duncan228
04-23-2008, 01:57 PM
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2008/04/jeff_mcdonald_b_11.html
Jeff McDonald: Brent's back, Hack-a-Shaq, and a whistle attack
Any fan with eyes already knows that Brent Barry has recently returned to action for the Spurs. He has played 21 minutes in Games 1 and 2 of the first-round series against the Suns, contributing a key 3-pointer in each of the Spurs' victories.
Meanwhile, any Spurs beat writer with ears and/or a working tape recorder has been reminded of Barry's value from a sports journalist's perspective.
Barry's wit and unique insight make every interview seem like he's auditioning for Bartles. He is as priceless to a working sportswriter as a free meal and extra Marriott points.
To wit, a couple Barry bites from last night's post-game that didn't make the dead tree edition of the Express-News:
On Tony Parker's collision with Shaquille O'Neal: "Tony falls down on his own a lot. We talk about that a lot in the locker room. There's probably no other player in the league who falls down as much as he does. It's the Frenchman in him, I guess."
On Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan scoring 51 of the Spurs' 54 first-half points in Game 2: "You'd think those guys would want to pass once in a while. They were selfish."
Glad to have you back, Brent.
And now some other off-day musings ...
*Got this email from an alleged Suns fan named Tom who declined to leave a return address: "Don't you think the Hack-a-Shaq cheapens the game? It is time Stern takes a long hard look at some of the bs that is taking place in the NBA."
My thoughts: Have Suns fans gotten so desperate in this series that they are going to complain about free foul shots? Shaq could avoid being hacked if, you know, he would learn to make free throws. He hit five of six of them in the third quarter of Game 2. Keep doing that, and the Spurs will have to dispense with their strategy.
As it stands, Hack-a-Shaq remains a useful way to get him off the floor. The first two times the Spurs tried it in Game 2, Mike D'Antoni yanked him from the game. It's hard to argue with results.
*Speaking of Shaq, television cameras clearly caught him on the bench, whistling to try and disrupt a crucial Tim Duncan free throw late in Game 2. This tactic isn't illegal or anything, but it seems odd coming from a guy who complained so bitterly about the Spurs' flopping in Game 1.
Let's see if we've got this straight. In Shaq's mind, flopping is unmanly, but whistling like one of the seven dwarves going off to work is the ultimate in machismo? OK, then.
Jeff McDonald: Brent's back, Hack-a-Shaq, and a whistle attack
Any fan with eyes already knows that Brent Barry has recently returned to action for the Spurs. He has played 21 minutes in Games 1 and 2 of the first-round series against the Suns, contributing a key 3-pointer in each of the Spurs' victories.
Meanwhile, any Spurs beat writer with ears and/or a working tape recorder has been reminded of Barry's value from a sports journalist's perspective.
Barry's wit and unique insight make every interview seem like he's auditioning for Bartles. He is as priceless to a working sportswriter as a free meal and extra Marriott points.
To wit, a couple Barry bites from last night's post-game that didn't make the dead tree edition of the Express-News:
On Tony Parker's collision with Shaquille O'Neal: "Tony falls down on his own a lot. We talk about that a lot in the locker room. There's probably no other player in the league who falls down as much as he does. It's the Frenchman in him, I guess."
On Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan scoring 51 of the Spurs' 54 first-half points in Game 2: "You'd think those guys would want to pass once in a while. They were selfish."
Glad to have you back, Brent.
And now some other off-day musings ...
*Got this email from an alleged Suns fan named Tom who declined to leave a return address: "Don't you think the Hack-a-Shaq cheapens the game? It is time Stern takes a long hard look at some of the bs that is taking place in the NBA."
My thoughts: Have Suns fans gotten so desperate in this series that they are going to complain about free foul shots? Shaq could avoid being hacked if, you know, he would learn to make free throws. He hit five of six of them in the third quarter of Game 2. Keep doing that, and the Spurs will have to dispense with their strategy.
As it stands, Hack-a-Shaq remains a useful way to get him off the floor. The first two times the Spurs tried it in Game 2, Mike D'Antoni yanked him from the game. It's hard to argue with results.
*Speaking of Shaq, television cameras clearly caught him on the bench, whistling to try and disrupt a crucial Tim Duncan free throw late in Game 2. This tactic isn't illegal or anything, but it seems odd coming from a guy who complained so bitterly about the Spurs' flopping in Game 1.
Let's see if we've got this straight. In Shaq's mind, flopping is unmanly, but whistling like one of the seven dwarves going off to work is the ultimate in machismo? OK, then.