Hoops

Well, Monday night’s NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship has come and gone, and many of us were shocked by the outcome.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs, #1 all season, went into the tournament undefeated. This 2 week process was almost expected to be a coronation of sorts, seeing as how the Bulldogs had run rough-shod through opponents all season long.

The Zags opponent, Baylor University, had other thoughts. The Baylor Bears were the #2 ranked team all season long, and also got to the title game as expected.

This long awaited matchup was supposed to take place in December, in among all places, Indianapolis, IN. However, due to COVID-19 complications, the game was cancelled after a player and a staffer for Gonzaga tested positive. Thus, Monday night’s much anticipated clash was long overdue.

After Baylor outlasted Houston on Saturday, and Gonzaga barely got by UCLA with the help of Jalen Suggs’ half court buzzer beater, we all figured that Monday night’s final, would be just as entertaining. As it turned out, the singing of the National Anthem by various front line workers was the most entertaining part of Monday’s coverage.

The Bears blitzed the Bulldogs from the opening tip! Baylor’s Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell put on an absolute show! Butler killed the Zags from downtown, while Mitchell drove to the basket at will. Sometimes taking it all the way to the cup, and other times kicking it to an open man for the three pointer or finding a cutter in the lane for an easy bucket. Baylor’s defense was stifling, and wreaked havoc. Gonzaga couldn’t get anything going, trailing by as many as 19 in the first half.

The Zags cut the lead to 10 at the half, and in the 2nd half, briefly got the lead under 10, but then Baylor turned on the jets to finish them off and claim their first national title in Men’s Basketball in school history.

Gonzaga had the opportunity to go undefeated and become the first undefeated national championship team since the 1976 Indiana team that featured Isiah Thomas. Many teams have tried and failed to finish off an undefeated season. There was Larry Bird’s Indiana State team in 1979, the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels in 1991 that featured Larry Johnson and Stacey Augman, and the 2015 Kentucky team that featured Karl-Anthony Towns.

Those were all great teams, but the fact that no one has been able to finish off a season undefeated speaks to how difficult it is to pull off. The best players don’t hang around for more than 1 or 2 seasons. It’s hard to say no to that NBA money. With players not staying for more than a season or 2, it’s hard to build on what was done the previous season because it’s like you’re always starting over. Is that to say that we’ll never have another undefeated champ? No, but it’s so much more difficult now

Congrats to both the Baylor Bears and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. You both had great seasons, and endured probably the most challenging season in sports history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that vaccines are available, maybe next year’s tourney will be a little closer to what we can refer to as normal. But I guess time will tell.

Anyone who follows the NBA knows that the dunk contest has been suffering for years.  Subpar performances, missed dunks, and bad judging have marred what was once the marquee event of All-Star Saturday Night.  But this year, all of that was gonna change.  The 4 contestants in this years contest included Dwight Howard, former champion, and back in the contest after a 12-year hiatus, Derrick Jones, Jr., a.k.a. “Airplane Mode”, Pat Connaughton of the Milwaukee Bucks, and Aaron Gordon, who arguably should have a title under his belt, but lost a few years ago in a classic showdown with Zach LaVine. 

While all 4 contestants were worthy of entry into the contest, this night belonged to Jones and Gordon.  Once we entered the final of the contest, it was reminiscent of the last time the All-Star Game was held in Chicago, and that infamous showdown between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins in 1988.  That is still recognized as the BEST dunk contest in the history of the contest itself.  And this 2-man show did not disappoint.

The 2 went back and forth, soaring with grace and power.  Each pulling something out of the bag that we hadn’t seen before.  While Jones started off a little slower than Gordon, scoring 46 on his first dunk, Gordon was making light work of all of the challengers scoring 50 after 50 on each dunk.

In the final round, Gordon kept up the blistering pace by continuing his 50-point assault on the rim.  With both contestants tiring, they continued to pull out all the stops, scoring 50 after 50 on each dunk.  On what would turn out to be the final dunks of the contest, Jones scored a 48.  Gordon had not scored less than 50 on any of his dunks.  In order to seemingly cement an imminent victory, Gordon chose Tacko Falls as a prop to jump over and dunk.  Mind you, Falls is 7’6″ tall.  Gordon proceeded to complete the dunk as we all anxiously awaited the score.  He scored a 47, giving the title to Derrick Jones, Jr.

