On Kansas over choking Memphis and Riley in Hall

     [Update: Kansas beats Memphis in overtime, 75-68, for national men's basketball championship. Tigers blew a nine-point lead with two minutes left. Unbelievable]. 

     Pregame post:

     I like Kansas in a mild upset over Memphis in tonight's national championship game, although I'm not allowed to say that in my house because if Memphis wins my wife wins $160 in her office pool.

     Inviting thoughts here on the game and also on Heat coach Pat Riley's pending induction into the basketball Hall of Fame. Richly deserved. Congratulations, Pat. Little has gone right this Heat season, but at least Monday's announcement went right.

     Gotta run now. Jason Taylor is about to dance and I don't want to miss it. (Did I really just write the previous sentence!?)

Comments

[Jimbo]

its freaking basketball, who gives a crap??
fun game to play but watching the grass grow is about as fun.

riley deserves the hall of course. his job is done in Miami. he is a coach of veterans and superstars, not rebuilding or teaching.

[the shadow knows]

pat riley in the hall of fame- owed in most parts by having the cream of the crop talent-wise to account for his five NBA titles. he should be recognized as one of the reasons the NBA became boring in the 90s and early 00s. his teams after the lakers and before dwyane wade could be categorized as being unable to score and hatchet-men on defense with the mantra of "nobody gets a lay-up without being low-bridged or pounded into the hardwood. without the dramamtics of #3 against the mavericks, ole riles would be on the outside looking in at the HOFers. this season has been a duisaster of epic proportions and no one player is gona turn the heat around in the manner that wade did when coming to miami. riley ought to send detroit a few million of his dollars for taking darko the project instead of a proven skilled player in our man from marquette- without #3 the heat languish in the cellar of the NBA non-stop for years. adrian dantley- now ther was a great player, holding his own and rebounding and scoring close to the basket at a genrous 6'5"- more like six three and a half.

[David Tucker]

Great game. But now the Gators are officially no longer 2 time defending national champions.

And give Riley some credit for his years in NY. If not for a certain out of this world athlete by the name of Jordan, I think Riley has another ring or two. And maybe we don't have his services here to get us a ring.

This season has been a disaster but don't forget Riley took what was a terrible team when he arrived in the 90s and turned the Heat into instant playoff contenders.

[the shadow knows]

David Tucker,

michael jordan did not have that strong a cast around him (scottie pippen, to me, way way overrated). the year old riles got a chance when jordan took a sabbatical, his fumbling of the knicks concerning the handling of john starks ( 6th man of the year after jeff van gundy took over and brought him off the bench) and his insertion of charles (biggest dog in NBA history) into the playoffs line-up at the expense of team player anthony bonner, with whom the knicks won many games, cost the knickerbockers the o'brien trophy. that team, as is true of all of riles post-lakers teams, couldn't score to save themselves.

take heart David, your gators were young this year and will be a more experienced bunch next season for billy donovan, a top five coach w/o question. plus, tim tebow returns for another crack at the heisman. things are looking good in gainesville

[Flipper72]

Shadow,

Here is some trivia for you- who was the Lakers coach when Magic won his first title with them??

Lets see if you know!

[Flipper72]

Hell of a game between Kansas and Memphis.
Memphis should have won it but their crappy free throw shooting reminded me of Shaq the retard.

Yes Shaq, you heard right man!! You should be ashamed of yourself for talking smack about Pat Riley who is now a Hall Of Fame Coach. Learn how to shoot some free throw Diesel....heh...heh...heh...!!!

[Flipper72]

I thought the 2008 NFL Season Schedule was supposed to come out today??

Whats the deal Cote??

[Flipper72]

I really hope we don't play the Lions on Thanksgiving??

I wonder if the NFL is going to screw us by not having any Sunday night, Saturday night or Thursday night games? I know that Monday night is out of the question because of our shitty 1-15 record. We shall see!!

[Flipper72]

Shadow,

Adrain Dantley was good but no one came close to the Iceman-George Gervin. That guy was a scoring machine. Too bad he couldn't play defense. What about Artis Gilmore?
Jack Sikma and Dennis Johnson with the Supersonics. What about Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes with the Washinton Bullets (I think that Mitch Kupchak was on that team as well)? What about Bob Lanier or Tiny Archibald? Maurice Lucas and Bill Walton with the Trailblazers? Rick Barry and the underthrow free throws with Golden State.

Comments and feedback Shadow...!!

[David Tucker]

That may all be true...I wasn't a big sports fan at that point in my life. I was too young 8)

But I can't overlook what he's done with the Heat since he got here. Championships are far and few between. The fact that he brought the hardware and excitement for many years here to Miami is no small trick in my book!

As for the Gators...we'll be back ;) Maybe we'll get a USC-UF matchup next year! Should be good seasons for both.

[dean]

hi gang,

shadow,
- a.d. may have only been 6'3 but that saddlebag ass of his made him play 6'9. if he was backing in from the freethrow line, his defender was already under the basket.

