Rondo vs. Humphries and The Role of Fights in the NBA

As many of you saw last night, Rajon Rondo and Kris Humphries got into a shoving match that spilled into the stands when Humphries dragged Rondo backwards. The fight started after Humphries fouled Kevin Garnett and Rondo took exception to it and shoved Humphries in the chest, Humphries retaliated and, well, you know the rest. Both Rondo and Humphries will be suspended, with Rondo earning the longer of the two since he started it, but the real point I want to make here is that these flare-ups are GOOD for the NBA.

A writer once made a comment that the NBA today has gotten too friendly. The players work together to make super teams (i.e. Nets, Heat, Lakers) and there is no real fire anymore with the exception of a few players (Garnett being the most obvious example). This, the writer argued, was taking away a part of the game, a part of the game that made the NBA in the 80s and 90s so good.

Here are some videos of a couple of those altercations:

Even the great Larry Bird got into it with Dr. J:

And you know what? It's good for the game, it adds passion to a league that can get very old, very quickly. The NBA (and every league for that matter) does well when there are rivalries, and the more intense the better. The NBA has been moving towards a more rivalry based league recently and that is great for the league and even better for fans. The Knicks-Nets rivalry is shaping up to be a good one, as is Thunder-Spurs and (in my opinion) the best one is Heat-Celtics. The Heat have the best player in the league and the Celtics took them to the brink in last year's playoffs, plus there is the added element of Ray Allen leaving Boston to go to South Beach and the subsequent cold shoulder given to him by Garnett and Rondo. That extra fire, the hard fouls, the jabs in the media add something special to every game they play, whether its a regular season matchup or Game 7 of the Conference Finals. Those Bulls-Knicks series in the 90s were the stuff of legend and it was because of the intensity that was involved. I hope that that intensity is matched in the coming games and when it does, I'll be sitting right there on the couch, popcorn ready to go.

Running with the '96 Bulls

The 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls are the greatest team of all time. There really is no question on this one. The Bulls became the first team ever to win 70 games when they went 72-10. That is 88% win percentage. This is absolutely incredible. Regular season they went 39-2 at home and only lost 4 divisional games all year. The Bulls lost 1 game over the months of December and January.

Chicago had three 1st team defensive players in Rodman, Pippen, and obviously Michael Jordan. This was the first time 3 players from the same team made a 1st team together. On top of being a 1st team defensive player Rodman led the league in rebounds. Jordan won his 8th straight scoring title further showing he was an unstoppable force.

In the playoffs the Bulls went 15-3 including two series sweeps in their quest for the title beating the Seattle Supersonics 4-2. The Bulls never lost a home game throughout the entire playoffs. Michael Jordan completed the trilogy winning Regular Season MVP, All-Star MVP, and NBA Finals MVP. Jordan averaged a remarkable 30.4 PPG in the regular season and then 30.7 PPG in the playoffs. To contradict the argument that the Bulls were all Jordan keep in mind that they had 3 different players lead the team in rebounds, points, and assists. They had great athletes, talent, and not to mention the Zen Master himself. Oh yeah...and Michael Jordan, the greatest closer of all time.

The 1977 Canadiens: The Greatest Team Ever

The 1977 Montreal Canadiens are regarded as the greatest team in NHL history and I think they should be regarded as the greatest team in professional sports. The '77 Canadiens finished with 132 points a record of 60-8-12. Eight losses. Eight. That's ridiculous. The 132 points still stand as a record for most points in a season and that number may never be reached again. The next closest team to Montreal that year had 112 points, (a ten win differential). They also hold the record for the longest unbeaten streak at 34 games and the largest goal differential in NHL history at a whopping 216 goals.

Led by coach Scotty Bowman, the team was loaded with talent. Eight players scored over 20 goals including Steve Shutt who lit the lamp 60 times that season. Guy LaFleur scored 56 goals and tallied EIGHTY assists to finish the year with 136 points. Defenseman Larry Robinson had a plus minus rating of +120. The defense was just as good, allowing 2.12 goals per game. Goaltender Ken Dryden went 41-6-8 and recorded 10 shutouts and the backup Michael Larocque was sterling as well, finishing with a record of 19-2-4 and four shutouts. In short, the Canadiens were stacked.

In the playoffs the Canadiens went 12-2. Winning their playoff series 4-0 (over the St. Louis Blues), 4-2 (over the New York Islanders) and they swept rivals Boston 4-0 by a combined score of 16-6. The Canadiens were Stanley Cup Champions and deservedly so.

But what separates Montreal from other great teams like the '72 Dolphins or the '96 Bulls? The simple answer is dominance in a sport that doesn't have much of it. Just look at the playoffs this year; the #8 seed LA Kings ended up winning the Stanley Cup against the #6 seed from the East the New Jersey Devils. The Canadiens were the dominant team in the regular season and proved it. The team set multiple records and won multiple awards that season. Guy LaFleur won the Hart Trophy (MVP), Conn Smythe (MVP), Art Ross (points leader). The teams two goaltenders split the Vezina Trophy (best goalie) and Montreal sent 4 players to the All-Star game.

