Posting and Toasting - ¡Día del Pablo!~https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/29802/posting_fave.png2013-02-15T14:21:53-05:00http://www.postingandtoasting.com/rss/stream/37559252013-02-15T14:21:53-05:002013-02-15T14:21:53-05:00The Best of Pablo (Lo mejor de Pablo)
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<figcaption>Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Celebrating those special moments that make Pablo Pablo</p> <p class="dropcap"><i>Pablo Prigioni, much to our dismay, has been excluded from the "Rising Stars Challenge". We'll have a thread up for the Friday night All-Star events later, but until then, Joe and I have declared today Pablo Day, a.k.a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2013/2/15/3991884/dia-del-pablo">¡Día del Pablo!</a></i></p>
<p>Few <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.postingandtoasting.com/">Knicks</a> have brought the world as much joy this season as back-up point guard <span>Pablo Prigioni</span>. Would it be a stretch to call him the most endearing Knick of my lifetime? I don't think so; the Knicks have been many things over the years, but endearing isn't necessarily one of them. Every time I see Pablo wearing the Knicks uniform I think of Starks, Oakley, Mason and Sprewell, and I can't help but smile.</p>
<p>Pablo's charming, adorable exploits have already become the stuff of legend. Let's take a look back at Pablo's greatest hits thus far, and hope for more Pablo moments to come in the second half.</p>
<p><b>Pablo Moment #1: </b><a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/23870/pablo-prigionis-penchant-for-antique-cars">His Sweet-Ass Moped Collection</a></p>
<p>For many Knicks fans, <a target="_blank" href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1436669/ny_e_prigioni_b1_576.jpg">this</a> was their first look at Pablo. Little did we know that this antique moped collection was the perfect symbol of what would become the Pablo Experience. Seriously, does anything go together better than Pablo and mopeds?</p>
<p><i>PabloFact: </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><i>On his days off Pablo flies down the Cambodia to disarm landmines. He uses his ninja reflexes to sneak up on the mine and steal its triggering mechanism before it detonates.</i></span></p>
<p><b>Pablo Moment #2: MSG Post-Game Interview </b></p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.msg.com/swf/tpPlayer/player.html?mediaId=2296362771" frameborder="0" height="349" scrolling="no" width="620"></iframe></p>
<p>Before there was <a href="http://filmdrunk.uproxx.com/2013/02/homeless-hitchhiking-hatchet-hero-kai-gives-best-interview-ever">Kai, the hatchet-wielding hitchhiking hero</a>, there was Pablo. After helping the Knicks to an all-important pre-season win against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.netsdaily.com/">Nets</a> (no TAKING OVA the pre-season, Brooklyn), Pablo stepped up to the mic and instantly became America's newest catch-phrase machine.</p>
<p>Highlights include:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">"To win this game, I need your points" </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">The now-legendary "I cannot say all the secrets."</span></li>
</ul>
<p><i>PabloFact: </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><i>If Israel had elected Pablo president last month, there would already be peace, thanks to his "Two State/ One Pablo" solution. And yes, he is eligible for Israeli citizenship...Pablo is an official member of every world religion.</i></span></p>
<p><b>Pablo Moment #3: NBA TV Interview</b></p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ye4zuuV616c"></a></p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ye4zuuV616c?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe> <br id="1360581305923"></p>
<p>OMG, DAT SWEATER!</p>
<p>I'm no fashion expert; is that a cardigan with lapels? If anyone needs proof that this guy is the Argentine Bill Cosby, look no further. Throughout this interview I keep expecting a Chocolate Lab to run up to Pablo carrying his slippers and a newspaper. The thought of this guy hanging out with <span>J.R. Smith</span> tickles me to no end.</p>
<p>Highlights include:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">Referring to MSG as "The Madison". How that has yet to catch on I will never know.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">"I really don't feel like I am rookie." He says it in what seems to me like a Russian accent, then backs it up by dressing like my Pop-pop.</span></li>
</ul>
<p><i>PabloFact: </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><i>Every week Pablo rescues a stray dog and cat. He has a ranch in Patagonia where he keeps 350 dogs and cats. The animals never fight, because Pablo has taught them how to resolve arguments with their words (he also taught them to talk)</i></span></p>
<p><b>Pablo Moment #4: Knicks <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl">Super Bowl</a> Picks</b></p>
<p><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5KzB6xNU0aY?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640"></iframe> <br id="1360582345562"></p>
<div>Pablo doesn't just own this interview...he owns the entire freakin' Super Bowl. I would rather watch Pablo talk about football than watch actual football...and I love actual football.</div>
