Deciphering the Code of Ron Artest's Hair

Cherry Picking recaps the previous day's NBA playoff action.

That's Ron Artest's new haircut, a "Von Hawk" inspired by a promise made to Von Wafer should the Rockets advance to the second round. Artest wasn't exactly thrilled about honoring the promise, but he delivered.

From the Houston Chronicle:

"I just got a little mohawk, a little Von Hawk with a little splash of Rockets," Artest said. "I thought it would be fun. When I first was traded, I put the Rockets' logo on it. Everybody liked it, so I did it again. I kept my word with Von. I didn't renege."

[...] "Now we can trust him," Wafer said. "He can play."

Why are we talking about Ron Artest's hair? There were two compelling basketball games on Monday night; this is the most important thing I can come up with? Fair point. But I'd argue that Artest's hair represents more than a barber with too much time on his hands -- it's also a peek inside the playful camaraderie this team has created.

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Let's face it, the Rockets had every reason to come into Monday's game walking on pins and needles -- they're exploring completely uncharted territory, the first time in the Yao Ming/Tracy McGrady era that they've advanced past the first round. Going up against the vaunted Lakers in front of all the Hollywood glitz and glamor of the Staples Center, this team could have easily choked.

Instead, they came out swinging, knocking the Lakers on their heels while getting bruised and bloodied in the process. It's hard to play that aggressive knockdown style of ball without knowing the other four players on the court have your back. And odd as it might sound, honoring a silly locker room bet like Artest did not only injects levity and deflates pressure but also fosters trust.

Am I reading too much into this? Perhaps. But even if Artest's new 'do isn't indicative of Houston's brotherhood, it doesn't mean that brotherhood doesn't exist. Consider this locker room exchange between Aaron Brooks and Yao witnessed by NBA.com's Dave McMenamin shortly after Monday's game:

Brooks, still draped in his towel from a postgame shower, approached Yao who was icing his feet at his locker, not waiting to get dressed before relaying his concern.

"Don't play around like that, I was nervous," Brooks said.

"I was trying to say I was fine, it just hurt," Yao explained.

"Next time put your hand up and let us know that ... You took so damn long to get up."

Yao laughed and nodded before becoming serious again as Brooks readied himself to speak to reporters:

"By the way, great hustle when you dove to the floor for that ball."

On the surface it's just a funny anecdote, but it also shows 1) how much this team cares about each other; 2) the toughness they exhibit by playing through pain; and 3) how they hold each other accountable by acknowledging hustle.

To be fair, the Rockets could be the best, most hustling teammates in the world and still lose this series handily; in the end, talent reigns supreme.

But Houston's style of play -- physical, grind-it-out, defensive basketball -- demands cohesiveness and trust to be successful, and for at least one game in this series, the Rockets were successful. Credit should go wherever it's due -- so in some tiny, almost-but-not-quite-insignificant way, that means taking a quick moment to acknowledge Artest's new haircut and all that it represents.

Doing Lines

Dwight Howard gets first billing -- you just can't argue with 22 rebounds. He also pitched in 16 points on 6-12 shooting, three blocks and three assists. The Celtics quite literally don't have an answer for Howard when Kevin Garnett's in street clothes; the C's have yet to beat the Magic in three tries this year without KG. [Box Score]

Anytime someone mentions Ron Artest's impact on a game it's usually in reference to his defense, but how about his 21 points and seven assists against the Lakers? He shot 8-15 from the field, including 3-6 from beyond the arc. The only danger to a game like this is that he might get a little too comfortable living in three-point land, but so long as he does his best to irritate and annoy Kobe Bryant (32 points on 14-31 shooting), all will be forgiven. [Box Score]

Watching Film



That's LeBron James' acceptance speech made in his old high school gym after being awarded the NBA's MVP trophy, and while long (that's not even half of it -- see the rest at To The Tin), it's worth watching in its entirety simply because it's one of the rare* times that LeBron lets his guard down (at least a little) in front of a camera. The LeBron you see in that video comes across as genuine and humble, as opposed to the LeBron we're used to seeing, which is usually some combination of polished, marketed or coddled.

* It's a rare glimpse but not the only glimpse -- we him at similar ease this summer chowing on some Wendy's at a gas station with his Redeem Team teammates.

On the Blockquote

Jeff Clark from CelticsBlog finding the silver lining in Boston rallying from 28 points down to lose by five:

I'll leave you with a final good note: Between this game and the Bulls series and even tossing in the record setting Finals comeback game from last year; it all leads me to the same conclusion. This team is never, ever, ever out of it for sure until the buzzer sounds. We have Paul and Ray and championship defense and a whole lotta pride, so you can never count this team out.

Ben Q. Rock from Third Quarter Collapse, who thinks both teams should be ashamed:

The fourth quarter is not one fans of either team will want to savor. Sure, the game went right down to the wire, as just when it looked like the Magic would escape unscathed, Paul Pierce hit a three-pointer to give Boston a puncher's chance at a win, down 3 with 6 seconds remaining. But both teams squandered multiple opportunities to seize control in the period. Rajon Rondo, whose 14-point, 10-rebound, 8-assist line overstates his effectiveness in this game, played erratically and out-of-control, coughing the ball up 4 times in this period alone. And while I don't want to take a lot away from the Celtics, the fact that their comeback attempt was fueled in large part by a series of baffling plays should give them pause.