Let's Get it On.

We're finally here. A fortnight ago, us basketball fans set out on a quest to watch the 

royal rumble for the highest honor in non-professional basketball. We filled out our brackets, laid our bets, knowing we'd be witnessing the enthralling Madness that goes down every year, but unsure of how it would play out. Two weeks and a few complete days' worth of basketball later, it's time for what's left of the NCAA bracket to duke it out for the national crown; the Final Four march into Detroit next weekend. 

Along the way we've seen it all: stunning upsets, thrilling conclusions, thorough blow-outs, moments of truth, of glory, of defeat and agony. We've witnessed highlight reel dunks and brutal rejections, sick dishes and disgusting turnovers, heroic game-winning shots from all over the court. We've seen a point guard shake off an injury to dominantly lead his team to the Final Four, a team remain focused through off-court allegations against their program and stay alive, a perennial powerhouse overcome the nation's overall #1 seed to fight for the crown in their own backyard. And we've learned that the side of the backboard's about the only thing that can get in Blake Griffin's way.

What's left are a quartet of top-3 squads that faced some tough competition and showed that they could live up to the expectations of a high seed. Villanova's been riding the momentum of their blowouts over Duke and UCLA, and played like the better team against a Pitt squad that, despite its #1 status, looked like the wackest team left in the Elite 8. Their last-second heroics from Scottie Reynolds may have been the clutchest play of the Tourney, and they might need more from him against UNC when Dante Cunningham goes up against the same double-team that just slayed the Griffin the Terrible. 

UConn meanwhile looks as thorough as a team could be, obliterating their early opposition and grinding out relatively close games over Purdue and Missouri. What's impressive is their ability to ignore a looming recruiting scandal (something about a text message. big deal), even winning a game by 60,000 without their coach, showing why they don't need to cheat to attract the country's best young players. Thabeet's been as good as advertised; dominating the glass, altering shots he doesn't block, and benefitting from the sudden defensive presence of Stanley Robinson. Jeff Adrien and AJ Price have been a dangerous scoring combo, and even on a star-studded roster, it was freshman Kemba Walker who stepped up and absolutely ate Missouri, leading UConn to the Elite 8 win. They'll need him to stay aggressive against a potent Michigan State D that will be playing in front of a home crowd of 70, 000.

The local support almost seems unfair, seeing as the Spartans just knocked off what was considered the best team in tournament in a comfortable victory, after coming from behind against the defending champs. Their newfound health, especially in the case of Goran Suton has been the difference-maker for them. Suton's excellence in the past two rounds cannot be overstated; he's scored from inside and out, worked the glass, passed remarkably well for a player his size and held Lousiville's imposing front line in check on D. Kalin Lucas has been a steady hand at the point, providing a scoring punch when needed and Travis Walton's defense will be welcomed against Price and Walker. They're playing like a #1 seed, have a brilliant coach and legions of hometown fans, they'll be a tough draw. But as impressive as all of these teams have been, I don't think they're going to win.

UNC's been dominant; Ty Lawson's return provided a consistent boost for an attack that's been getting balanced contributions, every night it's a different guy stepping up for them on offense. Their D's been stunningly good for a team that plays a high-octane game; against Oklahoma they did an excellent job of doubling Blake Griffin anywhere and rotating to close out on the shooters off the pass out, shutting down a team that had just abused Syracuse from the outside. Their balance and depth bodes well for them heading into next weekend; too many guys have been stepping up for them, chances are they'll play accordingly with the 'ship in their sights. Guys like Hansbrough and Green who passed up the L to win a national title have come this close and you can count on the former POY to be the hungriest guy on the court against anyone. 

Regardless of how the action plays out next weekend, it'd better be a fitting conclusion to the drama thus far. Nothing's worse than anticlimax and the bar's been set pretty high for a rivetng Final Four. I'm still rooting for UConn to win it like I called it and redeem my shattered bracket, but the only reason I didn't go with UNC was Lawson's injury concern, but having him back to his dominant self, and the rest of the team firing on all cylinders and supremely motivated, it's tough to see them losing, but it's the NCAA Tournament here; anything can happen. Regardless of who it is, may the best team win. 

The Best Sideshow on the Planet

Like most of you I'm sure, the final leg of the NBA's marathon season's taken a back seat on my TV for a little Madness; the annual open season for wanton basketball and reckless gambling. My roomates and I spent most of the past weekend several blunts deep, multi-screening the tournaments' several games, soaking up as much action as possible, and over the course have endured many a comparison to the NBA game and the ensuing raging argument over which is better.

"There's no team play in the NBA!"

"That's 'cause college players have no skills!"

