Stan Van Gundy should eat a dick the next time he feels the need to open his fatass mouth.
Stan Van Gundy has a request for the NBA: no more games on Christmas.
"I actually feel sorry for people who have nothing to do on Christmas Day other than watch an NBA game," the Orlando Magic coach said.
Hit a little close to home? But seriously, Christmas B-Ball is better than Thanksgiving F-Ball, so I agree that he's dumb.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but he makes it sound like everybody watching Christmas games is watching them alone in a dark basement while crying into a tub of cookie dough.
At my house the NBA on Christmas is the closest the NBA will ever get to a Super Bowl-type party. I've never had even 10 relatives over to watch game 1 of the Finals, but there were ~100 there yesterday - about half (mostly the male half) who were watching the Lakers game.
On another note, I'm sure there are Jews, atheists, etc., for whom Christmas was just a cold Friday. I bet some of them even like basketball.
BubbaT on
0
Options
sportzboytjwsqueeeeeezzeeeesome more tax breaks outRegistered Userregular
edited December 2009
Nah, I think he meant that people should go spend time with their family, and that he feels bad for people who don't have that to do.
He came off like an idiot.
sportzboytjw on
Walkerdog on MTGO
TylerJ on League of Legends (it's free and fun!)
Well if he cares about family so much, he should want more high-profile days for the NBA like Christmas.
Yesterday was the biggest NBA day of the year outside of the Finals and maybe the AS game. Major network exposure with virtually no competition from any other sport. That's more eyeballs on the NBA, more revenue for the league, and higher salaries for players and coaches - more money for them to "feed their family" with.
I know the NHL would love to take that "ABC on Christmas for 8 hours" spot, if SVG doesn't feel the NBA needs it anymore.
I'm also pretty sure that if SVG went down to the local orphanage and gave free Christmas Day game tickets to the kids there, they'd be thrilled, not sad.
Also - there were 0 NBA games scheduled on Thursday, Christmas Eve. How many days off in a row do these guys need? They already have the AS break as well as the entire summer off, and rarely work more than 3-4 days a week, and occasionally only 2.
Did you read the full quote? It's not as bad as the small snippet. I think he's just a little frustrated that the magic have played every holiday this year, and are scheduled to play on new years also.
edit: Also he does say that he understands everyone making a lot of money means they have to play on holidays and all that.
I think if I had SVG's salary every day would be Christmas.
I could maybe understand if he was like "Oh it's so bad for Pete the minimum-wage peanut vendor" - though even then there'd be a bit of "if you think it's so bad why don't you contribute a little?" But he's mostly whining on behalf of his multi-millionaire self and his band of fellow millionaires.
And insulting the NBA's fanbase while he's at it. Must be nice for every Magic fan who paid $1000 for courtside seats to know what SVG thinks of them.
BTW - SVG's got some lazy/patient kids. 2:30 pm Christmas Day and still no presents opened? I remember dragging parents out of bed at 6 am.
sportzboytjwsqueeeeeezzeeeesome more tax breaks outRegistered Userregular
edited December 2009
Yea. My daughter had me awake at 5:30 and she's not even 2. I dunno how his kids did it. Maybe the fact that they their dad is rich and has amazing gifts helps.
sportzboytjw on
Walkerdog on MTGO
TylerJ on League of Legends (it's free and fun!)
Is the full quote "I actually feel sorry for people who have nothing to do on Christmas Day other than watch an NBA game featuring the Clippers or Knicks." The entire state of Texas has the day off but, hey, let's get the Clippers.
---
Also, come on guys, Yi has only been back for like two games. Give him at least a week to turn around the Nets forever.
Is the full quote "I actually feel sorry for people who have nothing to do on Christmas Day other than watch an NBA game featuring the Clippers or Knicks." The entire state of Texas has the day off but, hey, let's get the Clippers.
They showed the complete thing during the telecast, but here's the pieces I fit together from an espn article.
"I actually feel sorry for people who have nothing to do on Christmas Day other than watch an NBA game,"
"I think we get a little carried away with ourselves with sports thinking we're more important than everything else," Van Gundy said before the game. "But that's the way it is. There's nothing more important than the NBA on Christmas Day."
"Christmas to me, obviously basketball is very important to me, but there are some days of the year where it's got to take a back seat to something," he said.
"The league has been good to all of us in terms of what we get out of all these TV contracts and everything, so it would be a little disingenuous to complain too much," Van Gundy said. "But if I had my way, we'd take a five-day break at Christmas. I mean it."
there was other information in the article like he only had a few minutes with his kids in the morning, and growing up he'd only ever watched games his brother had coached on christmas. I agree it was a pretty stupid thing to say on Christmas though. And I'll admit I was a little offended since I didn't have anything better to do on Christmas. I was at home while my wife was working and the side of my family that lives near me is Jewish.
