There's another trOJan apologist on the loose, and he needs to be set straight.
As some of us are aware, SI.com's Arash Markaz is a trOJan alumnus, so it should come as no surprise that he is doing his best to turn lemons into lemonade, doing what he and his school does best: spin.
It was the second time this season that USC has outplayed UCLA for the majority of the game only to lose in the final minutes. In their two meetings this season, the Trojans have led both games for all but nine minutes, racing out to double-digit leads early in both games before tailing off and allowing the Bruins to comeback for wins.
Sorry Arash, I know that you haven't seen much basketball (if any) in your time at Fig Tech, but leading on the scoreboard is not equal to outplaying your opponent. If you acknowledge that the Bruins were chipping away at the lead for the comeback, then you acknowledge that the trOJans were being outplayed during that stretch. It isn't as if a team that gains the lead is suddenly outplaying the other. There is a logical disconnection there, and it doesn't surprise me that a trOJan is unable to recognize it. And as a side note to Nick Young, you might want to actually pull off a WIN before declaring yourself top 10 material. Sounds like someone is reading his own press clippings, and if so, expect an early (and due to the hype they're receiving, embarrassing) tournament exit.
It's embarrassing that these writers try to devalue the only aspect of the game that truly matters: the final score. To hear these apologists talk as if the trOJans had actually won the game despite needing to desperately foul and jack up miracle 3's just to make the score respectable, it reminds me of the "Moral Victory" spin that we heard following our Rose Bowl defeat 3 years ago.
Much like our games last night and a few weeks ago, so close and yet so far, Nick Young. At least some of his quote rings of truth, that there are now two good teams in LA. That's cool with me. I'm sick and tired of SUC not pulling their weight while we take every team's best shot, and they pick up the leftovers. But obviously Nick Young is not an academic superstar because if someone can explain to me how a team can be looked at and noticed and still qualify as being a surprise team, I'd like to hear the reasoning behind that. I'd be very surprised if he's in a SUC uniform next year, not just because of the draft, but because he appears to be too dumb to pass any class not taught by Senora Ross.
Finally I leave you this gem, by none other than the ball slammer:
Right. We were given two games. If by gave, you mean were beaten by the superior team, who plays with more heart and determination and clutch than any team in the conference. Who is led by the best coach in the conference. Whose players, top to bottom, including the bench, showed killer instinct while you folded like a deck of cards. Then yes, you gave us the game by your teams inability to match us. Seriously, our conference is full of morons, from Marcus the Mouth, all the way to these two trOJan jackass (to borrow a term from N) "surrender monkeys".
The name's ARRON, Jackass [sic] Markaz. He's a Wooden award finalist, and probable favorite for Pac 10 POY. But his words are the bottom line. We know how to win a game. SUC does not. Spin that.