tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-105714982024-03-07T04:02:49.930-05:00The H-Quack TimesA blend of humorous insights and crazy rants on topics such as sports, politics, history, and current events.knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.comBlogger2674125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-18269653905364611822023-05-08T17:54:00.002-04:002023-05-08T17:54:27.617-04:00Museum and Souveniers<p>It was raining in the morning so we ordered breakfast. My bagel and pastrami sandwich was very good. When it stopped raining we went to the National Museum of Scotland again.</p><p>This was Candace's first time. She was very excited to see Dolly, the cloned sheep. The kids played their games again while I ran around the museum checking out the other exhibits. I saw all the Scottish exhibits. There was a menorah in one display dedicated to the diversity of Scotland in the 21st century.</p><p>We left the museum and Tali started to whine. We got the kids drinks and then went to get souvenirs. That was a long expensive frustrating process. Then we got some hand pies. Tali started have a meltdown. We bought some treats. That wasn't good enough. We got back to the hotel just before it rained again.</p><p>We watched out game shows, The Tipping Point and The Chase. It was hard.to put the kids down and the weren't behaving great. Abie became sad that we were going home tomorrow. He said he really enjoyed his time here.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-62405676980766166642023-05-07T17:15:00.001-04:002023-05-07T17:15:21.031-04:00Garden and Dean<p>We got a late start and everyone was grumpy because they were hungry. We ate at an Italian chain restaurant and the kids really liked it. Candace liked her fancy pizza as well.</p><p>We made the long walk to the Botanical Gardens. I had a panic attack on Dean Bridge. It's not a scary bridge, but I peaked over and my fear of heights took over. In eroding park gave us nice views of the city. The Botanic Gardens were a nice place, a little too commercial for my liking.</p><p>We searched for treats, but Edinburgh is a little weird. Some places close early and others open late. So you find a great place online and it's invariably closed. Candace got some coffee and we searched for Dean village.</p><p>My feet and legs were aching and the sidewalk situation was not good for Candace's scooter. I've seen people who use wheelchairs here and it must be very frustrating for them. Edinburgh infantilizes disabled people. Candace has lost some independence. At home or even during our Brisbane trip, she was completely independent. Edinburgh has been very rough in that regard.</p><p>It was too difficult to get the scooter down to the iconic view of Dean village. It was nice, but felt like many European cities. We went back to the hotel and ordered some Japanese food. The chicken was good, but the beef was the worst I've ever had.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-57979964692367469142023-05-06T17:20:00.006-04:002023-05-06T17:20:46.665-04:00Football in the Rain<p> Today was the last day of Canada's conference. The kids and I went to a used bookstore. Then we saw the statue of the great Scottish boxer Ken Buchanan. We got some pizza and went to see a Hibs soccer game.</p><p>The crowd was 16,334, so it's not the biggest stadium. It had more of a minor league feel. It took me a while to figure out how to scan the ticket because I'm an idiot. I scanned Tali and she pushed the gate to go through. I scanned Abie's but he didn't pushed the gate fast enough and it locked. I did my ticket and tried to get Abie through but we didn't do it fast enough.</p><p>This was a floor to top of the doorway rotating gate, so Tali couldn't come out and we couldn't go in. I scanned the tickets again and they were declined. I told Tali to wait right there. Abie and I ran to the handicap ticket taker and told him what happened. The tickets were declined again and he told me to go to support nearby. So I ran there and told her what happened. She reset the tickets and told me to go first. I did, but then the gate got stuck with Abe's ticket. A couple of tries later he got in. We ran over to Tali who was waiting by the gate. She told me later she was just a little scared.</p><p>The kids didn't really pay attention to the game. We were in the front row in the corner. Hibs was up 2-0 at the half. The kids wanted food, but I wanted to wait until the second half. Turns out the food stalls close after halftime so they were pissed at me.</p><p>In the second half, one middle aged man maybe had too much to drink and kept yelling fucking every third word. His accent was so strong I could only make out "fucking" and the occasional "cunt." I couldn't understand anything else he was saying. I was hoping the kids couldn't either, but they heard all the fuckings being dropped. The constant f bombs spread. Soon everyone near us started tossing them around.</p><p>At the end, the other team scored a cheap goal and the lead shrank to 2-1. After some nervous moments, Hubs pulled it out 2-1 just as the rain picked up.</p><p>We made it to another book store where I got some books on Scotland for us, drawing much ire from the kids who wanted books we can get anywhere. Then we made the long walk back to our area and the rain pelted us. The kids have effective rain jackets. I have a fleece that does well in the rain, but had left it in the room next door during the power outage fiasco. The fleece I had on attracts rain, so I was soaked.</p><p>We got takeaway for dinner and brought it to the hotel, hoping the paper bags of books and dinner wouldn't disintegrate in the rain. Luckily they didn't and we ate dinner in the hotel room.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-4757300188089370112023-05-05T17:40:00.004-04:002023-05-05T17:40:40.014-04:00Parliament <p>I helped Candace get ready for her conference at 7:30am and fell back asleep at 8:30. The kids woke me up a little after 10. We were able to visit Candace at the conference for a little bit. Talk wanted to stay so I suggested Candace take the kids in so that they would become bored. That was a mistake.</p><p>The kids were bored, but Candace is very important in her field so people wanted to talk with her. I waited outside until security said I wasn't allowed to wait there for so long. So I had to come in. I taught the kids about various charts and graphs. Then the kids and I ate at Jollibees. They enjoyed it. We found a playground nearby.</p><p>Then we took a long frustrating walk to the Scottish Parliament. The kids would go so slow or just hang 20-30 feet behind me. We got into the parliament and saw the exhibition and the debating room. The SNP is the current ruling party. Talk lost her parliament sticker, so Abie asked for another one for her.</p><p>We then walked to the Scottish National Museum. The kids loved it. It was a total mishmash, but they enjoyed the interactive exhibits. We only got to see the first floor.</p><p>Then we got some treats from the grocery store. On the way back, I made a mistake I've made a few times. On the map, it's not clear that the bridges are 100 feet higher than the crossroad that takes us to our hotel. We rested in the hotel for a bit and watched The Chaser, a game show we also watched in Australia.</p><p>We met Candace and headed for dinner. We ate a Kurdish restaurant, because that's what you do when you come to Scotland. Abie broke a glass. Kurdish food is a close to Middle Eastern. We had pomegranate mousse and saffron and cardamom ice cream for dessert. We went back to the hotel. The kids have not gone to bed easily tonight.