Triple Threat: NBA, The Voice and American Idol

Thank you, Haley for the awesome performances!

 May Sweeps is ending soon but I have not watched the finales of a lot of shows yet (“American Idol” and “Glee” have yet to release their season-enders). Thus, I will reserve the ultimate TV series blog for next week (at the very least…I write and publish blogs slowly these days). As we await all regular TV shows to end, it is time to discuss the weekly buzz on three shows – namely, the ones on the title. Number Three was pretty much special last week for me.

NBA Playoffs and Lottery

Third Round of the NBA Playoffs. It was quite ironic because basketball has been intense, exciting and interesting despite the fact that the usual suspects are not anymore playing (LA Lakers, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic). The coincidental thing is that his year’s playoffs has parallelisms to the 2006 playoffs. Both were intense (even in the early rounds). Both playoffs showcased the blossoming of the young blood (2006: LeBron’s Cavs, Wade’s Heat; 2011: Durant’s Thunder, Rose’s Bulls). Lastly, we might end up with a highly likely Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks grand final matchup. If that happens, we will see Chicago falling to third place just like the Chicago Bears and Chicago native Haley Reinhart.

Credit: NBA

The series maybe tied on the Chicago-Miami matchup but I think that it puts the Bulls in a major disadvantage. Losing homecourt advantage early is normal, however it is difficult if the team that loses it is the younger team. I still have high hopes for the Bulls though. They did not unleash their all early in the playoffs. If they hit their stride soon, they are peaking at the right time. The 2008 Boston Celtics were in a much harder position by this time then (they lost homecourt advantage to the experienced Detroit Pistons). The result: they won. Unless you are a powerhouse team, it is better to face challenges in the early rounds so that you have corrected them when the critical rounds begin. Chicago lives on defense so it is not concerning that they lost Game 2.

Defense wins championships, but the Bulls have the X-factor that winning teams have – team chemistry. And by this, we talk about the Oklahoma City Thunder.

At first look, the Oklahoma City is set up to have top-notch chemistry. Sam Presti is that brilliant. You have an alpha dog (Kevin Durant), sidekick (Russell Westbrook), role player/offensive/defensive guy (James Harden), a defensive center who does not care if he scores (Kendrick Perkins) and a mobile power forward who is great defensively and can provide some points (Serge Ibaka). I did not appreciate their bench until Game 2. They do have a good ragtag bunch there. Nick Collison is a hard-nosed defender. Eric Maynor is a serviceable guard who can run the offense if needed. However, they are still down 1-2 in their series. What went wrong?

Two words: Russell Westbrook. Mr. Sidekick wanted to be Alpha Dog #2. I know that this has been going for quite a while during the regular season. I have watched Westbrook carry the Thunder on a comeback win against the Denver Nuggets. The kid has killer instinct. The problem is, he does not excel in all aspects (I still doubt his long range bombing). The problem is, he is not the team’s alpha dog. Lastly, he is their freaking ball distributor. I have no huge concerns when point guards take over games. My favorite team – Utah Jazz – had to rely on John Stockton and Deron Williams during crunchtimes because Malone and Boozer were not adept in clutch moments. However, they rarely force situations. They are well-known passers so their opponents are aware that they have the propensity to pass. And, they did. When I watched Oklahoma City falter recently, they struggled because Russell Westbrook ball hogged.

The Thunder's Batman and Robin combo

If you actually evaluate Russell Westbrook’s game, he is an excellent player. He primarily drives (which is better than be a shoot-first guard), he defends well and he gets the boards – I should know, I have him in my fantasy team. One of his primary strengths in the world of fantasy basketball is assists. But, does that mean that he is an excellent court general. I once argued with a friend that statistics sometimes do not tell the whole story. My friend kept on insisting that Westbrook was an elite passer because of his assist numbers. However, if you watch his game, you will observe that it was more a product of his style of game play than his natural tendency to execute plays. If you observe Westbrook, you will notice that he has the tendency to hold the ball and shoot it without even bothering to rotate it. As a long-time Jerry Sloan fan, those things irk me. Ball rotation matters. You get to find the open man or you get to have the best play. When you set up a play that leads to good ball execution, usually you do not get the assist stat (the lucky guy who last passed the ball got it). But in my books, you were the smarter point guard than the one who forced the issue and by last ditch effort passed to a guy named Kevin Durant.

This is what is startling with Russell Westbrook these days. He killed all of Oklahoma City’s momentum when they were trying to climb back from a huge deficit. They were just down by six and they wasted the next three possessions by doing three ill-advised threes. Westbrook attempted two of those. And if I am not mistaken, he did not rotate the ball then as well. There is no science to back this up but my personal theory on one of the importance of ball rotation is to keep the other players’ hands warm.