When it comes down to it, the 1977 Canadiens are a more dominant team than any other team in the modern era.

Perfectville, Population. '72 Dolphins

14-0-0

A record, that in 2012, would easily make sure you’ve locked up a playoff berth, a first round bye, and winning your division. But back in 1972, 14-0 meant you went undefeated and won the Super Bowl. I can make this argument in one statement alone, only 4 teams have finished with an undefeated regular season record, ’34 and ’42 Bears, the 2007 Patriots, and the 1972 Dolphins, only one of the four went undefeated through the playoffs and won a Super Bowl.

And as I type, somewhere Mercury Morris is smiling, popping champagne, holding onto one record that has a good chance of not being broken for a long time. Many will argue the fact that even in the ‘70’s, the Dolphins played one of the weakest regular season schedules of that time, in three of their 14 regular season games, they won by a margin of 4 points or less, but also had three games where they shut up opponents, one of which was a 52-0 shellacking of the New England Patriots.

In the end, the Dolphins would go 17-0, defeating the Browns, Steelers, and eventually the Redskins to win the Super Bowl (Suck it Ned). The fact is, you can cross any sports lines, from baseball, to cricket, to lacrosse, to soccer, and you won’t find this kind of perfect season. A time where the NFL was hard hitting, where the game wasn’t a pebble’s throw away from flag football. Though some would look at the 17 game schedule in the 70’s and the 18 game schedule in today’s game, and with first glance it would be easy to win 18 games compared to the 82 games in an NBA season, or the 82 games of the NHL grind.

But this is the era of smash mouth, good old football Americano.

So let’s look at the 1972 Dolphins statistics from their undefeated season.

Mercury Morris, and Larry Csonka became the first team mates to rush for 1,000 yards each, in one season. This helped them become number 1 in offense that season.

The pair of runners Morris and Csonka averaged 200 yards on the ground a game.

The defense only allowed 171 points, making them the number 1 defense in the league that year.

But this was an era unlike football today, where Quarterbacks are overprotected, Wide Receivers are guarded, and sometimes the slightest wave of a hand is called for interference. In 1972, the idea that the NFL would turn into Flag Football would have never been imagined, or realized. This 1972 Dolphins team became one of the few undefeated teams through the regular season, and the only undefeated team when it boiled down to win or go home time. You can look at the other great champions, but they were beaten, at least a few times.

I can rattle on and on about how great they were, but I’d much rather prefer Mercury Morris take it off my hands. Here is an ESPN Clip. Skip forward to, :55 for Mercury finishing this conversation.

Alright folks, this is Doctor Rob, signing off. Hope you all have a wonderful Football Sunday. I’ll leave you with this little ‘snid-bit’.

“Don't call me when you're in my town, call me when you're on my block”- Mercury Morris on the 2007 Patriots bid for perfection.

Games of the Week

New feature here at Danger Zone Sports where we break down the best games of the coming week (all rankings are according to Danger Zone Sports' Top 25).

(3) Florida State vs. (8) Clemson-This Saturday night matchup could very well decide who represents the ACC in Miami for the Orange Bowl; or, as in the case of the Seminoles, this could determine if they finish the year undefeated and find themselves in the BCS National Championship Game. The main battle of this game will be between the stifling Seminoles defense against the explosive offense of the Tigers. I give the edge to Florida State's D which is loaded with playmakers. Projected Winner: Florida State




(5) Oklahoma vs. (16) Kansas State-It's time to find out if the Wildcats are for real and this is the perfect game to do just that. Oklahoma has Big 12 and national aspirations and must fend off the upstart Wildcats if they want to keep those hopes alive. Kansas State has impressed so far this season, including a 52-13 beatdown of Miami. As for Oklahoma, they have crushed their opponents thus far, but those opponents were UTEP and Florida A&M. However,coming off the bye week and being at home I like the Sooners. Projected Winner: Oklahoma




(11) Notre Dame vs. (19) Michigan-Notre Dame has burst onto the scene this year after exceeding expectations and winning their first three games of the season. The Irish's trademark win was last weekend as they went into Michigan State and put together an outstanding defensive performance and held the Spartans to 3 points. Michigan on the other hand has not looked particularly strong this year, getting manhandled by Alabama and sliding by Air Force. But the Wolverines still have QB Denard Robinson who has made a habit of shredding the Irish defense for his entire college career. Despite Robinson's potential to have a monster game I like the Irish and their defense to keep up their stellar 2012 performance. Projected Winner: Notre Dame

(4) Oregon vs. (22) Arizona- A battle of Pac-12 undefeated squads will give both teams the chance to assert their dominance in the conference. Oregon still has their breakneck offense and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon. Arizona has a stellar offense of their own, brought in by new coach Rich Rodriguez, as they showed when they outscored Oklahoma State. The Ducks have been more impressive this year, have more speed, more talent, and are at home. I'm taking the Ducks. Projected Winner: Oregon

Top 25: Week 4

Week 4 of the Top 25 sees two familiar SEC rivals take the top two spots.

