Recent Comments by JanxMcGanx

Rigid rules devastating quality of NBA.

David Stern enforced the rules that he was supposed to enforce. He claims that he had no other choice - that the rules allowed no exceptions. Then again, for him to say that he was powerless to create a new interpretation of a rule - in this case, what the "bench area" means - is somewhat bogus. After all, isn't this the guy who was powerful enough to impose the synthetic basketball on the league for half a season, despite widespread opposition from the players? But let's not go into that. What really annoys me is that this rule exists in the first place. I can certainly understand the League's concern about violent altercations. Anytime a punch is thrown in the NBA, the video of it is sure to make the rounds at SportsCenter and be blown out of all logical proportion of what it is. However, when those rules fundamentally interfere with the competitiveness and team play of the game itself, they need to go. To paraphrase Bill Simmons, if you play on a basketball team and your best player, the basis of your team's success, gets flagrantly knocked to the ground by an opposing player, is it unusual for you to react by moving toward your teammate, if only for a second or two? Is it wrong? Is it detrimental to the game to have a competitive impulse and a feeling of team solidarity? Add on to this that your best player, the one languishing on the floor, is reaching basketball's equivalent of old age and has serious back problems. I just cannot see how the rule that Stern and the League enforced is valid, especially after seeing the results of its enforcement. And in response to linemo, who asked why the teams haven't voted this rule down yet: I would bet good money that this rule is doomed to be changed in the near future.

posted by JanxMcGanx at 07:43 PM on May 16, 2007

Can the Pistons be Stopped?

The Spurs are good, but they lack the fire that the Pistons have. Their playing style is too unemotional. They certainly don't want it as much as the Pistons do, especially after what happened last year in the Finals.

posted by JanxMcGanx at 04:55 PM on April 17, 2006

An Englishman's view of an American sports icon.

Where I come from, it's all about the dance teams. Cheerleaders, from what I've seen, just aren't as relevant as Wells makes them out to be. Of course, dance teams might be even worse than cheerleaders in terms of hip grinding/pelvic thrusting.

posted by JanxMcGanx at 04:21 PM on March 16, 2006