Someone else will probably give you Gil/Kobe analysis later today, but there's one thing that needs to be said regarding it. While most of the world was busy calling Melo a bitch, condemning the NBA, and worrying over the future of the children, a game of magical proportion went down. It was everything that makes basketball insanely beautiful, and for real fans, obliterated most thoughts of the brawl.
It would've been nice if everyone who thinks Saturday killed the sport outright could've watched it. Unfortunately, I gather that people are so outraged that they'll never watch again. What I'm wondering is if they were even watching in the first place.
Maybe all of these NBA-doubters gave up on the Association a long time ago, and this only confirmed their worst fears. Still, how many of the 600 commentors on MJD's initial post follow professional basketball? How many of you know who J.R. Smith is? I'm sorry if this comes off as snobby or petulent, and I invite you to tell me that I'm wrong. For now, though, I'm feeling a little like some people have no right to speak on what they don't know.
Football players, pro and college, regularly defile all that is worthwhile and proud about this country. Baseball is full of drug addicts. Hockey is a sport of louts. Boxing is run by the mob. Golf oppresses minorities.
To All the Haters
- 25Comments
- Say Something »
12/18/2006 10:05 AM ET By Bethlehem Shoals
-
- Bethlehem Shoals
Read More: Knicks Nuggets Eastern Western NBA Fans
- 25Comments
- Say Something »
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Same old tired response. It is sombody else's fault that we act like thugs. You do not have to like the NBA to have a distaste for what sports are comeing to. You are getting beaten and instead of working harder you complain about how the world treats you. The one thing I really do not understand is why anyone would excuse this. You ask forrespect in your house and then you show you have no respect for anyone.The one thing that is proven is you can wear two thousand dollar suits, have everthing you want but in the end you act just like the thugs that beat up on old people for money. As for as golf goes it should be said that at least they have honor and respect. You do not see a golfer talking trash and demeaning his oppentent and then saying give me respect. Hey maybe the Knicks coach would feel better if he could spit on someone. (well at least without the person knowing who did it.) please just grow up and really be the men you ask everone to think you are.
Same old tired response. It is sombody else's fault that we act like thugs.
actually, that's not at all what i said. i never said it was somebody else's fault.
Yeah, Richard, please explain who that open letter comment is directed towards. (Shoals? Isaiah? All black athletes?)
Because I'll tell ya: This wide brush junk is the real tired response.
What a bunch of crap. Of course I'm in Shoals' corner on this one. The people who are decrying the NBA over a simple on-court fight are probably the same ones that rewind their TiVo every time SportsCenter shows Nolan Ryan beating on Robin Ventura.
It's exhausting trying to drown out those ignorant individuals who love to throw blanket statements around like "the whole league is thugs" or "no respect for anything" to describe the Association. I'm waiting to hear someone say the 60 points that Gil dropped last night was because everyone in the league is selfish and can't play team ball. And how college hoops is better because they play with heart (nothing pisses me off more than this statement.) If you aren't admiring performances like Gil last night or Melo when he drops 35-40 because of a preconceived notion of the league then I can't help you, frankly I wouldn't want to waste another minute of my time with interacting with you when Yao is singlehandedly changing the center position or Chris Paul is making another jaw dropping play.
Not snobby or petulant at all. Exactly what needs to be said.
Golf oppresses minorities?? Here we friggin go again. I wanted to try to say something eloquent so as not to sound like the average posting dolt, but stupidity breeds stupidity and your idiotic comment is just that. Friggin' stupid!!! So please tell me where the sign is at the PGA that says,"Minorities Need not Apply". I'm so sick of you people and your " Poor me , I'm Black and dont stand a chance bullsh*&". Its getting old. Yes, the brawl is getting blown out of proportion, but thank the espn generation for that. Because frankly, as sports fans, we are sick and tired of, well, sports. Be it baseball, basketball, hockey. The players are overpaid, criminals and have no respect for the people who made them millionaires...the fans.
