Scottie Trippin'

"Michael Jordan was probably the greatest scorer of all-time…but Lebron James is probably the greatest player ever" - Scottie Pippen

Negro please! I so hope Scottie Pippen made that statement as an ambassador of the Bulls, intended to lessen the pain for Chicago fans so they could find solace in losing the ECF to the greatest player ever. Because if that wasn't the reason, someone needs to test Pippen for drugs.

Being a "prisoner of the moment" to Lebron's greatness isn't a legit excuse when Pippen had the best view to see the greatest moments in NBA history provided by Michael Jordan.

Whispers of jealousy and envy resurfaced when Pippen made the statement and for the first time ever, I believed it.

For so many years, Pip did a great job in masking his disdain for being in MJ's shadow. If anything, he looked like a grateful and willing participant from afar.

Besides the 6 rings, sign's of MJ’s influence on Pip ran deep. Certain aspects of Pip's style mimicked MJ (offensively and defensively) and if it wasn't for MJ, Pip wouldn't have had a Nike deal, been on the Olympics or made the kind of money he made.

To a certain extent, I see the premise Pip is trying to make, but even in that I can't agree. I think Pip is letting a taller version of MJ cloud his judgment. The one thing you could never measure was MJ's heart or competitive spirit.

People have quick memories and get caught up with Lebron's "all around game", but to this day MJ has statistically had the best season across the board between the two. Jordan came closest to averaging a triple double in 1988-89 when he put 32.5 ppg/8.0 rpg/8.0 assists.

MJ still reigns as the ultimate king in the game of "1 ups man ship." Jordan was never outdone or upstaged, and MJ in his prime would abuse Lebron.

Now there is a valid question to be posed here: who is the better tandem, MJ/PIP or LBJ/WADE? MJ/PIP will always win that battle on account of MJ.

Individually, DWADE/LBJ hold their weight more. Meaning, the "Robin" in the DWade/LBJ tandem is better than the "Robin" in the MJ/Pip matchup. In layman's terms, with 10 being the highest, MJ is a 12, Pip is a 7. Combined, that's a 19. Conversely, LBJ is a 9 and D Wade is a 9 which combined is an 18. Although, before we even start having these kinds of conversations, Wade/James will need at least 2-3 rings.

Can I Live?

Don't Believe the Hype

When deconstructing the latest sports stories, the facet that attracts me most to the thought process of ESPN's Skip Bayless is his ability to formulate his opinion independent of what the masses advocate.

Concurring with Skip isn't a rarity as you have to respect a man who provides empirical, occasionally biased, evidence as method to his madness. As a viewer, that insures me you're truly affording objectivity, reacting to what you've seen and adhering to set standards of precedent that you've established.

Bayless was usually consistent with his routine until recently. As soon as the Mia/Chi series concluded I was anxious to hear his views on Lebron and D-Rose and sadly found his views terribly off.

I'm probably one of the few Skip constituents remaining after he made the discreditable blunder of a statement: "D Rose is overrated."

First off, I'll beat the dead horse one more time by reiterating the implicitly obvious that Rose was by himself and out of gas.

Luol Deng shocked most by overachieving and going above and beyond, but when you sign an alleged big name free-agent in Carlos Boozer, "by himself" is a situation that should never happen.

Blaming Boozer's inept and porous effort would be easy but you can't blame him for taking all that undeserved money. You blame the Bulls organization for panicking and trying to appease the Chicago fan-base when they couldn't sign Amare Stoudemire or any of Miami's "Big 3" and taking Boozer as a consolation prize.

Even though Lebron has a chance to pull a Ray Lewis and get a championship one year after a polarizing transgression, D Rose still has the ability to write the greatest story that's never been written YET and the one Lebron shied away from: the hometown hero wins a ring for his city.

I was also disappointed in Skip when he didn't give Lebron his proper due. Bayless credited D Wade's 4 point play as the catalyst for their comeback and his new-founded clutches as a default or result of D-Wade's presence.

Of course there's less than a 0.071% chance Bayless will ever read this and this wasn't intended as disgruntled "Stan" lamentation. But in all reality, game commentators/studio analysts for the ESPN/TNT affiliated networks shape the opinions and run the stories of the NBA.

Skip Bayless is right under that umbrella if not the wooden handle. He prides himself on not being a "prisoner of the moment" and even admits when he is. Too bad he didn't realize he was guilty of that concerning Rose or Lebron.