<div>Highlights include:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">The whole damn thing.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px;">In particular, watch out for "I like San Francisco...-chuckles-...city"</span></li>
</ul>
<i>PabloFact: </i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><i>Republicans and Democrats only agreed to work together on comprehensive immigration reform after meeting with Pablo. According to Rep. Michelle Bachmann, Pablo is "one Mexican I can really get behind!"</i></span>
</div>
<p> </p>
<p><b>Pablo Moment #5: Every Single Pablo Jump Shot</b></p>
<p>Some people think Pablo's 10-second set shot sets basketball back 50 years; I say it sets basketball back...to the future!</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1436609/020213_P1drib3short.gif"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1436609/020213_P1drib3short_medium.gif" alt="020213_p1drib3short_medium"></a></p>
<p>via <a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1424609/020213_P1drib3short.gif">cdn1.sbnation.com</a></p>
<p>Of all the wonderful baskets made by the Knicks this season, only Pablo's shot can inspire coach <span>Mike Woodson</span> to thank the heavens above:</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1436591/hallelujahknicks.gif"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1436591/hallelujahknicks_medium.gif" alt="Hallelujahknicks_medium"></a></p>
<p>via <a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1352729/hallelujahknicks.gif">cdn0.sbnation.com</a></p>
<p>Time to vote, Knicks and Knickettes: which moment was the Pablo-est of the first half?</p>
https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2013/2/15/3972942/the-best-of-pablo-prigioni-knicksJoe Flynn2013-02-15T11:33:17-05:002013-02-15T11:33:17-05:00Video: Pablo Prigioni's Greatest Sneaks
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/babAaH5ClPh9uOZy3H6Uw7HsGTY=/0x397:4000x3064/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8187023/157250795.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Bruce Bennett</figcaption>
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<p>A reel of Pablo's best backcourt steals so far this season.</p> <p><i>Pablo Prigioni, much to our dismay, has been excluded from the "Rising Stars Challenge". We'll have a thread up for the Friday night All-Star events later, but until then, Joe and I have declared today Pablo Day, a.k.a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2013/2/15/3991884/dia-del-pablo">¡Día del Pablo!</a></i></p>
<p><span>Pablo Prigioni's</span> game has many virtues, but there's really only one thing that ought to be on every opponent's scouting report: Pablo is incredibly sneaky. Be it a careless inbound pass or a telegraphed perimeter swing, no lazy pass will go unpunished when Prigioni's on the floor. Watching tape confirms our general sense that Pablo contests every single inbound pass and cheats constantly on defense to intercept passing lanes. He is perpetually sneaking. He must sneak. The sneak consumes him. This must be why the craven frauds selecting the Rising Stars participants left Pablo out: they feared his prowling, larcenous ways.</p>
<p>To celebrate Pablo's sneakiness, I and my friends at the SB Nation Studios have compiled this brief collection of some of Pablo's greatest sneaks so far this season. Every time you see a rookie or sophomore inbound the ball without issue tonight, think of what could have been. While you think about that, Pablo will be snatching your belongings.</p>
<p align="center"><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jqfwVAzwENc" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe> <br id="1360945842210"></p>
https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2013/2/15/3992198/video-pablo-prigioni-greatest-sneaks-knicksSeth2013-02-15T09:57:24-05:002013-02-15T09:57:24-05:00"Rising Stars" is a sham without Pablo.
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<figcaption>Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>An injustice done to Pablo is an injustice done to us all.</p> <p><i>Pablo Prigioni, much to our dismay, has been excluded from the "Rising Stars Challenge". We'll have a thread up for the Friday night All-Star events later, but until then, Joe and I have declared today Pablo Day, a.k.a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2013/2/15/3991884/dia-del-pablo">¡Día del Pablo! </a>Below, Joe explains why this year's Rookie-Sophomore game is a despicable travesty. -Seth<br></i></p>
<p>Commissioner David Stern has long been a popular target among NBA conspiracy buffs. He allegedly rigged the NBA Draft selection process so that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.postingandtoasting.com/">Knicks</a> got <span>Patrick Ewing</span> (thanks, Dave) and forced Michael Jordan out of basketball until he could control his gambling (thanks again, Dave), and then he did a bunch of other stuff that didn't involve the Knicks, so I didn't care. But <i>this time</i>, he's gone too far!</p>
<p>The Rookie Challenge / Rookie-Soph / Future Stars game dates back to 1994. In that time, the Knicks have sent 8 players to the game, among the lowest in the NBA. Hard to believe that the Knicks haven't had a lot of quality rookies, isn't it? Right? Anyway, here's the list:</p>
<ul>
<li>John Wallace (HA!) - 1997</li>
<li> <span>Channing Frye</span> - 2006 (Nine-year gap between Knicks rookies decent enough to make an all-Rookie game...yep, sound about right.)</li>
