Draft Lottery: Don't Expect Much

There are no guarantees, even if you "win" this draft lottery thing that returns Tuesday night, as this year's losers land in the middle of an epic NBA playoff season like a Bjork dress at the Oscars. Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo addressed the media yesterday on the subject, his overall message along the lines of: don't expect much. This is not exactly news if you've been following the Raptors the past decade, the team having never had the No. 1 pick overall.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Elton Brand: A No. 1 who worked out.

Here's Colangelo's outlook as the Raps face this offseason with their main need a lead guard and a big (my italics for emphasis):

"It's tough to look at the draft and say you're going to address one of those needs. That's more likely to be acquired by trade or free agency as far as someone being plugged into starting lineup."

And, this, from Rob MacLeod in the Globe:

"The draft doesn't have a LeBron James type, but it's a good draft. The free agency doesn't have a Steve Nash type, but it's a good free-agency group if you chose to spend the money in appropriate fashion.
"And I think our biggest thing is we've got to be very careful not to overspend on mediocre free agents. So don't expect us just to go out and spend money just to spend it. That would be a big mistake in terms of the future."

One more:

"I know in the past we were too old," Colangelo said.
"Now, perhaps, we've gone too young. And I think we've got to find a good balance somewhere in the middle.
"Whether it's the free agents or the trades, we'll address that."

This is all pretty standard stuff, clearheaded and reasonable, and it leads to this 'don't expect much' notion. One conclusion: That last bit seems to indicate BC is pretty open, maybe even aggressively open, to trading the lottery pick if he can get a veteran who can step into the lineup and fill a hole. 

Anyway, here's some draft lottery history for ya: the ones with the best lottery luck, how they used it, and who the "unlucky" runner-up ended up with:

Lottery winners (second pick in parentheses)

Orlando (3)
'92.....Shaquille O'Neal (Charlotte, Alonzo Mourning)
'93.....Took Chris Webber, traded his rights to Golden State for rights to Penny Hardaway and three future first-round choices (Philadelphia, Shawn Bradley)
'04.....Dwight Howard (LA Clippers, traded #2 pick to Charlotte and selected Shaun Livingston at #4)

Philadelphia (2)
'86.....Traded pick to Cleveland (who took Brad Daugherty) for Roy Hinson and cash (Boston, Len Bias)
'96.....Allen Iverson (Toronto, Marcus Camby -- Raptors "won" lottery but according to terms of expansion agreement were not allowed the No. 1 pick for the first five years of the franchise)

Milwaukee (2)
'94.....Glenn Robinson (Dallas, Jason Kidd)
'05.....Andrew Bogut (Atlanta, Marvin Williams)

LA Clippers (2)
'88.....Danny Manning (Indiana, Rik Smits)
'98.....Michael Olowakandi (Vancouver, Mike Bibby)

San Antonio (2)
'87.....David Robinson (Phoenix, Armon Gilliam)
'97.....Tim Duncan (Philadelphia took Keith Van Horn at #2, traded his rights to New Jersey in a package that brought back the rights to Tim Thomas, among others)

New Jersey (2)
'90.....Derrick Coleman (Seattle, Gary Payton)
'00.....Kenyon Martin (Vancouver, Stromile Swift)

NHL Final Four: Stepping it Up, and Down

A little stat action as we head into the last stop before the Stanley Cup. And remember that cliche about giving 110 per cent? Here's the thing: Tim Connolly has given 150 per cent these NHL playoffs. No wonder his head hurts.

Point production, regular season vs. playoffs.

They've stepped it up:

Player, team................G...A....Pts..Pts/G..Season Pts/G..Difference
Connolly, Buf (8 games)...5...6....11...1.38......0.87................+0.51
Grier, Buf (11)................3...5.....8...0.73......0.29................+0.44
Tallinder, Buf (11)...........1...6.....7...0.64......0.26................+0.38
Drury, Buf (11)...............6...7...13...1.18......0.83................+0.35
Marchant, Ana (11).........2...6....8....0.73......0.41................+0.32
Pronger, Edm (12)...........2..10...12...1.00......0.70................+0.30
Penner, Ana (8)..............1...5.....6...0.67......0.37................+0.30
Pisani, Edm (12)..............7...1....8....0.67......0.46................+0.27
Horcoff, Edm (12)............5...9..14....1.17......0.92................+0.25
Roy, Buf (11)..................3...7..10....0.91......0.66................+0.25

