The Basketball Blogs

The one

2012-01-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

Life is like a revolving door. People come. Some linger. But almost all of them eventually leave. It's one of the unchanging facts about life. For most people, there is just that one person who lingers, a constant in a life filled with variables. That one person who means everything to you.

I had that one person. With me. By my side. But she now wants to leave, be among those moving in and out through that revolving door. Do I stand by, watch her walk away, into the distance, never to return? I could. I could lose her. Forever.

No, I can't do that. Not her. Never her. That smile on her face, that god damn hauntingly beautiful smile. It makes one feel light on his feet. Makes him hear the fluttering of the wings of a butterfly, the chirping of the birds and the cool breeze fluttering through the air. Above all, her smile makes the world seem a nice place, full of hope. Full of dreams.

She places her hand on the handle of the door. Pushes at it. The door begins to spin. I feel a cold rush in my stomach. Like someone unplugged a drain in my stomach causing my insides to swirl around viciously. Begging and pleading. That only makes her run away faster.

Easier, it would be, if we could just erase our memories. We've even had a movie dedicated to that idea, 'The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'. But in the movie, the protagonist, as I refused to let her go, that one magical person.

Now, you may ask, how? How do you know that she is that one constant? A simple enough sounding question. A difficult one to answer though. You could give in an umpteen number of answers.

As a rule, my first reaction to people is to dislike them. I know, it's not very healthy, but some character flaws are just that. Anyway, you wonder why out of nowhere, I pulled out that seemingly random statement of fact about me. Well, it's not random, it's quite relevant.

She was the first person, nay, the only person ever, who instantly charmed me. I didn't need to talk to her, I didn't need to hear her voice, I didn't need to spend hours with her. It just happened.

But hours of our childhood we did spend, talking, laughing, joking. As you might have guessed, a person who's instinctive reaction to people is dislike, can get pretty lonely sometimes. But till I met her, the loneliness never bothered me. I liked being aloof. I liked keeping to myself, in my own world, far from the matters of the world, that I found trivial. But she got me, hook, line and sinker.

It takes a lot to pull an introvert out of his shell. It takes a lot to make a distrusting person, trust on sight. She has that for me. That gift. Like a magnet she sucked me out of shell.

But. Sometimes, people can be undeserving of that one person. Undeserving of love. Undeserving of happiness. Undeserving, of the right to be happy. As I run after her into the night, praying for the best, deep down I know, that I am among them.

I see her smile floating in everything around me. The breeze carries the gentle waft of the smell of her sweet hair. I hear her laughter ringing in my ears. I feel those cold yet soft hands, waiting to be held gently. I run after her, relentlessly. Giving up is not an option. Not with her.

Not, the one.

She was the one

2011-12-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

It was a warm sunny morning. Nice, some would say. Only for him, it turned out anything but. "We should end this" said the text message. First thing he saw after waking up. Confused and paralysed he slowly replied saying "what?"

Fear was slowly taken by panic. The hands shook. The lips trembled. The eyes reddened. What followed was a series of begging, crying, negotiating and anger. But nothing would make her budge. Nothing.

They'd been together a long time. Some could say the distance between them had driven a wedge between them. But no, he told himself. They spoke everyday. In fact they'd even spoken last night. She sounded fine last night, he thought to himself.

Some might say he'd taken her for granted. Maybe he told himself.

He began pleading, asking her for one last opportunity. This time she wouldn't respond. He called. She wouldn't pick up. Tears trickled down his cheek. For a guy of little emotion this was a lot. He sat in shock. He didn't eat, but wasn't hungry anyway. Food wasn't what he wanted. She. She was all he wanted.

Grief struck him again. He curled himself almost into a foetal position, and cried. Cried like he'd never cried before. He tried to think of how he could win her back. All he could think of was her smile. That bloody gorgeous smile. That smile that he could stare at all day long. More tears.

That lovely laugh that filled him with warmth. That excited chatter. The impatient "why didn't you reply?" for the message she'd sent a minute ago. He was never going to see those again. He couldn't stop the whimpers from escaping his lips. He couldn't breathe. Grief had seized him.

The stomach was queasy, the throat was stuck. The eyes were dry, yet tears kept trickling down. The numerous phone calls. The hundreds of chat messages. The millions of I love you's. Her mischief ridden voice. All gone. Forever. His head hurt. The sky was falling on his head. All gone.

Amongst all the thoughts of her beauty, her intelligence, her personality. One thought echoed in his mind. She was the one. And he'd lost her. Forever.

All characters are purely fictional

Why Waves??

2010-12-23T05:04:00.000-08:00

Three and a half years had passed since I joined BITS-Pilani Goa Campus. My last day as a BITS Student in Goa was passing by as I sat on the beach in Baga. A friend sat beside me (Chummi), one who I'd worked with for Waves on many an occasion. Somehow in our quiet reflection we remembered our times at Waves. I had already in the past mentioned how it would be a dream come true to be able to one day help Waves from the outside, and this came up for discussion. In that discussion, he brought up how he felt that now it all seemed so pointless, so fruitless. He asked me, what is it that entices you so much? Why Waves?

It was a question that I'd have thought would have an obvious answer. But right there at that moment I had none. Why Waves? Really what was so special about that festival? Was it the amount of fun I had working for it? No not a strong enough reason to explain the attachment. Was it the joy I got from seeing the festival grow? Well, maybe, but usually such strong bonds are formed when there is a selfish reason involved. This isn't one. So what was it?