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-81567589524851047922023-05-04T18:45:00.003-04:002023-05-04T18:45:28.987-04:00Sleepless Nights and Arthur's Seat<p>The power didn't come on until the morning. I had trouble sleeping and went down at 4:30am to complain about the lack of power. The night shift worker tried to help. He let me charge our stuff in the room next door, which was a much smaller room. I tried to sleep there with a noise machine, but this hotel requires a keycard to close the blinds and it gets light at 5am.</p><p>I charged our phones and tried to sleep back in our room. I finally fell asleep at about 6:30am. I had to wake up at 7:30am to help Candace ready for her conference. I went back to sleep at about 9am and slept until noon. The kids had slept in and were playing nicely.</p><p>Candace had sent me messages that things were not going well at the conference. The rooms at the convention center were too narrow for the scooter and the food was terrible.</p><p>The kids and I walked to Arthur's Seat, a mountain a couple of miles from the hotel. It was very windy during the entire day. Talk wanted us to take a certain path that was closed due to possible me rock slides, steep cliffs, and general danger. it was fenced off, but Talk insisted that was the way to go. While getting yelled at, I pushed through until we found an acceptable path to Tali.</p><p>The wind blew dirt in Abie's eye, so he was suffering most of the walk up. We got very high when I realized we were close to the edge and the wind was trying to push us off. I started to have a fear of height-related panic attack, so we decided to head back down.</p><p>We wanted a fish and chips restaurant but couldn't find a good one that was open. So we went back to the hotel and looked for one nearby. There was one on Victoria Street. We had delicious fish, chips that were like fry a shaped mashed potatoes, fried haggis, a fried Mars bar, and sticky forget pudding. We loved it. We got back to the hotel to find Candace waiting outside our door. She told us about her tough day due to Edinburgh's poor record on accessibility. We got Candace the same food for takeaway but she didn't like it as much. In retaliation for Edinburgh's lack as accessibility she has been calling the city "Eden-burrow" in the streets as loudly as possible.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-48657035907917432502023-05-03T18:43:00.005-04:002023-05-03T18:43:58.155-04:00In Edinburgh<p>We had a relaxing morning in the hotel. I woke up hours before everyone and booked our tickets to the castle. The castle was not great for Candace. The path is mostly stone, which makes for a jarring ride on the mobility scooter. Stairs prevented her from seeing some of the exhibits.</p><p>The kids like it at the beginning. The love climb iron cannons, a habit they picked up from visiting Civil War battlefields. They liked how high up we were. But the exhibits didn't really capture their attention. There were roo many people. And I think they became tired and hungry. Candace heard the one o'clock salute, but we missed it. We saw the prisoners quarters which is shielded from the sun. They got hammocks to relax it and got to play games like dominos. They even had meals prepared and served to them. Maybe I missed the point.</p><p>We then walked to get hand pies for lunch. Cheap and delicious. I had the haggis pie, which was quite good. This place was accessible, but Edinburgh has a big problem with wheelchair accessibility. Many stores and restaurants have one step to get in. The curb cuts are there, but sometimes very steep. They're definitely not uniform. Of course, the stones on the a Royal Mile are no fun. It's hilly, so there are lots of stairs. So Candace has been frustrated.</p><p>After the pies, we got ice cream. Then we went back to the hotel. Candace mapped and the rest of us watched gameshows. A few hours later, the kids and I went for a walk that turned into an arduous trek.</p><p>We climbed up Granny Green stairs to the castle. Then we made our way to Princes Street. We walked to the National Monument and Talk had a meltdown. She wanted to wall a long way out of the way to get a view of the city that we already had where we were. She kept screaming at me.</p><p>I managed to calm her down. She fell and I carried her for a bit. Then we bunny hopped down some stairs. Abide wanted attention too so I carried him a bit too. Then we all had bathroom emergencies.</p><p>My stomach had been acting up and that haggis pie wanted out, so I darted into a fancy hotel. I apologized and asked if I could take the kids to the toilet. The receptionist was showed up to the loo. It was one of the nicest bathrooms that I've even seen. The kids were thrilled.</p><p>We walked a long way to the grocery store and picked up some food and and treats. We came back and ate. I went to heat up Candace as food and the kitchen lost power. Then the TVs went out. So that's where we are.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-1063902285897088762023-05-02T17:02:00.004-04:002023-05-02T17:02:58.669-04:00DC to Edinburgh<p> We had an overnight flight from DC to London. Only Abie slept at all. I watched The Godfather and Creed. We didn't have much time to catch our connection to Edinburgh. The scooter came up late, and the kids were freaking out because they were overtired. It came and then we weaved our way to passport control. There was one officer there and a very long wait. There was a second shorter line for people with flights departing soon. We were put around that line. I eventually just slithered into line and we didn't have to wait too long.</p><p>We had our picture taken, went through security, had our picture taken again and we made it. They took Candace a different way onto the plane, but it all worked out. Abide slept a little.</p><p>We waited for the scooter for a while again in Edinburgh, but we weren't in a rush. When the scooter came, a worker escorted us through the airport. He said we were the first Americans to check only one bag. He took us to the tram and the tram workers gave the kids paper trains.</p><p>We made it to our stop, but Tal had a meltdown on the walk to the hotel. The hotel let us check in early and it is very nice. It's two rooms and we can see some of the castle from the window! We all took a nap and forced ourselves to wake up.</p><p>The plan was to get groceries, mostly treats, and then Indian food as it's Candace and my monthiversary. The kids rode on the scooter, but there was a rocky curb cut and the scooter tipped over and they all fell. I was joined by several people who helped get Candace untangled from the scooter and we put it right and helped her up.</p><p>The kids were only hurt a little, like a normal fall, but Candace hit her head and felt nauseous. Then we realized Tal's jacket that had been on the back of the scooter was gone. I ran to retrace our steps, and the kids followed me, leaving Candace alone. We found the jacket on the sidewalk by the hotel and ran back to Candace. She was ok when we got back. She didn't want to go back to the hotel. We got snacks from the grocery store and found the Indian restaurant. The most positive gregarious woman took my order for takeaway. We made it back to the hotel and ate the delicious food and tried n the snacks, a great ending to a tough day. So far, the people here have been so kind.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-42978391200343841102023-03-27T06:27:00.003-04:002023-03-27T06:27:17.421-04:00Last Day in Brisbane<p>I wasn’t feeling well again today, but we had to check out at 10am. I had trouble sleeping and could’ve used a few extra hours of relaxation.</p><p>We left our bags at the hotel and Candace took the kids around South Bank. I tried to find a spot to relax in the Modern Gallery of Art. I did see one security official talking into her earpiece as she watched me, so I left.