NBA Stories: A shout-out to me from Bill Simmons and The Ringer podcast

2020 is a year that started auspicious for Lee Unagi and his YouTube channel. In case you wonder why I am writing this is because...that is me. My actual name is Levy Nagy but Lee Unagi is the version of the name I came up with while I was in Asia teaching English to kids who wanted a more Asian-friendly name for me as they were struggling with my natural Hungarian name in the classroom.

I went to sleep last night getting notifications from YouTube followers and got a bit surprised at the growing numbers of subscribers on my channel in only a few couple of hours. First thing I checked when I woke up was the news. Surprisingly for me, I got a shout-out on Bill Simmons' newest  episode (number 14) of The Book Of Basketball 2.0 podcast on The Ringer network. Even more surprising was that his guest was Steve Nash, my all time favorite NBA player whom me and other knowledgeable NBA fans consider the last pointgod (a point guard who played godlike basketball) in the NBA. 

There was a link to YouTube and a short 7 minute video with Bill and Steve talking face to face while some highlights of the infamous Game 4 of the 2007 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals between Phoenix and San Antonio were rolling in the background. The poster for the podcast with Robert Horry's hip checking Steve Nash into the sideline boards  was exactly the picture I cropped and used as a cover for the same very game I uploaded to YouTube in May 2019. That felt good but...must have felt awful for poor Steve!

Another quite shocking thing for me after listening to Bill Simmon's latest podcast with Steve Nash was to find out Steve never really watched the Suns games over the last years and especially the fact the game I uploaded - which Bill asked him to watch entirely so they can talk about in this episode on his podcast - gave a whole lot of anxiety to Steve Nash because of the way things were handled back then by the referees, David Stern who died only a couple of days ago, and the over aggressive Spurs players including Bruce Bowen and Robert Horry. I am really sorry my upload brought sadness and desperation to Steve Nash who evidently was lost for words a few times on the podcast. Also I couldn't not notice Nash wasn't really prepared to have this conversation with Bill despite he is in general a great spokesman and well informed.

On the same 7 minute short video from the podcast, people commented on YouTube saying that Steve Nash is underrated although him and the Suns revolutionized basketball and shaped it the way it is played nowadays.

• The problem is you bring on a player and it turns into a boring interview. With another NBA writer/historian it’s an awesome back and forth conversation between knowledgeable people. Nash admits he doesn't think about this stuff and can’t remember half of this stuff 👍 but as player interviews go this one isn’t bad.

• This was the best podcast in the series so far. Well done!
• Nash is underrated.
• True but the man did win not one, but TWO MVP’s.
• Yeah. But he still does not get enough credit for it.
• People spent a decade slandering him because a white boy won an MVP over Kobe, sad people!
• He is definitely properly rated.

• ME: He is underrated! Just because you and me appreciate him doesn't mean the majority of the people do the same. He has been underrated all his career starting at the draft and when signed with Phoenix in 1996 (the best draft in the NBA history!) and booed by Phoenix fans (yes, you read it correctly!).

• Nash is underrated because he played on one of the best teams in the NBA, but really was FAR better than the other two of the "big three". Stoudemire and Marion were both fine, but neither had any chops on their own: Nash was the engine and soul of that team. Think abut it: they were mostly even with the Spurs, who had a "big three" who could each create by themselves of play off the ball. Stoudemire and Marion could really create efficiently by themselves. Each brought something. But Nash was the key. Reminds me of Barkley in Phoenix. KJ was never enough as a second fiddle. Same with Nash. Both first ballot HoF-ers.
• Dude would thrive in today’s NBA, was just a little to early.
• Since 2000 I don’t think there is a pointguard that has gotten more people paid than Nash. A lot of players owe him a few steak dinners for what he did to their career.
• Steve Nash is the player that really "changed the game." Everyone else took the league he made to the next level. Congratulations to them, but don't erase what Steve and those Suns did.

• That Horry hip check killed the series. As Simmons wrote in his book "even a washed up Horry could swing a series". LOL

• One of the most controversial plays in NBA history and no one even scored.
• Refs always ruining something.

• Make no mistake, the Suns CRUSHED Cleveland twice that same year. San Antonio went on to sweep them but Phoenix would have as well. David Stern decided the championship when he suspended the Suns' leading scorer and his main back up at the same time.

