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David Robinson helped Tim Duncan with his career and more

JaCoB — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:24:07 +0000

We all know that without Tim Duncan, David Robinson would probably have never won two NBA titles.

The same goes for Duncan, even if he won two without Robinson. Robinson set the tone in San Antonio and made the franchise relevant.

Robinson had a huge impact on Duncan and helped him not only become the player he’s become, but he’s also helped him in becoming a man — for instance, shaving!

Rockets Lose to San Antonio Thanks to One of the Worst Stretches of Ball I've Ever Seen...

multatuli34 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:12:16 +0000

The Rockets met the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night and, boy, it was an ugly one to watch on both sides. A lot of goos defense but a lot of really, really bad offense too. Usually when you hear about a low-scoring, defensive game it is one that appeals to basketball purists but I consider myself one of those and you couldn’t pay me to watch this one again. Houston played good defense to start the game; San Antonio didn’t score their 1st field goal of the game until 3:00 in and the Rockets got out to a 10 – 3 lead thanks to 8 points by Trevor Ariza. But after a Spurs timeout, the poor offensive play was contracted by the Rockets as well.

Aaron Brooks turned the ball over several times and Houston’s play got sloppy. I guess that factored in to the play-call at the end of the 1st, an isolation for Ariza at the top of the key. Of course, he didn’t even get close to making the shot. I don’t why they ever run this play! If Adelamn would read my blog he would know that Ariza only does well playing off other players’ creativity. He can drive around a closeout but he is hopeless against straight-up man defense. I have a friend who is 5′10″, hefty and has one hand (honestly) and I’m positive he could guard Ariza one-on-one. But with that being said, Ariza was one of only 2 Rockets to score in the quarter. He and Luis Scola combined for 23 points.

23 – 18 Houston afer 1.

I was excited to see the 2 benches come in for the 2nd quarter because SA has the best bench in the NBA and Houston has the 3rd best; the play had to get better, right?

No. Houston missed layup after layup. It was a struggle all quarter until about 1:30 left when Brooks got his first bucket of the game. He got hot to end the period with 7 points from there to halftime to keep the Rockets from embarrassing themselves. They would save that for the 3rd quarter.

46 – 44 San Antonio at the half.

The Rockets weren’t getting any calls from the refs throughout the game but it looked like it really started to affect them in the 2nd half. Houston didn’t score a single point for 7 and a half minutes in the quarter! That is unspeakably bad. They missed 18 consecutive shots until Carl Landry finally hit a jumper which sparked a scoring frenzy of 4 total points in the next 3 and a half minutes. So that’s a grand total of 4 points in the 1st 10 minutes of the 3rd; my rec team could do that against the Spurs. Luckily, your savior Trevor Ariza came the rescue.

He committed an unexplainable foul on Tim Duncan to bail him out of taking a tough fade away and followed that by missing both free throws on a trip to the line. Then he tried to strip Roger Mson 30 feet from the basket and Mason went right past him and set up DeJuan Blair for an “and 1.” I really wish someone would tell this genius that these are NBA players he’s guarding. Sure, he may get a steal every once in a while but 99% of the time you are not going to be able to take the ball away from them that easily, especially when they are expecting you to reach…. and they’re expecting you to reach, Ariza, because you do it on every f****ng play!

The Rockets ended the quarter with 12 points, only 5 more than their franchise record of 7 which they’ve done twice. Fortunately the Spurs were playing terrible too so the game wasn’t out of hand.

68 – 58 after 3.

Things looked up in the 4th when the bench players replaced the starters again. Chase Studinger, Kyle Lowry and Landry led the comeback effort. On the 1st Spurs possession Lowry made the steal and led the break for a Studinger dunk. Then Lowry made a few nice probing drives, one baseline move was espceially nice and should’ve been an “and 1″ but the refs still weren’t calling anything on the Spurs. Bu then Ariza got involved again.

He missed 2 layups in a row because he is soft that he can’t finish with contact. He is going to have to start shooting floater or pull-up jumpers in the lane if he is not going to ever lift weights. Or just let the bench guys do the work.

Landry hit a tough fade away and Sideshow Dave followed that with a 3 to close it to 79 – 76. Budinger had an open look from deep to tie it at 79 but the ball rattled out and the Rockets got sloppy again.

Landry committed a bad foul going for an offensive rebound and Lowry truned the ball over on the next play. Then Lowry tried a shot that Ibelieve is called a “ridiculous what the f”"k” but I’m not sure about that name. He was running full pseed down the court and tried a one-handed linedrive at thr rim from 16 feet. Brooks got clocked by Antonio McDyess and the lead was back to 10 at 86 – 76. With the game nearly sealed, finally Ariza did something right.

He drilled a pull-up 3 to get the Rockets within 4 and Landry grabbed a stunning offensive board and put it back in on the next offensive trip to make it 86 – 84. But guess what happened.

Yep, the Spurs drew up a play to go to Richard Jefferson because he was being guarded by Ariza. Do I have to tell you that Ariza could fight through a screen and he closed out at a poor angle so Jefferson went by him easily to draw a foul on Landry? I didn’t think so. Then Brooks mised a jumper and blew a layup. That was about it for Houston.

92 – 84 final score.

Irate,

Multatuli

Positives:

1. Carl Landry

Negatives:

1. Trevor Ariza is awful as a main option on offense and defense.

2. Shane Battier failed to hit a 3 so his streak of consecutive games with a trey is over. He actually didn’t score a single point so that is nice. Ariza goes 6 – 21 and Battier only gets 1 shot. Cool!

Insights:

I can’t wait for McGrady to come back. I just hope he only plays 20 – 24 minutes. That will move everyone back to their natural roles, and by everyone I mostly mean Trevor Ariza’s 6/21 ass.

Houston Rockets (8-8)
field goalsrebounds
	pos	min	fgm-a	3pm-a	ftm-a	+/-	off	def	tot	ast	pf	st	to	bs	ba	pts
S.Battier	F-G	25:22	0-2	0-1	0-0	-8	0	3	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	0
L.Scola	F-C	27:40	9-14	0-0	0-0	-8	3	9	12	2	4	1	4	0	0	18
C.Hayes	F-C	18:37	0-8	0-0	0-0	-2	4	2	6	2	0	1	0	1	3	0
T.Ariza	G-F	43:51	6-21	4-6	1-4	-10	3	8	11	5	4	2	2	1	1	17
A.Brooks	G	31:25	5-16	1-4	1-1	-8	0	1	1	4	4	0	2	0	3	12
K.Lowry		23:25	2-6	1-2	5-6	+2	2	1	3	3	5	3	3	0	0	10
C.Landry		29:23	5-13	0-0	3-3	-6	4	0	4	0	4	0	1	1	0	13
C.Budinger		19:57	4-8	1-3	0-0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	9
D.Andersen		20:20	2-4	1-2	0-0	0	1	4	5	2	4	0	0	0	0	5

MVP´s tan diferentes...

alejandroarmesto — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:31:13 +0000

Larry Bird conquistó en tres ocasiones (1983/84-1984/85-1985/86) el premio al mejor jugador del año. El jugador de los Boston Celtics maravilló durante años con su baloncesto y con sus enfrentamientos con Magic Johnson, que obtuvo el mismo galardón también por tres veces.