Notice how there are no Hurricanes in this list, which is by no means scientific, by the way. Those Sabres should tail off some -- but the numbers, imperfect as they are, confirm an eyeball impression: that Buffalo's playing outta their skins. While many look for an excuse why the Senators lost, they forget the cardinal rule: Give the winner some credit. These Sabres are rolling. That's why I'm taking the Sabres to win this series, over a very good 'Canes team (Eric Staal, with 15 points in 11 games, has upped his production tops on Carolina, his 15 points in 11 games an increase of 14 per cent on his regular season production -- and a good thing, the best player elevating his game when it matters the most. Just ask the Cleveland Cavaliers).

Buffalo in six, I say. And get well, Tim. As for the west, the numbers outside this group are most telling. Much as I'd love to see some Canadian content for the country that cares, Brzgalov has been huge. Anaheim in 7 -- and I dare neutrals to stay up late for all of 'em.

Now to those at the bottom of the list. This is the group who, according to pure production, are off the most from their regular season numbers (and again, I haven't bothered to factor in +/-, or status in terms of lines, or anything that might mitigate the suggestions here that these guys have to pick it up, from the most pickitupedness down):

Player, team................G...A....Pts..Pts/G..Season Pts/G..Difference
McDonald, Ana (11).........1...5....6.....0.55....1.04................-0.49
Dvorak, Edm (7)..............0...0....0.....0.00....0.44................-0.44
Afinogenov, Buf (11)........3...3....6.....0.55....0.95................-0.40
Bergeron, Edm (12)..........1...0....1.....0.08....0.47................-0.39
Whitney, Car (10)............4...1...5......0.50...0.87.................-0.37
Getzlaf, Ana (11).............2...2...4......0.36....0.68................-0.32
C Adams, Car (11)...........0...0...0.......0.00...0.31.................-0.31
Fedoruk, Ana (9).............0...0....0..... 0.00...0.30.................-0.30
J Williams, Car (11)..........2...5....7......0.64....0.93 ...............-0.29
K Adams, Car (11)...........0...0....0......0.00....0.28................-0.28

WM Post: Spam Spam Spam Spam

In keeping with this week's theme of bottomless mascots and made-in-China products, including that "football nose decoration" that's going to be all the rage in about a month, the World Cup Watch blog has put together another list of "the very worst we can find."

Just the thing to feed your World Cup party guests.

Of all of them -- the dog shirt is kinda cute -- the one that stands out has to be the 2006 World Cup Special Edition Can of Spam that's due out soon. I've always felt that nothing says World Cup footy better than a nice slab of Spam.

This is all a setup to including a link to this breakthrough moment in the history of Spam. But as this timeline shows it's actually been around almost as long as the World Cup.

Related: The World Cup Blog follows on the story of the bankrupt, pantless mascot story with a statement from FIFA that they're not to blame:

The reported figures, drawn from various sources, relating to the licensing agreement for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ between Nici AG and world football’s governing body are far in excess of the actual amount. It has been reported, for example, that the licensing fee for the rights to manufacture toy replicas of the GOLEO VI Official Mascot was USD 28 million. This figure, however, is nearly ten times higher than the correct sum.
According to the information at FIFA’s disposal regarding the number of GOLEO VI products that Nici has sold so far, the company has actually recorded a total turnover that is far in excess of the licensing fee which shows that Nici’s current financial problems have nothing to do with its relationship with FIFA.

Cost of an officially licensed Goleo VI Presents His World Cup Hits CD? 8.79 euros.

Cost of licensing fee for making the Goleo doll? 2.8 million dollars.

Cost of a FIFA Sets The Record Straight press release? Priceless.

Rawk the Puck! We are the Champions ...

TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

The Champ.

Yep, that loathsome ubiquitous Queen chant -- No. 1 in the world, apparently - is playing over the speakers and on all the cellphones, the crowd is on their feet and brandishing their lighters. That's the New Jersey Devils representers taking the victory lap, grizzled Bruce Springsteen hoisting Lord Stanley's hallowed old gee-tar trailed around by the Stones, Moz and Marr, and the ghost of Johnny Cash -- Ladies and Gentlemen, your Rawk the Puck! Most Valuable Player, and so much for all that talk about the 'new rules' -- after a narrow win over sludge-rockin' Soundgarden.

