Personally, I just love the folks, in sports, that people call arrogant; the ones who are better than you and they let you know about it. So even though I grew up a Pistons fan, I am a huge Kobe fan. Can't say I ride for the Lakers, but I don't hate them.
Why I cherish the Fab Five era more than any in Michigan's athletic history.
I couldn’t agree more…that era of UM basketball was more than just sport, that was literally a cultural revolution on the mainstream level (UNLV was the precursor). I was lucky enough to be at the 1991 Duke game at Crisler. One of the most exciting athletic events I’ve ever witnessed…the talent on the court that day was almost unreal. The crowd knew this was more than a game, this was an event that had near historical implications…Crisler was absolutely jacked. When Jalen Rose was trash-talking Laettner, it was basically the equivalent of saying f*ck you to the ‘establishment’, and I loved every bit of it.
The elite 8 team in '94 did not have its wins vacated. Webber was gone.
Thanks sane. I am outclassed on both ends on this one. Because you’re right, and not only that, we made the Elite Eight in '91 officially as well, since it was the Final Four where the NCAA pulled out the eraser. So we lose only 1?
I really disliked Kareem because he was so soft. I just don’t gravitate toward bigs that don’t rebound well and provide tough defense. My favorite NBA center of all time would easily be Hakeem. Best footwork of all time, had a midrange jumpshot, blocked shots, rebounded, ran the floor, athletic as hell…what more could you want?
LS2 - you pretty much capture the majority of Laker fans with respect to Shaq. A good portion of us, me included, hated the fact that he cared more about being a big kid than he did about improving his skill level and conditioning. In every other part of the country, Shaq is pretty much beloved for his childish likeability while Kobe is hated (I think the public perception of Kobe may have softened a bit over the past 2-3 years), but in LA…Kobe is almost God-like…he is probably the most iconic figure in Los Angeles sports history, maybe only second to Magic.
I was at every game of the 2004 Finals…and it was awkward. I’d already lived in Michigan for a pretty lengthy time, and was a Pistons season ticket holder and a pretty big fan. I loved that team because they were so damn tough (which you know I love), but my heart is in LA. I Remember flying my Dad into Detroit to watch game 4 (Shaq went off that game if I recall correctly) at the Palace…and he gave me a look of death when I clapped for a few Piston defensive stops in the 4th quarter, I honestly think he wanted to kick my ass! Anyway, those were good times for both franchises.
Personally, I just love the folks, in sports, that people call arrogant; the ones who are better than you and they let you know about it. So even though I grew up a Pistons fan, I am a huge Kobe fan. Can't say I ride for the Lakers, but I don't hate them.
Why I cherish the Fab Five era more than any in Michigan's athletic history.
I come on here after a long and crazy day to see some verbal fist fights… MattD against the world and you guys are all singing “We Are The World” arm in arm! What the heck? C’Mon… fight!!!
Personally, I just love the folks, in sports, that people call arrogant; the ones who are better than you and they let you know about it. So even though I grew up a Pistons fan, I am a huge Kobe fan. Can’t say I ride for the Lakers, but I don’t hate them.
I come on here after a long and crazy day to see some verbal fist fights... MattD against the world and you guys are all singing "We Are The World" arm in arm! What the heck? C'Mon.... fight!!!
Personally, I just love the folks, in sports, that people call arrogant; the ones who are better than you and they let you know about it. So even though I grew up a Pistons fan, I am a huge Kobe fan. Can’t say I ride for the Lakers, but I don’t hate them.
That’s me in a nutshell…I’ve always liked the arrogant players that can back it up and will let you know about it. There is something to be said for that type of mental tenacity, and quite frankly, I don’t think you can be an elite player without it.
I obviously love the Lakers, but Kobe in particular, is the absolute epitome of a player that I would custom make if possible…he embodies the type of player that is perfectly suited for Laker basketball. In his prime, he was a top 3-5 athlete in the world, the most skilled player in the world (in NBA history as well in my view), and probably the toughest player I’ve ever seen in basketball history…and above all, he just didn’t give a f*ck about the opposition or what anybody had to say. He was angry, nasty, and wanted to win more than anybody else…and I love him for it.
