Orlando Magic celebrate India Day 2017 with Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty

The most important thing for the home fans at the Amway Center on Saturday night was that they got the win. The Orlando Magic, the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference, played one of their best games of the season, running past the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks to a 105-86 victory. New addition Terrance Ross from Toronto led his squad with 24. High-flying dunker Aaron Gordon added 18. Point guard Elfrid Payton even nearly had a triple-double. On-court, it was as good a night that the suffering Magic fanbase could've hoped for.

The bonus on this Saturday night was how the Magic scored an off-court victory - desi-style.

The Indian-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) continued their annual tradition in Orlando by hosting one more edition of 'India Day' at the Amway Center on Saturday, February 25. This was their fifth consecutive celebration of Indian heritage and culture with the local basketball team and after their win over the Celtics last year, the desi blessings helped the Magic pull off some jadoo on the court this year, too.

The big highlight at India Day this year was the special guest, the Indian film actress, producer, and former model Shilpa Shetty. Shetty was introduced to the fans at the game and also presented with a custom Orlando Magic jersey.

The night featured an 'India Day' fan-fest in Downtown Orlando and entertainment by Bollywood Dance Mania and even the Orlando Magic Dancers performed a routine in traditional Bollywood style. Fans were also able to take part in fun events such as cultural dancing, saree draping, yoga and Indian cuisine tasting. (So basically, all the usual desi cultural stereotypes that we're supposedly proud of).

Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins said, "India Day is just one way for the Magic to show to show its appreciation to this segment of our fan base for their support and dedication."

Great job for Orlando and the IACC for continuing with this tradition: it's about time more franchises around the league recognise the growing clout (and basketball fandom) of the Indian diaspora.

For NBA teams, India was January’s Flavour of the Month

This feature was originally published in my column for Ekalavyas.com on February 6, 2016. You can find the original article here.

As of a 2013 census, persons of Indian origin make up just about one percent of the entire US population. But even though their percentage is small, there are still over 3.1 million Indian Americans. More crucially, despite being a small fraction of the overall population, Indians have managed to make their influence count: from taking a deeper role in developing their culture and expertise in North America, to evoking the foundation of their roots back in India. Now, that culture is spreading to the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The NBA has long been a progressive basketball league, accepting people of different cultures, races, nationalities, sexual preferences, and genders into their extended family. For years, various NBA teams, and the league itself, has held fan outreach or heritage nights to specific target fanbases, like the Noche Latina or Chinese New Year celebrations.

With little influence around the league in the past, however, it took some time for Indians to join the party. But over the last few years, that party is finally here, and Indian heritage is starting to be celebrated with more fervour in the NBA than ever before.

In January 2016, three NBA teams continued their tradition of hosting India-related heritage nights during home games: the Sacramento Kings, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Orlando Magic. In the larger scheme of NBA events, the impact of these themed-nights was small. But to the Indian diaspora in the US and the rapidly rising NBA-watching audience in India, the ‘India Nights’ were another nod by the NBA of its growing interest in Indians, both home and abroad.

Most ‘India Nights’ around the NBA follow similar themes, themes that often overplay Indian stereotypes and caricatures around the world. You want dancing? Get some cheerleaders in saris and play ‘Jai Ho!’ You want snacks? Nothing better than kebabs and curries in the concession stands. India is synonymous with colour to the West, and often, NBA arenas get decorated in a wonderful myriad to challenge a Holi celebration. Special T-shirts and memorabilia are worn by players or passed out to fans. Words like ‘Bollywood’, ‘desi’, ‘flavour’ and ‘colour’ are thrown about a lot. Indian or Indian-origin celebrities are honoured, and Indian or Indian-origin singers and dancers perform for the fans.

With every year, the spectacle is gaining more momentum, and the rise of competing ‘India Nights’ is adding that ‘flavour’ across the NBA.

Vivek Ranadive is the first Indian-born majority-owner of an NBA team, but before he made history by owning the Sacramento Kings, Ranadive briefly held a minority stake with the Golden State Warriors. Under Ranadive’s vice-chairmanship, the Warriors began a tradition of holding ‘Bollywood Night’ at their games. From the very first time in 2011, the Warriors introduced the epic ‘got Curry?’ T-shirts in honour of their young point guard Stephen Curry. Four years later, Ranadive had jumped shipped to head out to Sacramento, the Warriors had become the NBA best team, and Curry the league’s best player. But Bollywood Nights have continued in the Bay Area, and this year’s event is scheduled to be held on March 9 when the Warriors host the Utah Jazz.

When Ranadive came to Sacramento with dreams of NBA 3.0 and of making the Kings ‘India’s team’, he brought ‘Bollywood Night’ over with him. Over the last few years, this event in Sacramento has grown from strength to strength. The Kings’ players wear practice T-shirts with Devanagari script, the Sleep Train Arena gets decorated in style, Indian cuisine is on offer, and fans enjoy song-and-dance routines by Indian artists. Ranadive’s daughter Anjali, an aspiring pop-star, has also become a regular feature for halftime performances on Bollywood Nights.

When the 2016 Bollywood Night was held on January 7th, it also featured Indian-origin Miss America Nina Davulari, an announcement of the Kings’ players in Hindi, and a scintillating introduction video to reach out to fans from Mumbai to Sacramento. The Kings Dancers also dressed up in Indian garb on the night, as was Slamson the Lion, the Kings’ official mascot. Other events included Punjabi sword fighting and dance performances by the California-based Ankhiley Gabroo dance group. Sacramento native and artist Pam Shankar, of Indo-Fijian descent, sang the pre-game national anthem. The home team played the Los Angeles Lakers that night in Kobe Bryant’s last game in Sacramento and eked out a close win.

A few weeks later, Philadelphia scratched their Indian itch, too. On January 18th, the 76ers held their second annual Indian-American Heritage Night. Before the game, the Indian community and the 76ers honoured Indian Americans in Sports at the Wells Fargo Center, notably, Kevin Negandhi, an anchor for ESPN SportsCenter in the USA and Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy, a non-profit who have been coming to Chennai for several years to promote education and values through basketball among children from lower-economic households. The event featured Bollywood music bumping outside the entrances to the court, cultural exhibits around the arena, special Indian themed 76ers T-shirts provided to the guests, and a performance by Philadelphia-based dance company Aatma. The 76ers played their best game of the season to blow out the Portland Trail Blazers.