</p><p>I found a nice spot in the Gallery of Art and read and look at my phone. At one point I sharted in my sweatpants and scurried to the toilet. Lucky the damage was reversible. Every time I felt a little gas, I waddled to the toilet.</p><p>The family met me in the gallery where the kids love to touch the forbidden art. We walked over the bridge through the Queen Street area to the Post Office food court, which underground. We had underwhelming grilled cheese sandwiches in the underground food court.</p><p>Candace and the kids searched for souvenirs while I slowly made my way back to the hotel. Reception closed at 5, so we had to get our bags before then. I waited in the hotel coughing as I had all day, feeling guilty.</p><p>We left for the train station and I put more money on my go card, which I recommend. They canceled a train to the airport, but we were so early they could’ve canceled a few more. The kids were insane on the train, which is especially bad because people don’t really talk on the train.</p><p>An older guy asked Abie what was his stuffed dingo’s name, “Is it Ernie?” I had seen a commercial for Ernie Dingo’s travel show and had to fill in Candace on the joke. I got a refund for the kids’ go cards, our first Australian cash.</p><p>In the airport, Abie and Candace went to get drinks. At some point Tal wanted to go with then and started out on her own. I told her she couldn’t wander around the huge airport looking for them. Tal tried to assure me that she was an expert on this airport that she had been to for fifteen minutes. We caused a scene, but I got her to come back.</p><p>We made it through to the gate and are waiting to board. Hopefully we can sleep on at least one of these two 14+ hour flights.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-2102904827642223242023-03-26T09:54:00.005-04:002023-03-26T09:54:54.863-04:00Coughs and Bagels<p>Tal and I went to the pool in the morning while Candace and Abie went to the grocery store.</p><p>Today we had brunch at a bagel place in the West End and thick shakes. The bagel was good, but the chocolate shake was bitter.</p><p>The kids and I got slurpees and stopped in a park. We watched a rugby practice. AFL is supposed to be bigger than rugby here, but the so called battle of Brisbane between the Broncos and Dolphins boated twice as many fans as the AFL game we went to on Friday night. Both began at the same time.</p><p>Then the kids played on a playground. I watched some kids playing basketball behind them and resisted the urge to teach them how to shoot. They all shot two-handed.</p><p>We made it back to the hotel. Tal and I developed bad coughs and I kept feeling nauseous. We all chilled out for a few hours and then watched Australia’s Married at First Sight. Duncan did the right thing declining to continue with the American woman.</p><p>We went for a nighttime walk along the river. I was feeling bad, but otherwise it was a nice walk. We leave tomorrow.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-35301459915778381052023-03-25T07:11:00.003-04:002023-03-25T07:45:08.087-04:00Koalas and Kangaroos<p> Melbourne cut the AFL game against Brisbane to 11 before it ended. A woman sitting next to Tal preemptively apologized for swearing during the game, which she did plenty.</p><p>I woke up not feeling well, occasionally retching. We took a cruise to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary via the Miramar II. The only thing I like less than seeing animals is taking an hour and 15 minute boat ride to see them and the only thing worse than that is doing it in the heat with the sun pounding me. The boat ride was rough for me and I was drenched in sweat. I think I’ve been suffering from heat exhaustion and the boat ride didn’t help.</p><p>When we arrived, there were many steep steps up a mountain. An employee from the cruise helped me carry the scooter up, but with three steps left, and had to stop, move to the side, and began dry heaving uncontrollably. The employee helped so much and carried it the last three steps. Candace walked up the mountain pretty incredibly.</p><p>At the sanctuary we learned the kids couldn’t hold koalas because they were too small. Candace and I held one and the kids petted it. It’s name was Naughty, and it playfully nuzzled my beard.</p><p>Then the kids fed kangaroos and we petted them. During the raptor show I began feeling very bad and searched for shade. It began to rain and that helped to cool me off, but I still felt like retching.</p><p>It started to pour and a different cruise employee helped us bring the scooter down the stairs. The staff really was amazing. I sat up to uncovered even though it was drizzling. It helped to cool me off and it was nice and windy up there. It helped that it was cloudy.</p><p>We passed by Clive Palmer’s gold house on the banks of the Brisbane River. He’s basically the Australian Trump except he made his money. The captain was not a fan of the far right Palmer.</p><p>After the cruise I felt really bad and made my way to the hotel. Candace and the kids went to a playground and the science expo. I retched some more, but became hungry. I was able to eat a few bites of dinner and drink some cold bubble tea which is further evidence that I’ve been suffering from heat exhaustion.</p><p>I watched the election for New South Wales in which Labour and Chris Minns recaptured power in the state after the Liberal-National coalition held control for 12 years. The big issue in Australia is the Voice vote, which would create an advisory board to help parliament with Aboriginal issues.</p><p>The white folks’ treatment of Aboriginal seems to be paternalistic and one of tokenism. Maybe I’m misreading it, but that’s my impression. The other thing I’ve noticed is that mustaches and grungy mullets are popular here. I get it, this is the south, but c’mon mate.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-15846626546107510792023-03-24T08:16:00.004-04:002023-03-24T08:16:33.043-04:00An AFL Game and an Upset Stomach<p>I felt sick most of the day with nausea. The kids and I took the train to Roma Street to see the pretty park, but I felt bad and we had to go back. It was very hot anyway.</p><p>I tried to rest, but I got an SOS from Candace. Her scooter had lost charge at a restaurant . I walked a mile to get her leaving the kids in the room. The restaurant charged her scooter and she was fine the rest of the day.</p><p>I had tickets for me and the kids to see an Australian Football League game, but I thought I wouldn’t be able to go. I felt better momentarily and we decided to go.</p><p>We walked a mile and a half and were lucky to find three seats together as we had general admission tickets. The kids were excited at first, but quickly became thirsty. We were going to stay long, but I didn’t want to give up our seats we were so lucky to find.</p><p>Brisbane was beating the hell out of Melbourne when we left. I got the kids some water, fries, and ice cream and we left.</p><p>Tal decided to walk 20 feet behind we on the way back no matter what I did. I was worried about it, but we finally and painfully made it back to the hotel.</p><p>Brisbane had a 30 point lead when we left and had upped it to 40 by the time we made it back to the hotel. The power then went out in the stadium and Melbourne had cut the lead to 12 with 2 minutes to go as I type this.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-60425196235791900602023-03-23T08:33:00.002-04:002023-03-23T08:33:21.176-04:00All Around on the Ferry<p> In the morning, Candace went to her conference. I was stuck on the toilet and the toilet paper ran out. I asked the kids if they would go down to reception and get some more. They were a bit hesitant but we so proud when they came back with the toilet paper. Abie said the receptionist asked, “Where’s mommy?” He said “In the room.” He told me it might be a problem if he said at work. I thought that was clever.