I spent the next day thinking about it. Why Waves, why waves, why waves?? Why I hated quark was an easy one to answer. Quark always seemed to do everything possible to make life difficult for those of us organising Waves. (Especially when they refused to shift quark to the 1st sem, forcing us to; thereby making sure we had to fight rain every damn time). My liking of Spree also had a good solid selfish reason attached to it. I love basketball. Seeing a platform where excellent teams compete is something that's well worth it. Which once again brings me back to "WHY WAVES"??

What is it about something that makes us feel so deeply attached that we struggle to ever break free. What is it about Waves that holds me so tight, and yet I have no logical explanation as to why it is so. No logical explanation. There is none. I would be the first one to admit that. Yet, I worked and fell in love with the festival. I know deep down Waves may never be a Mood Indigo, or a Saarang. But Waves for some odd, illogical, unexplainable, undecipherable reason, will always be my beloved WAVES. Don't ask why, what if or anything else. It is what it is. In the words of Rajnikant in the movie (FAIL) Baba, "Ghatam Ghatam".

The Rise and soon-to-be fall of LeBron James

2010-06-03T04:04:00.000-07:00

LeBron James entered the NBA with the whole basketball world paying attention. He signed a Nike contract before he played a single minute. He was (and unfortunately still is) revered by the championship starved city of Cleveland and his home town of Akron. Was LeBron James worth the hype? Yes definitely. Being in India there's not a lot of basketball you get to see, but I was fortunate to watch LeBron destroy the Pistons single handedly in 2007. Since then I have been a massive LeBron fan. But that ended in Game 5 of the series between Cleveland and Boston. Fame, money and the reverence people have for him have collectively gone to his head. He is no longer a basketball player but a businessman. But who is to blame ??

First LeBron himself at some level should be blamed. He let people close to him and the fame go to his head and now he seems to have something to prove through this free agency. I have watched Kobe Bryant a lot and have always found him to be a player who tries to do too much on his own and for that I am not a big fan of his. But there is a man who will never quit on a time no matter the situation or the scoreline, and that is something that earns respect. In game 5 LeBron stopped playing. Period. He can give a variety of excuses but he simply quit on a team that had a good chance of making it. Where he would usually pick up a rebound and tear down the court, he would slow the pace and hand it to Williams or West. Where he would normally crash the boards looking for every loose ball, he left it to his big man. Where he would drive to the hoop looking for the foul, he settled for a series of bad shots which he knew he was missing all night. Yes, coack Mike Brown has always been shaky when it comes to offense. But this loss happened solely because LeBron refused to show up. An off day can be forgiven, but lack of effort must not.

However, I will not pin the blame entirely on LeBron. The Cavaliers franchise and the NBA as a whole has had a role in this transformation of LeBron as well. The Knocks should have been disciplined for their shameless obsession with LeBron. Explain this to me, Mark Cuban jokes about how he'd sign LeBron in a jiffy and gets fined, but the Knicks play out 2 years of rubbish in the hopes of landing LeBron and get away with it? What in the world does the commissioner Stern think he's doing? In an effort to combat this the Cavaliers management and the fans were forced catered to his every whim and fancy. In the fear of losing their franchise player, the management indulged him where they should have disciplined him and reminded him he represented their franchise till 2010. Ability isn't enough to win Championships and the franchise should have taught their star this lesson. They did not.

Yes the city of Cleveland is desperate for a championship. But the way LeBron quit on the Cavaliers during game 5, fans can be rest assured a championship is not coming their way anytime soon. Not with that attitude. The Magic 3-0 down in the conference finals, refused to go down without a fight, and tried to comeback into it. LeBron was ahead, yet gave up. What does that say about his attitude? Championships are not guaranteed. Every other day I hear some NBA commentator/expert say that LeBron is too talented to go without a championship. Karl Malone and John Stockton were an incredible duo. How many championships? NIL. Few years ago, Gilbert Arenas was the talk of the NBA. Today, he'll be lucky if a team picks him to play. Vince Carter folded in the playoffs despite at one point of time being a much talked about player. This list can go on and on. No one is guaranteed a championship. LeBron must learn that lesson. He had a better chance this year than he will ever have.

To the Clevelanders, I have never been to Cleveland yet over the last few years I have grown a soft spot for your desperation for a title. But in that desperation I urge you not to overlook the fact that Cleveland has no apparent meaning to your star. All he cares about are himself, his close "associates", his family and more than anything his money. If he does leave, do not feel upset or betrayed. Instead, rejoice hat you have gotten rid of a man who has no heart and no desire other than being rich and famous. Rebuilding will probably be hard should LeBron leave, but it will be better than watching LeBron quit the way he did.

Story of a Sporting Hero

2010-03-29T06:21:00.000-07:00

A bead of sweat trickled down his face, but it did not bother him. 1 hour 47 minutes ago he had entered the arena. 57minutes and 57 seconds of putting his body on the line had passed tonight. But it didn't bother him in the least. He had been doing this almost every alternate night for 9 whole months. His legs felt like they would fall out from under him. But playing through pain was something he had learnt when he was a child.