I come on here after a long and crazy day to see some verbal fist fights... MattD against the world and you guys are all singing "We Are The World" arm in arm! What the heck? C'Mon.... fight!!!
Personally, I just love the folks, in sports, that people call arrogant; the ones who are better than you and they let you know about it. So even though I grew up a Pistons fan, I am a huge Kobe fan. Can’t say I ride for the Lakers, but I don’t hate them.
That’s me in a nutshell…I’ve always liked the arrogant players that can back it up and will let you know about it. There is something to be said for that type of mental tenacity, and quite frankly, I don’t think you can be an elite player without it.
I obviously love the Lakers, but Kobe in particular, is the absolute epitome of a player that I would custom make if possible…he embodies the type of player that is perfectly suited for Laker basketball. In his prime, he was a top 3-5 athlete in the world, the most skilled player in the world (in NBA history as well in my view), and probably the toughest player I’ve ever seen in basketball history…and above all, he just didn’t give a f*ck about the opposition or what anybody had to say. He was angry, nasty, and wanted to win more than anybody else…and I love him for it.
I might love Kobe, but I loved seeing the Pistons kick his @ss in the Finals. First love wins in that case, but outside of that I’m with you. Gotta say though, I have an irrational hatred for Shaq. Felt he wasted his God-given talent trying to be an entertainer instead of the most dominant basketball player ever. At that size, with that athleticism, if he ever made an effort to improve his skills and/or get in shape, he wouldn’t be fourth in the line of centers behind Wilt, Russell, and Kareem.
Matt D: so you admit you’re totally unrealistic? I too fell in love with the Lakes during those epic battles with the Celtics–what was that, 85 and 86? I was (strangely) living in Boston, and would go to a biker bar in Somerville where they worshiped the Celtics (probably a little bit for their white icon status) and sit there and silently root for the Lakers. Coop-a-loops, Worthy, Byron Scoott, AC Green, Jabbar (the epitome of cool), all those guys. . . oh man, that was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. I had just moved back to the US from Barcelona after four years abroad and was totally alienated by life in the US–until the Lakers gave me one damned thing to root along with the rest of the crowd for; I still think that they saved my ass in some obscure way. Before that I had always loved to play sports, but never really gotten too hyped for teams (well, I liked the Csonka-era Dolphins, and the Willis Reed-Frazier-Earl the Pearl Knicks, too). After that I just became a delirious fan of basketball. Haven’t really gotten hyped on the pro game for a while, though I do admire the Spurs. . . but loving the Michigan basketball team has become my happy substitute.
Alright, I'm going to give you guys some context to the extent that you may have a better understanding of my lofty expectations. I am an NBA fan first and foremost, a Lakers fan in particular, a die hard Laker fan to be exact. Growing up in The 80s in LA, the realistic expectation was for the Lakers to win a championship EVERY year from 80-91 ((Magic retired and we all knew it was over), and anything less than that was failure (no exaggeration). Fast forward to 99.......once again the realistic expectation was for the Lakers to win a championship every single year from 99-04 (Shaq traded), and if that didn't happen, the season was a failure. Fast forward to 08, same expectation from 08-11.
You are talking about somebody that is born and raised as a fan of a team where the realistic expectation is to win a championship every single year for 20 years…it’s just engrained in my mind that it’s basically championship or bust. It’s been hell the past 4 years as a Lakers fan, because let’s face it, we’re accustomed to winning, and are pretty much the greatest franchise in basketball history, and top 2-3 in all of sport for that matter.
And how did the Lakers become so great…simple, we get the best players all the time. Whether it be via free agency, trades, or drafting…we win championships because we have the best talent. That is where my recruiting philosophy originates…and that model is so damn successful that it can’t be disputed.
That being said, college isn’t the NBA, and Ann Arbor damn sure aint LA…so maybe Im not realistic, but considering my background, it’s realistic to me because that is all I know and nothing else is acceptable.
Nothing wrong with high expectations…it’s just how you act on those expectations that defines you (not you but “you” in general)
IMO Michigan athletics as a whole tucked their tail and ran since the late '90s.