- what more can i say about pat-hetic riley that you haven't already said? oh, he's a two-faced, oily snake in a $2000 suit.

mr tucker,
- come on down to the ice palace and play w/ us tonight at the girl's ncaa championship. the game is called "is it a man or woman?" hanging out at andreychuck's on sunday, never had i seen so many "men" going into the women's restroom. very scarey!

flipper,
- no prime time for 1-15 dolphins. in fact, rumor has it, the fins will be playing on fridays until they can compete w/ lakeland hs for the fl high school championship.

-- hey! what ever happened to...

danny roundfield - jimmy walker - satch sanders?

[mike1]

Caught the last 2 minutes of regulation and last minute of OT. Good ending. Who the heck is Memphis? Want to relive truly great NBA series..in the 70's Celtics vs Phoenix (or was it Philly) games going into several OT's. You can find the endings on youtube. Kind of intense like the Red Sox-Reds series of the 70's. Back in the days when I liked those sports, and when I liked Boston teams. Now I don't like either.

[naples jack]

Dean- Jimmy Walker died last year with lung cancer. The greatest college player I ever seen. I had season tickets at Providence College when he played.

[naples jack]

Dean- Satch Sanders works in the NBA. office in new york. One classy dude.

[naples jack]

Flipper 72- I hate to rain on your parade, but until the dolphins put a watchable team on the field, you will not get any night games on tv. The NFL. is about rateings, they want to draw the most viewers. They dont have the appeal of a team like the raiders.

[ginrai]

lowercasedean you are still a jackass. Congrats to Pat Riley one of the Nba elite coaching greats. It's nice to see Jason Taylor still has his dancing boogie shoes on.

[Distressed Heat fan]

I'm very happy for Pat Riley, but it doesn't take away from what happened this year. These guys (http://thesouthfloridafan.blogspot.com/2008/04/riley-in-career-hall-of-fame-but-2008.html) at The South Florida Fan are the only ones who are bold enough to say something about it. Riley doesn't just get a pass.

[naples jack]

I think we need some good baseball talk. Go you marlins!!!!.

[the shadow knows]

flipper72,

paul westhead was the coach of the lakers when they defeated the 76ers in that phenomemnal game 6 by magic. he wasn't the original head coach- a guy named jack mcloskey was, but he went bicycling without a helmet, hit a rock and tumbled forward onto his head and that was the reason pat riley left chick hearn's side as color man to be the assistant to westhead, and then when westhead was forced out old riles got his break which had eneded in the hall of fame- just cause a gut forgot to put a helmet on before going cycling in palos verdes!!

flipper72, it is my belief that the single greatest team (also my favorite) was the 76-77 blazers, with walton, lucas, hollins, herm gilliam, johnny davis, bob gross.... all the guys you named in your post excepr for mitch kupchak (bad knee ruined his playing career) were good or great! seattle supersonics backcourt of dennis johnson, gus williams, and freddie (downtown) brown ranks with thomas/dumars/vinnie johnson and johnson/scott or nixon/ michael cooper as the greatest i have seen.

[the shadow knows]

naple jack,

providence spit out spme really great guards, going back to lenny wilkens and johnny egan. a friend of mine also was a providence grad who thought jimmie walker was the greatest guard to play in college, but he gave me a heads up on a small. fat little italian guy who was a freshman and would really mike it big- ernie digregorio, my candidate for greatest point guard i have EVER seen play college basketball, and i have seen plenty

[the shadow knows]

dean,

re: women's basketball

candace parker is watchable on or off the court (fiancee of shelden (the landlord) williams od duke and whatever NBA team he is on now. players of her looks are few and far between. the women volleyball players have some watchable commodities, as thety are all beach girls (mostly) the basketball broads with tattoos make me puke!!

[the shadow knows]

flipper72,

thought something was amiss with jack "mckloskey"- the guy's name was jack "mackinney"; mcclosky (sic) wasone of jerry west'stwo assistants when he took over the coaching reins, along with stan ?, a white guy with a nice natural who went on to be a head coach in the NBA; stan albeck, as his name just came to me

[B. Ware]

Why will the media not state John McCain's middle name, Sidney? Why? This is obviously a major conspiracy!

[the shadow knows]

SIDNEY!! OY VEY, methinks he is joseph isadore lieberman's cousin!! the only gentiles named sidney are girls who spell it with a "y" instead of an "i" and who turn into high-class (?) "mayflower madams"

[b. ware]

no kidding, his middle name is sidney!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain

[b. ware]

Why are we not discussing McCain's middle name?
Why won't the mainstream press mention McCain's middle name?
Why is this being cloak and daggered?
This may be one of the greatest conspiracy of this generation!
Write to Cote! Write to The Herald! Demand an answer! Now!

[b. ware]

This may be the greatest conspiracy of this generation!
John Sidney McCain! Let's call him by his full name! Enough lies! Enough cloak and dagger from the media! Call him by his full name!

[Mr. Woodcock]

College Baketball, bullcrap!

Wake me up when College Football begins.

[Noel]

Please get here NFL draft.

[David Tucker]

Dean, I promise I'll get out there at some point to get some tix for something. I was absolutely killed the last 6 weeks at work doing 70 hours a week! Life looks calmer now (wish it'd have been calm DURING hockey season...)

Watched the game from Bar Louie though...kinda.

[Jimbo]

b. ware... are you related to Andre Ware? or underwear?