While no one can say that Jones isn’t deserving, it is the feeling of myself and many others that Gordon was robbed.  How can you score 50 on each and every previous dunk and then only get a 47 on a dunk in which you cleared a 7’6″ human obstacle?  It just ain’t right!  If anything, the right thing to do would have been to make this into a tie.  But apparently the judges received pressure from NBA officials saying that a winner HAD to be declared.  If the line is gonna be drawn in the sand, and 1 winner must be chosen, we need to change the rules to make it a little more exact.  We don’t have this problem in the skills competition or the 3-point contest, so we need to take some of the subjectivity out of it.  For instance, if you miss an attempt, you can’t possibly score a 50.

If you have an idea, put it in the comments.  I’d love to hear what my fellow basketball junkies have to say.

Shock, disbelief, unfathomable tragedy.  Just a few of the feelings running through everyone’s mind after the news of the passing of Kobe “Bean” Bryant on January 26, 2020.

Most of you who know me, know very well that the Lakers are my favorite team, and have been for pretty much all my life.  My hero and favorite NBA player was Magic.  But in 1996 this kid out of Philly burst on the scene and became the new favorite.  But not without some angst along the way.

When Shaq came to L.A., he was my guy.  He was the most dominant player in the game, and part of the Laker tradition of great centers, following in the footsteps of Mikan, Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar.  Who wouldn’t gravitate toward the most dominant player in the league?  But we drafted this young kid straight out of high school in ’96.  Actually, we made a draft day trade with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire the rights to Kobe Bryant.  A phenom out of Lower Marion High School in Pennsylvania.  My first thought was what the hell are we gonna do with this 17 year-old kid in L.A.?  This is a mistake.  The bright Hollywood lights are gonna eat this kid alive.  I was soooooo wrong!

Kobe proved almost immediately that he had the stuff to make it in this league.  In Kobe’s 2nd season in L.A. he made his first All-Star team.  Together with Shaq, they made the Western Conference Finals that year against Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz.  Unfortunately, they didn’t make The Finals that year, but used it as a learning experience.

Fast forward to the year 2000 and the first of 3 consecutive titles for arguably the best duo in NBA history.  Shaq and Kobe would win 3 straight Finals from 2000 to 2002.  Then came 2004 and The Finals loss to Detroit.  Shaq and Kobe had had enough of each other and desired to go their separate ways.  Shaq went to Miami, Phil retired, and Kobe was left holding the bag in L.A. with a cast of mediocre guys.  But his resolve and drive to be the best never wavered.

People said that he’d never win a title without Shaq, that he wasn’t good enough to carry a team to the “Promised Land”, but they were wrong about that too.  Little did they know, the Black Mamba was being unleashed.  In 2008, Kobe won league MVP and made it to The Finals against their arch rival the Boston Celtics.  They lost in 6 games but would make The Finals the next 2 seasons defeating the Orlando Magic in ’09 and winning the rematch with the Celtics in 2010.

After 2010, there were no more titles, only 2 more playoff appearances and a host of injuries.  There was the torn Achilles, the fractured leg, the torn rotator cuff, and he just kept coming back because he didn’t want to our last memory of him on the court to be of him being injured.

In 2016 Kobe retired from the league, but he went out with a BANG.  In his final game he scored 60 points and led the Lakers to a win over the Utah Jazz.  He thrilled us for 20 years in that purple and gold uniform, and was preparing to do some big things in what was going to be his 2nd act.  In 2018, Kobe won an Oscar for an animated short film called “Dear Basketball”.  He started a media company, Granity Studios, and began passing on his love for the game to his 13 year-old daughter Gianna (GiGi), even being a coach for her travel basketball team.

With so much going on, we were all expecting great things in this, his 2nd act.  But then the morning of January 26, 2020 happened.  We don’t know why, or the cause, but just when you thought The Mamba was invincible, we were reminded that no one is immortal or invincible.  On that fateful morning 9 lives were snuffed out, including Kobe Bryant and his daughter GiGi, as they were on their way to one of her travel basketball games.

