Patrick

Congrats to Arenas for making another last second shot. Will the Wiz hold off the Heat? I was there in the arena when LeBron banged his head, and the place fell completely silent. Moondog the mascot stopped banging his drum (thank you). LeBron got up, put ice on his jaw during the time out, and didn't miss any game time. End of drama. Early on, Cavs lead by running their offense through Ilgauskus whom Dallas tried to single cover with Dampier. Z would either hit a soft hook, or pass out for an open jumpshot when the help came. But after the first quarter, Cavs didn't even try to do this, even after Dampier and Diop each had 4 or 5 fouls (in the third qtr). Mavs dominated the paint, and were perfect from the line (even Dampier hit several). Is there a bigger disappointment in the NBA right now than Larry Hughes? [To be Robin to LBJ's Batman, the candidates were Michael Redd, Ray Allen, and Larry Hughes. I hoped and hoped for Redd, but he took a little more $ to remain loyal to a non-contender. If only...] Cuban was in the house, and willing to take a little bit of grief from the locals. Funny how ESPN and the national media were plugging this as Dirk vs LeBron, and that Dirk got the better of it. Totally not true. Dirk and LBJ each had about 8 pts in the first half. Is Dirk really any more of an MVP candidate than LeBron is, besides the fact that when he passes it is to Terry, Stackhouse, Howard, Harris, etc. who can hit outside shots instead of Sasha Pavlovic, Donyell Marshall, Anderson Varajao, etc. who don't? I'm not so sure. Quite frankly, Drew Gooden was outplaying Dirk for most of the game I witnessed. Dirk is more deserving of MVP, but only because of how well his teammates play. [And no, you cannot credit all of their improved play on having Dirk around.]

Agent Zero is not playing nearly as well as he was earlier in the season (when he should of at least been in the conversation for MVP). Since then he, and the Wiz, have been fairly inconsistent, and any talk of him as MVP has stopped. Put Nash on the Pacers, Hawks, Celtics, Warriors, Clippers, etc., and he's just another solid point guard. MVP is not really an individual accolade. Going to go see Dirk and crew at the Q this evening. Hopefully the home team will not get their brains beat in.

Anyone know any of the details about Grappelli/Solal Happy Reunion due out on Sunny Side next week? Or how it compares to other Solal (or Grappelli)? According to Amazon, track listing is: 1. Shine 2. Valsitude 3. Sing for Your Supper 4. God Bless the Child 5. Nuages 6. Parisian Thoroughfare 7. Grandeur et Cadence 8. Stumbling 9. Et Si l'On Improvisait?

Good to see (or more accurately, read about) LeBron going to the rim much more often. With Snow ineffective as a starter, and Daniel "Boobie" Gibson hurt, Larry Hughes has been playing a lot at the point, and it appears to be working. Not a great shooting night for him, but it looks like he was part of the effort (12 pts, 8 rebs, 6 assists). Of course if he was guarding Rip, then maybe he didn't contribute all that much... Detroit fortunate that the game was as close as it was--20 more free throw attempts, and the Cavs only hitting 54% from the line (13/24). At least LeBron was 6/8.

Hadn't seen the full list in awhile. Agree that my comments apply also to McHale, Parrish, Walton. Forget about whether the list is dated or not, my point is that if we get to the level of Worthy, McHale, Parrish, Pippen, maybe we should just stop at the greatest 40 of all time.

Is James Worthy really one of the 50 greatest NBA players? Hall-of-Fame worthy? I always felt he benefited way too much from playing in LA with Magic (perhaps even more than Scottie did playing with MJ in Chicago). Put Pippen or Worthy on the Clippers and they are not 50 best, or HOF. And Coop--would any of us had heard of him if he played in Atlanta or Dallas? Digging the photos, especially Rambis.

For some reason, Norv Turner's face always reminds me of the politician on the Simpsons. Maybe it's just the nose. I believe Marty Schottenheimer is a tad bit overrated (way too conservative, thinks he knows something about offense), but compared to Norv... With a top tight end, the best RB (arguably ever), and Rivers coming into his own, the pressure will be on Norv to get deep into the playoffs, if not to the Superbowl.

As for late RRK, what do folks make of The Case of the 3 Sided Dream in Audio Color? Perhaps an RRK sorta soul jazz version of Mingus Ah Um?

It boggles the mind, as does starting Smush Parker and contending at the same time.

Impressive win my Cavs on Friday night as well. Didn't let Wade take over the game by double teaming early in the shot clock. Got out and ran a bit. Won despite a tough night of shooting for Ilgauskus and Gooden. LeBron gets clocked by Zo and no foul gets called. Pretty sure if was Z and Wade there would be a parade to the foul line. (Difference is Wade would make both of them, James wouldn't). Next up LAL at the Q. Hopefully the home team can establish a winning streak for these nationally televised games. [Had lost five in a row]

yeah I saw that same half time score and that LeBron was in street clothes and decided I didn't need to follow it. Later, mom calls from the north coast to explain how rookie Daniel Gibson contributed big time in 4th qtr, and how the O (62 pts scored) and the D (37 pts allowed) got going. Balanced attack on both sides and a triple double for Andre Miller. Love to have him back in a Cavs uniform.

