Ten Things About the NBA: The Week 12 Edition

Zaza getting Down!!

One of my favorite European players is Zaza Pachulia. One of my least favorite players is Russell Westbrook. Pachulia gives me another reason to like him when he did this to Westbrook Wednesday night.

While I found it highly entertaining something did leave me scratching my head. Where were the Oklahoma City Thunder players and why didn’t one of them attempt to protect or even show outrage over their fallen leader?

Since no one from the Thunder decided not to protect Urkel he never fails to entertain. Have a listen to vintage Urkel talking about getting even with Pachulia.

Pachulia isn’t a “thug”. To the best of my recollection he has never been in a fight on court in the NBA or in Europe.

Good luck getting even Urkel.

LeBron’s Not the Only One

LeBron James made a great defensive play by blocking Golden State Warriors Andre Iguodala attempted layup in Game 7 of last season’s NBA Finals. Had that of been a regular season game it’s doubtful that James would have chased Iggy down on the play. My boy Giannis doesn’t seem to know the difference and if you ask me I like this play much better

Why Gregg Popovich is the Best Coach in the NBA

The San Antonio Spurs are currently sitting in the #2 Seed in the West while boasting an impressive 32-9 record. Most coaches would be happy with this but not Coach Popovich. Read why he’s the best coach in the NBA and why there probably isn’t even a close second to him.

He Ain’t No Kobe Bryant

In Kobe Bryant’s “Farewell Game” Bryant jacked up 50 shots and grabbed four rebounds on his way to scoring a whopping 60 points. This past Wednesday Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant jacked up 16 shots and scored 40 points with 12 rebounds. It was the third time in his career that Durant scored 40 or more points in a game and 10 rebounds or more. Bryant had 135 games of forty or more points and 15 games where he grabbed more than ten rebounds while scoring 40 or more points. I’d say Durant should keep chucking and his fans should stop making silly comparisons.

Serves Him Right

Much to the ire of Daily Fantasy Sports owners San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich decided to “rest” PG Tony Parker on Thursday night. Maybe the referee had Parker in his lineup Thursday night?

Paul George Can Still Get Up

I was sitting in a hotel lobby in Greece when I learned that Indiana Pacers Paul George had broken his leg. It was a horrific injury and one that many including me believed he would never fully recover from. If there are any doubters left as to whether or not Paul George can explode to the cup ask Boogie Cousins what he thinks.

This Rookie Has a Nice Future

Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray is having a decent season. He’s shooting the ball pretty well and knocking down a triple a night. He also has some serious hops. Just ask the Spurs David Lee.

Urkel Gets Snubbed?

If getting his clock cleaned by Zaza wasn’t enough to make my main man Urkel miserable getting left off the NBA All-Star starting five seems like adding insult to injury. Instead of Westbrook the West will have everyone’s darling Stephen Curry and Urkel’s former Thunder mate James Harden starting for the West.

Yes Urkel they did that.

I set aside any personal gripe I have with Westbrook and voted for him just like I said I would last week. So did most media members and players as he was clearly our choice to play alongside Harden.

Based on the historical type numbers alone Westbrook has been putting up he got snubbed. Unfortunately numbers rarely matter in popularity contests. Unless the NBA decides to eliminate fan voting altogether these things are going to continue happening.

It’s okay Urkel. You’ll still get the chance to be on the squad and just like playing on your Thunder team you will have the opportunity to dominate the ball, pad your stats and put up outrageous numbers in another meaningless game for you.

Sending a Message?

Everyone’s villain Draymond Green allegedly “sent a message” to the Cleveland Cavaliers when he fouled LeBron James during the second quarter of their game this past Monday night. At least that’s what Cavaliers “coach” Tyronn Lue thinks.

Now I don’t know about you but it looks more like a flop by James than anything else.

I’ll tell you the message I would like to see sent. Fine James for flopping and rescind the technical the referees gave to Green and prove to the many skeptics out there that LeBron James isn’t running this league.

The NBA Drops the Ball on MLK Day Games

Didn’t it seem rather strange to you that no games were played in either Atlanta or Memphis on Martin Luther King Day? You’d think if the NBA were really interested in honoring Dr. King they would have at least included teams from the two cities where Kings presence was most felt. Kevin Lipe is from Memphis and he was very passionate about this on this weeks Beyond the Arc.