NBA Finals

Though there will be no Lakers, Celtics or Spurs on the court the NBA Finals should be pretty compelling basketball.

The star players on both teams, namely Dirk Nowitzki and LeBron James, have been scintillating of late, both doing what star players are supposed to do: make plays when their teams need them.

Like most people in these united States I did not like the way James left and embarrassed his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.  But the guy has been pretty impressive in the playoffs.  It's hard to know where to begin in talking about a player as talented - and big - as James.  His size and agility allow him to make impressive basketball plays all over the floor. 

Against the Bulls he blocked shots late, hit big threes, made passes to win game 5 down the stretch - after struggling with his shot for three and a half quarters.  He's physically impressive just standing there, but James' determination and will and mental toughness was more impressive - especially down the stretch.  

As you can tell, I was impressed.

Contrast James' play with Derrick Rose, who was panicky in the last 5 minutes instead of confident and fouled Dwayne Wade as he made a three-point shot late.  I expect his performance in this series - where he lacked confidence in his teammates and could not take over a game by himself  - to help his development.

Coincidentally, the same thing happened to Michael Jordan.  He only started to win championships when he figured out the balancing act between taking over a game and trusting his teammates.  Easy to forget that the Bulls won a couple of championships thanks to big shots by John Paxson and Steve Kerr, guys Jordan found open - and trusted to take and make big shots.

Rose seems like the kind of guy who WILL figure it out - and become a real monster when he does.  But he hasn't yet, and that was evident late in every Bulls loss to the Heat. 

Of course, up till now neither James nor Nowitzki has figured it out either, at least neither have won a championship.  But both guys are playing at an extraordinarily high level.  It will be fun to see if both can keep it up and carry their team to a championship, and thus earn a place in the pantheon of truly elite basketball players.

FYI, in my opinion the list of truly elite basketball players - guys who have won championships and are still dominant is: Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, and perhaps Dwayne Wade.

[Interesting to see how aging this list is.  If Nowitzki, James, or Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant, win a championship the torch will have been passed.  Shaq should also be on that list, but he's practically retired.]

Therein lies the key to this series: Wade. The Mavs resemble the Bulls in that they have a dominant player with a nice ensemble that plays tough D.  However, if Jason Kidd (who could join the elite list if the Mavs win the title?), Jason Terry, and others on the deep Dallas roster step up they could win the franchise's first championship. 

But will any of those guys play as well as Wade?  Probably not, so though I want to see Brendan Haywood get a ring, it's hard to pick a one-superstar team beating a team with two.  Nowitzki may get enough help from Kidd, Tyson Chandler and others, but with Wade helping James it's hard to see the Heat failing to win their NBA championship. 

But James is the bottom line.  He is playing at such a high level, both mentally and physically, it's folly to pick against him.   

A few more hoops notes, then it's time to leave the coffee shop for work:

• The playoffs have certainly exposed Duke grad Carlos Boozer as a titanic fraud.  He was at his Dookish 'best' last night both in terms of his foul on James and his complete disappearance in a game his team really needed.  I used to think he had a nice game but he seems to have peaked a few years ago and no longer seems worthy of 35 minutes a game.
• One other Duke note: the NCAA announced a rule change that would no longer allow a player to draw a charge by standing under the basket.  As it is now in the NBA, the NCAA will draw a circle under the basket where a defensive player can not stand to draw a charging foul.  That 'strategy' has long been a staple of Duke's philosophy: 'just stand here like a statue and wait for the ball handler to show up'  (in my opinion an un-American 'reward' for inaction).  So if you're wondering, that sound you just heard was Mike Krzyzewski's heart breaking. 
• One more side note about a Mavs-Heat final.  What would be more insufferable? The Heat winning a championship after staging that goofy and childish dance party/press conference to introduce James and Chris Bosh last summer, or the goofy and childish antics of Mark Cuban if the Mavericks win?  Discuss!

Anarchy

Is it ironic to write about anarchy, especially if you are not using spray paint?

I'm a few days late blogging on this topic, one that bookended the Saturday Washington Post. Of course, Greece was once again on the front page with an article on the rise of the anarchist movement in Europe but especially in the motherland.

Though a punk rocker from way back, at least 1981, I was never into anarchy that much. It might have been okay for the U.K. and the Sex Pistols, but I was too much of a socialist punk rocker, with a soft spot for government programs and public projects funded by progressive taxation (so maybe I was a Keynesian punk rocker) to see the appeal of anarchy as an ideology or world view.