TAKEOVERS

Take-Over. What's a "Take-Over?" A Take-Over is a player who can create his own offense whether it's off the dribble getting to the rack or is capable of creating space for a jump-shot in your mouth.

A "Take-Over" is that guy a team depends on for that guaranteed bucket or call to the free-throw line during clutch situations.

A "Take-Over" is an expected play-maker who can dominate and impose his will on either ends of the floor at any and all times and possesses the vaunted "killer-kill" instinct.

A "Take-Over" will boom over you anywhere and his range of dunking capability parallels the unbelievable angles you can take off from by hitting the turbo button on your controller when playing NBA2k (Think Derrick Rose over Joell Anthony most recently in Miami).

A "Take-Over" is fully capable of "wapping" you for 2 straight three's and four jumpers after posterizing you for said dunk.

The prototype "Take-Overs" are multi-dimensional players (above average shooters, dribblers, passers, defenders) and usually resemble an uber athletic 6'5"-6'8" swing-man in stature.

A "Take-Over" is a perennial top-5 scorer in the league, and has won an MVP(or Def MVP) in either the All-Star Game, the season, or the Finals.

Lastly a take-over is a winner who can win games off of will and can affect his teammates just off his potential and presence.

Super-star players win championship rings. With the exception of the 2004 Detroit Pistons, teams who win titles in the NBA are lead by an uber dynamic star if not two, or three (Kobe/Shaq, Shaq/Wade, Kobe/Pao, Boston 3, Spurs 3).

Of course there is only one Larry O'Brien trophy annually awarded, and the rest of the "Take-Overs" are left regrouping for the proverbial cliche "next year."

The Break is over. Here are the "Take-Overs" that's running this league ish:

1 Lebron James: on offense he's Andre Johnson/Big Ben, on defense he's Dorelle Revis/Mario Williams. 1/3 OFF/DEF Hybrid Take-Overs.

2 Dwyane Wade: Also an OFF/DEF Hybrid Take-Over.

3 D Rose: the first player on this list that isn't at least 6'5" or plays the SG/SF position. MVP. 25 ppg as a point guard and dunking on fools while dramatically improving his jumper.

4 Kevin Durant: Maybe the second best pure scorers in the league, but he's definitely a shooter. He and Melo could definitely pick it up on the defensive end, but single-handedly leading the country to a gold medal last summer and being the youngest back to back scoring champ in league history carries a lot of weight. That's what is in his bookbag.

5 Melo: Maybe the best scorer in the league. Can shoot the 3 and outside jumper, but his jab-step, hesitation jumper is lethal. He's also a load in the paint, just ask Kobe in the '09 playoffs. I initially gave this nickname to Paul Pierce, but Melo is "The Handful."

6 Kobe: Kobe isn't in my top 5 players as of the week of 5/22/11, but I'll reserve my judgement for Kobe until he rests up and heals all injuries. Until then, he's the last of the OFF/DEF Hybrid Take-Overs.

7.D Howard: His multiple Def MVPs and fact you can't stop him in the paint put him on here. Being a liability at the free-throw line may have him off the list sooner than later.

*****Dirk: Dirk isn't on the list right now because of the way he went out in '06 and the year he won MVP, he lost in the first round as a #1 seed. He's no doubt the MVP of the 2011 playoffs so far, but I'm waiting to see how he goes out verse the Heat. ***********

Now you know what the qualifications and ingredients are for a "Take-Over" and who they are. I know what you're saying, "I believe you, its the right amount of people!"

NBA Playoffs Round 2

The smoke has cleared from the first round of the NBA playoffs. Ya boy Dice is coming off a very mediocre showcasing of prognostication skills, only going 4-4 (including 0-2 in my upsets).

I have no excuses but the injuries to Chauncey/Amare really handicapped me on that prediction and Portland was fool's gold I purchased. I let ESPN drug me w/ that bandwagon "LaMarcus Aldridge shouldve been an All Star this, he should be Most Improved Player that"..."Portland is looking hot this, Gerald Wallace that" when deep down I knew they wouldn't really ball without their true All-Star and heart of the team (Brandon Roy) not at 100%.

Memphis? I can't say I was surprised and the only thing that prevented me from picking them from jump was because of the absence of Rudy Gaye. I had no idea Z-Bo would ascend to be "the best PF in the NBA" as anointed by the leagues scoring champ Kevin Durant.

Props to the Hawks as well. They beat the team I had right behind the Heat as the top contender to come out the East. All year the Hawks appeared to play indifferently with no identity, heart, or since or urgency. I guess they were on cruise control until it was playoff time, and they summoned up the embarrassment from last year's p'off exit to catapult them over the favored Magic team.