Cauld on
0
Options
clownfoodpacket pusherin the wallsRegistered Userregular
Is that a prediction for San Antonio in the Western Conference finals up there?
Yikes.
Yeah, from here that looks very, very unlikely. Probably gonna be LA vs. Denver with LA winning, though Pheonix or Dallas may get pretty close. (I don't think Portland will keep up with the aforementioned teams, despite their relatively competitive record.)
I'd put the east at a Boston / Cleveland matchup, with Boston winning.
Overall? Boston / LA rematch that's probably too close to call at this point. LA if they have home court, but it's going to be a tough series for either team I'd bet.
Kevin Love is going to be an allstar for sure in when he leaves Minnesota, just like KG.
Fixed, becuase unfortunately..the Timberwolves have inherited the curse of the Clippers thanks in special part to Number #32 of the Boston Celtics ( I don't need to name him, Minnesotians know him VERY WELL.) and fapping over over-hyped Ricky Rubio.
Speaking of which, I fucking hate Kobe and anything Lakers with an admittedly strange passion, but did anyone else feel like the lack of calls Kobe in particular was receiving really influenced the pace/outcome of the game? I know there were only 3-4 instances, which obviously doesn't explain the piss-poor shooting and lame ball-movement, but it felt like they stopped driving to the hoop cause they were getting smacked around without the calls and then had to settle for jumpers. As a Cavs fan I didn't feel like they really outplayed the Lakers by that much. Of course ESPN is hailing it as the return of relevance for the Cavs, but it's not like the game did anything to address any of the flaws. Namely, anyone besides Lebron who can get his own shot.
Speaking of which, I fucking hate Kobe and anything Lakers with an admittedly strange passion, but did anyone else feel like the lack of calls Kobe in particular was receiving really influenced the pace/outcome of the game? I know there were only 3-4 instances, which obviously doesn't explain the piss-poor shooting and lame ball-movement, but it felt like they stopped driving to the hoop cause they were getting smacked around without the calls and then had to settle for jumpers. As a Cavs fan I didn't feel like they really outplayed the Lakers by that much. Of course ESPN is hailing it as the return of relevance for the Cavs, but it's not like the game did anything to address any of the flaws. Namely, anyone besides Lebron who can get his own shot.
That touches on one of the more frustrating things about bad calls that can't exactly be directly described. A shitty call can really kill a good run, stymy some effective defense, or just generally fuck with offense. As much as you can think about what could have been different if one team didn't get two points from free throws on a bad foul in a tight game, you really do have to consider what could have been different if the refs didn't fuck up too badly or too often and mess with the flow of one of the teams.
Of course part of this is to be overcome - you can't ignore that mental resilience is part of the equation. Still doesn't really improve much about the whole thing though, and that kind of bullshit can really just spoil a win just about as much as a bad loss for me.
As for that specific game, I'm one of the seemingly few Lakers fans that posts in this thread and I'll admit there wasn't much they didn't get pretty soundly outplayed at. Only problem is one particularly shittily called game doesn't really tell anyone the reason or causes for this too accurately because it just throws everything into question. My estimate of how good or bad Cleveland is remains basically unchanged. Hopefully the imminent road trip for LA to play them again in January will be a little less near-riot inducing.
Most of the time when people talk about bad officiating, it isn't in the context of bias necessarily, just the refs being crappy.
In other news, I'm apparently the only guy who hated the early 2000s lakers because of shaq, not kobe. I haven't really watched the cavs this year but I'm not looking forward to the prospect of shaq uglifying another playoffs or two
Eat it You Nasty Pig. on
it was the smallest on the list but
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Most of the time when people talk about bad officiating, it isn't in the context of bias necessarily, just the refs being crappy.
In other news, I'm apparently the only guy who hated the early 2000s lakers because of shaq, not kobe. I haven't really watched the cavs this year but I'm not looking forward to the prospect of shaq uglifying another playoffs or two
He's pretty much the definition of ugly-but-effective basketball. I hate criticizing him even on an entirely superficial level though because he'll just make me feel bad by paying for a dozen orphans to become veterinarians next week or something.
