Dallas Mavs Proving You Wrong!

The Mavericks were the underdog coming into the playoffs.  Each series, the other team was being picked to win by fans and analysts alike.  It seems like Charles Barkley was the only person continuously picking the Mavericks to win the series' they were in.  Why did everyone hate on the Mavericks?

I know all about the Mavericks' choking problem.  Three of the last four years prior they had gone out in the first round.  So it wasn't a huge surprise when people were picking the upstart Blazers to seriously contend with the Mavs in the first round.  Then, during the first round the Mavs did choke away a 23 point lead in a game and lose.  The Mavs, however, came out on top.

In the second round, I heard again how the Lakers were getting it together finally and were going to put down the Mavs in 6 games.  Well, the Mavs swept the Lakers and looked great doing it.  Dirk was on fire.  The rest of the cast were hitting on all cylinders.  Unlike in past playoff years, the Mavs did not choke out in close games and hit all the big shots they needed.

Then the Mavs faced the OKC Thunder.  I heard how great the young Thunder team was, and how they would use their energy and youth to run over the Mavs.  The Mavericks seemingly had no chance at guarding Kevin Durant.  Oh and Russell Westbrook was also going to run over the Mavs with his skills.

Well the Mavs did have some hard fought games with the Thunder.  The Thunder are a great team and really brought it in the series.  The Mavericks were down 15 with 5 minutes left and went on a 17-2 run to push that game to OT.  Then the Mavs won in OT.  That is the moment I knew this was definitely not the Mavs team from the past.  This team had guts, skills, better players and a whole lot of balls.

The Mavericks won the series in five games, beating most people's predictions and making the NBA Finals.  After ALL that, the Mavs were still named the underdog of the series.  Going in, most fans and analysts picked the Heat, some more emphatically than others.  Bill Plaschke of the LA Times said that not only would the Mavs lose, but they would lose in five games.

Not only did you have people picking against the Mavs, but you had some analysts seeming to downplay the Mavs success altogether, and write it off as meaningless or less than great.  Chris Broussard, NBA analyst for ESPN, was asked "If Dirk Nowitzki wins the NBA Title, will this cement his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time?" and he answered "No, because this one series won't elevate him into the upper echelon yet."  That was June 4th.  June 5th, he tweeted "@Chris_Broussard: Win or Lose, Dirk boosting legacy."  Make up your mind analysts!

He was right, Dirk didn't need this series to prove he was an all time great.  Not because he isn't, but because he already is!  Dirk Nowitzki is the best three in NBA history IMO.  I don't consider him a power forward since he lives on the perimeter.  No matter what he actually plays, he's really just a really big three.  I view this series as the Big Three vs the "Big" Three.  Dirk is winning the battle, despite overwhelming doubt by fans and analysts.

So why is everyone hating the Mavericks?  When the series was tied 2-2 before last night's game, I noticed that the PTI panel was asked who would win and finally started hearing "Mavericks can win it" from some people but not Bill Plaschke.  He kept his stance that the Mavericks had zero chance to win the series.  Others at ESPN have said the same, but some are starting to change their mind.  Michael Wilbon being one.  He has started to say he believes now that the Mavs are going to win; in seven games.

I caught part of an interview between Jim Rome and someone who works for ESPN who's name escapes me.  They were discussing the NBA Finals being tied 2-2.  Then inexplicably, he Rome posed the question, "Do you think the Mavericks can come back in this series?"  Really?  If the series is tied 2-2, it's not a comeback if you win the series.  Especially when game 5 is at home for that team.  This is just how the media felt about the Mavs at that point; that they were still behind, still down, still the underdogs.  The tides have been turning.

Magic Johnson has come off the fence now and said he believes the Mavericks will win in seven games too.  Still, analysts are not giving the Mavericks full credit by saying they will win the next game.  There is no reason after game 4 to believe the Mavericks couldn't win the series, especially not to believe they had just as good a chance as the Heat to win it in six games.  On the ESPN poll before the series, most fans picked the heat to win in six games.  Second place was Heat in seven games followed by Mavs in seven games.

I understand the hesitation to say the Mavericks could beat a team with three of the Top Five draft picks from one of the best drafts in NBA history in 2003.  I understand believing that the Mavs have always choked, so why wouldn't they choke again?  I even understand citing 2006 as an example of how they failed against this team in the Finals before.  But I don't understand after seeing four games, why so many people still didn't change their mind or at least take a step back in their commentary.

The Mavs dominated most of Game 5 and now have a 3-2 lead in the series.  The series heads back to Miami, where Miami very well may win both games and win the title.  I'm not saying the Mavs have won anything yet, other than respect.  They should have won the respect of every NBA fan by now, and I am just griping simply because I don't understand why it has been so hard to obtain it and why some people still won't give respect to this team and to Dirk.

Dirk is no longer the soft guy who folds in big games.  Jason Kidd is no longer the PG who can't score and can't make the big plays when they matter.  Jason Terry is no longer just some guy who scores sometimes and not others.  Biggest of all changes, the Mavs are no longer a team that can't play defense.  The Mavericks have caused nine shot clock violations on the Heat.  They have also outscored the Heat 92.6 to 91.5.

LeBron James has been a no-show in the fourth quarter of each game, only scoring 11 points in the five fourth quarters combined so far.  Conversely, Dirk Nowitzki has scored 52 points in the fourth quarter; in Game 3, he scored his team's last 12 points.  I'm not saying Dirk is a better player than LeBron, just more clutch this series.

So no, the Mavs haven't won anything yet, but they should have won respect.  I can't believe there are still people who won't give it to them.  There are still people who say the Heat are failing instead of the Mavs are succeeding in these games.  At this point, that's just ridiculous.  They've earned the accolades.  Now they just need to finish it off.