Not to be outdone, the Orlando Magic – title holders of the Best Heritage Night in the NBA for the past two years – brought back ‘India Day’ (as declared by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer) to Downtown Orlando on January 31st, in an event organized by the Indian American Chamber of Commerce (IACC). The IACC hosted Bollywood superstar Madhuri Dixit this year. A Cultural Street Fest was held pregame in front of the Amway Center, showcasing Indian dancing from various local Indian organizations. Guests enjoyed henna tattoos, sari wrapping, turban tying, free t-shirts and more. Halftime entertainment was provided by the Bollywood Dance Academy. The Orlando Magic snapped eight-game losing streak at the game with a 119-114 win over the Boston Celtics.

All of the events above have been covered by local South Asian-centric media, making more and more members of the Indian community aware of the NBA and of the league’s clout. Furthermore, the average NBA fan at these games is finding awareness about Indian culture: it may be just a Western, ‘whitewashed’ view of India, but it’s a start.

The growing attention to India and Indians has come at a strategic time for the NBA teams; the NBA office in India continues to grow its list of both grassroots and mainstream events around the country. More Indian fans are watching live NBA games on TV than ever before, and the future promises wider availability of NBA merchandise in big Indian cities.

Meanwhile, a couple of giant Indian men are becoming role models for South Asians in the US. Last year, Ranadive’s Kings made Canadian Sim Bhullar the first person of Indian-origin to play in the NBA. A few months later, the Dallas Mavericks drafted Satnam Singh, making him the first Indian national to be drafted into the league. Both the seven-footed giants are currently playing in the D-League – Raptors 905 and Texas Legends respectively – and are on the periphery of a potential NBA call-up. Their presence would add a little more of that much-clichéd desi flavour to the NBA.

It’s a win-win relationship for NBA teams to invest in their heritage ‘India Nights’, but the biggest reason to do so may be far simpler: about winning on the basketball court itself. All three NBA teams that held Indian heritage nights in January held a losing record and were outside the playoff race. And yet, all three teams picked up exciting or impressive wins that night. Coincidence, or is evoking India bringing NBA host teams a dose of good luck on their kundlis?

And speaking of good kundlis, you know which NBA team has the brightest fortune of them all? Which team is currently the reigning NBA champion, are leading the league standings after a historically good start, are on pace to have the greatest regular season of All Time, are favourites to repeat as champions, feature the league MVP, and have become the greatest show in basketball? It’s the Golden State Warriors, the team who got properly on the Bollywood bandwagon before anyone else.

Got Curry?

Orlando Magic hosted 2016 India Day, featuring Bollywood superstar Madhuri Dixit

They called it 'Jai Ho Magic' as an ode to another recent Indian cliche, and, like other NBA franchises who have understood the importance of reaching out to the Indian diaspora, the Orlando Magic held 'India Day' in their win over the Boston Celtics at Orlando's Amway Center on Sunday, January 31. Bollywood superstar and international humanitarian Madhuri Dixit joined in the full day of cultural festivities for Magic fans.

The Indian American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) led Orlando’s official India Day Celebration in Downtown Orlando on January 31st. The IACC created a full line up of excitement showcasing the Indian culture and community including an Indian Street Festival in front of the Amway Center. Through their ongoing partnership with the Orlando Magic, the IACC featured in-game festivities and several private events at the game. This cultural tradition was officially recognized by the NBA as the “Best Heritage Night in the NBA” in both 2014 and 2015.

The IACC hosted Madhuri Dixit, an award-wining Bollywood actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, who was the guest speaker at the IACC Fireside Chat entitled “Powerful Indian Women.” Madhuri was interviewed center-court at the Amway Center by Beena Parikh earlier in the day. IACC announced a partnership with TV Asia, an information and entertainment channel for the South-Asian community in North America, to produce a segment on India Day as well as to broadcast the “Powerful Indian Women” Fireside Chat with Madhuri Dixit LIVE from the Amway Center to one million US viewers.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer gave his official proclamation as January 31, 2016 at India Day in Orlando. Recognizing the fourth annual India Day event as a celebration of Indian-American heritage, culture and music in Central Florida and in commemoration of India's Republic Day (January 26), which honors the date on which the Constitution of India came into force. The proclamation was delivered by Orlando District 5 Commissioner Regina Hill at the Amway during the India Day celebrations.

“We are proud to partner with the Indian American Chamber of Commerce for the fourth consecutive year to host India Day Presented by Chase,” said Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins. “Sports truly is a rallying point that can bring all people together and speak any language. India Day is just one way for the Magic to show its appreciation to this segment of our fan base for their support and dedication."

A Cultural Street Fest was held pregame in front of the Amway Center, showcasing Indian cultural dancing from various local Indian organizations. Guests enjoyed henna tattoos, sari wrapping, turban tying, free t-shirts and more. Halftime entertainment was provided by the Bollywood Dance Academy.

As for the game itself, the Indian blessings turned out to be fortunate for the home team, as Orlando snapped their eight-game losing streak with a 119-114 win over Boston. Aaron Gordon was the Magic's star of the night with 19 points and 14 rebounds, and a dunk that worth that cliched 'Jai Ho'.

Soaring up, Crashing Down - 6 NBA early season surprises and shocks

Before the season began, NBA fans and analysts such as myself had rough premonitions of how the future could unfold, of which teams would perform well and which ones will disappoint. While those at the top (Warriors) and the bottom (76ers) have fallen in their predictable places, there has been a lot of unforeseen movement of teams in the middle.

Click here for my post on SportsKeeda, on the teams soaring up and crashing down in surprises and shocks early in the 2015-16 NBA season.

Wiggins, Parker, & Embiid highlight NBA draft class for the ages

After becoming the number one pick, Andrew Wiggins has the potential of becoming a leader in the draft that we could one day look back at fondly for being one of the deepest ones in recent memory. Between Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Dante Exum, Aaron Gordon, Julius Randle, Marcus Smart, Noah Vonleh, and Dario Saric, I feel that there are many future stars coming out this year. And there are sure to be many more hidden jewels deeper into the picks, whose ultimate talent only time will reveal.