Standing at a height of barely six feet he was amongst the shortest players on the battlefield. And now hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath, he appeared even smaller in comparison. He looked up at his opponents and then his team-mates. All of them were tired, yet more determined than ever before, because this was it. This was the final showdown. As he looked up, the season flashed before his eyes.

It had started badly for them, losing thirteen of their first seventeen games. But a firing from the coach turned it all around. He remembered it like it was yesterday. The reigning champions had arrived, and slaughtered them. It was a brutal loss, one that would be etched in his memory forever. He had been in this league for almost six years now and yet he had never been beaten so badly. He remember the coach's quiet look of anger that day, and when he went home he watched on the telly as one expert after another told him their team was finished. The next morning the coach lambasted the team for the lack of effort. But that wasn't all. After practise he had been pulled aside. He was told that he was a disgrace, that he was a pathetic leader, that he would never ever win the championship. He remembered every single word, each one that had pierced his heart like a dagger. That night before he slept he promised himself that he would never ever let his coach or his team down again.

Then came the revival. Experts were looking for a hand of God. Suddenly, he had picked up his game. His numbers were up by almost double, and he began playing like a man possessed. And as they began winning game after game, his confidence began rubbing off on his team-mates. But while his team-mates celebrated every shot, every win, he would not. All he could think abouth those six words - "you will never win the championship".

The season went past and what was initially a 4-13 record ended 56-26. The world was talking about him. The number six on his back was adorning many young children's backs as well. Tens of thousands of fans' happiness ebbed and flowed with the points he scored. The time for the "Most Valuable Player" award came. To absolutely no one's surprise, he won unanimously. He still remembered the words he spoke when he was handed the award. "I'd like to thank everybody in my team, my family and my fans for their support. But I promise you, that I'm not done yet. I will not rest, until we have the championshiop in our hands in front of you." Those words were played and relayed all across the world.

The playoffs began and they swept past the first two opponents with ease. And while, his team-mates celebrated he just waited. He knew the next two weeks of his life was what he had lived for. All his life he had wanted to be in the Conference finals, and then the finals. Here was his chance. But then, disaster struck. Two minutes into the first game of the conference finals, a hard foul had forced him to land on his knee. Badly twisted, doctors had told him he was done for the season. He had spent that night, alone in the hospital room, crying himself to sleep. He watched his team lose the first three games of the series and looked likely to be swept. Without him, the team was lost and bereft of the energy that had brought them thus far. His doctor had warned him that playing in the next two weeks could ruin his knee for the rest of his career. He could walk, but had not tried running at his doctor's orders. But the night of the third loss he made a decision. He would man up and play through every ounce of pain. He decided that he could not lie there and leave his team-mates high and dry. He would be able to live with not playing again. But he would not be able to live with coming so close and ending so far. His coach was shocked to see him at practise, but saw the passion and desire in his eyes. He knew there would be no convincing him. The comeback that followed was one of epic proportions, one that will be talked of for all eternity. No team had ever come back from 3 games down, but with him and his bad knee inspiring him and his team they fought hard and fulled off victory after victory. Soon the conference title was theirs and yet, he would not celebrate. His mind was focussed on only one thing. And nothing could shake his focus.

The first six games of the finals came and went. The home team in each game clinching the win. The series was very close. All games being won by a combined 12 points. Thw world was watching in awe. Their opponents were the reigning champions, the team that had humiliated them at the season's beginning. But he would not be denied. The three games they had won had been unbelievable. They kept coming back from ridiculously bad positions and kept fighting their way to victory. Tonight was no different. They had been 30 points down at half-time. The commentators insisted the game was dead and buried. The dressing room had been quiet when he entered. The coach looked mournfully up at him. What followed was something that had never happened before. Before his coach could utter a word, he began talking. He spoke to each team-mate about how important he was. He reminded them of how they had made a habit of beating the odds. And then he said, "You are my team. I refuse to let you down. When we step out, I want you to be the most confident set of people there can be. We are not leaving this arena without that trophy." His coach was stunned. Normally he was a very quiet player who kept to himself focussing on the task at hand. But he had evolved. He couldn't keep the smile from emerging. Six years, and finally this young man had become the leader. Shot after shot fell in as the commentators were beside themselves in shock and awe. Steal after steal, block after block and suddenly they had tied the game. Overtime led to another tie. And now 4 minutes and 57 seconds later, there they were. Scores tied. They had the inbound. There was only time for one shot this period. Everyone knew who would take it. But would he make it? If he didn't they would be out there for five more minutes. If he did he would have what he had wanted so badly.

The whistles of the referees sounded. He knew the play like the back of his hand. His team-mates, his coach, the fans were all nervous, but not he. He knew he would make it. This would be his moment. Those three seconds felt like an eternity. He ran, caught the ball and shot. An audible gasp echoed around him as the crowd held their breath. And like bomb the crowd went from silence to hysteria. He had made it. His team-mates were all over him. And finally, after a long long season, he smiled as a tear rolled down his cheek. His coach was watching, smiling proudly, like a father would at his son. As he lifted the trophy with his coach, he felt a huge weight slide off his shoulders, and he enjoyed every last second of it.

Togo Banned by CAF for two ACN's!! What gives

2010-01-30T13:48:00.000-08:00

About two weeks ago, The Togo national team was travelling in the Angolan province of Cabinda toward the African Cup of Nations tournament, when they were ambushed by a group of terrorists/insurgents/separatists. An assistant coach, the bus driver were killed and a few injuries also resulted. So understandably the Togolese team withdrew from the ACN. Now the CAF has banned them for the next two tournaments. That has got singularly be the most absurd and insensitive decision in the history of all sports.