And so the first (and last, I reckon) Rawk the Puck! is in the books. To recap in agate type, the official results:

RAWK the PUCK! CUP FINAL

ATLANTIC CITY (Live), Bruce Springsteen (Classic Rawk Conference Champion *New Jersey Devils* b-w Sympathy for the DEVIL, Rolling Stones; Handsome DEVIL, the Smiths; and DEVIL to Pay, Johnny Cash) 7

vs.

TORONTO STAR FILE PHOTO

The MVP.

Black Hole SUN, Soundgarden (Indie Rawk Conference Champion *Dallas Stars* b-w Black STAR, Radiohead; STARman, David Bowie; and STAR Sign, Teenage Fanclub) 5

Thanks to the judges, and to the voters. One last bobblehead goes out to regular visitor and long-distance specialist JLo (who will have to contact me with a mailing address or await his next escape from Montreal for the dropoff). CD to Pipe Smoker, whose vote came via email but that's okay -- I'm quite far behind on getting these CDs out to all the earlier winners, but it will happen. Soon. Promise.

Earlier rounds and related:

Conference finals and the judges' votes.

First-round results and Conference semifinals and the judges' votes.

First-round pairings, Classic Rawk Conference and Indie Rawk Conference, and first-round judges' votes.

Your NBA All-Stars

This just in, putting 'em up for general discussion:

2005-06 ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM

      Position             Player, Team (1st Team Votes)          Points
      Forward              LeBron James, Cleveland (116)          610
      Forward              Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas (105)            584
      Center               Shaquille O’Neal, Miami (45)           402
      Guard                Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (110)         597
      Guard                Steve Nash, Phoenix (106)              583

                        2005-06 ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM

      Forward              Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers (15)        309
      Forward              Tim Duncan, San Antonio (17)           277
      Center               Ben Wallace, Detroit (44)              363
      Guard                Chauncey Billups, Detroit (21)         378
      Guard                Dwyane Wade, Miami (13)                373

                        2005-06 ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM

      Forward              Shawn Marion, Phoenix (4)              270
      Forward              Carmelo Anthony, Denver                97
      Center               Yao Ming, Houston (30)                 261
      Guard                Allen Iverson, Philadelphia (1)        104
      Guard                Gilbert Arenas, Washington             79

Other  players  receiving  votes,  with  point  totals (first team votes in parentheses):  Kevin  Garnett, Minnesota, 94; Tony Parker, San Antonio, 66; Pau  Gasol, Memphis, 49; Vince Carter, New Jersey, 47; Paul Pierce, Boston, 29;  Jason  Kidd, New Jersey, 20; Dwight Howard, Orlando, 11; Marcus Camby, Denver,  9;  Richard Hamilton, Detroit, 9; Rasheed Wallace (1), Detroit, 8; Zydrunas  Ilgauskas,  Cleveland, 5; Nenad Krstic, New Jersey, 5; Ray Allen, Seattle,  4; Mehmet Okur, Utah, 4; Michael Redd, Milwaukee, 4; Brad Miller, Sacramento, 3; Joe Johnson, Atlanta, 2; Sam Cassell, L.A. Clippers, 2; Mike Bibby,  Sacramento,  1;  Chris  Bosh,  Toronto,  1; Boris Diaw, Phoenix, 1; Antawn Jamison, Washington, 1; Andrei Kirilenko, Utah, 1; Chris Kaman; L.A. Clippers, 1; Chris Paul, New Orleans/Oklahoma City, 1.

 

WM Post: Made in China

It's time to get serious. It's time to go all WM, with only 20 more days until departure (yikes!), and 23 till opening night/day.

Neon sign? Check. Nose decoration? Yessir. Tomato paste? Yep. We're all set then.