Después del dominio de Michael Jordan, donde se intercalaron jugadores como Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson o Karl Malone, vino una nueva generación en la que brillaron Shaquille O´Neil, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan y Kevin Garnett. Y, de repente, otro blanco apareció en escena. Steve Nash, un canadiense de 1,91 de altura y una figura que nada tenía que ver con los hombres nombrados anteriormente, se adueñaba del baloncesto americano. Sus pases imposibles, su modo de dirigir el juego, sus valientes entradas a canasta, sus tiros certeros, su desparpajo y, sobre todo, el hecho de hacer mejores a sus compañeros, le valieron ser nombrado dos veces seguidas mejor jugador de la temporada (2004/05 y 2005/06).

El cetro no iba a ser abandonado por los blancos a las primeras de cambio, y Dirk Nowitzki se convirtió al año siguiente en el primer europeo en recibir el MVP. El alemán, con un estilo algo tosco, muy lejos de la estética del vuelo sin motor inventada por Air Jordan, asombró a la NBA con una muñeca y una agilidad impropias de un jugador de 213 centímetros de altura.

Pero la hegemonía blanca tenía sus días contados. Kobe Bryant, que para entonces ya tenía tres anillos, reclamó el trono que antes se le había negado, y volvió a poner en lo más alto el estilo de juego inventado por Michael Jordan.

El último rey es King James. Desde luego, se parece más a MJ que Dirk Nowitzki, pero son jugadores muy distintos. Lebron James ha inventado un nueva forma de jugar al baloncesto, y ésta se basa en ser el más fuerte sobre la cancha. Nadie puede parar a King James, al menos no cuando está en carrera y menos cuando ha iniciado el vuelo.

No cuestiono la elección de estos hombres como los mejores de los últimos 25 años, eran los mejores. Pero me gustaría destacar la dificultad que entraña ser elegido MVP cuando se es blanco. Larry Bird, Steve Nash y Dirk Nowitzki no son precisamente un ejemplo de fortaleza física. Ninguno de ellos machacaba el aro como lo hace un jugador de color, ninguno alcanzaba la velocidad de los afroamericanos, pero supieron imponer sus propias reglas, basadas en el cálculo, la reflexión, la oportunidad.

A Little Tenderness

The Custodian — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:08:44 +0000

To begin, I would like to talk about, in my and many others opinion, the best player on the planet: Kobe Bryant.

And what I want to talk about is his shot over the backboard. I have heard a lot of people spout their amazement of his shot, going to the point that it is a shot that will be in highlight reels for years to come. No. Undoubtedly, it was an impressive shot and a difficult one. But, it wasn’t that impressive. It isn’t even his best shot of the year, in my humble opinion. His Jordan-esque shot against the Pistons had a higher degree of difficulty than that H-O-R-S-E shot.

If you think that this is one of the greatest things ever, you don’t know how talented NBA players truly are. Go onto youtube and look at Gilbert Arenas make 73 out of 100 three point shots, with one hand. Players routinely make shots that would leave even the most talented of amateurs with their jaws on the floor.

I am not saying that this shot wasn’t spectacular, because it was. I am saying that Kobe can do few things that would shock me. That is how talented and special he is as a basketball player.

Moving on to another subject, Greg Oden posted a 24-12 game for the Trailblazers as they faced the Chicago Bulls last night. What does this mean? I have no clue, and I’m guessing he was aided by the fact that the Bulls have Joakim Noah as their starting center. That felt like more of a shot at Noah than I had intended, but what I mean is that Noah is probably best suited as a power forward, not a center, so it is a disadvantage when he goes against the better centers in the league.

Still, doesn’t it provide the same hope and potential that the Blazers thought they were drafting two years ago? If Greg Oden turns out to be anywhere near productive on a nightly basis, the Blazers go from potential threat to the contenders to serious contender along with the Lakers and the struggling Spurs.

Speaking of the Spurs, they are struggling and struggling bad. I mean, if they can’t turn it around soon, they are going to struggle to make it into the playoffs. Now, I have the utmost faith in Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan to turn the Spurs around before the year is done. However, their lackadaisical regular season play from the past couple of years has shifted into 4^th gear this year, struggling to hover around .500 for the year.

I thought, and I have been vocal about this, that the Spurs had retooled and were ready to once again claim the throne as Western Conference champions and possible NBA champions. Right now, I am looking like a complete fool. If the season were to end today, the Spurs would finish one spot out of the playoffs and the Oklahoma City Thunder would be in 8^th place. The fact that the Thunder has improved is not really surprising; the fact that the Spurs have won as much as they have lost is very surprising.

Still, even though the Spurs have struggled mightily this season, I cannot go against all reason and predict that they will miss the playoffs with that talented of a roster and that great of a head coach.

Enough basketball, lets talk Brady Quinn.

He played well against the Lions. It was reminiscent of his college days at Notre Dame when he torched opponents weekly while wearing the golden dome. Then again, the Lions are practically a college defense, or at least looked that way when trying to defend the pass.

Still, it seemed that he had enough arm strength to move the ball down the field when he had time to set up and throw. He also showed some good touch on short passes and intelligent play overall.

The question then becomes, is this performance a sign of things to come or a mirage in the desert? The fan in me wants desperately to say that this is a precursor to a great career where Quinn proves the doubters wrong and the believers true. However, as a reasonable fan, I realize that this is has not been the norm for Quinn since he came into the NFL and he was playing against a very bad pass defense.

Still, I enjoyed his play despite the fact that the Browns lost. I haven’t been able to say that in nearly two years about a Browns quarterback with the one exception being Quinn when he played Denver last season.

Still, the Browns were not good, as has been the case for every game this season. I feel bad for criticizing Mangini, but I can’t eschew him from any blame when he was definitely the driving force behind the roster changes from last year and they are definitely worse than last year. It seems like a coaching change is inevitable at this point, which is unfortunate, but likely necessary.