Now it's prime time. Last prediction it was Dice and the first round...After being "rubbed" the right way, the great sports genie and prophet Dice-A-Damus has officially entered the room. The second round will shape up as follows:

CHICAGO (4-2) / Atlanta LOS ANGELES (4-2)/Dallas

MIAMI (4-1)/ Boston OKC (4-2)/ Memp

*for those of you saying 'Dicey, they've played 1 game in each series, it's too late to make predictions.' Well go to my original predictions and you can see my original Finals pick "LA/Mia" is still intact. This is a part of that journey/plan.

I Don't Need Your Love Part 3

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only Light Can Do That. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only Love can do that."
- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

First and foremost, shout-out to President Barack O'Bama for doing the most American thing an Amercian could do en lieu of his "birther right" controversy, and that's bring some closure to arguably the single-most collectively affective tragedy in this country's history.

But are we back in the late 1800's to early 1900's? I mean following the announcement of the murder of Bin Laden had folks on the streets celebrating like America as a whole won the Super Bowl...and they were celebrating a murder!!!!! I felt like people's thirst for blood turned into a public spectacle reminded me of the stories described in public hangings!

I'm not discounting that what Obama did was disgustingly despicable, but the twin towers aren't coming back up anytime soon, the 3000+ that perished in the buildings aren't walking through those resurrected doors, and the millions of people that were affected will still have their demons. At the end of the day, it's still Osama 5,003,000---USA 1.

So the big bad America is rejoicing over moral victories now? Come on America, I thought we were better than that. And even in the midst of the celebrating, people (mostly Re-Pubs and Obama haters) are still hesitant in giving Barack his props. They want to attribute the old administration (even though "W" Bush dismissed the imperativeness of trekking Bin Laden down six months after "9/11").

That's all a spill-over effect of speculation from the "Birther Rights" controversy. As my old man, Dr. M.E. Dyson says, "the skepticism is interconnected."

And I'm not saying the timing of this announcement is ironic or coincidental; the conspiracy theorist in me suggests that it's more suspicious than anything. In the ultimate PR move of clowning Donald Trump with the help of Seth Meyers regarding the citizenship of the Pres, I thought that scandal was tastefully and tactfully laid to rest. But it was almost as if the President had this 'ace in the hole (Bin Laden)' and was like, "you know what, it's time to ether any doubt of my patriotism....yo Michelle, Im about to crank that 'Bin Laden is dead up.'.....Watch me youuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

And to kill 2 birds with one stone, not only did he alert the world Bin Laden was dead, he non-verbally confirmed that he is indeed a black American. In a press conference that was scheduled at 10:30 pm, he promptly came out circa midnight. Can we say "color people time."?

In closing, the only shady part of the whole operation was the lack of proof. They told us back in the day man walked the moon, and people still to this day don't believe that, and they had somewhat proof. If it wasn't for a couple of snap-shots of a dude allegedly being Osama with his eyeballs gorged out, we wouldn't know. We still dont know, I guess we have to take the government's word.

I'm just tripping at how we handled the Bin Laden body. American's, we need proof. And preferably, we'd want him alive to answer our questions, to be accountable, and to be alive so we could subsequently and appropriately bring him to justice. They (the gov't) took all the fun. And if the gov't is going to be all gangster with it, all of a sudden we caught an epiphany of etiquette and afforded him the luxury of a proper Muslim burial (washing him, clothing him and dumping him in the Adriatic Sea).

You can't be a little bit pregnant. If you're going to be gangster, go all the way. But I'm not knocking the President. "W" Bush did declare 10 years ago in his bounty that he wanted "Bin Laden, dead or alive." Mission accomplished, just remember who did the dam thang. Most American's wouldn't care if you were from Mars or the Matrix if you were the one responsible in bringing Osama to justice or death.

Some people in certain parts of the world may consider Bin Laden a martyr, so we should be vigilant and expect the worse this point forward.

God Bless Us All

2011 NBA Playoffs

"Trying not to overthink..."

1st Round East 1st Round West

1CHICAGO/8indiana (4-1) 1SA/8Memp (4-2)

2MIAMI/7Philly (4-0) 2 LA/7n.o. (4-1)

4ORL/5Atl (4-2) 6POR/3Dal (4-3)

6NY/3Bos (4-3) 4OKC/5Den (4-3)

In addition to the Knicks/Blazers upset predictions, be on a lookout for upset sleepers in the Memphis Grizzlies over the Spurs (besides old age, Manu recently injured his non-shooting elbow) as well as the Denver Nuggets potentially beating the Oklahoma City Thunder.

