I’ve mentioned on here before that Thursday used to be Must See TV for NBC before they forgot how to put out quality programming.
Well, they could learn a thing or two from the NBA who nailed their programming for tonight with three great games. That’s right; all three games are not only good matchups but they’ll all be good games. I’m guaranteeing it in movie form.
The Bucket List (Celtics at Spurs, 8:00PM EST on TNT)
These teams look well past their prime. Everybody can see the aging going on. Everyone can see the nagging injuries creeping up. KG had a knee replaced. Tim Duncan had a hip replacement and some prune juice. Ray Allen is arguing with Manu Ginobili over the best episode of Matlock (Ray thinks it’s crazy that Manu thinks it’s the one where Matlock DIDN’T figure it out but then again, that’s SO Manu to try to be artistic like that). But what people don’t realize is we have a really good chance that these two old titans will be in the NBA Finals, laughing all the way to the title as everyone figures out what went wrong with Kobe, LeBron, and Stan Van Gundy’s Paul Blartness. Okay, maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself there because the Lakers are scary stacked but at the same time, is it SO crazy to think that two really good, veteran defensive teams could end up playing for it all in June? If you vehemently disagree just comment below with your usual “KOBE RULEZ!!!!!!11111!!!!†comment please.
Step Brothers (Heat at Nuggets, 10:30PM EST on TNT)
It seems like Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were made to do battle much like Brennan Huff and Dale Doback did before they realize they were best friends. You probably won’t find two more entertaining scorers in the NBA. When Wade feels like it, he does special things on the court that make you feel guilty for thinking of a certain number 23. He takes over games by making steals, blocking shots, dunking the basketball, or daggering you with mid-range jumpers. His drives to the basket are more breathtaking than Brennan singing “Let’s Give Them Something To Talk About.†And Carmelo? My god, he’s fun to watch. He’s just chilling out there with his movie-quality Chewbacca mask, scoring in every fundamental way possible. Drop step to avoid a double team in the post for the easy score? Done. Pull up jumper in transition? Got that. Spin move to split a late double? That’s his too. And he can rock the f%$k out of those drums! Come for the KG-Duncan battle; stay for the Wade-Melo laser show.
Mr. Holland’s Opus (Rockets at Warriors, 10:30PM EST)
I couldn’t decide who was going to be Mr. Holland’s Opus here. It’s either the hybrid of Darryl Morey and Rick Adelman for constructing such a brilliantly average and yet perfectly intangible squad of role players that nobody really wants to play. Or it’s Monta Ellis with the way he is directing the world of basketball with a wand as he penetrates through every defensive scheme imaginable in order to give us a “there’s no eff’ing way he’s getting a good shot up here… well, that’s just unfair of him to do that to the defender†moment nearly three times per quarter. I guess I’m going to have to give Monta the podium and allow him to conduct whatever he feels is most melodious on the court. Not to mention, I think it’s the first time that someone has ever compared a barely literate combo guard from Mississippi to Richard Dreyfuss.
Either way, both are very brilliant examples of basketball at their finest. The Rockets will role-play you to death with their brilliantly constructed set of players that are here to complement two players that no longer reside on the court this season. And Monta has decided he doesn’t need rests anymore – he just needs the basketball and for his teammates to get the hell out of the way.
Enjoy the games tonight. It really is a slate of three very watchable and enjoyable games.