Save face you might say. Football and Basketball just took a dump.
We had that chip on the shoulder before, but lost it.
I like Beilein because he polished up the program and put us back on the map.
Big 10 titles, Elite 8’s, Final Four, players in the NBA…we missed that for like 12 years!
But it’s time to move from respectable to dominate. We need to keep the ball rolling.
If Bo Ryan at Wisconsin can average 26 wins (12 BT Wins) per year and at least a Sweet 16 every other year (if not more), then I think Michigan can set the bar pretty high.
Matt, I want to win em all too man! But I grew up following Detroit and have seen the good, the bad, the ugly; which is probably one reason as a kid I started loving Meechigan. Football was near elite under Schembechler although UM hoops was actually down when I started. I never want to see years we worry about the NIT bubble, but when I take a look at what other fans deal with I feel my expectations are unfair. Outside the top 5 or 6 schools of all time, were in good company. I would love to see us get more top guys like you and every other optimistic fan, but I am more than content with what we have and presume will continue under JB. Go blue.
Alright, I’m going to give you guys some context to the extent that you may have a better understanding of my lofty expectations. I am an NBA fan first and foremost, a Lakers fan in particular, a die hard Laker fan to be exact. Growing up in The 80s in LA, the realistic expectation was for the Lakers to win a championship EVERY year from 80-91 ((Magic retired and we all knew it was over), and anything less than that was failure (no exaggeration). Fast forward to 99…once again the realistic expectation was for the Lakers to win a championship every single year from 99-04 (Shaq traded), and if that didn’t happen, the season was a failure. Fast forward to 08, same expectation from 08-11.
You are talking about somebody that is born and raised as a fan of a team where the realistic expectation is to win a championship every single year for 20 years…it’s just engrained in my mind that it’s basically championship or bust. It’s been hell the past 4 years as a Lakers fan, because let’s face it, we’re accustomed to winning, and are pretty much the greatest franchise in basketball history, and top 2-3 in all of sport for that matter.
And how did the Lakers become so great…simple, we get the best players all the time. Whether it be via free agency, trades, or drafting…we win championships because we have the best talent. That is where my recruiting philosophy originates…and that model is so damn successful that it can’t be disputed.
That being said, college isn’t the NBA, and Ann Arbor damn sure aint LA…so maybe Im not realistic, but considering my background, it’s realistic to me because that is all I know and nothing else is acceptable.
Sane, haven’t talked to you in a loooong time, just don’t post much anymore but still read blogs and such and more often in the off season I occasion these chatrooms still. Doing good, feeling good blue. Yeah, I’m looking at the last 30 years only–even tho I started following UM right after Magic’s msu run ironically, so I go back 35 years–wish I had paid attention in the mid 70’s but I was just 10 when we lost the championship against the last undefeated team in cball. Like you I’ve heard about the 65 teams, etc but I still think UM can be an elite team now even among the nouveau (I assume you spelled that correctly). Heavens, I wouldn’t be surprised UM makes the elite 8 next year (JB teams are a tough tourney draw)–3 out of 4 years would be top notch.
I too fell in love with the Lakes during those epic battles with the Celtics–what was that, 85 and 86? I was (strangely) living in Boston, and would go to a biker bar in Somerville where they worshiped the Celtics (probably a little bit for their white icon status) and sit there and silently root for the Lakers. Coop-a-loops, Worthy, Byron Scoott, AC Green, Jabbar (the epitome of cool), all those guys. . . oh man, that was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. I had just moved back to the US from Barcelona after four years abroad and was totally alienated by life in the US–until the Lakers gave me one damned thing to root along with the rest of the crowd for; I still think that they saved my ass in some obscure way. Before that I had always loved to play sports, but never really gotten too hyped for teams (well, I liked the Csonka-era Dolphins, and the Willis Reed-Frazier-Earl the Pearl Knicks, too). After that I just became a delirious fan of basketball. Haven’t really gotten hyped on the pro game for a while, though I do admire the Spurs. . . but loving the Michigan basketball team has become my happy substitute.