to take the court shorthanded. Early fears of a potential failure to reach a quorum were put to rest when the Andytollah strolled in, kicking off some furious 4-on-4 action. Games were delayed for 10 minutes so the Andytollah could be appropriately heckled for wearing an Ed Hardy-esque T-shirt while playing. No word on whether the KBA league office plans to hand down a fine for inappropriate game attire.
EKE, Andytollah (aka the Situation), Shahe Vujacic and The Ex-Commissioner took the floor against Ricky D, NVE, OD, and the Catapulter. Now my loyal reader(s): you are probably asking yourself right now: who the hell is The Catapulter? It's Random Asian Guy. Duh.
Ricky D and the rickydees proceeded to put on a scorching display of shooting, winning the first game in a rout (7-3), and the second in a closely fought battle (15-13) featuring a game-winning two-pointer by Ricky D himself. Following the demoralizing loss, the Situations seemed to lose their will, while the rickydees stormed ahead. The Situations were kept in the game briefly by Shahe Vujacic (7 points, including a step-back two-pointer...no seriously!), but ultimately fell behind 12-8 on game point.
Following a missed three by EKE, NVE corralled the long rebound and raced upcourt for ultimately ended up being a 3-on-1 break. With the "offside" rule in place, NVE cleared halfcourt, then heard the voice from the heavens...or at least Northern California. A voice begging for the FIST play, just this once. So it would have to be a modified FIST play, but that was okay. And so he lofted the NVE ball and as it gently took took flight towards the heavens, he thought of how perfect it all was. FIST play on game point...what celebration was worthy of such perfection? The airplane...definitely the airplane. So as the NVE-F16 was about to take celebratory flight, the Catapult swooped in, took the perfect FISTlob literally inches from the bucket and got soundly rejected by the rim. The OD scooped up the ball and finished the game, but it was all too little, too late. Apparently, it IS possible to win and lose on the same play.
Prior to Game #4, NVE was traded straight up for the Andytollah (jeez...I hope there was an expiring contract thrown in there). Two tightly-fought contests ensued, and in spite of a spirited defensive effort, the rickydees again emerged victorious to cap off an undefeated 5 game run for the night.
Which brings me to my original point: Is OD the greatest KBA winner ever? This marks AT LEAST the third five-game winning streak that this blogger can recall.
Could it be? A man with no definable skill set: can't shoot, too small to defend/rebound, dribbles too much before barreling into three defenders, takes wild shots, not a good passer...but mentioned in the same breath as the greatest winners in basketball history...D-Fish, Big Shot Rob...OD?!?!?!?!??
No comments:
Post a Comment