The irony here is that many punks in England, especially the Pistols, hated the welfare state and it's leveling and blandness (even the national health service!).  There were other punks, like The Clash, who were more leftist/Marxists/populists/etc.  and in the U.S. most punks of that era were very left, following the anti-corporate, anti-Reagan, and anti-hippie credo of The Dead Kennedys and others (I may be overgeneralizing here, but that was my experience).

So I liked the state too much to be an anarchist, but also you simply can't trust anarchy, and more importantly the mob mentality that usually accompanies it.  I can't imagine anarchy is the best way to accomplish anything progressive, so it's odd to think it's popularity is on the rise in Europe.

One of the great political paradoxes is 'without order there is no freedom."  Or justice for that matter.  The rule of law, just law, is more important and more liberating than anarchy. 

A vivid example of that truism was also in The Post on Saturday, in my main man Colbert King's column on the Freedom Riders.   King brutally reminded us the cost of anarchy. In the south in the 50s and 60s there was anarchy.  The mob ruled, the police looked the other way, and in the anarchy that followed African-Americans and members of the civil rights movement were terrorized.  

His column is just one, small, snap shot of how the white power structure reacted to the civil rights movement, and took advantage of the lack of the rule of law, of anarchy.  

A year ago anarchists in Greece fire bombed a bank, killing 3 employees including a pregnant woman.  That incident prompted Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to state "protest is one thing, murder is another."

The U.S. has learned a lot from the Greeks.  Greek youth, the most active participants in the 'We won't pay' movement, have plenty of reasons to have little-to-no faith in Greek political structure. But they should learn from the U.S. in this case.  

All the great leftist victories in the U.S., from winning the Civil War to labor to civil rights, have relied on citizens insisting on a just application of the law and our democratic values.  Despite the anarchy, the civil rights movement eventually won (legall; within 10 years legal racism had been defeated).  But it was a disciplined, organized movement. 

The 'We won't pay' movement and others like them should focus on organizing around democratic values, not on promoting anarchy.

Big DC Sports Day

Hard to pick out the bigger story: Jayson Werth hitting a home run - with runners on base no less - or the Wizards changing their jerseys to look more like the old Bullets ones.

Werth was joined by Laynce Nix in hitting a three-run homer in last night's 7-6 win over the Braves in Atlanta.  The two three-run blasts helped Jason Marquis win his 100th career game. 

It may have also marked the first time that two players whose first names both include useless Ys have homered in the same game.  

As for the new Wizards unis, I'm not crazy about them.  On the plus the side, I like the new lower case font and that they kept a DC logo.  The one homage to Bullets that I do like is the hand reaching for or shooting the ball at the top of the lower case 'd.'  I also like the basketball logo with the Washington Monument in it.

Now I like the red, white and blue.  For instance, it looks awesome on a flag, particularly a waving flag with stars and stripes.  

But it looks cheesy on the old Bullets uni, and still looks cheesy now.  I think the main reason it looks so bad is the way the horizontal stripes dominate the top of the jersey.  It just looks bad, especially when it's worn by a player.

Want proof?  Check out the sullen looks on John Wall and Jordan Crawford at yesterday's unveiling.

Another Williams in the ACC

At least another ROY Williams protege as Maryland hired Mark Turgeon to succeed recently retired legend GARY Williams. 

I think Maryland got this one right, and not just because Turgeon is a former Kansas player and assistant to both 'ol Roy and Larry Brown.  He seems to be the kind of hard working young coach who has recruited and won at places - Wichita and College Station - that are challenging locales.  And though he is relatively young, 46, he has a long track record at two biggish schools (Wichita State and Texas A&M) unlike recent ACC hires like Dave Leito, Tony Bennett, or Frank Haith.

In general there seems to have been a nice upgrade in the ACC coaching ranks, with Brad Brownell at Clemson, Brian Gregory at Georgia Tech, and now Turgeon; I'm not as crazy about Wake's coach or Mark Gottfried at State or hiring a 62-year old Jim Larranga at the U).

One last thing.  In today's Post Mike Wise thinks hiring Turgeon is settling on someone not named Jay Wright (one final four though good looking), Jamie Dixon (zero final fours but also good looking) or Sean Miller (no final fours).  His column is another reminder how reading that guy is a waste of time.