• Probably one of the greatest teams to never make a finals. Though once or twice they were clearly screwed.
• Thinking about that series just made me sick. The league hated the Suns.

On that last note, let me add this. The now defunct and much praised David Stern by the media people who didn’t really know him, helped the Spurs back then and robbed the Suns of their chance to advance to the next round. Spurs were a great team but they were preferred by Stern as they better fit the NBA's international marketing agenda (which ironically was the biggest achievement of David Stern's career as NBA commissioner). 

When fans discuss the commissioner's decision to penalize the Suns by the book, they all realize the law was applied wrongfully - and Phoenix fans knew it back then already. One of the comments on my Game 4 video clearly states the undeniable facts. The rule IS NOT if you “leave the bench you get suspended” or “step on the court when a foul has occurred”; according to Stu Jackson, VP of officiating, the rule it is: “if you leave the bench DURING AN ALTERCATION, you get suspended.” If you check the tape, the “altercation” (assuming it rises to the level) had not happened yet when Boris and Amare came off the bench. It’s only well after Amare and Boris come to check on Nash and are right by his side that the altercation takes place. So the suspension of Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw was...unlawful but made by David Stern in a "horry" (you get the pun!).

A few more things about me and the passion for basketball and the NBA. I've been listening and reading Bill Simmons analysis and comments about the NBA for about 15 years, never really missing any of his podcasts. Steve Nash is the player I tried to emulate unintentionally during my 13 years of amateur basketball playing. He was my doppelganger in the NBA. I had played football brilliantly until high school when I fell in love with basketball. Technically speaking I turned long 25 meter leg shots on the football field I used to kick (and destroyed a few rusty goal posts!) into later well known long threes on the basketball court opposing teams were afraid of in the 90s because they didn't know how to guard them so far from the basket. I played basketball at semi-pro level until graduating from college when I got my spinal cord injury just like Steve(!), not to mention I am white European and had long hair for years. 

I've watched Steve's career from day 1 and knew right away he would turn out to be THIS good. The rest is just hate and envy coming from low IQ players like Shaq & co. and their so-called "fans" who just jumped on bandwagons like Lakers, Heat and Warriors at the time. Life is unfair but worth living as long as you keep in mind what Steve Nash always said (but not many listened): "Let's have some fun out there!".

15 Years After The Malice at The Palace

     There are a few YouTubers who brought back the story of The Malice at The Palace but I disliked their videos because they always have a quantitative approach (bring a lot of useless information) and sacrifice quality (a clear, easy to follow storyline). They fail  at being consistent because they fall victims to the new millennial trend of entertaining the uneducated masses. In other words they go too far and ruin a story by forgetting  the power of a message lays in its simplicity.

     2004 was still a good year for NBA basketball. Not as great as the 90s but still competitive with players still being loyal to their teams and listening to their coaches. There was some misinformation in the flash news but not as much mainstream media hyping up sports or  social media creating fake news like they are nowadays.

     The team spirit was high back in the days indeed but...1. NBA players should be able to refrain themselves in these situations (and I am sure this is in their signed contract!), 2. the league should have pulled up  6 or 7 digits fines for  the home team organization for not being able to secure the premises. So yeah, the real wrong doers of the brawl were 1. Ron Artest, 2. Detroit Pistons organization, and 3. the NBA. Historically, this went terribly wrong because the league sacrificed the whole Indiana Pacers team only to find a scapegoat.

     Players taking part in this incident were interviewed and everybody knows now the fight was caused by the previous year playoffs elimination of Indiana which might have won that year finals if that didn't happen in the Eastern Conference Finals. So they were still upset about it and took revenge in this game where Ron Artest was hyped up by Jamal Tinsley during that last free throw (Stephen Jackson named it "putting a pack of batteries in his back"). 

     An angry Ron took it out on Ben Wallace who just lost his brother days before so was very fragile mentally. That led to the fight although Ron Artest still denies he cause it but admits it he was suffering of multiple personality disorder ("I was hearing things and had at least 3 personalities at that time").

     And...of course that infamous beer from the stands and the loosen security at the arena. Now the crazy thing is later in his career Ron Artest contacted the disgruntled Detroit fan (John Green) who threw the beer following a $50 bet and...they have become friends simply because Ron "doesn't like to hold grudges". Maybe there is some peace in the world of...Metta after all.  

