Archive for the ‘Basketball’ Category
Friday, March 19th, 2010
The Big East Conference is widely acclaimed to be the best NCAA Basketball Conference in the land. The mighty BEAST placed eight teams in the NCAA Tournament and was expected to run roughshod over a weak at-large field this March. So what happened on the opening day of March Madness which saw the Conference go 1 and 3 on Thursday and saw Georgetown, Marquette and Notre Dame as spun out of the tournament??? In fact, if not for some questionable calls late in its game against Robert Morris, Scotty Reynolds and Villanova would have shared the fate of the other three, instead of prevailing in overtime. And that was a 2 versus 15 matchup we are talking about; what is going on?!?
It appears there is too much inbreeding going on the the Big East. All the teams try to play big, go for lots of rebounds and be super tough. Unfortunately, the rest of the field appears to be going small, quick and shooting the lights out of three pointers. Georgetown had a respectable 38 first half points yesterday, except that opponent Ohio lit them up for 51 in return and cruised to an easy win over the heavily favored Hoyas. The Golden Eagles of Marquette (who get props for very cool home uniforms!) were shut down and held without a basket over the last four minutes against Washington and Old Dominion shocked the Fighting Irish the day after Saint Patricks Day.
The BEAST let us down this year and many brackets (including mine) went bust! Even President Obama who went 12-4 on opening day got bitten as three of his four losses were the Big East flameouts described above. The Big Ten learned the hard way in football that speed kills; looks like the Big East is getting the same lesson in College Basketball.
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Tags: Georgetown Hoyas, Marquette Golden Eagles, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, President Obama, Scotty Reynolds, Villanova Wildcats, Washington Huskies
Posted in Basketball, NCAA Basketball | View Comments
Monday, June 15th, 2009
I am not a Kobe Bryant fan. I spent last year’s finals celebrating his Lakers going down to the Celtics and this season I rooted for the Rockets, Nuggets and Magic to take him down again. My thought is he ruined the Lakers earlier this decade with his childish petulance and jealousy of Shaquille O’Neal. He ran off Shaq and questioned Phil Jackson and I won’t even get into the crap he pulled in Denver a few years ago. But I will give him this, he can now claim his legacy as arguably the second best player to ever compete in the NBA.
It appears, at 30 years old, Kobe has finally grown up. He begged, pleaded, cajoled, threatened and dragged his Laker teammates to the NBA Title this season. He averaged 32.4 points per game which is not surprising for such a prolific scorer; the big surprise was his leading the Lakers in assists in every game of the five game Finals. He also is giving honesty a try when he finally admitted all the questions about winning one without Shaq really did bother him. He stated “It was like Chinese water torture,” he said. “I would cringe every time. I was just like, it’s a challenge I’m just going to have to accept because there’s no way I’m going to argue it. You can say it until you’re blue in the face and rationalize it until you’re blue in the face, but it’s not going anywhere until you do something about it.”
Kobe is on top of the world, he just won his fourth ring, his Los Angeles Lakers will be the favorites to win again next year and he was Finals MVP in a year where most said Lebron James has passed him by. Yep, Kobe’s Legacy is intact; I still don’t like him by the way…
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Tags: Boston Celtics, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Orlando Magic, Phil Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal
Posted in NBA | View Comments
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
The King James Bible is the most published and read book in history, but it appears a lot more King James literature is on the way, especially in Cleveland. This years NBA MVP, Lebron James has picked up his Cleveland Cavaliers and is willing them towards an NBA Championship. After annihilating the Detroit Pistons, the Cavs just completed another four game sweep, this time over last years playoff darlings, the Atlanta Hawks. None of the games thus far have been even close for Cleveland, double digits wins every time. And with the Celtics in another dogfight, this time with Orlando and the Lakers likely facing grueling and draining challenges from the Houston Rockets now and most likely, the Denver Nuggets next round, does anyone not see Lebron and the Cavaliers hoisting the NBA Championship trophy in June? The 24 year old James is re-writing the record books, almost averaging a triple double per game in this playoff year. The last guy to do that was the great Oscar Robertson and anytime you can be mentioned in a sentence with the Big O, you are doing something right.
My belief this year was Dwyane Wade deserved the MVP award after leading Miami back to the playoffs, but it’s hard to argue with Lebron. As everyone seeks the next Michael Jordan, keep in mind that Jordan had Pippen, Kobe Bryant had Shaq, D-Wade had Shaq too, only Lebron stands pretty much on his own. Granted Mo Williams is not a bad player, but he’s not a Hall of Famer like the other guys had. Forget the next Jordan, meet the first Lebron… And get ready to give King James the crown in June!
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Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Dwyane Wade, Houston Rockets, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson
Posted in NBA | View Comments
Friday, April 10th, 2009
I borrow my title today from a 1986 Sports Illustrated cover featuring the untimely and tragic death of another 22 year old rising sports superstar.