Last year a bus carrying the Sri Lankan National cricket team was attacked in Lahore and they pulled out of their tour. Did anyone question them? No, of course not. They were SHOT AT!! I do believe that that calls for some allowance when it comes to withdrawing from sport events.

Imagine if this had been the FIFA World Cup and a non-African (read European/North American) team had been attacked. Would this be the decision taken by FIFA. NO!!! Firstly, I'm sure the World Cup would have been called off and the western "powers" would have begun a "war on terrorism" there as well.

This decision to ban Togo is a shame on humanity and should be withdrawn immediately along with the resignation of the obviously idiotic CAF president!

Sad Match

2009-10-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

Today morning began with me watching one of the worst basketball games I have ever seen. Sure, the Nuggets pulled away only at the end to win 97-94 versus the Trailblazers. But this was a sad, sad game. What should have been an exciting last quarter became a free throw extravaganza. What should have been an exhibition of Portland's efficient offence turned into a series of horrible shots. Portland only kept up with Denver because they completely out-rebounded the Nuggets. Denver rode on Melo's back who's 41 points eventually won the game

When you see such games it annoys you as a viewer. Sure defences were pretty decent but in a game between too evenly matched foes you expect a certain degree of athleticism. The only really adrenaline pumping play I can remember is when Martell Webster drove along the baseline and dunked hard. No transition points of note. Free throw points galore. Please God please give me a better game to watch :(

Taken for granted

2009-10-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is probably going to be one of the corniest posts (I have) ever written. So those averse to such posts may stop reading.

Life is complicated. Filled with so many choices: Right from our careers, our friends, hell even our lunches and dinners. And yet somehow, our choice in the opposite sex seems made, by someone other than us.

That's what makes love special. No matter how much you'd like to, you can't control it. You can't change your mind overnight. Love, somehow is something which feels like it should be in our control and isn't.

So why is this post titled "taken for granted". Well, here goes. Like I said, love is something beyond control. And those who know, and feel this emotion sometimes take it for granted. Living in the present is always special for any couple but, that's when they should realise that they are lucky. Lucky to have a present together.

Take the recent "prom" situation in campus, with loads of couples hooking up for the big day. They will have a great time, whilst people like me will sit out and dream about what it would be like to have that kind of present. I have no such present. My love is elsewhere, far away. I have only the future to look forward to. And yet I know, that only I can see how lucky the "prom" couples are.

So, getting back to it, they will have a great time. But, they will take it for granted. Until the day comes to part (if it does). And when that day comes they will regret taking such moments, such enjoyment for granted. So, my advice to these couples would be enjoy yourself like there's no tomorrow, because you never know when fate will be cruel and hold you apart. Remember to feel lucky. To have someone you love, so close to you. Remember to cherish every moment, because you never know when those moments will run out.

I will sit out, jealous of every couple at the "prom", trying to distract myself by working on something. But my mind will be back home, thinking of her and what I'm missing. And shed a tear, I will. I hope the couples know what they have is special. You never know when God will play a cruel practical joke on you, and leave you with nothing but hope.

NOTA - Right or Wrong??

2009-08-22T13:52:00.000-07:00

Elections are always full of surprises... They are filled with suspense and excitement... And generally a candidate would go in knowing that it's definitely one of the contestants who is going to win... But what if that wasn't a sure thing??? What if you could have a scenario where none of them wins??? That is the exact definition of "NOTA" or "None Of The Above"...

Now there are different scenarios in which NOTA could get a person's vote...
1. It's the "k3wl" thing to do...
2. The person doesn't give a crap but still wishes to perform his/her duty...
3. The candidates are all bad...

Now when a person lets people know that he's in favour of NOTA reactions vary from "Wow that's so cool... I'm going to do it too..." to "just be happy with what you have, vote for somebody and get it over with"... Of all possible reactions its the latter-mentioned one I hate the most... Why be satisfied with what you have when you can do better... George Bernard Shaw once said, "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself... Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man..." I say be unreasonable... Don't settle for less... Why should you??? Are you so unimportant that you have to pick your leader from a pile of rubbish??? Does it not matter to you that if a bad candidate should win you would suffer for that entire term because of your unwillingness to be unreasonable???

Another phrase I've heard and hate is "You didn't have the guts to stand, now don't complain..." To those guys I ask, what would you do if this was a real government election... What if your options were between a rapist, a murderer and a paedophile??? Would you tell me to vote for them??? Would you tell me to accept one of them as my leader??? Or would you tell me to be unreasonable and go against them all??? Wouldn't you tell me that NOTA is the best way to deal this situation??? Would you ask me why I didn't fight the election and use that as an argument against NOTA??? My argument might seem an over exaggeration but it's an amplification of the situation before us... The focus of the discussion at the moment should not be why I didn't stand or why you didn't... Our focus instead should be on whether or not you are willing to accept a bad leader??? If you are, you are weak... And the world in which we live in will never develop... That's because development will happen only when we be unreasonable... So be unreasonable... Be the change... Vote for NOTA!!!

