Back to Back Rhymin' -- MC 900 ft. Sparkles

This is just like when I first saw Pacino and DeNiro share the screen in 'Heat': the wait is finally over.

1) It took the guy scoring 81 points, but it finally Dawnn Lewis'd on me how young Kobe still is. It's sobering to realize that he reasonably has at least 6 or 7 good seasons left in him. By the time he's set to retire, he's going to be like Mark Messier or Julio Franco to me: I won't be be able to fathom that he's still playing.

PS - When is Kendall Gill coming back to the L?

2) My messy divorce with the Knicks came 2 seasons after they faced the Spurs in the Finals. The next season they faced the Raps in the first round of the playoffs, and I was torn, much like how Pater Van Gundy must have felt watching his sons coach the Rockets and Heat against one another. The next season, when they faced the Raps again and lost, I knew an era had ended. Not really an era, even, but the (praiseworthy) last gasps of the Ewing/Oakley/Starks years. Look at who my heroes were: Latrell Spreewell, Marcus Camby, Larry Johnson, Allan Houston. Charlie fucking Ward.When I read, in an Internet cafe during the spring of 2001, that John Starks had a nut removed due to testicle torsion, that pretty much sealed the deal.

But I still hold hope for a reconcilliation. Someday.

3) Kobe's my MVP as of right now, much to my own chagrin. I hate the guy. Nash deserves some love, but Kobe has a worse team than last season, and they have a winning record. In all likelihood they're making the playoffs. When they start to tank (and I imagine the fallout from his 81-point performance might have a negative effect on his teammates), I'll switch my pick to Nash or Chauncy Billups.What I'm fearing the most is THAT scenario. You thought the Nash/O'Neal debate was bad last year, just wait until the race card REALLY gets pulled and people start wondering why a white PG with a 50-win season is getting preference over a black PG with a 60-win (70?) one.

On to your questions. I'm getting all Memento and answering them in reverse order:

Who wins the Superbowl?
A week ago I would have said the Seahawks, but I don't think you can take the Steelers for granted. They have a '97 Denver Broncos thing going, and the Seahawks, while good, aren't exactly the Favre-led Packers of '97 (Roethlisberger isn't exactly John Elway either, though). I wish I could be more excited about the big game, but I haven't been into to football hardcore since moving to Korea. That might change as the sport grows in popularity and more games are broadcast here, which seems to be the trend. We'll see. Plus, I'd rather watch the games with Korean announcers. The CBS/ESPN/Fox etc. announcers are so mind-numbingly annoying to listen to. My grandfather, a huge baseball fan, always watches games with the sound off. It used to bug me as a kid, but now I understand where he's coming from.

So, yeah, my pick is the Steelers. The crowd in Detroit will probably be 80-90% Steelers fans, which will help them significantly. I just hope it's a good game.

Who's performing at half-time this year? Jenna Jameson?

Who or What has been the biggest disappointment of the season?
The Miami Heat, for one. Not that their underachieving record is that big a surprise, given the dubious off-season additions to their roster, but still. They made those moves in an effort to be able to close out big games, and what happens? They still choke in crucial situations. I watched them come from behind last week against the Spurs. I think they were up by 4 with under 3 minutes to go, and of course San Antonio absolutely embarrassed them in the final minutes. Same old (new) Heat. Jayson Williams has come around this past month, but Antoine "motherfucker" Walker is still a chucker, and GP is still an old man. And Shaq looks like he's hiding a small child under his uniform. To paraphrase Bill Walton, "put down the hoagie, big man! Put it down!" If they get bounced out of the playoffs in the first round, which is a definite possibility, they'll be the biggest disappointment.

Another huge disappointment has been the Sonics. Seriously, the team this year isn't that different than last year's team. What, they can't compete without Jerome James? Nate Mac's departure hurts, for sure, but he's not exactly setting the world on fire up in Portland. I'm genuinely confused. Besides the fact that they don't play any D, they have a good team, one that should be competing with the best in their division. A lot of people think that they overachieved last year, but I don't buy that. They don't look that great on paper, but when you see them play, you understand. Except for most of this season, I guess. But that amazing 2 OT win in Phoenix a few days ago proves that they have what it takes. Why can't they play like that all the time? Bob Hill is a competent coach, by all indications, and if they miss the playoffs, which seems likely, they'll be a bigger disappointment than the Heat.

Individual disappointments?

Peja Stojakovich. He had a pretty crappy year last season, but I expected him to rebound and play like fire this year. No Webber, contract year...everything seemed to indicate that he'd have a fantastic year in Sacramento. And he did, for a brief period early in the season. But then he got "injured," missed a bunch of games, began shooting a nauseating percentage and running up and down the court slower than my daughter doing long division. Now he's been caught up in a nixed deal that would have sent him to the Pacers for Artest. That can't help matters.

By the way, when I discovered in November that Peja's only a year older than me, I was shocked. I wouldn't have been more surprised if I had learned that Halle Berry is a man.

Of course the Rockets, specifically Tracy McGrady, have been disappointing, too. But McGrady's and Yao's injuries are real, not made up. So that exempts them.

Bold second half predictions?

I honestly believe that Ron Artest is going to announce his retirement.

The Spurs are going to get upset in the playoffs, then every sports writer is going to claim that the signs were there all year, that they all saw it coming. On second thought, what am I saying?

Latrell Sprewell will return to basketball. Not since Larry Johnson retired will there have been a more underwhelming news item.

Kobe Bryant will fake cry during a taped half-time interview segment.

Amare Stoudamire will return from injury just in time for the playoffs, and the Suns will get swept in the first round. Not since I lost my virginity will so much built-up anticipation end so quickly and so messily.