Yes. In double overtime. And the Cavs got contributions from Hughes and Ilgauskus (not just James). They've hit a rough patch that started halfway through their west coast trip where they are in slow motion, and not defending well. I think they play at Philly next. I'd have to agree on Nash or Dirk as MVP at this point.

...now if he could only hit some free throws

Cavs west coast swing is finally over. After a 7-1 run just before the trip, there was some reason to be optimistic. Ultimately they finished 3-4 (wins: LAC, SAC, GSW, losses: PHX, DEN, SEA, POR). The Sonics and Blazers losses were the tough ones. A 5-2 trip would have been great. Still have the best record in the mediocre east (tied with Gilbert and the Wiz) and a winning record against the west. Still have only one road win against .500+ opponent (Spurs).

Tonight I will experience Lorin Maazel conducting the Symphonica Toscanini. The program includes Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Overture; Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, and Respighi’s Fontane di Roma and Pini di Roma. Not the biggest Maazel fan, but I'm looking forward to it. Alas, no Bruchner this time. Maybe I'll listen to Freebird or Misterioso on the drive home.

Jets and Chiefs both looked pretty lame this weekend, and probably shouldn't have been in the playoffs. After all, they both lost to the Browns this season (joining only the powerhouse Raiders and Falcons in this regard).

Gilbert should definitely be on the short list for MVP given his season so far. Missed the LeBron shot, but look, the Cavs won a road game on the second night of back-to-back games! And Ilgauskus has 27! Sure it was against Boston minus Pierce, but you gotta start somewhere.

Tough, ugly win for the Cavs over the Spurs last night 82-78. Cavs shot 36% from the field and 62% from the line, scoring nearly half their pts (38) in the 4th qtr. And the officiating wasn't too good (at least according to the Cavs radio guy, and I presume, Poppovich and Carlesimo who collected 3 techs between them). Nice to see Larry Hughes as the main instigator during the late comeback/surge. Now 9 of next 10 on road. With Sixers beating Nuggets, Bulls nearly beating Suns, and Cavs over Spurs, maybe the Eastern Conference showed a pulse last night, however briefly.

previous discussion (hopefully I did this correctly)

Looks like they were frustrated by less than stellar play and effort, especially the latter. I wouldn't have been booing, but there would be some disgust. I'm confident something similar would happen at the Palace or anywhere else (provided they didn't flee for the exits first). There is still a lot of talent on that team other than LeBron: Hughes, Gooden, even Ilgauskus. Varajao and Gibson show promise. It's other guys (rumored outside shooters) like Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones, Eric Snow, David Wesley that haven't contributed much for a long time. They are still 11-3 at home (best home record in the association), and they play in the east. They're not playing well now, and they have a long west coast trip coming up. Hopefully, play will improve and they'll be back on the short list of contenders in the east.

As Rick Majerus pointed out the other night, there is no "I" in "team", but there is in "Iverson". Count me among the non-fans. I think Philly did well in the trade, and maybe if Melo/AI work out in Denver it will be a mutually beneficial trade. Cavs falling into familiar pattern of watching LeBron try to win games single-handedly. Oh for a playmaking point guard. And some consistency from Larry Hughes and Damon Jones. And signs of life from Donyell Marshall and Eric Snow. Has Rasheed Wallace transformed himself entirely into the next Bill Laimbeer (big man that only takes jump shots)? Why wasn't he on the block abusing Ilgauskus and Gooden last night. [One answer: he didn't need to, at least when the game got into the 4th qtr].

Interesting contest. Nuggets up by as many as 30 in the first half, but Wiz close to within 2 or 3 down the stretch. Then Earl Boykins (with some help from Camby) restores order. If only the Cavs still had Andre Miller or Boykins instead of Eric Snow and Damon Jones.

Congrats! Enjoying the disk, and using it as part of a Christmas gift for a relative. [Part of my recent cd-baby order that also included items from Michael Weiss, Phil Kelly, and Frank Hewitt.] Too bad I missed your stop in DC.

Second and final visit Monday. Very little left in jazz, and classical totally gone at the Tyson's Corner location. Miles, Monk, Coltrane, Dexter, all Impulse, all OJC gone. Just a few old RVGs left. [Another shopper, unfamiliar with jazz, had a copy of Speak No Evil in his hand and asked me if it was good. Told him it was the best jazz album still available.] For a total of $52, I picked up: Ryan Kisor The Dream (Criss Cross) Bill Mays Live at Jazz Standard (Palmetto) Solal/Douglas Rue de Seine (CamJazz) Mary Lou Williams Collective Zodiac Suite: Revisited (Mary Records) [Geri Allen, Buster Williams, Billy Hart, Andrew Cyrille] Joe Lovano Streams of Expression (Blue Note) Bob Belden Three Days of Rain (Sunnyside) Andrew Hill Point of Departure (Blue Note) Passed on the recent Karrin Allyson, and the last Kurt Elling title.

Sifted through the remains in the jazz section with 40% sale. Not too much left. Picked up a number of old RVGs: Life Time, Destination Out, Out to Lunch, Idle Moments, Dippin' plus Monk/Coltrane 1957 Riverside, Mose Allison Sings, Ben Allison Medicine Wheel, Cannonball Adderley's Fiddler on the Roof. 9 titles, including one double, for a total of $78.03. Any opinions on the Martial Solal/Dave Douglas duo recording? Still had a stack of those.