Are you smarter than Chris Paul?

Collectivism didn't really work out for the USSR, but for the third time in three months, basket-blogs are cluster-posting the heck out of a topic. Back in March, Hardwood Paroxysm tipped off a 45+ post celebration for the Black Mamba; in April, 20 bloggers sang the praises of Underappreciated Famous NBA Athletes.

The latest con-blog-aration yesterday honored Chris Paul, who at 22...
...rolled up legendary point-guard numbers
...led the Hornets to their best season in franchise history
...has his team up 2-0 over the defending champs in the Western Conference semi-finals

(Truly, a phenomenal year; if Juan Dixon and Maceo Baston are worth a day, Paul deserves an entire week).

Still, it wasn't all gravy for CP3 on his own holiday--he finished just second in the NBA's MVP voting, despite convincingly winning basket-bloggers' own award last month.

Of course, there's one honor that Chris Paul can hold over Kobe--and every other NBA player: A win on "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me," a National Public Radio show that Paul appeared on back in September.


(ht: this guy).

We Rite Goode readers may prefer The Basketball Jones to NPR, so here's a primer on "Wait Wait": It's an hour-long news quiz that usually features a 10-minute segment with a celebrity guest, who's forced to answer extremely off-beat questions, usually with mixed success. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer whiffed on all three “Rock N’Roll Lifestyles” questions; meanwhile, muppet Elmo went 2-for-3 on a quiz called "Shut up! Shut up! I'm going to cut your mic!"

Chris Paul's own quiz was called “You want me to eat what?," which focused on the “least palatable” food products from the 1970s. Want to try your own luck? Here are the three questions that NPR asked Paul; feel free to play or listen along at home. Keep in mind, two of the products in each question are fake--only one is real and the right answer.

Question 1. Kids are a huge target for the processed food crowd, but you’ve got to appeal to the parents too. That was the idea behind one of these failed food products--which is the real product?

A) Liver Pops
Frozen liver treats for your kids

B) Vita-Yums
Chocolate-covered vitamins

C) I Hate Peas
Peas and other unpalatable foods are processed into fake french fries

Answer.

2. While most products are aimed at families, marketers tried to woo single shoppers with which product?

A) Baby Burger Bites
Packets of frozen hamburgers the size of marshmellows

B) Gerber’s singles
Baby food for adults

C) Peanut capsules
Little paper-wrapped packets, with the shells inside

Answer.

3. One smart marketing strategy: Play to customers' natural laziness. But ease-of-preparation couldn’t save which real product?


A) Seat-warmer Dinners
Wrapped dinners you put under your seat cushions and cook with your own body heat

B) Reddi-bacon
From the makers of Reddi-Whip, foil-wrapped bacon you pop in the toaster

C) Fish Jerky
Pre-cooked, freeze-dried perfect for picnics and eating on the go

Answer.

Perhaps the nickname stands for Completely Perfect in 3, as Paul aced the quiz. How did you do? Compare your score to noted luminaries below.

3 correct = Chris Paul, NBA All-Star
2 = Joey Harrington, NFL quarterback (link)
1 = Ken Jennings, “Jeopardy” champion (link)
0 = DeShawn Stevenson Janeane Garafolo, female comedian (link)

Around the Web

Like seat-warmer dinners, a few things we've been sitting on for far too long...

* Bright Side of the Sun puts Mike D'Antoni's return to the acid test.

* The second issue of Sports Northwest Magazine, edited by Seth Kolloen of Enjoy the Enjoyment, is now out; Nathaniel Friedman--a.k.a. Bethlehem Shoals--has an interesting piece on David Stern's middle-America politics.

* One of the most active participants in the basket-blog rankings, the Dream Shake weighs in with their Defensive Player and Executive of the Year. Be warned: The Dream Shake likes the Rockets. A lot.

* Fellow basket-blog voter 20 Second Timeout explains his voting for MVP and other awards. TruthAboutIt.net and Hoops State of Mind also cast their MVP ballots.

* MC Bias sees nothing good emerging from last week's Bissinger/Leith/Costas dust-up.