Speaking of which, I fucking hate Kobe and anything Lakers with an admittedly strange passion, but did anyone else feel like the lack of calls Kobe in particular was receiving really influenced the pace/outcome of the game? I know there were only 3-4 instances, which obviously doesn't explain the piss-poor shooting and lame ball-movement, but it felt like they stopped driving to the hoop cause they were getting smacked around without the calls and then had to settle for jumpers. As a Cavs fan I didn't feel like they really outplayed the Lakers by that much. Of course ESPN is hailing it as the return of relevance for the Cavs, but it's not like the game did anything to address any of the flaws. Namely, anyone besides Lebron who can get his own shot.
I thought the bigger deal was Kobe's histrionics.
Earlier in the game the announcers were talking about how Kobe's never give up attitude affected his teammates, and kept them playing hard despite a large early deficit. Fair enough, the idea that teams take on their leader's personality is nothing new. However, it's a two-way street. Teammates don't just notice the effort and other good things, they also notice when the leader is blaming the refs for every little thing that goes wrong. That negativity rubs off on them too, just as much as the positives.
Frankly, a lot of those Kobe non-calls are non-calls for most NBA players. They're usually FTs for Kobe, Lebron, Wade, etc. If a Kobe or Lebron ever had to earn their FTs like say, Eric Gordon or Kevin Martin, they'd get more technicals than Sheed.
The biggest thing to take away as a Cavs fan is probably that the Shaq-Z frontcourt is quite useful in certain situations. That was probably the only time this season I've seen any team negate the Lakers' size inside (granted, they haven't played Boston yet). Gasol was definitely uncomfortable having to deal with 2 7-footers inside, and Bynum has pretty much sucked since Pau returned.
Watching the Cavs-Lakers game, I came away feeling that the Lakers need some bench options to counter the Cavs. As BubbaT said, Shaq and Z really did a number on Gasol/Bynum in affecting how they played. Problem with the Lakers is that their bench is pretty bad and can't change their lineup to negate Shaq/Z.
I didn't think Ron Ron looked great, either. Offensively he scored his points, but I noticed multiple times where LeBron beat him on pick-and-rolls and when he was moving without the ball. I think Artest has definitely lost a step or two.
Posts
TylerJ on League of Legends (it's free and fun!)
Lakers vs. Nuggets in the West.
Celtics vs. Cleveland in the East.
Lakers vs. Celtics
Champ, Celtics.
I've been trying to reach you, but your extension cord doesn't reach that far.
Yeah, aren't they about half way there? I think they'll end up with around 16-18 wins.
TylerJ on League of Legends (it's free and fun!)
Hit a little close to home? But seriously, Christmas B-Ball is better than Thanksgiving F-Ball, so I agree that he's dumb.
TylerJ on League of Legends (it's free and fun!)
Agreed.
I can understand where he's coming from, as it's his fucking job to do what he does and it sucks for anyone to have to work on Christmas day.
But everyone else that he's shitting on enjoys sports and watching shit and taking it easy on Christmas. Real ignorant fucking comment of his there.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but he makes it sound like everybody watching Christmas games is watching them alone in a dark basement while crying into a tub of cookie dough.
At my house the NBA on Christmas is the closest the NBA will ever get to a Super Bowl-type party. I've never had even 10 relatives over to watch game 1 of the Finals, but there were ~100 there yesterday - about half (mostly the male half) who were watching the Lakers game.
On another note, I'm sure there are Jews, atheists, etc., for whom Christmas was just a cold Friday. I bet some of them even like basketball.
He came off like an idiot.
TylerJ on League of Legends (it's free and fun!)
Yesterday was the biggest NBA day of the year outside of the Finals and maybe the AS game. Major network exposure with virtually no competition from any other sport. That's more eyeballs on the NBA, more revenue for the league, and higher salaries for players and coaches - more money for them to "feed their family" with.
I know the NHL would love to take that "ABC on Christmas for 8 hours" spot, if SVG doesn't feel the NBA needs it anymore.
I'm also pretty sure that if SVG went down to the local orphanage and gave free Christmas Day game tickets to the kids there, they'd be thrilled, not sad.
Also - there were 0 NBA games scheduled on Thursday, Christmas Eve. How many days off in a row do these guys need? They already have the AS break as well as the entire summer off, and rarely work more than 3-4 days a week, and occasionally only 2.
edit: Also he does say that he understands everyone making a lot of money means they have to play on holidays and all that.
I could maybe understand if he was like "Oh it's so bad for Pete the minimum-wage peanut vendor" - though even then there'd be a bit of "if you think it's so bad why don't you contribute a little?" But he's mostly whining on behalf of his multi-millionaire self and his band of fellow millionaires.
And insulting the NBA's fanbase while he's at it. Must be nice for every Magic fan who paid $1000 for courtside seats to know what SVG thinks of them.