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Mocking All The Way: My 2014 NBA Mock Draft

Parker or Wiggins? Wiggins or Parker? The 2014 draft will bring another battle between the two young rivals, the questions around Joel Embiid, and one of the deepest drafts in recent years. As usual, this is an exciting time for NBA fans ready to welcome a truckload of new talent into the league. And to continue my annual tradition a few days before Draft Day, here is my official mock draft of the 2014 lottery picks, barring any trades that take place between now and then.

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Orlando Magic to host 2nd 'India Day' on January 19th

Hey, if we Indians can't make our way into the NBA with basketball talent, let's make sure to do it culture.

The Orlando Magic, joining hands with the Indian American Chamber of Commerce (IACC), will host the second annual 'India Day' programme at Orlando's home game against the Boston Celtics on January 19th. The event follows the success of the Magic's India Day last season and the growing interest of NBA teams to reach out to fans of Indian origin (and perhaps to Indians back home, too).

Orlando's interest into the Indian community and culture follows the three years of 'Bollywood Nights' that were held the Golden State Warriors when Vivek Ranadive was their minority owner. Ranadive since went on to become the first Indian-born majority owner in the NBA when he purchased the Sacramento Kings and has brought all kinds of India swag to Sac-Town, from Shaq playing cricket to cheerleaders regularly performing Bollywood dance numbers.

The Magic could certainly do with some distractions: they currently stand at the bottom of the Southeast division, but at least have the piece in Aaron Afflalo, Victor Oladipo, and Nikola Vucevic (plus a high pick in next year's loaded draft) to build something interesting for the future.

This season's India Day in Orlando will feature an appearance by 2014 Miss American Nina Davuluri, the Indian-American from New York, who unfortunately become more famous for receiving racist backlash than for actually winning a beauty pageant. Davuluri will share the story of her rise to fame and her platform on racial diversity with Magic fans. There will also be a street festival that will include Henna tattoo artists, Indian dances and Indian cuisine.

Dr. Amish M. Parikh, an Orlando resident and one of the organizers of the event, said, "We were encouraged last year that we were able to bring everybody together on one day and celebrate the Indian American community. And it was a sporting event that brought all of us together. "Sports create a venue where we can all enjoy a good time and be happy and sad together. We’re excited that the Magic are our local sports team that we can all rally around."

The IACC will donate 1,000 tickets of the game to nonprofit organizations throughout Central Florida, up from 600 last year. There will also be a special ticket offer (call 407-916-2679) and a street festival that will include Henna tattoo artists, Indian dances and Indian cuisine.

The Magic's website says that the success in Orlando last year - which featured a street festival and Bollywood-dancing cheerleaders - also caught the eye of teams around the NBA and several other India Nights are being planned this season throughout in the league.

Now if only one of them can invite Aziz Ansari for his views on cultural diversity, Calvin Cambridge, and saris. He might be a Knicks fan, too.

The Andrew Wiggins Tankfest

Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins in on track to go first in the 2014 NBA Draft and arrive in the league as the most-hyped prospect since LeBron James. Players like him don’t show up in the draft every year, so when they do, anyone and everyone who is within shouting distance of the Wiggins’ sweepstakes will fight it out to win the rights to draft his talents. Here are the teams in contention to 'fight' for the NBA's bottom place and the number one pick.

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Anthony Bennett leads the way in the most unpredictable NBA Draft night

First there were the boos. NBA Commissioner has been hearing them at damn near every pick in damn near every year of his 30-year tenure as the league's head honcho. And once more, for the last time in his eventful era as Commissioner, Stern heard boos over and over again as he called out names of the NBA's newest professionals. By now, the boos are more a mark of affection than hate. They have been the necessary soundtrack to the beginning of every NBA career in the past three decades.

And those three decades of draft nights came to an end for Stern with one of the most surprising drafts ever. With no clear consensus top pick in what many experts were calling a 'weak' draft, there was some sense of mystery surrounding who the Cleveland Cavaliers would choose to call with their first selection. The slight favourite was Nerlens Noel, but he has been injured since February. Some thought it could be Ben McLemore, but many scouts questioned his maturity issues. Alex Len's stock was rising, but he was slightly unproven. Victor Oladipo became everyone's last minute favourite, and some thought he could be the surprise top choice.

Instead, the Cavs made the unpredictable draft even crazier and chose UNLV's undersized power forward Anthony Bennett as the first pick of 2013. Bennett is a solid player across the board, and despite his recent shoulder surgery, a relatively 'safe' pick. Still, it was a surprise pick and it completely jumbled the best-laid plans of the rest of the teams picking on draft night. For the Cavaliers, Bennett is an interesting pick: will they choose to play him at small forward, which is their weak spot in the starting five at this point? Will they choose to play him at power forward instead of Tristan Thomas. Or will they make a move for either one of them? I guess we'll wait and see.

Victor Oladipo went second to the Orlando Magic, a sound pick for a team that needs help in nearly every department, and chose a hard-working player to build their future around. The Wizards plugged in their small forward hole with Otto Porter Jr., a well-rounded jack of all trades at three. Still, no sign of Noel or McLemore, or Len.

And then, with the fourth pick, the Bobcats make the draft even zanier when they decided to pick Indiana's Cody Zeller, a great college player but with doubts to translate his talent into the pros. Bobcats fans heartily booed this decision. In hindsight, this was a typical pick by the greatest player of all time aka the worst team owner of all time, Mr. Michael Jordan. Jordan has long been a fan of great college winners with unfulfilled pro potential.

The Suns picked Alex Len at five, a good pick for another team that needs help pretty much everywhere.

And finally, after wearing a dejected face for most of the earlier half hour, top prospect Nerlens Noel was picked sixth by the Pelicans. Before he could speak of teaming up with Anthony Davis, he was quickly traded to the 76ers. Before he could team up with Jrue Holiday, Holiday was in the trade coming to New Orleans. Another draft night shocker. The Pelicans added Holiday to a core of Anthony Davis and Greivis Vasquez, effectively signalling the end of the unfulfilled Eric Gordon era. Speaking of unfulfilled eras, the 76ers will effectively say goodbye to Andrew Bynum now that Noel is touted to be their franchise center. Later on in the draft, the 76ers picked athletic, tall point guard Michael Carter-Williams with the 11th pick to replace Holiday and go into full rebuilding mode (otherwise known as the Andrew Wiggins Sweepstakes #LosingForWiggins).