San Antonio Spurs aplasta a Bucks sin Manú

administrador00 — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:18:07 +0000

Tim Duncan tuvo 24 puntos y 12 rebotes al tiempo que los Spurs de San Antonio interrumpieron el lune

Dallas Mavericks 99 - San Antonio Spurs 94 (OT)

stepupyagame — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:34:14 +0000

Dirk Nowitzki scored 11 of his game-high 41 points in overtime last night in a 99-94 win over the Spurs. Drew Gooden added 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks. Tim Duncan led his team with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

~Signing Off~
AGE

The Warriors want Steph Curry at the helm; best. decision. ever.

fantastiksports — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:40:35 +0000

New reports. Even after dealing Steph Jackson (yes, I am calling him Steph Jackson) to the Bobcats,

Heroes Villains & Icons

tophatal — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:50:04 +0000

Words seem to fail me at this present moment in time. I was deeply shocked read and then hear that former Los Angeles Lakers’ great Kareem Abdul Jabbar had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Though the prognosis is said to be good for the former player.As many sufferers from this debilitating illness can lead productive lives ,given the right form of prescriptive medication and the usual healthy diet. This form of cancer – myeloid leukemia affects the white blood cells within one’s system and is characterized by the growth in the body’s bone marrow diminishing the blood cells usefulness to the human body. In large part your white blood cells become accelerated , damaged by being over productive ,counteracting your red blood cells.

A young Lew Alcindor (Jabbar) listens attentively to his coach and mentor John Wooden on the Bruins’ famed basketball court.picture appears courtesy time life inc/archives/ Rudy West ……………

For the 62 year old Jabbar, this comes as a shock after years of countless physical demands being placed on his body over a 20 year career in the NBA.Not to mention the illustrious collegiate career that he had under coach,John Wooden, with the ,UCLA Bruins. A three-time NCAA basketball champion with the coach. And a a collegiate career that was marked by some tremendous achievements by Kareem with coach Wooden as his guide and mentor. One doubts that two individuals so alike, were more suited for one another. They both had a passion and a reverence of basketball, marked by the success achieved by both men.

For Kareem the help of his familial unit will no doubt prove to be of great strength to him as he battles this illness . And if anything he will be fully supported by the fans and his peers alike. He , in Kareem Abdul Jabbar , one of the most gifted and respected players of his generation. And even in today’s environment of the high priced, overpaid prima-donna athletes. Jabbar represents a player of a bygone era. Though he hasn’t been without controversy over the course of his career because of his religious and social beliefs. I certainly think that Kareem is one of those players that best highlights the strengths and virtues of the game of basketball. And though,in the present generation of today’s players. There’s no one of his precocious talents or gifts playing today’s game in terms of the cerebral presence and who shares the same mindset. Though a comparison could be made with the San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan ? Both of whom bring a cerebral approach to the game and how it ought to be played.OK, so there are some of you out there saying,what about Kobe Bryantor LeBron James ? Well,Kobe and LeBron at present, are still mapping out their legacies and if anything they’re more often than not ,intent and all too willing to provide us with a human highlight reel. Whereas, Kareem was known to be an explosive offensive presence and a terrific shot blocker and defensive player. The traits that he shares with Duncan are distinctly similar and their intelligence and eloquence is off the charts.

Courtesy of CBS News :

Kareem Abdul Jabar’s ” Message of Hope

Battling Rare Form of Leukemia, Basketball Legend Says He Intends to “Continue Living”

(CBS) When you’ve spent your life as one of the best basketball players who ever lived – winning championships in high school, in college and in the pros, scoring more points than anyone else and immortalized in sports history and on film – you don’t expect to come suddenly face-to-face with your mortality.

“I started having hot flashes and sweats,” Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told CBS News correspondent Jeff Greenfield. “And I wasn’t a candidate for menopause, you know? So, trying to figure out what that was all about.”

In the middle of a busy life – best-selling author, special coach for the L.A. Lakers, parent – Abdul-Jabbar learned last December that he had a rare form of cancer.

“What I have is P.H. positive chronic myeloid leukemia, which is an aberration in your white blood cells,” Abdul-Jabbar said.

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Success as we know can be fleeting and in the realms of sports our heroes, icons and villains are judged by the success, notoriety and adulation attained. But it’s also marked by what’s achieved by way of tangibility. And that’s where there has been an abundance of success for Kareem Abdul Jabbar. His accolades reads likes a well documented biographical feats of the game of basketball. One can savor the moments of greatness that he’s provided not only for Bruins’ fans but also fans of the Milwaukee Bucks, as well as those of the “Showtime Lakers”, coached under the auspices of Pat Riley.

Kareem seen here in a memorable scene from the box office hit ” Airplane “(1980) . The classic comedic hit would provide the former pro basketball player with some added roles along the way in Hollywood. picture appears courtesy of imdb.com/movies/Airplane

And whilst nothing ought to be taken away from the achievements of Kareem on the court. His life off court has proven to be immeasurably fulfilling. Perhaps, even more so, in light of his social, political and philanthropic efforts over the years. Upon his retirement he’s made it a point to emphasize fulfillment of achieving an education . But perhaps his most glittering achievement has been his work amongst the Native American Indians and that of his literary career as an esteemed writer and historical biographer. Having written several bestselling literary works, pre and post NBA career. And it would be remiss not to spotlight his foray into Hollywood, where he achieved a modicum of success .

The famous final scenes from the action movie Game of Death ,starring Bruce Lee. Kareem played Lee’s nemesis and these scenes were said to be physically daunting for the duo at the time. And you can well understand why the scenes are considered to be an instant classic amongst martial arts enthusiasts !

In Hollywood , perhaps his most famous role was that of co-pilot Captain Roger Murdock in the box office hit disaster movie spoof “Airplane” (1980). He also played Bruce Lee’s ruthless nemesis, an assassin in the action movie “Game of Death”(1978). It was to be Lee’s last movie and starring role. As he died tragically prior to the movie’s end of shooting. Scenes had to be re-shot with another actor bearing Lee’s likeness shooting those scenes. after-wards from a medical complication.

The penultimate scene from the movie as as Kareem meets his demise at the hands of Lee’s character Billy Lo from the movie ‘Game of Death’. picture appears courtesy of arthouse images copyrighted material @ All rights reserved ……….