Experiences with PS

2009-06-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

Man PS Sucks... Our instructor is a rule-abiding moron even worse than "Ambi" in the movie Anniyan (also known as Aparitchidu)... The only saving grace is being in Trichy is close enough to go home for Sundays (not counting the 3 days leave allowed)...

Here's the clincher... We got nothing to do... For a couple of weeks we went around observing stuff, but after a while observation gets old... Now we just reserve ourselvses to sitting in an air-cocnditioned room, drinking tea and entertaining ourselves (with penfight, movies, games...)

In recent news Shaq joins the Cavs... Well this should be an interesting season!!

Special post for a special game...

2009-05-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

It's sad, but down here in India we get to watch two or three NBA games a week... Which combines to roughly 84 games a year... Now one team plays 82 regular season games + playoffs so you can guess how little we actually get (thank you very much ESPN)... Now the chances of a game turning into a classic is obviously small (because otherwise it would be an average game)... And with Game 6 of the Boston Chicago FIRST round (yes FIRST ROUND) series the Indian audience was incredibly lucky to get to watch the 3OT 128-127 Bulls victory live...

The match was amazing because there was always something going on... Both teams for at it right from tip off especially the Bulls... I though Salmons was incredible in the first quarter, knocking down all kinds of weird shots... Then Ray Allen showed up, and BOY did he show up... The most incredible part was someone or the other kept coming back... 1 minute the Bulls would be up by 12, 5 mins and a 23-3 run later Celtics lead by 8 and then comes Miller from nowhere with clutch plays... Followed by Hinrich... And this was just regulation...

You know the feeling?? When a team is 3 points up, but Ray Allen is on the opposite team... It's like you know the shot is coming, you just don't know from where... I mean how the hell do you shoot over a (generously listed) 7 footer fully extended... I mean, you can't fault (for most parts) the defence on Ray Allen... This guy is as good as Reggie Miller at his peak (I know you're thinking it)... "Big baby" Glen Davis was great to credit to him for some of his clutch shots... I still cant get over the fact that this guy was a second round pick last season...

For Chicago, it was a team effort (barring Ben Gordon who didn't show up - hamstring problems too much I guess)... Salmons starred in the first... And through out the game there were spurts from him, Rose, Hinrich, Miller... But, (even though they didn't score as much) to me, Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah were the key players... Not because of the number of plays they made but the nature of the plays they made... Tyrus Thomas' emphatic dunk in the 4th made the crowd go wild... (Not to mention is superb rejection of Rondo - possibly the only time I saw Rondo drive the whole game)... Noah - What a steal... I mean sure Pierce is old... But if your big man can make a play like that? Well you've got one hell of a player... A lot of Bulls fans were upset at losing Nocioni (and his energetic & emphatic moves that got the crowd into it) in the Kings' deal but Noah has turned into a much better version of that... He makes sensible and hard plays... And he does it emphatically... Derrick Rose seemed a bit nervous in parts, but come on, he's only a rookie!! I personally felt Hinrich should have been handling the ball down the stretch... Rose looked like he could cough it up any moment...

Miller... Man what can I say... He's slow yes... But can he make clutch shots or what!! I really never knew he could shoot 3's today... (Yes I can be ignorant)... Not to mention that driving layup past Perkins late in the fourth...

Now I'm about done... Just a word for the fans dissing the coaches... Give them a chance!! Look at their results over a long term... Just by 2-3 games you cannot say a coach is bad just because some of his calls flopped... And in Vinny Del Negro's case, give him a break!! He's a rookie coach, but he's already proven to be decent (barring a couple of weird decisions)... Give him a couple of years, then judge him... For the Bulls it could be ideal - A young core growing up with the coach could help the team... It really could... Can't Wait for Game 7... Don't really care about the result, but we may need to keep the ICU's ready... Because Game 7 is going to be the clincher of one of the best playoff series' ever...

Shah Rukh Khan - King of the noobs

2009-05-01T05:44:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of nice ads on the television of late... Added with a lot of corny ones and outright idiotic ones... I recently saw this ad with Shah Rukh Khan advertising a Hyundai Getz (I think)... Basically he "proves his teacher wrong" by showing that he can get mileage without sacrificing power... But come on the way they say it!!

Mileage can be increased for equivalent power only by increasing the combustion engine efficiency... Mileage is indeed inversely proportional to power... So Shah Rukh Khan if you want to "teach" people physics, well (to put it nicely) don't...

So anyway Shah Rukh Khan has been in the news lately... No it's not about some hare-brained movie of his but about his (lets say "interesting") team the "Kolkata KnightRiders"... First which owner in the world approves a system of having four captains, knowing the kind of ego's that players tend to have... Next, who supports this decision later by getting into a media battle with a former great?? I mean seriously I'd like Shah Rukh come to me and say he knows more about cricket that Sunil Gavaskar... Sure he may not have been the greatest in the limited form but he still stood there against attacks of the likes of the great West Indians for the country... So give the man some respect! And anyway when it comes to cricket who would you listen to, Gavaskar? Or s-s-s-Shah Rukh... Coming to John Buchanan... It's a theory (highly propagated by Shane Warne who himself is no saint) that Australia won all their trophies and accolades inspite of Buchanan... (In Warne's words, Buchanan was labeled a "goose" and the Aussies had to put up with his "verbal diarrhoea"... Ian Chappell was a lot more concise... He just claimed his daughter would make a better coach :P)... Anyway, who the HELL hires a coach with such a reputation among his own players, and then gives him total freedom?? Result?? Take a look...