With the 7th pick, the Kings went for the best player available and added talented-but-immature Ben McLemore to a core that includes talented-but-immature Tyreke Evans and talented-but-immature DeMarcus Cousins. Fun times in Sacramento.

The Pistons added dead-eye shooter Kentavious Caldwell-Pope with the eighth pick. The Timberwolves picked college player of the year Trey Burke at ninth, but soon, it was revealed that Burke would be traded to Utah for the 14th and 21st picks. These picks translated into Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng, respectively. Burke is the perfect fit for the Jazz, who were in desperate need of a decent perimeter player.

And despite the bad news bears, I'm fully in the Shabazz Muhammad camp (#ShabazzBandwagon) and believe that he can be the best player from this class. Shabazz is also the perfect fit in Minnesota, along with Ricky Rubio, Andrei Kirilenko, Kevin Love, and Nikola Pekovic. If this team can stay healthy, we could see them making some noise in the West. Shabazz college year was topsy-turvy to say the least, but I think he'll be suited for the pro game. Years from now, you can come back here and applaud me for my faith when he becomes a multiple-time All Star, or alternatively, laugh at my face when he translates into Micheal Beasley 2.0.

The Trailblazers made a great pick at 10th with CJ McCollum, who is the perfect back-court component to run along with reigning rookie of the year Damian Lillard. At 12th, the Thunder took New Zealand's big man Steven Adams. The Mavericks traded their 13th pick to the Celtics, and Boston chose Kelly Olynyk.

And so and so forth the draft went, featuring more surprises, crazy hair (Lucas Nogueira), cheers (for Masom Plumpee and Tim Hardaway Jr.), and jeers. The draft represented a lot of foreign-born talent, too, including top pick Bennett (Canada), Len (Ukraine), and Adams (New Zealand), and later, the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Sergey Karasev (Russia), and Dennis Schroeder (Germany) drafted by Bucks, Cavaliers, and Hawks respectively.

The first round of the draft ended with yet another surprise. The first pick that David Stern ever made in 1984 - a young Nigerian then known as 'Akeem' Olajowon - returned to the stage (in the same-style tuxedo!) to surprise Stern and provide a fitting end to his draft era. Adam Silver took over the Second Round, and will be taking over the First Round from next year onwards. 30 years later, Stern will soon step off after a distinguished tenure as the Commish. And he ended his last draft night with excitement, unpredictable moments, and a whole lotta boos!

But the biggest news of the draft night wasn't connected to the 2013 draft at all. To add to the crazy, the Boston Celtics traded Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry to Brooklyn for Gerald Wallace, other players, and many future first round picks. It signaled another major shake-up in the Eastern Conference. And considering how the 2013 draft has panned out, don't be surprised if there are a lot more trades involving the effected teams between now and the start of the new season.

Congrats to the big winner of the night: Anthony Bennett. He couldn't have wished for a more memorable and entertaining night to join the big leagues.

You only have to hold your breath for one more year, as some of the NBA's worst teams join the #LosingForWiggins race and hope to make another Canadian the top pick in 2014.

Shots in the Dark: My 2013 NBA Mock Draft

Even with less than three days to go until the 2013 NBA Draft, I remain clueless. 2013 is being called a fairly weak year in the draft, and with no sure-shot answers to the problems plaguing the lottery teams, there is no way to expertly predict the sequence at which young players will accept their team hats on Thursday night. As a matter of fact, I probably feel more confident of predicting next year’s draft class than the one three days from now.

Still, a draft is to be conducted, and so, in my annual tradition, a draft is to be mocked. So, with utter lack of confidence in my predictions, but full faith to defend them the moment they are published, here is my 2013 NBA Mock Draft of the lottery (1-14) picks.

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Legend, Interrupted

There are two sides to this story. Yes, the legend of Grant Hill was interrupted. But the legend never stopped. The story continued and became special in its own way. And so, a new legend was born.

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Cavaliers continue their Draft Lottery luck by winning 2013 top pick

For the second time in three years, the Cavaliers won the number one pick in the 2013 draft at the Draft Lottery in New York on May 21st. The Cavs had finished with the NBA’s third-worst record last season. The team with the worst record – Orlando Magic – won the second pick. The biggest jump was for the Washington Wizards, who moved from eighth place to win the third pick in the draft.

Here are the complete results of the 2013 Draft Lottery and my analysis.

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Lakers’ TIC (Talented Immature Center) Debates: Dwight Howard vs. Andrew Bynum

It's time for the Lakers to pick their saviour and their poison: Which Talented Immature Center will bring them most success, and which one do they want to deal with? Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum?

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Trading Places

When the dust finally settled, there were no big shocks on the Trade Deadline Day (or D-Day) this season. Most of the big names speculated to change their addresses by the end of March 15th remained exactly where they are. That is why, some of the most important moves made in this year’s trade deadline were the moves that were not made.

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Should I stay or should I go?

With only one and half months to go in the regular season after D-Day, the deadline can be a crucial time for teams taking aim at the NBA championship. So who will be in a different jersey one week from now? Which team will take a bold risk and who will make the foolish mistakes? Here are my top nominees for player’s most likely to be traded before the trade deadline:

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BIG: A Eulogy to Shaq's NBA Career

How's this for a (semi) oxymoron: devastatingly hilarious.

After 19 years, Shaquille O'Neal retired from the NBA. The only NBA player, or person alive, or person dead, that I can truly describe to be both - devastating, and hilarious. If I can describe him in two words, it would be those two. Not someone who was so hilarious that it almost destroyed people. Not someone who was so devastating that it was funny. No: Shaq was both those things, separately and together, in one single entity.

I heard the news seven or eight hours later than it was first announced: but this is 2011, and in the world of fast news sharing and even faster reactions, seven or eight hours is a lifetime. There was a newsletter from the NBA in my inbox, but instead of discussing the NBA Finals, the focus was all about a certain announcement by the NBA's biggest personality.

On a 16-second long video posted on Twitter, Shaquille O'Neal of the Celtics, and the Cavs before that, and the Suns before that, and the Heat, and most memorably of the Lakers, and for the Magic, announced his retirement.

