#2001*02 Season

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Dallas Mavericks Acquire Nick Van Exel in Seven-Player 2002 Trade Deadline Deal

On February 21st, 2002, the Dallas Mavericks traded forwards Juwan Howard and Donnell Harvey, guard Tim Hardaway, $1 million in cash considerations and a 2002 first round draft pick (Frank Williams) to the Denver Nuggets for guards Nick Van Exel and Avery Johnson, center Raef LaFrentz and guard-forward Tariq Abdul-Wahad.

After a 1997-98 campaign that saw the Denver Nuggets finish with a franchise-worst 11-71 record, the team was in desperate need of a makeover. The first piece to a fresh start was its lottery draft pick.

Despite having the best chance of securing the first overall pick, the Nuggets ran into a bit of misfortune as the 17-65 Los Angeles Clippers won the draft lottery and ended up with the top pick. Next was the 19-63 Vancouver Grizzlies.

Unfortunately for the Nuggets, they would finish with the third pick. In the draft, Denver settled on Kansas big man Raef LaFrentz. A successful piece of the Jayhawks program, LaFrentz was a unique player. 

An All-American in his Junior and Senior seasons, LaFrentz became the first Jayhawk in 27 years to average a double-double (19.8 PPG and 11.4 RPG) over a full college season.

As an NBA prospect, LaFrentz was intriguing. At 6-foot-11, he could protect the rim on defense while being able to knock down shots from the perimeter and post up in the paint.

The next order of business on draft night was the decision to add an elite point guard. The Nuggets looked to the Los Angeles Lakers and unhappy All-Star guard Nick Van Exel. Denver acquired the slick shooting and passing guard in a deal with the Lakers for Tony Battie and the draft rights of guard Tyronn Lue.

Soon after, the NBA lockout happened which postponed the NBA season for nearly three months. During the lockout, the Nuggets hired Mike D’Antoni as head coach. 

When NBA owners and players agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, business resumed. The Nuggets made a slew of deals acquiring guard Chauncey Billups and rookie Keon Clark in two separate deals. 

The headliner of all deals was Denver’s re-acquisition of its former player Antonio McDyess in free agency. McDyess was a rising star and the grouping together of him with Van Exel and LaFrentz created a nice young core for Denver to build around.

The 1998-99 season was rough from the start. Denver lost its first four games and began the year just 1-8. The Nuggets would win some games but losses continued to mount. Denver went 14-36 in the lockout shortened season.

After playing in 12 games in his rookie season, LaFrentz tore the ACL and the lateral meniscus in his left knee. He missed the rest of the year, finishing with 13.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.8 SPG and 1.4 BPG in 32.3 MPG.

Van Exel started in all 50 games. He led the club in assists (7.4), was second in scoring (16.5 PPG). The 6-foot-1 guard also posted 2.3 RPG and 0.8 SPG in 36.0 MPG.

In the summer of 1999, Van Exel signed a deal worth a guaranteed $50.5 million over five years. The contract contained incentives that could add two more years and make the total value of the agreement worth a total of $77 million. One incentive included winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award.

Denver continued to add young talent to its roster, acquiring Ron Mercer in a six-player deal with the Boston Celtics and bringing in forward James Posey through the draft.

Nuggets general manager Dan Issel fired D’Antoni and took over as head coach on a three-year deal.

With a solid starting lineup, Denver had hopes to compete in the West. Early returns were positive as the Nuggets began the year 15-12 in their first 27 games. The record was good enough for eighth in the conference.

The season would quickly turn as Denver lost nine of its next 11 games to fall to 17-21. Denver would soon make changes to its roster. With the club unable to come to terms on an extension with Mercer and his looming free agency hanging over the team, Issel moved Mercer, forward Johnny Taylor and guard Chauncey Billups to the Orlando Magic for veteran Chris Gatling, wing Tariq Abdul-Wahad and a future first round pick.

The Nuggets were 20-22 at the time of the trade and continued to fall down the West standings. Denver went 15-25 in its final 40 games to finish the year 35-47 and out of the postseason for fifth consecutive year.

Van Exel played in 79 games (all starts) and was second in the NBA with 9.0 APG. He also amassed 16.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG 0.9 SPG in 37.3 MPG. After missing most of his rookie campaign, LaFrentz was healthy and rebounded to have a solid sophomore season. The big man managed 12.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG and a team-high 2.2 BPG in 81 appearances and 30.1 MPG.

Abdul-Wahad joined the Nuggets and played in 15 games (10 starts) after the trade from Orlando, recording 8.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG and 0.8 BPG in 24.9 MPG. He missed 22 of Denver’s final 23 games after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist.

In the 2000 offseason, the Nuggets kept their core intact but saw a significant organizational change after Stan Kroenke bought the team as well as the Pepsi Center.

Abdul-Wahad became a free agent and had several suitors including the Boston Celtics, New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors. 

A double sign-and-trade deal involving Denver, the Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers nearly happened. In the potential deal, Abdul-Wahad would’ve headed to the Celtics with the Nuggets receiving free agent Derek Anderson from Los Angeles. Denver would’ve also sent backups Keon Clark and Chris Herren to the Clippers and Celtics respectively while acquiring a future first round pick. There were also proposals involving Nuggets backup guard Bryant Stith. 

Giving up three players to acquire Anderson was a concern for Dan Issel and Denver pulled back on the rumored deal.

As free agency continued, both sides had little other options and came to an agreement. In a surprise, Denver signed Abdul-Wahad to a seven-year, $43.3 million contract. 

The 2000-01 season was a year of hope for the Nuggets but there were some rocky moments ahead. The team was 10-12 after its first 22 games. But that 22nd game would be the start of turmoil.

On that night, the Nuggets dropped a road game to the Boston Celtics 104-102 in overtime. In the game, LaFrentz was awful, going scoreless on 0-for-7 shooting in 27 minutes. The big man also was a -20 plus-minus.

Soon after, coach Issel let loose on LaFrentz for the performance, reaming the center out for his poor game. The moment drew the ire of the locker room. In protest to Issel’s dress down of the center on Sunday, most of the team chose not to attend Monday practice back home in Denver.

Tri-captains Van Exel, Antonio McDyess and George McCloud made the choice. Though some players with less job security still showed up to the locker room for the morning workout, the boycott still went through.

Publicly, the players tried to play off the ordeal, claiming that they missed the practice due to a need for rest from a long road trip. There were rumors of the Nuggets sustaining the boycott into a Tuesday game at home against the Miami Heat.

A recorded quote from sophomore player James Posey made to the Denver Post was the smoking gun.

“We don’t know if we are going to play or not (in Tuesday's game against the Miami Heat). We’ll be there for shootaround and we'll see what goes on.”

The situation brought national attention to a Nuggets franchise that saw very little attention due to its poor performance over the past several years. With a new owner and a mutiny, the move led to questions about coach Issel’s job security.

Denver found a way to bounce back after the ordeal. The team won 14 of its next 18 games to rise to 24-16. The West was super competitive as that record was good for eighth in the West. If Denver was in the East, it would’ve been in fourth place.

The Nuggets quickly fell after the surprise run, dropping 12 of the next 16 games. The Nuggets fell under .500 and never recovered, finishing 40-42, 11th in the conference.

Van Exel was suspended for one game late in the season for failing to show up to a practice and a shootaround in a span of two days.

Van Exel played one more game before sitting the rest of the season due to a foot issue. He played in 71 games (70 starts) and compiled 17.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.5 APG (third in the NBA) and 0.9 SPG in 37.9 MPG. 

A highlight for Van Exel was a 41-point explosion against the Charlotte Hornets.

LaFrentz continued to be solid in his third season. The big man was seventh in the league with 2.6 BPG and also contributed 12.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.4 APG and 0.5 SPG in 31.5 MPG and 78 appearances.

Abdul-Wahad was limited for much of the year. He began the year as a starter, but lost his spot by late November to Voshon Lenard. His six-year contract became burdensome immediately as he clashed with teammates on and off the court, and coach Issel.

Limited for much of the season due to tonsillitis and eventual tonsil surgery, Abdul-Wahad played in 29 contests (12 starts), recording 3.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.8 APG and 0.5 SPG in 14.5 MPG.

In the 2001 offseason, the Nuggets were relatively quiet but did sign veteran point guard Avery Johnson to a three-year, $14 million deal.

After Denver’s best regular season record in some time, there was hope for a possible playoff finish during the 2001-02 season, but those dreams quickly turned to nightmares.

After partially dislocating his left kneecap late in the 2000-01 season, McDyess rehabbed the injury in the offseason. However, the All-Star forward was still suffering from tendinitis in his knee. McDyess ended up having surgery to repair a partially torn patella tendon in his left knee during training camp.

The injury ruled McDyess out until February, leaving Van Exel and LaFrentz to shoulder the scoring load. The Nuggets had a rocky start without McDyess, dropping four of their first five games. Denver looked like it was headed to another losing season.

Van Exel’s frustration in Denver bubbled up in December after a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers when he expressed his willingness for a change of scenery. The Nuggets had just lost eight of nine games. (via The Denver Post):

“I’m tired of this. Tired of losing. Tired of all these trades we've made in four years. I’m just tired of everything right now. I think it is time for me to move on somewhere else. I’m sick of it.”

In the team’s next game (a loss to the Charlotte Hornets), coach Issel was caught on camera shouting an anti-Mexican slur at a fan. The Nuggets suspended Issel for four games before he resigned from his head coach and team president posts. 

Assistant coach Mike Evans took over on an interim basis while general manager Kiki Vandeweghe absorbed more power in the team’s front office.

The losses continued to pile up for the Nuggets as the team fell to 11-26 after 37 games. With the team at 16-35, Denver decided to make a significant midseason deal and blow up its roster by dealing two of its three best players in Van Exel, LaFrentz along with backups Abdul-Wahad and Johnson to the Dallas Mavericks.

Before the trade, Van Exel had appeared in 45 contests (44 starts) during the 2001-02 season and compiled 21.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 8.1 APG and 0.7 SPG in 38.6 MPG. LaFrentz started all 51 games he played in, contributing 14.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.6 SPG and 3.0 BPG in 32.7 MPG.

Abdul-Wahad opened the ‘01-‘02 season as a starter at the two-guard. After 12 games, Abdul-Wahad went down due to chondromalacia in his left knee, a roughening of the articular cartilage. The injury led to arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Abdul-Wahad missed about two months, returning for eight games before the trade. The wing saw action in 20 games (12 starts) and produced 6.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.5 BPG in 20.9 MPG.

Johnson backed up Van Exel at the point guard spot. The veteran guard appeared in 51 games (13 starts) and registered 9.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 5.1 APG and 0.7 SPG in 23.5 MPG.

Van Exel was good for 17.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 8.4 APG and 0.8 SPG with Denver. He shot 40% from the field, 34% on 1,245 three-point attempts and 81% from the free-throw line.

LaFrentz was solid but never became the star Denver hoped for after taking the center third overall in the 1998 draft. In 222 games, the 6-foot-11 player contributed 13.2 PPG, 7.7 RPG. 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG and 2.5 BPG. The big man shot 46% from the field, 38% from beyond the arc and 69% from the charity stripe.

In nearly two seasons with the Nuggets, Abdul-Wahad only played in 64 games, producing 5.9 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.5 BPG. The wing shot 39% from the field and 69% from the free-throw line.

As part of the trade, Van Exel agreed to make his $12.8 million salary for the final year of his deal (2005-06) a team option.

Donnell Harvey became a member of the Dallas Mavericks after his draft rights were acquired in a draft night deal with the New York Knicks involving guard Erick Strickland. He later signed a three-year deal with Dallas worth around $2.3 million with a team option for a fourth year.

Harvey joined the Mavericks for Summer League and contributed 7.8 PPG and 6.9 RPG in eight games despite a nagging groin strain.

Dallas was a surprise team during the 2000-01 season. Thanks to the growth and development of the nucleus of Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash, the Mavericks began the year 18-10. As Dallas looked to make the playoffs for the first time in 11 years, the team was aggressive at the trade deadline.

In sixth place with a 33-21 record, the Mavericks made a splash, acquiring former All-Star Juwan Howard from the Washington Wizards in an eight-player deal that saw Dallas deal Christian Laettner, Hubert Davis and Courtney Alexander.

After Howard entered the lineup, Dallas went 19-8, finishing with a 53-29 record, tied for fourth-best in the conference.

Howard played in 27 games with Dallas after the trade, compiling 17.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 36.8 MPG. Harvey had a limited role in his rookie season, seeing action in 18 games and posting 1.2 PPG and 1.1 RPG in 3.6 MPG. 

In the first round of the 2001 postseason, Dallas faced the Utah Jazz. Both teams had the same record, but Utah held a conference record tiebreaker to gain homecourt advantage.

The series opener was close in the first half. In the third quarter, Utah built a 13-point advantage midway, but Dallas came back and managed to take a one-point lead into the fourth quarter.

With 1:12 left in the game, Steve Nash made two free-throws to give Dallas an 86-82 edge. Jazz reserve Danny Manning made a three, and starters John Stockton and Donyell Marshall combined on three freebies to give Utah an 88-86 win. Michael Finley missed a three at the buzzer that would’ve won it.

In the second game, Utah took a 20-point lead in the third quarter. Dallas pulled within three points after going on a 24-7 run in just under seven minutes. However, Karl Malone (34 points) scored eight points down the stretch as Utah held on for a 109-98 advantage and a 2-0 series lead.

Facing a potential sweep, Dallas returned home for Game Three. The Mavericks led for much of the game, and had a 13-point edge at one point. However, the Jazz kept fighting back. Utah took a 91-90 lead on a layup from Stockton with 34 seconds remaining. 

Nash answered, making a short jumper on the ensuing possession. Utah’s Marshall was unable to handle a pass from Stockton and Finley stole the ball. He was subsequently fouled and made both free-throws to give Dallas a 94-91 lead.

Stockton missed a three as Dallas won its first playoff game in 13 years. Utah took an early 10-point lead in Game Four, but Dallas took over from there. The Mavericks outscored he Jazz by 37 points in the final three quarters to win comfortably 107-77 and send the series to a fifth and final game.

Utah was in control during Game Five, building a 75-61 lead with 10:50 left in the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks were not done. They went on a 23-8 run the rest of the way to win 84-83. Mavericks center Calvin Booth made a layup with 9.6 seconds left to give Dallas the lead for good.

The series win was Howard’s first as a pro. In five games, the forward compiled 14.8 PPG on 40% shooting, 8.0 RPG, 2.0 APG and 0.6 SPG in 44.5 MPG. 

The Mavericks went on to the second round where they faced the 58-24 San Antonio Spurs. In the opener, Tim Duncan had 31 points and 13 rebounds and the Spurs never trailed in the second half of a 94-78 win. 

In the game, Howard was ejected after he committed a flagrant foul penalty 2 on Spurs guard Derek Anderson towards the end of the first half. The foul saw Howard knock Anderson out of mid-air. Anderson separated his right shoulder and was out for the rest of the series.

The second game saw Duncan (25 points, 22 rebounds and six assists) dominate again as the Spurs held Dallas to 34.2% from the field in a 100-86 Spurs victory. In Dallas, the Spurs continued to dominate. Duncan and David Robinson both had double-doubles and the Spurs held Dallas to 34.7% shooting in a 104-90 win.