The Post sports page is transitioning, with no more Kornheiser or Wilbon but it still - thankfully - has a still excellent Tom Boswell - and The Slouch on Monday!  Jason Reid, a former Dodgers beat writer, has been a great addition but Wise generally stinks while excelling at writing smug and self conscious columns that generally lack insight or wit, and stay with you for as long as it takes to recycle the paper. 

Back to Gary Williams

The retirement of Gary Williams was ALMOST as big a story in DC as was the killing of Osama bin Laden.  In fact, it may have been more bipartisan, since Williams was a fairly well known Republican and is friends with former Republican Maryland governor Bob Ehrlich, and Republicans hated giving the President credit for bringing bin Laden to justice.

Even if he is a Republican, one has to respect Gary Williams' career at Maryland.  It's easy to forget how bad Maryland basketball was when Williams took over his alma mater's basketball program.  Not only did Williams come back to a school that was on probation and was still haunted by the 1984 cocaine death of Len Bias, he gave up a choice job at a big time school, the Ohio State University.  

He loved Maryland enough to leave a school most coaches would dream of retiring from to take over a program in the toilet.  Have to respect that kind of loyalty and - though it's a cliche - school spirit.

And you have to respect - maybe not agree but respect - his stubborn refusal to recruit kids associated with AAU teams, posses, and hangers on.  Instead of pursuing local superstars like Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay and Ty Lawson (just 3 of the great local players who grew up within 20 minutes of College Park) Williams favored 'coaching up' non-blue chip players like Juan Dixon and Lonnie Baxter, guys who won him  and his school a national championship in 2002.  

In retrospect, Williams probably should have recruited more kids like Durant and Lawson, two generally modest kids (unlike Gay, who played for an almost notorious AAU team in high school) instead of relying on developing diamonds in the rough like Dixon.  After all, a reliance on those players resulted in Maryland falling on semi-hard times since 2002, missing the NCAA tournament more times than they made it since winning it all. 

But we're quibbling now.  Williams left a great job to rescue his alma mater's basketball program, and though he didn't turn College Park in the "UCLA of the East" he did win a national championship while doing it his way.  Not a bad summation of any career.

A few more hoops notes

One notable player Williams developed was Drew Nicholas, a reserve on the 2002 team and a second-team All-ACC player his senior year in College Park.  Over the weekend Nicholas helped lead Greek-favorite team Panathinaikos to the 2011 Euroleague championship over Maccabi of Israel.  It was Pana's sixth Euroleague title, signifying the best professional team on the Continent, and third in the last 5 years.

The 'Octopus Man,' Dimitri Diamantidis,  was named both the Euroleague AND Euroleague Final Four most valuable player.  Diamantidis had double-doubles in both of Panathinaikos' final four wins over the weekend.   He's now in his late 20s, but of all the modern Greek basketball players he would have been a good-to-great NBA player.  Diamantidis is a long, athletic player and can run the point and hit some threes, but who would have made his mark in the League as a defender, kind of a Hellenic Stacey Augman or James Posey or Luol Deng.

Nicholas scored 14 points and led an 11-3 run in the third quarter to give the Greens a lead they would not relinquish on their way to the title.   Panathinaikos was lead by Mike Batiste's 17 points; Batiste played at Arizona State and had a cup of coffee with the Memphis Grizzlies before landing in Greece.

Another former Grizzlies player, Antonis Fotsis, had a nice game including a nasty dunk during the Nicholas-led run in the third.  I wish Fotsis had staying in the League more than one year; athletically he could have stuck around but he has thrived in Athens with Panathinaikos - and has won three championships there.

Of course, who currently plays for the Grizzlies?  Greivis Vasquez, a gritty and under-talented high school player who went on to win ACC player of the year, a non-blue chip player currently earning a living hooping it up in the NBA playoffs, developed by Gary Williams.

Gary Williams and Osama bin Laden

Two huge stories in DC this week.  

I don't have much to add to the Osama bin Laden story.  I'm happy we got him, and ecstatic that Obama got him in particular.  It's hard to overstate how significant decapitating Al QaedaOsama was good at putting together such an effective network.   is; I imagine putting together that kind of terrorist network is hard to do (ditto building the Third Reich, or maintaining Jim Crow for 75 years, wiping out Native American culture, etc.), and that for all his venality

We should not expect Al Qaeda to wither and die, but the good news is Osama should be hard to replace.  

And the way Obama and the U.S. pursued Osama - instructing the CIA to reinvigorate the search for Osama once he took office, walking back leads on possible Al Qaeda couriers, putting the house in Pakistan under surveillance starting in August, then pulling the trigger on the mission to get Osama over the weekend - displays the kind of competent  executive leadership this nation often lacks.