</p><p>We walked a long way to the botanical gardens. First we got slurpees and sat by Queen Victoria’s statue. Then we found Brisbane Synagogue. Apparently it was appointment only. It wasn’t emotionally easy to explain why there was so much security around the synagogue.</p><p>Interestingly, some states here have recently banned swastikas and are in the process of banning the Nazi salute.</p><p>We made it the the gardens, but we were tired. The vegetation was striking and we saw plenty of lizards. We found a shady bench and sat there until we had to go to the bathroom. Then we found another shady spot and relaxed until we got hungry.</p><p>We were going to take the ferry to Kangaroo Point, but the kids became too hungry. We walked back to Queen Street and had cheesesteaks.</p><p>We decided to go back to the hotel, but had a long sidetrack searching for a bathroom in the mall. Then we rested in the hotel. My feet were hurting.</p><p>We then went out and took the ferry. I didn’t realize what the stops were and we missed our chance to get off. So we were on for over an hour. We got groceries and went back to the hotel for the night.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-87439167321377933842023-03-22T07:58:00.006-04:002023-03-22T07:58:59.123-04:00Museums and Queen Street<p> Candace’s conference started today, so I spent the day with the kids. We went to the Queensland Museum and the kids enjoyed seeing the dead animals. We then saw the Art Gallery. The kids kept touching the art even though I repeatedly told them not to. Some pieces caught their attention, mostly the type of art that two six year olds make themselves.</p><p>They were hungry to we walked over the bridge and ate at Hungry Jacks. We took our time and then went to the Queen Street mall to buy books. I got a book about the Brisbane River, which flooded in 1974 and 2011.</p><p>We went back to the hotel and rested. We then went to the Modern Art Gallery. The kids said they liked it better than the other art gallery. We stopped back in the first gallery so I could take a picture of a Segar Passi painting I liked. We saw the Brisbane sign and I took pictures of the kids by the sign. Then the played on the playground in South Bank.</p><p>We met Candace for dinner. She was a little late, but we had to wait. We at at Julius, an Italian restaurant. I didn’t think I’d find anything to eat there, but it turned out to be delicious.</p><p>Hungry Jack’s didn’t have Abie’s strawberry ice cream, so we got it from a gelato place and then went back to the hotel. I had walked 8.8 miles today and the kids held up well.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-65505385706496466722023-03-21T09:22:00.002-04:002023-03-21T18:50:02.259-04:00Fake Beach, Real Sunburn<p>We started the day on the Wheel of Brisbane. I am very afraid of heights and I get motion sickness, so the five whirls around on the ferris wheel was a slice of hell for me. The kids and Candace enjoyed it.</p><p>Brisbane has a fake beach situated in between a pool and a splash pad. We had fun but I could feel the sun beating down on my sunscreen slathered shoulders. I tried to hide in the shade, but it didn’t always work. The kids had fun and seemed not to get burned.</p><p>We went to Momo’s in South Bank for lunch. The kitchen screwed up our order and the waiter came out and asked if it was ok if we just took the screwed up order. What could we say? They had put the wrong sauce on half the fried chicken order. We were made to feel like karens if we complained, so we just accepted it. The soy garlic, which we didn’t order wasn’t good. The kids had mozzarella sticks covered in some sweet powder. They thought it was too sweet and didn’t eat much.</p><p>An Australian white ibis jumped on our table and stole a chicken bone. It went back to the ground and expertly nipped the meat off the bone, which is borderline cannibalistic. We realized Tal had lost her shoe, so I went hunting for it. I found it quite far away sitting on a bench.</p><p>Tal had been up since 2:30 in the morning and Abie didn’t get much sleep so they both were grumpy. We went to the splash pad before heading back to the hotel where we all fell asleep at 4:30 in the afternoon. We woke up at 8 and the kids fell asleep a couple hours later.</p><p>South Bank is a little touristy, but the fact that the water stuff is all free is pretty amazing. There’s a flower covered path which is very pretty. It’s supposed to rain in the morning and the kids will probably wake up early.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-76045387600348213502023-03-20T08:38:00.000-04:002023-03-20T08:38:00.572-04:00In Brissie<p> I woke up again with bad cramps in my calfs. The kids woke us up at 7am. Candace slept so I took the kids for a walk. We didn’t have wifi, our phones were dead, and our converter was apparently the wrong one. So we had no idea where we were going.</p><p>We walked on the go between bridge and along the Brisbane River. I taught them about displacement when we saw boats racing down the river and the waves crashed onto the rocks. Tal began complaining about the heat and whined on the back end of the walk.</p><p>Candace took the kids to find converters and get the wifi from reception. I watched a documentary on the 1953 Iranian coup and one about the history of black people in Vancouver.</p><p>They came back and we found a Japanese restaurant in the West End. A guy riding a scooter nearly ran me over and then gave me a dirty look. I stayed calm. We got slurpees from 7-Eleven after the restaurant. Then Tal whined on the way back to the hotel. She went to sleep pretty quickly. A couple of hours later, I took Abie to the pool, a narrow strip that’s a bit over 3 feet deep.</p><p>We went back to the room and I woke up Tal to take her to the pool. Well, she had a meltdown. Candace tricked her into going back to sleep and a few hours later she’s still asleep. Her whining must’ve been because she has been so tired. Hopefully she sleeps a lot and wakes up in a good mood.</p><p>I took Abie to the state library. He enjoyed it but wished we had found the kids book. He directed me to the grocery store and we bought some food. Then we went back to the hotel. He ate some and put himself to sleep.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-63269891454521105302023-03-19T08:57:00.176-04:002023-03-20T03:15:29.753-04:00DC to Brisbane<p> We left our house at about 4pm on Friday DC time. Tal decided early on that she wouldn't walk or carry her bags, so that slowed us down. She demanded to ride on Candace's scooter. We transferred from the red line to the new silver line and by the end, Tal and I felt close to throwing up.</p><p>After an hour and a half on the metro, we made it to Dulles. The scooter always seems to be a concern for airline staff, but otherwise things went smoothly. Security also spent extra time with the scooter, but things were still going smoothly. Then it came time to board our Qatar Airways flight and Candace was nowhere to be found. Finally, she emerged from the bathroom and we got on. I sat in a row of three with Abie and Tal and Candace sat in front.</p><p>The flight to Doha was about 12 and a half hours. The food was hardly edible and I nearly threw up at the end. I spent some of the flight with bad stomach pain and a case of the poops. I slept for a couple of hours and watched King Richard, Blackkklansman, and Black Panther.</p><p>Candace didn't have her scooter in the Doha airport, which displayed a building-sized teddy bear. The airport is more like a mall and the kids were hungry. I walked with them to find food, but we kept seeing upscale stores, so we turned back. Tal was tired and hungry and began to whine. She wanted me to walk at an asymptotic rate. No matter my speed it never reached her demands, so she became angry and started to punch me in the kidneys and push me to the delight of people walking by.