Facing a potential sweep, Dallas put together its best game of the series. The Mavericks took a 17-point lead in the second quarter of Game Four, but the Spurs got back into the game, cutting the deficit to 105-103 with 1:42 to go in the game. Michael Finley (25 points) knocked down a jumper with 20.5 seconds left and Dallas held on for a 112-108 victory.

The fifth game saw San Antonio build a quick double digit lead within eight minutes. The Spurs led by as much as 22 points and held on for an easy 105-87 win. 

Howard struggled mightily in the series. In five games, he averaged 12.0 PPG on just 31.8% from the field, 8.6 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.8 BPG in 33.4 MPG. Harvey did not play in any of Dallas’ playoff games in 2001.

The Mavericks traded backup guard Howard Eisley to the New York Knicks and acquired former All-Star Tim Hardaway in a sign-and-trade with the Miami Heat during the 2001 offseason. The contract the  12-year veteran signed was three years and $10 million with the last year non-guaranteed. Outside of that move, Dallas kept much of its roster intact.

During the 2001-02 season, Dallas had a slow 6-5 start. Stuck at 12-9 after 21 games, the Mavericks won 20 of their next 23 games to reach 32-12. In that time, the team rose from sixth to second in the conference.

Howard started the first 13 games before being benched for an eight-game period to open up more time for Dirk Nowitzki to play at the power forward. Howard was soon after re-inserted into the starting lineup but he always remained an awkward fit with Nowitzki positionally. Howard was averaging a career-low in scoring.

With the team at 37-17, Dallas decided to swing a deal for the unhappy Van Exel. The key to the deal though was LaFrentz who provided shot-blocking and three-point shooting from the center position. 

The deal meant Howard was being shipped for the second time within a year. He played in 53 games (44 starts) and tallied 12.9 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.5 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 31.3 MPG. Dallas also sent Denver their 2002 first round pick and $1 million in the deal.

Hardaway played in 54 games with Dallas mainly as a backup to Steve Nash. He produced 9.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 3.7 APG and 0.7 SPG in 23.6 MPG while shooting 36% from the field, 34% from the arc, and 83% from the free-throw line.

Harvey appeared in 18 games, managing 2.1 PPG and 2.6 RPG. He ended his Mavericks tenure with averages of 1.7 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 36 contests. He shot 55% on FGs and 42% on FTs.

Howard ended his run in Dallas with a stat line of 14.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.7 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 33.1 MPG. The former Michigan Wolverine shot 47% from the field and 76% from the charity stripe in 80 games.

With the Mavericks at 38-17 after winning on the day of the trade, the team went 19-8 in the final 27 games to finish the season 57-25. The mark was fourth-best in the West, just one game behind the second- and third-place teams, the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs.

Van Exel and LaFrentz made Dallas’ offense even more unstoppable. The team recorded an NBA-high offensive rating of 111.6 points per 100 possessions with both players in the lineup. The figure was nearly three points per 100 possessions better than the second-ranked Sacramento Kings.

In 27 games with the Mavericks, Van Exel posted 13.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.2 APG and 0.5 SPG in 28.0 MPG. LaFrentz started 25 of 27 games with Dallas and managed 10.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.9 SPG and 2.2 BPG in 29.1 MPG.

Avery Johnson played in 17 of the final 27 contests, recording 3.2 PPG and 1.6 APG in 8.9 MPG. Tariq Abdul-Wahad only saw action in four contests where he was scoreless and collected 1.5 RPG.

Dallas advanced to the postseason for the second consecutive year and was placed in a matchup with Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points and 15 rebounds and Dallas used a 12-0 run at the end of the third and into the fourth quarter to gain control and win 101-94.

The second game saw the trio of Nowitzki, Nash and Finley combine for 76 points. Van Exel (17 points) and LaFrentz (14 points) were also in double figures as Dallas comfortably won 122-110.

The Mavericks looked to put Minnesota away on the road, quickly building a 14-point edge in the first quarter of Game Three. Dallas led by as much as 20 points in the game. The Wolves managed to pull within three points with just over four minutes left. Dallas closed the game with an 11-1 run to win the series in a 3-0 sweep.

Starting at center, LaFrentz posted 10.0 PPG on 54.2% from the field and 37.5% from the three-point line, 5.3 RPG and 2.3 BPG in 28.8 MPG. Van Exel struggled for much of the series, shooting just 36.8% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. In 30.9 MPG, the guard averaged 12.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.7 SPG.

In a competition of two high octane offenses, the Mavericks and Sacramento Kings had an intriguing second round series. Sacramento went to the low post in Game One as Chris Webber (20 points and 10 rebounds) and Vlade Divac (18 points and 16 rebounds) dominated in a 108-91 Kings win.

Nash had 30 points and eight assists including several clutch plays as Dallas broke a 93-all tie with eight consecutive points in Game Two. The Mavericks won the game 110-102 and stole homecourt advantage.

The third game was in Dallas, and the Kings jumped out to an early 38-25 lead after the first quarter. The Mavericks came back with their own run, tying the game at halftime 66-66.

Both teams traded the lead in the second half, but the Kings managed to create some distance in the fourth quarter and held on for a 125-119 win. In the loss, LaFrentz had 24 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. The Kings lost forward Peja Stojakovic to a sprained ankle for the rest of the series.

In Game Four, Dallas had an early 12-1 lead. The Mavericks led by as much as 14 points before the Kings stormed back. Mike Bibby made a layup with 31 seconds to tie the game in regulation. Finley and Bibby both missed shots as the game went to overtime.

Even with Webber fouling out in the extra frame, Bibby was clutch again, nailing a baseline jumper with 12.4 seconds left. Nowitzki missed a layup on the final play and Dallas lost another contest at home.

Facing a 3-1 series deficit, Dallas stayed in Game Five at Arco Arena, but a 16-4 Kings run towards the end of the third quarter led by Hedo Turkoglu helped the Kings take full control. Sacramento led by a peak of 17 points to put the Mavericks away for good in a 114-101 victory.

In the 4-1 series loss, LaFrentz posted 12.0 PPG on 48.1% from the field and 30% on threes, 8.8 RPG and 3.0 BPG in 31.9 MPG. Van Exel was a liability in the series, shooting a ghastly 1-for-17 (9.5%) from the three-point line. The former All-Star mustered 10.2 PPG on 36.5% from the field, 3.4 RPG, 3.4 APG and 1.2 SPG in 33.9 MPG.

After the season, the Mavericks and LaFrentz agreed on a contract of seven years and $70 million. Other than that, the Mavericks made minor moves, adding free agents such as Raja Bell, Popeye Jones and Walt Williams to the roster.

Dallas believed it had a true title contender, and the early part of the 2002-03 season proved it. The Mavericks won their first 14 games of the year and began the season a sparkling 31-5. Behind an electric offense that had four players in Nowitzki, Nash, Finley and Van Exel capable of heating up, Dallas had the top-rated offense in the league. 

Defensively, the team was in the top-ten in efficiency with solid perimeter defenders like Bell and Adrian Griffin as well as elite rim protectors such as Shawn Bradley and LaFrentz.

Though Dallas slowed down later on, the team managed to be tied for the best record in the NBA (60-22) with the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs took the first seed in the West because they had a better in-conference record than the Mavericks.

Van Exel finished fourth in voting for the 2002-03 NBA Sixth Man of the Year. He appeared in 73 games with Dallas, recording 12.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 27.8 MPG.

LaFrentz’ role was inconsistent at times as he only started 43 of the 69 games he appeared in. The big man produced 9.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 SPG and 1.3 BPG in 23.3 MPG.

Abdul-Wahad was out of the rotation for much of the season, The wing played just 14 games all season, amassing 4.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.5 APG in 14.6 MPG. Johnson saw limited action for Dallas, making 48 appearances and averaging 3.3 PPG, 0.6 RPG and 1.3 APG in 9.0 MPG.

The Mavericks faced the 50-32 Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round. Nowitzki went off for a franchise-record 46 points in a 96-86 Mavericks  Game One win.

Nowitzki and Nash had 53 points combined as Dallas held off a 45-point night from Portland guard Bonzi Wells in Game Two. Late in the game, Nash broke a tie with a three-pointer with just 29.7 seconds left. The guard also made two free-throws near the end of the game to give Dallas the game 103-99. 

In Portland, Nowitzki was once again unstoppable with 42 points (16 coming in the fourth quarter) and 10 rebounds. The Mavericks controlled most of Game Three and won 115-103. Dallas had a chance to sweep the first round for the second consecutive year, but Portland had other plans.

The Blazers broke free in the third quarter, outscoring the Mavericks 33-10. That decisive run contributed to a 98-79 rout in the fourth game. Game Five was back in Dallas and the Mavericks led for the first 46 minutes and 55 seconds. But Portland went on a 12-3 run in the final three minutes and 46 seconds to win 103-99 and make the series 3-2. 

Portland continued its winning ways in Game Six, leading by as much as 32 points in an easy 125-103 win. The rout made the series 3-3 and gave the Blazers an opportunity to become the first team in NBA history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

Game Seven was tight but Dallas took control late, outscoring Portland 36-22 in the final frame. The Mavericks won 107-95 with Nowitzki (31 points and 11 boards) and Van Exel (26 points) excelling in the contest.

During the seven-game series, Van Exel was second on the team in scoring with 15.3 PPG on 47.2% from the field. The 6-foot-1 guard also managed 2.1 RPG, 5.0 APG and 0.7 SPG in 27.8 MPG. LaFrentz started all seven games, posting 6.9 PPG on 41.9% from the field, 4.0 RPG and 1.3 BPG in 27.7 MPG.

Dallas played the Sacramento Kings in the second round for the second consecutive year. This time, Dallas had homecourt advantage. In the series opener, Sacramento built an early lead and controlled the entire game. The Kings led by a peak of 28 points and assisted on 31 of 44 field goals in an easy 124-113 win.

Dallas responded well in the next game as it scored 83 points in the first half and led by 21 points at halftime. In the rout, the Kings suffered a devastating blow when star Chris Webber tore the ACL in his left knee late in the third quarter and was out for the rest of the postseason. Dallas went on to win 132-110 and gained a major advantage with Sacramento’s misfortune.

The third game was a classic. Without Webber, Sacramento held a 36-23 lead after one quarter. Dallas recovered, tying the game late in the second quarter 62-all. Both teams would trade the lead before Sacramento took a double figure lead. 

The Kings were up 101-89 with 8:11 left in the first quarter but the two-headed point guard monster of Nash and Van Exel got to work. As Dallas went on a 24-12 run to close out the fourth quarter and send the game to overtime, the twosome scored 22 of the team’s final 24 points in regulation. Van Exel hit a seven-footer with 3.8 seconds left to tie the game.

In the extra frame, both teams traded the lead with Kings guard Doug Christie knocking down two treys. A Walt Williams dunk with 16.3 seconds tied the game 125-all and Stojaković missed a shot at the end, taking the game to a second overtime.

The second overtime saw Van Exel score eight points and Kings guard Bobby Jackson missed a three with 3.3 seconds left that would’ve tied the game. Dallas held on for a thrilling 141-137 win. Van Exel was the hero of the game, racking up a game-high 40 points as well as seven rebounds and seven assists.

In Game Four, the Mavericks’ three-point shooting (3-for-20) took a nosedive after making 19-of-42 the previous game. Sacramento (3-for-21) wasn’t much better from the perimeter but the Kings still led by as much as 22 points in a rare back-to-back playoff game. All five of the Kings’ starters scored in double figures as they evened the series 2-2 with a 99-83 victory.

The Game Five scene shifted back to Dallas. Sacramento got out to a good start, building a 46-31 lead early in the second quarter. Dallas got back into the game and thanks to a strong performance from role player Raja Bell outscored the Kings 81-47 the rest of the way (32 minutes and four seconds) to win 112-93.

The Mavericks had a chance to end the series in Game Six and looked to accomplish the goal early on. Dallas built a 13-4 lead early on. The Kings recovered later. By the fourth quarter, the game was close. Dallas took a 95-94 lead with 8:15 in the fourth quarter, but failed to score for over five minutes.

In that stretch, the Kings scored nine points unanswered. The run was pivotal as Sacramento held on for a 115-109 win that sent the series to a seventh and final contest. Van Exel had 37 points in the loss.

In the seventh game, the Kings shot just 42% and only led on two different occasions. The Mavericks pulled away in the fourth quarter, leading by as much as 20 points in a 112-99 Game Seven win. Nowitzki led with 30 points and Van Exel added 23 points off the bench.

Van Exel proved to be the right acquisition for Dallas and arguably experienced the best moments of his career in the 2003 Semifinals. He scored in double figures in six of the seven games and scored at least 20 points in five. Van Exel’s top scoring games were 40, 36 and 35 points.

Overall, the 6-foot-1 guard managed 25.3 PPG on 51.9% from the field and 45.3% from the three-point line. He also posted 3.9 RPG and 4.4 APG in 35.3 MPG.

LaFrentz on the other hand struggled to be a consistent presence at the center position. He produced 8.1 PPG on 46.4% FGs, 4.7 RPG and 2.6 BPG in 20.8 MPG. The center shot just 1-for-11 from the three-point line. LaFrentz started the first game and was benched for the next three games before starting the final three contests. 

The Mavericks advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in nearly two decades and took on the San Antonio Spurs. The series opener was a battle of the big men as San Antonio’s reigning two-time MVP Tim Duncan dropped 40 points. Nowitzki had 38 points for Dallas.

The Spurs led by 18 points in the second quarter and by 14 with 8:05 in the final frame. Thanks to a perfect 20-for-20 showing at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, Dallas went on a 26-9 to close the game and escape with a 113-110 win.

In Game Two, the Spurs dominated early, building a 69-44 lead at halftime. Dallas managed to cut the deficit to nine points midway through the fourth quarter, but Duncan (32 points and 15 rebounds) stopped a comeback as San Antonio won 119-106. 

The third game saw San Antonio dominate the glass 59-36 and outscore Dallas 58-37 in the second half to win 96-83. In the later stages of the game, Nowitzki suffered a sprained left knee keeping him out for the rest of the series.

Without its star, Dallas tried to play at an uptempo pace, inserting Van Exel into the starting lineup. The team was up 52-47 at halftime. Spurs guard Tony Parker had 11 of his 25 points in a key third quarter that helped the Spurs wrestle control and win 102-95.

Facing elimination, Dallas trailed by double digits in the first half of Game Five. Michael Finley had 31 points and Dallas made a massive run, outscoring San Antonio 29-10 in the final frame to win 103-91 and keep hope alive.

Game Six saw Dallas continue its run. The Mavericks led for much of the first half and took a 63-48 lead with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter. San Antonio answered back with a 42-15 run the rest of the way to win 90-78 and eliminate Dallas. In the run, the Spurs found the outside shot off of Dallas’ double-teaming strategy against Duncan in the post. A combination of Stephen Jackson, Steve Kerr and Manu Ginobili nailed eight three-pointers in that span.

Van Exel was not as efficient in the Conference Finals, averaging 17.5 PPG on 37.5% from the field and 34.5% from three. He also posted 4.3 RPG and 2.7 APG in 38.5 MPG.

LaFrentz continued his disappointing playoff run, managing 9.2 PPG on 41.4% from the field, 4.5 RPG and 2.7 BPG in 25.4 MPG. Abdul-Wahad scored two points in three games and 16 minutes. Avery Johnson was left off the playoff roster.