"Well every game counts! More action!"

"That's 'cause college players aren't fit as many games!"

...aaand on it goes. At least something along those lines. It's a never-ending argument because there are so many fundamental differences between the NCAA and the Association; not only the playoff structure, but the nature of the game in general. There's an endless arsenal of legitimate reasons to side with either, and everybody's got an opinion this time of year. It never stops. So while I'm stuck watching to this year's bracket unfold over constant back-and-forth banter, I might as well speak my mind on why, despite the Tournament's exhilarating sudden-death showdowns, it can't compare to the NBA playoffs.

Not to hate on the college game.  Sure the players aren't as skilled. Not only is that to be expected, it promotes a team game; one that relies more heavily on cohesive execution than individual dominance. It's a purer breed of basketball; one with more ball movement and less ego-driven play that dudes like Jay Bilas still swear by. These kids are doing it for the love of the game, getting pimped by the NCAA on a national plateau while they're playing for pride, not a paycheck. It's all about bringing that glory back to campus. The scene at a good university game's pandemonium, even through a TV screen you can feel the intensity of on army of 30, 000 piss-loaded underclassmen decked in school colors and screaming like Dick Vitale on energy pills. Even better than the game itself its playoff bracket; a 64-squad battle royale that forces teams to play their best ball with little room for error over what might be the most intense two weeks on the basketball calendar. You can't have an off night, be over-worked or outsmarted, or you're going home. 

The NBA Playoffs are more a more drawn-out, lasting sense of enjoyment; a smooth Stella to the NCAA's shot of Wild Turkey. Don't get me wrong, there's an undeniable appeal to the rush of following ten games in a day, knowing each one means everything; having so much basketball to take in at once... But the NBA Playoffs are a better high; one that lasts two months and gives you the time to truly enjoy it. Not only does a seven-game series allow for teams to develop compelling rivalries that make the games infinitely more engaging but we're not bombarded with too many games to truly sit back and take it all in. It finishes with the ultimate battle for basketball's ultimate prize between its two best teams. As exciting as the Final Four is, the prestige of the NBA Finals is unsurpassed.  

And more fundamentally, the NBA features the best players on the planet; the guys who truly dominated the college game and a few of the dudes who were too good for it (...and Eddy Curry). By default, it's a better game; the cream of the college crop who, in most cases, only continue to improve through experience and NBA-level fitness. This produces a more polished product, more captivating performances, more epic duels and longer highlight reels. Its just more simply more exciting. 

While I'm admittedly more partial to the pro game, the NCAA Tournament gives me a much needed shot in the arm every March. It's a refreshing breather from the grind of the NBA's 8-month odyssey, a game devoid of the glamour and glitz, but never short on stunning upsets and thrilling conclusions. I'd be a fool not to appreciate the bracket's battles; I'm enjoying the action as much as anyone. But I'm still waiting on April for my real payoff fix.

This and That

Some random thoughts from what's been going on in the League the past little while:

- There hasn't been enough Raptors hate lately, so let me take this opportunity to rip into a soft, passive team that would be aptly called the Brontosaurs. Their "franchise" player's been playing with the tentativeness of a rookie, not a four-time All-Star. Their point guard, a model of offensive efficiency, underlines this team's wide-spread defensive shortcomings. Their bench is America's Next Top Model thin. They've been getting blown out by shitty team after shitty team en route to walking punchline status and more than their share of lottery balls. The only positives the team can take away from this season are the emergence of Andrea Bargnani as a lethal scoring threat and that their washed-up, overpaid big-name acquisition will come off the books this year as opposed to next. That should do little to quell the reality that they'll finish the season 7-10 spots lower than they should've in the East this season... At least there's always next year (to again insult expectations)

- Meanwhile, across the Mississippi, much more exciting things are going down. 4.5 games separate seeds 2-8 in the West, setting up a scramble for seedings that will be every bit as contested as last year. While the Lakers have been running away with the conference all year, there's been plenty of impressive play from the teams nipping at their heels. San Antonio was rescued from early injuries by stellar reserve play and, now at full health, hold the safest lead on their second seed while Houston has somehow defied T-Mac's inevitable collapse with their best season in recent memory. Utah has to be that "team nobody wants to play" now that they're back at full strength and looking even better than they did at this time last year. Even sleepers like New Orleans and Portland, that nobody's really talking about come playoff time, could sting a higher seed in the opening round; the disparity in talent between these teams is so small that anything could happen. We're being set up for another killer Western playoffs, hopefully this time it happens.