I keep thinking this is some kind of cruel joke, or nightmare, and that I’m gonna wake up and everything will be ok.  But unfortunately, that’s not gonna happen.  Kobe was my guy, my favorite player.  And even though he wasn’t playing anymore, I always looked forward to interviews and news of what was next for him.  This really hurts, and probably will for a long time to come.  It feels like we’ve all been punched in the gut, and just can’t get any air; like we’ve lost a family member.

Our prayers go out to his wife Vannessa and their 3 daughters, Natalia, Bianca, and Capri, and to the families of the other 7 passengers aboard that helicopter.  May God keep them safe and comfort them during this difficult time.

Kobe, you will be missed, but never forgotten.  #MambaOut

Now that The Finals are over, we are all longing for something interesting in sports to happen over the summer.  Yeah there’s baseball, the Women’s World Cup, and the Track & Field World Championships, but the most interesting part of the summer is NBA free agency and the draft.  And today, the Los Angeles Lakers put their own stamp on the NBA off-season by making the much-anticipated deal for AD, Anthony Davis.  Yes, Anthony Davis is a Laker.  The deal won’t be official until July 1st, but the Lakeshow looks like their going all in on next season.

With the injuries to KD and Klay Thompson during The Finals it looks like the western conference is up for grabs.  The Rockets, Blazers and Nuggets will be in the mix, but the Lakers have put themselves in the fray as well.  The only concern is did L.A. give up too much to get their 2nd superstar?  Initial reports indicate that the Lakers will send Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, along with 3 first round picks to New Orleans in exchange for Davis.  New Orleans wanted Kyle Kuzma as well, but the Lakers were able to keep him in the fold.

From my perspective, both teams HAD to make this move.  Davis didn’t want to be in New Orleans any longer, and the Lakers did not want to waste another year of Lebron’s time in L.A.  Many would argue that the Lakers gave up too much.  But you have to give in order to receive.  Many remember the ill-fated deals for Dwight Howard and Steve Nash which mortgaged the future of the Lakers and helped to begin the 6 year playoff drought that the team is currently mired in.  But if you look at the situation, it does not compare.  Davis is in his prime, whereas Howard was coming off of a back injury and Nash was at the end of his career.  From a draft perspective, while L.A. had the #4 pick, this draft was only 3 “difference makers” deep.  After Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, and RJ Barrett, there was a hodge-podge of potential, but no one expected to be able to take an NBA team to the next level.

The draft is still to come, and free agency doesn’t begin until July 1st.  With $32.5 million in cap space, the Lakeshow can still be a big player.  They now have 2 all-stars, can they come up with a 3rd to make a legitimate run at a title?  They are now in need of a legitimate point guard, could Kemba Walker be next?  Or do they put all their chips in to try to lure Kawhi away from The North?  After winning the first NBA title for a team outside the U.S. I can’t see The Klaw leaving, but we shall see.  It’s gonna be an interesting and busy summer.

The stage was set, it was all or nothing.  The Golden State Warriors, 2-time defending champs, in a 3-1 hole to the Toronto Raptors.  They’ve been in this situation before, on both sides.  In 2016 they were down to KD’s OKC team 3-1 and came back to make The Finals.  Then in The Finals that year, against the Cavaliers, they led 3-1 and proceeded to lose 3 straight after Draymond Green’s suspension.

After splitting the first 2 games in Toronto many thought that the Warriors would put their foot on the gas in Oakland and take a commanding lead.  Instead it was the other way around.  The Raptors swept 2 from the Warriors in Oakland to take a commanding lead.  Game 5 was either gonna be a coronation for the Raptors or a stay of execution by the Warriors.

The night started with a pleasant surprise, with the return of all-star, Kevin Durant.  Durant had missed all of the conference finals and the first 4 games of The Finals due to what was termed a strained calf suffered in the conference semi-finals against Houston.

Durant made his return in game 5 and got off to a fabulous start.  But then the unthinkable happened.  Durant crumpled to the floor after trying to make a move in the 2nd quarter.  He left the game with what appeared to be an Achilles injury.  The question then became should he have even been out there?

