Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Saturday, there are 31 days remaining.
Yes, there was Mount St. Helens in 1980. But there was another pretty impressive eruption in 1994.
That would be the one by Mount Mutombo.
Dikembe Mutombo's Denver Nuggets, the No. 8 seed in the West, stunned the top-seeded Seattle SuperSonics 3-2 in a first-round playoff series. Mutombo led the way by blocking 31 shots, the most ever for an NBA five-game series and his 6.2 average per game remains the highest ever for any series.
That series ended with the unforgettable image of the big center sprawled on the floor, holding the ball over his head in triumph and screaming with joy.
That was a great series. Boston-Chicago had everything you wanted and then some.
The full seven games ... overtimes and close finishes ... star player stepping up ... role players emerging. You name it. Yes, it was truly a great series. But the best first-round series of all time? Let's not go that far.
I'll still take the Warriors' "We Believe" upset over the Dallas Mavericks two years ago and even the Denver Nuggets knocking off the Seattle SuperSonics back in 1994 over this one.
Felled after a collision with a man half his age, Dikembe Mutombo will apparently never play in the NBA again. This isn't the first retirement for Mutombo, but it sure feels like the final one. And boy, the league will miss this guy. But no one will forget him.
Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.
Objectively speaking, the Lakers hold a commanding 2-0 lead in their first-round matchup with the Jazz. How commanding? According to ESPN's John Hollinger, teams that open a series with two straight wins have gone on to win the series 192 out of a possible 204 times in playoff history. For those who can't perform long division before their morning coffee, that translates to 94.1%.
Dikembe Mutombo suffered a horrible fall on Tuesday night, tangling legs with Greg Oden before crumbling to the ground. He stayed down for quite some time, too, before being taken off the floor on a stretcher -- and based on his quotes following the game, Mutombo has played his last professional basketball game.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
The Celtics got off to a franchise-best 27-2 start this season, and there was obviously little cause for concern. But then, the team hit the road for four games out West, and dropped three of them ... which apparently now is causing complete panic in the front office. Why would I say this? Because the hot rumor of the day has Boston as the ultimate destination for Stephon Marbury this season. ESPN's Marc Stein explains:
Nearly one year since Stephon Marbury last played in a regular-season game, signals are getting stronger that the New York Knicks' outcast will eventually make his comeback with the Boston Celtics.
When asked specifically about the likelihood of Marbury joining the Celtics this season, the source predicted that "it will happen."
Now of course, before Marbury can go anywhere, there's the little issue of his contract with the Knicks. He and the team were previously a few million dollars apart on the negotiations, and unless Marbury has changed his stance and is willing to take less than he is owed, he's going to stay in his highly-paid purgatory for the rest of the year.
But if Marbury's contract does get bought out and he becomes available ... why would Boston take the chance?
Houston's exile of Steve Francis has paid off exactly how the Rockets had hoped: Dikembe Mutombo is back, reports the Houston Chronicle. How did the Rockets pull off the signing, considering that Deke could have made more money with Boston or San Antonio? The Chron's Jonathan Feigen has the quote.
"I let a lot of money go. I felt a lot of pressure Yao Ming and Tracy (McGrady) every day calling me, (saying) 'We need you. We need your leadership in the locker room. We need your spirit, something to get us going,' " Mutombo said. "Yao called this morning and said, 'I don't want to hear bad news. I need to hear good news.'"
We need the tape of this call. Did Yao go soft and weepy -- "I need to hear some good news right now, Deke. " -- or did Yao give Mutombo some brimstone -- "I DO NOT NEED TO HEAR BAD NEWS RIGHT NOW, DIKEMBE!" I really need to know.
It's a bit remarkable how graciously D.M.M.M.J.J.W. has aged -- his per-possessions have stayed stable and simple: a bunch of blocks, a bunch of rebounds, very few FGAs, even fewer missed FGAs, and not a second of on-court regret. Beyond the spiritual boost Yao and McGrady will receive, Mutombo provides a clear-cut benefit to Houston's second unit.
And let me know that I cannot wait until Deke meets Ron Artest ...
That Boston would like another veteran reserve for its frontcourt is not new information: the Celtics were heavily involved in courting Antonio McDyess in November when the player gave the impression his return to the Pistons was not a preordained procedure. Twice-retired P.J. Brown's name pops up, though it seems he is really retired this time. But Dikembe Mutombo has been the so-called prize of late. But Celtics coach Doc Rivers thinks Mutombo will turn elsewhere, like Houston.
So who does that leave for Boston? Joe Smith's the new name.
Actually, Smith came up for discussion first in Cleveland, as Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported on murmurs that Oklahoma City will try to trade or waive an existing big man to make room for Nenad Krstic in the rotation. Smith, the oldest of the bunch and carrying an expiring contract, would seem to be the best candidate. And this would not be unprecedented for Sam Presti: he bought out Brent Barry late last season (allowing a return to the Spurs) and sent Kurt Thomas to San Antonio for a pick. Some teams place a big emphasis on keeping veterans around; the Thunder does not.
So as with McDyess, it appears we will have a bidding war between the Eastern powers over Smith's services. Cleveland had Smith on the roster for a spell last season, so give the Cavs a head start.
A to Z.
Tip-Off Timer counts down the days until the first game of the 2009-10 season. On Saturday, there are 31 days remaining.
That was a great series. Boston-Chicago had everything you wanted and then some.
Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
The Celtics got off to a franchise-best 27-2 start this season, and there was obviously little cause for concern. But then, the team hit the road for four games out West, and dropped three of them ... which apparently now is causing complete panic in the front office. Why would I say this? Because the hot rumor of the day has Boston as the ultimate destination for Stephon Marbury this season. ESPN's Marc Stein explains:
Houston's exile of Steve Francis has paid off exactly how the Rockets had hoped: Dikembe Mutombo is back, reports the Houston Chronicle. How did the Rockets pull off the signing, considering that Deke could have made more money with Boston or San Antonio? The Chron's Jonathan Feigen has the quote. 
That Boston would like another veteran reserve for its frontcourt is not new information: the Celtics were heavily involved in courting Antonio McDyess in November when the player gave the impression his return to the Pistons was not a preordained procedure. Twice-retired P.J. Brown's name pops up, though it seems he is really retired this time. But Dikembe Mutombo has been the so-called prize of late. But Celtics coach Doc Rivers thinks Mutombo will turn elsewhere, like Houston.