- Somewhere on the set of The Price is Right, Drew Carey's pleasuring himself to the highlights from last night's Cleveland/Orlando showdown. Anyone who still doesn't think Lebron James should win the MVP is politely asked to remove Dwyane Wade/Kobe Bryant's nuts from their throat.

- In completely un-related news, Rockets forward Carl Landry was shot in the leg last night. Apparently Landry, who's won much praise in Houston for his energetic and ridiculously efficient play, was sidewiped in his SUV while on a late-night munchies run. After pulling a U-turn, he got out of his car to investigate the damage, when two dudes from the perpetrating car rolled on him fired two shots, one of which Landry took in the leg. He took off, somehow still outrunning the gunmen with a slug in his stride. The motive of this bizarre incident is still unknown, but luckily Landry was alright; treated and released for a flesh wound, he'll be back in the Rockets' lineup inside a month. Let's hope this is the last we hear of this business.

- Scott Skiles was always a master at alienating his younger players in Chicago, his tough-love, old-school attitude wore thin with many players who found him intense, constricting and intolerant on and off the court. So imagine the fireworks that went off in his head when he discovered that Charlie Villanueva had posted on Twitter from his phone during halftime of the Bucks' recent win over the Celtics. How dare he? The NERVE! Forget that he scored a team-high 19 in a huge win for a team fighting for its playoff life, he was publicly called-out and Skiles banished the evil Twitter from his locker room. Actually. This really happened. If Skiles still has a job this time next year I'll rock a fu-manchu 'til he's fired.

- And finally, a funny story from a buddy of mine who was at the Lakers blowout win over the T-Wolves a few weeks back. It was late in the fourth quarter of a long-decided game when reserve center DJ Mbenga, sopping up garbage minutes like a Sham-Wow, was sent to the line for two. The Staples crowd broke into the "MVP! MVP MVP!" chorus usually reserved for Kobe, to which Mbenga (who, for the record is averaging 3/1.5 in 12 appearances this season) horrendously bricked both shots.

Hope everyone's got their brackets stacked; the Madness starts tomorrow. Enjoy the action.

Road to Redemption: Dal Wins AUS Crown

This past weekend was a big one for the East Coast basketball scene; before March gets caught up in the Madness, Halifax plays host to the AUS Final 6. For a while we'd been hosting the CIS Final 8 (Canada's Final Four if ya didn't know) the following weekend, but the national title bout recently and temporarily relocated to Ottawa, meaning unless you're one of the 48 Rainmen fans out there, this was the marquee weekend for Hoops in Halifax. It promised to be competitive; the league-leading St. FX X-Men were crippled by the unfortunate suspensions of their leading scorer and key reserves, leaving the window open for the other five squads to capitalize.

The opening rounds were a steady mix of exciting basketball and personal disappointment. While my SMU Huskies were peaced by fuckin' PEI to open the weekend, the late game between Dalhousie and Acadia featured a back-and-forth tempo, thrilling conclusion and impressive scoring duel between swingmen Simon Farine and Casey Fox. In the end, it was Farine's 45 that spelled the difference as his endless barrage of contested drives and 20-foot bombs carried his team to the second round. The next night brought two new teams into the foray: St. FX and Cape Breton had earned byes for holding down the top two seeds, with X clearly eager to prove they were still the team to beat, ruining UPEI by 29. The second game played a much different tune; a one-point win by Dal that would set them up for their first title game in over a decade.

For the first time, the Final was played on a Saturday night (as opposed to Sunday afternoon), the marquee timeslot bringing in a noticeably more enthusiastic (intoxicated) crowd, excited for what was sure to be a compelling battle between a team seeking to salvage its season, and one seeking to salvage its reputation. The atmosphere was vibrant, but the game itself failed to deliver on the hype. The first half was a shitstorm of poor ball movement and abysmal shooting. Dal was persistent at smothering league MVP Christian Upshaw whenever he attacked the rim, and without All-Star Tyler Richards' shooting to punish the collapsed D, it was an effective strategy. Both teams barely cleared 30% from the field over the opening 20, leaving the score knotted at 27 at the half.

The second half opened with a game-defining run by Dal, or more specifically sophomore guard Josh Beattie, who dropped 17 of his 27 points in the first 4 minutes to lift the Tigers to a double-digit lead that X would never recover from. The closest they came was six the rest of the way as Dal cruised relatively comfortably to their first AUS title since '96 and a slot in the national playoffs, leaving X to sweat the wild card committee and wonder what might've been. Farine's early round heroics netted him Tournament MVP honors while Beattie's second-half rampage easily earned him Finals MVP. Despite the Final's flat tempo, it was very well attended, punctuating a successful (and apparently profitable) weekend that bodes well for basketball in Halifax. As the national finals await their imminent return to the Metro Centre, it's encouraging that fans still turned out in droves for a more familiar but less prestigious event. But staying with the present, the CIS Finals await X and Dal next weekend in Ottawa; here's hoping they rep the East Coast as well as Acadia did last year, all the best to both teams.

