His Greatness

He might have to find another way to honor Henry because they might not even let him enter the game if he doesn't have his real jersey.

http://www.nba.com/features/misunderstoodrules_051128.html http://www.betterbasketball.com/basketball-rules/ http://www.nba.com/jrnba/officials/officials_guide_section15.html Straight out of the rulebook. It was a charge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df91aCyNMPo Song is lovely. These guys are probably my favorite band right now.

Categorically classifying sliding feet as a blocking foul would be irresponsible. In most cases, sliding feet may be a blocking foul, but the term is far too broad to always dismiss it as such. There are no rules against adjusting (when you have position) or moving your feet to draw a charge; there never was, and that goes back to basic basketball. It was a charge.

http://www.nba.com/features/misunderstoodrules_051128.html Bogut was in clearly in front of Kobe in legal position, and established that legal position long before Bryant reached it. A shuffle to maintain that position doesn't negate that, because the adjustment was insignificant, and no lateral movement was blatant. Bogut shuffled to get better position, but the shuffle was unnecessary. http://www.betterbasketball.com/basketball-rules/ Defender in a legal defensive stance/position? Check. Defender at the spot before the ball-handler? Check. Defender squared up and took contact in his chest? Check. http://www.nba.com/jrnba/officials/officials_guide_section15.html Just for good measure. Frame one: http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/2605/frame1c.jpg Bogut has already established position before Kobe begins his move. Frame two: http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/8035/frame2r.jpg Right before contact; Bogut's feet begin shuffling, but he was already in legal position Frame three: http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/51/frame3t.jpg Contact. Bogut's feet have moved a mere inches from the first frame. Is there movement? Absolutely. Enough to justify a blocking foul? Absolutely not. He had position the whole time.

Despite Eddie Jordan's greatest efforts, we still won the game. Woo Christmas, [expletive] you EJ.

This is incredible. He didn't step into Kobe's path, he was already standing in place before Kobe even gathers his shot. You're confusing an insignificant shuffle with a blatant lateral step. Bogut was already in position, the shuffling is a difference of mere inches, and it's not unlike what happens on almost every charging call. I'll post close-up shots after we lose to Boston, but in the meantime, study the Battier video thoroughly for examples of textbook charges up close. Battier shuffles—and takes even more blatant steps in some—in similar fashion to Bogut, and they're still called as charges. And yes it's like the fumble situation, because you're wrong about this too.

Heinsohn (on Brand): "You could always use a good inside player, but you need to give him the ball." Why does seemingly every person agree with this sentiment but Eddie Jordan?

Paul Pierce doesn't care about white people.

Holiday is a rookie, and is probably the second or third best defender on this team. That doesn't sound like a compliment but it is. He's fantastic.

Peyton Manning. I'm certain that his crunch time metrics are actually commendable. Also, Belichick probably would've punted on 4th and 2 if Kobe was the Colts' quarterback.

Iverson = AI2. I said it.

There are no rules against shifting your feet. Bogut was in position (the spot Kobe takes his shot) a good two seconds before Kobe gets there, and his upper body was perfectly stationary. If Bogut was taking a blatant step laterally to achieve position, it would be a block, but these are fetus steps here. Pause prior to the moment Bogut began sliding — he still has position, and if Kobe rammed into him there it would still be a charge. The steps made no difference. Look at the Battier video I posted for reference (best example I could find). In over half of the clips, Battier is still moving his feet, but the constant in all of them is that he gets to the position before the ball-handler does. Textbook example of a charge.

By the way, use this video for reference: Bogut established position outside the restricted area in a legal defensive stance, he's clearly at the spot before Kobe gets there, shoulders are square, charge. Absolutely a charge.

Your feet don't have to be planted to draw a charge, you have to establish a legal position in front of the charging player. Bogut established legal position, took it in his chest, textbook charge.

Unsure about doubles, but the Sixers defense gets quintuple teamed every (game) night.

I'm convinced that Eddie Jordan is betting against the Sixers. It's the only plausible answer. The NBA should mount an investigation immediately.

You can't win games when your head coach is coaching against you. The Sixers aren't talented enough to overcome that handicap.

Holy crap LeBron. He just Elin Woods'd Sammy's shot.

We should put a shock collar on Speights and use it every time he bites on a shot fake.

Clearly you've underestimated the ubiquity of LeBron jockers.

Anyone using the race card to sympathize with Tiger Woods is a racist themselves. Race has absolutely nothing to do with any of this. I'm not any more impressed by the fact that he's black playing golf, and his skin color isn't making his infidelity more poorly received... that's ridiculous.

You know what other team has lost to some crappy teams and play in a weak and inconsistent division? The Cardinals. If Arizona is considered slightly good, then so should Cincinnati, as well as Green Bay (who we swept, by the way).

http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/bands/a/animal_collective/merriweather_post_pavilion/cover.jpg Distant seconds: Grizzly Bear's "Veckatimest" Mos Def's "The Ecstatic" Girls' "Album" Wilco's "Wilco"

I don't think I've ever been as frustrated as a Sixers fan as I am now with Eddie Jordan, and that includes Chris Webber, the tumult during Iverson's fall from grace, and Billy King. That speaks volumes.