Kareem now serves as an assistant within the Los Angeles Lakers‘ organization at the behest of Lakers’ head coach, Phil Jackson. Whilst there , he’s honing the technique of Lakers’ starting center Andrew Bynum . As well assisting in the coaching duties of several other players on the Lakers’ roster.And if Bynum lives up to the premise expected under the tutelage of Kareem. Then Andrew Bynum will have felt privileged to have learned from the greatest player ever to have played the position. And though he was primarily seen as an offensive presence. He was quite often the facilitator for those around him as well.

The Holy Trinity of ‘The Showtime Lakers’ -Kareem, Worthy and Magic. Pictured from left to right, Kareem, James Worthy and Magic Johnson . picture appears courtesy of poston images/ Stan Richardson ………….

In the annals of the Lakers’ history , Kareem will go down with the very best to have donned the ‘Purple and Gold’ . His accomplishments speaks for themselves and one has only to look at the feats achieved by this prodigious player to see why he’s considered amongst the 50 Greatest Players ever to have played the game. And of the other accolades attained by Kareem Abdul Jabbar , well, those also justify and speak of his greatness as a player. So without much else to be said , I’ll end this piece by just saying thank you Kareem for providing us the most devoted of NBA fans with so many pleasurable memories ! You sir a hero and an icon ! Even if you did play a somewhat memorable villain on film. Thank you , for everything and so much more along the way !

Accolades and accomplishments of Kareem Abdul Jabbar .

Full Name: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Formerly known as: Lew Alcindor
Born: 4/16/47 in New York
High School: Power Memorial (N.Y.) College: UCLA
Drafted by: Milwaukee Bucks (1969)
Transactions: Traded to Los Angeles Lakers, 6/16/75

Height: 7-2; Weight: 267 lbs.
Honors: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1995); NBA champion (1971, ‘80, ‘82, ‘85, ‘87, ‘88); NBA MVP (1971, ‘72, ‘74, ‘76, ‘77, ‘80); 10-time All-NBA First Team; Five-time All-NBA Second Team; Five-time All-Defensive First Team; Six-time
All-Defensive Second Team; 19-time All-Star; One
of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History (1996).

CAREER AVERAGES
REBOUNDS PER GAME
YEAR TEAM G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
69-70 MIL 82 - 43.1 .518 .000 .653 - - 14.50 4.1 - - - 3.50 28.8
70-71 MIL 82 82 40.1 .577 .000 .690 - - 16.00 3.3 - - - 3.20 31.7
71-72 MIL 81 81 44.2 .574 .000 .689 - - 16.60 4.6 - - - 2.90 34.8
72-73 MIL 76 76 42.8 .554 .000 .713 - - 16.10 5.0 - - - 2.70 30.2
73-74 MIL 81 81 43.8 .539 .000 .702 3.50 11.00 14.50 4.8 1.38 3.49 - 2.90 27.0
74-75 MIL 65 64 42.3 .513 .000 .763 3.00 11.00 14.00 4.1 1.00 3.26 - 3.20 30.0
75-76 LA 82 82 41.2 .529 .000 .703 3.30 13.50 16.90 5.0 1.45 4.12 - 3.60 27.7
76-77 LA 82 82 36.8 .579 .000 .701 3.20 10.00 13.30 3.9 1.23 3.18 - 3.20 26.2
77-78 LA 62 62 36.5 .550 .000 .783 3.00 9.90 12.90 4.3 1.66 2.98 3.35 2.90 25.8
78-79 LA 80 80 39.5 .577 .000 .736 2.60 10.20 12.80 5.4 .95 3.95 3.53 2.90 23.8
79-80 LA 82 81 38.3 .604 .000 .765 2.30 8.50 10.80 4.5 .99 3.41 3.62 2.60 24.8
80-81 LA 80 80 37.2 .574 .000 .766 2.50 7.80 10.30 3.4 .74 2.85 3.11 3.10 26.2
81-82 LA 76 76 35.2 .579 .000 .706 2.30 6.40 8.70 3.0 .83 2.72 3.03 2.90 23.9
82-83 LA 79 79 32.3 .588 .000 .749 2.10 5.40 7.50 2.5 .77 2.15 2.53 2.80 21.8
83-84 LA 80 80 32.8 .578 .000 .723 2.10 5.20 7.30 2.6 .69 1.79 2.76 2.60 21.5
84-85 LAL 79 79 33.3 .599 .000 .732 2.10 5.80 7.90 3.2 .80 2.05 2.49 3.00 22.0
85-86 LAL 79 79 33.3 .564 .000 .765 1.70 4.40 6.10 3.5 .85 1.65 2.57 3.10 23.4
86-87 LAL 78 78 31.3 .564 .333 .714 1.90 4.80 6.70 2.6 .63 1.24 2.38 3.10 17.5
87-88 LAL 80 80 28.9 .532 .000 .762 1.50 4.50 6.00 1.7 .60 1.15 1.99 2.70 14.6
88-89 LAL 74 74 22.9 .475 .000 .739 1.40 3.10 4.50 1.0 .51 1.15 1.28 2.60 10.1
Career 1,560 1,476 36.8 .559 .056 .721 2.40 7.60 11.20 3.6 .94 2.57 1.71 3.00 24.6
Playoff 237 237 37.3 .533 .000 .740 2.60 6.50 10.50 3.2 .96 2.43 2.64 3.40 24.3
All-Star 18 13 24.9 .493 .000 .820 2.20 5.60 8.30 2.8 .40 2.07 2.55 3.20 13.9