The Week that Was

So I've been a little lazy lately about posting anything; not that there hasn't been plenty to discuss around the League this week but I've spent almost every waking hour of the past ten days either working, drinking or gambling, leaving school and (more importantly) Basketball Banter seriously neglected. I'd like to offer sincere apologies to all three of you that read my blog; I've been irresponsible and you deserve better. With that out of the way, here's some thoughts on what's happening around the NBA:

- After the trade deadline passed without anything monumental happening, the focus now turns to free agents and recently-released veterans who can fill voids on contending teams. Boston traded in Sam Cassell and PJ Brown for Starbury and Mikki Moore, hoping their other players have gained the experience they gave up in the process. The Spurs added Drew Gooden after he was bought out by Sacramento, a move which I could see working because it's the Spurs and they find a way to work anyone into their system, even a guy who plays basketball as incoherently as my man Drew. The Cavs signed Joe Smith, who will provide the vetern savvy and solid D they'll miss while Big Ben's broken leg heals. The Lakers meanwhile, having recently dumped two rotation players for a few cans of baked beans and Adam Morrison's old wig, are nonchalantly doing nothing.

- Meanwhile, at the bottom of the standings, the race for Blake Griffin heats up as Memphis has lost 8 in a row to plummet within 3 games of the lowly Kings. Hot on their heels after losing Al Jefferson for the season are the T-Wolves, who've dropped seven straight and are making the race for last out West as compelling as the race for second. Out East, Washington continues to hold down the basement despite Toronto's best efforts. Will the Grizzlies continue to slide like the Dow Jones? Does Minnesota have enough time left to catch up with the rest of the lottery hopefuls? Can Sacramento win a single game against an Eastern opponent this year? Stay tuned folks...

- The Nuggets recently suspended Carmelo Anthony for being Carmelo Anthony; he was barred from their recent loss to Detroit after refusing to exit the pervious game during a fourth-quarter timeout. As talented as Melo is, he's gotta grow the fuck up. Dude, realize that you're a professional athlete and heavily marketed celebrity. Every little fuck up you have (and between this, the bar fight, the DUI, the "accidental" weed bust, the sucker-punch and the street gang DVD cameo, they're becoming quite numerous) is going to be scrutinized by a jaded mass media; each mishap building upon the rest and making your reputation more irreparable. You've finally got a team you can accomplish something of note with, so get your head in game, and get out of it if your coach says to.

- Detroit was able to recently end their 8-game skid, their return to respectability co-inciding with Allen Iverson's recent injury. Hate to say it but at this point I think it's going to be extremely hard for AI to win a title. His style of offense too often leaves four guys standing around, which isn't going to fly on any team competent enough to compete for a title. Really, his best-case scenario was the Sixers team he dragged to the Finals; he was their only remotely dangerous scorer so it was legit for him to jack 30 shots every game and keep the likes of Tyrone Hill and Eric Snow uninvolved. Everybody else played tough D and did all the dirty work that defined their squad...and to say they were arguably the worst Finals team ever is entirely legitimate. As incredible as Iverson's career has been, it's growing increasingly clear that he's just not a winner.

- Shaq was on fire this week, dropping 33 on the Lakers in a big-time win for the Suns (minus their two best players) after murdering the Raptors for 45 (on 20-25). His words echoed as loud as his play, ripping into Stan Van Gundy, drawing the open ire of Superman heir Dwight Howard and dropping the "RuPaul" tag on Chris Bosh. Legendary. If the League doesn't give him Player of the Month honors I'm filing a formal complaint.

- Speaking of on fire; ladies and gentlemen, Dwyane Wade. Wow. He's delivered on so many levels, providing scoring, ballhandling, distributing and All-League D to a team that wouldn't win ten games without him. In my books he's MVP-worthy but anyone trying to say he should get the award after Lebron was snubbed the past two years is a Wade-jocking hypocrite. I think the voting panel puts way too much clout in a team's final record, but in staying consistent with a system that saw the Mavs win Dirk an MVP, Wade can't really hold much contention.

- And finally, surprising nobody, Greg Oden's on the chilling list again. The often-hobbled Blazers big man will miss another week while recovering from a chipped kneecap, his latest setback suffered during a fall while attempting to board the team bus.

I'll be back in next few days with some stuff from the League and thoughts from the AUS Playoffs. Until then, peace.