That first comment pretty much confirms Shoals' point. Everyone agrees that brawls shouldn't happen in ANY sport, but for fans of the NBA we are seeing some really distressing (over)reactions to the fight. It feels as though the League is the repository for every negative attitude towards black Americans, and this brawl confirms some people's closeted and bigoted fears. How else can you explain it when those same people totally ignore all the obvious positive points about the NBA (as said above)?
darth, i wasn't hoping it would come to this but THAT STATEMENT ABOUT GOLF WAS A JOKE. IT WAS INTENDED TO SHOW HOW RIDICULOUS THE END-OF-THE-SPORT COMMENTS ABOUT THE NBA ARE.
criminals? where did that come from?
why don't you people spend some time trashing politicians? they're the real villians.
In complete agreement, ppls have no sense of scale re: their massive insecurity when it comes to players of this game. I honestly can't believe this fake outrage actually exists and is not a trolling strategy to sell copies of the New York Post. furthermore, curling is hard to understand! Volleyball players don't tip! Star Trek fandom is an early indicator of pedophilism!
I do not understand the player hate when obvs. the real upshot of it is all the fans had a smile & got their blood up, & might be more likely to watch the ends of blowout games a little more frequently. Second of all it was totally a coach thing.
- the truwarier reason the Nuggets starters stay in & run up stats is cuz they gots to carry my fantasy team! JR, Camby, what? I'm on top! Cut us some mercy, Stern!
Over priced cry babies that get thier butts kicked by under payed good sport World Basketball teams.Just Mr. Mellos salary can fund the whole Team for a year no problems.Bring on the World league and maybe these thugs might think Damn thats the team that spanked are over priced butts, and play some B-ball instead of the WWF stuff(Did I mention that they get thier butts spanked by this second hand league)guess I already did.
sorry to ruin your day kainoua, but basketball in other countries involves as many, if not more, fights than the u.s. version.
Ah,Shouls my point in general is underpayed but kicking butt,how does that happen when you pay to much and get spanked by (SECOND HAND TEAMS)Explain?
A joke??? Well if you say so. I 'm usually pretty good at reading between the lines, but I just didnt take it as a joke or a rhetorical statement. Criminals? Where did that come frome? Jesus, do I have to go down the whole list? As for trashing politicians, I do it all the time. Liberal democrats, rino's. No the whole column wasn't about racial oppression, but I read something like that(and apparently I read in to it wrong) and it lights a fire under my ass, because as I said before, I'm sick of hearing it.
Right about now Shoals is wishing he was still at the friendly confines of Free Darko. Which reminds me, Free Darko got a shout-out by some clueless sportswriter on Mike & the Mad Dog the other day.
THAT LIST OF RASH STATEMENTS ABOUT OTHER SPORTS WAS MEANT TO MOCK THE WAY PEOPLE TALK ABOUT BASKETBALL WHEN THEY HAVE NO CLUE. I HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT THOSE SPORTS AND THUS ORDINARILY WOULD NOT SAY THOSE THING BUT DESPERATE TIMES PROVOKE DESPERATE MEASURES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kainoa, wtf does our lack of success against international competition have to do with a fight at MSG. the point being made was that the international game has far more fights than the NBA.
It's just a fight. A weak one at that. People get so wrapped up in their 9-5 to television zombie they forget that athletes sometimes have these things called emotions.
shoals. never have I said all in the nba are thugs. Most are hard working and everthing they get is deserved. But like I said I do not care what they do (hey I hope they just get guns and start shooting when they miss a 3 or get a shot blocked you know someone showing them disrespect. OOPS THAT WORD AGAIN THAT YOU AND THE ONES THAT AGREE WITH YOU DO NOT SEEM TO UNDERSTAND.Respect is what Jordan,Magic,PIKEN, EVEN Shaq has.. When you act,talk and live like a thug then thats what you are. Gutter people with money.
go pick on some other sport.