Great work, and great news for the country, the planet, and the President.

As big as getting Osama, the Gary Williams retirement is almost as big of news here in Washington.  More on that later.

One more reason

It goes without saying, but baseball is the best sport ever invented. I don't have time to enumerate all the reasons why - the combination of individual skills with team play, it's democratic, there is no clock, it's equal parts mental AND physical, etc. ad infinitum - to name a few.

One other reason was in the Post this morning, namely a quote from DC United's Charlie Davis about a new celebration dance he is planning for the next time he scores.  A sport with celebration dances?  

Two more reasons why baseball is THE best sport ever are: there are no celebration dances; and if a player every DID one, the next time he came to bat he would be drilled in the head by the opposing pitcher - the way it should be. 

Celebration dances for doing what your supposed to do?  Pathetic in any sport, and thankfully not a part of the greatest sport.

When does 2012 start?

As some of you know, Evan has a blog called Waiting for 2012.  It's mainly devoted to Nationals fans as we wait for Steven Strasburg and Bryce Harper to play a full season for our hometown team.

But that notion will have to take a back seat to the 2011-2012 college basketball season.  With today's news that Harrison Barnes is staying in Chapel Hill the Heels look more than stacked for the 2012 season.  

The inevitable comparisons to 2009 have already started for the Tar Heels. That team had to wait until Lawson, Green and Ellington decided to stay in school, then after a few speed bumps proceeded to dominate college basketball on their way to Carolina's 5th NCAA championship.

For me, the real comparison with 2009 is that ol' Roy will have to coach up to expectations - and deal with the pressure of being a heavy favorite. With all five starters returning from an Elite Eight squad, that will certainly be the case in 2012.

But it's a good problem to have. GO HEELS!

A few more notes:

• Great weekend of NBA playoff games. Of course, the only two I watched in their entirety were the ones that featured Tyler Hansbrough and the 'Three-headed Carolina Point Guard Monster" in Denver (aka George Karl, Raymond Felton, and Ty Lawson).
• Tough to see the Pacers lose, but great to see Psycho T running the floor, making buckets, dunking a few times and abusing Duke's Carlos Boozer in the process.  Ironically, Boozer is probably the player that Hansbrough should most emulate in the NBA.  Both played the five spot in the ACC but Boozer has thrived as a power forward thanks to a variety of shots and skills.  However, Hansbrough should NOT emulate Boozer's listless defensive efforts.
• All Heels fans know about the speed of Ty Lawson, but the NBA game also allows him to showcase his strength.  He made a number of tough shots in the paint against the Thunder last night.  And it's fun to watch Lawson and Felton play in the same back court.  Both played more than 30 minutes last night, and each scored in double figures - though Felton missed all four of his three-point shots including a big one with a minute left. 
• Danny Green played 29 . . . seconds in the Spurs' loss to Memphis, and Brendan Haywood had 2 points, 6 boards and 1 blocked shot in the Mavericks' win over Portland.  His dunk ignited a 12 - 4 run that gave the Mavericks the lead at half time. 

Nationals Note

Opened on a Nats note, so will close on a Nats note.  Evan and I had tickets to Saturday's rained out game versus the Brewers.  And just like a rainbow that follows a storm, the rainout turned out great for us.  

We were able to trade-in our Saturday tickets for tickets to Sunday's double header. We had good seats for game one, in Section 221, Row D, then moved down to Section 128 for the second game.  Both were on the first base side (our normal season tickets are near third base).  I don't know if it was the change of scenery, or the spontaneity of our post Palm Sunday-lunch decision, the two free hot dogs someone gave us, or the fact that the Nats swept the Brew Crew, but we had a fantastic time! 

Most it had to do with the Nationals' play - though I did like sitting on the first base side.  Led by Danny Espinosa, who hit a three-run homer in game one and a three-run triple in the night cap, the Nats finally came up with some big hits. 

But more importantly, both starting pitchers - Jason Marquis and Livan Hernandez - pitched well, and Marquis was the first Nationals starter to throw a pitch in the 8th inning this year.

The Nats are 8-7, above ,500 and on a pace for 86 wins.  So maybe we only have to wait for the Tar Heels in 2012?

March Madness vs. the BCS

Lot of funny Tweets last night about the horrible national championship game between Butler and UConn.  Anyone but a UConn grad has to agree that there were NO shining moments in last night's game (that was one of my tweets).  