Yesterday, just after midnight Pacific Time, Nick Adenhart’s brief and promising major league career came to an abrupt end in a similar and tragic fashion. When I learned of Adenhart’s death, I could only reflect on a similar event from the summer between my junior and senior year in high school. I remembered the SI cover and the emptiness I felt when I learned of the death of the University of Maryland and recent draft selection of the Boston Celtics, Len Bias.
Len Bias was the 1980’s version of LeBron James with his 210 pounds of bulk muscle strapped to his 6’-8” athletic frame. He was the next Michael Jordan and could have possibly been even better than Jordan had he not met his fate that June night in College Park, Maryland. I remember watching Bias dominate the ACC as we was voted to back to back ACC Player of the Year awards while leading the over achieving Terrapins to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. Bias was a beast in the paint where his mere physical stature was greater and more effective than Jordan’s.
Could you imagine what Bias could have done along side Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish in the Boston Garden? Mix in Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson and coach K.C. Jones, the aging NBA champions would never have laid dormant for 22 more years waiting to raise another championship banner over the parquet floor.
While these type tragedies play out everyday in the sporting world and in regular life, it does remind us of life’s fragileness and the hopefully makes us fully appreciate the good fortune in life when it comes along.
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Tags: Boston Celtics, LeBron James, Len Bias, Los Angeles Angels, Maryland Terrapins, NCAA Basketball, Nick Adenhart
Posted in MLB, NCAA Basketball | View Comments
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
Wow! That’s all I can say about the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game last night. Never a Tarheels fan, I must bow to North Carolina after they blew away Michigan State 89-72 to culminate a superb tournament run. From Tyler’s leg to Ty’s toe, UNC shook off adversity over the entire basketball season to end up where many put them at the beginning of the year, Number 1.
This game was over almost before it started. A 24 fan, I thought I could flip between channels to watch the show and keep an eye on the game. It reminded me of the 1998 Thanksgiving game between Minnesota and Dallas where Randy Moss embarrassed the Cowboys. My friend’s wife said we needed to turn the game off while eating (I never went back there for Thanksgiving again!) and when we turned it back on 20 minutes later, bam, it was 21-0 Vikings… In this one it was 21-7 then 36-13 and later, 55-34 at halftime. Football scores for a UNC basketball clinic.
I was hoping to write about another Michigan State upset, but kudos to Tom Izzo, who continues to show that good basketball is about fundamentals, great defense and team play. No let my superstar go one on one with your superstar. No clear out one side and let the boys play. Izzo actually coaches his players, calls plays and sets up a half court game. His teams remind us what basketball is supposed to be and his players played hard all year long.
In the end, that is what North Carolina did as well. They had made a pact to all come back and win a National Championship and with aggressive defense (Ty Lawson had 8 steals among the 14 turnovers committed by the Spartans) and balanced offense (Hansbrough – 18, Ellington- 19 and Lawson 21 points), they did what they set out to do. Congratulations Tar Heel Nation, the color of today is Carolina Blue.
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Tags: Michigan State, North Carolina, Randy Moss, Tom Izzo, Ty Lawson
Posted in NCAA Basketball | View Comments
Monday, March 30th, 2009
Epitaph: Once great….Out lived Its Prime.
What do Adolph Rupp, Bear Bryant and Woody Hayes have in common?
Answer: They are all dead.
When will the alumni and fan base of these storied college sports programs start living in the present and not in the past? It seems these fan bases feel like they are entitled to greatness just on name alone and that style and class are no longer relevant. It is not only the winning that counts, its winning with style and class that separates greatness from average.
Last Friday, the University of Kentucky dismissed head basketball coach Billy Gillispie after only two seasons at the helm in Lexington. This is only two years removed from Tubby Smith abruptly leaving the once storied program for greener pastures at the University of Minnesota. Tubby was probably confused by the real color of grass, bluegrass of Kentucky or true green grass. Maybe they call it “bluegrass” because it is a depressing place to coach basketball. I am not sure if Gillispie was the right man for the job but he was not UK’s first choice, as the list of candidates who turned down the potential offer was longer than a lap at Church Hill Downs. Gillispie and Smith were both jettisoned by the classless Wildcat faithful with Smith being able to broker a new gig before he met his fate and with Gillispie left wondering whether he will collect on the $6MM he is owed in his buyout. Both are great coaches with proven tack records and will be better off away from the Commonwealth. This sounds a lot like the Oakland Raiders and Lane Kiffin. Kentucky basketball now equals Oakland Raiders football.
Kentucky basketball rose to national prominence in the 40’s and 50’s and again in the 90’s when they were the only basketball school in the football dominated SEC conference. This is no longer the case with Florida winning back to back National Championships and Tennessee having an emerging national power under Bruce Pearl. John Calipari or not, Rupp Arena has lost its lore. A job is only as good as the people you work for, which mean in this case, the head coaching gig at the University of Kentucky is no longer a great job.