Shah Rukh better decide what he wants now... To be "right", or to admit he's wrong and perform repairs... Because this IPL season will be long gone before long...

PS: Yeah I'm not a great fan of his acting either...

Time to get our act together

2009-04-05T02:45:00.000-07:00

Yes... I'm talking about Waves Winter 2009... I think the basic reason why work hasn't begun is because people are living in denial... And in a false hope that things will change... So to you people... DEAL WITH IT!! We've got to do it... So it's time to quit whining and get down to business...

Now here's a list of things tat should have been done right after last Waves:

1. Department Core Committees should have been formed.
2. Inductions for Departments like Controls, Pro Nights and Workshops & Stalls should have been finished
3. The working of the clubs should have been altered. That is they should have been told to begin working on a January-January
4. The coordination committee should have been formed and DePP should have begun their brochure preparation

So here's what we're faced with... We've got one semester... To get the job done... There's no point in blaming anyone for delays... The thing we need to focus on is not wasting anymore time... Like the saying goes: "What can be done today do it now. What can be don tomorrow do it today."... This is something we need to follow literally... Remember we've got 2 semester's work... And only one semester to get it done...

Playoff Prediction

2009-04-01T06:31:00.000-07:00

With every team having around 8 games left I think I will now give my playoff wise predictions so here goes:

EAST:

ROUND 1:

Cleveland 4 - 1Chicago

Atlanta 4-3 Miami

Boston 4-1 Philadelphia

Orlando 4-2 Detroit

ROUND 2:

Cleveland 4-2 Cleveland

Orlando 4-3 Boston

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

Cleveland 4-3 Orlando

WEST:

ROUND 1:

LA Lakers 4-0 Dallas

Houston 4-3 Portland

San Antonio 4-2 New Orleans

Denver 2-4 Utah

ROUND 2:

LA Lakers 4-2 Portland

San Antonio 4-3

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS:

LA Lakers 4-3 Utah

NBA FINALS:

Cleveland 4 - 3 LA Lakers

Injuries ----> Comebacks...

2009-03-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

The big talk of the town right now are mostly related to injuries of many key players all around the league. (Apart from the teams struggling to capture the eighth seed in both conferences). We've seen the likes of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Tracy McGrady, Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Zydronus Ilgauskas, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan, Andrew Bynum, Amare Stoudemire, Jameer Nelson, Allen Iverson, Carmello Anthony, Josh Howard, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, Al Jefferson, Caron Butler, Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Leandro Barbosa, Kevin Durant, Peja Stojakovic, Tyson Chandler and many more key players fall to the injury bug during the course of this season.

So who am I gonna share a bit on. Yup, it's gonna be "Agent Zero" himself - Gilbert Arenas. Arenas is very much talked about player. Right from his 6 year 111 million $ contract with the Washington Wizards right to the devastating knee injury he suffered that took it's toll on two succesive seasons, not to mention the 3 surgeries it tooked to fix his knee. But now rumour has it he's almost ready to return. But questions will be raised. Is he ready? He rushed into a return once before and the results were disastrous to his knee. Even if he is ready will be himself again? The Wizards management along with its fans would certainly hope so. Gilbert Arenas is no ordinary player. And to recover from this disastrous season where they find themselves firmly entreched at the bottom of the east they need something special. Arenas will probably not play a lot with his return. Probably 10 mins here and there. The important thing for the Wizards will be to ease him back in, slowly and steadily. The Wizards can take solace in the fact that they expect to have their fully fit team available next season along with a lottery pick in the draft. So the Wizards (should) have a line up with Arenas, Jamison, Butler, Haywood along with the youngsters who have picked up a lot of experience this season plus the early draft pick. Impressive. To say the least. This team will be a force to reckon with. But for that "Agent Zero" must be his own special self.

To vote or not to vote... (Bah! cliche)...

2009-03-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Everywhere I go I here compaints. " The shiv sena did .......... ", "Raj Thackeray is a %$^#% $#$%#@$", "Congress %#$%ing #$#@$#$", "BJP ^$#$$##@@!#@#". Yes yes I say, curse on. Thats all we're good for. Little do we realise - the fact that they even have the chance to affect our lives is because of us. the dumb*** people who vote for them (or worse, those who dont vote at all).

There are two kinds of people. The ones who vote. These are the people who bring your leaders into power. These are the masses of people who make (un)educated decisions and vote for candidates. Of course I do feel for them. Hardly any to choose really. It's either a local rowdy/goonda or a film "star" who just wants the power. So I guess you an cut them some slack because their choices are usually pretty limit.

It's the second kind I hate the most. The ones that don't conform to their patriotic duty of voting and then sit and cringe about how our leaders are no good. I mean come on!! It's not like you lifted a finger (literally) to do something about it!!! What right have you got to whine. (Here I'd like to add that I unfortunately fall in this category. It's not my fault. I'm Indian by blood but not by the law.) But anyway here's my message to you people. Get your ****ing a** off your couch and get to your respective polling booths. After that you are free to cringe, whine all you like. All I can say is this. Remember that every drop makes a mighty ocean (Too many cliches today dammit). Do it for your country.

Dedicated to my mentor and dear friend...

2009-03-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Vandith!!!!!!!! Have a great day and year ahead...