CAREER TOTALS
REBOUNDS
YEAR TEAM MIN FGM-A 3M-A FTM-A OFF DEF TOT AST STL BLK TO PF PTS
69-70 MIL 3,534 938-1,810 0-0 485-743 - - 1,190 337 - - - 283 2,361
70-71 MIL 3,288 1,063-1,843 0-0 470-681 - - 1,311 272 - - - 264 2,596
71-72 MIL 3,583 1,159-2,019 0-0 504-732 - - 1,346 370 - - - 235 2,822
72-73 MIL 3,254 982-1,772 0-0 328-460 - - 1,224 379 - - - 208 2,292
73-74 MIL 3,548 948-1,759 0-0 295-420 287 891 1,178 386 112 283 - 238 2,191
74-75 MIL 2,747 812-1,584 0-0 325-426 194 718 912 264 65 212 - 205 1,949
75-76 LA 3,379 914-1,728 0-0 447-636 272 1,111 1,383 413 119 338 - 292 2,275
76-77 LA 3,016 888-1,533 0-0 376-536 266 824 1,090 319 101 261 - 262 2,152
77-78 LA 2,265 663-1,205 0-0 274-350 186 615 801 269 103 185 208 182 1,600
78-79 LA 3,157 777-1,347 0-0 349-474 207 818 1,025 431 76 316 282 230 1,903
79-80 LA 3,143 835-1,383 0-1 364-476 190 696 886 371 81 280 297 216 2,034
80-81 LA 2,976 836-1,457 0-1 423-552 197 624 821 272 59 228 249 244 2,095
81-82 LA 2,677 753-1,301 0-3 312-442 172 487 659 225 63 207 230 224 1,818
82-83 LA 2,554 722-1,228 0-2 278-371 167 425 592 200 61 170 200 220 1,722
83-84 LA 2,622 716-1,238 0-1 285-394 169 418 587 211 55 143 221 211 1,717
84-85 LAL 2,630 723-1,207 0-1 289-395 162 460 622 249 63 162 197 238 1,735
85-86 LAL 2,629 755-1,338 0-2 336-439 133 345 478 280 67 130 203 248 1,846
86-87 LAL 2,441 560-993 1-3 245-343 152 371 523 203 49 97 186 245 1,366
87-88 LAL 2,308 480-903 0-1 205-269 118 360 478 135 48 92 159 216 1,165
88-89 LAL 1,695 313-659 0-3 122-165 103 231 334 74 38 85 95 196 748
Career 57,446 15,837-28,307 1-18 6,712-9,304 2,975 9,394 17,440 5,660 1,160 3,189 2,527 4,657 38,387
Playoff 8,851 2,356-4,422 0-4 1,050-1,419 505 1,273 2,481 767 189 476 447 797 5,762
All-Star 449 105-213 0-1 41-50 33 84 149 51 6 31 28 57 251

To read Kareem’s bio in full click here …….

NB: Books written or co-authored by Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Abdul-Jabbar is also a bestselling author, the latest of his books being On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance. His previous book, co-written with Anthony Walton, was Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII’s Forgotten Heroes (Publisher: Broadway 2004, ISBN 0-385-50338-5), the history of the 761st Battalion, an all-black armored unit that served in Europe in World War Two.

Other books:

* Giant Steps, with Peter Knobler (1987) ISBN 0-553-05044-3 (The book’s title is an homage to jazz great John Coltrane.)
* Kareem (1990) ISBN 0-394-55927-4
* Selected from Giant Steps (Writers’ Voices) (1999) ISBN 0-7857-9912-5
* Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement, with Alan Steinberg (1996) ISBN 0-688-13097-6
* A Season on the Reservation: My Sojourn with the White Mountain Apaches, with Stephen Singular (2000) ISBN 0-688-17077-3
* Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII’s Forgotten Heroes with Anthony Walton (2005) ISBN 978-0767909136
* On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance with Raymond Obstfeld (2007) ISBN 978-1416534884

Audio Book:

* On the Shoulders of Giants: An Audio Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance 8 CD Set Vol. 1-4, with Avery Brooks, Jesse L. Martin, Maya Angelou, Herbie Hancock, Billy Crystal, Charles Barkley, James Worthy, Julius Erving, Jerry West, Clyde Drexler, Bill Russell, Coach John Wooden, Stanley Crouch, Quincy Jones and other chart-topping musicians, as well as legendary actors and performers such as Samuel L. Jackson. (2008) ISBN 978-0-615-18301-5

Duncan é dúvida contra o Mavs

Bruno Pongas — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:23:29 +0000

O all-star e principal estrela do San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan, deve ficar de fora de mais um jogo. Após perder o duelo contra o Toronto Raptors para tratar de um pequeno problema no tornozelo esquerdo, o ala-pivô ainda é dúvida para a partida desta noite contra o rival Dallas Mavericks. Duncan, que tem sofrido constantes problemas físicos nos dois últimos anos, não treinou ontem a tarde, e, por isso, foi colocado como dúvida para o embate de logo mais.

a readjack.com book review: The Book of Basketball, by Bill Simmons

readjack — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:52:58 +0000

At 697 pages (foreword, index, acknowledgments not included), The Book of Basketball is the thickest

Best NBA players in the league by position.

Andrew Macaluso — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:22:21 +0000

Point guards:

1. Deron Williams: D-Will is the biggest point guard in the game. His ball skills are out of this world and he’s the best passer since Jason Kidd. In college he wasn’t the best at his position, but since he entered the league he’s gotten better every year. He averaged 19 points and 10 assists last season, although he has a better team than Chris Paul, he plays in a harder division as well.Deron starred on last summer’s USA olympic basketball team and is extremely gifted. What is really scary is he’s so good now, and yet can still get better. Behind Carmelo Anthony, D-Will is probably my second favorite basketball player.

2. Chris Paul: CP3 has probably had the worst season of his career this year, he lost his coach/mentor, doesn’t have a strong team and he also injure his ankle. Last season he averaged 22 ppg, 11 apg, 3 steals, 36% from the 3 point line, and shot 50% overall. Paul needs so much help on his team to take all the pressure off of him. He plays his heart out every night to try and take his team to the Championship, but in reality he knows he can’t do it alone. Although the Hornets flamed out in the playoffs, Paul epitomizes the phrase “floor general”. It’s a real treat to watch him control the game.

3. Derrick Rose: I’m sure you’re all wondering why he’s number 3, but after what we’ve all seen during his rookie deserves to be here. As a rookie, he helped lead the Bulls to the playoffs averaging 16.8 ppg and 8.3 assists. He also grabbed nearly 4 boards a game and was a consistent playmaker on offense. He must improve his dreadful 3 point shooting, average free throw shooting, and cut down on the turnovers. However, Rose makes the Bulls a very scary team in the East. He really excelled in the playoffs as his points and rebounds went up in an epic series against the Celtics. Rose doesn’t back down from a challenge and I almost made him number 2 on the list.

4. Steve Nash: He’s getting up there in age, but he can still produce. Even with last year’s rocky season in Phoenix, Nash put together a solid season averaging 15.7 points and 9.7 assists per game. His 3 point shooting and free throw shooting are still excellent and the way he can dribble into the paint and create for his teammates is a joy to watch. He’s playing out of his mind this season, he’s averaging 18 points a game and 13 assists and leading the suns young unit and watching him and Amare is like watching JKidd and Kenyon back in the day.