The Warriors would go on to win and force a game 6 back in Oakland, led by fantastic performances from the Splash Brothers.  But was the cost for that win too great?  When Durant was originally injured in the Houston series, it looked like an Achilles injury, but the Warriors billed it as a strained calf.  Many experts and fans, including myself, did not expect to see Durant back during this post season.  His workouts leading up to game 5 were not great, and he was seen walking around with an ice pack on his Achilles, not his calf.

The immediate question is why was he cleared when he clearly was not 100%?  I know the Warriors were desperate for a win, but now you’re playing with this man’s future.  Not just his health, but his financial future. This summer was supposed to be KD’s big payday.  This was supposed to be the year that he made a decision on where he’d spend the rest of his career and GET THAT BAG!  But after last night’s events, all that has changed.

If you ask me, there’s no one individual to blame for this tragedy.  Everyone is to blame, from the Warriors and the medical staff, to KD himself.  The Dubs were desperate, but no way KD should have been cleared to play, and they should have been honest about the original injury.  And KD, you have to take care of yourself.  We all remember how puzzled we were about Kawhi Leonard not playing that last season with the Spurs, and everyone questioning his health.  That situation right there should be a lesson to all players going forward.  Trust yourself and YOUR OWN TEAM.  Not the team doctors and staff members.  Grant Hill’s all-star level career was cut short due to negligence by the Detroit Pistons staff that kept telling him his ankle was fine.  Six surgeries, and a malpractice suit later, we find out that his ankle really was screwed up.

KD, we’re all praying for you and hope you have a speedy recovery.  In the meantime, we’ll all be tuned into game 6 to see if the Dubs can do what was done to them in 2016.

Every year about this time we seem to have the same discussion.  After the NBA Finals are over and we take a look at the season that’s just been completed we begin to talk about who is the GOAT.  For many followers of the NBA, the GOAT is considered as none other than Michael Jordan.  Most believe this because of his contributions to the game.  Jordan helped introduce the truly above the rim era of the game.  With his high flying aerial assaults on the rim, and his prolific points scoring it’s easy to see how folks would consider him the greatest.  But is he?

In recent years many have added LeBron James to the GOAT conversation.  But is he worthy of this assessment, or are folks just purely prisoners of the moment?  The NBA has spanned over 70 years, and within that time span there have been some magnificent players.  Such names as Russell, Chamberlin, The Big O, West, Baylor, Bird, Magic, Dr. J, Hakeem, Shaq, Kobe, Duncan.  The list could go on and on.  In my opinion, the one player that is forgotten in these GOAT discussions is none other than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

LeBron is a great player, but I don’t believe he qualifies as the GOAT.  The GOAT has to be someone who has succeeded and excelled at every level of the game.  LeBron has racked up some awesome stats in his 15 years in the league, but does that really make him the GOAT?  Kareem has done it at every level in his career; high school, college and in the NBA.  His stats and accolades speak for themselves.

Let’s just look at NBA championships.  While LeBron has gone to 8 consecutive NBA Finals, a feat that may not be equaled anytime soon, he’s only come out victorious on 3 occasions.  A 3-6 finals record is not very GOAT worthy.  Others will always point to Jordan’s 6 rings in 6 attempts, but many forget that Kareem also has 6 NBA titles in 8 appearances.  You can’t disregard over 70 years of history because someone is hot right now.  That’s not the definition of the GOAT.  That title encompasses longevity and excellence at every level of what you do.

Let’s compare Kareem to Jordan:

Jordan was great, but I think the numbers show that Kareem was greater.  This man did it consistently for 20 seasons in the NBA.  He was a national high school player of the year 3 times, won 3 state titles in high school, dominated the college game in such a fashion that the slam dunk was outlawed during his time at UCLA.  Who else has had a shot made illegal because they were such a dominant force?  In addition to all that, he developed what is still the most lethal, unstoppable shot in the history of the league, the skyhook.  And his all-time points record has stood for almost 30 years.