There's an old saw about a billion Chinese not caring, but that's obviously no longer the case. Here's some 'World Cup products' available from China and their description:

Neon sign. Features: 1) World Cup Neon sign, 2) one-year guarantee.
B/O World Cup with sound. The cheering football is a football hoop that clips easily to any waste paper basket.
Roller bearings. We manufacture nearly 2,000 roller bearings combinations with outside diameters ranging from 0.3125
Mini football fan. Features: 1) Mini football fan with new design, 2) An amazing promotional item for 2006 World Cup
Tomato paste. We use natural, organic fresh tomatoes combined with the modern equipment to produce fresh tomato
Rattle. Features: 1) Hot items for world cup 2) PS material 3) Different styles available
Football nose decoration.
Football horn. Shaped calabash tripe-voice loudspeaker for 2006 World Cup Inner packing: TG6114: 1pc/pp bag.

And in other news:

Rankings, get your FIFA rankings here. You there, stop snickering!

Rooney 'absolutely gutted' at cracked -- er, windshields.

Ukraine coach: "The mood at the moment is not terribly good."

According to a confidential report, Germany's Federal Crimes office has rated 21 World Cup matches as carrying a high risk of terrorist attacks.

The (Very) Late Show: Phoenix outta the ashes

Dear Diary,

Where to begin? It's always about making plays -- or not making them.

First half
Chris Kaman second chances, four of 'em.
Steve Nash first quarter: 0 points, 0/2 shooting.
Steve Nash second quarter: 9 points, 4/7, but he looks stiff-legged on his 3's and he knows it, taking them only when there appears to be no other option.
Shawn Marion is everywhere, Suns get in the bonus early, Barbosa jam off Raja Bell tap-out rebound from his own end and a one-handed swing on the rim.
Jack Nicholson made the trip, and TNT can barely contain itself with the news -- but he's sitting in the third row. wtf?

PAUL CONNORS/AP

Shawn Marion: roughed up but still a monster around the rim.

Second half
Corey Maggette is the offence. No wonder the offence is dry. Suns up by 19, Thomas starting the blitz with a 3 and everyone's involved.
Sam Cassell starts feeding Elton Brand and the lead dwindles. Sammy hits a three, drives Marion and pops up for a short jumper, hits another three: down to a 2-point Suns lead midway thru 4th quarter, and the Clippers are ready for the kill shot.
Brand blocks Marion.
Nash turnover, Mobley misses an open jumper.
Cassell 3 from the corner, Brand pile-driving Barbosa with the pick to get him open - tie game, 39.8 seconds remaining.
Marion creamed after Nash's inbounds baseline slingshot pass, misses both FT's.
Cassell called for 8-second violation, which you see about three times a season -- the replay is priceless, Sam smiling at Bell as he brings the ball up then it freezes on his face as he turns to Javie in disbelief.
Nash misses another 3. He really doesn't want to take these.
Cassell misses a 3, then Thomas fails to call timeout with at least 2.5 seconds left. OT.

Overtime
Two Brand postups = two baskets. Easy game, but in between Thomas cleans up an ugly possession with a twisting layup after a Marion airball.
Raja Bell 3 (*gong*)
Raja Bell steal (*gong*)
Raja Bell defence on Cassell jumper that misses (*gong*)
Tim Thomas fouls out AND Clippers in the bonus. Now what?
Nash penetrates, airballs a pass to -- Nicholson? Who else could it be in the third row?
Cassell drive against Bell, bump and jump good! Clips by three
Nash driving layup, down to one
Brand turnover against double, Barbosa stealing his pass
Nash penetrates, bounces pass into Marion's feet -- turnover. It's dead quiet
Cassell fouled, makes both, three-point lead, 3.8 seconds left
Timeout, Daniel Ewing -- activate GPS Finder -- in for Brand. (On TV, Collins keeps going on about the Clips having a foul to give)
Raja Bell catch and shoot in corner against Ewing -- Good! tie game, 1.1 left (*gong! gong! gong!*) and in timeout, Cassell giving it to poor Ewing.

CHRIS CARLSON/AP

Sam's not very happy right now.

Second OT
Brand miss. Suns shot-clock violation. Livingston miss.
Marion makes two FTs. Cassell drive and jumper.
Marion folo. Marion on the floor, it's his ankle, he's helped off.
Jones in for Marion -- Jones rebound of Bell miss.
Marion back in for Jones. Huge ovation.