Another concern for the Thunder is Kevin Durant. He is their freaking alpha dog. He should impose himself more than be a Dwight Howard. Analysts often noted that he was not rotating or moving a lot in the playoffs. I think it has something to do with his humility. Dammit, Kevin! You are not in a church, you are in a basketball court. It is not like he is a well-known choker. He has shown that he could hit in the clutch so he should put himself in the position to have the ball more.

For a team that was supposed to be built on team chemistry, the Oklahoma City Thunder is struggling. Their opponent, the Dallas Mavericks, are actually living on team chemistry these days.

As for the draft lottery, I am psyched! Utah got lucky and won the third pick for this year’s draft. This is awesome news for Salt Lake City. The bad news: there are only two elite players in this year’s draft. The big winner in the draft is easily Cleveland which got the 1st and 4th picks. They get Kyrie Irving and they could possibly get Enes Kanter as Kevin O’ Connor is more interested in picking a point guard for Utah’s first pick.

The Voice

Christina Aguilera resurrects her career in "The Voice"

Out of pure curiosity, I tried watching “The Voice” when it began a month ago. I was still psyched watching “American Idol” after being surprisingly invested with the remaining contestants at that point of the competition. Haley has risen into a darkhorse who can dodge eliminations despite her numerous Bottom Three visits. Casey was still in there to provide awesome entertainment. And, James was hitting all cylinders. Of course, all three of them are now gone. But without any bias, I could say that “American Idol” is better than “The Voice.”

The inverse of the aforementioned statement was a popular remark by Internet pundits. I often lurk on forums and I usually see “The Voice” winning when compared to “American Idol.” Since I got to watch both shows, it made me contemplate. “The Voice” was surely refreshing. We have the rotating chair gimmick so that the judges would pick on voice instead of the appearance. The show is composed of highly acclaimed artists that would captivate the audience. They also removed horrible cannon fodders to make it seem like a better singing show than “American Idol.” But upon these realizations, I eventually concluded that “Idol” is still the top singing show in the world.

On the overall comparison, this is not even a match. It is like comparing Michael Jordan to LeBron James when he was a rookie. I remember people touting him as potentially the greatest of all time much like how people are raving over “The Voice.” “American Idol” has produced several artists and has been able to dominate in a decade. If we are going to compare this season of “American Idol” to this season of “The Voice,” I regret to inform “The Voice” fans, it’s still not close.

Why?

“American Idol” Season 10 is one of the most talented seasons the show has ever had. It ranks up there with Seasons 7 and 5. “The Voice” has just began so it obviously thrives on the enthusiasm about a new show. There are talented contestants in there but I do not see them topping this year’s batch of Idols. Vicci Martinez’s “Rolling in the Deep” easily paled in comparison to Haley Reinhart’s. I understand Vicci’s style but she seemed like she was having a difficult time catching up to the song. Not only was “American Idol” vastly talented this year, the show boasted of diverse talent. You have Jazz musicians (Haley and Casey), a rocker (James), country artists with excellent voice tones (Scotty and Lauren), and a flawless diva (Pia). We had a good dose of reggae (Naima), gospel (Jacob), Rod Steward-ish music (Paul) and ballads (Stefano). I have not mentioned Thia’s beautiful tone, right? Some of these singers were eliminated, hence the outrage of their fanbase by declaring “The Voice” is greater than “American Idol.” But with immense talent, someone has to go. We know that Scotty McCreery is untouchable and Lauren Alaina is the producer’s favorite. Having these into consideration, the only travesty that occurred was Pia Toscano’s exit. You can argue Casey’s but he really did not have a strong demographic. In fact, Casey fans should be happy that he survived up to Top 6.

The only remarkable voices from “The Voice” for me would be the country singer guy who won in the battle round and Javier Colon. I somehow liked Casey’s Stevie Nicks vibe. But there was no contestant who wowed me. “American Idol” was already spectacular in the Hollywood Rounds this year. “The Voice’s” battle rounds were disappointingly snoozefests. Their gameshow-like presentation did not help their case for me either. “American Idol” always had that homely presentation which made it appealing.

“The Voice” beats “American Idol” with regard to judging. The “Idol” judges are too manipulative while ”The Voice” coaches are more supportive. After all, they are the show’s lifeblood. “The Voice” is about the judges and their squabbles while “Idol” is more focused on the singers. No wonder why Season 9 sucked because Simon Cowell hogged all the attention.