* He was turning 30 and playing for a middling franchise, so he mocked the GM and demanded a trade all off-season. He was booed by fans and called "selfish" by teammates behind his back. But he sucked it up and carried his team to title contention and raised his game to an MVP-level. Yes, Hakeem Olajuwon went from malcontent to two-time champion--and back in November, we wondered if Kobe could pull off a similar transformation.

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posted by Crucifictorious @ 01:32, ,


Rankings: The 7th Man of the year (oh, and MVP, too)

Let's face it: Part I of the final basket-blogger awards played to script, with Durant (ROY), Scott (COY), and Hedo (MIP). However, today's rankings of 7th Man and MVP promise to be more surprising and--dare we say--interesting.

Still, prepare yourself for lots of charts and numbers; bloggers provided six months of data, after all. How could we not analyze it?

7th Man of the Year

We elected to skip 6th Man--not just because Manu Ginobili was near-unanimous, but since typical candidates are de facto starters--and instead wanted to recognize a true impact reserve. A player who doesn't get starter's minutes (so, no one who played more than 24 mpg) and came off the bench all season (so, no one who started more than 25% of the games he played in).

Here's how basket-bloggers voted:

Honorable mention: Jordan Farmar, Leon Powe, Jannero Pargo.

3. Louis Williams
11.5 ppg, 3.2 apg, 1.0 spg, 16.7 PER
Per 36 minutes: 17.8 ppg, 4.9 apg, 1.6 spg
Adjusted plus-minus: -7.68
12 points, named on 15% of ballots

Perfect third guard, although we'll probably end up overpaying him--and starting him.--Phunctional Phalcoholic, We Rite Goode

2. JR Smith
12.3 ppg, 1.7 apg, 40% 3FG, 18.1 PER
Per 36 minutes: 23.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.2 apg
Adjusted plus-minus: -1.99
22 points, 35% of ballots

The Nuggets are in the lottery without his scoring, and yes, passing, off the bench.--Jeremy, Pickaxe and Roll.

INAUGURAL 7TH MAN - Jason Maxiell
7.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 54% FG, 21.6 mpg, 16.7 PER
Per 36 minutes: 13.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.9 bpg
Adjusted plus-minus: 4.34
29 points, 46% of ballot

He anchors a very good bench for a team that is, in my view, the 2nd best team in the NBA.--John, Red's Army

He eats babies.--Pradamaster, Bullets Forever

Editorializing for a second, our friend PhDribble wants bloggers to better recognize bench players; he'd be happy to know that 23 different 7th men were nominated, with 11 receiving at least one first-place vote. Not surprisingly, the polling strongly favored reserves on playoff teams, which tend to be deeper and bring more talent off the pine.

Another aside: Had this award been based solely on adjusted plus-minus--basically, how much better was a team with X player on the court--Eduardo Najera (plus 9.25) would have won 7th man in a landslide, as he was among the league leaders. Second and third among 7th men were Tony Allen (plus 5.08) and Kyle Korver (plus 4.80), respectively.

Most Valuable Player

Whether it was wins, points, or lifetime achievement, most basket-bloggers based their MVP choice on established criteria. Then there were the voters who felt that charisma in street clothes (one 9th place vote for Greg Oden) or simply leaving the team (one 10th place vote for Jeff McInnes) were enough to warrant consideration.

You'll see the results below, but one trend we've identified, which is sure to help some runner-up's candidacy next year: Keep your bad haircut. After shaving their heads, Andrew Bogut and Chris Kaman finished tied for just 23rd.

