Did Paul Pierce “diss” ESPN’s Chris Broussard in the
aftermath of Saturday’s Game Three last second 103-101 Washington victory over
the Atlanta Hawks?
Serving as sideline reporter for the broadcast, the NBA
Insider had kiddingly asked The Truth if he’d intended to utilize the backboard
on the game-winning field goal attempt …
… if he called “bank”?
Not missing a beat (but cutting his eyes at CB?), Pierce
proclaimed that he’d called “game,” practically chanting his clever bit of
trash talk and moving on even as Broussard seemed to be posing another
question. (The Star of the Day was soon the property of NBATV’s David
Aldridge.)
So, was Paul genuinely miffed at the question, or was the
wily vet simply seizing a moment to exude the sort of ostentatious confidence
that’s been driving his team throughout this playoff run?
I have no idea if Paul Pierce called that shot off the
glass, either aloud or just in his mind.
I have no doubt that, one way or the other, he did deem the game over …
… and not when he released his shot, either.
In the mind of the Hall-of-Famer-to-be, the outcome of the
game was conceded when the responsibility for stopping him was switched from 6’7”
Kyle Korver to 6’1” and flagpole thin Dennis Schroder. Kudos to Calvin
Murphy-lookalike Will Bynum for inducing the defensive adjustment. The help defense
of Korver came from the wrong side while that of Kent Bazemore was a
split-second late.
As for the postgame shenanigans, I’m beginning to have a
second thought or two. Perhaps that facial expression was more a Cheshire grin
accompanied by an eyebrow raise.
Do you suppose the hero of the hour mistook Broussard for
Jonathan Coachman, who was so often on the receiving end of such looks (and
much worse) from a certain Mr. Johnson?
On the Undercard
Soon-to-be-former ESPN talking-head Bill Simmons offered an
interesting take on the San Antonio Spurs last week during the sure-to-be-soon
former (or at least renamed) Grantland Basketball Hour.
He compared the Popovich crew to the WWE’s John Cena, a big
star and frequent champion whose losses seem to solidify the stature of the
next up-and-comer. He likened recent playoff defeats to OKC and the Griz to
this year’s loss to the Clippers, who subsequently have been having their way
with Houston.
The rasslin’ angle works particularly well in this season’s
situation, since Game Seven in LA had one of those “Dusty Finishes” where a
timekeeper’s error tipped off the Clips (the fiendish Mat Barnes, in
particular, a “heel” if ever there was one, huh?) to the play the Spurs had diagrammed.
A Dusty Finish, named in honor of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, is
intended to create the intended outcome while causing enough uncertainty to
keep the loser looking strong and capable moving forward.
The role to which Simmons analogy was alluding is an old and
respected position to “the boys” who occupy a professional wrestling locker
room. In the parlance of the trade, the loser of a match “does the job” – “jobs
out” to his opponent. Hence, the “jobber” puts over (helps establish the
credibility of) the other guy. At one point there was even a faction of
perennial losers known as “The Job Squad.”
Here’s my all-time favorite Jobber – who had the best-ever
jobber gimmick!
A fight card, even one of the staged variety, requires an
enticing main event. Challengers to the likes of Cena, Hulk Hogan or Bruno
Sammartino must be made to look formidable. Therefore, some of the jobbers
vanquished during a run to the top of the charts need to have a little cache.
What evolved in rasslin’ promotions was a role called the
JTTS – the Jobber to the Stars. This was the guy who would lose, often
convincingly, to the next monster heel or nefarious cheater just prior to that
guy’s showdown with the champ for the belt.
I’m not sure if Coach Pop should be flattered or offended.
But there are already rumors afoot that BS will next work
for Vince McMahon Enterprises.
Maybe ol’ Bill can transition into the position by having a
Sunday Conversation with Pierce.
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