     The NBA didn't take the blame nor punished the Detroit Pistons organization. Instead they have found their scapegoat in the Indiana Pacers team's players completely ignoring the huge amount of alcohol consumed by the Detroit fans at the game who were basically rioting inside the Detroit arena. 

     This whole ghetto style brawl had several consequences short and long term. It cost the league and its players tens of millions of dollars that year. Indiana Pacers lost their chance to win the league that year although they have come back strong in playoff time. It shaped for what is better - but probably worse - the future of the NBA imposing strict regulations and bringing more hypocrisy to their face (culminating with the  2019 China incident) and contributing to the widespread PC culture we live in.

     YouTube comments about the incident:

• All because some stupid uncivilized low life threw a beer can.

• I still blame the Pistons fan for this entire situation. You throw beer in another mans face, you deserve to get rocked.
• Piston fans throws beer at Artest, Artest fights back, Pistons fans surprised Pikachu face.
• If it never happened then there wouldn't be metta world peace.
• I don't think anyone can control their temper if they got a beer thrown on them.
• That fan in Detroit is literally the reason why the NBA rules went super strict and why the league is so soft now.
• This is why my dad calls them the Detroit Piss.
• I remember watching this on TV and I've never had so much adrenaline pumping while watching a sports game. It was insane!
• 12 year olds commenting today: "I watched it live"...an event that happened 15 years ago.

• I was born that day! No wonder I’m so aggressive sometimes.

     Here is the full game on YouTube if the uploader still has it. 

     And the boxscore for the game: 2004.11.19~IND@DET (The Malice at the Palace)

NBA Stories: Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf - the shooting G.O.A.T.

        In many basketball fans opinion, the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) in terms of basketball shooting was/is Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. If you could watch Caesar conquering Europe in real time this is what Rauf looked like when he was dominating the world of basketball. I wish people stopped comparing Rauf to Curry. Why? Because Rauf was unguardable while Curry is but players simply choose not to guard him properly.

           I am so happy I watched the game in his prime in the 90s before the US gov't through the NBA commissioner David Stern decided to kick him out! The NBA invented a new criteria for free throws historical stats just to get rid of Rauf's name as the best FT shooter of all time. That tells you how much (Jew) marketing hated Rauf's beliefs. Remember that Racism is something racist people created along with all the other "isms" invented by hateful people - usually those who had the power in a group or a country. Some people comment on YouTube with this: "They suspended Rauf and barred him from even dressing on the bench even though there wasn't even a rule against not standing for the pledge. And everyone just let it happen to him.  Dude was only exercising his amendment right. America land of the free...". Yep!

         Abdul-Rauf told the website The Undefeated that he views the American flag as a symbol of oppression and racism. He has been silently protesting oppression and racism for more than 20 years. “I hold true to it,” he said last week. All Americans have a right, if not obligation, to draw attention to perceived wrongs, he said. “If you feel there’s something wrong and you want to change it, whether you’re an athlete, whether you’re a doctor, whether you’re a garbage man, we all have been given a voice by God, and we have a right to voice our concerns,” he said. Reasonable people can disagree on how best to voice concerns, he said. Each person must decide a course of action. “Whatever it is, you have to live with those consequences,” he said.

          Abdul-Rauf has. His quiet protests sparked death threats, the burning to the ground of a 2,800-square-foot home in Mississippi and, he believes, being weeded out of the NBA and thus losing several prime years of a pro career. Effectively banned from the NBA at age 29, Abdul-Rauf then played in Turkey, Russia, Italy, Greece, Saudi Arabia and Japan before retiring in 2011. This echoed what he told The Undefeated last year. “It’s priceless to know that I can go to sleep knowing that I stood to my principles,” he said then. “Whether I go broke, whether they take my life, whatever it is, I stood on principles. To me, that is worth more than wealth and fame.” “I’m for anybody who wants to bring about a change for the better in society, period,” he said.