5. Rajon Rondo: Rondo had his coming out party in the playoffs, nearly averaging a triple double. His numbers for the playoffs add up like this: 16.9 ppg 9.7 rpg 9.8 apg. He was good during the regular season to where he averaged 12 ppg, and 8 assists. His turnovers were up a little high at 2.6, his free throw shooting was horrendous for a point guard at 64 percent, and his 3 point shooting leaves a lot to be desired. But Rondo can take over a game when need be and remember, he will be entering just his 4th year in the league. He will continue to improve and leave no doubt at being a top 5 point guard in the NBA.

Shooting Guards:

1. Dwayne Wade: Wade is just an animal on the court, and is in the conversation for the best player in the league. Wade is basically unstoppable in the pick-and-roll game, because no matter how you decide to defend him, you lose. He got fully rejuvenated during the 08′ Olympic games. He was healthy last season and averaged 30 ppg along with 7 assists, and single handedly led his team to the Playoffs.Wade is the best defender at the 2 (please, don’t say Kobe, it ain’t even close). Wade delivered an amazing season at the defensive end last year, leading all shooting guards in blocks per minute and ranking third in steals. I mean, Wade blocked 1.3 shots per game and ranked 16th in the entire league, he’s 6′4. On a per-minute basis he outblocked more than three quarters of the league’s power forwards, and nobody under 6-7 came within screaming distance of his rate.

2. Kobe Bryant: No one wants to say it because he led his stacked team to a championship last year, but Kobe is slowing down. The numbers bear it out, the eye test bears it out. That being said, he’s Kobe Bryant. He remains a dynamite scorer, although his free throw attempts are on the decline, never a good sign for an older player. Bryant is shooting less threes, which is good since he is an average 3 point shooter. Kobe has the most versatile array of offensive moves since Michael Jordan, and keeps himself in great shape, despite the amount of games he has played. Kobe is a good ball handler, a good passer and a very solid defender who picks his spots and really seems to buckle down at the end of games. Kobe is one of the best clutch players the league has ever seen. I can’t put him at number one because I think that if you remove Kobe from the Lakers and trade him for D-Wade, I think the Lakers win 70 games and the championship, but the Heat are the same or worse with Kobe.

3. Brandon Roy: The gap between the 3 best shooting guards and the rest of the pack is significant. Portland fans are going to sit there and tell you that Roy is an MVP candidate and you know what? They are wrong. Now, Roy is an excellent player, maybe even a top 10 player in the league, but he isn’t winning an MVP any time soon, or probably ever. The problem is, I can’t really put my finger on why. Roy is a great hybrid guard who can play the point better than most points, and he is a terrific scorer. He shoots well from 3, has a good midrange game, and can get to the basket and finish or draw fouls. He is a solid rebounder and an underrated and improving defender. All that being said, there is just something missing in his game when I watch him.

4. Joe Johnson: Offensively, Johnson is on par with the other guys behind him on this list. He is a good scorer, although not on the level of Gordon, Carter or Martin. He is a good passer, with a better pure point rating than many of the league’s point guards. He is a solid rebounder. He is a very talented defender. Most of all, he’s a good leader and extremely durable. He’s averaged around 40 minutes the last 6 seasons, and has played all 82 games in 5 of his 7 seasons. So, he may not be the most flashy player, but he can do it all and you can count on him.

5. Manu Ginobili: In seasons past, I would have had Manu in the top 3, for sure. When he plays, he can be considered a top 3 2-guard in the league, along with D-Wade and Kobe Bryant, but as he gets older and his aggressive style continues, he just can’t seem to stay healthy for any extended period of time. Manu can do it all, shooting well from deep, getting to the hole at will, getting and making a ton of free throws, being a decent passer and rebounder, and a good team defender, but he’s only played in 82% of his teams games for his career, 72% in the last 3 years. On top of that, he has really hurt the team come playoff time, where he has been hurt and inconsistent the past 2 playoffs, which is a far cry from the player who helped the Spurs to several NBA championships. Also, he needs the Ron Popiel spray-on hair to cover his bald spot.

Small Forwards:

1. Carmelo Anthony: Melo’s been through a lot since he entered the league, one and done in the playoffs, and living in Lebron’s shadow. This year is different, ever since Chauncey Billups arrived in Denver, Melo has been a changed person. He’s averaging 31 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 assists, he’s shooting 45%, 40% from the free throw line and his turnovers are down and he’s been playing great defense. Many people would put Lebron here but Carmelo is a much better shooter and can score much easier. He also has a stronger body than Lebron and can get to the basket just as easy. Don’t believe me, ask Kobe.

2. Lebron James: Lebron isn’t exactly easy to define, yes he’s the smaller forward and he has two guard playing in the lineup with him, but he’s more than just a 3. He does it all when needed, and sometimes, as the last playoff exit against Orlando proved, does too much at once. It’s not all his fault of course, he is the best player in the game, but even he breaks down after playing 90 games at incredible intensity. He does it all – scores (28.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.2 apg and he’s finally become a defensive presence. The only question left is when will he win a ring?

3. Paul Pierce: Paul Pierce might not score as much as Durant anymore, but he still averages over 20 points per game and playing his heart out every night. And lets not forget, he was the NBA Finals MVP just 15 months ago. He’s obviously starting his away on the downward slope, but Pierce is a leader and a winner, not just good stats, and he has them. He’s won his Championship already but the big 3 doesn’t have much time left for another.

4. Kevin Durant: Remember, back in the summer of 2007, there was that argument about who to choose number one? Greg Oden or Kevin Durant? Well, Oden didn’t play at all in 2007-2008 while Durant won the NBA’s rookie of the year award in Sonics’ last season in Seattle. Last year? Durant, like Granger, became one of the most dangerous offensive threats in the league. Yes, he’s on a bad team, but things are improving around him, and so his he. Many would put their money on him winning the league’s scoring title this year and who knows how many in years to come. He averaged just above 25 ppg last season while shooting over 40% from the three, and improving his all around numbers. This kid has future MVP written all over him in my eyes.

5. Danny Granger: The NBA’s 2009 Most Improved Player has matured into one of the best offensive players in the league since his arrival from New Mexico in 2005. Granger has improved his scoring average in each of the last three seasons, finishing his 2008-2009 season with 25.8 ppg while shooting over 40% from beyond the arc. He missed 16 games last season, probably the reason why the Pacers again didn’t make the playoffs, but if Granger continues to improve and stay healthy, Indiana can be a dark horse contender in the Eastern Playoffs.