Honorable mention: Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups, Paul Pierce, Tracy McGrady

10. Manu Ginobili
19.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 4.5 apg, 61.2% TS, PER 24.3
32 win shares, 10.65 adjusted plus-minus
62 points, 50% of ballots

As he goes, so go the Spurs. No disrespect to Timmy, but it's the truth.--Ben Q. Rock, Third Quarter Collapse

9. Deron Williams

18.8 ppg, 10.5 apg, 59.5% FG, 20.8 PER
31 win shares, 2.06 adjusted plus-minus
66 points, 50% of ballots

Even though as a Nugget fan I hate the Jazz, Deron is just too good to put any lower.--Jeremy, Pickaxe and Roll

8. Dirk Nowitzki
23.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.5 apg, 58.5% TS, 24.6 PER

34 win shares, 8.16 adjusted plus-minus
67 points, 57% of ballots

In many ways Dirk has been much more of an MVP candidate to me this year than last. He's shown unexpected toughness and resiliency and was the reason Dallas topped the 50 win mark once again.--Franchise, RaptorsHQ

7. Amare Stoudemire
25.2 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.1 bpg, 65.6% TS, 27.6 PER

43 win shares, -1.47 adjusted plus-minus
99 points, 67% of ballots

Some questioned his passion and work-ethic in the beginning of the season...Those people have been very quiet.--Ryne, Odenized

6. Tim Duncan
19.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.9 bpg, 24.3 PER

32 win shares, 7.52 adjusted plus-minus
104 points, 72% of ballots

Didn't everyone think he was washed up like 3 years ago?--College Wolf, Twolves Blog

Top five in MVP voting

Let's pause for a second. Not for dramatic emphasis, but to consider how these final five players separated themselves across the season; none dropped below fifth in our rankings, and four--LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, and Chris Paul--held the top spot at some point.

However, every player who once held first also ranked as low as fourth or fifth at some point, illustrating this year's ultra-competitive MVP race. One week, Dwight Howard was #1 and LeBron James was #3; in the next poll, they'd swapped places. In fact, the most consistent candidate was Kevin Garnett--the only player in this quintet yet to hold #1--as KG never fell below fourth nor rose above second.

We know that, over the course of a season, voters change their ballots based on fluctuations in player and team performance, not to mention factors like dramatic wins or SportsCenter highlights. For example, Caron Butler appeared in just one ranking--10th overall, on Dec. 17th--and we'd bet that was tied to the Wizards' nationally televised victory over Shaq and Wade a few nights before, as much as Butler's play and team record.

So, in offering up these final five MVP candidates, we examine one factor--if recent team performance correlated with voter behavior. In addition to select stats and witty comments, the following players also get a big, distracting chart (The red line represents where the players ranked in MVP voting each round; the blue line represents their team's winning percentage in the two weeks between votes.) Judge for yourself; our back-of-the-envelope analysis is that there's a link, in addition to a bit of a lag.

5. Dwight Howard
20.7 ppg, 14.2 rpg, 59.9% FG, 2.1 bpg
36 win shares, 13.71 adjusted plus-minus
165 points, 94% of ballots

The league's leader in adjusted plus-minus, and by a wide margin. He also hasn't missed a game in his career.--Ben Q. Rock, Third Quarter Collapse

A good supporting cast, but it is Howard who has got Orlando to this point. And Howard who will take the Magic further...--Don, With Malice...

Became a much better player this year, but fizzled down the stretch.--Jeramey, The Bratwurst

4. LeBron James
30.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 7.2 apg, 1.8 spg, 29.1 PER
43 win shares, 9.29 adjusted plus-minus
272 points, 100% of ballots

If Chris Paul is the glue making the pieces of his team fit, LeBron is the team itself; sans LBJ the Cavs are probably the worst offensive team in the league.--Franchise, RaptorsHQ

Long story short is that they didn't win enough games. That's bogus because they would have won less games than the TWolves without LeBron.--College Wolf, TWolves Blog

As far as MVP voting went, he would have been better off slacking the first half of the season like he did last year.--Brett, Queen City Hoops

He's an unbelievable player, but if you can't get more than 4 games over .500 in the Leastern Conference you can't win the award - that's actually engraved on the trophy. --Tom and Steve W., CelticsBlog

Hard to overlook his stats. Easy to overlook his team. Not quite the MVP.--David, The Dream Shake

3. Kevin Garnett
18.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 54% FG, 25.2 PER
36 win shares, 9.68 adjusted plus-minus
291 points, 100% of ballots (nine first place votes)