Of course, for me one recurring thought was 'Carolina would have waxed both of these squads.' But forget Carolina, how did Kentucky lose to UConn and how did VCU lose to Butler?  Odd to see how nervous and tight Butler was considering they were in the Final Four a year ago and feature lots of seniors in their rotation.  

But I don't want to spend a lot of time analyzing last night's game.

The most provocative Tweet of the night was from Jason Whitlock, who basically said: "two mediocre teams battling for the national championship; this kind of game would never happen in the BCS."

The one-and-done format is exciting and produces a fair number of upsets every year, but the BCS defenders do have a point.  The NCAA tournament does not always produce a national champion that is the best team in country.  

Sometimes that does happen. Carolina was the best team in the country in 2005 and 2009; ditto Florida the two years they won, UConn in 2004, Duke in 2001.  But the last two national champs have been mediocre at best.

Of course, the BCS does not always produce a national champion who is clearly the best college football team in the country either; just ask TCU.

That's why some of the proposed, modified BCS-tournament seems to be the best system.  A scenario put forth by Sports Illustrated and others would feature a tournament of the top 16 teams. 

That would work in football, but I imagine most college basketball fans would rather see teams like Butler, VCU and George Mason have a chance to make the Final Four than shrink the size of the tournament so there are fewer upsets.  Fewer upsets mean the best teams are more likely to win the national championship, and I personally would support shrinking the size of the tournament to facilitate that possibility.

But shrinking the size of the NCAA tournament - to favor power teams and conferences - is as likely as a playoff system in college football.  So when looking back at this NCAA tournament fans should remember the runs made by VCU and Butler and not a championship game that was so bad it should come with an asterisk.

Why We Travel

I think I have some post-Parthenon depression – which may explain the glass of ouzo I'm sipping tonight. While happy to be back in Washington I still can’t stop thinking about our recent trip to Greece.  A trip to Greece this summer is unlikely and practically impossible, but I need to start planning ahead for next summer or even a spring break trip for Evan next year. 

After all, I have still only ever been in three countries – and that’s counting the United States.  For the record, besides Greece and America the United Kingdom rounds out my unworldly itinerary; I’m not counting using the W.C. during a refueling stop in Dublin in 1978, or changing planes in Paris two years ago – though we did spend 2 hours there in one stretch and I bought a French candy bar made with I think slugs – or Frankfurt last week since we spent most of our time in Deutschland either in line at customs or in a Starbucks.

Nothing would please me more than to go somewhere oversees – to a new continent - every other summer.  Chile, Mexico, Malaysia, Ghana (wimping out and going stable in Africa) or South Africa, France, Italy and of course regular trips back to Greece.  Need to get serious about this plan and come up with a ‘winning the lottery’ strategy soon.

Greeks and Germans

After flying Lufthansa and spending a week in Greece seemingly surrounded by Germans it boggles my mind that anyone could have ever thought that these jokers were the master race. 

The Germans are certainly good at some things – I mean good things like making cars and washing machines.  At one point in the their history their trains reportedly ran on time (this trip their planes did NOT).

And now they have made countries like Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, parts of Italy, etc. slaves to the(ir) common currency.  Granted, some of those wounds, especially in the case Greece, were self-inflicted but often times the device was provided by Germans.

Germany’s economic dominance must really get under the skin of people like the Greeks, French and Italians (we know it bothers the Brits; that’s one reason they’ve seen the Euro but are sticking with the Pound).  For though good at manufacturing the Germans have very little style or grace.  Their language demonstrates that quite vividly.

But the way they dress, in a pseudo and un-convincing American style (ugly jeans, goofy t-shirts, blouses with all manners of gee-gaws for the women, etc.), the way they eat (if any group is more embarrassing to behold at an all-you-can-eat hotel breakfast bar than Americans it is the Germans; they hoard, and eat with their mouth open; put a sock in it Wilhelm!), and the way they act must give more civilized peoples pause.

What does a citizen of France think when they see a German stuffing their face with cooked Vienna sausages?  What does a Hellene think about when they hear an unsmiling German complain about their hotel room?  I know an American thinks these folks are crazy to have bought into the notion that they were the master race.

Trip to Epidauros

I touched on it briefly in my last post, but I really dug our day trip to Epidauros.  I finally posted the video from there on my Facebook page.

Modern Greece was the bookends, with the glory of Greece in the middle.

