Sports Opinions so Hot they Boil Steel

Some HSO's (hot sports opinions) I thought of while at the Mavs-Spurs game last night:

1. Bruce Bowen is an affront to not just basketball, but all sports. No sport allows you to do what Mr. Bowen does -- constant clutching, grabbing, wrestling, obstructing, slapping, etc. -- those things are penalties in all sports this side of Ultimate Fighting. The NBA needs an extra ref in the game just to watch him. The sad part is the NBA must realize this but doesn't do anything about it for some reason. The league just lets him pretend he's a good defender as he fouls on every play. It offends me as a human.
2. The Refs? They were pretty good in the first half. They called travelling a few times, didn't mess anything up too badly, and kept things pretty even (except for the three cheesy fouls they called on my man Josh Howard). Apparently they spent halftime sticking pencils into their eyes, though, because they could not see anything in the second half. Both teams got jobbed, especially the ones playing against Bruce "The Hitman" Bowen. After the game, San Antonio acted as though the refs had killed their collective only child. They're ridiculous, and I hope they lose just because of their whining.
3. Speaking of whining, the best part of last night was the Mavs' fans sensitivity to the Spurs' whining toward the refs. Every time Bowen or Duncan or God forbid Ginobili's nose walked up to the officials with pleading in their voices, the fans booed. It was awesome.
4. Mavs fans should not be booing Finley, no matter what Dirk said (in jest). If Dirk told you to jump off that obnoxiously tall building they just built by the AAC, would you do it? The man was the first player to bring the Cuban/Nellie Mavs to respectability, and was always a class act. What the heck, Dallas? Quit being Philadelphia.
   
5. Tony Parker has the ugliest game in the world. He's not really a point guard (one assist last night) and he can't really shoot -- he's just a scoring weapon, a basketball gun. He throws up the ugliest shots, and they just keep going in. It's ridiculous. I've never seen anything like it. Does he practice this crap blindfolded?
   
6. I've brought this up before, but the Mavs in-game experience is insane. Last night, the crowd was already totally pumped, so thankfully the announcer guy let up on the Hitler-like orders to cheer. They had two Spurs-specific songs (supported by cheesy animated jumbotron graphics) -- "The Manu Flop," a song to the tune of "The Monster Mash" about Manu Ginobili's nose and its propensity to fake getting fouled; and, "Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Spurs Fans," which is self-explanatory. I hate those "JibJab" animated graphics with the mouths that open the whole face.
   
7. The game was incredible -- maybe the best game I've ever been to. Every play in the fourth quarter and overtime seemed amazing. The crowd wanted blood. It was intense and unforgettable. I'm glad I overpaid for the tickets.