When you strictly look at the numbers and the accomplishments there’s no way you can deny the fact that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest player in the history of the game.  He may not be the “sexy” choice, but he’s the obvious choice.  If you think otherwise submit your comments.  Let the debate begin.

This week it was revealed that several current and former NCAA college basketball players received impermissible benefits.  Several of the schools mentioned in the probe that the FBI is now involved in are national powers and include Michigan State, Alabama, Duke, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina Seton Hall, Texas, USC, Washington, Clemson, Kansas, Louisville, Wichita State, South Carolina, Utah, Xavier, Notre Dame, Virginia, Creighton, Iowa, Iowa State and Vanderbilt.

This all started last year when the computer of Andy Miller, founder of the ASM Sports agency, had his computer seized by the FBI amid allegations that his agency illegally provided under the table payments to several college and high school players and their families.

But enough about the allegations.  What is the NCAA gonna do about it?  This is a pattern that has continued to happen over and over again, and will continue to happen until a solution is brought to the table.

The issue is that collegiate athletes bring in millions and millions of dollars for their respective schools, but the athletes responsible for this windfall receive nothing.  Many argue that they do receive payment in the form of a full scholarship that pays for their education, and room & board.  But many of these kids come from disadvantaged situations where they would not normally be able to afford to pay for college.  So yes, their education is paid for, but many of these students don’t have spending money for basic necessities that scholarship money does not pay for.

With coaches getting multi-million dollar salaries, universities raking in 1oos of millions of dollars in profits, there’s something wrong when the players that are responsible for this happening get NOTHING.  Why can’t players receive a stipend?  Players should reap some of the benefits that they are helping these schools get.

If something isn’t done we will continue to see this happen over and over again.  The main reason you’ve got players leaving early is so that they can get paid.  If the NCAA is at all interested in seeing the probations and sanctions stop, or players leaving the college game early in order to pursue the riches of an NBA contract, they’ll do what is right.

The NCAA is a 501(C)(3) organization.  What that means is that they are a non-profit organization.  That being the case, what’s wrong with giving some of those profits that they can’t keep back to the students that create them?  A regular member of the student body is allowed to have a part-time job, but athletes are not.  Is that fair?  Let these kids get paid.  Time will tell, but we will soon find out how greedy the powers that be are.

All Star Weekend has come and gone, and the results are in. All in all it was a pretty successful weekend. All Star Saturday entertained us with big men taking their shots at the skills challenge, a record breaking performance in the 3-point contest, and some drama in the dunk contest.

But would the game’s new format and increased payout to the winners lead to a more competitive game? Last year’s 192-182 spectacle left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. No defensive effort and a lot of points being scored at will.

This season marked the first time the NBA would deviate from its traditional East vs. West format in favor of the 2 highest vote getters being selected as captains and picking from the pool of starters and reserves.

Many felt that Team LeBron had an advantage over Team Steph due to LBJ picking guys with size and length as opposed to Steph’s approach in picking a more guard oriented lineup with bigs having guard-like athleticism, and who’s game was more suited for an uptempo style.

At the outset it looked as though Team Steph and his band of “snipers” were gonna run away with this game. But late in the 2nd quarter Team LeBron introduced some real defense that befuddled Team Steph and made it a close game at half time.

The 2nd half was close throughout until Team Steph opened up a double digit lead well into the 4th quarter. But with 2-minutes to play, Team LeBron starting cutting into that lead. Again, it was real defense that did it. Team LeBron began trapping and stealing, enabling them to take control with under a minute to play.

Team Steph had an opportunity to send it to overtime but was not even able to get off a shot as Team LeBron executed a perfect half court trap as time expired.

It’s always been said that defense wins championships, turns out defense also wins all star games. At the very least this game was truly entertaining. These were the best players in the world putting on a show that both they and their fans could be proud of.

The NBA might be on to something here. The new format appears to be a success. After all, the talent distribution between the eastern and western conferences is skewed towards the west, having made the last few games yawn-fests.

Next year the league has said that the all star draft will be televised. This will no doubt increase ratings and get fans excited about the impending matchup.

Kudos to you Adam Silver, I think you’re onto something here!