1. Alabama (Last Week: 1) (Record: 3-0)-Steamrolled Arkansas 52-0

2. LSU (3) (3-0)-Crushed Idaho 63-14

3. Florida State (4) (3-0)-Dominated conference foe Wake Forest 52-0

4. Oregon (6) (3-0)-Beat Tennessee Tech 63-14 and leapfrogged idle Oklahoma

5. Oklahoma (5) (2-0)-Idle

6. Georgia (7) (3-0)-Ran by Florida Atlantic 56-20

7. South Carolina (8) (3-0)-Easily defeated UAB 49-6

8. Clemson (10) (3-0)-With the return of Sammy Watkins the Tigers got a whole lot more dangerous

9. West Virginia (11) (2-0)-Beat JMU 42-12.

10. Texas (12) (3-0)-Destroyed Ole Miss 66-31 in the Grove.

11. Notre Dame (18) (3-0)- A win against a top 10 team on the road and the Irish skyrocket in the polls.

12. Ohio State (14) (3-0)-Just got by Cal 35-28

13. Stanford (22) (3-0)-Impressive win against USC (where have we heard that before?)

14. TCU (19) (2-0)-Won their first Big 12 contest against Kansas 20-6

15. USC (2) (2-1)-Another season ruined by Stanford

16. Kansas State (16) (3-0)-Sure they're undefeated but only beating North Texas by 14 doesn't move you up in the polls

17. Michigan State (9) (2-1)-Looked very beatable against the Irish

18. Louisville (17) (3-0)-Remained undefeated but are still looking for a signature win.

19. Michigan (15) (2-1)-Didn't lose but I'm hesitant to move them up until they beat a good team.

20. Florida (24) (3-0)-Beat Tennessee (that used to be a bigger deal)

21. UCLA (25) (3-0)-Still undefeated after disposing of Houston 37-6

22. Arizona (20) (3-0)-Beat South Carolina State 56-0 (yay!)

23. Virginia Tech (13) (2-1)-Lost to Pitt. Ouch.

24. Boise State (NR) (1-1)-Face BYU this week in the battle of the mid-majors

25. Nebraska (NR) (2-1)-Defeated Arkansas State 42-13

Dropped Out: BYU, Tennessee
Next 5 In: Oregon State, Mississippi State, BYU, Tennessee, Northwestern
Biggest Rise: Stanford (22 to 13)
Biggest Fall: USC (2 to 15)

Top 25: Week 3

Our 3rd installment of the Top 25 sees a new team take the top spot.

1. Alabama (Last week: 2)-Crushed Western Kentucky and has looked stronger this season than former #1 USC.

2. USC (1)- Struggled with Syracuse for the majority of Saturday before pulling away in the 4th quarter.

3. LSU (3)-Smashed a solid Washington squad 41-3

4. Florida State (4)-Dominated Savannah State in a shortened and then suspended game 55-0

5. Oklahoma (5)-Crushed Florida A&M 69-13

6. Oregon (6)-Another dominating performance from the Ducks 42-25

7. Georgia (7)-Welcomed Missouri into the SEC with a 41-20 victory on the road.

8. South Carolina (9)-Defeated in-state rival East Carolina with ease 48-10.

9. Michigan State (10)-Moved into the top 10 with a 41-7 victory over Central Michigan.

10. Clemson (11)-Blew by Ball State 52-27. And the scary part is that Sammy Watkins comes back this week.

11. West Virginia (12)-Idle last week.

12. Texas Longhorns (13)-Shutout New Mexico 45-0

13. Virginia Tech (16)-Move up after dominating a weaker opponent, unlike some other teams

14. Ohio State (17)-Defeated a solid Central Florida team 31-16

15. Michigan (15)-Stay steady after struggling with Air Force

16. Kansas State (20)-Defeated Miami 52-13

17. Louisville (22)-Took care of business against Missouri State 35-7

18. Notre Dame (21)-Remained undefeated with a close 20-17 defeat of Purdue

19. TCU (unranked)-Opened the season with a 56-0 beatdown of Grambling State

20. Arizona (unranked)-Easily defeated Oklahoma State 59-38

21. Tennessee (unranked)-The Vols smacked Georgia State 51-13

22. Stanford (23)-Exploded for a 50-13 drubbing of Duke

23. BYU-(unranked)-Dominated Weber State to move to 2-0

24. Florida (unranked)-Welcomed Texas A&M to the SEC with a 20-17 defeat

25. UCLA (unranked)-rewarded for an impressive 36-30 defeat of Nebraska

Dropped Out: Arkansas, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Washington, Boise State
Next 5 In: Boise State, Nebraska, UVA, Mississippi State, Arkansas
Biggest Rise: TCU (unranked to 19)
Biggest Fall: Arkansas (down from 8 to unranked)