After Dallas’ playoff run, the organization went back to the drawing board. Looking to get bigger across its roster, the Mavericks dealt Van Exel, Johnson, Evan Eschmeyer, Popeye Jones and Antoine Rigaudeau to the Golden State Warriors for Antawn Jamison, Danny Fortson, Chris Mills and Jiří Welsch.

The deal to add Jamison brought back a 6-foot-9 scoring forward which Dallas coveted. Though the Mavericks pursued other options such as adding center Alonzo Mourning in free agency, the team realized it would be hard to continue to play Nash and Van Exel together and have a credible perimeter defense.

After Van Exel, LaFrentz was next to go. The center was dealt along with Chris Mills, Jiří Welsch and a first round pick to the Boston Celtics for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk.

Walker was the point forward that coach Don Nelson had yearned for. He thrived in his previous coaching stops with big forwards capable of handling the ball, passing and scoring such as Paul Pressey in Milwaukee and Billy Owens in Golden State.

To get the forward, Dallas dealt LaFrentz who initially was the centerpiece of the Denver-Dallas trade but disappointed. Largely a finesse center, LaFrentz was never able to excel on offense as a fifth option. Though he was a top notch rim protector, LaFrentz’ salary never fit what ended up being his role.

Van Exel ended his season and a half in Dallas with a stat line of 12.7 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 4.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 100 games. He shot 41% from the field, 37% from the three-point line and 79% from the free-throw line.

Avery Johnson appeared in 65 games with Dallas and posted 3.2 PPG, 0.6 RPG and 1.4 APG. The diminutive guard also shot 42% on FGs and 75% on FTs. LaFrentz played in 96 career games with Dallas and contributed 9.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.6 SPG and 1.6 BPG. The big man shot 49% from the field, 36% from the three-point line and 71% from the charity stripe.

Abdul-Wahad remained on the Mavericks roster going into the 2003-04 season but was placed on the injured list with left knee tendinitis and remained there for the entire year. Dallas was 52-30 that season and lost to the Sacramento Kings in a five-game first-round series.

For the 2004-05 season, Abdul-Wahad found himself inactive again due to the same injury. The Mavericks finished the year 58-24 with Avery Johnson—yes, that Avery Johnson from the Nuggets-Mavericks trade—replacing Nelson as head coach for the final 18 games.

Dallas defeated the Houston Rockets 4-3 in the first round before losing to the Phoenix Suns in a six-game second round matchup.

By the start of the 2005-06 season, Dallas had moved on from Abdul-Wahad. The team waived the wing with two years left on his contract. Dallas had tried to workout a buyout with Abdul-Wahad, but he refused. There seemed to be growing tension between the club and player. Abdul-Wahad felt he was ready to play, but Dallas didn’t feel he was capable with his history of left knee issues.

Half of Abdul-Wahad’s salary ($3.656 million) was guaranteed for the ‘05-‘06 season and a quarter ($1.968 million) for 2006-07.

Abdul-Wahad played just 18 games over four seasons with Dallas, averaging 3.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG and 1.3 APG and shooting 45% from the field and 43% from the free-throw line.

From Denver’s perspective, the trade put a full-scale rebuild in motion. Howard and Harvey’s contracts expired after the 2002-03 season and Hardaway’s contract was only guaranteed through 2003.

The losing would commence soon after. Denver went 11-20 after the trade, finishing the year with a 27-55 record. 

Hardaway played 14 games (9.6 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 5.5 APG and 1.2 SPG in 23.2 MPG) with the Nuggets after the trade before he broke his left foot, ending his season.

The Nuggets agreed to a buyout of $1 million with Hardaway and subsequently waived the former All-Star. Hardaway’s biggest highlight—or lowlight—as a Nugget was when he threw a television monitor onto the court in frustration after an altercation with a referee.The incident cost Hardaway $10,000 and he was also suspended for two games. 

Hardaway returned to the NBA late in the 2002-03 season for a short stint with the Indiana Pacers.

Howard was disappointed in going from one of the best teams in the NBA in Dallas to one of the worst in Denver. He became Denver’s primary scoring option averaging 17.9 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.6 BPG in 28 appearances and 34.9 MPG.

Harvey saw a significant bump in minutes after being traded. He appeared in 29 games (four starts) with Denver and amassed 8.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.6 SPG and 0.7 BPG in 23.4 MPG.

After the 2001-02 season, Denver continued its full-scale rebuild, focusing its energy towards acquiring young players and creating cap space for the summer of 2003. Denver dealt the oft-injured Antonio McDyess along with the first round pick (25th overall) it acquired in the Dallas trade and a second rounder to the New York Knicks for center Marcus Camby, guard Mark Jackson and the seventh pick in the 2002 draft.

New York selected Brazilian forward Nene Hilario for Denver. The Nuggets selected Illinois guard Frank Williams with the 25th pick for New York. The Nuggets also had the fifth pick in the draft and selected Georgian seven-footer Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

Denver declined to exercise the $1.6 million team option of Harvey, making him an unrestricted free agent in 2003.

On the coaching front, the Nuggets named longtime assistant coach and defensive ace Jeff Bzdelik as new head coach. At 29, Howard became the elder statesman or only veteran playing significant minutes all year for the 2002-03 Nuggets. Camby was limited to 29 games that year due to injury.

The team began the year 6-24 and it became clear they were not going to win many games. The Nuggets finished the year tied for the worst record in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers as both teams battled for the number one overall pick and the chance to draft high school phenom LeBron James. 

The 2002-03 Denver Nuggets were historic for the wrong reasons. Bzdelik had made Denver’s defense much better (sixth in the NBA), but the team finished with the lowest offensive rating (92.2 points per 100 possessions) of any team in a season in NBA history. 

Behind the struggles was inept shooting percentages. Denver pulled off the rare hat trick of finishing last in three-point percentage (27.8%), last in two-point percentage (43.0%) and last in free-throw percentage (69.9%).

Howard led the Nuggets in scoring (18.4 PPG), rebounding (7.6 RPG) and minutes (35.5 MPG). The forward also put up 3.0 APG and 1.0 SPG in 77 games. Harvey had his largest role in Denver. In his third season, Harvey recorded 7.9 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 77 games and 20.9 MPG.

Howard became a free agent. Denver expressed mild interest in retaining the veteran but with a deep frontcourt that featured Camby, Hilario and prized number three overall pick Carmelo Anthony, there was little room to go after Howard. The Nuggets instead looked to fill an empty backcourt in need of shooting and playmaking.

Howard prioritized finding a team that gave him the best chance of making the playoffs. He saw Tracy McGrady and the Orlando Magic as a viable fit and signed a six-year deal worth an estimated $38 million.

Howard ended his brief stay in Denver with 18.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.9 APG and 0.9 SPG in 105 games. He shot 45% on FGs and 79% on FTs.

Harvey became a free agent and also signed with Orlando on a one-year contract. Harvey finished his time in Denver with a stat line of 8.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.2 APG and 0.6 SPG. The forward shot 46% from the field and 66% from the free-throw line in 106 career games.

Nick Van Exel on joining the Mavericks (via Mavericks.com):

“I am real excited to be here. What a game tonight, I don’t know what to say other than I am excited to be here. What these guys have right now is a championship caliber team. Hopefully with these 3 new additions, we can help.”

On his role:

“It doesn’t matter as long as we win. This team here, these guys just play basketball and I just want to play basketball.”

On his relationship with Del Harris: 

“We really haven’t had one since we left the Lakers. We are definitely going to sit down and talk. I was real surprised that Del stood up for me.”

On if he cares about minutes or starting (via The Dallas Morning News):

It doesn’t matter if I play two minutes one game and 40 minutes the next game... It’s definitely a blessing to be on a championship caliber team.”

His nervous feelings for a deal to happen at the deadline (via Fort Worth Star-Telegram):

“The last three hours before the trading deadline was terrible. The last three hours I felt like I was about to throw up and I was getting real weak I was pacing the floor. I have never been that nervous in my life.”

Raef LaFrentz on joining the Mavericks (via Mavericks.com):

“To be quite honest, my head is still spinning. I am very excited to be here and like Nick said, this is a great opportunity for the 3 of us to come into a championship caliber team.”

How the deal was a surprise to him (via Rocky Mountain News):

“This trade hit me in the head about 1 o'clock (p.m.). I just said, ‘Oh, wow.’ I guess Mark Cuban had asked about it earlier and Kiki had turned him down several times, but he kept coming and kept coming, and Kiki finally gave in.”

Avery Johnson on returning to the state of Texas after stints with the San Antonio Spurs in his past (via The Dallas Morning News):

“I’m just glad to be back in Texas and glad to be back in the playoff hunt. To win a championship you have to have two MVP-caliber players. We have three or four.”

On the team’s case to make some noise in the playoffs (via Mavericks.com):

“We definitely have the make-up for it. I just have a sense that chemistry is here. To win a championship, you must have two MVP caliber players. We probably have three or four in that category and we have some serious coaching. 

“Don Nelson is one of the best coaches in the league right now. We have a lot of characteristics that it will take to win a championship. I think Mark [Cuban] and his staff have given the Mavericks a [better] chance to win a championship.”

His excitement with being back in Texas:

“I am glad to be back in Texas. This is very exciting. Even though I am excited for myself, I am really excited for Nick and Raef. Nick, some time ago with the Lakers, had a chance to be in the playoffs and he was kind of successful against my team, the Spurs. This is new ground for him and I am really excited for both of them. 

“I really think we are going to be some key additions for this team. Naturally, we are overloaded now at the point guard position. I‘ve worked with Coach Nelson four years ago in Golden State, so I know his system. I am just glad to be back in Texas, glad to be in Dallas and glad to be in the playoff hunt. I am so glad I can watch the satellite now, hoping for some teams to win and some to lose.”

If he has any tips on beating the Spurs from his time with the club:

“A few that I don’t want to give away now. There are a few tweaks that we can use in a playoff situation. I know pretty much the strategy that we used against the Mavericks. It is not just the Spurs, there are a lot of teams out there that are top in the West. I just think this team needs to improve defensively. We have a great offense here and try to stay away from those 30 point quarters.”

Tariq Abdul-Wahad on joining the Mavericks (via Mavericks.com):

“Some pretty good news, wasn’t offended and I took it very seriously. They know a lot about basketball, .have a dedication to teaching to players like me, It is really an honor and a great opportunity to get better.”

How arriving with three other players in a trade might make the transition easier:

"It makes it better, easier you know them and you get to hang out with them, but I am going to meet the other guys as well. It’s a team sport and we are going to create a plan.”

What his role in Dallas will be:

“My role is the same on every team strong defense, run the floor, make it easier for the guys. Work as hard as I can and get better.”

What it feels like going from one of the worst teams to one of the best teams in the NBA:

“The penthouse is whatever you want it to be. In the NBA whether you play for the best team or the worst team in the league, you don’t have to look at it that way... I think the Mavericks have really turned it around in the past three years. It is a great staff, players and fans... I am going to join and be a part of it and enjoy.”

If he noticed a difference in the mood around Denver when the team started struggling:

“Most definitely, I’ve been on winning teams and losing teams... It is always the same when you lose, you have an extremely heavy weight on your shoulders and when you don’t, everything seems to be smooth and happiness is around the corner. We are a team of shooters and whenever you can make three’s you can always stay in the game. Guys like Steve, Dirk and Finley will always keep you in the game, which is a beautiful thing.”

Tim Hardaway on the trade a month after it happened (via Chicago Tribune):

“After it sunk in, I was mad. I was upset. I talked to my agent, he settled me down. I talked to my wife, she settled me down. I just watched those [new Mavericks] guys fit into our shoes. We could have done the same thing. 

“But stuff happens for a reason. Juwan Howard, myself... We’re good guys, hard workers. It’s kind of hard being on the other side of the fence. But you just have to deal with it.”

Dallas Mavericks general manager and head coach and Don Nelson on the trade (via Mavericks.com):

“It’s been quite a day, a busy day. It’s unfortunate that it had to happen on the day of a game. It puts us a bit behind the eight-ball for this particular game, but we feel it’s well worth it in the long run, the remaining part of the season and also for the playoff picture. It’s also important for the future of our franchise. We thought it was an opportunity that doesn’t come a long very often and something we needed to do. 

“It was available because we have an owner, Mark Cuban, who will spend the money to get the players. I’ve made a lot of trades in my 25 years and I feel really good about this one. It gives the players the opportunity to prosper in a bit of a different style. We’re looking to get our team stronger for a better playoff position and I think we’ve done that. We’ve accomplished quite a lot with the move that we made today. 

“It’s unfortunate that we lost some outstanding players who have really helped us all in their own way. They won games for us, they’ve made our team better and it’s hard to say goodbye to those players. It’s not an easy thing; I don’t take trades lightly because you are affecting people’s lives. 

“It’s movement of families and friends, but again that’s the nature of the business and part of the business is that you do what you need to do to get your team better and I feel that we’ve done that today.”

On specifically acquiring Raef LaFrentz:

“One of the problems that we had with Juwan [Howard] was that he was a power-forward and with the lineup that I put out there most of the time centers guarded him. It was unfair to him because he was always going against a stronger, tougher, more physical guy on a normal night and it affected his performance some. When he was able to match up with power-forwards he did a much better job. 

“They weren’t going to put their center on [Dirk] Nowitzki and that caused some problems. We’re getting more of a legitimate center, not that he [LaFrentz] is a center, but he plays there quite a lot. He also can play power-forward. He’s more of a shot blocker and you’ve seen the amount of layups that we give up on a consistent basis. It’s quite a concern and Bradley hasn’t been as big of a factor this year in that department. We needed to address that and we have. It makes my team more consistent.”

On concerns that assistant coach Del Harris had a rocky relationship with acquisition Nick Van Exel when he was head coach of the Lakers:

“He was the biggest fan to do this deal. They had some problems when Nick played for him in Los Angeles, but the respect that Del has for his ability is second to none. He [Del] thought it was a move that would help us. We relied heavily on Del’s opinion. We know who Nick Van Exel is and I hope he gets along with me and I’m going to work hard to try to accomplish that.”

On trading Tim Hardaway who he has coached in Dallas and Golden State:

“Well he’s a close friend. We’ve been friends for a long, long time and he knows the nature of the business. I simply called him and told him that I made a deal and he said ‘where am I going and who am I going with’. He treated it very professionally. I told him that there might be some interest by teams in the east. It’s hard because you become attached to your players and it’s not a pleasant day when they have to move on.”

How he feels the trade elevated the Mavericks in the Western Conference hierarchy (via The Dallas Morning News):

“We had elevated ourselves to a position where we actually had a better record than our team. I really didn’t think our team is better than the other seven schmoes that we’re battling against for playoff positioning. We were just another schmoe out there. Now, I think this may elevate us to the point where it will give us a real chance to win our division.”

On adding another perimeter shooting big man in LaFrentz as a complementary piece to Dirk Nowitzki:

“It just makes my team more consistent, where I have some players who are alike in the things we like to run.”

On finding minutes for both Steve Nash and Van Exel (via ESPN):

“I think both he and Steve will play together down the stretch. Nick is a big-shot maker and a big-game player. He always plays his best against the best teams. That was a factor in our thinking for the playoff situation. He has the capability of doing that.”

On finding chemistry with so many talented players:

“Everything is going to work out. This is a very fine group of men, the ones that left and the ones that remained. We’re adding winners to the locker room. We’ll see how things go, but I’m not going to be concerned about that.”

