Did you see that blog/chat/discussion on ESPN.com yesterday between Bill Simmons and Ralph Wiley about the NBA playoffs, “Sopranos,” and everything else? Interesting stuff, if sort of impenetrable. But then there was this line, which I’m still shaking my head about 24 hours later, by “R-Dub” (emphasis mine):
Repeating: take the Wolfmen in Game 7, if Flip benches Johnson and Kandi-puke and Trent, goes heavy jumbo with Madsen, quick with Hoiberg, Spree and the Fetus Formerly Known as the Space Baby From 2001: A Space Odyssey, Sam I Am Indeed ET.
That may be the most reference-packed, long-winded nickname for Sam Cassell ever devised, sort of like when Austin Powers said “I’m Richie Cunningham and this is my wife, Oprah.” Is Wiley high when he writes these things? That may be the only plausible explanation.
But I do give Ralph credit for one thing: no “Minny” references, compared to Sports Guy’s three. That, and R-Dub picked the Wolves to win Game 7 (Doug Christie-phile Simmons chose the Kings).
Meanwhile, we've got a mini-scandal involving Kevin Garnett. Has he been driven mad by the pressures of the late playoffs? Did that Peeler elbow knock him senseless? Or have the “soft” whispers following his failure to retaliate after said punch affected him in a way we weren’t ready for?
At any rate, this doesn’t sound like the KG I know:
"I'm loadin' up the Uzi. I got a couple M-16s, a couple 9s. I got a couple joints with some silencers on them. I'm just loading clips, a couple grenades. I got a missile launcher with a couple of missiles. I'm ready for war."
Well, at least he’s endorsing Israeli-made weaponry…
Such comments would be quickly forgotten about had there been, you know, a game tonight. But since we’ve got from Sunday afternoon until Wednesday night between Games 6 and 7 of a playoff series, it’ll be a two-day story. Stupid NBA.
Posted by Stephen Silver at May 18, 2004 06:04 PMof course, KG could actually be a right-wing survivalist ... when Steve Carlton discussed similar weaponry, he was actually talking about his stockpile of weapons.
Posted by: LilB at May 19, 2004 11:05 AM