Congratu...... zzzzzz..........

Congratulations to North Carolina, who won their ninety-fifth national championship in mens basketball tonight, making the city of Detroit even sadder than usual. Which, considering the employment situation in this state, is really saying something. They were so hoping for a win tonight, so they could tip over some cars that would have to be replaced.

UNC had the most first half points (55) in finals history, and the game was so very exciting that fourteen people who didn't live in Carolina, Michigan, or have money on the game watched. Seven of them stayed awake until the end!

Oh, and just for my right-wing friends... Obama had the winner all along. Not the rest of the final four, but the winner.

Now, I have just one more thing to say to college hoop and all of the people that watch it: go away, and don't bother the rest of us for another 10.5 months. Especially when your tournament was about as exciting as watching paint dry. (I'm sure that our man in Chapel Hill, Dirty Davey, will have something to say about all of this, provided that, as a Carolina fan, he even notices when his team wins this thing.)

Lakers-Jazz Game 1: Where Standing Around Happens

Today in Los Angeles, the Lakers took the early lead in a playoff series that, I am afraid, is going to be decided by the men in striped shirts. That's a series, by the way, that the Jazz can not win, and that won't be at all pretty to watch.

No one on the Jazz roster can guard Kobe Bryant at all. They are, of course, going to try... so while Bryant didn't really play that well, he still wound up with 38 points, with 19 FT makes. (Today's final tally on free throw attempts between the two teams: 77. Which is a big win for the Laker fans, because when it's over 70, everyone in attendance gets a free sleep mask.)

Several Lakers -- Derek Fisher, Vladamir Radmanovic -- can't defend on the dribble. So it's going to make things a stop and stop some more game on both sides. (In anything less than 30 FT attempts per game, take the over.)

So while the Jazz can feel good, if they want to, about coming back from down 19 to make it a 4-point game before the Lake Show exerted its will... and sure, they will have games where they get more out of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, and they always play better at home... well, I'm not seeing them win a game in LA in this series. Or winning all of their home games when Bryant can count on 20+ free throw attempts a game.

However, it was nice to see both team's designated scapegoats -- Mehmet Okur and Lamar Odom -- come through with reasonable games. The Jazz do rebound the ball, and have the bigs to compete with the Lakers.

That will get them a game or two. But it won't get them four, because they don't have Kobe, or anyone who can guard him. Simple game, really.

Consider the Switch Turned On

Tonight in Philly, the Pistons slept through another half before showing up, but since they were only down 10 from the first, it didn't hurt them.

The critical play was a Sheed technical late in the first after a successful Reggie Evans flop. Wallace looked close to being tossed, but as usually happens with Sheed, he used the T to come back with better play, including a trio of triples in the third, when the Pistons swung the game with a 19-point bulge.

All the credit will go to Sheed, but Chauncey Billups deserves more, as he got the better of his battle with Andre Miller.

For the Sixers, it was a simple matter of getting turnovers early, and not enough late. They also didn't do nearly enough on the defensive boards, as the Pistons just wore them out in the second half with second chances. The Sixers also had nothing in the half court that worked, and didn't take enough care of the ball to give them any kind of chance. Also, bad free throw shooting -- a problem that has to be fixed for this young team to get any better, especially in close games -- was a serious problem.

It also didn't help that the refs started making sure a run wouldn't happen for the home team in the fourth. On consecutive possessions, brutal no-calls on Willie Green and Andre Iguodala helped suck the energy out of the building. But that happens to young teams, especially at home. (See the Cavs win in Philly after the buzzer, which ensured that the Sixers got Detroit in the first round anyway.)

Assuming Detroit takes care of business at home in Game 5, the question is whether or not the 2 seed will close in 6, or whether they'll sleep for another game. In any event, they've given their opponents in future rounds a lot to work with, especially if the opponent has a point guard with size. It was a nice story, but if Philly really wanted to get past the 2 seed, they couldn't lose this game; they were going to need multiple chances to close.

(Oh, and just for new FTT poster Tracer Bullet, here's the second choice of image for this wrap-up, in honor of the Pistons: Big Daddy Dick Cheney. Just like the Veep, the Pistons are old, tired, unwatchable, hated, hateful, and going to screw you. And just to add to your Nightmare Fuel -- Spurs-Pistons is still very much on the table. Enjoy.)