Denver Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe on the trade (via ESPN):

“We needed a bold stroke and something that would change the chemistry and the condition of the team, in both players and the salary cap situation and our future salary cap situation.

“It was extremely hard (to deal LaFrentz). It was very, very hard... I think he has a tremendous upside. He will be a great asset to the Mavericks and he will be able to play off great players like Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki and Michael Finley.”

On the need to get out of the middle (via ESPN):

“The toughest situation for a team to be is in the middle of the road without a good draft pick and strapped financially. You're in a box and there is no way to improve under the rules of the (collective bargaining agreement). 

“You have to create something. You have to make a bold move. Obviously, you want to make a positive move. The inherent risk was not doing anything.”

 How the team’s cap sheet was a mess before the deal (via Rocky Mountain News):

“We were in a financial box. We didn’t have much flexibility at all in how we could improve this team.”

How Nuggets star Antonio McDyess was consulted on the deal:

“I told him, ‘Antonio, being the franchise player doesn’t mean just winning games. You’re now our partner in this. You’re involved in everything that we do. It gives us the flexibility to keep Antonio McDyess, and that’s what we're going to need if we really want to keep him.”

How the team accumulating draft picks adds flexibility for Denver:

“Draft picks are assets. You either use them in the draft or you can use them in trades. We’ll have the flexibility this summer to go out into the free-agent market without risking the luxury tax, whereas before we were already at the luxury tax and couldn't have done anything.”

How people in Sacramento and Los Angeles will be mad at his trade helping a West rival in Dallas (via Chicago Tribune):

“I’m probably being cursed in Sacramento and Los Angeles. No question, Dallas just got a lot better. The Mavericks now have a team that can make a championship run.”

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban on taking on $84 million in salary commitments through the deal (via The Dallas Morning News):

“I’m more than happy to pay for it if it gets me jewelry.”

If the trade was worth sacrificing cap space in the summer for a potential run at Tim Duncan in 2003:

“You have the risk factor vs. the here-and-now, in-your-lap factor. As much as we’d like to have Tim Duncan or somebody of that caliber, more importantly, this puts us in a great position to compete right now.”

On concerns about the previous relationship issues between assistant coach Del Harris and Van Exel when they were together with the Los Angeles Lakers (via Mavericks.com): 

“Del was the first one to stand up and say you are crazy if you don’t do this. It was X number of years ago and we are two different people now and this guy can help this team a lot.”

Mavericks assistant coach Del Harris on the player he coached in Los Angeles Van Exel (via Fort Worth Star-Telegram):

“I’m glad to see him. He can make and take the big shots but his value is way beyond that in that he’s such a great penetrator and can dish the ball. He makes the little short four-foot pass probably better than anybody else in the league right now and that’s a difficult pass to make. He’s just a very, very good basketball player.”

Mavericks guard Steve Nash on the trade (via ESPN):

“I’m glad to have some help now.”

Van Exel’s agent Tony Dutt on his client’s elation with the trade to Dallas (via ESPN):

“He’s ecstatic. I think it couldn’t have worked out any better.”

Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Kevin McHale on how many teams wouldn’t be able to compete with Dallas’ spending in trades (via Chicago Tribune):

“Move to move, we wouldn’t beat [Dallas in trades]. They made an unbelievable move. We just didn’t have the resources available to do that kind of deal. The good news for the rest of us is that they can still only play with one ball. If they could play with two balls, we would really be in trouble.”

Image Credit: 

Nick Van Exel: Getty Images/G Fiume

Raef LaFrentz: Getty Images/Ronald Martinez

Tariq Abdul-Wahad: Getty Images/Glenn James

Juwan Howard: Getty Images/Sam Forencich

Tim Hardaway: Getty Images/Rocky Widner

Avery Johnson: Getty Images/Glenn James

Donnell Harvey: Getty Images/Sam Forencich

[hirocimacruiser]

2002 JAPAN GT CHAMPIONSHIP Round 4 SEPANG (MALAYSIA) - Round 8 SUZUKA

The VQ engine GT-R takes the podium, and in the GT300, showing a glimpse of its capabilities, Silvia fights for the championship!

The Skyline GT-R, which competes in the GT500 class of the All Japan GT Championship, was forced into the toughest battle ever in the 2002 season. In order to switch the engine from the RB26DETT to the VQ30DETT midway through the season, we had to compete with the conventional improved 2001 model car for the first half, and simultaneously develop the engine and chassis for the 2002 model car in the second half.

Looking back at each race from the middle of the series, Round 4, the last race for the RB26DETT, was held in Sepang, Malaysia, where the championship was held for the first time. At one point, three GT-Rs were in the top six, showing a development befitting a farewell race, but the Castrol Pit Work GT-R (Masami Kageyama/Eric Comas), who was aiming for the win, was following behind. An unfortunate retirement due to a rear-end collision. Calsonics Skyline (Kazuyoshi Hoshino/Tetsuya Tanaka) was also sidelined due to brake trouble and was the only survivor.

Xanavi Nismo GT-R (Satoshi Motoyama/Michael Krumm) finished in 4th place.

In the following 5th round at Fuji, all three Skyline GT-Rs were equipped with the 02 version of the VQ engine. Here the Xanavi Nismo GT-R was in a good position in 3rd place in qualifying, and moved up one position in the final to take 2nd place on the podium. The power of the VQ engine was already demonstrated.

In Round 6 at Motegi, all three cars missed the timing of their qualifying attacks, and despite being in a difficult position, they were unable to achieve the results they had hoped for in the final. Furthermore, Hoshino, who was participating in the Calsonic Skyline, suddenly announced his retirement before this race. Benoît Treluyer, the 2001 Japanese F3 champion, was appointed in his place.

In the 7th race at MINE, the Xanavi nismo GT-R made a strong chase from its qualifying position of 10th and finished in 2nd place. Skyline gives a feeling of definite maturity.

The GT-R still had a chance of winning the championship heading into the final race.

However, in the final race at Suzuka, both the Xanavi Nismo GT-R and Calsonic GT-R suffered from trouble, leaving the Castrol Nismo GT-R in 8th place, the highest placed Skyline GT-R. As a result, the team ranking for the 2002 series was Nismo in 7th place and Impul in 12th place. In the drivers' ranking, Motoyama/Krumm finished in 7th place.

In the GT300 class, Unisia Jecs Silvia (Tetsuya Yamano/Masataka Yanagita) started by winning the third round at SUGO, steadily gaining points and continuing to fight for the championship until the final round. He took pole position in qualifying for the final race, where he was forced to carry a weight handicap of 80 kg, the upper limit of his class, and led from the start in the final race. However, just as the championship was just around the corner, engine trouble suddenly occurred. In the end, I finished 3rd in the ranking, a disappointing result. In the final race, Daishin ADVAN Silvia (Nobuyuki Oyagi/Takayuki Aoki) won. As the defending champion, he took revenge and achieved a beautiful final result.

Unfortunately, they missed out on the title in the 2002 season, but Nissan's efforts to win the title in 2003 have already begun.

[digi-lov]

how do u even start getting into Digimon?? there so much stuff, i dont even know where to begin. like, there is like a hundred shows??? do i start with the first one that came out??

Idk man it just happened??

No, but seriously, don't worry about it! There aren't even that many shows if you ask me. I'll put a list below the cut! I'll list all movies too, so it'll look like more than it really is. Also the dates are the japanese air dates.

Obviously starting with the first season, Digimon Adventure is an easy pick, it also has the most sequels and movies.

But aside from the Adventure related media, all other Digimon Seasons are completely self-contained, and you can just go and watch any! They also all explore "Digimon" and the Digital World in different ways. I personally loved them all.

For the anime I also highly recommend watching the Japanese original. I'm sorry for anyone who grew up with it, but I can barely stand watching the English Dub at all. If you know German though, the German Dub is really good. I still prefer the Japanese original, but the German Dub is at least a translation and not a fan fiction.

The same basically goes for the games. You can just pick any of them up! Also, all Digimon games kind of do their own thing in terms of gameplay and mechanics. There's similarities too, but usually each have their own vibe. A lot of the DS titles do work very similar though!

Anime:

Adventure: Digimon Adventure (Movie) (1999) • Digimon Adventure (Season 1) (1999-2000) Digimon Adventure: Our War Game (Movie) (2000) • Digimon Adventure 02 (Season 2) (2000-2001) Digimon Adventure 02: Hurricane Touchdown!! Supreme Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals (Movie) (2000) Digimon Adventure 02: Diaboromon Strikes Back (Movie) (2001) • Digimon Adventure tri. (6 Movies or 24 Episodes) (2015-2018) Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna (Movie) (2020) Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning (Movie) (2023) [Digimon Adventure: (Reboot) (2020)]

Tamers: • Digimon Tamers (Season 3) (2001-2002) Digimon Tamers: The Adventures' Battle (Movie) (2001) Digimon Tamers: The Runaway Digimon Express (Movie) (2002)

Frontier: • Digimon Frontier (Season 4) (2002-2003) Digimon Frontier: Revival of the Ancient Digimon (Movie) (2002)

Savers/Data Squad: • Digimon Savers / Data Squad (Season 5) (2006-2007) Digimon Savers The Movie: Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode!! (Movie) (2006)

Xros Wars/Fusion: • Digimon Xros Wars / Fusion (2010-2012)

Appmon: • Digimon Universe Appli Monsters (2016-2017)

Ghost Game: • Digimon Ghost Game (2021-2023)

Games: Generally known Games in bold, more obscure or never released in the West in small I also left out most Phone and Smart Phone games since they're shut down

· Digital Monster Ver. S: Digimon Tamers (1998) (Sega Saturn) • Digimon World (1999) (PS1) · Digital Monster Ver. WonderSwan (1999) (WonderSwan) · Digimon World: Digital Card Battle (1999) (PS1) · Digimon Adventure: Anode Tamer & Cathode Tamer (1999/2000) (WonderSwan) · Digimon Adventure 02: Digital Partner (2000) (WonderSwan) · Pocket Digimon World (2000) (PS1) > Pocket Digimon World: Wind Battle Disc (2000) (PS1) > Pocket Digimon World: Cool & Nature Battle Disc (2001) (PS1) • Digimon World 2 (2000) (PS1) · Digimon Adventure 02: Tag Tamers (2000) (WonderSwan) · Digimon Adventure 02: D1 Tamers (2000) (WonderSwan Color) · Digimon World: Digital Card Arena (2000) (PS1) · Digimon Tamers: Digimon Medley (2001) (WonderSwan Color) • Digimon Tamers: Battle Spirit (2001) (WonderSwan Color / GBA) > Digimon Tamers: Battle Spirit Ver. 1.5 (2002) (WonderSwan Color) > Digimon Frontier: Battle Spirit / Battle Spirit 2 (2002) (WonderSwan Color / GBA) • Digimon Tamers: Battle Evolution / Rumble Arena (2001) (PS1) · Digimon Tamers: Brave Tamer (2001) (WonderSwan Color) • Digimon World 3 / 2003 (2002) (PS1) · Digimon Racing (2004) (GBA) • Digimon Battle Chronicle / Rumble Arena 2 (2004) (PS2 / GCN) • Digimon World X / World 4 (2005) (PS2 / GCN) • Digimon Story / Digimon World DS (2006) (DS) · Digimon Savers: Another Mission / Digimon World Data Squad (2006) (PS2) • Digimon Story: Sunburst & Moonlight / Digimon World Dawn & Dusk (2007) (DS) · Digimon Championship / Digimon World Championship (2008) (DS) · Digimon Masters (2009) (PC) [Korea only] · Digimon Story: Lost Evolution (2010) (DS) [Japan only; Fan Translation exists] · Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars Blue & Red (2011) (DS) • Digimon World Re:Digitize (2012) (PSP) > Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode (2013) (3DS) [Japan only; Fan translation exists] · Digimon Adventure (2013) (PSP) [Japan only; Fan translation exists] • Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth (2015) (PSV, PS4, Switch, PC) • Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth Hacker's Memory (2015) (PSV, PS4, Switch, PC) • Digimon World -next 0rder- (2016) (PSV, PS4, Switch, PC) · Digimon Universe Appli Monsters (2016) (3DS) · Digimon New Century (2021) (Smart Phone) [China only] • Digimon Survive (2022) (PS4, Switch, PC, XBO)

[bettedavisgf]

I could have imagined this. but. i remember months ago you making a post about how you wanted a retrospective study to find the last season that no one skated to bolero and ik you were joking but it got in my head. this isn't comprehensive but the last season i could find that no one skated to it was 2001-02, but obviously plushenko's was the season before and there were three across pairs and ice dance alone in 98-99. In the unbroken streak we've got going right now, not counting the current season, there have been 52 boleros. the average per season is 2.6 and the most we've had in a season in that streak is 6 in 2012-13. also this surprised me by its by far most popular in the ladies, theres been 26 compared to next highest which is 13 in mens. ice dance was least popular. i'm sure i've missed some but i was feeling insane lol

hi will you marry me?

[daiken-miracles]

Daiken Art Directory

The following artwork includes a variety of image types, including pieces made specifically for promotion and merchandise, images from the various card games, DVD/Blu-Ray and book covers, music album and audio drama covers, and miscellaneous artwork.

