“Game Recognize Game”

Like a handful of other crazy New Yorkers, I stayed up late last night to watch the Knicks-Clippers game. That was a fantastic decision, primarily because of Blake Griffin. Griffin annihilated the Knicks with an explosive array of dunks mixed with an occasional 18-foot jumper. Late in the second half, it got to the point where the Clippers’ offense consisted of Griffin driving to the basket and trying to dunk every shot he took, even if the laws of both physics and probability tried to impede him. I’ve never seen anything like it.

If you want to see Griffin’s fearsome handiwork, you can check out the highlights here; I have no interest in posting video of my beloved Knicks being humiliated. But for my money, the best clip isn’t the highlights, but this wordless exchange between Griffin and Amare Stoudemire during a lull in the action. It’s just a neat catch, a funny but profound moment that represents the passing of the torch from the NBA of today to the NBA of tomorrow.

Assorted Thoughts From An Epic Day Of Basketball

Sometime around 1:30 yesterday afternoon, as the Georgetown-Duke game was about to tip off and the Notre Dame-Syracuse affair came to a close, my friend and I articulated a common sentiment. We decided there was no excuse for any self-proclaimed sports fan to miss such a day of basketball. The usual exceptions applied; employment, family obligations, and medical issues counted as excused absences. But given the cold front sweeping across half the country and the exceptional lineup of games, my friend and I decided that any unoccupied sports fan worth his salt would be firmly planted in front of the television set for at least one contest. Yes, this was quite obviously self-congratulatory, but we were too busy enjoying the day to confront the vain nature of our proclamation.

Here are some assorted thoughts and observations from this amazing day.