The 'twitter retirement' was a surprising whimper in the story of a man who is loud, proud, boisterous, and overly Shaqtastic.

Everything about the career of Shaq has been Big. Not just Big, but BIG. It should be in bold actually. As a matter of fact, here you go: BIG. From his 7 foot 1 inch, 150 kg body to his achievements - his four championship rings, his three Finals MVP awards, his 2000 NBA MVP award, and his 15 All Star appearances. He was BIG when it came to dunking on everyone from Dikembe Mutumbo to Robert Parish, and BIG when he broke backboards on his dunks.

Now, he retires as one of the best Centers ever to play the game - and in all seriousness, I will put him in top 3, somewhere in the league with Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - I'm sorry but I have never been a fan of Chamberlain. Put Shaq in the Chamberlain-era and he would've made averaging 60 and 30 look easy.

But his career to me also leaves a HUGE gaping hole and a list of questions and what-ifs - yes, I know, every player has a what if (what if MJ never left in 93? what if Grant Hill never got injured? what if the Lakers never traded for Kobe as a rookie?), but the Shaq what-if is simpler, and thus, most frustrating.

What if he cared more?

Never in his 19-year-career did Shaq play all 82 games of the regular season. His peak of dominance, where he made every other player in the league look like mincemeat, was far too short for someone with this potential. I know I'm saying this of a player, who with one trade, changed the entire balance scale of the NBA, but Shaq was THAT good. Even after a hall of fame career, I say he could've done more, could've been better. What if Shaq tried to stay in better shape? What if Shaq took the regular season more seriously? What if Shaq worked on his free throws? What if there was never any drama between him and Kobe in LA?

I read an article many years ago about how, based on pure dominance, Shaq is the man who comes closest to being the one person to change the entire shape of a franchise. Only Michael Jordan in the history of every great basketball player may rank higher. And what if Shaq had the hunger MJ had? What if he had 75 percent of that hunger? What if he tried harder and sacrificed more to keep winning. I'm convinced that he would be sitting comfortably on a couple more MVP awards, a couple more rings, and a place in NBA history as perhaps the second-best player in basketball.

Well, it's finally over now, and by most reactions, people are happy Shaq called it a day. From being the league's Most Dominating Ever (MDE) to a mere sideshow who was now more famous for his jokes and his dunks, the end of Shaq's playing career was a little too quiet.

There has been just too much about Shaq, on and off the court, to truly capture in a silly little article. I try to think about how to approach this, but the idea of Shaq, like Shaq itself, is bigger than most other NBA personalities. So I'm going to take a cop-out and list to you the many, many, MANY things that I remember about Shaq. Some you may know, some you may have forgotten, and some may be new to you - I just hope that, by the end of this list, you realise that there will never be a player who was as dominant on court and as awesome off it as Shaq again.

1. I have already mentioned this before, but Shaq broke backboards.

2. In additional to his basketball career, Shaq released four rap albums in the 90s: Shaq Diesel, Shaq Fu: The Return, You Can't Stop the Reign, and Respect.

3. Shaq played for six different teams in his career, and he took THREE of them to the NBA finals - the Magic, the Lakers, and the Heat. He won with Lakers and Heat.

4. Shaq did a legendary song with another BIG - the Notorious B.I.G. - on the classic, "You Can't Stop The Reign" - "7-0, towerin inferno / invincible smooth individual / who wanna test it, foreign or domestic / no matter where you're from, I'm not the one you wanna mess wit".

5. Oh, Shaq was rookie of the year too, with the Magic.

6. Yes, Shaq did movies, of course Shaq did movies. You don't remember the classic Kazaam? Or the unstoppable Steel? What's wrong with you?

7. These were Shaq's statistics in the NBA Finals during the three-peat with the Lakers (2000-2002): 35.9 ppg, 15.2 rpg, 2.9 bpg, and 60 percent shooting. He was Finals MVP all three times.

8. Shaq has been in many music videos too, not including his own. This is very random, but I used to watch a lot of NBA Inside Stuff in the 90s, and they showed the making of a video of a little child- Aaron Carter, younger brother of Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter - of a song called "That's How I beat Shaq". No need to say more. (BTW, one of the worst songs ever). "Hey Aaron, are you for real? / One on one with Shaquille O'Neal?

9. Shaq is the fifth all-time in career scoring, at 28,596 points. He has mentioned several times that he regrets not hitting more free throws and getting higher up this list.

10. Shaq like to nickname himself, over and over again. Here is a short list (believe me, it's short): Diesel, Shaq Fu, Big Daddy, Superman (Yes, children, Shaq came way before Dwight), Big Agave, Big Cactus, Big Shaqtus, Big Galactus, Wilt Chamberneezy, The Big Baryshnikov, Dr. Shaq (after earning his MBA), Big Shamrock, Big Leprechaun, Shaqovic and Big Conductor (because he conducted the Boston Pops orchestra, obviously). He even asked fans to give him a post-retirement nickname, and settled with the 'Big 401K'. Not to mention his most recent nickname which he gave himself during the 'retirement press conference', as The Big AARP (Association for the Advancements of Retired Persons).

11. Don't be fooled by the last few years, in his prime, there was no bigger force of nature than Shaquille O'Neal. In his prime, he was one of the league's best scorers, best rebounders, best shot-blockers, and had developed his own drop-step dunk, of course, nicknamed by him, the 'Black Tornado'. To put it mildly, take Shaq 2000-2003, put him against any player in the history of the league, and NO ONE would be able to stop him. The only defense against Shaq was 'Hack-A-Shaq', aka, fouling him and forcing him to shoot free throws.

12. Shaq has a long-list of other possible work avenues besides basketball. I've already mentioned the movies and the music. In 2010 he undertook a PhD in Leadership and Education with a specialisation in Human Resource Development at Barry University. His dissertation topic was "The Duality of Humor and Aggression in Leadership Styles". Humour and Aggression - Laker leadership, anybody? Shaq is an honourary US Deputy Marshall and a Miami Beach reserve officer. He is trained in Mix-Martial Arts - boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and wrestling. And he's on Reality TV, extremely popular with the Shaq Vs. show.

