Doesn’t that Marcus Jordan layup look familiar? It might be because his father, The G.O.A.T., made the switch right-hand-to-left-hand in mid-air layup famous on a early summer evening during the 1991 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Don’t look now, but the UCF Knights are now 6-0 after upsetting the No. 16 Florida Gators 57-54 behind’s MJ’s (Marcus, not Michael) 18 points, three rebounds and three assists. Compare this move to Mike’s after the jump.
My jaw literally dropped at how high Dwight Howard jumped to block Luol Deng‘s weak layup attempt. Is Superman going to three-peat as the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year?
On paper, it’s a matchup between an 11-8 team and a 7-10 team. Both are in third-place in their respective divisions. Between them, only two players (maybe three) are on track to play the NBA All-Star Game next February. But it is the dynamic — and potential interaction — between one player and the crowd that has made Heat/Cavs tonight the most anticipated game on the NBA schedule so far this season.
When LeBron James returns to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers as a member of the Miami Heat, it could be in front of the most hostile crowd any pro ballplayer has faced in decades. Every pro has been booed at one time or another, but speaking to players in the League, almost all of them agree that this is a unique situation. Read More »
I’ve never been one for self-help books, but over the last couple weeks I’ve been reading Rebound Rules, a motivational guide to getting one’s life in order written by my main man Rick Pitino.
Though it was printed in 2008, there is at least one chapter, “Surviving and Thriving in the Microwave Culture,” that becomes even more timely and relevant as 2010-11 sports media moves closer into tabloid territory, and jumping to premature conclusions becomes as natural as Northwestern missing the NCAA Tournament. Read More »
The Houston broadcast guys put it best: “Shane Battier looks like Kobe Bryant.” Four games, four losses in a row for the Lakers, and now the NBA’s preeminent nice guy is playing like the NBA’s preeminent assassin. Battier (17 pts, 4 threes) took over the fourth quarter last night in Houston, leading a 22-6 charge to end the game and give the Rockets a 109-99 win over the Lakers … Unable to shake the feisty Rockets through the first three quarters, it all unraveled in the last few minutes for the defending champs. Read More »
As the Atlanta Hawks tipped off their game with the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, the team announced that All-Star guard Joe Johnson, the Hawks’ franchise centerpiece and recipient of the most lucrative free-agent contract ($124 million) in the NBA last summer, will miss the next 4-6 weeks with a right elbow injury.
Johnson, who shoots with his right arm, will need arthroscopic surgery to remove a “loose body” in the elbow. He met with noted surgeon to the stars Dr. James Andrews in Alabama earlier today and will have the surgery within the week. Read More »
After spending a couple weeks in Texas, the NBA JAM Invasion Tour has begun its swing back to the East Coast. Last week saw stops at two big Spurs games as they hosted the Bulls and 781 people on Nov. 20th, and the Magic two days later with another 498 people checking out what NBA JAM had to order. Read More »
There was talk of Gilbert Arenas going to Orlando this summer, but all that cooled before the season. Now it appears to have warmed back up. According to Evan Dunlap of the Orlando Pinstriped Post, the Magic have engaged the Wizards in ongoing trade talks centered around Arenas, and here’s how it might look: Read More »
Remember back in the day when John Wall was all but declared NBA Rookie of the Year before the season began? When something like 75% of NBA general managers and an even higher percentage of fans and media had Wall’s name carved on the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy?
Then Blake Griffin, by seeking to kill defenders via aggravated rim assault, reminded everybody he was still alive. Then Wall suffered some nagging injuries. And now after the first full month of the season, a surprise contender has conceivably taken the silver-medal spot between Griffin and Wall. Read More »
Now that you’ve seen the spot starring Donnell Rawlings (“Chappelle’s Show”) and Gerry Bednob (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”), it’s time to check out the shoes. Introducing the Li-Ning F2. F2 stands for Foam Frame, and based on a full chassis of injection molded EVA material, it creates a one-piece monolithic construction for a lightweight, durable performance and a seamless fit. Read More »
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