Pistol Pete better be unbeatable. He better be out there throwing in wild hook shots from behind the backboard, and tossing in scoop shots from the three-point line. For all of the eccentric stuff the Pistol did in the NBA, he’ll always be remembered more appropriately for his college theatrics, and the trick shots he mastered so completely (Remember all of those old H-O-R-S-E TV programs). Upon playing the “Legends Showcase” for the first time, and jumping immediately into H-O-R-S-E, I thought Pete Maravich needed to come correct. If the 2K developers didn’t arm him with justice, there would’ve been Hell to pay. Thankfully, the Pistol was at his gun-slinging best. Read More »
A nice dish may be the most underrated play in basketball. Obsessing over a dunk or a crossover is common, but how often do you really see a one-of-a-kind assist? Very rarely. They’re always overblown and overhyped. A no-look pass is almost never that. We almost never get a truly breathtaking pass because lets face it, no one practices passing. Kids go to the gym and work on ballhandling for hours – crossovers, behind-the-backs and through-the-legs. Then some Plyometrics or squats because we all want to dunk and we all want to walk into a gym and get instant cred. No one respects a pass; Everyone respects a dunk. Read More »
OK, so I don’t actually remember this — I wasn’t even born yet — but it’s still pretty cool: Two of the most talented shot-makers of all-time taking their talents to the H.O.R.S.E. arena. Not to mention the uniforms, the hair, and just Iceman’s swagger is unmatchable.
For all the hype surrounding Ricky Rubio over the last 4-5 years, I have to admit I’ve only seen him play a good 4-5 times. Between the last Olympics, some random FC Barcelona games on NBA TV, this summer’s exhibition against Team USA, and the World Championship, my exposure to the point guard position’s Next Big Thing has been limited. Even if I wanted to, declaring the 5th pick in the ’09 NBA Draft a bust or a future star right now wouldn’t feel right. So I won’t do that. Not yet. Read More »
Rating the best basketball books of all-time is like arguing with your friends over the greatest hip-hop albums ever. AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted? It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back? Breaking Atoms? Illmatic? You could go on all day. All solid choices, but too much personal preference, flavor and style come into play to settle on a clear-cut winner.
With the NBA Draft Lottery tonight, and Austin’s post yesterday, it got me to thinking… If you were to create a team only using players that were picked No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 in the NBA Draft, which team would win? Here’s the best possible starting five for the top three picks assuming all players are in their prime: Read More »
With Gonzaga’s 72-54 rout of Pepperdine in Malibu this past weekend, the Bulldogs reasserted themselves after falling to unranked Loyola Marymount the game before. In fact, until the Lions were able to successfully upset the ‘Zags, their dominance has been unmatched in the West Coast Conference – including nine conference titles in a row. In what many outside of Spokane believed would be a rebuilding year – after losing Jeremy Pargo, Micah Downs, Josh Heytvelt and Austin Daye the prior season – Mark Few and Co. are right on track to make it ten straight WCC titles. Read More »
Eighteen years too late, I watched Pistol: The Birth of a Legend for the first time this summer. Mostly the story of Pete Maravich‘s teenage years, partly a ball-handling instructional tape, the movie came to mind when I found out Allen Iverson was signing with the Memphis Grizzlies.
In Pistol, Maravich is a middle-school prodigy playing on a high school varsity team where the coach doesn’t like his style (too “Black”) and the older players don’t like him for being so good so young. Glued to the bench despite his talent, Pete just wants a chance to play, and when he finally gets it, predictably becomes a superstar and leads the team to glory. Ultimately, all that time he spent not playing was a colossal waste of time rooted in old-school values and silly stubbornness. Read More »
STEVE NASH (by Ben York)
He’s lost a step. He can’t play defense. He’s old. He’s overpaid. He’s a system point guard.
Blah…blah…blah…
The so-called debate on whether Steve Nash can still play effective and consistent basketball is ridiculous and, frankly, irresponsible. Last season, in the most tumultuous and difficult year of his 13 year career, Nash put up numbers that almost bested his first MVP season in ‘04/05. Read More »
Who would have guessed that the first NBA dude to put Blake Griffin on his ass would be skinny JaVale McGee? Blake finished with 19 points, 10 boards and four steals against the Wizards in yesterday’s Vegas Summer League, but one time he came through the lane with the rock and McGee (19 pts, 7 blks) gave the rookie a good, hard, welcome-to-the-NBA foul. Blake stayed on the ground for a second, but he was OK. Then later in the fourth quarter, McGee caught an alley-oop on Blake’s head and screamed on him. (JaVale is still doing the salute thing whenever he dunks, too.) … Rodrigue Beaubois scored 23 for the Mavs in a game against the Thunder that was just ugly. Read More »
Lance Stephenson Goes Coast-to-Coast on the Knicks, Goes Right Through Raymond Felton 
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Watch Klay Thompson Get Buckets in High School 
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