13. In 2004, when Shaq was traded to Miami, it became the biggest shift of NBA power in recent memory - he immediately made a paper thin Eastern Conference stronger. The only other players to make a big difference in the entire map of the NBA within one year in a new team have been Kevin Garnett (Timberwolves to Celtics in 2007) and LeBron James (Cavs to Heat in 2010).

14. Shaq liked to dance, and we like to watch a behemoth dance like he's Michael Jackson. Out of all of them, my favourite highlights are: 1. Shaq, LeBron, and Dwight Howard having a dance-off at the All Star Game, 2. Shaq dancing with the Jabberwockiez, and 3. Shaq challenging Justin Bieber to a dance-off.

15. Shaq played for six different teams during his career - definitely the most for any player in my 'greatest ever' list: Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns, Cavs, and Celtics. What I liked was how, in every city, he truly embraced its culture and became a complete vocal part of the team.

16. After Kobe lost the 2008 Finals to the Celtics, Shaq went on stage at a club to sing, "Kobe, tell me how my ass taste?"

17. Only three players have won the All Star MVP, NBA MVP, and Finals MVP in the same season. They are: Willis Reed (1970), Michael Jordan (1996 and 1998) and Shaq (2000).

18. No, Shaq didn't play a lot in his last season in Boston, but he entertained fans in another way - posing as a statue in Boston Square, dressing up in drag on Halloween and calling himself 'Shaqueeta'.

19. I'm currently working on my list of top 25 greatest players ever, a list that takes into account a mixture of talent, peak, and overall resume. At this point, Shaq ranks 6th, only below Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and Tim Duncan.

20. It's fitting that Shaq said his goodbye via twitter. He has more followers than any other player in the NBA (3,888,667 and counting), and ranks 28th in the top list of all twitter accounts. Considering that the existence of Twitter has been parallel to the downfall of Shaq's dominance, it shows how popular Shaq is off-the-court.

But the off-the-court Shaq isn't going anywhere - if anything - he's gonna be present more - analysing NBA games, doing reality shows, making rap albums, saving the world, whatever. It is the on-court Shaq that is done, and his contribution to the NBA will be dearly missed. He is the one and only one: a personality that can be so devastating and so hilarious at the same time.

In a list of top-10 greatest players ever, there can only be 10 players. And 10 out of thousands is a very small number: very rarely will we get a chance say goodbye to someone as dominating as Shaq, but the time is here and now: So goodbye, finally, to the BIG Everything.

The best-paid teams in all sports

A year ago, I wrote about the results of the Global Sports Salaries Survey, a survey conducted by sportingintelligence.com that revealed the world's best paid teams... in all sports. On its way, the survey also went on the reveal the league's with the highest average salary.

A few weeks ago, the results for the 2011 Global Sports Salaries Survey were revealed - and the results are interesting indeed. Some of the top football, basketball, and even cricket teams in the world are represented from league's like Primera Liga (football), NBA (basketball), and IPL (cricket).

Baseball team New York Yankees of the MLB were the world's best paid team last year, but Spanish footballing duo of Barcelona and Real Madrid have since overtaken them for the top spot.

The richest NBA team is the Los Angeles Lakers, who are fourth in the overall list behind Barca, Madrid, and the Yankees - no surprises there, since the Lakers are not only the most popular team worldwide but also two-time champions. What is surprising, though, are the next three basketball teams on the list - Magic (5), Nuggets (9), and Jazz (11) - I would've expected someone else to be ranked higher. The Celtics come in at 15th on the all teams list.

And about our Indian cricket leagues? Well, they seemed to have fallen far behind. Last year, the Royal Challengers Bangalore of the IPL were 12th on the list. This year, they are still the richest IPL team, but have fallen to 26th.

So here is the top 12 for 2011 - a detailed list of the top 200 is available on ESPN-The Magazine website:

1. Barcelona (La Liga)
2. Real Madrid (La Liga)
3. New York Yankees (MLB)
4. Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
5. Orlando Magic (NBA)
6. Chelsea (EPL)
7. Inter Milan (Serie A)
8. Boston Red Sox (MLB)
9. Denver Nuggets (NBA)
10. Manchester City (EPL)
11. Utah Jazz (NBA)
12. Bayern Munich (Bundesliga)

Any more surprises? Barcelona, the leaders, pay an average annual salary per of $7,910,737 per player. Manchester United, one of the most famous teams in football (real football, soccer football), rank 16th. Liverpool are 20th. The two best NBA teams, in terms of record this season, are 42nd (Bulls) and 43rd (Spurs).

The NBA, who crowd the majority of the top half of the top 200, leads as the league with the highest average salary in the world, which is about an average of $4.79 million per year or $92,199 per week, sportingintelligence.com said.

SportingIntelligence also did a survey of global attendances, to mark the best attended outdoor and indoor leagues in the world. Amongst outdoor sports, the top five are the NFL (American Football - USA), Bundesliga (Football - Germany), AFL (Aussie Rules Football - Australia), EPL (Football - England), and MLB (Baseball - USA). India's IPL comes in at 10th. The NBA continues to be the best attended indoor sports league in the world.

The lesson from all this? Sport pays. And basketball is one of the richest. The IPL has shown that it has the lucrative backing to eke a space for itself amongst the top leagues, even though cricket isn't a worldwide sport like football or basketball is. India is just that crazy a market, and it's another sign that maybe, if basketball is marketed the right way, it could have a positive future in India.

D12 is thrice the best on D

Most people who know my basketball opinions know that I'm somewhat of a Dwight Howard critic. I call him out on his lack of focus during clutch moments and important games. I call him out for not being the best floor leader that he should be for the Magic. I call him out for his lack of polished offensive moves, and for the fact that he just doesn't seem to be taking the competition as seriously as other elite players in the league. For long, I have maintained that the reason the man known as Superman/D12 is the best Center in the league is because there are very few Centers in the league to come in his way.

But now that my qualms about Dwight are out of the way, I can't help but maintain a grudging respect for his accomplishments. The NBA announced yesterday that Dwight Howard was named the 2010/11 Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), and in the process, he becomes the first player in the history of the game (!!!) to be named DPOY for three consecutive seasons.