Our day started in the Athens bus station; we were planning on taking a ferry to the nearby island of Poros but the weather kept us on land.  The buses in Greece are clean and modern and comfortable, but as you can imagine the bus station was a different story. It was a fairly grungy place with an incredible range of people, from well-off Athenians traveling to their home villages to lots of beggars and immigrant vendors hawking all kinds of bootleg stuff. The saddest had to be the four or five-year old Albanian accordion player going table to table. The poverty and want really freaked Ariadne out a bit.  We were both relieved when the bus for Nafplion left on time (actually two minutes early – in Greece!).

The bus ride back was pretty mellow.  The bus was only half full, with many immigrants from Albania and south Asia on the ride back to Athens.  The new multi-cultural Greece was on display there and back.

From the bus station we end up in Nafplion, one of Greece's loveliest towns.  After lunch on the main square - I had a fantastic pizza looking out on the first capital of building of modern Greece - we were able to do a little shopping for worry beads.  There’s even a worry bead museum in Nafplion.  If I do win the lottery, I would seriously consider buying a house in Nafplion.  

We then took another bus to Epidauros (no poverty at the Nafplion station, just a few guys playing backgammon). 

Ariadne and I arrived in Epidauros to find the theater overrun with two bus loads of American high school students. Their chaperons were very impressed by the acoustics of the theater but their students were primarily interested in running up and down the aisles and yelling down at their classmates on the stage. Most of them had it backwards; you can hear someone whisper on the stage from the top of the theater NOT the other way around.

Then magically they got in their buses and left us alone. Ariadne and I had the place to our selves, with just birds and bugs in the background, which was magical.  The acoustics are so clear and perfect that you can feel your voice bounce back on you when you speak from the stage.  The video I took doesn’t capture that effect, but it was impressive and worth the trip through the bus station.

I thought about the bus station and Epidauros as I read Paul Theroux's essay in today's New York Times on the everlasting virtues of travel.  Despite the TSA restrictions, the cramped seating in coach, Germans and poverty and bus loads of kids, it's worth it.  Sign me up for another trip (after someone sends me the winning lottery numbers).

Worst blog of the year

The worst blog of the year is always the one that wraps up the season. Of course, I shouldn't be so pessimistic or melodramatic.  As I was saying to Evan as he cried after the loss to Kentucky today, this is still arguably the golden era of Carolina basketball.

Losing today stinks; to be one game away from our 19th Final Four is tough to take.  But again, it was a great season - 14 and 2 in the ACC, beating Duke in Chapel Hill, seeing the development of players like Zeller, Henson, Marshall and of course Barnes.  

And it's still the golden age, an age that will add luster next season if at least either Henson or Barnes come back.  Barnes may not, of course, though a lock out in the NBA may keep him in Chapel Hill.  Either way, a team made up of Marshall, Stickland, Bullock or a new hotshot freshman to take Barnes' spot, Henson, Zeller as starters, backed up by McDonald, Watts and a few more freshmen, will be formidable to say the least.

Anyway, back to the golden age.  Since Roy came back, in 2004, here are our results:

2004: 1-1 (lost to Texas)

2005: 6-0, National Champs

2006: 1-1 (lost to George Mason)

2007: 3-1 (lost to Georgetown in Elite 8)

2008: 4-1 (lost to Kansas in Final Four; worst loss of Williams era)

2009: 6-0 National Champs

2010: DOH!

2011: (3-1, lost to Kentucky in Elite 8)

Five Elite 8s, three Final Fours, 2 National Championships in 8 years.  That's more elite 8s, Final Fours and championships that most Division I schools (schools like Georgetown, UConn*, Pittsburgh,  Villanova, Texas, Purdue, Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, St. Johns, Syracuse, that's just off the top of my head) have in the last 60 years, let alone 8.

Still losing stinks, losing to a shyster like Calipari is even worse.  And Kentucky is like the perfect blend of Duke and State, arrogant red necks. 

Today's game was basically a toss up.  The Heels turned it over way too much in the first half, Henson was in foul trouble and Kentucky went nuts with the 3s today shooting over 50 percent for the game.  

But despite all that, the Heels fought back and with 2 minutes left it was a tie game.

To their credit, Kentucky made plays down the stretch.  I honesty thought they would fold - as most teams have historically done - in the face of Carolina's excellent comeback, this time led by a very aggressive Barnes.

To their credit Kentucky made plays, 2 more than Carolina did, to win.  That three to make it a four-point game was huge, but bigger was the block of Marshall's drive with the Heels trailing by one. 

