Chopin: Etude Op.25 No.11

Current Mood | "Winter Wind" | A minor

eightychoices. 

OKC in PDX

PG13

There are not five players in the NBA playing better basketball than Paul George right now. I saw the Thunder take on the Trailblazers at the Moda Center last night and I walked away with an easy assessment; George was the best player on the court and it wasn't even close. Let me go off on a tangent and list the handful of players that are at the top of their game who could be debated as playing the best right now as of January 5th (not who is the best).

Harden is obviously a cheat code on offense what he's doing is crazy. The Beard is creating roughly 70 plus points on his own during his recent, blistering stretch. On the flip side he's not close to emulating PG's defensive presence. Giannis and Kawhi are similar in their two-way abilities. However, Antetokounmpo doesn't have a jumper and Leonard doesn't seem that fun to play with even when he does wreak havoc. LeBron is LeBron and in the playoffs we've seen how he reaches other levels not capable of basic humans. He's currently rehabbing and the Lakers have gone 1-4 in his absence. That leaves Anthony Davis who is playing out of his gourd and yet the Pelicans sit at the 13th spot three games under five hundred. Sure Durant deserves to be on the list but he's not playing that great right now and his attitude is suspect. I don't doubt his talents, he's probably the second best player on the planet, but you wouldn't know it by watching his team (which happens to also have Steph, Klay and Draymond). So I'm left with the idea that Paul George and Anthony Davis are perhaps the hottest and most talented two-way players in the Association right now. Of course I would build my team around Giannis or AD long term and I would choose LeBron or KD if it was one guy to take me to The Finals, but I'll ride with this Paul George anytime.

Now back to George... he's the best two-way player I've seen this year. He's so good and plays so hard while making it look so smooth. He's always in the right spot and intellectually he's reading plays before they unfold. Paul George would be so fun to play with and seems like a great teammate. Not only is he unselfish, he's also willing to do whatever it takes to help his team win, he has all the tools on both sides of the floor. It was a treat to see him display his talents in person. Through the years I have been wowed by a few players live—Giannis, Gobert and LeBron come to mind. George has now entered that list and not because of his physical size or alien-like gifts. Instead it's due to his fluid and poetic basketball style, he can do it all and does so with class. The Thunder won for the first time in Portland since 2014. The final score was 111-109. As a result the Blazers fell to seventh in the west and OKC rose up to the second spot. Only in the NBA.

Paul George @ Portland Jan. 4th - 37 pts (10-23 fg, 5-9 3pt, 12-14 ft) | 8 rbs | 2 ast | 1 stl 

eightychoices.

Brew Detective: Stay West IPA | Breakside

Breakside is not mess'n 'round, they brew good beer. Stay West IPA is kind of magical, the clarity is A-plus. Often we get caught up in the hype of what's new, it's nice to appreciate west coast IPA's as a standard-bearer within the brewing industry. 

Some breweries get it done without any gimmicks crafting beautiful, lush and taste-driven IPA's that are clearly filtered. A mixture of stone fruit and slightly tropical flavors pop from the bottle. Stay West is also delicate, the carbonation is subtle creating nice mouth feel. All of the nuances are clean and yet noticeable. If you happen to see this delectable India pale ale on the shelf I suggest grabbing some. Enjoy responsibly. 

Stay West IPA | 7% | 63 IBU

eightychoices.

The BESTY's 2018

Tis the season to be BESTY, the longest running snapshot of live entertain that's worth noting is back by lack of popular demand. I really dig thinking back on good times, lucky I guess. Participating in public settings and shared experiences can exhilarate. I've said many times that I want music to make me think, make me dance or inspire me. Witnessing art can often make you feel part of it; creative power has endurance. 

I'm surprised by artists that I'm familiar with who continue to impress, other times I realize I've moved on. Whereas artists or performances that are new-to-me have that unique, first opportunity to impress. I'm not sure which form of expectation is the tougher to fill. What I do know is, it's awesome to be wowed by anybody. So that's where I've come to reside in terms of opinion; I want to be impressed, wowed, inspired, allowed to feel free and dance uninhibited. To all the fun and culturally relevant events, thank you. The BESTY's are...

STS9 | 12.31.17 | The Warfield

Kimock & Mathis * | 02.03.18 | Sweetwater | A Love Supreme & Meditations

Built to Spill * | 02.20.18 | The Fillmore | Keep It Like A Secret | Noise Pop

Jeff Tweedy * | St. Paul & The Broken Bones | 04.21.18|  High Water | Charleston, SC

Valerie June * | Tank & The Bangas * | 04.22.18 | High Water | Charleston, SC

LCD Soundsystem * | TV on the Radio | 04.29.18 | The Greek

Kimock & Leslie Mendelson | 06.17.18 | The Reel | Sonoma

Rocket vs. Warriors | Game 4 Western Conference Finals  | 05.22.18 | Oracle 

Best Restaurant Meals of the Year: The Rarebit in Charleston | Little Jacks in Charleston | Red Fish in Port Orford (x2) | Diavola in Geyserville (x2)

Happy Holidays | eightychoices.

******

Happy Christmas

Current Mood |

John Lennon, Yoko Ono & Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir ~
"Happy Xmas (War Is Over)"

Happy Holidays,
eightychoices

Brew Detective: Comet IPA | Buoy

Buoy is keeping us all afloat with their tasty beer. A new single-hopped IPA hit shelves locally and I scored one. It pours a beautiful caramel-gold and has great clarity. I'm really digging the brewing companies that strive for proper carbonation, it's spot on in the Comet Single Hop IPA. I also appreciate a good malt balance when the hop profile may need a little taming. 

Comet hops are said to yield dank, citrus and tropical fruit notes, others will point to grapefruit. I personally got a whole lot of the dank mixed with a formidable bitterness, which is why the malt component is so clutch. I always look for Buoy beers at my local grocer and you should too. Enjoy craft beer responsibly this holiday season. Cheers!

Comet IPA | 6.7% | 65 IBU

eightychoices.