Second video on my continued Love of the Game and continued list of things I love.

[Kblaze8855]

Longest video ive made(individual at least...I made 40 minute Kobe and Lebron ones that were broken up into parts). But it was required to get what I wanted in there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADC0ltClxWQ

Basic premise from the last topic:


http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=237634

After the 15th one I said I was done with my(at this point nearly 10 year) series on videos explaining what I love about the game. So...ive decided to douchebaggishly skate around that by going with a new lockout only series ill be calling..

I Still Love this Game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elthg0v2MOk

Id said id get to an additional 375 things I love but at the time I wasnt sure the lockout would go long enough to get there. Now? I might have to go to 500. But im currently on #27. I'll see f I can get into the 50s or so in here. At that rate...this may be a 15-20 video series. But im not running short on things I love to cover. This edition....

Video is less...highlighty...than usual. But the emotion of the moment is the subject more than the basketball itself at the start.

Guys like Jordan, Stockton, Reggie, Doctor J and plenty of others I didnt cover(Ewing...Payton..Zo) have such a love for the game its amazing. Its not just a job. You can see that. Its not money. These guys were coming back year after year well after their primes(Doc...a little less) most of them already too rich to notice extra drops in the bucket.

Most of them were not going out on teams they could realistically win it all with. So it wasnt about rings. They just couldnt let the game go.

Ever look at some of these guys when the final buzzer sounds? If not...its in the video. Look at Reggie Millers face. Or Stockton. Or Dr.J standing there as the crowd goes crazy for him.

Its such a look of confusion. Like "What do I do now?". They have all had offseasons and playoff losses(most of these guys last games are when they lose in the playoffs). But that look when its the last one? You could never see anything on John Stocktons face. But he goes to the bench for the last time? hes sitting there like his life is flashing before his eyes and hes about to shed a tear.

If ever you think the players dont love the game like we do....look at some of the old guys who hang on and on and onand just cant let it go. Have 100 million...HOF careers. But cant walk away. Some come out of retirement 2 or 3 times.

Everyone remembers Mike but MAgic? Magic retired 3 times too. In 91...and in 92 he was feeling so good after the olympics he flat out came out of retirement. He played the 92-93 preseason before a few people questioned if they wanted to play with him and he had some other issues...and retired. But Magic was on the court in 1992-93 its just rarely mentioned and there are few highlights(I have a few but chose to focus on his second comeback).

And he sits down...and still cant get away from the game. So he coaches the lakers. That ended terribly....and he flat comes out of retirement again.

The young guys supposedly didnt have his passion(I buy it) and all. And he left again. I remember talks in 97 when they got Kobe and Shaq that Magic could return. I was really hoping he was because magic is the only really really all time great player of the last 30 years I never saw live while old enough to appreciate it. I almost got to see him in 96 in Charlotte but it didnt happen. If he came back to play with Shaq, young Kobe, Nick, and Eddie id have moved heaven and earth to get somewhere he played.

And MAgic was still a great player. he wasnt in Magic shape. He played like a throwback to the 60s. He played all 5 positions(well 4...he didnt really play the 2). He was scoring on centers in the post and still leading the fast break. He ut up 16/7/5 and 15/7/6 on 49% shooting over 2 months off the bench. He shot 39% from 3 on the year. They were 22-10 with him. He was tied with Barkley and ahead of Zo in MVP voting. He was 5th in 6th man of the year voting. Had he played the entire season he would likely have won.

Funny to me when kids(well...im sure many are adults...a lot of grown people never saw magic) claim he couldnt be great today. Ive seen some say he couldnt play point. He played it at almost 37 years old when he had to be 260 pounds and half the speed he was while he was dealing with HIV and selfish teammates(Magic was eating into Ceballos minutes..he was an all star and Magic had dude playing under 20 minutes some games and he couldnt handle it).

Magic could have been one of the all time great power forwards if he pushed himself to be it. He was operating in the post like few bigmen in 96.

HIV cost him that slow transition from point to bigman that would have been natural as he aged. Id love to have seen Magic from 91-98.

As usual im forced to say....**** Karl Malone.


Back end of the video is pretty much about transition play. I feel thats where we really see how exceptional some of these guys are. Instinct wise...athletic ability too. Guys like Jason Kidd and Scottie Pippen in the open court were just monsters and I thought id go into that a bit...

i'll try t oget from 26 into the 50s over the next day or so...

[Fatal9]

The look on Stockton's face

[Brunch@Five]

cannot watch it in Germany due to copyright

[Kblaze8855]

He and Reggie had looks of just...not quite horror...but some kind of fear. Like they had not even prepared for that moment whe its all over.

Stockton should have gone out in Utah though. Reggie went out the right way. Standing ovation at home. Though Stockton and Doc got cheered on the road.

