Commercial Break

OK, just a few other words while they're fresh. Since it is playoff time, there are of course more commercials than usual featuring NBA players. And obviously they air 25 times each during the TNT and ESPN broadcasts. I'd just like to briefly mention two of them, from opposite ends of the spectrum.

EARL BOYKINS / NIKE: Freaking brilliant. I mean, straight-up amazing. The understated Forest Whitaker voiceover? The frog morphing into Li'l Earl? The black and white background for both the frog and Earl? The elephant-killer line? The fact that Earl Boykins is in a commercial? Nike always brings it with their commercials, but this one is just other. I'm glad they carried over the voiceover series from the NCAAs. The LeBron ad is good, too, but hell, we're gonna be seeing LeBron commercials for the rest of our lives. Earl rules.

YAO MING /GARMIN: Freaking awful. I mean, straight-up bad. Why the heck couldn't a 7-6 Chinese guy grow up in the country? If he stops to fill his tank (that's what it looks like he's doing), why does it take all of five seconds for him to fill up that land yacht? When does he put the pump handle back? When does he pay? Does he write check? And what the heck is he even advertising? (I had to Google "Yao Ming GPS" to find the name of the company even though I've seen the commercial at least a dozen times.) It's nice to have the celebrity endorsement and all, but at least put together an ad that makes SOME sort of sense. The best thing in the commercial is the car.

Could be worse, I guess--there could be an NBA player in that beer commercial with the tiny cans and bottles.