Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Hickory Huskers vs. Los Angeles Clippers

The remote just happened to stop on the channel. I couldn't make it go up or down. It's just one of those movies that once you stop on it you have to watch it all the way through. The movie I'm talking about is Hoosiers.

Soon after the movie was over, I turned on the Clippers/ Suns playoff - Game 5. That's when it all became clear to me. The Clippers are the Hickory Huskers.

First off, you have this team in rural Indiana that no one knows about and cares less about much like the Clippers in Los Angeles. A new coach comes into town, much older than the previous one with a new bound spirit to instill fundamentals to this team. Well Mike Dunleavy is no Norman Dale a.k.a. Gene Hackman, but he fits the bill for our comparison sake.

Hickory never made it to the finals and was a decent team without Jimmy Chitwood, but it wasn't until Jimmy told the whole town that if he plays coach stays. Sam Cassell is our Jimmy Chitwood. He bought into the coach's philosophy and has lead the team on a revival unmatched by Clipper teams before. They both have the desire to want the ball at the end of the game, remember when Cassell was with the Rockets. Plus, Jimmy's hair all slicked back during the game is as funny as Cassell's odd shaped melon bounding up and down the court like a booblehead.

Now here's were it gets really coincedental. Ollie, the manager/ player who shoots Grannie style freethrows, is a valuable asset to the team much like Vin Baker. He's there for "emotional support", not to play a second in any game. Barbara Hershey's character in the movie is this down home teacher that doesn't care for basketball because she has seen it ruin many of boys in the town. Her character is similar to Donald Sterling. He shows little interest until they start winning, then you can't get enough of him on the courtside cheering just like Barbara's character once the team starts winning. She wants all the publicity she can handle in that small town so she hooks up with Norman Dale. Sterling is hooking up with every celebrity he can get to come to Staples and watch the Clippers play.

Elgin Baylor is Shooter (Dennis Hooper)in real life. I'm not saying he has a drinking problem, but I'm saying that the two both has this great knowledge of the game that is clouded by some handicapp. For Hooper it's alcohol, and for Elgin it's a tight payroll that has seen some good players come and go.

I really like the fact that now when I watch the Clippers I see Sam Cassell bringing the ball up calling for the picket fence. Can anyone explain to me why Gene Hackman had a black bill folder during games that looked like it contained some Henry Wrinkler type of plays, but the only play he ever called was the picket fence. They need to run that one a little more in the NBA.

"Don't get caught watching the paint dry." - Shooter

1 Comments:

At 4:34 PM, Blogger The Movie Guys said...

Actually, given his drinking problem, Vin Baker may be more Shooter than Ollie...I wait for him to drunkenly stumble on court to inadvertently break up a Clippers fast break.

 

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