So Long, Suns, and MORE

- Well, last night the Suns really blew it. For a while there, it really seemed possible that, not only might the Suns win the game, but that they could ride some magical wave of momentum and somehow push the mighty Spurs to a Game 7. And if there were to be a Game 7, then who knows what could happen from there.

But man, Steve Nash with key turnovers and minimal production? Boris Diau thinking he was Tim Duncan? Shaq not being able to hit a free throw to save his life, and going up with weaksauce finger rolls when once he would have thrown it down? And don't give me the argument that Shaq makes them when it counts. A free throw counts just as much in the first or second quarter as it does in the fourth. If Shaq had made his free throws in the first half, then the Suns would not have been in the hole they later found themselves in. Every basket counts. The bottom line is that the Suns only stayed competetive with the spurs in spite of themselves. Their team as it existed in this series was a disjointed mess - a strange mashup of the old, run n' gun Suns with a team that resembled last year's Miami Heat. Nash rarely seemed sure what to do with the ball, and it was telling that the team seemed most comfortable with Shaq on the bench. But O'Neil was the big-money player, so I can't begrude Mike D'antoni for sticking with him -- he was essentially obligated to gamble on Shaq, because that's the direction the team decided to go in - live or die with the big man. And in the end, Shaq proved to be as odd a fit as initially speculated. With Amare demanding the ball in the post, Shaq was relegated to the roll of garbage man. And when Shaq is simply a role player, he becomes a liability.

I do agree with Sir Charles though, that coaches are fired too quickly in the NBA. Already today we've seen Avery Johnson get the boot in Dallas. Now, Dallas may very well need a change in direction. But it's amazing to see a guy get fired two days after a losing playoff run. Let's face it though, what Dallas really needs is a tough inside presence and some better D.

By the way, kudos as always to TNT for their endlessly entertaining NBA coverage. Unlike the bland ESPN or ABC, TNT is always worth checking out even if you've missed the game, if only for the sheer entertainment that is the team of Ernie, Charles, and Kenny Smith. If you haven't seen it, check out the parody video they did of a Kobe Bryant shoe commercial. So classic ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOh3NRBC_yI

- Okay, moving on ... have I mentioned I'm psyched for IRON MAN? Man, I was pretty optimistic about it already, but now that I've seen the early review heaping unanimous praise on the movie, I am pretty much bursting at the seams with excitement. I. AM. IRON MAN.

- Oh snap. I have been somewhat skeptical about THE INCREDIBLE HULK up to this point, but the newly-released trailer may just have made me into a true believer. Check it out - Hulk Smash!
http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/theincrediblehulk/hd/

- Now, when will we get a teaser-trailer for WATCHMEN?

And I'm out, must go smash stuff.