Followers

Wednesday 8 September 2010

For Old Time’s Sake: MJ Breaks Backboard

What a throwback. Ya’ll have probably seen this before but even so, I could watch it all day. YOUNG Mike getting up, same form he rocked in the league. This occurred on August 25, 1986 in a Nike exhibition game in Italy. MJ scored 30 points in the game and then went on to post these averages in the ‘86-’87 NBA season:

37.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG. 4.6 APG, 2.88 SPG, 1.52 BPG

I guess he was okay. 37 points on any given night is pretty money but over 82 games… that’s just stupid. Do I dare say G.O.A.T?….YUP.

Leandro Barbosa Nasty Crossover on Andre Iguodala Watch In HD!

While the USA took care of Team Brazil is rather simple fashion yesterday, Leo Barbosa got his own (minor) victory. Just watch:

Saturday 4 September 2010

Can Kobe Age As Gracefully As Jordan?

Now that Kobe Bryant’s turned 32, how much of a decline can we expect in his game over the next few seasons?

The only player to compare Bryant’s 30-something performance with, of course, is Michael Jordan. But it’s not a simple comparison because by the age of 32 MJ had been retired for almost two seasons while he tried, and failed, to make it as a pro baseball player.

So, when Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls late in the 94-95 season—at 32—he’d played only 778 NBA regular season and playoff games. By comparison, Kobe Bryant has already played a whopping 1,219 games, 57% more than Jordan at the same age. Kobe is clearly the NBA version of a Ferrari with high mileage.

What happened after Jordan’s 32nd birthday? MJ led the league in scoring in the next three seasons before another retirement attempt.

Still, age forced some adjustments in MJ’s game—and we might see the same from Kobe.


Late in Jordan’s career, he’d often pace himself to save something for the fourth quarter. Even then, MJ was great, he just wasn’t the airborne legend of his youth.

As Kobe—a hoops historian—readies for his 15th Lakers season, he’s probably got this MJ stat memorized: After Jordan turned 32, he won three more NBA titles.

What do you think? Post your comments below.

Wednesday 1 September 2010

For Old Time’s Sake: Jason Kidd

TRIPLE DOUBLE. When all is said and done, JKidd will go down as one of the greatest point guards ever. He was NASTY in high school, unreal at Cal, a lottery pick in ‘94, co-ROY, and a 10x NBA All Star…. and counting. While an NBA Championship has evaded him to this point, he is still competing at a high level in Dallas and putting up great numbers. He has career averages of 13.6 pts, 9.2 asts, 6.6 rbs, and 2 stls. Kidd is second on the All-Time Assists list behind John Stockton and the only player in NBA history with 15,000 points, 10,000 assists and 7,000 rebounds. He is currently 3rd all time in triple-doubles with 105 (Behind the Big O and Magic).

Tuesday 31 August 2010

Monday 30 August 2010

Off The Grid

Here are the five most underrated NBA subplots of ’10-11:

The Offseason Non-Movement of Top Eastern Conference Teams
We’ve heard countless times of the moves made by Miami and Boston to bolster their respective lineups. Meanwhile, the Hawks and the Magic have sat relatively idly, re-signing their cores and adding small pieces. Do they appear to be significantly behind the League’s powerhouses, at least on paper? For sure. But we shouldn’t forget both of these teams are led by still-getting-better big men (Dwight Howard, Al Horford) and in-their-prime guards (Jameer Nelson, Joe Johnson), so to assume these teams are improving by simply retaining their main pieces isn’t a stretch. Nor is the fact that another year of playing together will only help chemistry issues, certainly an advantage given that some teams will have to spend the season learning just that.

Thunder Up
There wasn’t must off-season noise coming out of Oklahoma City either, but the Thunder should still be a joy to watch this season. In case you haven’t heard, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (both age 21) are tearing it up in Turkey as I type this, while the squad’s other young guys—Jeff Green (24), James Harden (21), Segre Ibaka (20), Cole Aldrich (21), Daequan Cook (23), and Eric Maynor (23)—will continue to improve. Add a strong big man to the roster (via a trade or a rapid Aldrich/Ibaka development), and this team will make the Lakers awfully uncomfortable.



George Karl’s Return
Don’t call it a comeback; he’s been here for—actually, wait. Call it a comeback. And give him the respect he’s earned. After being forced to sit out of the ’09-10 Playoffs to fight “treatable” neck and throat cancer, Coach Karl will be back on Denver’s sideline in October hoping to bring a Nuggets team inundated with talent back into post-season play. Those of you who tuned into the ESPY Awards saw Karl make an extremely passionate and heartfelt speech, the kind that gets you pulling for his side, whichever it is. Unfortunately, he’ll return to a team riddled with off-the-court problems, from trade rumors regarding ‘Melo and JR Smith to the injuries of Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen. Here’s to a strong man’s strong comeback.

Hope For (Young) Bad Teams
Every year, a handful of depressing franchises sit at the bottom of the standings, giving their fans little reason to maintain faith or even crack a smile. This season, though, most those teams have a good amount of young talent, leaving way for a needed dose of that always-coveted optimism. The Kings, Timberwolves, Nets, Raptors, 76ers, Wizards, Warriors, and Pacers all have some combination of youth and financial flexibility, at least to the point where each could change their fortunes, if not in ’10-11, then at some point soon after. The only team with really no hope at all—well, you guys have gone through enough this summer. I’ll just move on.

A Do-Over For The Injury Prone
The next few months will see the return of a whole gang of previously injured NBAers: Yao Ming, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, the entire Trail Blazers team, etc. What’s better than a fresh start?


Bonus: The worst subplots of ’10-11: ‘MeloMania; any lockout speculation; any Shaq-in-Boston attention; any off-the-court Miami news; and any growing Kobe-MJ comparisons.

For Old Times Sake: John Stockton

Everynow and then i will post about players to help you reminice about the old days.


John Stockton is a legend. He holds the records for most career assists (15,806) AND steals (3,265) and he averaged a double double over his career (13.1 points, 10.5 assists). Drafted by the Utah Jazz with the 16th pick in the ‘84 draft, Stockton spent his entire career in Utah before retiring in 2003. He and Karl Malone are one of the most dominant tandems in NBA history and they ran the pick and roll better than anyone ever has. Stockton was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, was a 10x All Star, and part of the original Dream Team that smoked the competition in the 1992 Olympics. Stockton only missed 22 games in his entire career and 18 of them were in one season. Like many greats of his generation (Ewing, Malone, Barkley, Miller, Wilkins etc…), Stockton never won a championship. The Jazz fell victim to the Bulls in both the ‘97 and ‘98 Finals. Stock may have not looked the part but damn was he good.