Yes! First. One. Ever. The DPOY award was introduced in 1982-83, and I have a feeling that if it was awarded earlier, a certain Bill Russell would've had his name scratched in every corner of the trophy. Nevertheless, since 83, the league has had several great defensive stalwarts (Sidney Moncrief of the Bucks won the award for the first two years), but none of them won it thrice in a row. Not Moncrief, not Michael Cooper, not Michael Jordan, not Gary Payton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, Dennis Rodman, Alonzo Mourning, Ben Wallace, or Kevin Garnett.

Dwight Howard!

The only people who have won the award more times are Mutombo and Ben Wallace, who each were named DPOY four times, but never more than twice in a row. Dwight won easily with 585 points, receiving 114 of the possible 120 first place votes! Kevin Garnett (77) points came second and Tyson Chandler (70) was third.

So congrats to D12 for making history. Despite the criticisms that many (including I) have been guilty of showering on him, he has continued to be the #1 in the NBA at the defensive end of the floor. Dwight led the league with 66 double-doubles this year, including six 20-20 games (!). He ranked second in rebounds and fourth in blocks. The Magic, behind Dwight, were the league's fourth best defensive team.

In a conversation that I had with my older brother just last night, we even came to the conclusion that Dwight may be the least-tradeable player in the league right now. Don't confuse that with "best player". There are few players as good as Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, or Dwyane Wade, but Dwight stands above all as a unique commodity in a small man's league, bringing with him the type of game-changing potential that few players in the league possess.

Still, without an MVP or a title to his name, Dwight will always have the reputation of being almost there, just not quite. Even in this season, which was Dwight's most valuable for his otherwise inconsistent side, the big man was overshadowed by the brilliance of Derrick Rose in Chicago, who will most-likely be named MVP in a week or so.

Now, Howard needs to back up this honour and save his side from a surprise upset. In Game 1 against the Hawks, Dwight was allowed to create havoc offensively, as he scored 46 points and brought down 19 rebounds. His team-mates, unfortunately, performed a disappearing act that would've made Houdini proud. The current Magic team will never be enough to take D12 over the hump; and I believe that Dwight alone will never be the leader in a sure-shot championship team. But once you find the right type of dominating perimeter leader to team up with Howard, his teams will surely become damn-near unstoppable.

Until then, congrats, Superman. And in his honour, here's the link to my article/interview with Dwight when he came to India last August. Enjoy!

Dear India: NBA Jerseys are coming your way

Remember the days when it was kind of exclusive to own an NBA jersey in India? The days when you saw a friend wearing a jersey and you knew he had either travelled abroad or had an uncle/aunt/cousin/in-law/Chachi-ke-mama-ke-behan-ka-beta somewhere in the first world, who gifted them a precious jersey.

I don't have the stats to prove this, but the most popular jerseys when I was growing up were probably Bulls Jordan #23, Lakers O'Neal #34, Lakers Bryant #8, 76ers Iverson #3, or Magic McGrady #1. Two of my classmates had the most enviable rare ones, who I feel like giving a shout-out here:

1) Jigme Sadutshang, aka James, who owned a Gary Payton (my favourite player of all time), in SuperSonics green #20 - in that old logo - a team and jersey that doesn't exist anymore.
2) Mark Thyle, who owned a Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves #21

I was gifted my first very own authentic NBA jersey when I was 22 (late, I know) from England - it was a Knicks Marbury #3. Yes, I know - but hey, I'm a Knicks fan and wanted to sport their colours somehow. Marbury was one of my favourite players back then - but we all know how that story ended - losses, selfishness, vaseline, China.

But what about India itself - we haven't really had authentic NBA jerseys on sale here. adidas first introduced them last August - selling the Magic Dwight Howard #12 jerseys, to usher in 'Superman's' visit to India. The reaction to the jersey, along with the obvious rise of popularity of NBA in India, has encouraged adidas and the NBA.

So here's the great news: the NBA has announced that, for the first time, jerseys will be available to basketball fans in India at 200 adidas stores across the country, along with lots of other NBA merchandise. This is a great time to make this announcement, as the NBA playoffs are right around the corner.

The initial collection of jerseys will include the four players that, pretty much, will be the most bankable over here: Dwight Howard (Magic #12), Kobe Bryant (Lakers #24), LeBron James (Heat #6), and Kevin Garnett (Celtics #5).

Besides from jerseys, the rest of the line will include stylish and classic apparel, accessories and the latest in footwear, as well as colorful tees, large graphics and youthful designs showcasing top NBA teams such as the Lakers, Bulls, Magic and Celtics. The NBA collection will range from Rs. 999 to Rs. 4,499.

“Basketball is growing rapidly in India and the sport is already quite popular amongst high school and college kids in major metros,” said adidas India Director of Sales and Marketing Tushar Goculdas, “Being a leading sportswear brand and market leader in basketball in India, adidas' endeavor is to promote the game and provide our consumers innovative and exciting sportswear. We are leveraging our exclusive global partnership to bring the NBA closer to fans in India. This season, basketball enthusiasts can enjoy official licensed NBA jerseys of their favorite players and a wide and vibrant range of other NBA merchandise.”

"The NBA and adidas share a long-term commitment to grow basketball globally and are encouraged by the tremendous amount of untapped potential we see in India," said NBA India Senior Director of Development Akash Jain. “NBA fans in India are passionate about their favorite teams and players, and through adidas’ extensive retail network we will make available the largest selection of NBA performance and lifestyle merchandise ever in the country."

Now obviously, I have A LOT to say about this!

First of all - amazing news. I know this is just a modest start with only four players. Howard, Bryant, James, and Garnett. Wow. We'll be seeing a lot more of them around the country soon, worn by fans and players. But the good news is that, as the NBA gets more popular here, we will see more jerseys coming to India. This is my wishlist, which includes a whole lotta Knicks, and a lot of players that you probably won't expect to see here, but who I wish should be seen on the country's basketball courts or adorned by fans walking around the marketplace:

