Chicago breeds superstars. As far as basketball, they have that covered. But in entertainment, they aren’t bad either. Common, once known strictly as one of the illest emcees in hip-hop, has now branched out to become an actor, model and a public speaker.
But one thing he says he will never forget were his experiences as a Chicago Bulls ball boy during the early-to-mid 1980s. His timing was perfect; he was there just as the old regime was being run over and toppled by an exciting rookie from Chapel Hill, Michael Jordan. Read More »
Gregg Popovich has multiple superstars on his roster, all of whom have rings and have made huge shots in the past. He has Richard Jefferson, a guy a who has played in two NBA Finals, at his disposal. He has the Red Rocket, a three-point shooting cyborg, in his Spurs arsenal. He could have picked any of these guys to take the shot to keep his team’s season alive, but he chose Gary Neal. Read More »
There’s something special that comes out in a person when they’re backed into a corner with only one way out. This isn’t just a hoops thing, it’s a life thing. But we did get a glimpse last night of what goes down when a team realizes that they’re playing for their playoff life. For the Philadelphia 76ers, the San Antonio Spurs and the Denver Nuggets, last night got dangerously close to closing time. And we all know what goes down at closing time. It’s that last glimmer of good times before everything gets shut down (and you go home and carbo-load). Tonight, it looked like nobody was trying to get shut down. And it made for some sick basketball … Read More »
A vicious cycle is defined as a chain of events in which the response to one difficulty creates a new problem that aggravates the original difficulty. Thus is the perceived life on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Eastern Oregon. But Shoni Schimmel changed all that.
Schimmel, who just finished her freshman season as the starting point guard at the University of Louisville, had to overcome stereotypes, slurs and financial hardships to make it to where she is today – think Hoop Dreams meets Glory Road. And in Jonathan Hock’s latest documentary, Off the Rez, that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival Tuesday night, you’re taken along for the unforgettable ride. Read More »
His mission is as simple as his numbers are beastly: To become the NBA’s most dominant, albeit unsuspecting, double-double machine the League has seen in decades. And in only his third season as a pro, Kevin Love, the pride of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ organization at all of 22 years old, did just that. K-Love does have the numbers to warrant our increased national gaze, but his gaudy statistics along – try 20.2 points and 15.2 boards a game – don’t even do the big fella enough justice for how massive an impact he made across the League this year. Read More »
So let me get this straight: two alpha basketball talents, two guys who have grown up as number-one options, two All-Stars convinced they are bound for royalty, had words the other night during Oklahoma City’s first loss to Denver during this postseason? One guy took 30 shots and only made 12; the other had 31 points on 18 shots. But yet someone kept shooting, kept looking off the other, and kept screwing up, ultimately leading to an extension of the Nuggets’ season. Read More »
I’ve seen a lot of this “Three Goggles” gesturing going on during the NBA Playoffs, and it got me to wondering the origins of it all. Come to think of it, what other physical shows of ecstasy have we seen throughout basketball history? After all, amazing happens when athletes make us identify with their personalities with creative visual celebrations.
So here it is: a rundown of some of the more memorable moves in basketball, many of which helped define their inventors. Read More »
Joakim Noah is a lot of things but rarely has anyone called him dirty. Danny Granger did last night after Noah and the Bulls wiped out Indiana’s season in convincing fashion. Granger was visibly upset for a couple of elbows Noah had thrown at the Pacers’ Josh McRoberts and Tyler Hansbrough. As the teams exited followed the Bulls 116-89 win, Granger first tried to get in Noah’s face before being separated and then had to be held back as he tried going after the Bulls’ center again. Read More »
I lost a good friend this weekend. And I may never recover. I’ve lost a compatriot, an acquaintance, a piece of my life. I probably shouldn’t be taking it this seriously, but I work a 9-to-5 and have few things left in this world. Don’t judge me.
You shouldn’t feel bad, though, I knew it was coming. That this one with so much potential, with so much perceived left in the tank would eventually find a thankless demise was a foregone conclusion. The disappointing and tragic way it all went down? That was less good. This past Sunday, when the Celtics laid to rest the 2010-11 New York Knicks (before the Knicks could lay to rest their 10+ year playoff-win drought), we said farewell to our first playoff team. Read More »
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