Official Images

General promo images

Character images

DVD/Blu-ray & manga images

Music & audio drama covers

Merch

Scans

Mook & book covers

15th Anniversary Blu-ray BOX (Much of this content is still in progress, so the images are limited)

Coloring books

DigiFes 2019 booklet

Episode 36 animation sheets

Kodansha TV picture books

Summer 2000 Toei Animation Fair

Spring 2001 Toei Animation Fair

Magazine scans

Settei/Model Sheets

Motomiya Daisuke

Ichijouji Ken

V-mon & Wormmon

Family members

Objects

Height charts

Full Season Settei

Digimon Adventure via Settei Dreams (Colored model sheets available via this Twitter thread by @_cherry_light_)

Digimon Adventure 02 via Settei Dreams (Colored model sheets available via this Twitter thread by @_cherry_light_)

Digimon Adventure tri. via Settei Dreams

Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna via With the Will

Card Games

Promo and special cards

Hyper Colosseum (1999)

Card Game Alpha (2006)

Digica Taisen (2010)

Digimon Jintrix (2011)

Battle Spirits (2017)

Digimon Card Game (2020)

[monogataribr]

001. REFERÊNCIAS A OUTRAS OBRAS

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 01) X FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, 2001 (CH. 01)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 01) X KAMEM RIDER KABUTO, 2006 (EP. 04)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 03) X DRAGON BALL, 1984 (BY. AKIRA TORIYAMA)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 06) X THE END OF EVANGELION, 1997

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 09) X REATION GUYS, 2003 (GAIJIN 4KOMA)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 14) X FLAMINGO STANCE (BY. SADAHARU OH)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 14) X GOLDFISH WARNING! (BY. NEKO NEKOBE)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 14) X URUSEI YATSURA 2 BEAUTIFUL DREAMER, 1984 (BY. RUMIKO TAKAHASHI)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 15) X EMBRACE #11 (BY. EIKOH HOSOE)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 15) X EMBRACE #46 (BY. EIKOH HOSOE)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 15) X EMBRACE #47 (BY. EIKOH HOSOE)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (EP. 15) X MAN & WOMAN #20 (BY. EIKOH HOSOE)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (OP. SWEET SUGAR NIGHTMARE) X CAT'S EYE, 1983 (OP. CAT'S EYE)

BAKEMONOGATARI, 2009 (OP. SWEET SUGAR NIGHTMARE) X CAT'S EYE, 1983 (OP. DERRINGER)

HANAMONOGATARI, 2014 (BD. COVER) X REBUILD OF EVANGELION 3.0 YOU CAN (NOT) REDO, 2012 (BD. COVER)

HANAMONOGATARI, 2014 (EP. 04) X MINDUIM, 1950 (BY. CHARLES SCHULZ)

KIZUMONOGAGATARI 02 NEKKETSU-HEN, 2016 X 2001 UMA ODISSÉIA NO ESPAÇO, 1968

KOYOMIMONOGATARI, 2016 (EP. 02) X SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN, 2013 (TV. COVER)

MONOGATARI SERIES SECOND SEASON, 2013 (EP. 03) X FULLMETAL ALCHMIST, 2001 (BY. HIROMU ARAKAWA)

NISEMONOGATARI, 2012 (EP. 01) X NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, 1995 (EP. 03)

NISEMONOGATARI, 2012 (EP. 09) X PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA, 2011 (ST. SHAFT)

OWARIMONOGATARI 01, 2015 (EP. 09) X MEDAKA BOX, 2009 (BY. NISIOISIN & AKIRA AKATSUKI)

OWARIMONOGATARI 01, 2015 (EP. 10 ) X UM SONHO DE LIBERDADE, 1994

OWARIMONOGATARI 01, 2015 (EP.03) X 007 CONTRA O SATÂNICO DR. NO, 1962

OWARIMONOGATARI 02 (EP. 03) X DRAGON BALL, 1984 (BY. AKIRA TORIYAMA)

OWARIMONOGATARI 02, 2017 (EP. 01) X BLACK JACK, 1973 (BY. OSAMU TEZUKA)

OWARIMONOGATARI 02, 2017 (EP. 03) X ASHITA NO JOE, 1968 (BY. IKKI KAJIWARA & TETSUYA CHIBA)

TSUKIMONOGATARI, 2014 (EP. 01) X ASTRO BOY, 1951 (BY. OSAMU TEZUKA)

TSUKIMONOGATARI, 2014 (EP. 01) X PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGIA, 2011 (ST. SHAFT)

TSUKIMONOGATARI, 2014 (EP. 01) X PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGIA, 2011 (ST. SHAFT)

[boombox-fuckboy]

Podcasts Crowdfunding

Let me know if I'm missing any, and I'll add them.

Hi Nay (Act 3)

Closes 2023-04-07

Hi Nay, literally translated to “Hi Mom”, is a supernatural horror fiction podcast about Filipina immigrant Mari Datuin, whose babaylan (shaman) family background accidentally gets her involved in stopping dangerous supernatural events in Toronto.

Arden (Season 3)

Closes 2023-04-13

In Season 3, Bea, Brenda and the rest of Team Arden will be heading to NYC, the Very Large Apple, to investigate the robbery of the lost painting A Long Summer's Night. Stolen in 1929, the masterpiece by mysterious artist Ronald Overton has been missing ever since... except for one night, July 4th, 2001, when it appeared in the background of a photograph taken by siblings Linus and Demi Callas at a party that neither can quite remember.

The Last Echoes (Season 1)

Closes 2023-04-20

The Last Echoes is an audio drama that tells the story of one planet's decision after they're offered membership in the galaxy's greatest alliance. It also tells the stories of 8 people living on worlds that are nothing but history and memory and gives audio glimpses into the sound of those lost worlds.

Twigs and Hearts (Season 1)

Closes 2023-04-21

A book that ties many together. Who picks up a copy? What powers do they serve? Between missing people and people missing, who will you trust? Twigs and Hearts. Open at your own risk. Twigs and Hearts is a queer supernatural horror audio drama that questions reality, relationships and radios.

Project Gnosis (Part 2)

Closes 2023-05-01

Project Gnosis follows supernatural agents, both monsters and beings of legend, as they travel around the world to stop conspiracies and acts of terror waged by forces from humans to cryptids. Follow a jiangshi, a werehorse, and an Irish legend in a story filled with a diverse and talented cast.

The Attic Monologues (Season 2)

Closes 2023-05-01

The Attic Monologues is a serialised urban fantasy audio drama from Audio Verse Award winner Morgan Greensmith, following Nyx Ryland, a drama student who starts practising with a mysterious collection of monologues they discover in their attic. But when they start receiving strange threats from the supposed author of these monologues, it all begins to feel like more than just coincidence.

Brimstone Valley Mall (Season 2)

Closes 2023-05-02

It's been almost three years since this dark comedy fiction podcast left our fans on a cliffhanger. And wasn't that fun? Now here we are! Three years and a global pandemic later, bringing you a final season that will answer all of your burning questions! Like: What happened to Hornblas? Will our demons make it back to the mall? What IS a bagel bite? We want to wrap up this story in a way that's more satisfying than a five finger corndog shoved down the gullet. And with your help, we plan to do just that.

[machinecreature]

Hi!! :D

Please tell us everything that we need to know about Joe and Troy. ☺️

I know absolutely nothing about them but am SO WILLING to sit here and listen to true stories about them!!!

my time HAS COME >:)

when i started watching the nfl seriously a couple years ago i jokingly was like, lol there's something going on between joe buck and troy aikman. and i quickly then realized, wayament.. there totally actually is.

joe buck is an american football commentator for the nfl (previously he also did baseball but just does football now). he's the son of a legendary sports broadcaster (nepo baby!!) and is kind of polarizing i guess bc he's a bit goofy and some people don't like how he commentates. i first got exposed to him for baseball when i got into baseball in 2016 and i happen to like his voice and how he carries himself. i like silly bitches idk. he's been doing nfl broadcasts since 1994.. he was employed by fox for his whole career until moving to espn in 2022. also he's addicted to hair plugs and has a podcast called "daddy issues" ...make of that what you will.

troy aikman is a former nfl quarterback for the cowboys who does color commentary on nfl broadcasts, also for over 20 years now. he and joe have been partners in the broadcast game for 22 years. i think everyone likes troy. he can also be goofy but in a way that's less annoying than joe to ppl? idk but he's a great football mind. and an all-american hottie, i mean.

bro looks the exact same lmaooo anyway

troy joined fox in 2001 and started working with joe in 02. at first the booth also included cris collinsworth, but eventually cris left, probably because he was sick of being a third wheel.

so over the years joe and troy became a formidable broadcast pairing but also became...CLOSE FRIENDS! how did they become close friends and develop chemistry you ask...

uh ok. ok aight

also they bonded bc they're only 2 years apart in age, were married at similar times andd having children at the same time and then uh *checks notes* Divorce, uh they bonded over divorcing their wives at the same time.

heaps of praise, they r always praising each other alright....

so years go by, they call super bowls together, they have these lil flirty moments in front of america on the lord's day ffs, they get caught criticizing the military propaganda complex when they thought their mics were off (kings!), they become the subject of endless memes, & general mischief -- the stuff that really bonds men together, you know.

a break for pics thru the years

so, we come to the end of the 2021 season.

troy's contract was up. joe still had a year on his fox contract and was by all accounts going to stay. he appeared on a podcast and heaped praise on troy and also didn't like thinking about him potentially not being his broadcast partner. :(

"he knows how i feel. i don't want him going anywhere." plssss

but troy decided not to renew with fox and to go to espn's monday night football. the sense i get is fox not really being willing to pay what he was worth at that point lol. and he basically just chose to put it out there into the world, "hey joe, follow me"

and very quickly after that (like i think days or weeks it truly wasnt long) ......fox decided to let joe out of his contract😭

so really it was never a question whether or not they'd go together i guess. and that quote is cute to me idk. see what i mean joe is a lil goofy but i like that.

so, for the 2022 nfl season joe and troy settled into their new home on espn. same as it ever was. <3

Awww.

and uh, that's it! that's where we are now! they're happy and in luv!

we shall end with some tweets...

[ariel-seagull-wings]

PINOCCHIO BRAZILIAN PORTUGUESE VOICE CAST

@thealmightyemprex @themousefromfantasyland @the-blue-fairie @princesssarisa

VHS CREDITS (1966 DUB)

1940 Dub :

Voice Cast :

Character's Name

Voice Actor

Pinocchio ​Pinguinho

Doraldo Gomes Thompson

Jiminy Cricket ​Grilio Falanto

Olympio "Mesquitinha" Bastos

- Singing

Paulo Tapajós

Geppetto

Baptista Júnior

​Blue Fairy Fada Azul

Zezé Fonseca

Honest John ​João Honesto

Henrique Foréis Domingues "Almirante"

Stromboli

Lisandro Sergenti

The Coachman ​Cocheiro

Edmundo Maia

Lampwick ​Pavio de Vela

Grande Othelo

Alexander ​Alexandre

Dilmar Thompson

Marionettes ​Bonecas Estrangeiras

Heloisa Helena

Technical Credits :

Occupation

Person's Name

Director Direção

Carlos Alberto Ferreira Braga "João de Barro"

Translation Tradução

Joracy Camargo Carlos Alberto Ferreira Braga "João de Barro"

Musical Director ​​Direção musical

?

Lyricist Tradução de canções

Zacarias Iaconelli

Sound Engineer ​Técnico de som

Moacyr Fenelon

Creative Supervisor ​Supervisão da dublagem

Wallace Downey Jack Cutting ​Stuart Buchanan

Mixing Studio

? - New York, USA

Dubbing Studio ​Estúdio de dublagem

Sonofilms

1966 Dub :

Character's Name

Voice Actor

Pinocchio Pinóquio

Carlos Alberto Mello

- Singing

Selma Lopes

Jiminy Cricket ​Grilo Falante

Ênio Santos

Geppetto

Luiz Motta

Blue Fairy ​Fada Azul

Selma Lopes

Honest John ​João Honesto

Magalhães Graça

Stromboli

Castro Gonzaga

Coachman Cocheiro

Orlando Drummond

Lampwick ​Espuleta

Milton Rangel Filho

Alexander Alexandre

?

Marionettes ​Bonecas Estrangeiras

Quarteto em Cy

Technical Credits :

Occupation

Person's Name

Director Direção

Telmo Perle Münch

Translation Tradução

Telmo Perle Münch

Musical Director ​Direção musical

Aloysio de Oliveira

Lyricist Tradução de canções

?

Chorus ​Coro

Quarteto em Cy ​MPB-4

Sound Engineer Técnico de som

?

Creative Supervisor Supervisão da dublagem

Eugene Armstrong

Dubbing Studio Estúdio de dublagem

Riosom S/A - Rio de Janeiro

Sources :

1940 Dub : Newspaper clippings

1966 Dub : ​2001 VHS Release Disney+

Additional information :

A Memória da Dublagem

Trivia :

Release date : 09/02/1940 (premiere of the first dubbing in Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul)

- Re-release : 07/31/1946

- Re-release (Portugal) : 12/??/1954

Premiere of the second dubbing : 12/??/1966 (Portugal), 12/25/1967 (São Paulo & Rio de Janeiro, BR)

- Re-release : 12/21/1979

- Re-release : 07/03/1988

There are two dubbings of this film. The first from 1940 and the second from 1966.

In the cinema releases, the film used the original English title (Pinocchio.) The home media releases re-titled the film (Pinóquio.)

There was a contest before the film's premiere in Brazil to win merchandise from the film. If you would like to learn more about this contest, good friend of the website Leonardo Forli has written an article on his website about it. Link

The 1940 version, along with the Latin Spanish version, were the only foreign language versions of Pinocchio to be released in 1940. This was due to World War II cutting off the European and Asian markets from the USA.

Joracy Camargo only had a short time to translate the movie. He filled the movie with humor and simple for anyone to understand (both kids and adults.) João de Barro also helped translate the script as well by changing some of the wording by Camargo.

After the dialogue was completed at Sonofilms, it was sent to an unknown studio in New York for mixing.

Edmundo Maia was incorrectly credited as Geppetto in a newspaper article. In reality, it was Baptista Júnior that voiced Geppetto. Edmundo Maia did voice the Coachman in the 1940 dub.

There are excerpts from the first dub are available on vinyl records made during the 1940s. Otherwise, the dubbing is lost.

The 1966 dub was first shown in Portugal during the Christmas season of 1966. While in Brazil, it was shown in 1967.

The 1966 dub is the most common dub and is available on all Brazilian home video releases and the first Portugal VHS release.

On the first VHS release, the 1940 technical credits were included as well as the 1966 technical credits.

Selma Lopes was uncredited as Pinocchio's singing voice in the second dubbing. She revealed that she did his singing voice here and here.

[shinigami-striker]

The End of Universal Interactive... | Thursday, 01.04.24

On this day, 30 years ago, former video game publisher, Universal Interactive Studios was founded, though they ended up consolidating into Vivendi Universal Games before they dissolved around 2008 (15 years ago), in which they merged with Activision.

Video games developed and published (down below):

1994

Jurassic Park Interactive (3DO, 05/10/94)

Way of the Warrior (3DO Interactive, 08/30/94)

1996

Crash Bandicoot (PlayStation, 09/09/96)

Disruptor (PlayStation, 11/20/96)

1997

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back (PlayStation, 11/5/97)

1998

Spyro the Dragon (PlayStation, 9/9/98)

Running Wild (PlayStation, 10/7/98)

Crash Bandicoot: Warped (PlayStation, 11/3/98)

1999

Xena: Warrior Princess (PlayStation, 10/05/99)

Crash Team Racing (PlayStation, 10/19/99)

Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage (PlayStation, 11/02/99)

2000

Spyro: Year of the Dragon (PlayStation, 10/10/00)

Crash Bash (PlayStation, 11/07/00)

2001

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex (PS2, 10/30/01)

Spyro: Season of Ice (GBA, 11/07/01)

2002

Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure (GBA, 02/26/02)

Spyro 2: Season of Flame (GBA, 09/25/02)

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly (multi-platform, 11/05/02)

2003

Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced (GBA, 01/07/03)

Spyro: Attack of the Rhynocs (GBA, 10/28/03)

Crash Nitro Kart (multi-platform, 11/11/03)

I couldn't add every game on the list unfortunately since the majority of these releases goes to both Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon.

Comment below on what's your favorite (and least favorite) published by Universal Interactive Studios.