It was at this moment that the Suns, who had looked hopelessly hanging on by their fingernails to me, suddenly looked capable of winning. For one thing, Steve Nash wasn't  the focal point -- and somehow Sean Livingston and Mobley were, Suns' doubles on Brand taking their toll. Most of all, Marion returned after his second hard knockdown, that little bandage over his eye giving him the look of a prizefighter out for one last round you didn't think was going to happen against these thoroughly likable Clippers with their cuddly fans (there's a rule somewhere that says Billy Crystal's Clippercrush has to be mentioned every time out).

Raja Bell (*gong!) got to the FT line with a canny upfake on Cassell and made one of two, and after a Brand jumper against a double team, Barbosa hit a 3. Suns by 4 and the joint is jumpin'. Brand folo and one. Back to a one-point lead.
And the PVR stopped right then. Tivo interruptus. I'd added an extra 90 minutes. It wasn't enough. Next time I set it on tantric.

I look at the play-by-play (it's below if you want it) and that's Marion hitting a jumper, Mobley missing, Barbosa making a pair and Livingston stepping on the line to turn it over from there. At  playoff time, this was Charles Oakley's mantra: "Make the plays, win the game."

I tally up the diary's checklist and on my card I have:

Phoenix 15 plays made, 9 plays not made (+6)

Clippers 12 plays made, 7 not made (+5)

Nicholson 1 play made (tickets, although that's a gimme putt, right?), 1 not made (third row).

These late games, these classics. I didn't think this series would be the match of Suns-Lakers, but it's already surpassed it with this one. Still going seven, I reckon, and  still anyone's game (I'll stick with my Suns call, and this one will be hard for the Clippers to swallow) but this was one for the ages, Bell and Marion (36 points, 20 rebounds) barely outlasting Cassell and Brand (33 and 15).

Related: The Clipperblog folks have done a great job breaking this series down: "Basketball games are won and lost by players, teams, execution and precision - not by embroidered laundry or religious superstition or the absence of mystique or any crap like that.  Call me an empirical twat, but, hey, that's just me."

Full play by play and here's ESPN.com's Daily Dime, including what I missed, along with PopcornMachine's Game Flow, the essential morning reads all covered there.

Related: The Nets are going home. Figures when those two finally got around to playing a scintillating game, it'd be the end of the series, the Heat waiting to see who's next - and completely eclipsed by the end of the night.

UPDATE: J.E. Skeets over at The Basketball Jones stayed up and live-blogged it:

0:01 – BELL FROM THE CORNER… IT’S GOOD! 111-111! WOW! I’M NEVER GOING TO BED! EVER! LIKE FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!

Weltpokal post: When Mascots Go Bad

Associated Press

Goleo: Dude, where's your lederhosen?

The company making the World Cup's mascot, Goleo, filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday. Truth be told, this was coming from a while back, although given the photo gallery evidence of previous mascots, it's not like he was all that bad, the bar for these things having been set somewhere between Clutch Cargo and a Lego set - apart from that lack of paraphernalia, that is.

A eulogy from DW-World:

Goleo VI will go down in history as a failed attempt at creating a market for teddy-bear erotica. Why would he otherwise be wearing a T-shirt, but stay stark naked down below?

Back in the winter alternative mascots have been pitched, including the German fan group BAFF's Prolleo and his pal Pilz:

The revised lion - Prolleo - will carry beer and wear trousers.
'He’ll mingle with fans in host cities’, says a spokesman. ‘And he’ll have trousers on, unlike the pervert lion’.

Some Flutie questions

Leftovers and talking points out of yesterday's news of Doug Flutie's retirement:

Start with Stephen Brunt's assessment in the Globe:

Through some of the roughest years for the grand old game, with the league's very existence hanging in the balance, the combination of his brain, his skills, and the rules and culture of Canadian football proved to be a match made in heaven.
Argue the fine points all you like, but who, really, was ever better?

It's a fair question, and two other names come immediately to mind: Warren Moon and Damon Allen. Even though those two won more Grey Cup titles, I'll take Flutie for the skill set he brought to this more improvisational, wide-open game. There's never been a better fit.