</p><p>I dropped the kids off with Candace at the gate and went in search for food. I finally found it, waited forever and brought it back to the gate exhausted. The kids barely ate. I didn't have time to check my fantasy basketball team which would lose in the first round of the playoffs by one rebound!</p><p>In Doha, security really doesn't want you to bring water on the plane, but they don't search bags to find it. We went threw two different security checks from one plane to another and finally got on the plane to Brisbane. This time we all sat together. The fight was 14 hours from terminal to terminal. I watched Creed and Creed II and some episodes of Hard Knocks with the Detroit Lions. Abie and Tal mostly played games. I kept wanting them to use the controller but they preferred to use the touch screen to the dismay of the people sitting in front of them. Abie slept a few minutes before we landed. The kids had issues with peeing and pooping in their pants. The food was once again terrible and I nearly threw up at the end again.</p><p>When we got off the plane, Tal had to poop and she took forever. For some reason people using a wheelchair all had to stick together and an elderly man became frustrated with the wait. The attendant told him, "You ordered a wheelchair so you have to wait. If you don't want to wait, go ahead," which of course he couldn't do.</p><p>Now it was time to clear customs. Australia wants you to declare food that you bring in. Not in the half hearted way every other place I've ever been wants. They demand it or you're in big trouble. After a video campaign, you pass by several officials asking if you have food and then you stand in line like a criminal as a dog sniffs you and your belongings to see if you have food. I said I didn't have food, but I had some stuff for when we got to the hotel, so I became increasingly nervous that I would soon find myself in an Australian gulag, but the dog couldn't sniff past the packaging and the pee and poop filled pants to detect the food.</p><p>Then we got the scooter back. In DC, the airline handled the battery very bizarrely. First they wanted us to have it with us on the plane. Then they took it off and told Candace it would be checked. I didn't hear it so I was worried they'd lose the scooter battery. Fortunately things worked out and we took the air train to South Brisbane. We got into the hotel exhausted. We ate some of the snacks I had smuggled into the country and enjoyed our contraband. I fell asleep pretty quickly but woke up a few hours later with a terrible cramp in my right calf.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-32596725558661313882022-06-28T23:28:00.001-04:002022-06-29T14:56:36.417-04:00Top Ten NBA<p> <b>Top 10 NBA Players Now</b></p>While this list consists of the top 10 players now, the past is taken to account, but it is not a list of the best players who happen to be active. Previous ranks <a href="https://harazquack.blogspot.com/2021/07/top-10-nba-players.html">posted on July 28, 2021.</a><div>.<br /><br /><table border="2" bordercolor="#0033FF" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: #blue; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><th>#</th><th>David (PR)</th><th>Mike (Previous Rank)</th></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Antetokounmpo (1)</td><td>Jokic (5)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Curry (7)</td><td>Antetokounmpo (2)</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Jokic (4) </td><td>Embiid (8) </td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>LeBron (2)</td><td>Doncic (9)</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Doncic (5)</td><td>LeBron (1)</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Durant (8)</td><td>Tatum (NR)</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Embiid (NR)</td><td>Curry (3)</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Harden (3)</td><td>Durant (4)</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Towns (NR)</td><td>C. Paul (NR)</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>J. Butler (9)</td><td>Towns (NR)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><b>Top 10 NBA Careers Among Active Players</b><br />You're making a list of the ten best players in NBA history, but there's one caveat; you can only include players who played during the 2021-22 season (injuries excepted). These are our choices, taking the players' entire careers into account. Previous ranks <a href="https://harazquack.blogspot.com/2021/07/top-10-nba-players.html">posted on July 28, 2021.</a><br /><br /><table border="2" bordercolor="#0033FF" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: #blue; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><th>#</th><th>David (PR)</th><th>Mike (Previous Rank)</th></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>LeBron (1)</td><td>LeBron (1)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Curry (3)</td><td>Durant (2)</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Durant (2)</td><td>Paul (3)</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Westbrook (4)</td><td>Curry (4)</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Harden (5)</td><td>Harden (5)</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Antetokounmpo (6)</td><td>Westbrook (6)</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Paul (7)</td><td>D. Howard (7)</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>D. Howard (8)</td><td>A. Davis (8)</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Kawhi (9)</td><td>Kawhi (9)</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Jokic (NR)</td><td>Carmelo (10))</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><b>Top 10 NBA Franchise Players</b><br />This list is about which players you would pick to start a franchise right now. They must have played in an NBA game. Previous ranks <a href="https://harazquack.blogspot.com/2021/07/top-10-nba-players.html">posted on July 28, 2021.</a><br /><br /><table border="2" bordercolor="#0033FF" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: #blue; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><th>#</th><th>David (PR)</th><th>Mike (Previous Rank)</th></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Doncic (1)</td><td>Doncic (2)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Antetokounmpo (2)</td><td>Jokic (3)</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Jokic (3)</td><td>Antetokounmpo (1)</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Morant (9)</td><td>Tatum (5)</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>A. Edwards (NR)</td><td>Embiid (4)</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Tatum (5)</td><td>T. Young (NR)</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Adebayo (8)</td><td>Murray (NR)</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Lm. Ball (NR)</td><td>Morant (NR)</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Ayton (NR)</td><td>Mitchell (NR)</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Mitchell (NR)</td><td>Towns (NR)</td></tr></tbody></table></div>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-2700361418685680822021-11-20T22:16:00.009-05:002021-11-20T22:16:49.353-05:00Top Ten Pound For Pound<div>The last pound-for-pound list was last December 28. I wanted to get this in before Crawford fights Porter. Porter is top 15, so that fight could change this list.</div><div><br /></div>1. Saul Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) [1]<br />2. Naoya Inoue (21-0, 18 KOs) [2]<br />3. Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) [Not Rated]<br /><div>4. Errol Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) [3]<br />5. Terence Crawford (37-0, 28 KOs) [4]</div><div>6. Josh Taylor (18-0, 13 KOs) [10]</div><div>7. Gennady Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) [5]<br />8. Teofimo Lopez (16-0, 12 KOs) [6]<div>9. Vasiliy Lomachenko (15-2, 11 KOs) [7]<br />10. Juan Francisco Estrada (42-3, 28 KOs) [8]<br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Exiting the list:</div><div>Gervonta Davis (25-0, 24 KOs) [NR]<br /></div></div>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-88746832086331492832021-07-28T20:25:00.008-04:002022-06-29T14:34:09.506-04:00Top 10 NBA Players<p><b>Top 10 NBA Players Now</b></p>While this list consists of the top 10 players now, the past is taken to account, but it is not a list of the best players who happen to be active. Previous ranks <a href="https://harazquack.blogspot.com/2020/10/top-ten-nba-players.html">posted on October 24, 2020</a><div>.<br /><br /><table border="2" bordercolor="#0033FF" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: #blue; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><th>#</th><th>David (PR)</th><th>Mike (Previous Rank)</th></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Antetokounmpo (2)</td><td>LeBron (1)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>LeBron (1)</td><td>Antetokounmpo (2)</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Harden (3) </td><td>Curry (NR) </td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Jokic (7)</td><td>Durant (NR)</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Kawhi (4)</td><td>Jokic (10)</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Doncic (8)</td><td>Kawhi(NR)</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Curry (NR)</td><td>Harden (4)</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Durant (NR)</td><td>Embiid (9)</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>J. Butler (6)</td><td>Doncic (7)</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>Lillard (9)</td><td>Lillard (6)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><b>Top 10 NBA Careers Among Active Players</b><br />You're making a list of the ten best players in NBA history, but there's one caveat; you can only include players who played during the 2020-21 season (injuries excepted). These are our choices, taking the players' entire careers into account. Previous ranks <a href="https://harazquack.blogspot.com/2020/10/top-ten-nba-players.html">posted on October 24, 2020.</a><br /><br /><table border="2" bordercolor="#0033FF" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: #blue; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><th>#</th><th>David (PR)</th><th>Mike (Previous Rank)</th></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>LeBron (1)</td><td>LeBron (1)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Durant (2)</td><td>Durant (2)</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Curry (3)</td><td>Paul (4)</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Westbrook (4)</td><td>Curry (3)</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Harden (5)</td><td>Harden (6)</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Antetokounmpo (NR)</td><td>Westbrook (5)</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Paul (6)</td><td>D. Howard (7)</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>D. Howard (7)</td><td>A. Davis (9)</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Kawhi (8)</td><td>Kawhi (NR</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>A. Davis (9)</td><td>Carmelo (8)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><b>Top 10 NBA Franchise Players</b><br />This list is about which players you would pick to start a franchise right now. They must have played in an NBA game. Previous ranks <a href="https://harazquack.blogspot.com/2020/10/top-ten-nba-players.html">posted on October 24, 2020.</a><br /><br /><table border="2" bordercolor="#0033FF" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: #blue; width: 100%px;"><tbody><tr><th>#</th><th>David (PR)</th><th>Mike (Previous Rank)</th></tr><tr><td>1</td><td>Doncic (1)</td><td>Antetokounmpo (2)</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Antetokounmpo (2)</td><td>Doncic (1)</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Jokic (4)</td><td>Jokic (NR)</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Zion (3)</td><td>Embiid (NR)</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Tatum (6)</td><td>Tatum (10)</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>T. Young (NR)</td><td>Zion (NR)</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Booker (7)</td><td>A. Davis (3)</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Adebayo (5)</td><td>Kawhi (4)</td></tr><tr><td>9</td><td>Morant (7)</td><td>Durant (8)</td></tr><tr><td>10</td><td>B. Simmons (8)</td><td>Harden (6)</td></tr></tbody></table></div>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-45522257298080852722021-07-18T21:38:00.002-04:002021-07-18T21:38:38.518-04:00Game 5 : A Greek Holiday in the Middle<p>When Milwaukee's three best players are at their best, there might not be a collection of players out there that can beat them. There were moments when all three came together in Game 5.<br /><br />None of those moments occurred in the first quarter. The Suns blaster the Bucks 37-21 in the first and it wasn't even that close. The Bucks had more turnovers in the first than they did in all of Game 4. Devin Booker went off, proving himself to be a scoring machine and frustrating P.J. Tucker to no end. At one point, Booker dunked on the Greek Freak and taunted him, although it had already been called a foul before. Jrue Holiday went out with two early fouls.<br /><br />This season in the NBA there has been lots of blowouts and wild swings mostly because one team just doesn't bring it. It has been a trying season. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, the second quarter featured a wild swing that lasted into the start of the fourth. Milwaukee came roaring back because of great play from their stars.<br /><br />Giannis Antetokounmpo was struggle a bit to score in the first half. So he flashed his other skills. He had 6 assists, almost all incredible passes utilizing his amazing court-vision. He grabbed 9 meaningful rebounds including five on the offensive glass. He is a strong defender on the ball, in the post, or coming from the weakside.<br /><br />And oh by the way, he finished with a team high 32 points.<br /><br />Giannis has been criticized for coming out of a couple games early and looking tired out on the floor. The criticism in ridiculous. The guys works about three times as hard as the average player. He works his butt off on both sides of the floor and doesn't stop until a rebound is secured (often by him). Meanwhile, he is also involved in almost every transition play. Give the guy a break.<br /><br />Khris Middleton is primarily a scorer. He finished with 29. But he is also a good passer, defender, and rebounder. He added 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Jrue Holiday came back from his foul trouble and had one of his best games of his career. Holiday had 27 points on 60% shooting, but that doesn't tell the story. The shots he made were incredible. At one point, he faded to the baseline and Deandre Ayton contested and still made it. It seemed like every contested shot went in. He is an elite defender and contributed 13 assists and 3 steals.<br /><br />While Milwaukee seemed like they would run Phoenix out of the building, the Suns are a very good team as well. Chris Paul had a quiet game, but came on in the fourth and finished with good numbers (21 points, 11 assists, 1 turnover). Ayton's numbers were also a bit better than the game he played. He had 20 points and 10 rebounds. He doesn't get cheap rebounds either. The Suns mostly rebounded better than in the last two games.