He's not getting enough love, methinks. Defense is a major, major part of the game, and you can't deny how much he has impacted that end of the floor. I mean, Boston has the third-best defensive efficicency of ALL TIME! How ridiculous is that.--Pradamaster, Bullets Forever

Never before has one man done so much... with so much. Wait, what?--Matt and Corn, Hardwood Paroxysm

HEY BOSTON IS DA GRATEST!!! HATAZ DON NO BOUT DEM CELTICS!!! via Ball Don't Lie--Goathair, The Blowtorch

2. Kobe Bryant
28.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.4 apg, 1.8 spg, 24.2 PER
39 win shares, 10.56 adjusted plus-minus
317 points, 100% of ballots (12 first place votes)

As Tim Legler put it, he is the only player in the NBA who has no weaknesses. He is the only player since MJ who you would want to take the last shot and defend a player who is taking the last shot.--Dave, 20 Second Timeout

His leadership and poise are what set him apart. There are a lot of great leaders, but none would I have over Kobe.--Ryne, Odenized

The man can win games singlehandedly whenever he wants to, AND leap over speeding Aston Martins in a single bound.--Jeff, Courtside at the Score

He's still the best player in the NBA. Just not the most valuable this year. There are worse things in life than #2 in MVP voting...--David, The Dream Shake

(Kobe's kind of our horse in the race, despite voting for Paul; amidst last fall's trading frenzy, we were hoping that he could still pull a Hakeem Olajuwon in L.A.).

1. Chris Paul
21.1 ppg, 11.6 apg, 2.7 spg, 57.6% TS, 28.3 PER
50 win shares, -.06 adjusted plus-minus
334 points, 100% of ballots (15 first place votes)

He's having the best traditional point-guard season of all-time, and he saved basketball in New Orleans. "Value" applies to the community, too.--Ben Q. Rock, Third Quarter Collapse

Try to win 56 games in the West with Mo Peterson as your STARTING teammate in the back court and tell me how it works...--Ricky, Sixers 4 Guidos

By PER, the man just had THE single greatest season in the history of the point guard position. Better than Magic, Oscar, or Stockton in their prime. I just don't see how that can go unrewarded.--Rohan, At the Hive

How do we compare?


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Here's one final, crowded chart: A compilation of every poll from across the season. Note how the same players remained in the top five all season, while 13 different players rotated through the bottom five slots.

You can see a full-size version of this graphic here.

If the chart's abbreviations throw you off, check out this spreadsheet, which contains the year-long MVP results, in addition to full voting for today's awards. In tracking players' "full body of work," the spreadsheet also illustrates how cumulative voting (i.e., Dwight Howard gets 9 points for finishing second in the inaugural poll, 10 points for finishing first in the second poll, etc.) would have significantly altered the MVP results: LeBron would be the hands-down winner, while Kobe would've finished fourth and Steve Nash--who wasn't even in the final poll--would've ranked sixth.

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A Texas-sized hat-tip to Brew Hoop's Alex--who dreamed up these rankings nearly six months ago--for letting us close out this fantastic regular season. Not to mention, many thanks to the kind voters (listed out below) and to you, the reader...who now knows far more about bloggers' MVP preferences than he ever wished.

Esteemed voters
David (Dream Shake); Ryne (Odenized); Franchise (RaptorsHQ); Spartacus (3 Shades of Blue); College Wolf (TWolves Blog); Matt and Corndogg (Hardwood Paroxysm); David (20 Second Timeout); Brian (Empty the Bench); Ben Q. Rock (Third Quarter Collapse); Don (With Malice); Ryan (HoopsAddict); Green 17 & Steve W. (Celtics Blog); Alex (BrewHoop); Basketbawful (Basketbawful); ticktock6 and mW (Hornets Hype); Dannie (Hoops State of Mind); Carter Blanchard (Free Darko); Rohan (At the Hive); Matt Watson (DetroitBadBoys.com); Tom (Indy Cornrows) Pradamaster (Bullets Forever); Josh (Dinosty); Jeramey (The Bratwurst); Jeff (Courtside at The Score); Wes Cox (Mavs Moneyball); Goathair (The Blowtorch); TruthAboutIt (TruthAboutIt.net); Ricky (Sixers 4 Guidos); Phoenix Stan (Bright Side of the Sun); Matt (BlogABull.com); Brett (Queen City Hoops); John (Red's Army); Andre (Nuggets 1); M. Haubs (The Painted Area); Jeremy (Pickaxe and Roll)