1. Knicks - Stoudemire #1
2. Knicks - Anthony #7 - Come on, admit it, Knicks white, orange, and blue are terrific colours, probably the NBA's best. And once they start improving, watch out for the Knicks bandwagon to get heavier.
3. Heat - Wade #3: Once again, the NBA has disappointed me, promoting LeBron but not Wade. Newsflash, world - Dwyane Wade is as good as (or ALMOST as good as) a player that LeBron James is. And he's definitely more exciting. Show some love, pleeeease.
4. Bulls - Rose #1: Before the Lakers took the mantle, the Bulls, behind Michael Jordan, were by far the most popular basketball team in the planet. Now, they are number one in the East again and their star player is an MVP candidate. This one, I really shouldn't have had to explain.
5. Lakers - Gasol #16: He came to India. He is a 2-time champ. He plays for the most popular team. And he's awesome.
6. Thunder - Durant #35: Newsflash Part 2 - Kevin Durant is a really, really, really good player. But because he doesn't really have the most promotable personality and plays in a system more than as an individual, the NBA hasn't really promoted him the way they have promoted the other superstars. The Thunder are a new team, with rare, colours, and I'm sure it will become the alternative fan's favourite apparel if we can get this jersey here.
7. Clippers - Griffin #32 - Honour to a man who has temporarily made wearing the word 'Clippers' across your chest cool again. Wait, scrap that. It's too risky.
8. Mavericks - Nowitzki #41 - Not that I would buy it, but the Mavs/Dirk are pretty popular.
9. Lakers - Artest #37: There could be many reasons why this is a bad idea. Artest is crazy is probably at the top of the list. But to all those who love defense and their psychiatrist, this is a must have. Perhaps the other reason why this is a risky move is because Ron Ron changes jersey numbers faster than the Knicks' change their roster. Over the course of his career, he has worn 15, 23, 91, 93, 96, and 37.

Others in contention: John Wall (Wizards), Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen (Celtics are popular in India), Chris Paul (Hornets), Steve Nash (Suns), Landry Fields (Knicks).

And my favourite, best, jersey idea? Cavaliers, LeBron James, #23. Ha! Just so you can a) pretend the decision never happened or b) burn it like the folks over in Cleveland.

And for those who are now kind of disappointed that NBA jerseys are now available in India, your jersey isn't rare anymore, and your days of calling on your Chachi-ke-mama-ke-behan-ka-beta are over, take heart and move on to the next level - THROWBACKS! Do some research and go old school. ESPN.com has listed its favourite retro jerseys, which include Moses Malone (Spirit of St. Louis, #13), Rick Barry (San Francisco Warriors #24), Pistol Pete Maravich (Atlanta Hawks #44).

My sights are still set to that Gary Payton Sonics - Jigs, you got a bigger size?

My Pre-Season recap, if there's anyone out there to listen...

Please care about the pre-season. Please, pretty please! Look, I even went on NBA.com/India and pleaded its case. It's not not important, okay?

Well, whatever your sentiments may be for the seven or eight exhibition games played by each NBA team before the start of the regular season, you can now hold them until next October. The pre-season has concluded, the real season is only three/four days away, and peace has been restored in the galaxy, somewhat.

Still, the last few weeks haven't passed by without its set of talking points. Here are the stories that stood out from over the last few weeks of pre-season games:

The new technical rule: Be careful the next time you pump your fist in excitment or frown at the referee or raise your eyebrow to emulate The Rock. NBA refs have been given a super ridicolous new technical foul rule that will keep most of the NBA's players worried more about their body language than their defensive assignments. A bunch of critics have already emerged against this new rule and we can hope that Commissioner Stern will ease them up a little.

NBA going to Europe, Mexico, and Outdoors: The NBA continued to try new things in the pre-season, as the Lakers, Knicks, and the Timberwolves headed to Europe to play in Milan, Paris, and London. The Spurs also faced the Clippers in Mexico. And the Suns, in what is starting to look like a yearly tradition, held an outdoor game against the Mavericks.

The Teams playing well...: The Jazz have been on an absoulte tear in the pre-season, going 8-0, and so have the Magic, who have been 7-0. The Magic is no surprise: this is their THIRD STRAIGHT undefeated pre-season, and they're on a 21-0 pre-season streak. Too bad it doesn't count in conference finals games against the Celtics.
The surprise undefeated squad are the Grizzlies, who have also gone 8-0. And there are a few more surprises, because back in the East, the Cleveland Cavs are the third best team, going 6-2. Should anyone be shocked, since this has been the best regular season team over the last two years? They lost, like, just one player, right? Whatshisface whoever?
And then there's the Celtics, who are looking scary efficient, including their bench. They went 7-1. Plus, Shaq is in Boston and all things in life seem to be happy again.

... And the ones dissapointing: The Suns, last year's Western Conference finalists, lost Amar'e, and look in danger of losing their swagger, too. Then again, this is only the pre-season.

New faces making it count: The two leading scorers of the pre-season are both new faces in their squads: Amar'e in New York and LeBron in Miami. It'll be interesting to see how LeBron's scoring will be effected once Wade returns from his injury. Amar'e looks like he'll flourish with D'Antoni again.
The third leading scorer is Monta Ellis... Is this is a sign for a breakout season?

Miami-Orlando cancelled game: The NBA doesn't want LeBron, Dwight, Bosh, or Stan Van Gundy to fall on a slippery floor and hurt themselves (not too sure about Stan, actually). That is why this game was cancelled in Tampa last night. Too bad, it would've been a chance for Magic to protect their super important pre-season winning record against the new-look Heat.

Injury concerns in Miami: Wade went out about three minutes into the Big 3's debut in Miami. And now, it seems Mike Miller's gonna miss a couple of months. This is not my favourite team, but it'll still be sad to see injuries stopping what could otherwise be a historically good squad.

Rookies stepping up: The silent battle for this year's rookie of the year has already begun. Blake Griffin (injured and missed all of last season), John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins are all looking good. Should be a fun race to keep an eye on.

The Carmelo Question: Is he going to New Jersey? No he's going to New York now. No, Chicago is the best fit right now. I think he's happy in Denver.
Too much speculation, too few answers. As of now, Carmelo Anthony is still a Nugget, but things could change as soon as I finish this sentence, really. He seems to have caught the LeBron-Decision bug and look for brighter lights and bigger success. I wonder how the speculation is going to affect his game...

Lockout looming?: Dark clouds in the league ahead. There has been much discussion and debate about the player's salary agreement, and it seems right now that David Stern wants the player's salary to be dropped by a third. Will there be repurcussions? Will there be a lockout? Rajon Rondo is already saving his cash for next year.

But whatever happens next season, happens next season. In three days, the 2010-11 season tips off. I will soon have my season review up, too. Let's get ready for some games that count...