Why Are Stalker Songs Celebrated?

Being a stalker is seriously not cool.  Nothing about it is "awesome" or worthy of praise from any point of view.  There are famous stalkers like Ted Bundy, and the above "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez, who killed 26 people in the 80's(Ramirez did, not Bundy).  When they care caught, they usually turn out to be as creepy as you would expect.  So why have multiple artists written songs about being a stalker themselves?

I don't understand how a song with lyrics clearly implicating yourself as a crazy love-driven stalker have made the top 40 charts, but they have in the past, and in the present.  There is a point where being in love with someone turns into madness and downright stalker behavior.  There is nothing romantic about it, and it really comes off as creepy as hell.  Well here are five artists who didn't know when their love pushed them over the edge apparently.

Aerosmith - I Don't Want To Miss A Thing

This has got to be one of the creepiest stalker songs ever if you just listen to the opening lyrics: "I could stay awake, just to hear you breathing.  Watch you smile while you are sleeping."  Seriously, that's one of the creepiest lines ever written in a song.  Nothing about this song is romantic at all.  It scares the bejesus out of me, and if anyone ever said this to me, I'd be running for the hills.  Change your locks, phone number and Facebook account asap!

Taylor Swift - Love Story

Taylor Swift burst onto the scene and immediately gave us this creepy stalkerish teenybopper hit.  This whole song screams stalker to the max.  I mean, she talks about a guy who never responds until the very end of the song; and she uses phrases like "Is this all in my head?"  Well of course it is.  You are wanting some guy who doesn't notice you and you are saying all this crazy stuff you heard on some stupid Disney movie.  You can't force some dude to be with you and the story you made up from your schizophrenic mind doesn't make it legitimate.  These lyrics alone created a million new creepy stalker tweens.

Clay Aiken - Invisible

Since Clay Aiken has come out of the closet as a homosexual male, this takes stalking to the gay community.  Since it never mentions that the person he's stalking in this song is a girl, liberties have to be taken that it's a man presumably.  With lyrics like the following, this is definitely one of the most ridiculously horrific stalker songs of all time:  "If I was invisible, then I could just watch you in your room.  If I was invincible, I'd make you mine tonight."  Again, singing about how you wish you could force someone to be with you is not romantic in the least!

The Police & Sting - Every Breath You Take

This is the official stalker song.  This song literally says "Every breath you take, every move you make; every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you!"  Then it progresses to "Oh can't you see, you belong to me?  How my poor heart aches, with every step you take!"  Unbelievable and this was a top hit.  The music was even re-used by Puff Daddy in his tribute song to Biggie.  This is the stalkers official manifesto, all in one song.

Lisa Stansfield - All Around The World

No song quite goes as far as All Around The World by Lisa Stansfield.  This girl isn't just going to stalk you, she's going to travel the entire world looking for you when you run away from her.  She's the stalker on steroids.  Just listen to these lyrics:  "I don't know where my baby is, but I'll find him, somewhere, somehow.  I've got to let him know how much I care.  I'll never give up looking for my baby."  Those words are not even sung, but spoken in the most insane sounding voice of all time in music history.

Listen to how far she'll go to find him:  "Been around the world and I, I, I...I can't find my baby.  I don't know when, I don't know why, why he's gone away!  And I don't know where he can be, my baby, but I'm gonna find him!"  Listen Lisa, if your "baby" is gone and you can't find him anymore, he probably wants it that way!

Don't go looking all over the world for him, he doesn't want you to find him.  He's scared of your creepy self.  Leave him alone.  Seriously, what would she have done if she found him?  Most likely murder him for leaving her.  Sure sounds like it anyways.  Later in the song she starts blaming herself for the dude disappearing, but never seems to completely come to terms with the fact that he ran away from her because she's creepy as hell.  Hands down the winner of worst stalker song ever.

Why were these songs all hits?  I guess they sounded catchy, but it seems like most people missed the lyrics and the message of each song.  Each song was written from the point of view of someone who can't get someone else to realize that they are soul mates.  They go on these strange lyrical journeys, stalking them out no matter how far they have to go, or how creepy they have to be.  I can't be the only person who noticed these?

Top 10 Black Sitcom Themes

How could you screw this up right?  This should be really easy, as there have been several amazing sitcoms over the years staring African American actors.  Well, the people over at Best Week Ever managed to do just that.  Read their list here: http://tinyurl.com/5uxmy4g

The order in which they placed their list is not even the biggest crime here.  The most obvious problem is who they left out.  First of all, shouldn't ANY list of the Top 10 opening theme/credits ALWAYS include Sanford & Son?  ESPECIALLY a list comprised of only black sitcom intros!  How can you be that stupid to leave out arguably the best intro ever on a list of top 10 intros?  Secondly, where is Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air?  That is the best intro of the entire 90's, yet it doesn't make this list?


I also felt while reading this list that the person who wrote the article had no idea that there were great children's shows featuring predominantly black characters.  With all of this being said, I have decided that instead of griping, I will put my money where my mouth is and post my own Top 10 Black Sitcom Themes/Openings Ever below.




10)Good Times


9)Hanging With Mr. Cooper


8)The Wayans Brothers


7)A Different World


6)The Cosby Show


5)Family Matters


4)Keenan & Kel


3)The Jeffersons


2)Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air


1)Sanford & Son


HONORABLE MENTION: My Brother & Me


Now really, how hard was that?  I think this list really covers the vast expanse of great black sitcom shows' intro themes/openings in full.  I am very satisfied with this list.  Did I leave something out?  Maybe, but at least the show intros here are ones that most would agree should be there.  I thought about shows like 227, Diff'rent Strokes, Cleveland Show and Sister Sister, but I think this is just right like it is.  Best Week Ever usually does a good job with their lists, but this was one list where they balked big time.