Previous rounds
  1. Brew Hoop
  2. ClipsNation
  3. 3 Shades of Blue
  4. Sixers4Guidos
  5. Pickaxe & Roll
  6. Hardwood Paroxysm
  7. CelticsBlog
  8. TwolvesBlog
  9. Hornets247
  10. Queen City Hoops

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posted by Crucifictorious @ 21:30, ,


End-of-season Basket-Blogger Rankings

The regular season's over, which means the NBA blogger voting has come to a close (for now; you never know if a Playoff MVP needs to be crowned). We Rite Goode managed this final, 11th iteration of the polling, which was last hosted by Queen City Hoops two weeks ago; for those new to the process, votes are compiled from roughly 20-40 blogs each round.

To reveal today: Basket-bloggers' final Rookie of the Year, as well as our collective Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player picks.

(Inspired by the NBA's own staggered reveal--not to mention Neal Pollack's love for this kind of thing--we're going to stretch the results out into multiple posts. Consider yourself warned.)

Let's get to it.

Rookie of the Year

Honorable mention: Jamario Moon, Carl Landry, Joakim Noah

5. Thaddeus Young
8.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 53.9% FG, 16.5 PER
31 points, Named on 46% of ballots

There wasn't much talk about Young when he was drafted out of Georgia Tech but his play was one of the main reasons for Philly's late season success.--Franchise, Raptors HQ

As the second-youngest rookie this season, Young has acted downright grown-up as a starter for the surging Sixers.--Ryne, Odenized

4. Al Thornton
12.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.2 apg, 12.7 PER
37 points, 57% of ballots

He can probably replace Corey Maggette's production if Maggette opts-out this summer. Can you believe he slipped all the way to 14th?--Ben Q. Rock, Third Quarter Collapse

This guy has big-time scorer written all over him. Great athlete whose game just needs a little polishing.--Dave, 20 Second Timeout

Two Al's in the top five!--Phoenix Stan, Bright Side of the Sun

3. Luis Scola
10.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 51.5% FG, 16.1 PER
101.5 points, 97% of ballots

Made a very smooth transition from dominating Europe to not quite dominating the NBA. Fears surrounding his ability to rebound proved to be unfounded.--Jeremy, Pickaxe and Roll

2. Al Horford
10.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 49.9% FG, 14.7 PER
148 points, 100% of ballots

Will be making money while Durant's sitting at home with his Mom watching Days of Our Lives.--Matt and Corndogg, Hardwood Paroxysm

You don't win the award for being the pre-season choice, KD.--Josh, The Dinosty

1. Kevin Durant
20.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 15.8 PER
166 points, 100% of ballots

PLEASE CALL HIM KID DELICIOUS--The Blowtorch

Hands down; go look at LeBron or KG's numbers as a 19 year old.--TruthAboutIt.net

Why do people think this was a dissapointing season? +20ppg with +.50 TS% ain't that bad. Any star with that supporting cast is going to have a hard time being efficient. And his endgame heroics leave more than enough to be excited about for the future.--Carter Blanchard, Plissken at the Buzzer/FreeDarko

How do we compare?


Coach of the Year

Honorable mention: Mo Cheeks, Phil Jackson, Stan Van Gundy

3. Doc Rivers
Celtics, 2007: 24-58, 28th in offensive rating, 16th in defensive rating
Celtics, 2008: 66-16, 9th in offensive rating, 1st in defensive rating
26 points, 40% of ballots


Ok, we know KG did all the work, but still.--Jerramy, The Bratwurst.