<li> <span>Nate Robinson</span> - 2006</li>
<li> <span>David Lee</span> - 2007</li>
<li> <span>Wilson Chandler</span> - 2009</li>
<li> <span>Danilo Gallinari</span> - 2010</li>
<li> <span>Landry Fields</span> - 2011, 2012</li>
<li> <span>Jeremy Lin</span> - 2012</li>
</ul>
<p>No Knick has been selected to this year's team -- and that, to me, is a goddamn Greek tragedy. The rejection of <span>Pablo Prigioni</span> by the NBA is egregious, outrageous, preposterous. If I was in the habit of watching the Rising Stars Challenge before (I'm not), I sure-as-hell wouldn't watch it this year. If I knew what Rising Stars Game sponsor BBVA was (I don't), I would boycott them. My anger is that deep! Considering the fact that the All-Star Game is already a sham, and the Rising Stars Challenge is a sham-within-a-sham, then the exclusion of Pablo lowers the event to some kind of three-level-deep Inception-style sham.</p>
<p>Let's get this out of the way right now -- strictly based on performance, Pablo deserves to be in this game. The NBA chooses nine rookies for the game. Pablo has played 49 of his team's 50 games, and he's been one of the nine best rookies in the league. Check the rookie ranks:</p>
<ul>
<li>2nd in True Shooting Percentage</li>
<li>1st in Assist Percentage</li>
<li>5th in Steals Per Game, 6th in Steals </li>
<li>4th in Assists, Assists Per Game<br>
</li>
<li>12th in PER </li>
</ul>
<p>Some people might argue that Pablo isn't exciting enough. Who are these people? SHOW YOURSELVES! YOU HAVE INSULTED PABLO'S HONOR! PISTOLS AT DAWN!</p>
<p>First of all, if playing exciting style of ball is a prerequisite for playing in an All-Star Game, then what the hell is <span>Brook Lopez</span> doing in the main event? Before you yell at me, Net fans, I believe he should be there based on merit...I'm just saying the guy plays a boring game, is bland as hell, and has a stupid perm. Second, I wholeheartedly disagree with this notion that Pablo isn't exciting. The man has been directly involved in three of the most exciting plays of the Knicks' season:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1435577/jrdunk_medium_medium.gif"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1435577/jrdunk_medium_medium_medium.gif" alt="Jrdunk_medium_medium_medium"></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1435583/tumblr_mg30h1DwKX1s2rqw7o1_400.gif"><img src="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1435583/tumblr_mg30h1DwKX1s2rqw7o1_400_medium.gif" alt="Tumblr_mg30h1dwkx1s2rqw7o1_400_medium"></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>And, just in case you think all the guy does is pass...</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1435595/020213_P1drib3short.gif"><img src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1435595/020213_P1drib3short_medium.gif" alt="020213_p1drib3short_medium"></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Smooth, papi, smooth.</p>
<p>So what's the deal here? Pablo is, by definition, a rookie. I've searched the Rising Stars Challenge bylaws for some kind of age limit, and I've come up empty. Perhaps there is an unwritten rule keeping the old rookies away from the young rookies - <i>segregating</i> them, if you will. That is a damn shame. You know who else was pretty old for a rookie? Jackie Robinson. There, I said it. Hey NBA, if you're going to keep out Pablo because of his age, why not change the name from "The Rising Star Challenge" to "The Barely-Legal Challenge" -- I'll wager good money that page views on NBA.com will surge almost immediately.</p>
<p>If not ageism, then could good, ol' fashioned racism be at play here? Now, I'm not implying that the NBA is racist against people from Argentina - <span>Manu Ginobili</span>, <span>Andres Nocioni</span> and <span>Luis Scola</span> have all made the Rooke Game before - but let us remember that Argentina is a very big place. I couldn't help but notice that no player from Pablo's home province of Cordoba has ever been selected - Ginobili and Scola are from Buenos Aires, Nocioni is from Santa Fe. What does the league have against the decent, hardworking people of Cordoba? If anybody has ever caught Stern on tape making some tasteless, "People from Buenos Aires drive like this, people from Cordoba drive like this" jokes, please put it on YouTube immediately. The truth must be told!</p>
<p>All of these are worthy theories, but the simple truth is that Pablo is being kept out of this game due to a concerted effort by none other than TNT talking heads Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal. As the two coaches of the Rising Stars Challenge - and two of the NBA's all-time <i>primae donnae</i> - they were both worried that they'd be upstaged by Pablo's luminescent, irresistible charm. Also, they were both jealous that Pablo speaks English way better than either of them. So they pulled a power move and kept him out of the game. Where's my evidence, you ask? Oh, I have evidence. I have so much evidence, that I feel comfortable enough not showing any of it...that's how much evidence I have.</p>
<p>I'm not going to sit here and tell you what to do, dear reader. If you want to watch the game, and sully the name of a beloved Knick, then feel free. I only ask you to celebrate <i>Dia del Pablo</i> in your own way. As the old saying goes, living Pablo is the best revenge.</p>
https://www.postingandtoasting.com/2013/2/15/3966680/pablo-prigioni-rising-stars-shamJoe Flynn