FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Ahh, the good old Summer League. It's where cheap basketball happens. It's where hot girls happens. It's where expensive food, awkward moments and celebrity encounters happen. This is now the fourth year in a row I've attended the Vegas Summer League. It's the closest thing I can get to professional sports since I was born and raised in Henderson my whole life. Thanks to the basketball Gods, the Sixers are now taking part for the second summer in a row. Today was my return to the Cox Pavilion for my first trip in '08. The Summer League. It's where Lou Williams gets robbed of MVP (Last year by Nate Robinson, who by the way has now officially robbed 2 Sixers if you include Iggy's dunk contest).

Before I get to today's game, I'd like to reminisce about the magical moments I've had at LVSL.

My first Summer League:
-Darko was with the Pistons and got booed every time he touched the ball. It was hilarious.
-I shook hands with every Blazer, including Ha Seung-Jin, the biggest man I've ever seen.
-We screamed Ric Bucher's name as he walked by and he looked up into the stands with the most shocked face of all-time. Someone recognized him in a crowd. I think we made his day.
-Chris Mullen was sitting a few rows back and rejected every fan's attempt to engage with him. The flat-top was also fascinating in person.
-Andris Biedrins came and sat down in the seat right next to me (before he was well-known) and me and my friend Jason came to the conclusion that he was with another dude, since he was flirting with the guy on the other side of him the entire time. Time went by and we didn't think anything of it until a smokin' hot chick came and took the mystery man's seat and hugged and kissed Biedrins. She was definitely his girlfriend, which led to me gaining tons of respect for him. Enough for me to offer the old fashioned knuckle bump. He accepted.
-I Witnessed the nastiest dunk in Summer League history.

My second/third Summer League:
-The Sixers joined the League which was magical.
-Ron Artest came up to us and said, "Was up fellas?" It was a lot better than Kevin Martin giving us the cold shoulder the year before. This was also before he became famous.
-My friend Mike dropped his gummy worm on two of the most attractive women I've ever seen. He then had to the nerve to say, "Hey can you get my gummy worm." One of the greatest moments of my life.
-Petteri Koponen half court shot.
-We sat next to D.J. Strawberry's mother during one of the games and a big group of people were talking crap about D.J. She then proceeded to turn to the lady she was with and said these words, "I'm goin' have to choke me a white boy."
-I ordered Chili Cheese Fries, Chicken Tenders and 2 hot dogs during half-time of one game and was called a "fatty" by two some girls who saw me carrying the food and then putting it down to pull 2 more hot dogs out of my pockets. It was a low moment in my life.
-Had this conversation with one of my idols, Rick Kamla,
"Hey Rick, what's up man? I love your show."
"Thanks bro. Did you just see the game I did play-by-play for?"
"Yeah, good stuff!"
"Pshhh, it was Bull----! Nothing but a bunch of dunks and turnovers!"
"Yeah, I know man."
"It was like a broadcaster's wet dream though. Keep watching the show man. Catch you later."
I could not believe what I had just heard, but I'll never forget it.
-I came home and watched one of the Sixer games on NBA TV and who's face was on there? Mine. That's right I was on TV and didn't even know it. Good times.

Alright, now that we have that out of the way let's get to today's game.

Game 2-Denver 99 Philadelphia 85:

Since it's just Summer League I'm really not too worried about the wins and losses, so here's what I gathered from the game.

Things I liked:
-Marreese Speights showed glimpses on both the offensive and defensive end. His jump shot was beautiful and he finished around the rim with authority. He needs to teach Sammy and Jason Smith a few things about that.
-Thad Young attacked the basket with ease, getting to the line 12 times. He looked so much more poised than he did last Summer League.
-Jason Smith's jumper.
-Jamont Gordon looked pretty solid.
Things I disliked:
-Thad Young's lack of control. He had a handful of his patented "dribble wildly down the court and turn the ball over" moves. I thought we'd be over those by now, especially in the Summer League.
-Thad Young's jumper. He didn't just miss, he was way off on every single jumper. He aired at least three uncontested shots. That's not a good sign.
-Speights lack of hustle. He was the last man down on both sides of the court for the majority of the game.
-Jason Smith's 19 combined fouls in the first two games. A bunch of them were horrible calls. Every screen he set was a foul. There's a reason these refs are reffing the Summer League.
-The horrible rebounding by every Sixer. Smith and Speights refused to box out. That explains the 41-29 rebound differential.
-The lack of defense.
-The lack of heart. I know it's just Summer League, but Young and Speights looked uninterested at times.
-The eight attempted three-pointers. We aren't going to find a shooter when we don't see them shoot.
-Everybody else was pretty much garbage.
-We have no decent guards on the team.
-We got blown out.

Obviously there were a lot more things I disliked than I liked. In the Summer League though, every positive thing is important, so we have something to build on. After watching him for the first time and in person, I really think Speights is going to be an absolute stud. I just hope he starts hustling more and playing with a little more passion. I know it's just Summer League, but Smith and Young hustlted their butts off last year, so Speights better step it up. One last encouraging thing I saw was Andre Iguodala looking on from the tunnel. It's always good to see your "star" player supporting his guys.

Check back for game 3 thoughts. I hope the Sixers starting playing some defense and rebounding. Good night.

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