Power Forwards:

1. Tim Duncan: Not just the best power forward in the league today, it’s hard to argue that Duncan isn’t the best of all time. He’s had the Spurs at or near the top of the league ever since he was a rookie, killing teams with the same fundamentals and defense since day one. He’s a lock for 20 and 10 averages every year, and a lock to be one of the most hated players in the league with his anti-new age game. The biggest thing that gets him the no. 1 spot here, though, is that he’s got three rings.

2. Dirk Nowitzki: The Mavericks best player of all time will continue to do what he does best, which is almost everything. Score, rebound, defend, lead, win… a complete deal in one of the most versatile and difficult (or impossible) players to guard in the league. Nowitzki averaged 25.9 ppg with 8 rebounds last season and had an impressive, despite a tad short, playoff performance. He’ll lead the Mavs to another, maybe final attempt with the current roster to win the title. Chances are slim, but with Nowitzki, Dallas always have a chance in any game.

3. Pau Gasol: Now that he’s added the Eurobasket title and the NBA championship in 2009, what will Gasol do for an encore in 2010? Despite taking a supporting role with the Lakers as opposed to his alpha-dog days with Memphis, Gasol has shown he is one of the best players in the league, helping the Lakers to two NBA finals since he’s arrived and giving Kobe his Shaq-less title last season. Gasol averaged 18.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game during the season, and his playoff performance, especially on defense, were crucial in the Lakers title run.

4. Chris Bosh: The Ru Paul of Big Men”, as Shaq referred to him once, is also one of the best big men in the league, whether he’s playing Center or Power Forward. He’s averaged more than 22 points per game in each of his last four seasons, with last season scoring a career best 22.7 with 10 rebounds per game. Last season the Raptors missed the playoffs and are trying to build a team around Bosh (again) so they don’t lose him in the big free agency sweepstakes next summer.

5. Amare Stoudemire: Yes, he’s got no defense, despite him blocking 1.4 shots in his career, but when he’s healthy, and hopefully this season will be one of those healthy years for the 2003 Rookie of the year, Stoudemire is one of the most explosive big men and players in the league. He averaged 21.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game last year, in which he missed almost 30 games, mostly due to his eye injury. This year, he’ll be one of those goggle-wearing players, a-la Hakeem and Kareem, but he’ll probably look more like Horace Grant. His numbers will probably be better as well.

Centers:

1. Dwight Howard: Simply stated, D Howard is the most dominant, impressive, physically-freakish center to come into the league since Shaq. The numbers Howard posted last season, at the tender age of 22, are simply astonishing. He averaged 20.7 points per game (while shooting 60% from the floor), a league-leading 14.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks. He recorded an NBA-high 69 double-doubles, including eight 20-20 games. As a point of comparison, Shaq never averaged 14 boards a contest in a given season. The only thing that seperates him from Shaq, is well 4 Championship rings.

2. Yao Ming: When he is healthy and playing at his best, Yao is as good as any big man in the League. The problem for Yao has been staying on the floor. He once again missed a healthy chunk of the 2007-2008 season, marking the third consecutive campaign in which Yao has missed at least 25 games. He is now averaging just 53 games played per season since 2005. Again, when feels good and is on his game, he is incredibly efficient (over 50% from the floor and 85%) and undeniably effective (a consistent 20/10 guy).

3. Shaquille O’Neal: The self-proclaimed MDE — Most Dominant Ever — is as physically talented as anyone who’s ever played the game. He’s the perfect combination of strength and quickness; a bigger, more powerful reincarnation of Wilt. He has 4 Championship rings, 14 time All Star, 3 time Finals MVP. He may be up there in age now and isn’t nearly as dominate as he used to be, but the Big Diesel instills fear in his opponents and makes his teammates better. And rings seem to follow him wherever he goes.

4. Marcus Camby: He isn’t going to dominate you in the offensive game, but on the defensive side he’s a beast. He definitely patrols the paint, cleans the backboards, and protects the basket. Camby, fresh off winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2006-2007, produced a statically startling ‘07-’08 campaign. He averaged over 13 rebounds, 3.6 blocks, 1.1 steals, and even dished out a 3.3 assists per game for good measure.

5. Al Jefferson: Minnesota is still getting over the loss of Kevin Garnett, but having Al Jefferson locked-up long term has to soften the blow a great deal. T-Wolves fans were excited about Jefferson heading into last season, but even the most ardent optimist had to have been pleasantly surprised with just how well Big Al played. In fact, he was the only player in the entire league last season to average over 21 points and 11 rebounds per game. Moreover, he was also one of only three players in the Association to average over 21 PPG and shot at least 50% from the floor (Carlos Boozer and Amare were the other two.) Already one of the best bigs in the business, Jefferson, at just 23 years of age, has the potential to be a special, special player.

Raptors at Spurs: Starring Tony Parker's tailor

Simon — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:27:12 +0000

If NBA basketball was analogous to playing Street Fighter, the Raptors would be the dude who knows every combo, every chain, every special move in the entire game. Glaring achilles heel? Toronto is unaware there is such thing as “blocking”. Like, I’m not even talking about knowing when to block. The Raptors don’t know blocking exists. This becomes noticeable after taking 15 dragon punches to the face.

With this offensive (literally and figuratively) mentality, The Raptors posted 124 points in regulation, shooting .592 per cent from the field and nailing 11 of 17 attempts from long distance against the Spurs on Monday. Toronto lost the game.

If you didn’t watch the game, or even if you did, read that last paragraph and try to just make sense of it with a rational basketball mind. That San Antonio — sans Tim Duncan and Tony Parker — managed to put up 131 points in regulation to walk away with a win is simply an unbelievable, untenable fact. I saw most of this crime against basketball (when I was not burying my head in my hands) and yet, my mind remains blown by what I witnessed.

Sadly, this is not an original screenplay. The Raptors again were felled by poor rebounding, poor late game execution and a porous, inexcusably awful defensive effort.

Post-game, reporters repeatedly asked Toronto Coach Jay Triano whether there was something wrong with his defensive system. How do these guys have jobs? Anybody watching could easily assess that the problem is not coaching, or the “system” or any abstract type of “philosophy.” The Raptors, almost to a man, are poor defenders. Period.

Toronto’s NBA squad cannot close out on shooters, cannot prevent dribble penetration, cannot intimidate in the paint or meet the ball defensively at the rim. The Raptors are slow to rotate from the weak side, show far too softly on pick and roll situations and send some of the most lazy, counterproductive double-team’s and traps this side of a Teenwolf montage.

I don’t know what Triano said to his troops after this loss — but I know if Wayne Brady was coaching Toronto he’d be having to choke an awwwwful lot of bitches tonight.

