Jazz vs. Sonics

I'm at my dad's place in New Jersey watching the Jazz play the Sonics in Seattle on NBA League Pass. The guys calling the game are the Sonics commentators and it is a terrible production. I'm not in television and I don't know how the production of a basketball game goes, but I would think that priority number one would be to show each and every shot taken, including every free throw. Fox Sports Netowork Northwest (the station airing the game) has missed at least 4 or 5 baskets by the Jazz. Not to mention they worry so much about getting a close up of Nick Collison that they missed Gordan Giricek shooting a couple from the charity stripe. And then they do the thing that I can't stand more than anything. They go to the camera angle directly under the basket. Instead of getting a nice, clean high up view of guards cutting and forwards setting picks all you can see is a jumbled mess of skin and jerseys as the players struggle for position and fight for the ball. After Kirilenko stripped Ray Allen on the Sonics end of the court he and Deron Williams charged to the other side in fast break formation. Fox Sports Northwest cut to the down low, under the basket angle. After that all I could see was Kirilenko pass down low to Williams and Deron attempt a lay up. What I didn't see was some unidentified Sonic come from behind and block the shot. It was arguably the biggest play of the game and we didn't see it because someone on the Fox Sports Northwest production staff thinks that low camera angle looks good. AARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The press box view has proved time and again to be the most effective way to broadcast games of all sports. Stick to what works!!

Now that I've got that off my chest I can move on. Every time I watch the Sonics play I am just astounded by Ray Allen. The dude is incredible. Sure he's getting up there in age but, damn, he is a player. That's why they picked him as the lead for a movie called He Got Game. There are no words in the english language that you could use to better describe his abilities. He had a career night in points tonight so needless to say he was in the zone; watching Ray Allen play basketball while he's in the zone is like watching God create a new world. Its what he does and no one on that court will do it better than him. He is, by far, the most underrated player in the league (and could be one of the most underrated ever).

I wish I could have enjoyed seeing him play the game he did. Instead I had to suffer in agony as he single handedly destroyed the Jazz. Utah's up by three with little more than 12 seconds left. You know its going to Ray Ray, I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't even a second option. Jerry Sloan (for once) made a good clutch decision by putting Kirilenko (arguably the best defender in the league) on him but it wouldn't have mattered if you put all top five defenders on him at once, he was in the zone and he was going to make that shot. End of story. So he hit from behind the arc and sent the game into overtime, in which he again pulverized a star struck Utah Jazz (he had help from, who I have come to regard as the worst clutch coach in history, Jerry Sloan. But it wouldn't have mattered if Sloan coached the best game of his career Ray Ray still would have mauled us by himself). He's a goddamn animal and when he's on fire like he was tonight the only thing you can do is chase him around, try and put a very insignificant hand in is face and watch in disgruntled awe as he drains shot after shot and frustrates your team into giving up yet another large lead. Then you can do nothing but sit silently as he, being the one man team he is, takes the lead away from you like it was his all along and he only let you play with and admire it for a little while.

Four times a season I discover that I really hate Ray Allen.

He's the guy you hate to love.