SPREE Pure Sport??

2009-03-22T05:11:00.000-07:00

What is Sport? More importantly what is “pure” sport? Is pure sport just another tagline? Or is it indicative of something much bigger?

There is a saying: “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” Its a saying comprising of two sentences the first of which i agree with. The second? Not so much.

Sport is not about going up a dias and lifting a trophy. It’s not about being the best everyday. (Right here I feel I sound like the loser talking :P. Anyway…) Sports is about something far deeper. Something inbuilt in us by mother nature. Sport is about passion. It is about desire. It is about belief and a whole bunch of other things.

So what makes sport “pure”. You will get a whole bunch of answers for that. Some would say when the outcome of any game is decided by sheer ability alone. Some would say when a game goes right down to the wire with one team sneaking away with a victory right at the death. Yes, these are some of the awesome things that happen in sport. But it’s not what makes for “pure” sport.

“Pure” sport to me is in fact when a player walks up to a hurt opponent and helps him to his feet. It is when a player can overlook a bad refereeing decision and carry on with the game without complaint. It is when at the end of a game the two teams walk toward each other and congratulate each other. THAT is “pure” sport.

So is this all I expect from SPREE?? Oh no of course not! I want to see mouth-watering clashes just like everyone else. I want to see monumental battles and game winning plays. But most of all I want to see people enjoying their favourite games. Whether it be cricket, football, basketball, tennis, badminton, table tennis or any other sport I want to see love for the game. It’s that love for the game that is more important than any trophy or medal you can ever win. Love for the game breeds sportsmanship. Sportsmanship is the key to “pure” sport. So is SPREE 2009 going to be about “pure” sport? I would honestly love to hope so.

Like I’ve said before. Sport is about passion, determination, strength and courage. But I sincerely hope that we remember that the most important part of sport is the spirit in which it is played. So to all teams and players I wish you guys all the best. And may the pursuit for “Pure Sport” begin!!

PS 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

My God... What an incredibly idiotic form... Here's how it looks... You have the station number and station given... Now you'd think we'd just have to jot down a preference order but nooooooooo... You have to sit and write the station number serially in order of preference... Want more? The stupid PS site doesn't allow you to enter your preference if you take longer than 20mins... Best part is - It doesn't save your data... There are a lot of times i hear about how Pilani is "better" than Goa... I'll tell you one thing, people here would be smart enough to device a better and more user-friendly form...

Now that my rants about the form are done I move on to my issue... I want to go home!!! Dammit all of a sudden Chennai has this awesome reputation and people want to go there... I know I'm a 5pointer but come on!! It's Chennai... Why would you want to go to Cancer Institute for your PS unless you live there... Dammit people... Get your priorities straight sheesh!!

Ok I'm done... Can't add anything more :|... If I don't get Chennai it'll be Trichy here i come...

Birthdays...

2009-03-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

Aah birthdays... those "wonderful" days filled with annoying songs and messy faces (covered in chocolate , vanilla pineapple or whatever)... Society brings us up to anticipate our birthday... Society also brings us up to expect... To expect a cake... To expect gifts... To expect greetings... To expect to be remembered..............

Society brings us up to be disappointed... It brings us up to expect... And expectation can only lead to disappointment... Disappointment in yourself and your peers... Birthdays are an invention... An invention to give you hope and happiness, and take it all away in one single swoop...

What is a birthday but the anniversary of the day we exit our mother's womb and enter the world as we now know it, a day our mothers went through excruciating pain to bring us to this world... Is it not a day that marks us one year closer to our death... Yes these are but a few depressing sides of birthdays... So why are we brought up to celebrate this day??? Is it the morbidity in us? Or is it teach us the value of disappointment? Ah birthdays... What a pointless invention by our glorious minds...

Respect the Sport... Respect the refs...

2009-03-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

Its a general idea in sport: "sportsmanship"... It's something you're taught as a child growing up... Give your hardest, give your best but acknowledge it when someone is better than you... And if you've ever attended any camp or trained for any sport the first thing your taught before any fundamental of the game is to respect the officials... Whether they be the referee or the umpire or just about anybody... Sadly in the recent "3ba" tournament here in BPGC that just went for a complete toss...

I will not take names... Not out of fear of "retribution" but out of pity... Because pity and contempt is all I have in me to give to them... Pity because all they've managed to out of all their actions is establish a reputation of sore losers... All I will say is this... In a tournament like this (one played purely for the fun of it and for the love of the game) such actions are unpardonable at best... I would in the words of Prashant Rao (Poppat) like to remind everyone that we are not professionals we are a bunch of noobs trying to enjoy playing our favourite game... But unfortunately there continue to exist a bunch of people (want to curse but I'll control) who basically ruin it for everybody...

I'll dwell into it a bit... Yes the refereeing was ordinary but it was ordinary both ways... While the team with the "crying" (sorry you've earned it) kept on complaining I didn't hear a whimper from the other team about the numerous carrying, travelling violations that were just ignored... Nor did I hear any whining about fouls on their players... Somehow it is you who seem to have the problem with everything... (Actually here I'd like to say one thing... More than anyone there is one player on that team who has the problem... Once again I will not name him but he knows I'm speaking about him since he's had a problem with just about every referee he's been given...)