         Abdul-Rauf still trains daily. “It’s in my DNA,” he said. “It’s therapeutic.” Exercise provides a respite from the Tourette syndrome that affects Abdul-Rauf. Exhaustion relieves the symptoms of the neuropsychiatric disorder. Abdul-Rauf trains and plays one-on-one against young athletes who have no knowledge of his former on-court achievements. “They seem to be amazed at my quickness and ability to still get off my shot,” he said. “My strength is pretty much still there. My conditioning is still there. I think I'm still pretty quick to get where I want to go. Not the 20, 25-year-old quick. But I'm not complaining.” He is still doing his wizardry on the court at the age of 50(!!) in Ice Cube's BIG3 league. Abdul-Rauf said he participates in the three-on-three games (10 sites over 10 weeks this summer) to see how he can do against ex-pros who are 10 or 15 years younger.

       From one of the YouTube comments about Rauf: "He was blackballed out of the league. Imagine what he could've been if that didn't happen. To me he was a better shooter than Steph cause he was waaay more athletic and he shoots a jump shot. From any angle and has more variety of shots. No hate on Steph, he has range but this weak league allows the offensive player a lot more freedom than back in the day." Forget about Steph Curry, instead watch the best shooter of all time still being on fire in 2018!

       There is a difference between being mediocre and being great. So, are you ready to face death to embrace living at the fullest? 99% of the people would say no. This is how I thought and trained when I was a teenager giving up partying, girls and everything 99% of you, people did. Unfortunately the discs in my spine didn't catch up with the hard training but I didn't give up, took the pain every day and still had become the best I could be. Now sometimes I can hardly walk but I am at peace with myself and in my mind I am flying to magic places 99% of people don't even know they exist. And that's when you meet yourself and god as full package. Rauf, the legend talking sense like no other does today:

             In some of the comments on YouTube: 

         "I grew up admiring and copying MJ's game/moves. But I did kept an eye of this man. He's been robbed. So many times  I've seen him played so great, yet he would be put to bench every time. And at times, he's not even a starter... damn, this man would have change the game earlier, so underrated. Just because of his religion, name & beliefs... the man didn't even complained. What a great man. Salute to you sir. I did practice the way you shoot, the form and accuracy is so high. You should be acknowledged sir... I loved the game so much back then, and you're one of my inspiration... love from the Philippines!!!"

         Unlike the fake super woke athletes of today that are backed by corporate sponsors like Nike and the liberal sports media, he took a truly unpopular stand and did it B4 having made a lot of money.  As far as basketball, in his prime, he was right there with Curry.  I think he made an unwise decision regarding the flag but I understand why he did it.

            If Mahmoud had been allowed to have a full career, the current 3 point revolution the Steph is the center of probably happens much earlier on the NBA timeline.

            Phil Jackson knew exactly what he was saying and to top that he would give Step the business right now at 47yrs of age.

         Another fun fact about Jackson. He was only 165lbs. which makes it a bit more impressive especially for his physical era. There is a very short list of players under 170lbs that had a successful NBA career.

         My favorite player of all time, I had so much fun watching him in the 90s. Considering that Mahmoud had a rough childhood where he overcame a physical disability, grew up in poverty with a single mom, was undersized in a much more physical NBA era than today, played for a small market team with mediocre ownership, never got in any trouble off the court, and then was blackballed by the league for his personal beliefs...it's pretty damn impressive that he still managed to have so many flashes

          Back when you had to have skill to play elite NBA basketball... What a player! Pure shooter, great passer, he was a mix of steph curry and steve Nash. so happy I grew up with this basketball as a kid. Oh and don’t forget the guy who he was coming in to replace at the draft... Big Mike Adams, also underrated. YouTube him, kids.

         A great player blackballed over the Racist Flag! If THEY DIDN'T blackball him, a sure HOF seat was his. A pure shooter with excellent skills.  Shame on the NBA, shame. Bottom line, David Stern robbed us of one the best players in an of the game. This was not the first time a player was blackballed because of his beliefs. Let's not forget they also did Craig Hodges dirty back in the day too, even Kareem wasn't treated too kindly when he converted to Islam, while with the Bucks. I think land of the oppressed and home of the cowards is far more fitting when it comes to social issues and acceptance in the United States."

         

       Don't forget you can play with Abdul-Rauf in NBA 2K11 when using two of my DLCs, the 1995-96 and the 1997-98 NBA seasons that you can download here on this blog. ;)