If Doc went out in Philly...last game..he probably would have cried. He looked on the verge with the Bucks fans cheering him.

Same look of blank confusion as the rest.

I could see Kobe going out like that. The long stare off into space with the crowd going crazy. Nash too.

One thing I hate about this lockout...we may never see the last games of guys like Kg, Duncan, and Jason Kidd. Not when they and the crowd both know it I mean. Duncan especially. Guys who spend their whole careers one place and go out...damn near chokes you up to see it.

I didnt like Reggie much but when I watched him go to the bench for the last time even I was a little shook up.

[Kblaze8855]

It told me it was blocked in germany...

I'll upload it somewhere else when I get home from work.

[The Macho Man]

Your vids always get me in the mood to ball.

[eliteballer]

Funny to me when kids(well...im sure many are adults...a lot of grown people never saw magic) claim he couldnt be great today. Ive seen some say he couldnt play point

LOL, a 37 year old Kidd after microfracture averaged 8 pts, 4 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl last year and 10 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast, 2 stl the year before...and Magic wouldnt be great?

[eliteballer]

Guys like Jordan, Stockton, Reggie, Doctor J and plenty of others I didnt cover(Ewing...Payton..Zo) have such a love for the game its amazing. Its not just a job. You can see that. Its not money. These guys were coming back year after year well after their primes(Doc...a little less) most of them already too rich to notice extra drops in the bucket.

Most of them were not going out on teams they could realistically win it all with. So it wasnt about rings. They just couldnt let the game go.

Ever look at some of these guys when the final buzzer sounds? If not...its in the video. Look at Reggie Millers face. Or Stockton. Or Dr.J standing there as the crowd goes crazy for him.

Its such a look of confusion. Like "What do I do now?". They have all had offseasons and playoff losses(most of these guys last games are when they lose in the playoffs). But that look when its the last one? You could never see anything on John Stocktons face. But he goes to the bench for the last time? hes sitting there like his life is flashing before his eyes and hes about to shed a tear.

If ever you think the players dont love the game like we do....look at some of the old guys who hang on and on and onand just cant let it go. Have 100 million...HOF careers. But cant walk away. Some come out of retirement 2 or 3 times.

Truth be told some of that has to do with the fame and being reminded of your own mortality.

[StroShow4]

DeShawn Stevenson sighting in the Stockton part.

[StroShow4]

That part with all the Kidd and K-mart highlights...

[Kblaze8855]

LOL, a 37 year old Kidd after microfracture averaged 8 pts, 4 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl last year and 10 pts, 6 reb, 9 ast, 2 stl the year before...and Magic wouldnt be great?

Reading a couple times it came up....I want to believe people are joking but I really dont think so.

Its as if dude was out of 1944 or something.

Magic is only like 2 years older than John Stockton. If healthy he might have played until like 1998 or so. But people wonder if he could play "today" when he already outplayed guys who are still in the NBA and a lot of guys who only recently retired...

[King24]

[Legends66NBA7]

Reading a couple times it came up....I want to believe people are joking but I really dont think so.

Its as if dude was out of 1944 or something.

Magic is only like 2 years older than John Stockton. If healthy he might have played until like 1998 or so. But people wonder if he could play "today" when he already outplayed guys who are still in the NBA and a lot of guys who only recently retired...

People are either naive or short sighted kblaze.

To me (and hopefully most others) greatness would transcend in any era. Magic would be Magic in any era. If he could outplay guys past his prime when they were younger, I don't see how it's absurd to believe he or other all-time greats would struggle.

They would adapt and be great... If not even better...

[WoGiTaLiA1]

To me (and hopefully most others) greatness would transcend in any era. Magic would be Magic in any era. If he could outplay guys past his prime when they were younger, I don't see how it's absurd to believe he or other all-time greats would struggle.

I'm on this wagon as well, guys like Wilt played against Kareem and it wasn't like he was useless. Then Kareem faced Hakeem, it's not like when Hakeem entered the league suddenly Kareem became useless. Ditto for Shaq and Hakeem. Great players adapt to changes in the game, they take advantage of the changes in diets, fitness and rules, hell they are the reason for half the changes.

The game has changed mightily from when they played but they'd have changed with it and in most cases they did, they just couldn't play forever!

[Kblaze8855]

They couldnt play forever...but I marvel at how long some of them are effective.

Stockton didnt retire because he couldnt play. He was 41 and putting up 11/8/3 with 2 steals a game in under 28 minutes.

He was old as hell...looked old in the face and all. But he wasnt slow. Or ineffective. He wasnt tired if he played major minutes. Plenty of guys like Jordan, Stockton, and Kidd play till the yare old as dirt and their minutes decrease but they are still capable for big minutes.

Its just kinda assumed its time to start winding it down. But really...id take John Stockton at 42 or 43 over quite a few point guards ive seen starting.