That possession summed up the season for us.  Love to see Marshall take the initiative; he had a lane to the rack for the go-ahead basket.  Unfortunately, Liggins made a big-time block to stop the comeback for good.  

That drive was a good decision.

However, the great decision would have been to be a click more patient and get the ball to Zeller down low, where he was unstoppable down the stretch, or to Barnes to get a foul or a shot. 

Marshall made our season this year, so no complaints.  But freshman don't always make the great play all the time.  That comes when they're juniors or seniors.  

A great season where the Heels got better and better, and were fun to watch.  Next year, with improved players like Marshall and Stickland, and guys like Zeller coming back, the Heels will be exciting and fun and hopefully even more golden than this year's squad.  

GO HEELS!

A few more hoops notes:

• Still hard to believe that both Butler and VCU are in the Final Four.  VCU is the first Final Four team to advance with 5 wins (it usually takes 4) as a result of their play in game win over USC;
• VCU showed incredible composure in withstanding Kansas' second-half comeback; that was impressive;
• I'd be happy if either of those guys in the national championship, and have no idea who will win.
• How stark a contrast would it be if the final is Kentucky, a school that has been on probation once a decade for the last six decades coached by a coach who's two other Final Four appearances have been struck from the official records due to violations, versus a team like Butler?  Style versus substance? Self promotion versus humility?  The comparison's are endless.

Greek Independence Day Observations

As I wake up on Greek Independence Day - Zito H Ellas - I finally get to catch up on some blogging.  I also posted plenty of photos on my Facebook page last night.

I was hoping to blog more from Greece, but our schedule kept me from sitting down long enough to do so (and when I did have time, for instance when we were waiting for a bus near the theater of Epidauros, my battery died).  So here my impressions; I’ll post a longer tome - on my impressions of Greece since our last visit in 2009 - later.

The good news is after two years the Greek smoking ban is holding; there seems to be less smoking happening in public and folks are abiding by the indoor smoking ban.  We were in Greece two years ago when the indoor smoking ban was initially enacted – and universally ignored by businesses everywhere. Two years later Greeks have adapted AND are abiding by the rule of law – two landmarks for a population that prides flaunting authority.

We did get to watch part of a left-wing protest on Tuesday night.  Lots of police lined the march route, and the march itself was pretty standard for left wingers: lots of chants and signs protesting the EU, World Bank and U.S. intervention in Libya. 

We visited the Panepistimio, university section, of Athens for a meeting with the Hellenic American Union on Thursday.  Saw lots of left-wing graffiti, some Afghan refugees protesting for political asylum – standard liberal college stuff.  But I thought it was high-larious to see a Starbucks, Pizza Hut and Cinnabon near what is widely thought to be a hotbed of anti-Americanism.

Speaking of leftists, most interesting graffiti spotted so far: “Refugees welcome; tourists fuck off.”

We saw that spray-painted on a wall in the Monastiraki section of Athens. It was my first time there, and it was pretty cool.  Ariadne loved the shopping, and the area featured a myriad of shops but most of the shoppers were Greeks not tourists.  We ate most of our dinners there all week.  

Monastiraki is also home to some of the best souvlaki restaurants in Athens.  We had lunch in one shop called “Thanassi’s” and dinner in another, ‘Savvas” which had excellent chicken gyros and a goofy sauce made of yogurt, mustard and Greek parsley (maithano).

The Plaka, in contrast, was empty the night we ate there.  We had a nice meal at Vyzantino (I had some fresh red fish, Ariadne some chicken with Greek pasta) but most of the stores and streets were empty.

Of course, that allowed some longish conversations with the storeowners.  Everyone we talked to complained about raising prices and lower wages, but things are still fairly cheap here.  The Metro, for instance, has risen 40 percent to 1,40 for a round trip.  I pointed out that in D.C. most one-way fares on our Metro during rush hour are now $1.90.

One storeowner was more worried that it’s not just prices, but a general malaise that has taken over Greece.  She said that Greeks used to be more community oriented and watched out for their neighbors more. However, the financial crisis has caused many Greeks to be more selfish.

Despite the complaints and problems Athens still seems busy and prosperous.   A stroll down the main shopping drag in downtown Athens was full with shoppers and not many – if any - empty storefronts.  And you still immigrants selling cheap goods and trinkets.  And Monastiraki and the Psyrri sections of Athens were packed at night.