BTW - SVG's got some lazy/patient kids. 2:30 pm Christmas Day and still no presents opened? I remember dragging parents out of bed at 6 am.
No he came off as an idiot because he is an idiot.
TylerJ on League of Legends (it's free and fun!)
Is the full quote "I actually feel sorry for people who have nothing to do on Christmas Day other than watch an NBA game featuring the Clippers or Knicks." The entire state of Texas has the day off but, hey, let's get the Clippers.
---
Also, come on guys, Yi has only been back for like two games. Give him at least a week to turn around the Nets forever.
His numbers are up across the board through 13 games.
Shooting 52% from 3 right now.
I've been trying to reach you, but your extension cord doesn't reach that far.
They showed the complete thing during the telecast, but here's the pieces I fit together from an espn article. there was other information in the article like he only had a few minutes with his kids in the morning, and growing up he'd only ever watched games his brother had coached on christmas. I agree it was a pretty stupid thing to say on Christmas though. And I'll admit I was a little offended since I didn't have anything better to do on Christmas. I was at home while my wife was working and the side of my family that lives near me is Jewish.
Yikes.
Yeah, from here that looks very, very unlikely. Probably gonna be LA vs. Denver with LA winning, though Pheonix or Dallas may get pretty close. (I don't think Portland will keep up with the aforementioned teams, despite their relatively competitive record.)
I'd put the east at a Boston / Cleveland matchup, with Boston winning.
Overall? Boston / LA rematch that's probably too close to call at this point. LA if they have home court, but it's going to be a tough series for either team I'd bet.
Fixed, becuase unfortunately..the Timberwolves have inherited the curse of the Clippers thanks in special part to Number #32 of the Boston Celtics ( I don't need to name him, Minnesotians know him VERY WELL.) and fapping over over-hyped Ricky Rubio.
ok
Please Pierce, please come back.
I'd say he already knows how to shoot them badly.
/rimshot
Makes me feel a lot better about the Lakers' Christmas Implosion '09-apalooza.
That touches on one of the more frustrating things about bad calls that can't exactly be directly described. A shitty call can really kill a good run, stymy some effective defense, or just generally fuck with offense. As much as you can think about what could have been different if one team didn't get two points from free throws on a bad foul in a tight game, you really do have to consider what could have been different if the refs didn't fuck up too badly or too often and mess with the flow of one of the teams.
Of course part of this is to be overcome - you can't ignore that mental resilience is part of the equation. Still doesn't really improve much about the whole thing though, and that kind of bullshit can really just spoil a win just about as much as a bad loss for me.
As for that specific game, I'm one of the seemingly few Lakers fans that posts in this thread and I'll admit there wasn't much they didn't get pretty soundly outplayed at. Only problem is one particularly shittily called game doesn't really tell anyone the reason or causes for this too accurately because it just throws everything into question. My estimate of how good or bad Cleveland is remains basically unchanged. Hopefully the imminent road trip for LA to play them again in January will be a little less near-riot inducing.
In other news, I'm apparently the only guy who hated the early 2000s lakers because of shaq, not kobe. I haven't really watched the cavs this year but I'm not looking forward to the prospect of shaq uglifying another playoffs or two
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
He's pretty much the definition of ugly-but-effective basketball. I hate criticizing him even on an entirely superficial level though because he'll just make me feel bad by paying for a dozen orphans to become veterinarians next week or something.
I thought the bigger deal was Kobe's histrionics.
Earlier in the game the announcers were talking about how Kobe's never give up attitude affected his teammates, and kept them playing hard despite a large early deficit. Fair enough, the idea that teams take on their leader's personality is nothing new. However, it's a two-way street. Teammates don't just notice the effort and other good things, they also notice when the leader is blaming the refs for every little thing that goes wrong. That negativity rubs off on them too, just as much as the positives.
Frankly, a lot of those Kobe non-calls are non-calls for most NBA players. They're usually FTs for Kobe, Lebron, Wade, etc. If a Kobe or Lebron ever had to earn their FTs like say, Eric Gordon or Kevin Martin, they'd get more technicals than Sheed.
The biggest thing to take away as a Cavs fan is probably that the Shaq-Z frontcourt is quite useful in certain situations. That was probably the only time this season I've seen any team negate the Lakers' size inside (granted, they haven't played Boston yet). Gasol was definitely uncomfortable having to deal with 2 7-footers inside, and Bynum has pretty much sucked since Pau returned.
I didn't think Ron Ron looked great, either. Offensively he scored his points, but I noticed multiple times where LeBron beat him on pick-and-rolls and when he was moving without the ball. I think Artest has definitely lost a step or two.