No matter what anyone says, he gets some credit for the greatest "win" turnaround in NBA history. He had very little time to get all the new players on the same page and things running smoothly.--College Wolf, TWolvesBlog

2. Rick Adelman
Rockets, 2007: 52-30, 15th in offensive rating, 3rd in defensive rating
Rockets, 2008: 55-27, 17 in offensive rating, 2nd in defensive rating
39 points, 51% of ballots


Had the Rockets doing things they had no right to be doing.--Don, WithMalice

Twenty-two in a row. Loses Yao (and T-Mac). Continues to win. In the West. With *Rafer* as his PG.--David, The Dream Shake

1. Byron Scott
Hornets, 2007: 39-43, 23rd in offensive rating, 14th in defensive rating
Hornets, 2008: 56-26, 5th in offensive rating, 7th in defensive rating
69 points, 77% of ballots

If you look at Hornets roster and at their record, you should realize there must be a reason for their overachievement.--Ricky, Sixers 4 Guidos

I saw him pull a ballsy move by switching his star PG off Rajon Rondo because Rondo was too quick. Most coaches would defer to the kid's ego. I like that he didn't.--John, Red's Army

How do we compare?


Most Improved Player

Honorable mention: Mike Dunleavy, Jose Calderon, Rajon Rondo

3. Chris Paul
2007: 17.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 8.9 apg, 1.8 spg, 22.0 PER
2008: 21.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 11.6 apg, 2.7 spg, 28.3 PER
18 points, 23% of ballots

Yeah, this is a weird vote. But think about it, he's taken his game from potential All-Star to greatest season in PG history. That's a 6.3 jump in PER; it took Monta Ellis a 3.9 jump to win last year.--Rohan, At the Hive

All-Star to MVP candidate is quite a leap.--Brett, Queen City Hoops

2. Rudy Gay
2007: 10.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.3 apg, 12.4 PER
2008: 20.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.0 apg, 17.5 PER
22 points, 31% of ballots

He's almost doubled his scoring average and would be an All-Star if he played for a contender.--Third Quarter Collapse

1. Hedo Turkoglu
2007: 13.3 ppg, 4.o rpg, 3.2 apg, 14.2 PER
2008: 19.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.0 apg, 17.8 PER
69 points, 74% of ballots

Admit it. You weren't expecting a career year from Hedo.--Basketbawful

He's got a special place in my heart as a late-round fantasy pick.--Jeff, Courtside at the Score

He must be on steroids.--Pradamaster, Bullets Forever

How do we compare?



Click here to see how the voting for today's awards shook out; come back tomorrow to see the unveiling of our Seventh Man of the Year...and something called the MVP.

(Update: Part II is here).

Esteemed voters

David (Dream Shake); Ryne (Odenized); Franchise (RaptorsHQ); Spartacus (3 Shades of Blue); College Wolf (TWolves Blog); Matt and Corndogg (Hardwood Paroxysm); David (20 Second Timeout); Brian (Empty the Bench); Ben Q. Rock (Third Quarter Collapse); Don (With Malice); Ryan (HoopsAddict); Green 17 & Steve W. (Celtics Blog); Alex (BrewHoop); Basketbawful (Basketbawful); ticktock6 and mW (Hornets Hype); Dannie (Hoops State of Mind); Carter Blanchard (Free Darko); Rohan (At the Hive); Matt Watson (DetroitBadBoys.com); Tom (Indy Cornrows) Pradamaster (Bullets Forever); Josh (Dinosty); Jeramey (The Bratwurst); Jeff (Courtside at The Score); Wes Cox (Mavs Moneyball); Goathair (The Blowtorch); TruthAboutIt (TruthAboutIt.net); Ricky (Sixers 4 Guidos); Phoenix Stan (Bright Side of the Sun); Matt (BlogABull.com); Brett (Queen City Hoops); John (Red's Army); Andre (Nuggets 1); M. Haubs (The Painted Area); Jeremy (Pickaxe and Roll)

Previous rounds
  1. Brew Hoop
  2. ClipsNation
  3. 3 Shades of Blue
  4. Sixers4Guidos
  5. Pickaxe & Roll
  6. Hardwood Paroxysm
  7. CelticsBlog
  8. TwolvesBlog
  9. Hornets247
  10. Queen City Hoops

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posted by Crucifictorious @ 04:48, ,


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