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Billy Packer gets a lot of shit for saying "should" so often. The tone of his voice doesn't help, I suppose, though I find his southeastern Pennsylvania textures strangely soothing. Nor does the sense he projects of always being right, even though we all know that he has frequently been wrong, as when he maligned George Mason and other mid-majors a few years back. That said, it seems to me that he is correct a lot more often than not. Yes, the Bruins should have found a way to get Kevin Love more touches. No, Darren Collison should not have been covering his fabulous freshman counterpart. I'm starting to wonder whether Ben Howland doesn't have one of those deficiencies that becomes apparent at a certain level, for his in-game adjustments tend to underwhelm. Oh, well. I never thought UCLA would win this one. But the Tarheels, should they prevail in the second game, have a much better chance, since they can match Memphis's "length" on the perimeter, which has been hyped to death, but is no shorter for all the attention. Anyway, to return to my opening point, I'm lifting a can of Coca-Cola in your honor Billy, even if you were a self-absorbed jerk at Liberty High. It means something that I've heard you announce every NCAA Final since my first, save the one I had to listen to on Armed Forces Radio in Germany. There's something to be said for consistency and excellence, even when the combination seems overbearing. You should get way more props than you do. Tags: sports
Current Location: 85704
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As ESPN's Bill Simmons and others have recently noted, the Phoenix Suns' acquisition of Shaquille O'Neal has started to bear fruit in the performance of Amare Stoudemire who, freed from the responsibility of having to pretend to be a center, is now able to roam outside of the paint and catch the ball where he can put his defender at the biggest disadvantage. And O'Neal himself seems to be playing himself into post-season shape. Last night he went for 20 points and 12 rebounds against the Nuggets, nicely complementing Stoudemire's MVP-caliber 40 points and 14 rebounds. Oh, and Steve Nash had 36 points and 8 assists himself. Let's not forget, either, that a big reason the Suns are in the position they are now can be attributed to the savvy off-season acquisition of Grant Hill, who has managed to remind us how great he could have been, had the injuries not derailed his career, and how good he still can be. I do think, though, that between Stoudemire's recovery from microfracture surgery, Nash's capacity to cope with chronic back pain, O'Neal's surprising resurgence and Hill's suddenly improved luck, the Suns would be advised not to add any more players with physiological question marks to their roster. It's only a matter of time before the fixation on performance enhancement lights upon the NBA. To think that the days of careers damaged and destroyed by cocaine now inspire a nostalgia for a simpler time. . . Tags: sports
Current Location: 85704
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