Notes and Errata: December 17th, 2010

2010-12-17 Off By admin

– Unless something crazy happens (and something crazy can always happen) the Cavs have three good chances to get a win before 2011. Friday’s game against the Pacers is one of those chances. Let’s hope the Cavs show up.

– Fun with playoff odds: The Cavs are one of two teams with a 0.0% chance to make the playoffs. I assume that means they did not make the playoffs once in 5.000 computer simulations. And the Cavs have been healthy. Also, according to the odds, there is a 79.6% chance that the Heat, Celtics, or Spurs will win the championship. If one of those teams ends up pulling it off, it’s time to admit that Hollinger is on some next-level stuff. Actually, it probably already is.

– It really sucks that Yao is out for the rest of the year, and may be out indefinitely. With how hard that guy has worked his whole life, and his package of skills, and the way he approaches the game, and the fact that he’s a once-in-a-generation genetic product, how can you say he didn’t deserve success? Really tough to see.

– I’ll admit I took some time off from watching hoops tonight to watch the last WEC card, and I’m very pleased that I got to watch Anthony Pettis’ kick as it happened. If you haven’t seen it, holy crap. I’ll make a larger point here about what separates professional athletes from the rest of us. This happened in the 24th minute of a dead-even fight, and easily the most important fight of either of these guys’ lives. Pettis was probably, but not definitely, going to win if he played it safe. More importantly, he was standing directly across from a trained, high-level athlete who was trying to hurt him very badly. What went through his head? “You know, if I run to the cage, ninja walk on it, and flying head kick this guy with the same foot, I think it’ll work.” AND THEN HE DID IT. And it worked. That kind of physical creativity and mental fearlessness is what separates high-level athletes from the rest of us as much as any physical gifts do.

– On that note, Manu Ginobili is insane. The guy is incredible. He does moves that seem like they would take decades to learn and decides to do them faster than most people can blink. Also, I will continue my Spurs love here — it’s not just that they move the ball so well, it’s their patience. Everyone on that team seems to know the shot-clock, the situation, and the percentage of a possible shot at any given time — instead of taking a semi-contested mid-range jumper with 14 seconds on the clock, they kick it back out and wait for a potential dunk or open three. It’s like watching a really, really good NBA 2K player. Gregg Popovich seems to have solved the issue of individual desires getting in the way of a perfect system. I like the Spurs a lot.

– Manu Ginobili is awesome. Landry Fields is awesome as well. Every draft pick is a chance at rebuilding.

– Here are the latest future power rankings. Cavs are not last. Hooray.

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