For years, I’ve said that the Big East Tournament makes up my five favorite days of the basketball year. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the NCAA tournament or the NBA Playoffs, but to me, it doesn’t get better than many of the best teams in the college playing in the biggest city in the country in the World’s Most Famous Arena. Thursday’s games were just more testimony to my already strong beliefs. Here’s how it all went down… Read More »
So how many of y’all want to stand up, cuff your palms around your mouth and scream, “I told you so!” That’s what Charles Barkley is doing right now. After countless late-game fumbles, Miami finally smartened up and gave Dwyane Wade the ball down the stretch last night. Wade then went out and beat the champs from L.A. with a number of key plays in the Heat’s 94-88 win … In the TNT studios during pre-game, Chuck was all over Wade and LeBron James to man up. Wade (20 points) got the message and clearly got the better of Kobe Bryant (24 points) down the stretch. Dwyane had three straight buckets late to push Miami ahead and then later ripped Bryant in an iso situation, leading to a James (19 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) spike dunk. On the other side, could Bryant have played any worse in crunch time? Yes, he hit a couple of long threes, but he was turning it over, forgetting about his teammates and generally playing like a 2004 Kobe, minus the athleticism. Not cool. And someone needs to explain why Kobe and the Lakers forgot about their big guys again. Read More »
Yesterday, the Utah Jazz signed Marcus Cousin (not DeMarcus Cousins) of the Austin Toros, making him the 14th Gatorade Call-Up from the D-League this season. But even after averaging 17.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in his last five games, it appears the 6-11, 255-pound center couldn’t get any respect when he suited up for Utah’s 7:00pm tip-off in Toronto last night. Read More »
Pat Cavanaugh knows all about being successful on and off the court. As a student-athlete, he was a key member of some of the greatest basketball triumphs in the history of the storied program of the University of Pittsburgh, playing alongside all-time greats like Charles Smith and Jerome Lane. As a businessman, he has built a series of brands revolving around healthy lifestyle and social responsibility. The latest and biggest is Crons, an athletic lifestyle brand that incorporates quality living, successful academics and great gear into one program for young people in any sport and of all ages. Read More »
It was an ending almost too corny for Hollywood. The hometown kid playing in his hometown arena against the No. 1 team in the conference with the ball in his hands in a tie game with six seconds left.
But this afternoon, with Pitt and UConn knotted at 74 in the Big East quarterfinals, there stood the Huskies’ Kemba Walker, a Bronx native, at the top of the key defended by the Panthers’ 6-11 center Gary McGhee with a trip to the Big East semis on the line. Read More »
Everywhere that college basketball is loved and respected just went crazy watching the end of that great UConn/Pitt Big East Tournament game. With the game tied at 74 with 15 seconds to go in the game, UConn inbounded the ball to Kemba Walker out of a timeout. On a defensive switch off a high screen, Walker looked up to find 6-11 Gary McGhee guarding him. Kemba, Gary and the packed Madison Square Garden arena all knew what was about to come next.
Kemba Walker did not disappoint.
CBSSports.com’s Matt Norlander was there and captured this video of the final possession from his courtside seat. This is awesome: Read More »
With the NBA Playoffs looming, I’m not quite sure we as fans are prepared for the amount of parity and drama about to be experienced. With that said, I’ve developed a “Levels of Drama” scale to help us better understand what soon awaits us. Read More »
After watching Blake Griffin win the NBA dunk contest by jumping over a car, Guy Dupuy felt like he could one-up him. How? Try jumping over a car and going between the legs. If he’s lucky, perhaps he can get a BMW commercial…
When it comes to conference tournament play, some programs always seem to rise to the occasion. But without the right leader on the sideline and on the court, your team aura can only take you so far in a tourney that is stacked with contenders like the Big East. Yesterday, UConn took its second step towards being that team. You know, a squad that could steal the Big East Tournament, as they have both the sideline leader (Jim Calhoun) and floor general (Kemba Walker) to make a serious run at what has once again become “the tournament of all tournaments” during Championship Week. Read More »
Behind every Sherlock lies a Watson. Lurking in the shadows of a potential MVP can be tough for anyone, though C.J. Watson seems to be making the best out of his back-up role in Chicago. Coming from a Warriors team where he was averaging 27-plus minutes and putting up good numbers, you would think C.J. would be upset about getting significantly less playing time. Not so much. As an integral part of the surging Bulls’ second unit – a bench many regard as the best in the League – he is now playing for a team destined to make a serious splash in the postseason. Last I checked, the Warriors aren’t exactly contenders. We got up with Mr. Watson to discuss playing behind Derrick Rose, his favorite sneakers and Miami’s “Crygate.” Read More »
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