MLK Day All-Stars
As fractured as we now find our nation--torn between red and blue states, secular and religious, haves and have-nots--today we remember that we were once even more starkly divided. It is a time to celebrate the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to reflect on his legacy. In the realm of sport, nowhere are the issues of race more conspicuous than in the NBA, so it is fitting that the Association does far more than any other professional sports league to celebrate MLK Day. Granted, the NFL isn't playing games on Monday night this time of year, and spring training doesn't begin for another month, but take a look at NHL.com and try to find a mention of Dr. King anywhere.
By contrast, the NBA offers up a full slate of games and festivities in his honor. Over on NBA.com, there are video interviews with some of our favorite players (Lebron James, Baron Davis, Gilbert Arenas) discussing the influence that Dr. King has had on their lives. However, other players have to let their actions on the court do the talking for them. From the perseverant Mississippian Travis Outlaw to the community-minded Chris Paul, the members of the first ever FreeDarko MLK Day All-Star team have all distinguished themselves with their inspired performances on this most noble holiday.
FIRST TEAM
Josh Howard, Dallas Mavericks
32 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Yao Ming, Houston Rockets
30 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks
Travis Outlaw, Portland Trailblazers
23 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks
Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic
26 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds
Ryan Gomes, Minnesota Timberwolves
35 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists
SECOND TEAM
Mike Miller, Memphis Grizzlies
24 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
Chris Paul, New Orleans Hornets
16 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds
Caron Butler, Washington Wizards
25 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals
Joe Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
37 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists
Kendrick Perkins, Boston Celtics
24 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
posted by Brown Recluse, Esq. @ 1/21/2008 11:17:00 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Carl Landry has been manumissioned! From the land of a Bud with a shot of one fifty one in it, 12 points in 14 minutes! 2nd round FDness at its purest, no?
Joakim Noah is kind of Cloverfield.
Perkisabeast! scored 22 of his 24 in the first half before he remembered he was Kendrick "I Set Screens" Perkins.
What this says about the Knicks' interior defense is left as an exercise for the reader.
This musta been posted before the Lakers-Nuggets game I'm guessing, otherwise surely either Kobe's 17 pts, 11 assists and 5 boards or Derek Fisher's 28 points would have warranted a mention.
I got no problem with MLK or what he stood for, but I hate the way the media spoon feeds this shit to us, like we need to be reminded Jim Crow and racism is a bad thing. There's still entrenched social and economic problems stemming from Jim Crow, but virulent racism only exists behind closed doors these days. If I'm watching the Mavs and Wizards on MLK Day, I absolutely DO NOT CARE what MLK meant to Avery Johnson. I DO CARE however how he is going to adjust to the Wizards using their bigs to aggressively show on the high screen.
I mean, I care. Yes, obviously the media spoon feeding MLK messages while there are still problems of racism today...sure. But enabling a platform where I can hear what the stars/personalities of the league of stars have to say about a man who has real meaning in their lives is something I enjoy. Like in the cavs postgame with lebron, when he was quasi put on the spot about what MLK meant to him, said, I wish he was still here today. It struck me as 100% real, which I don't always get from lebron, and aside from its authenticity I thought it was an amazing answer.
I would rather hear what Avery Johnson has to say about MLK than high screens, and so would every other FDer. That's kind of what we're about.
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