Mark Kreidler is asking whether Flutie belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (and while we're on the subject, perhaps Flutie's entire pro oeuvre might be deemed worthy someday by Profootballreference.com):

Who gave the NFL the keys to the executive washroom in Canton? Where on the building does it say "Pro Football Hall of Fame, a Mark Goodson/Paul Tagliabue Production?"
Doug Flutie might have no more business rushing the steps of the place than Paul Crewe, but I'll tell you what: Flutie had one startling, statistics-grabbing, championship-winning, scramble-matic career in pro football. He just didn't do the best of it in the NFL.

Kriedler isn't the only one asking the HoF question, PFT also making the case for Flutie: "Flutie's unique path, and extreme success, are the kinds of thing that should be inspiring kids with an interest in the sport long after we're all taking a permanent nap in a pine box."

And over at the Wages of Wins, a look at Flutie's second coming to the NFL by the numbers leads to this conclusion:

Would Flutie had performed at this level for twenty-one years had the NFL not engaged in size discrimination? We will never know. The data tells us, though, that he was an above average quarterback when given a chance. And perhaps this teaches a lesson the NFL should heed: Size isn’t always everything.

UPDATE: I should have been on this earlier, but here's a post from Eric McErlain on the topic that's worth a look:

College Football Hall of Fame? You better believe it.
CFL Hall of Fame? Absolutely.
But Canton? I'm afraid not, but something tells me Flutie, who already has achieved more with his 5'8" frame than anyone could ever have imagined, doesn't care all that much. Besides, if he had, he would never have gotten half as far as he did.

The Late Show: Mavericks have that look

On a night when the NBA commissioner admitted there were changes coming to the playoff format that resulted in this premature matchup of the west's two best teams, the Mavericks acted like anything but No. 4 seeds. They're up 3-1, and full value for it, against the defending champion, Incredible Shrinking Spurs who are running out of ideas, and legs.

That's what it looked like, anyway, the first two possessions of OT neatly displaying their trouble: First it was Jason Terry, en route to a big-shot 32-point night, getting Tim Duncan on a switch and inhaling him on a driving layup. Then it was Devin Harris taking it all the way to the cup on a fast break. It was close, but the Spurs never regained the lead from there. They literally couldn't keep up.

L.M. OTERO/AP

Tony Parker: inspired by Eva?

A lot went right for the Spurs: Tony Parker got it going from the start and had a  career-high 33, and his 1A entrymate Duncan had 31. But here's their problem: They've downsized and their usual strong defence, second best in the league this year, has been blown away by: the Mavericks' Nowitzki, the NBA's reigning matchup nightmare now that he's expanded his game to include putting the ball on the floor; the ultra-quick Harris, who drew the assignment on Parker most of the way but still had enough at the other end to drive and kick and foul out Manu Ginobili; and the likes of Terry and Jerry Stackhouse, who were a combined 22 of 44 shooting. San Antonio shot 53 per cent, and Nowitzki, looking good enough to go on a sore ankle, didn't make a basket from the floor in the fourth quarter -- not good enough to go, that.

Here's how ESPN.com's Marc Stein puts it:

The Mavs' ability to control tempo since making Harris a starter in Game 2 (has) put Horry -- a starter as recently as Game 3 -- on the bench for most of the evening. So concerned about keeping up with Dallas' relentless pace, Pop has gone away from every big man on his roster not named Duncan. Horry played nine minutes in this one. Rasho Nesterovic, Nazr Mohammed and Fabricio Oberto combined to play one second.
The most discouraging part for San Antonio, though, is that it was right there twice in spite of these issues and couldn't win the close one it normally wins.
Twice.
"The bottom line [is] we could have come away here with two wins," Popovich said, clearly stunned that the Spurs didn't get at least one.

The Spurs are obviously going to be a tough kill back at home in Game 5, and it'd be absolutely zero surprise to see the series go back to Dallas once more. But San Antonio is on a slide from which it's tough to get off: after giving up 85 points in winning Game 1, the Mavs have rung up 113, 104 and an OT 123. Popovich is down to his final furious lever-pulling after going with five different starting groups in the past eight playoff games.

Don't discount the Clippers and Suns entirely, but these Mavericks sure look like your western champions in this unofficial western championship.

Related: Cavs wake up, lighting up a grim game of halfcourt suffocation with a big final quarter, and they're tied at two games apiece against the Pistons, which doesn't seem to impress guaranteeing Rasheed Wallace: "They won tonight, can't take nothing away from them, even the sun shines on a dog's ass."