That's where things get tricky. In the West, the Lakers are my favorites but I can totally see OKC or Denver coming out. In the East, it'll be between Orlando, Miami, or New York. Because I predict it's going to take 7 games to beat the Celts then follow that up with a series win verse the top ranked Bulls, they'll run out of gas for the ECF.

And even more intriguing in the Eastern Playoffs are the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat. I was saying earlier that if the Magic can make their three's, then they're going to the Finals to play the Lakers. But because the Knicks will be waiting for the winner of the Heat/Magic series, I'm predicting Mia will win where they will face New York in the ECF in a rekindled '90s rivalry!

In a fantasy finals matchup before the inevitable NBA lockout and demise of Kobe Bryant, we will finally "witness" the manifestation of Nike's premature "puppet" campaign from 2 years ago in the form of Miami/Lakers championship matchup.

Now I must admit, ever since "The Decision" I've opened my loyalty arms to Lebron James and rooting for him for "More than a game" reasons---you know like the whole nation dubbing him the villain and being dissed by his former owner, Dan Gilbert.

Then there's the Kobe Bryant factor. Anyone who knows me knows I love Kobe. But those same people also know my affinity for Michael Jeffrey Jordan. So to root for Kobe now isn't rooting for Kobe verse the Heat or New York, rooting for now is rooting for Kobe versus history and possibly equalling or eclipsing the legacy of Michael Jordan----blasphemy!

With all that said coupled with my intuitive, metaphysical and observant side, I predict the Lakers will pull it off and send Phil Jackson in the sunset with his fourth 3-peat (marinate on those semantics). I mean, the last time there was an NBA lockout (1998), the team who most recently won the championship was a Phil Jackson led Chicago Bulls.

1st Finals Prediction: 45% Dice probability

LA 4 Miami 3

2nd Finals Prediction: 42% Dice probability

LA 4 Orl 3

3rd Finals Prediction: 13% Dice probability

LA 4 NY 2

Blowing My High

"You're blowing my high" is a popular euphemism that some people have adopted as their mantra when they're caught off-guard and must respond to pettiness. According to it's literal sense, it would suggest that one person is refraining another person from appreciating his/her's current inebriation with unnecessary chatter, physical movement, and drama.

When you hear "current inebriation" you automatically assume tipsiness from the wine or a buzz from the 'jet fuel.' But you can have a natural high as well. You can be high off the fact you got a new job, you can be high off of getting a promotion, you can be high off your moment of clarity and the last thing you need is someone intentionally trying to "humble" you with negative energy (i.e. your buddy saying something personally hurtful or sabotaging your blessing because your swag is on a hundred, thousand, billion).

But that sounds like more of a hater to me. When you "blow someone's high" , you're describing a transfer of energy. One source sucking up and depleting the energy of another, not to be confused with any parasitic analogies. The truth of the matter is, most of the perpetrators are innocent and they have no idea what their doing. Being the loquacious person that I am, I appreciate a good conversation but I've never professed to be a big phone person. So when we're "wrapping up" on the phone Great Grandma, don't try to extend the convo with 3 extra minutes of small talk and pauses. That's blowing me! When I get back to the crib from a long day, sometimes I don't want company. Not to be rude, but I don't feel like expending energy trying to be hospitable. Ive been servicing moe'foes all day now I have to deal with you?!?! That's blowing my high!

Maybe this is much ado about nothing and not worth the mention, but sometimes small things really blow me (*repressing Michael Scott voice)as well. And in my lifetime small things are crumbs from "Bitchassness" bread. Not the actual small thing itself, "but the principalities Smokie". I'm too anal (*Hush Michael!) and internalize things to death, and that "Bitchassness" trait really blows me. Trying to compete, battle and argue about every little thing? That's blowing my high. "You got it son." Are you really looking up stats and calling people up to prove something that has no significant implication or meaning in the bigger picture? Like a good writer friend of mine asks, "What does it profit?"

Anyway my comrades, the moral of the story is don't overwhelm people with all the extra energy. We have to learn to be more discreet. It's ok to be explosive and be your natural self, but it's also a time to fall back and be Freezer-Box-Ice-Cold. Take the initiative to recognize when someone is in their own zone or space then you shouldn't tamper. Don't be that person sobering up the mood, unless you're driving of course!