Now that the dust has settled this year’s trade deadline did not disappoint. Many experts predicted that there would be lots of movement due to teams positioning for a stretch run towards the playoffs and making salary cap room to pursue high valued free agents this summer.

The Cavs made a HUGE splash at this year’s deadline in an effort to right the ship and make a final push towards the playoffs and attempting to make the NBA Finals for the 4th consecutive year. The Cavs put an end to the IT experiment by sending Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a 2018 1st round pick to the Lakers in exchange for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance, Jr.

The move frees up cap space for the Lakers to make a run at 2 max level free agents this summer and gives them a 29 game rental of IT. In IT’s first game as a Laker he looked closer to his old self than he has in almost a year after a hip injury sidelined him in the Eastern Conference Finals last year and for the first couple months this season. While the Lakers didn’t win, the IT experiment just might work. I don’t think he’ll be a long term option for the Lakers, but he definitely adds a proven veteran scorer to the lineup.

The Cavs, who were the oldest team got instantly younger and more athletic with Clarkson and Nance. In a three-team deal involving Utah Sacramento, the Cavs also traded Derrick Rose and Jae Crowder to Utah for Rodney Hood, and sent Iman Shumpert to Sacramento in exchange for George Hill. In a separate deal the Cavs sent Dwayne Wade back home to Miami.

After imploding almost their entire lineup, the question now becomes how will these new pieces gel together? They’ve got 29 games to get it right, and hope that this is enough to keep LeBron in The Land.

After their first game together, this experiment seems to be a positive. The Cavs destroyed the Celtics in Boston. The new look, younger, more athletic Cavs ran circles around the Celtics. With the All-Star break approaching only time will tell. Can they improve their playoff seeding? Will they be able to get past Boston and/or Toronto in a 7-game series? If this first outing together is any indication, they have a shot.

They’ll get Kevin Love back at some point, providing them with their full roster. It looks good on paper, but will it be fools gold? Defense is gonna be the key. The previous roster had no trust or cohesiveness. And it’s hard to say whether or not these four new additions are gonna improve that. None of these new guys are defensive specialists, but they do have the physical ability to be better on that end of the floor. But defense is a mindset. If you don’t want to do it, you won’t. We’ll just have to wait and see.

For the past 3 seasons the Dubs have been the class of the NBA. 2 NBA titles, the most wins in a regular season, and three consecutive trips to the finals. This season seemed like it would be the same until recently.

While being an offensive juggernaut with the likes of Steph, KD, and Klay Thompson, they’re also one of the most efficient defensive teams in the league. However, as of late they have given up at least 100 points in 11 straight games, and have lost 3 of their last 4.

And some of the recent losses have been brutal. A 30-point loss to Utah, a 20-point loss to OKC and another loss to Houston. The losses to OKC and Houston are particularly concerning. The Dubs have OWNED these 2 teams in both the regular and post seasons over the last 3 years. But recent additions appear to have evened the playing field. Carmelo and PG13 in OKC, and CP3 in Houston.

But before we start pushing the panic button let’s take a step back. This is the same Dubs team with 4 perennial all stars and one of the deepest benches in the league. These are the “dog days” of the NBA season as players are eagerly anticipating the All-Star break for a little R&R.

While they’ve lost their last 4 matchups against their rivals OKC and Houston, it has yet to be seen that either of those two teams can beat them in a 7-game series. And when you’re on top, you’re gonna get your opponent’s best shot. They’ve lost 3 of their last 4, but they’ve still got the best record in the league.

They have not endured any major injuries and I do believe that the Dubs will rebound and right the ship down the stretch. But I also feels that this is a wake up call.

The Dubs were like Mike Tyson in his hey day. When they walked on the court with their swagger in toe, you were intimidated from the opening tip. They’d pounce and the game would be over before it started. For whatever reason, teams aren’t intimidated and they’re making the Dubs play all 48 minutes.

It’s time to get back to basics. Can’t afford to come out flat; can’t turn the ball over 20+ times a game; can’t keep complaining about calls/non-calls by the officials; and they have to get back to playing shut down defense. These things can be corrected, the question is whether or not they still have the discipline to do so.