[jotun-philosopher]

Good Omens S3 speculation playlist

These pieces have sort of drifted into becoming the soundtrack for all my wild speculations about what Season 3 might bring, acting as placeholder music until David Arnold works his Euterpean magic -- see what you think! :D

Dies Irae (Karl Jenkins Requiem (link goes to youtube playlist of the full album, 'cos it's awesome and seriously worth listening to)) -- this is far and away my favourite version of the Dies Irae; it feels particularly appropriate for GO because it's borderline bebop and sounds like something Crowley'd have playing loudly in the Bentley while driving like fury to save the world (or possibly invading Heaven to rescue his True Love) if he felt Queen wouldn't quite cut it. Plus, per this post, the four-note Dies Irae motif appears a few times in the score to S1 (appropriately enough!) -- why not try listening to the OST again and finding them all? ;D

Dancing Mad (Nobuo Uematsu FF6) -- bit of an oddball association, I know; I happened to be reading a post making jokes about Kakfa (as in Franz Kakfa) shortly after the release of S2, only I mis-parsed 'Kafka' as 'Kefka' (as in Kefka Palazzo) and was promptly deluged with mental images of the Ineffables being badass adorable together to the tune of Dancing Mad! XD Plus, I like the image of Heaven suddenly hearing the organ notes at 11:32 crescendoing in the background, and the elevator doors slamming open right when the vocal-ish bit kicks in at 11:51 to reveal a certain VERY cheesed-off serpent who's in a rescuing mood :D (He does love to be dramatic, after all ^^)

Adiemus (Karl Jenkins Symphonic Adiemus) -- I just really like this track, and it feels kind of appropriate for a moment of renewed hope and building optimism after a moment of what Tolkien called 'eucatastrophe' and TVTropes calls 'Near Villain Victory' -- something we're almost certain to get in S3

In Caelum Fero (Karl Jenkins Symphonic Adiemus) -- from the same album as Adiemus above (In Caelum Fero is the first track, actually, so I've make the link one that takes you to the start of the playlist). It sounds threatening and dramatic and hopeful by turns -- appropriate for the Apocalyptic situation that's brewing for S3 -- and the title translates from the Latin as 'I will bear you to Heaven', which matches up to The Final Fifteen in two or three different ways! ;_; (#FuckTheMetatronWithACactus)

Sanctus (Karl Jenkins The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace) -- ever since I first heard this track waay back in 2001, I've associated it with the image of hordes of angels marching to war; it certainly sounds ominous enough!

I'll Be Your Mirror (Velvet Underground) -- I got into Velvet Underground entirely because of Good Omens! I love this track in particular because it sounds so utterly perfect for one of the Ineffables trying to bolster the other's confidence (in my imagination, it's usually Crowley trying to boost Aziraphale, 'cos that poor angel's self-esteem is atrocious :( *hugs*)

Pale Blue Eyes (Velvet Underground) -- Crowley's fave VU song, I gather :D Plus, despite the title, this particular love song was apparently written for someone with hazel eyes (just like our angel!) :D

I Found A Reason (Velvet Underground) -- I can't offhand remember seeing this song mentioned in fandom discussions of VU, which seems a bit of a shame; it feels just so darn PERFECT as a summary of how the Ineffables feel about each other! <3

Edit/addition 18/02/2024:

The Dark Morris Song (Steeleye Span, Wintersmith album) -- this one's an absolute bop, is connected to Discworld (so Aziraphale would probably approve!) and is very thematically appropriate for the Ineffable Husbands; Pterry thought up the Dark Morris (danced in secrecy and silence, in black costumes, deep in the forest, to welcome the winter -- first mentioned in Reaper Man, becomes a plot point in Wintersmith) as a counterpart and counterbalance to the traditional Morris dance to welcome the summer. The whole 'balance of light and dark' thing is a big part of the Ineffables' story <3

The Good Witch (Steeleye Span, Wintersmith album) -- also a very good match for the Ineffable Husbands' vibe; the first half of the song is about a witch being good and loving and caring even if she is 'ugly' or gets tagged as 'wicked' for whatever reason (A. J. Crowley, anyone???), and the second half is the actual Terry Pratchett doing a spoken-word reading of his passage about what 'cackling' means for Discworld witches -- which matches up uncomfortably well with what the impossibly high standards Heaven imposes on Aziraphale have already done to his psyche in terms of c-PTSD and compassion fatigue, and what they might still do in the worst-case scenario...

Stranger In Paradise (Alexander Armstrong version) -- I just feel like this coincidentally matches the Vibes (tm) of bits and pieces of the Ineffable Husbands' story! "Won't you answer the fervent prayer/Of this stranger in Paradise/Don't send me in dark despair/From all that I hunger for!" -- The Final Fifteen/Ineffable Breakup, anyone? "If I stand starry-eyed/That's a danger in Paradise" -- danger of angel/demon relationships being discovered. "I saw your face/And I ascended" [...] "Somewhere in space/I am suspended/Until I know/ There's a chance that you care" -- bits of 'Before the Beginning' and The Final Fifteen! Plus, the title alone feels perfect for Azzy's feelings/situation at the end of S2... Brb, crying!

[orion-lake]

Happy New Year! I wanted to shout out “some” posts of 2022 that I really loved. I want to say thank you to all fellow gif makers to put in the time and effort to share their creations. 

Please do not feel bad if you’re not on the list. I have a running queue on my blog, so my post number per month is fairly huge. So I may just have missed your post. 

Feel free to share, and please, if you like a post, please reblog and share the love.

January 2022

Morgana Pendragon ▶ Season 3, Episode 02: “The Tears of Uther Pendragon: Part Two” - @katieskeep

YENNEFER APPRECIATION WEEK | favorite outfit - @yenvengerberg

— New Year’s Day by Taylor Swift - @antoniosvivaldi

WOLF MOON | S1E1 - @teenwolfgifs

February 2022

‘cause we never go out of style… - @jumpthensfall

HAPPY 32ND BIRTHDAY TAYLOR ALISON SWIFT - @newrcmantlcs

March 2022

the wheel of time gifset - @scinnlaece​

allison argent gifset - @bericas​

bau ladies + tarot cards - @cabotism (deactivated)

HARRY POTTER film series based on the novels by the same name (2001-2011) - @yourstarfuckerworld  (deactivated)

stiles stilinski & lydia martin TEEN WOLF (2011-2017) - @crazysjane (deactivated)

MISTY & NATALIE in Yellowjackets | Season One [insp] - @queencalanthes

April 2022

Charmed | Patty & Prue & Piper | Head Above Water - @littletonpace

NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES: The Marauders - @some-people-call-it-tragic

Man the boundaries. Protect us. Do your duty to our school. - @hermoiine

THE DORA MILAJE aka “THE ADORED ONES” - @rachelschu (deactivated)

May 2022

ALL MY GIRLS LIKE TO FIGHT. - @bericas

↳ ingrid, the snow queen - @thewildmother

hogwarts houses common rooms aes - @ostara-goddess

harry potter meme: [1/3] colours. teal - @19-17

laura’s 10k celebration (top 30 ships as voted by my followers) ✵ 21 ➳ buffy summers & spike - @katherineebishop

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (2009) dir. David Yates - @mike-mills

June 2022

i got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined - @learned-civility

the big seven + planets symbolism (insp.) - @hermiione

July 2022

doctor who appreciation week day three ☆ favorite season/era  - @benoitblanc

Taylor Swift in 2021 - @wishfulthinkinglove

AU SPUFFY - they can be a romcom if they want - - @l0veisntbrains

taylor swift gifset - @treachreous

August 2022

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - @drsattlers

↳ SCOOBY-DOO (2002) dir. Raja Gosnell - @wakandasforever

— Taylor Swift on 💜 Last Kiss 💜 - @antoniosvivaldi

September 2022

#MetalMonday | ✟ Rest in Peace ✟ (Dorothy) - @x--daughters-of-darkness--x

October 2022

TEEN WOLF APPRECIATION WEEK ☽ day one: female character(s) - @unspokenstydia

MERLINWEEK2022 | DAY 02 Favourite scene or season : season 04 (insp) - @thebookluvrr1816

#the journey - @payidaresque

MERLIN WEEK 2022 day 1: favourite character ➛ arthur pendragon + dnd character sheet (in/sp.) - @arthurpendragonns

DAILYMARVELSTUDIOS 5K CELEBRATION: FAVORITE MARVEL DYNAMIC - @dailymarvelstudios

November 2022

Bridgerton Siblings + Love Interest - @marlenadia

laura’s 11k celebration (top 40 characters as voted by my followers) ✵ 40 ➳ emma swan - @katherineebishop

Grace & Frankie + final scenes - @jakeperalta

Vampire Appreciation Week [2022] October 27th ~ Favourite Vampire/Vampire Dynamic - @sulietsexual

Bridgerton Couples + Tropes - @marlenadia

VAMPIRE APPRECIATION WEEK 2022 - day one: favorite vampire CAROLINE FORBES - The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017) - @naiey

December 2022

EDWINA & KATE SHARMA — The Sun & The Moon - @gifshistorical

WEDNESDAY CHARACTERS as TAYLOR SWIFT ALBUMS - @reputayswift

favorite non-romantic dynamic MISS EDWINA AND QUEEN CHARLOTTE - @edwinadaily

WEDNESDAY (2022) + RAINBOW - @usergif

marvel characters - @annelisters

WELL! THE PLAN HAS SOME FLAWS, ADMITTEDLY. - @phoebehalliwell

Favorite Romantic Pairing — Colin and Penelope Bridgerton - @wandarogers

WEDNESDAY: SEASON 1 (2022) - @vanessacarlysle

[nbatrades]

Charlotte Bobcats Acquire Melvin Ely and Eddie House from Los Angeles Clippers

On July 14th, 2004, the Los Angeles Clippers traded center-forward Melvin Ely and guard Eddie House to the Charlotte Bobcats for a 2005 second round draft pick (Daniel Ewing) and a 2006 second round draft pick (Paul Davis).

The 2001-02 season was a year of disappointment sprinkled in with some hope for the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite missing the playoffs for the fifth straight year, the team won 39 games, its most in nine years. With young players such as Elton Brand, Lamar Odom and Corey Maggette on the roster, the Clippers had hope to build into a legitimate playoff team.

In the 2002 offseason, the Clippers held two picks in the lottery at number eight and 12. First, the team drafted athletic power forward Chris Wilcox from the University of Maryland. Next, the team selected big man Melvin Ely from Fresno State.

A throwback big man with the ability to score in the post with either hand, Ely excelled at the college level. A two-time WAC player of the year, Ely led the Bulldogs in his senior year with 23.3 PPG and 9.1 RPG. After the draft, Ely signed the traditional rookie scale contract for four years with a team option in the last year for $7.3 million.

The Clipper had high hopes for the 2002-03 season after trading for point guard Andre Miller. The team was a disappointment dropping 12 of its first 18 games. Los Angeles fell to third-worst in the West with a 19-39 record, head coach Alvin Gentry was fired. Assistant coach Dennis Johnson took over for the rest of the season. After the coaching change, the Clippers weren't much better, finishing the year with a 27-55 record.

Ely was on the fringes of the Clippers rotation, but injuries to starters Michael Olowokandi, Elton Brand and Lamar Odom in the frontcourt opened up time for the rookie. Ely appeared in 52 games (seven starts) and tallied 4.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 0.6 BPG in 15.4 MPG.

The Clippers had somehow compiled four players on the roster who were drafted in the first round of the 1999 draft in Brand, Odom, Miller and Maggette. That meant they all would hit free agency in the summer of 2003. All four players were restricted free agents. On top of that, starting center Olowokandi and reserve Eric Piatkowski were unrestricted free agents.

It would be a key moment in the franchise's history. Los Angeles went halfway in restricted free agency. Brand and Maggette signed offer sheets of six years and $82 million, and six years and $42 million with the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz respectively. The Clippers matched both offers, keeping the two players in Los Angeles.

Miller and Odom both signed six year offer sheets with the Denver Nuggets and Heat respectively. Los Angeles declined to match the offer sheets, losing both starters. Olowokandi signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves while Piatkowski departed for the Houston Rockets.

The Clippers added Eddie House in free agency, signing the combo guard to a two-year, $1.6 million deal. In the first round of the draft, the Clippers added center Chris Kaman. On the coaching front, the Clippers hired head coach Mike Dunleavy in the offseason.

The Clippers started the 2003-04 season 4-2 after six games, but dropped nine of their next 11 games to fall to 6-11. Los Angeles was 24-30 after 54 games and the team finished the season 4-24 over the last 28 games to finish 28-54.

Ely was unhappy in his second season with the Clippers. With the departures of Olowokandi and Odom, there was hope for him to see an uptick in minutes. However, players like the rookie Kaman and fellow 2002 pick Wilcox received more playing time under coach Dunleavy.

The former Fresno State college player hoped to be traded at the deadline but that never happened. Near the end of the regular season, Ely expressed interest in being selected by incoming NBA team the Charlotte Bobcats in the expansion draft. But really, Ely just wanted to join a team where he could receive regular rotation minutes.

"I just want to play, so if that means going to another team, that's what I want to do. Obviously, I'm not a fit here. God willing, I could be somewhere else next season, start everything brand new ... and just try to get onto the court by any means necessary."

Overall, Ely saw action in just 42 games (two starts) with the Clippers and put up 3.7 PPG, 2.4 RPG and 0.5 APG in 12.1 MPG.

House was in a similar role to his previous stop with the Miami Heat. Mainly a reserve, House played in 60 games and made 10 starts. The guard posted 6.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.1 SPG in 19.8 MPG.

Ely's request for a trade didn't work out the exact way he had expected. The Bobcats were interested in taking Ely in the expansion draft, but the Clippers kept him on their list of protected players.

Instead, the Clippers worked out a deal where reserve center Peja Drobnjak was selected by the Bobcats in the expansion draft. Charlotte moved up to the second spot—drafting Emeka Okafor—of the draft while the Clippers moved down to number four—taking guard Shaun Livingston. As part of this arrangement the Clippers also received the 33rd pick in the draft.

Ely eventually got his wish as the Clippers sent him and House to the expansion Bobcats for two future second round picks in 2005 and 2006.

The primary motivation for Los Angeles was to free up cap space to make a run at Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant who entered free agency in the summer of 2004. The Clippers were considered a legitimate threat at signing Bryant because of his interest in staying in the Los Angeles area.

Ely was owed $1.7 million for the 2004-05 season and House's was $825,000. offloading those two salaries cleared a max cap slot for the Clippers to make a run at Bryant which turned out to be unsuccessful. The star guard returned to the Lakers.

Melvin Ely and Eddie House joined the expansion Bobcats after being cast off from the Los Angeles Clippers. Ely played in Summer League for the Bobcats in Salt Lake City. In six games, he contributed 11.7 PPG on 50% shooting and 4.8 RPG in 21.8 MPG.

The Bobcats were bad early on, starting their inaugural season 1-8. The club was just 8-31 after 39 games. Charlotte finished the season 18-64, tied for the second-worst record in the NBA.

House was waived in early December by the Bobcats as the club made room to acquire guard Kareem Rush from the Los Angeles Lakers. He later signed during the season with the Milwaukee Bucks. House played in 13 games (five starts) with Charlotte, compiling 11.1 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.8 APG and 1.8 SPG in 23.1 MPG.

Ely saw a boost in playing time with the Bobcats, playing in 79 games (17 starts) and recording 7.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.0 APG and 0.9 BPG in 20.9 MPG.

After the 2004-05 season, the Bobcats drafted point guard Raymond Felton fifth overall and power forward Sean May in the 13th spot of the draft. Charlotte began the 2005-06 season 5-17 which set the tone for another losing season. Charlotte was 26-56 which was an eight-win increase from the previous year.

Ely continued to grow his game as he tallied a career-high 9.8 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.3 APG and 23.6 MPG along with 0.5 SPG and 0.8 BPG during the ‘05-‘06 season. The big man flashed his post up skill on offense to the tune of 30 double digit scoring games in 57 appearances.

Charlotte had the third selection in the 2006 NBA Draft which it used to select Gonzaga University standout Adam Morrison. Ely entered restricted free agency during the 2006 offseason. The post up aficionado reportedly turned down potential sign-and trade offers from the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. Instead, he signed a one year and $3 million qualifying offer deal with the Bobcats.. 