And before I close, pieces of information for the whiner(s)... your calls for 3 second violations are simply absurd... Not even in the NBA (like our friends from PCCE calmly pointed out) are 3 second violations called as vigorously as we do here... And you say that isn't enough... You're NOT a professional and neither is anyone else on this campus... So finally here goes my advice to you... Suck it up and be a man... It's a game... Enjoy it... Don't ruin it for all of us...

The title.

2009-03-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

Ok just had to say this... For all people who think this is a blog only about basketball ....... :|.... Ever seen the movie the Basketball Diaries?? Yes I'm sorry the name is a bit of a rip-off (THAT's the part to focus on). Well anyway... How much of the movie actually had anything to do with basketball........................................................... There you go... Yup this isn't a basketball only blog so read and enjoy... Basketball noobs and pros can read and also contribute your views on basketball topics... And any other topics you're all welcome (wait i think everybody fit into both category :|... Oh well!)

The NBA championship. My pick and why.

2009-03-12T05:32:00.000-07:00

The West has become a total one team show. Sad but true. Ever since a certain Chris Wallace (GM Memphis Grizzlies) decided to give the Lakers a gift (God knows why) the Lakers are the top dogs of the west. But there is a silver lining. Without Bynum, they're not invincible. With Bynum there are only 4 teams in the league that can beat them: the Cavaliers, Magic, Celtics & Spurs (sorry but I don't care how old they are they're still a team that cannot be underestimated).

Of these four I think the Magic are out of it without their starting point guard Jameer Nelson. Rafer Alston is a good player but he's not in the same league. You look at the Celtics, Cavaliers and Spurs they're all injury-ridden but have still maintained top-notch records. These three teams (full-strength mind you) are the only teams that can beat the Lakers and to me the favourites are the Cavs. I'm not saying this just because i'm a LeBron fan. I have my reasons:

The Cavaliers (again injury free) have two exellent shooters in Delonte West and Mo Williams in the starting 5. What this does is it allows James to drive the hoop the way he loves to and pass the ball out on the double team. This has been something he couldnt do over previous seasons.

The bench is one of the deepest in the entire length. With the recent addition of Joe Smith the bench looks formidable with the likes of Gibson, Szczcerbiak, Pavlovic, Varejao, Hickson, Kinsey, Wright & Jackson coming of it to add to the experience of Smith.

However beside all these reasons there's one big reason why the Cavs are the favourites in my book. The Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs have been beaten only once there (with West, Wallace, Ilgauskas all injured) by the L.A Lakers. The 'Q' has turned out to be a fortress for this team just as it was last year during the playoffs when LBJ nearly took the series away from the Celtics. Only this time, they've got a capacity crowd (a bit on the rowdier side) every night baying for the opponents blood. Any team that has to win here uring the playoffs .... well sorry i just dont see that happening.

During the playoffs, to me the possibility of Cleveland winning away is more than Cleveland losing at home. And so all I've got to say is "GO LeBron!! This is your year !!!"

Kobe or LeBron ...

2009-03-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yes before you say anything I think LeBron James is the best player in the NBA right now. But no I don't think Kobe Bryant "sucks". He is a great player no doubt. But the people I hate are his fans. Or should i say his lovers?? Not really sure.

I'd like to dwell on the ridiculous comparisons Kobe fans make when they compare him with the King. (Ok I admit there are a lot of LBJ fans who draw up ridiculous comparisons too). So let me make my assessment here (I'm no expert but here goes).

Let me start with a simple fact. Kobe Bryant is a shooting guard while LeBron James is a Small forward. They both have different styles of playing. You would expect a guard to look for open jumpers and a forward to look to take the ball to the rim. So why is there so much talk about Lebron's jump shot. Look lets get it straightened out here. Lebron is strong and he is quick. So he uses his body to get to the hoop. Kobe Bryant who isn't as young or as strong pulls up for jump shots and is a good shooter. Period. It is not possible for a player to be good at everything. To be a good player the main thing you need is the ability to use your strengths over your weaknesses and in that regard both Kobe and LeBron are fantastic players.

I can't wait to see them clash in the Finals \m/. (Go LeBron :D)

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/GTAS-comics-MVP-couch-rage?urn=nba,149327&post_comment=1&success=1

This is a perfect description of every Kobe fan... take a look :)

Dear Mr. Sanjeev whoever you are from SASTRA

2009-03-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

On the behalf of BITS-Pilani, Goa I apologize to you for the following reasons.

1. I'm sorry you took a train from Bengaluru to Hubli and then Hubli to Goa instead of taing the direct Bengaluru-Goa trains available twice a day.

2. I'm sorry that we didn't have the navy salute you as you entered our campus and did not have a grand celebration to herald your arrival.

3. I'm sorry that you could not see the food stalls that were specially set up. I'm also sorry you did not ask for directions to our institute cafeteria and had to settle for junk.

4. I'm sorry that 10 of our college teams and 2 teams from other colleges were better than you at "2nd class kid level problems". We should have enrolled you in the 2nd grade in some school when you registered.

5. I'm sorry you chose to go to Miramar when we should have taken you by the hand to beaches like Majorda, Palolim, Baga etc.

7. I'm sorry that you speak only broken Hindi and so struggled to take taxis/buses to move to & from the campus.

So Mr Sanjeev Gopinath I am sorry about all the misfortune that we have caused. Come back next year. But don't expect anything different :|