<br /><br />Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder were productive for the Suns while Pat Connaughton was effective off the bench.<br /><br />The Sun crawled to within three on a long Booker three. CP3's layup cut it to one with less than a minute to go. With 30 seconds left, the Suns had the ball with a chance to take the lead. Booker drove into the lane where several Bucks were waiting. Holiday crept in from behind and ripped the ball away. He flew down the court and threw an alley oop to Giannis who flushed it and was fouled.<br /><br />Antetokounmpo missed the free throw but grabbed the board/ Middleton hit 1 of 2 from the line to ice the game at 123-119. The Bucks are one win away from their first title in 50 years.<br /></p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-59538784990277509452021-07-17T15:34:00.006-04:002021-07-17T15:34:50.242-04:00Game 4 - The Middle Way<p>The Suns and Bucks fought neck and neck throughout the first half. Devin Booker hushed the critics who based the entire assessment of a player based on one game. He'd ultimately pour in 42 points or just 28 shots. He got to line and only missed one in nine attempts.<br /><br />On the other side was Khris Middleton for the Bucks. He had substandard games in the first two of the series. But in Game 4, he had trouble missing, particularly in the clutch. Middleton exploded for 40 points on 33 shots. He was 7 for 8 from the line.<br /><br />The game was tied at 56 at the half and Phoenix held a six point lead going into the fourth. Jae Crowder has played well since the Game 2 and he contributed 15 points, 8 rebounds with 3 blocks and 3 steals. The Suns got production from the bench, particularly the Cams. Payne scored 9 in 17 minutes and Johnson 10 points.<br /><br />Cam Johnson is receiving a lot of praise in this series for his athleticism and scoring ability. But his rebounding has been woeful. He grabbed one miss in 29 minutes. Johnson isn't the only Sun who doesn't box-out on a missed shot, but he is the poster child and lamely reaching the ball as a Milwaukee player grabbed an offensive board.<br /><br />Offensive rebounding numbers for the Bucks went like this in Game 4: Giannis Antetokounmpo 5, (undersized forward) P.J. Tucker 3, (backup guard) Pat Connaughton 3, (point guard) Jrue Holiday 3, (in 20 minutes) Bobby Portis 2. The Suns as a team grabbed just 5.<br /><br />That lack a rebounding hurt the Suns in the fourth. Antetokounmpo didn't have the best game ever. Only 26 points (on 11 for 19 shooting), 14 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. One of those blocks came late in the game.<br /><br />With a 1:15 left in the game and the Bucks up 2, Booker threw an alley oop to a wide open Deandre Ayton who caught it and went in for the dunk. Instead, Giannis came from no where to preserve the lead.<br /><br />Ayton grabbed 17 boards but scored only 6 in 39 minutes. Chris Paul played poorly as well. He just clipped double digits ins coring but sported a 7-5 assist to turnover ration. One of those turnovers came late with the game on the line. Paul just slipped and lost the ball. Mikal Bridges couldn't repeat his stellar games at home early in the series.<br /><br />Brook Lopez, the Bucks center, scored 14 in 19 minutes. Connaughton has taken a lot of Lopez's minutes because his game has more variety than Lopez's. He added 11 points and 9 rebounds. Holiday shot terribly, but he did other things with 7 assists, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals.<br /><br />Towards the end of the game, Booker had five fouls and seemingly tried to get the sixth on several different plays. The refs refused to oblige in a bizarre stain on the officials' reputation.<br /><br />Milwaukee won 109-103 to tie the series heading back to Phoenix.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-43006893734823731452021-07-11T23:02:00.005-04:002021-07-11T23:02:55.188-04:00Game 3: Home Cooking<p>Milwaukee bounced back at home in Game 3. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the games best player, was the story. He poured in 41 points (on 23 FGAs) for his second consecutive game. He's only the 6th player in NBA history to have back-to-back games in the Finals. He added 13 rebounds (4 offensive) and 6 assists. Giannis was 13 for 17 from the charity stripe<br /><br />The Bucks' got better production from their other two best players. Khris Middleton had a good first half and scored 18 with 7 boards and 6 assists. Jrue Holiday was even better. The defensive master we've watched all season finally resurfaced. He also added 21 points on 14 shots with 9 assists.<br /><br />Holiday started out on Devin Booker and shutdown the Sins' leading scorer. Book finished with 10 points on 14 shots and he played only 29 minutes. No one tookl Bookers place for Phonix. Chris Paul was solid with 19 points and displayed his usual amazing court vision. He gave Deandre Ayton some beautiful passes in the first half. Paul had 9 assists. Ayton curiously played only 24 minutes. He scored 19 on 8 for 11 shooting.<br /><br />Jae Crowder also scored 18 points. He made 6 of his 7 threes. Cam Johnson had an amazing funk on P.J. Tucker asd part of his 14 points. But Johnson was a symptom of the Suns' problem in Game 3.<br /><br />The Bucks grabbed 13 offensive boards and they all seemed to lead to points. Cam Johnson is a talented young player, but perhaps he doesn't know how to box-out. Maybe he just forgot to box-out. Or maybe Phoenix has an organization aversion to boxing out, but their defensive rebounding was poor. Johnson and friends tried to meekly jump for missed shots instead of getting position. That didn't work against Giannis and a very feisty Bobby Portis.<br /><br />Brook Lopez, Tucker, Portis, and Pat Connaughton all contributed to the cause. Even Giannis's big brother Thanisis even got into the act with three boards.</p><p>The Bucks won 120-100 to cut Phoenix's series lead to 2-1.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-65818481479268902012021-07-09T20:48:00.001-04:002021-07-09T20:48:15.406-04:00Game 2: Phoenix for Three<p>Milwaukee led after one quarter thanks to domination of the paint. Mikal Bridges kept Phoenix in the game. The Suns burst out to an 11 point lead at halftime thanks to their dead-aim long distance shooting. The importance of the three point shot was in full effect in Game 2. The Bucks would ultimately make 9 on 29% shooting while the Suns knocked down 20 on 50% shooting.<br /><br />Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled a bit in the first half by his standers. He took over in the second half. The Phoenix crowded mocked his elaborate free throw ritual just as fans in other playoff opponents' cities had. So far, we've learned Phoenix fans don't count as well as those back East. Counting up to 10 can be tricky for some. The quick counts were moderately effective, however. The Greek Freak made 11 out of 18 from the line. Yet, to his credit, he kept taking the ball to the basket.<br /><br />Topday, there might not be a scarier thing for a defender to see that Giannis Antetokounmpo with the ball at the three point line, his eyes focused on the rim. The only way to stop him is to foul him. While Shaq was a post up player, not a driver, I've experienced bouts of deja vu recently because of Antetokounmpo's dominance of the paint and his suspect free throw shooting. He finished Game 2 with 42 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and a block.<br /><br />The Suns held a steady if not comfortable lead throughout the second half. Bridges, who led the Suns in scoring in the first half, outscored himself in the second and finished with a highly impactful 27 points, including quite a few late free throws. Devin Booker scored 31 and Chris Paul had a quiet 23 with 8 assists.