Due to poor defense and rebounding, Ely lost his place in the rotation to players like Emeka Okafor and Sean May. The dramatic decrease in minutes caused Ely to request a trade. Ely was producing just 2.9 PPG and 1.6 RPG in just 10.2 MPG, through 24 games before he was traded to the San Antonio Spurs. The numbers were a career-low for him.

Ely averaged 7.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.0 APG and 0.7 BPG in two and a half years with Charlotte. The big man shot 46% from the field and 62% from the free-throw line in that time in the 160 career games he played with the Bobcats.

The two second rounders the Clippers acquired from Charlotte were juicy. Since the Bobcats were expected to be bad, both second rounders could be in the early 30s.

That happened right away in the 2005 draft. Since Charlotte was tied for the second-worst record in the NBA, the pick it sent to the Clippers was 32nd in the draft. Los Angeles used the pick on guard Daniel Ewing from Duke. Ewing was a productive starter for a quality Blue Devils program, but there were questions about his lack of size, suspect shooting and point guard skills.

The Clippers signed Ewing to a three-year, $1.8 million contract. An undersized combo guard, Ewing played for the Clippers' Summer League team in Las Vegas, recording 8.0 PPG on 37.1% shooting, 2.6 RPG and 1.6 APG in five games.

Los Angeles began the 2005-06 season 5-1 and was 9-2 after 11 games. The winning continued at an unprecedented rate for the franchise's modern history. Los Angeles held the fifth-best record in the Western Conference at 47-35.

The Clippers made the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season, and it was the club's highest win total since 1974-75 when the team went 49-33. The franchise was the Buffalo Braves at that time and played in the Eastern Conference. Ewing played in 66 games in his rookie season, averaging, 14.7 MPG, 3.8 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 1.3 APG and 0.6 SPG in 14.7 MPG.

NBA playoff seeding rules at the time stated that division winners in each conference take the top three seed. Due to that rule, the Clippers were the sixth seed in the Western Conference despite having the fifth-best record in the conference.

The Clippers faced the third-seed Denver Nuggets. Denver was 44-38 and had a worse record than Los Angeles but was the third seed because it won the Northwest Division. Since Los Angeles had the better record, it held homecourt advantage in the first round.

The Clippers had a 16-point lead late in the third quarter of Game One. Denver tied the score at 87 after an Andre Miller layup with 1:08 left in the fourth quarter. The Clippers scored two after Vladimir Radmanovic was fouled and made free throws with 59.8 seconds left.

Elton Brand blocked Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony and Radmanovic was whistled for an offensive foul on a drive. Anthony missed two different shots that would've tied the game and the Clippers held on for the two-point win.

The Clippers led by as much as 25 points in the first half of Game Two and held on for a 98-87 victory. The Nuggets won the third game Anthony scored 24 points. In the fourth game, seven Clippers reached double figures and Los Angeles won 100-86. The Clippers closed out the series in Game Five with a 101-83 blowout victory.

Los Angeles matched up with the Phoenix Suns in the second round. Brand starred with 40 points, but Phoenix had four players score at least 17 in a 130-123 win. The Clippers used a 19-5 offensive rebounding advantage and a 31-6 edge in second chance points to take Game Two 122-97 victory.

In response to great play from Clippers guard Sam Cassell (25.5 PPG), the Suns had 6-foot-8 forward Shawn Marion primarily guard Cassell instead of the 6-foot-3 Nash. Marion helped limit Cassell to 2-for-10 shooting as the Suns took back homecourt advantage with a 94-91 Suns win in Game Three.

In Game Four, the Clippers led for most of the contest. Cassell hit a three-pointer with 27.2 seconds left to give them a six-point lead. They ended up taking the game 114-107 and tying the series 2-2.

Game Five was one of the best games of the 2006 postseason. Los Angeles trailed by 19 points early on but stormed back. With 39.2 seconds left and the Clippers down by three, Cassell knocked down a corner three to tie the game. Neither team scored again in regulation, forcing free basketball.

Los Angeles took a three-point lead with 3.6 seconds left in overtime after Cassell hit two free throws. Phoenix tied it after Raja Bell hit a corner three over a recently subbed in Ewing with 1.1 seconds left.

The Clippers turned it over on their subsequent inbounds play, and Marion missed a heave at the buzzer. The second overtime saw Marion and Leandro Barbosa scored 11 of Phoenix’s 14 points in the second overtime as the Suns outlasted the Clippers 125-118.

The decision by coach Dunleavy to sub in the rookie Ewing for Bell's three-pointer was heavily criticized after the loss. The team had one foul to give on the play and its original plan was to foul before anyone on Phoenix could get a shot off.

The Clippers took out Cassell, Brand and center Chris Kaman and had five perimeter players on the floor to switch and guard the three-point line. Ewing for his part said he intended to foul but didn't because he didn't want to foul Bell on a shot attempt creating free-throws (via ESPN):

"He caught the ball in the corner and turned and shot. I did the best I could, put pressure on the shooter. It was a good play for them and a bad break for us. It was judgment call. He made a tough shot. We have to live with it."

Brand had 30 points and 12 rebounds to help lead the Clippers to a 118-106 Game Six win and tie the series 3-3. The series finale saw Nash score 29 points and hand out 11 assists to lead Phoenix to a Game Seven 127-107 blowout victory.

Though Ewing is remembered for being on the floor for one of the Clippers' most significant playoff moments, he appeared in just six of the team's 12 games for a total of five minutes. The guard scored two points in the postseason.

In the 2006 offseason, Cassell re-signed with Los Angeles on a two-year, $13 million deal. In the draft, the Clippers filled a need in the frontcourt, adding 6-foot-11 center Paul Davis from Michigan State. A four-year player in college, Davis averaged 17.5 PPG and 9.1 RPG with the Spartans in his senior year.

Ewing played in Summer League for a second consecutive season with the Clippers. In five games, the guard averaged 31.6 MPG, 14.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.0 APG and 1.6 SPG.

The 2006-07 season would be a rollercoaster ride for the Clippers. Expected to compete for a playoff spot, Los Angeles began the season 5-1 but soon dropped six of seven to fall to 6-7. A six-game losing streak dropped the team to 10-15 in December and a 7-1 stretch in January got the team to 24-22.

Injuries to point guards Sam Cassell and Shaun Livingston played a large part in the team's struggles all year. After 74 games, Los Angeles was in eighth place in the West with a 37-37 record. A 3-5 stretch in the last five games dropped the Clippers to 40-42. Los Angeles finished two games behind the seventh place Golden State Warriors and eighth place Los Angeles Lakers who both finished 42-40.

Ewing made appearances in 61 games in his second season and put up 2.9 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 1.5 APG and 0.5 SPG in 11.7 MPG. Ewing struggled to fill in at point guard with Cassell and Livingston out with injury as he felt more comfortable as a two-guard. Davis had a small role in his rookie season. The 6-foot-11 forward saw action in 31 games and amassed 1.6 PPG and 1.4 RPG in 5.8 MPG.

In the 2007 offseason, the Clippers waived Ewing. He ended his two-year run in Los Angeles with a stat line of 3.4 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 1.4 APG and 0.5 SPG in 127 games. The former Blue Devil shot 39% from the field, 32% from the three-point line and 78% from the free-throw line in two years. Ewing signed a two-year deal overseas to play with Khimki of the Russian League.

Davis played in Summer League with the Clippers in 2007. In Las Vegas, Davis started all five games, producing 12.6 PPG on 44% shooting and 8.0 RPG in 25.1 MPG.

Los Angeles' hopes for fielding a playoff team for the 2007-08 season were dashed before the start of the season. Brand ruptured his left achilles tendon during a routine offseason workout. The two-time All-Star would miss all but the last eight games of the season.

Los Angeles won its first four games but dropped 23 of the next 29 games. to fall to 10-23. The Clippers started a retooling, agreeing to a buyout arrangement with veteran starter Sam Cassell at midseason. After reaching 19-33, the Clippers went 4-26 over the final 30 games to finish the year 23-59.

In early January of 2008, Davis tore the ACL and lateral meniscus in his right knee during a game against the Dallas Mavericks. The injury required surgery and ended his season abruptly. Davis averaged 2.5 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.5 APG and 8.8 MPG in 22 games.

In the 2008 offseason, Los Angeles underwent significant changes. The team was able to sign All-Star point guard Baron Davis, but lost Brand and Maggette to the Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors respectively.

In response to losing Brand, the Clippers traded for former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby in a deal with the Denver Nuggets. The Clippers renounced their rights to Paul Davis, but later signed the big man to a contract.

Los Angeles began the 2008-09 season just 1-9. The team made a significant early-season deal, acquiring power forward Zach Randolph and guard Mardy Collins from the New York Knicks for forward Tim Thomas and guard Cuttino Mobley.

The losing continued as Los Angeles was 8-25 when it waived Davis along with guard Fred Jones in early 2009 to make room for recently acquired center Cheikh Samb. In 27 games, Davis was averaging 4.0 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 11.5 MPG. Over the course of three seasons, Davis appeared in 80 games with the Clippers, posting 2.2 PPG and 2.0 RPG. The big man shot 40% from the field and 74% from the charity stripe.

Melvin Ely on being eager to join the Bobcats (via LA Times):

"This is a great feeling to start all over with a brand-new team. I'm just happy that I can start with a new team and a new coach and a clean slate and finally show people that it wasn't a fluke that I was picked 12th and that I can go in there and help the new team out."

On the strengths in his game (via Bobcats.com):

"I'm a low-post presence, defensively and offensively, and that's something that every team needs. I'm hoping to add along with (Emeka) Okafor and all the other guys that have been there."

Eddie House on arriving in Charlotte (via Bobcats.com):

"I'm just happy to get the opportunity to come to a new team with a new start and a new beginning and try to start something good there. It's also a great opportunity for me to come in and show that I can play this game."

On how he feels he is best used:

"I just want to get on the court and play basketball. I'm a basketball player. It doesn't matter what position I'm at, I feel like I could have a positive effect on the game for my squad. If asked to run the one, I could do that. "I have definitely gotten better over the years. People don't know if I'm a one or a two. My answer since I came to the league is that I'm a basketball player. Once I get out on the court, that's what I do. I play hard."

On whether his jump shot is the best part of his game:

"Yes, I see that as my strong point. I think also the energy I bring to the floor. I energize the team. I get my teammates going and also get the crowd into it at the same time."

Charlotte Bobcats general manager and head coach Bernie Bickerstaff on adding Ely and House (via Bobcats.com):

"Adding these two players complements the make-up of our team very well. We now have six players that are 6-9 or taller for a nice rotation in the center and power forward positions and we have solidified our point guard position, as well."

On Melvin Ely:

"Melvin Ely is someone who commands respect in the low post on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. He is an old-school type of player who is physically tough. He can conceivably play multiple positions in the frontcourt, at both center and forward, and can attract double-teams in the post."

On Eddie House:

"Eddie House has the ability to be an outside shooting threat and will give us another scorer. Another thing I like about him is his versatility to play some point guard and off-guard."

On what the trade gives Charlotte (via Bobcats.com):

"The trade gives us another guy at 6’10 who was the 12th pick in the draft. The point is that he is a guy who can command respect on the low block. Kind of the old-school game, because I know people will have to double-team him. I think he’ll do a good job with rebounding. We feel comfortable with that. I think he matches up with a lot of the bigs we have and he and Emeka (Okafor) could play together. "In talking to Eddie House, I asked him about the point guard situation, he was telling me 'you know coach, sometimes they want me to play point guard, when I started to play point guard they'd pull me off and have me play the two.' My message to him was 'we just want you to come in and play basketball. Be yourself. That's how you excel.' There are things that we can do offensively when he's in the game that exemplify and are conducive to a good game."

On receiving Ely who was the 12th overall draft pick from 2002:

"Well, I'm just happy we got him. I can't speak for other people, but I'm certainly appreciative. Timing is everything. We were in the right place at the right time. There were some other offers from teams who had an interest in this young man, but we just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

On the deal’s effect on the Clippers salary cap room:

"They're in the Kobe Derby. This deal they tried to consummate at 12:01 a.m., but it didn't happen. But they probably want to make their move on Kobe. We certainly wish them well. They've been nice to us."

Los Angeles Clippers vice president of basketball operations Elgin Baylor on how the trade creates cap flexibility (via Clippers.com):

"We began discussions on this transaction in early July, with the goal of creating salary cap flexibility which would allow us to take advantage of any potential opportunities."

Image Credit:

Melvin Ely via UPI/Nell Redmond

Eddie House via Getty Images/Kent Smith

[emcscared-whumps]

WiJ 2023 - 04: Share Whumperflies Media

WiJ 2023 Navigation Post

A Show/Movie/Book/Series that Gives Me Whumperflies

Honestly? I'm far too picky about whumpees and I don't consume all that much media (especially not these days since i have my own purpose-built character who is capable of hitting just about EVERYTHING I like) to have many items to rave about ^-^'

HOWEVER.

That does not mean that there is nothing :)

I'll go right back to the start, in fact (in rough order)... just keep in mind that I don't watch for whump, and these aren't whump recommendations except for one lmao, they're just what have managed to give me whumperflies in the past.

Cybergirl (2001-02)

An Australian sci-fi superhero T.V. series that was airing in the morning when I was a young kid, maybe 6 or 7, back before I understood how T.V. scheduling worked lol. I don't often get whumperflies from media, but I think this time, I did, and it's actually my earliest memory of whumperflies.

Cy ended up trapped in a Big Fancy House by the Big Bad, Rhyss. It's been many years since I last re-watched the show so I don't remember a whole lot except there was a lot of urgency and a zappy barrier that Cy couldn't pass through, and I definitely got some kind of feeling about that :)

The writing was very average, not very substantial for an older viewer, but it was excellent for a kids' show. There was so much lore that just never got expanded on, and it didn't go particularly hard with the whump :')

H2O Just Add Water (2006-10)

To no one's surprise, I ADORED this series as a kid. My obsession with mer had just started, and honestly, this shit FED ME. This was another Australian show that I watched when I was fairly young (again, 6-7 and onward), but I don't recall watching it when it aired. I instead had a collection of DVDs.

The girls and co got into some pretty interesting hijinks while trying to guard their fishy little secrets, but shit got REAL in season 6 when a marine biologist coworker of the friend of the girls' Lewis managed to leave a sample of their skin/scale in the lab... OOPS.

You can guess where that lead-- the scientist trying to track down the owner of the magic scale that could turn back into skin (somehow lmao, ~magic~), and she eventually trapped the girls in their little grotto with a gate that she had installed at the underwater entrance of their grotto spot on Mako Island.

Here's where I mention that I did not actually get whumperflies from this lmao, but it was a close one (the scientist didn't go far enough lmao). That's okay though :) One self indulgent decision just under 10 years later sure fixed that :))

Vampire Knight Anime (2008, English Dub aired in Aus in 2011)

The whole show. Every episode. I'm not even kidding. (Well, just about every episode lol, there was maybe only one where I didn't). As many problems as I have with the series, (mainly that every time I see Yuuki or hear her voice I want to strangle her), Zero was just so. fucking. scrunchy-- almost the perfect whumpee ^-^ And the English voice actor does such a glorious job of voicing Zero's pain, the whole series is ABSOLUTELY worth enduring Yuuki's stupidity.