Last points: what about the “The Voice” novelty of rotating chairs and picking based on voice alone? What about them not having cannon fodders? For once, I have to agree with Randy Jackson on saying that “The Voice” is too gimmicky. I will even go far and say that it pretentious. At the end of the day, America will still vote for the attractive contestants. Heck, the judges even chose the much more appealing ones in the battle rounds. As for the fodders, I hate to admit this but in some ways they make “American Idol” entertaining. They generate interest and they make shocker eliminations more special.

Do not get me wrong. I somehow like “The Voice.” I can see the potential of the show. But, it has its flaws just like very much flawed “American Idol.” Let’s just watch the rest of the season before we conclude that “The Voice” is better than “American Idol.”

Goodbye, Golden Growler

Seeing Haley in tears was priceless

After weeks of beating the odds, Haley Reinhart finally got eliminated. My reverse jinxes were not enough to put her in the grand finale. Just as I thought, the stomach punch was on its way.

B-B-B-Bennie and the Jetssssss!!!

The good thing about rooting for Haley Reinhart was the fact that she was expected to get the boot – not because of talent but because she was initially a fixture in the Bottom Three. Add the fact that she had to battle Scotty McCreery’s insurmountable fan base and the producers’ obvious pimping of Lauren Alaina, it was an uphill battle for Ms.Reinhart. She had to work ten times harder just to get everyone’s attention while some contestants reaped undeserved good praises from the judges. As an experienced “American Idol” fan, I already know the game and I have tempered my expectations. To see Haley reach the Top Three was more of a blessing for me.

Initially, I had thoughts of not writing about Haley’s exit. I already wrote about this inevitable elimination for weeks so there seems nothing more to write about. My mind changed when I realized how great Haley’s run was. I thought it would be great to compare it to other past Idols.

Who is in it to win it? | Credit: American Idol

On a storyline perspective, Haley’s route had a similarity to Kris Allen’s underdog emergence. The only difference was, Kris consistently had the votes while Haley had to work for hers. Kris, nevertheless, improved and peaked at the right time. He had moments like “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Heartless.” Haley had “Bennie and the Jets,” “House of the Rising Sun” and “I Who Have Nothing.” I have two other huge Haley songs on my mind. Kris’ handicap was he did not get the media attention. Haley’s handicap was the blatant judging and producer bias. She had to outsing Scotty and Lauren on a night were she had the more difficult songs. In addition, she had to put out her best effort on the final two songs that never suited her style. If this was a game, Haley was on Hell Mode while the country kids were playing Very Easy Mode. Thus, if you are going to look at the overall context, I think Haley did better than Kris Allen did.

What about the previous third placed contestants? Syesha Mercado had the similar route but she never wowed me. Yes, she had to work her way up but the ‘moments’ from that season belonged to David Cook. As for Danny Gokey, puh-leeeeze… he was the producer’s favorite and he was pimping from his dead wife. The only notable song I can remember from him was “Hero.” Kris Allen was definitely better than Danny. As for Casey James, he was more of a solid performer all throughout. He had one moment from last year. He was also in a relatively easy batch. It is quite easy to say that Haley was the best of the recent Idol third place finishers.

In appreciation to Haley, here is an epic movie moment for her. Winning is not everything.

In my books, Haley is this year’s best “American Idol” contestant. She may not be able to topple some past contestants like David Cook and Adam Lambert, but her memorable run was one of the most satisfying ones. She escaped the clutches of elimination, shocked the world with her amazing performances, and stayed professional on her performances amidst falling on the stage or getting criticized. From a contestant that I did not initially liked, she became my second most favorite “American Idol” contestant.

I do not know if we will be able to see the next Haley Reinhart. Beyonce said it best when she complimented Haley’s unique and unforced tone. Her growl was effortless and she was usually on pitch despite the vocal gymnastics. The best thing about her is that, she was a shout-out to old school music. She represented what was cool about music. And to that, I tip my hat. [SPOILER] She may have failed winning the entire thing but it felt like she was the winner. In “Friday Night Lights,” Don Billingsley’s dad gave him the championship ring even if they lost in the title game. This was because his son played like a champion. That was how Haley should be feeling as of this moment. [SPOILER]

To end this journal entry, here are my Top Ten Haley Reinhart songs:

1)    Bennie and the Jets. I was really glad she used this as her swan song
2)    Rolling in the Deep
3)    House of the Rising Sun
4)    Moanin’
5)    I (Who Have Nothing)
6)    Beautiful
7)    What Is And What Should Never Be
8)    You and I
9)    Blue
10)    Piece of My Heart

Now that Haley is gone, I am 100% rooting for Scotty McCreery to win it. I think Lauren can pull an upset considering that she got massive pimpage from the hurricane footage and Haley was a girl. However, I am picking Scotty because he has been the better singer.