Perhaps the biggest shock, not really a shock, for us this trip is the weather.  It’s odd being in Greece when it’s cold and windy.  It’s been so windy, and thus the seas have been choppy, that ferry service to many islands has been cut off - including our trip to Poros.  So instead of taking a boat there we staying in Athens and took a bus for a day trip to Nafplion and the ancient theater of Epidauros.

Fantasy Travel has been awesome.  Our travel agents and drivers have been very friendly and love hearing from a Greek-American about both our impressions of Greece and America.  I also may have picked up a blog follower in Neli, who works for Fantasy Travel and writes for The Epoch Times.   

My favorite ‘snack food not available in the U.S.’ has got to be Baked Lays with Mediterranean Herbs.  Could eat those all day. I even heard an American father and son come to the same conclusion on the Acropolis one day.

Is there anything worse than being mistaken for a Canadian?  Many folks in Greece, when they hear me speak Greek, have assumed I was Canadian. When I asked why, one storeowner thought that Greek-Canadians are less assimilated and therefore more likely to hang on to their Greek, where Greek-Americans are more assimilated and therefore speak less Greek – which makes sense.

One also said I looked like I was good at curling.  Either way, it was embarrassing.

Greece pulls it out

Though they can't rely on Harrison Barnes to make a big shot down the stretch, the country of Greece pulled it out today after a couple of long flight from DC to Athens.

When Ariadne and I arrived today we were beat, but after a nap and a shower we got our kefi back and strolled the Plaka for a while.  It was kind of weird; cold and relatively empty, in short the opposite of the Plaka in the summer.

But after a frappe and an Evy soda Greece rallied.  We strolled among some shops, picking up a handmade leather back pack for Ari and a new Panathinaikos shirt for Evan with a couple of nice conversations - in Greek - with the store owners.

Then an unexpectedly nice dinner at Vyzantino.  Of course, we were looking for another taverna but could not find it, winding up in a small square that featured Vyzantino among other touristy tavernas.   But our food, and conversation, was great.  Ariadne got some nice chicken with hilopites, dry like she likes it, and I had a excellent and flavorful red fish that the waiter claimed to have been caught over the weekend.  We started with a garlicy but not dilly tzatziki sauce, and finished with a glass of  fruity white wine.  Everything was great.

And how can you beat strolling home under the lights of the Acropolis, with an added bonus of the excellently lit new Arcopolis Museum?  

Like Harrison Barnes, Greece pulled it out.  Zito H Ellas!

Almost a perfect day

Great to see (though I missed most of the game on a plane) pull out a tough win yesterday over Washington.  Best part was we got contributions from everyone, especially Strickland on D and O. 

Harrison Barnes was once again his clutch self nailing that huge 3 late, Zeller was steady and unstoppable in the second half, and KButter5 had a great second half.

Downside was not much defense on anyone not named Isaiah Thomas.  But got to give it up for Strickland's effort on Washington's best player.

The other downside, Duke pulling it out against Michigan.

And though I'm not happy when the Hansbrough family is sad great to see FSU make it to the Sweet 16.  My years in Tallahassee have made FSU my (distant) second-favorite ACC school.  Not only did the Noles advance, over a Big East team, it gives the ACC 3 teams in the Sweet 16 - the most of any conference.

The dozens of readers of this space now I think the Big East is overrated, and this weekend's games prove it.  Odd to see Marquette as one of the survivors.   UConn makes sense, and I'll be pulling hard for the Huskies to beat Dook if they manage to defeat Arizona (a tough out),  but I thought Pitt was the only other legit Big East team.  I guess I gave that un-offfensive minded conference too much credit.

GO HEELS!

Travel Notes

I type this in the Frankfurt Airport, a nice enough place but not very efficient.  Getting our boarding passes and going through security here took forever.  

But the good news is we'll be in Athens in a few hours, and Ariadne has been a great travel companion - very mellow - despite some difficult connections.

Got one out of the way

Glad to see us get it inside, happy to see us shoot it well, and glad to see us win - but very nervous about all the turnovers.  Zeller, Barnes and Henson looked great but our entire back court, especially Marshall, looked way to shaky.

I caught parts of the Washington - Georgia game,  and neither team shot it well on Friday night.  Overall, neither team looked as good as LIU.  

But, still a little nervous.

And have to mention how much I'm bummed seeing Irving back for Duke.  Or is his return the first sign of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx starting to infect Nolan Smith?  Let's hope so.

GO HEELS!