Rest in Peace Big Blue. You get what you deserve.
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Tags: Adolph Rupp, Bear Bryant, Billy Gillispie, John Calipari, Kentucky Basketball, Tubby Smith
Posted in NCAA Basketball | View Comments
Friday, March 20th, 2009
March Madness is in full swing and day one was no disappointment as we saw a 12 seed upset a 5 seed, saw 3 seed 
Villanova have to rally in the 2nd half to overcome a 14 point deficit and saw strong performances by two number 1 seeds in UNC and UConn. What a way to start the Big Dance.
Today, as the rest of the tournament, will no doubt provide just as much excitement and only solidify why the Big Dance is the second most watched sporting event in America behind the Super Bowl. As I watched the games last night, I thought back to my first memories of the tournament which date back to 1982.
My first tournament experience was the 1982 Final Four featuring Hall of Fame players Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, James Worthy, Clyde Drexler and Hakeen Olajuwon. Both Jordon and Ewing were freshmen that year but played significant roles in leading the Hoyas and Tar Heels to the national title game. That final four was the catalyst for me becoming an ardent college basketball, Georgetown Hoya, John Thompson, Patrick Ewing and Big East fan. Over the next six years, I was addicted to the sport as college basketball was really the only televised sporting event I watched on a regular basis with Big Monday on ESPN being a weekly ritual. What great memories.
Share your first memories of the tournament with us.
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Tags: ESPN, March Madness, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Super Bowl
Posted in NCAA Basketball | View Comments
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009
So we are entering into one of the best Sports periods of the year, March Madness and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. And like every year, there will be the running discussion on the Top Seeds, first four out, last four in, etc., etc, etc. When are we going to get more serious about this tournament and let the best 64 teams in the land duke it out for bragging rights? Or do we seriously think that Cornell or Sienna are going to win the whole thing? This is the real world folks, Cinderella never wins! Oh sure, she might knock off a few big boys along the way, but sooner or later, she falls. Yes, I remember George Mason a couple of years ago and Davidson last year, but guess what, they would have been in the Top 64 team field anyway. Yes I remember Richmond knocking out Syracuse many years ago ruining my bracket with one of the few 15 seed over 2 seed surprises. Do you really think that Radford is going to do the same thing this year? Why leave Georgetown, Notre Dame or South Carolina by the roadside because they had to play a brutal conference schedule, only to pick up VCU or Chattanooga who played weaker competition. Let’s get back to Darwinism, go with Natural Selection, pick the best 64 teams in the land and let the chips fall where they may. No, I’m not heartless, I like to watch the first round upsets (like Vermont taking out Syracuse a couple of years ago… boy Syracuse loses some whoppers!) just like anyone else, but again, the Tournament is to show the best team in the land. Let the best teams decide it…
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Tags: Chattanooga, Cornell, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Radford, Sienna, South Carolina, Vermont
Posted in NCAA Basketball | View Comments
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009
As we head into the Sports void left after another NFL season, we turn our attention to early season Golf still sans Tiger, NHL Hockey and Basketball. When do pitchers and catchers report? Now, NCAA basketball is fantastic, especially now as we are deep into conference play and eagerly anticipate March Madness just a month or so away. The spirit and excitement on the college level makes the game worth watching. On the flip side is NBA Basketball which needs a makeover. In a 30 team league, how can you only have five that have a legitimate shot at winning a Championship?!? With apologies to fans of New Orleans, Denver and Houston (you’re good, but not good enough), it appears the East is a battle between Boston, Orlando and Cleveland while the Lakers and Spurs will battle out West. Anyone else have a shot??? The NBA needs to eliminate 6 or so teams, reshuffle the players to make stronger teams and go again. Having almost two months of playoffs is terrible as well, though if they indeed contract a few teams, they could eliminate a round or two of the playoffs. The NBA used to be a fun league to watch as great teams battled it out in long series with even competition. Sure the Bulls won a bunch of Championships with Jordan, but it was a team approach that got it done. Today’s NBA is all about who has the most stars, shooting at will and playing very little defense. Why did they move the Thunder to Oklahoma City? They should have contracted the team and sent Kevin Durant out of puragatory. Memphis, the LA Clippers, Sacramento and Washington also probably wouldn’t cry too hard if their teams were taken away. Help us David Stern, go to less teams, keep the better players and give us a better product to watch, please!
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Tags: David Stern, Kevin Durant, NBA Basketball
Posted in NBA | View Comments
Wednesday, October 8th, 2008
The NBA Preseason kicked off tonight with the 17 time World Champion Celtics on the hardwood. Will it be the Celtics representing the Eastern Conference again next Spring or will Lebron’s Cavs, Dwight’s Magic or the newly Branded Sixers take over? How about out West? Will it be Kobe and the Lakers again or is it time for CP3 or Mac and Ming moving up? Your thoughts?
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Posted in NBA | View Comments