<br /><br />While Deandre Ayton (10 pts, 11 rebs) wasn't the same monster as in Game 1, Jae Crowder was much better. He failed to make a single shot from the floor in Game 1, but, along with Bridges, was an early spark in Game 2. He added 11 points and 10 boards. While Cam Johnson had another productive day off the bench, the Suns got thinner when Torey Craig became injured. Dario Saric already wasn't able to play.<br /><br />For the Bucks, Pat Connaughton was the sole productive bench player and the only effective outside shooter. In 34 minutes he scored 14 on 4 of 9 from downtown and grabbed 7 caroms. P.J. Tucker has played well in a starting role.<br /><br />The Bucks real problem isn't Giannis's free throw shooting or a lack of depth. Milwaukee's issue in the first two games has been the lackluster play of Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. The Bucks need a third scorer and Holiday is a perfect fit. But he couldn't throw it in the ocean in Game 1. He came out aggressive in Game 2 and continued to struggle He scored just 17 on 21 shots. He dished it off for 7 buckets, but part of Holiday's excellence comes on the defensive floor. In this series, he's had some good stretches, but not enough as Paul and Booker have played well.<br /><br />Holiday's shooting woes aren't the only reason Jrue hasn't yet been a capable third scorer this series. The Buicks haven't had a second scorer either. Khris Middleton is one of the best second bananas in the league, but has been squashed. While he stacked up 8 assists, he only scored 11 on 16 shots. Middleton is the type of guy who can go for 30 without breaking much of a sweat, but the Suns have thus far locked him down.<br /><br />Phoenix matched their Game 1 total of 118 while the Bucks finished with 108. The Suns now have a 2-0 lead. Game 1 marked their first ever series lead in the NBA Finals.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-46409087134852840272021-07-08T00:03:00.034-04:002021-07-08T00:03:00.254-04:00My All-NBA Team<p>This is my All-NBA Team that I've watched. I've been watching the NBA since 1990.<br /><br />Starters<br />C Shaquille O'Neal<br />PF Tim Duncan<br />SF LeBron James<br />SG Michael Jordan<br />PG Jason Kidd<br /><br />Bench<br />C Hakeem Olajuwon<br />PF Kevin Garnett<br />SF Kevin Durant<br />SG Kobe Bryant<br />PG Stephen Curry<br />C David Robinson<br />C Patrick Ewing<br /><br /><br />Others considered<br />John Stockton<br />Allen Iverson<br />Scottie Pippen<br />Karl Malone<br />Russell Westbrook<br />James Harden<br />Chris Paul<br />Dirk Nowitzki<br /><br /></p><p><br /><br /></p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10571498.post-57398262266771695632021-07-07T16:34:00.004-04:002021-07-07T16:34:34.226-04:00Game 1 - Chris Paul Goes for it All<p>After missing the playoffs for a decade, the Suns showed progress with an 8-0 showing in the bubble last summer. However, they still missed the playoffs. A trade for veteran point guard Chris Paul seemed like a shrewd transaction that would not only assure a playoff spot but possibly a second round appearance.<br /><br />Instead, Paul was the perfect fit. Phoenix's homegrown players developed nicely. Head Coach Monty Williams was the right voice. The Suns shot out of the gate a remained a surprise contender throughout the regular season.<br /><br />Still, we all waited for the clock to strike midnight. They pushed past the banged up defending champion Lakers in the first round. They stormed by the banged up Denver Nuggets, last season's Western Conference runner-up, in the second round. They survived the banged up Clippers in the Conference Finals. Yes, a little luck helped, as Anthony Davis, Jamal Murray, and Kawhi Leonard spent time on the bench of their respective series. But with their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1993, the Suns seemed to bring back team basketball to the NBA<br /><br />The Bucks had been written off before the season. They would finish near the top of the Eastern Conference standings in the regular season, but come playoffs, they would choke just as they had done the last several seasons.<br /><br />Two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had another stellar year, but his declining free throw shooting became a story. Adding a superb defender and scorer in Jrue Holiday was a nice pickup, but he didn't seem like the type of player that could expunge their misery of past loses.<br /><br />After sweeping the Heat, the team that surprisingly sent home the Bucks last season, Milwaukee faced the heavily favored Nets. James Harden played some hurt and Kyrie Irving bowed out due to injury, but the Bucks utilized team play to defeat Brooklyn, which by the end, had become the Kevin Durant show.<br /><br />The Bucks outlasted a game Hawks team in the Conference Finals to make their first NBA Finals since 1974. But in Game 4, Giannis suffered a hyper-extended knee, an injury that could've been much worse. He was willing to play in Game 1 of the Finals, but was he ready.<br /><br />Antetokounmpo came out aggressive, even pushing back DeAndre Ayton on his way to the cup at one point. But the injury must have effective Giannis who tailed off a bit in the second half. He finished with 20 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block on 6for 11 from the field (7-12 from the line). Those might seem like amazing numbers, but not for the Greek Freak, the best player in the world right now.<br /><br />The Suns held a modest four run lead after the first without the benefit of a single point from Paul. Jae Corwder, their openly player with Finals experience, finished 0 for 8 in 33 minutes. Yet, the Suns don't rely on only a couple of players. Their usual leading scorer, Devin Booker, would finish with 27. Ayton added 22 points on 8 for 10 shooting and making all 6 of his free shots. He pulled down 19 boards as well. Mikal Bridges started the game strong and contributed 14.<br /><br />Whenever it seemed as if the Suns would run away with the game, the Bucks answered back. They didn't allow the crowd or the moment to weigh them down. Khris Middleton, an All Star, was once labeled as a three and D guy. Now he led the Bucks in scoring with 29. Brook Lopez came into the league as an elite scorer with the Nets and he reverted to his old form with 17 points in 23 minutes.<br /><br />But the Suns have more depth and they showed it in the second half. They took a 20 point lead. Back up point guard Cam Payne scored as many points as Milwaukee's star point guard Holiday on six fewer field goals although Holiday was an effective passer. Cam Johnson was the Suns' unsung hero. He played tough defense on Giannis and scored 10 of his own.<br /><br />The Bucks fought back int he fourth and cut the lead to seven, but the Suns are able to kill rallies because of their balanced scoring. You can't just shut down Booker and think you've solved the Suns' offense.<br /><br />Paul was on fire in the second half. He finished his first Finals game after 16 years in the league with 32 points on 12-19 shooting. He added 9 assists. The Bucks tried bigs on Paul early and Holiday late. Holiday, normally a great defender, couldn't hang with the slippery CP3.<br /><br />The Bucks are hopping that Giannis will continue to get healthy and Holiday will play better. They normally have a good bench, but Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, Jeff Teague, and Bryn Forbes struggled.<br /><br />Phoenix, looking for their first title now holds a 1-0 lead with a 118-105 win.</p>knibilnatshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16723226585174198413noreply@blogger.com0