Read This!

You should be reading Plenty Magazine.

 There is no better ‘green’ publication out there. Check out their website, here. Plenty offers exactly what a magazine with the tagline “The World In Green” should: stories about energy, the environment, products, design… it really is that simple.

Plenty is not a lifestyle magazine. This isn’t a compilation of top-10 lists, an Idiots Guide to living green. Instead, there are helpful product descriptions that go beyond advertising and include practical, usually affordable, and accessible items. Plenty is not beating us over the head with green living. It is obvious that there is no single solution to our environmental and energy crises, and here is a publication that does not feign to have that solution. Although I was impressed by Wired’s proposed all-out attack on carbon (including the desertion of pretty much every other sustainability/environmentalist movement), their brave (and admittedly self-conscious) single-mindedness is just that: shortsighted one-track thinking that simply won’t work.

 The Web site also features the obligatory daily-blogs. And, true to form, they are chock-full of relevant, interesting, and new information—mostly via links. Add to all of this a collection  of extremely clever and pointed venn diagram-style comics, and you have my new favorite magazine.

The NBA Lives

When did the NBA become interesting again? After at least five years of completely ignoring the league, and a few more before that of only checking in when the playoffs started up, I have found myself watching playoff games nearly every night.

I am of the first post-MJ generation, more or less. I was 13 when he won his final championship with the Bulls. So, while I did see plenty of the classic Chicago-Jordan, and more than enough of the less classic Washington-Jordan, my true developmental years were spent with some slightly less exciting dynasties.

With only the fiery Knicks-Heat rivalry to delay the post-Jordan NBA hangover, the league fell into the misery of the infuriatingly stacked Lakers, and excruciatingly boring Spurs. Between 1999 and 2006 the NBA turned into the most predictable major sport around. Was anything ever more inevitable than the Spurs meeting the Pistons in the 2005 finals? Even the perennial contender Yankees are subject to a stumble here and there, and yes, the Patriots did finish 18-1.

But in 2008 we have competition! In the Western Conference there were at least six teams with a legitimate shot at the title. In the Eastern Conference—well, maybe not six teams—but at least a few who could stand a chance in the finals. Remember when the Celtics and Pistons had all those pesky teams making things difficult (early-Jordan Bulls, Hawks, Sixers, Bucks)? These new versions of the ‘80s top teams have run into their own speed bumps.

2008 is a year when the Celtics can have three superstar players and be guaranteed nothing. The Pistons and Spurs can have the most methodical, team-oriented styles, but still get knocked off. The best part? The talent around the league is spread so evenly that it’s hard to imagine teams like the Hornets or Magic falling off even a little next year. 2008 is only the beginning.

After watching them lose, I'm convinced the Celtics will win

So Boston’s “Big 3” all score over 20, and they lose anyway-at home, no less. And now I’m going to tell you why we learned a lot more about why the Celtics should win this series than why they won’t.

Ray Allen is at the center of this discussion. Without any substantial contribution from him the Celtics managed to go 9-6 in the playoffs and hold a 1-0 lead in the conference finals. So with his sudden re-emergence, how did the team respond? By losing. At home.

Allen was by no means spectacular last night. But he was hitting jump shots (finally), playing aggressively, and forcing turnovers on defense. In fact, nobody in Boston’s line-up played over their heads, save perhaps Rajon Rondo, who so far in this series has turned in his typical energy-infused performances, now coupled with a higher-than-normal shooting percentage. The Celtics bench contributed nothing to the game, and without the solid play of the Big 3, this would have been a blow out.

Am I getting to the point soon? Maybe. Let’s get to Detroit. The Pistons won this game because they did what they have done famously (and mind-numbingly) for years: they played mistake-free, and hit easy shots when they were there, and hit clutch shots when they needed them. They got better-than-average performances from six players (including rookie Rodney Stuckey, who played like a veteran in his sizeable second half minutes).

Ok, so here’s the point: The Celtics got standard performances from their stars, and lackluster efforts from the rest of the team. The Pistons played almost flawlessly, and got the benefit of the doubt on almost every whistle. It’s hard to imagine the Pistons playing much better than they did last night again in this series. Not impossible, but not probable. What else can you ask for from a team that shot 88% from the line and almost 50% from the field?

It would seem that the team with potential to improve throughout the series would be Boston. Don’t forget that the game they did win was without Allen’s influence. It is hardly out of the question to expect more performances from the Big 3 like they had last night, which, really, is what we expect from these guys night in and night out. And their defense played uncharacteristically average.

The wild card for Boston is that they have three players capable of exploding for huge games. How will Detroit respond if Pierce comes up with a 40+ game? And, hey, maybe Sam Cassell will get off the bench and add some offense.

It’s all speculation, but look for Boston to bounce back from their first home loss in these playoffs, and expect more of the same old from Detroit. 

First and short

In a sports world where the topic of unfair advantage has become the number one issue of discussion (see Barry Bonds, Tim Donaghy, Bill Belichick, Floyd Landis… you get the point), it seems fitting that this summer’s Olympics should jump into the fray. Obviously, the event is not a newcomer to this discussion in any sense, but a new wrinkle has been added to their constant fight against cheating and unfair advantage: prosthetic limbs.

Oscar Pistorius, a 22-year-old South African sprinter, was recently granted the chance to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Pistorius is a double amputee who runs with the aid of carbon fiber artificial legs. The question at hand is whether his prosthetics provide the runner with an advantage over runners without the devices.

Tim Keown says no on ESPN’s Page 2, while SI FanNation’s Mary Nicole Nazzaro says we should forget the debate and focus on the compelling story that is Pistorius’ life. One last voice: MSNBC contributor Arthur Caplan gives a compelling, if somewhat old school, argument for the ‘no’ side.