Iirc, my favourite episode was Crimson Chains-- full of spoilers, a lot of plot bits come together at that point, so I can't say much other than that Zero's lost his shit and has a whole big scene where he writhes and pants on the floor with the agony of his hunger. I am convinced the author ALSO liked that XD

I would sit at night and watch that episode over and over and over because man, those whumperflies were something else, super intense, 11/10 lmao

Doctor Who (1963-present)

Nine had that one episode where he got caught by some collector dude and tortured to figure out what made him tick, or rather that he had TWO hearts that made him tick... Fun times, that DEFINITELY gave me whumperflies and had me furtively returning to the episode to keep watching that scene.

A lot of Ten's run had me by the throat, most memorably his regeneration at the start of his run, and his regeneration at the end directly after an hour (approximately) of whump was. AMAZING. I kept coming back to the start and end 😅

There were a couple more times I got whumperflies throughout his run. The main episodes that come to mind are Midnight, set on the planet of sapphires and lethal radiation, and 42, involving a spaceship hurtling toward a sun.

There was only one more whumpy instance, and that was that one movie they made. I forget who, when... EVERYTHING except the dude that played looked like Gene Wilder and it took place on NYE of the new millenium. It was another shitfight with The Master. ANYWAY. The whumperflies were at the START of the movie when The Doctor wasn't doing so well, I think he got shot?? And then rushed to the hospital, all while trying to avoid that and trying to communicate that they'll kill him

Supernatural (2005-20)

Ok. This one is weird in two ways. I forget which episode it was, but it was season 2 where Sam and Dean were trying to kick a group of vampires out of a town, but they were actually cool/chill vampires...?

Or at least some of them were...

ANYWAY.

This other hunter had this vampire chic tied to a chair baaaasically torturing her...? Memory's a bit foggy on what exactly what they were doing (the brainworms wouldn't stop wriggling about AUs), but I got these itty bitty whumperflies from that vampire lady getting hurt. That was weird because 1) I've only had whumperflies off the ladies once before watching Cybergirl which was SO long ago, and 2) I never have had them from watching a side-character, I usually have to be emotionally invested.

Weird right?? Absolutely wild though!

Anyway, that's pretty much everything, even though I've seen and read a fair few things lol, hope you enjoyed my rambling!

[beewantstotalk]

Hugo Awarded Books:

1. T.H.White - The Sword in The Stone(1939)(3/02/23)

2. A.E. van Vogt - Slan(1941)

3. Robert A. Heinlein - Beyond This Horizon(1943)(21/06/23)

4. Fritz Leiber - Conjure Wife(1944)(30/06/23)

5. Leigh Brackett - Shadow Over Mars(1945)(19/05/23)

6. Isaac Asimov - The Mule(1946)

7. Robert A. Heinlein - Farmer in The Sky(1951)(30/01/23)

8. Alfred Bester - The Demolished Man(1953)

9. Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451(1954)

10. Mark Clifton - They'd Rather Be Right(1955)

11. Robert A. Heinlein - Double Star(1956)

12. Fritz Leiber - The Big Time(1958)

13. James Blish - A Case of Conscience(1959)

14. Robert A. Heinlein - Starship Troopers(1960)

15. Walter M. Miller, Jr. - A Canticle for Leibowitz(1961)

16. Robert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land(1962)

17. Philip K. Dick - The Man in The High Castle(1963)

18. Clifford D. Simak - Here Gather the Stars(Way Station)(1964)

19. Fritz Leiber - The Wanderer(1965)

20. Frank Herbert - Dune(1966)

21. Robert A. Heinlein - The Moon is a Harsh Mistress(1967)

22. Roger Zelazny - Lord of Light(1968)

23. John Brunner - Stand on Zanzibar(1969)

24. Ursula K. Le Guin - The Left Hand of Darkness(1970)

25. Larry Niven - Ringworld(1971)

26. Philip José Farmer - To Your Scattered Bodies Go(1972)

27. Isaac Asimov - The Gods Themselves(1973)

28. Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama(1974)

29. Ursula K. Le Guin - The Dispossessed(1975)

30. Joe Haldeman - The Forever War(1976)

31. Kate Wilhelm - Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang(1977)

32. Frederik Pohl - Gateway(1978)

33. Vonda N. McIntyre - Dreamsnake(1979)

34. Arthur C. Clarke - The Fountains of Paradise(1980)

35. Joan D. Vinge - The Snow Queen(1981)

36. C. J. Cherryh - Downbelow Station(1982)

37. Isaac Asimov - Foundation's Edge(1983)

38. David Brin - Startide Rising(1984)

39. William Gibson - Neuromancer(1985)

40. Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game(1986)

41. Orson Scott Card - Speaker for the Dead(1987)

42. David Brin - The Uplift War(1988)

43. C. J. Cherryh - Cyteen(1989)

44. Dan Simmons - Hyperion(1990)

45. Lois McMaster Bujold - The Vor Game(1991)

46. Lois McMaster Bujold - Barrayar(1992)

47. Vernor Vinge - A Fire Upon the Deep(1993)

48. Connie Willis - Doomsday Book(1993)

49. Kim Stanley Robinson - Green Mars(1994)

50. Lois McMaster Bujold - Mirror Dance(1995)

51. Neal Stephenson - The Diamond Age(1996)

52. Kim Stanley Robinson - Blue Mars(1997)

53. Joe Haldeman - Forever Peace(1998)

54. Connie Willis - To Say Nothing to the Dog(1999)

55. Vernor Vinge - A Deepness in The Sky(2000)

56. J.K.Rowling - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire(2001)

57. Neil Gaiman - American Gods(2002)

58. Robert J. Sawyer - Hominids(2003)

59. Lois McMaster Bujold - Paladin of Souls(2004)

60. Susanna Clarke - Jonathan Strange and Mr.Norrell(2005)

61. Robert Charles Wilson - Spin(2006)

62. Vernor Vinge - Rainbows End(2007)

63. Michael Chabon - The Yiddish Policemen's Union(2008)

64. Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book(2009)

65. Paolo Bacigalupi - The Windup Girl(2010)

66. China Miéville - The City & the City(2010)

67. Connie Willis - Blackout/All Clear(2011)

68. Jo Walton - Among Others(2012)

69. John Skalzi - Redshirts(2013)

70. Ann Leckie - Ancillary Justice(2014)

71. Cixin Liu - The Three-Body Problem(2015)

72. N.K.Jemisin - The Fifth Season(2016)

73. N.K.Jemisin - The Obelisk Gate(2017)

74. N.K.Jemisin - The Stone Sky(2018)

75. Mary Robinette Kowal - The Calculating Stars(2019)

76. Arkady Martine - A Memory Called Empire(2020)

77. Martha Wells - Network Effect(2021)

78. Arkady Martine - A Desolation Called Peace(2022)

[sportswriterdad]

Ranking the best Red Sox third basemen in my lifetime

This is part one of a multipart series looking at the best Red Sox players at each position since the mid-1970s, as determined by me. (Two notes: One, you had to be the starter at that position for the bulk of the season to qualify for inclusion. And two, we ranked players by numbers, as well as my own personal set of intangibles.) We start with third base.

17. Glenn Hoffman (1980): One of a couple of guys who was shoehorned into the post-Hobson, pre-Boggs era. A utilityman who ended up taking the majority of reps in a year where it was third baseman-by-committee (Butch Hobson, Larry Wolfe, and Stan Papi also started games at third for the Sox that year), he went 4-42-.285 in 1980 and made 17 errors. (If that sounds like a lot, consider the fact that Hobson made 16 errors in 120 fewer chances. Yikes.)

16. Pablo Sandoval (2015-16): I wanted this to work so baldy — I loved Sandoval when he was with the Giants — but this was, without a doubt, one of the worst deals in recent memory.

15. Wilton Veras (2000): I’ll be honest … I had completely forgotten about Veras, who hit .244 in 49 games for the 2000 Red Sox. I also didn’t know he continued to play baseball for another 10 years after leaving Boston at the end of the 2000 season, spending time in Mexico and China. That’s a dude who loves baseball.

14. Scott Cooper (1993-94): The poor sap who had to follow Boggs after he departed for New York. Was a mostly dependable presence who made the All-Star team both years he was the started for Boston (if only because they didn’t have a lot of All-Star worthy players in that stretch), and went 13-53-.282 in 104 games in 1994. Wikipedia says he became a youth baseball coach and part-owner of a baseball facility after he retired. Good for him.

13. Shea Hillenbrand (2001-02): Daniel Nava for a new generation. A really pleasant surprise when he started as a rookie, he sort of came out of nowhere and won the job with a strong camp in 2001. He finished with 30 homers combined in his first two seasons, and while he was an adventure defensively, he appeared to be a part of a team that was building toward greatness at the start of 2003. But Boston acquired Bill Mueller, and that was pretty much that — he was traded to Arizona for Byung-hyun Kim in early 2003. In all, he played two-plus years and had 33 homers, 170 RBI and a .284 batting average. Pretty good. (I fell down a Hillenbrand rabbit hole, and it’s easy to forget he had a really rocky ride after leaving the Sox, including one incident in Toronto where he angered the manager so much he threatened to punch Hillenbrand in the mouth.)

12. Tim Naehring (1995-97): A perfectly respectable ballplayer who saw time at multiple spots before becoming the everyday third baseman in 1995, he played good defense and hit consistently enough. He just couldn’t stay healthy at all; backs, knee, and shoulder issues really derailed what could have been a nice career. The one year he played more than 120 games was 1995, when he finished with 10 homers, 57 RBI and a .307 average. (He also went 4-for-13 with a homer in the ALDS loss to Cleveland.)

11. Carney Lansford (1981-82): A personal favorite because he wore glasses. (I also had glasses as a kid.) Would have been higher on this list if he had stayed in Boston longer, but among his two-year accomplishments was the 1981 AL batting title, a .338 average, and a sixth-place finish in AL MVP voting that season. Sent to Oakland in a package for Tony Armas after it was clear Boggs could hit big-league pitching.

10. Will Middlebrooks (2013-14): You guys probably all know Middlebrooks’ info — solid, workmanlike third baseman who wasn’t much of a hitter (.237 average and 43 homers in two-plus years in Boston), so I’m going to tell you a personal story:

Between the 2012 and 2013 baseball seasons, we went to a fundraiser in the Boston area at the house of a friend. There were people donating to youth sports programs, and one of them had gotten Middlebrooks to show up, do some glad-handing, sign baseballs, that sorta thing. The guy was as great a guy as you would have hoped. My seven-year-old son — some readers know him as The Kid — wore his Middlebrooks t-shirt, and he talked to him, took pictures, signed a baseball. Just fantastic. Flash forward a few months and we are at Fenway’s Winter Weekend. Middlebrooks is there, and in the middle of a clubhouse tour, he comes over and says hi to my son. “Hey buddy, I remember you.” Made his month.

Needless to say, we remain Middlebrooks fans’ to this day. And that’s why we have him in our Top 10.

9. John Valentin (1998-1999): Bumped over to third with the arrival of Nomar (which he was not a fan of, initially, if you recall), he was likely the best third Red Sox third baseman of the post-Boggs, pre-Mueller era. In the end, he was probably underrated statistically — he had a really impressive 1995-99, and led the league in doubles in 1997 (47) while hitting .306 with 18 homers. Fell off the face of the earth after that 1999 postseason, where he driven 12 runs in the ALDS against Cleveland, and hit .348 in the ALCS against the Yankees. But like Rico Petrocelli (twenty-plus years later), he’ll probably be remembered as a better shortstop than a third baseman.

8. Rico Petrocelli (1975): A shortstop by trade, he spent year at third at the end of his Boston career, a stopgap before Hobson was ready for the bigs. Great shortstop, OK third baseman for one of all-time favorite teams. Let the record show he hit .308 in the 1975 World Series.

7. Butch Hobson (1976-79): I grew up on the mid-70s Sox, so I have a soft spot for Hobson. Love the fact that he hit 30 homers out of the No. 9 hole for the 1977 Crunch Bunch, and added 28 homers in 1979. But he played third base like an SEC quarterback ... which is to say that everyone was thrilled when his completion percentage (to first) was better than 60 percent. If he was a better defensive third baseman (in 1978, he committed 43 errors and had a fielding percentage below .900), he’d be a little higher on this list.

6. Kevin Youkilis (2011-12): It felt like Youkilis was around for years, and while he was in Boston for an awful long time (2004-2011, with a brief return in 2012), in truth, he was the starting third baseman for the better part of two seasons. He only played 100 games at third more than once, 2011. That surprises me a bit.  Anyway, he was every bit the Billy Beane fever dream of an offensive player you recall — including a 2008-10 where he raked, finishing with an OPS of .958 or better in all three years and a third-place finish in the MVP voting (2008). But his totals dropped off a bit after he permanently inherited the third baseman’s job after Beltre left. That’s one of the reasons we have him a little lower than you might expect on this list.

5. Bill Mueller (2003-05): Another third baseman who won a batting title, he of course gets a free pass in Boston for the rest of his life because he singled off Mariano Rivera in the bottom of the ninth in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. If he retired right after that, he’d still be able to walk into any bar in the 617 area code and have someone buy him a drink. I remember him homering off Mariano Rivera that July while I was driving down the Southeast Expressway on the way to Cape Cod and pounding on the steering wheel like a madman.

4. Mike Lowell (2006-09): One of the great complementary players of his era, Lowell was to that Red Sox team what Patrice Bergeron has been to the Bruins for the bulk of his career; not quite a superstar, but the sort of guy you need if you’re going to be a championship-driven squad. A pro’s pro. The throw-in in the Beckett-for-Hanley trade, he was the starting third baseman for four seasons, but in his five years in Boston, he was as steady as they come; 80 homers, 374 RBI, 290 BA, and a consistent glove. And who remembered that he was also fifth in the 2007 AL MVP voting. Injuries and Beltre’s presence cut into his playing time in 2010, and he ended up retiring at the end of the 2010 season.

3. Adrian Beltre (2010): Is this the single best one-and-done in Red Sox history? Beltre and Nick Esasky are on the short list. This was prime Beltre, a chapter in what became a Hall of Fame career: 154 games, 49 doubles, 28 homers, 102 RBI. He was an All-Star and was ninth in the MVP voting. (That 2010 team was a weird collection of stopover talent, including Beltre, Victor Martinez, and Mike Cameron.) In an alternate universe, Beltre stays in Boston instead of spending the final eight years in Texas, ends up hitting 600 career homers, and we’re talking about him as one of the best players in franchise history.

2. Rafael Devers (2017-present): The only reason why he’s ahead of Beltre is because there’s unlimited potential there, as opposed to the one year Beltre was in New England. When he barrels up, the sound of the ball coming off the bat is so pure. He hits the ball like it owes him money. He stings as consistently as anyone I can recall. The best possible comparison in my mind is Jim Thome, another lefty who seemingly never had a soft liner. Sure, there’s some recency bias here, but you look at his 2019-2021 — and the fact that he averaged 27 homers, 90 RBI, 36 doubles and 263 total bases those three years, to go along with an OPS of .916 in 2019 and .890 in 2021 — and you have to remind yourself that he did that before the age of 25. The mind reels at what he might be able to eventually accomplish.

1. Wade Boggs (1983-1992): Not a personal fan — anyone who went from Boston to New York the way that he did … eh. But you can’t discount the fact that he was one of the greatest hitters of his generation, and a guy who made himself into a very good defensive third baseman. In the end, he checked every box.