No need to get into stats. No point observing how Toronto’s defence was shredded not by Manu Ginobili, but by “manu ginobili” — the Agentine’s non-explosive, non-athletic, non-foul-inducing below-the-rim doppelganger. Nor is there much purpose in noting that despite another gaudy statistical effort, Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu and Andrea Bargnani were beasted by rookie DeJuan Blair and the cryogenically frozen body of Antonio McDyess in the decisive stretch of the fourth quarter.

No no no, all you need to do is imagine somebody playing Street Fighter who doesn’t know what blocking means. That was the Raptors tonight.

Button mashing might win you a few matches — but without knowing how to block, parry and counter, the Raptors won’t be pulling out any victories like the one below any time soon.

Raps Get An Argentinian Slap To The Face

Kristoffer Pedlar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:53:56 +0000

Even without Tim Duncan and Tony Parker the San Antonio Spurs were able to use their bench depth and dribble penetration to down the Raptors. Defense seemed to be something everyone in the building was allergic to tonight. Both teams put up a tonne of points and Manu Ginobli was unstoppable. On top of which, the Raptors were manhandled on the boards and gave up a heap of second chance points.

Jose and the rest of the Toronto Perimeter could not contain San Antonio on route to a disappointing loss

Zan for Three

6th man? On what planet?

Without Duncan and Parker the Raptors really had one focus on defense tonight and it was Ginobli. I know he’s technically a 6th man but the guy was unstoppable. Somebody put a hand in his face, get up on him, double team the guy for goodness sakes. He treated the Raptors perimeter defense like they were pylons and helped make the rest of the Spurs team look like magnificent.

Didn’t realize how many Hall of Famers the Spurs had

Without Duncan and Parker the Raptors decided to make Matt Bonner and George Hill look like Hall of Famers. Seriously these guys looked like Kobe and Wade out there slahing and scoring at will. I love the Red Rocket but he isn’t an NBA starter and the Raps made him look like Dr. J. It was a night the Raps should have been able to shut down the Spurs, yet the defense was abysmal, and at times the game resembled the Washington Generals playing against the Globetrotters.

Give me another chance

How much did you want Reggie Evans to rip off his suit like Superman and reveal he was actually in uniform? The guy is desperately needed right now. The Raps couldn’t contain the Spurs inside even without Duncan. Bosh and Amir Johnson showed moments of grit and fight but this team needs to get tough in a hurry or they are going to get torched every night.

Zan of the Night

Manu was deserving and Bosh had a pretty good statistical game but let’s give it to Sonny Weems who made his Raptors debut tonight, shot 100% from the field and looked servicable. He may be an interesting project this year.

Not Zan of the Night

Perimeter Defense

Jose picture is on on most fans’ dartboards right now but Jack, Wright and Derozan were awful as well. Not one player could contain George Hill let alone Manu Ginobli or Richard Jefferson. It was like watching a grade 6 team try to defend the Lakers. Offensively this unit was productive and sound but they couldn’t buy a stop. 130pts allowed is ridiculous. You cannot win games giving up 130 points. Especially on the road.

Sadly, this is the game we’re going to look back on as the one that got away.

Album Review- Every Light That Shines At Christmas - Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Phil — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:38:57 +0000

Every Light That Shines At Christmas CD Cover

Every Light That Shines At Christmas is the second Christmas project to be released by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound.

I really do enjoy a good Christmas project, be it secular or Gospel, but when you combine rich, sterling 4 – part harmony to Christmas classics, novelty songs and new songs, it really makes for a unique and enjoyable combination. On this particular project we have 16 tracks of Christmas cheer and fun.

He Started The Whole World Singing/O Come, All Ye Faithful - Ernie Haase opens this soft and gentle opening cut on the album. I enjoy how the song gradually picks up more and more momentum until the climatic finish. The Voices of Lee feature in this song as well as a children’s choir, which gives it a real Christmas feel. Once the track moves into the second song, O Come All Ye Faithful, there is full orchestration and gives the track a real punchy feel. The vocals are well mixed with the Voices of Lee, sometimes on songs that features choirs, it is easy for the choir to drown out the quartet, but not in this instance.
Marshmallow World – A lively and bouncy tune which features the whole group on the opening lines. The best feature of this song is on certain lines the whole group sings the lead, there is no harmony, so when they revert back to the harmony it makes it more pronounced and noticable. Wonderfully arranged and sung.
Every Light That Shines At Christmas – The title track is an up tempo and country flavoured gem. On the first few spins of the CD, it reminded me of Glory To God In The Highest of their first Christmas album. Punctuated with horns and other orchestration it makes for a great cut. All the group members are featured on different parts with a collective element shown on the second half of the song, driving it to the big finish. This would be sure to get you up on your feet at live concerts.
Redeeming Love - A slower, reflective portrait of why Jesus Christ came to earth, to seek and save. The song starts out featuring Ryan Seaton. I have already covered that Ryan is developing and becoming more and more asserted in his performances, particularly in the live setting. The song is then taken up by Ernie Haase and he takes it through to the chorus. A great song that is already became a favourite on my list. Some nice high notes and a big ballad finish to this song make it for me. I’d also like to see this live.
Changed By A Baby Boy- Another great little gem from this CD. Changed By A Baby Boy features Ryan Seaton with the quartet adding in an echo type backing vocal. It goes over very well live, especially the chorus, it’s a very catchy and simple lyric to sing. Jeff Foster described this tune as having “a decidedly Reggae/Caribbean sound and beat to it”, which i agree with completely. It makes the tune different and very accessible to potential listeners from outside the southern gospel genre.
Mr Heat Miser – Arguably the most novel and fun song on the project! A great little tune with some great vocal arrangements and tricks. The most notable aspect would be the trade-off between Ernie and Tim portraying different characters of the song. Tim delivers his very well, stepping well into the “gruff old man” idea.
Thank God For Kids – Worth the entire price of the album if i’m honest. It is beautiful. Doug Anderson has a great voice, and to see it on an iconic country anthem like “Thank God For Kids” was a great decision. Maybe what makes this song is the simplicity in the arrangement and the light accompaniment. I particularly like the way Doug injects his own little stamp on the song with his unique delivery. The harmony parts with Ernie on the verses are also lovely. A brilliant cut and gives this old classic new life.
Christmas Is Christmas (Wherever You Are) - A slow and reflective song about those who can’t be together in person at Christmas, yet in spirit we are all together. A children’s choir adds their contribution to the song with some stellar vocals from the quartet.
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – A Cappella features on this song and the arrangement is fabulous. Think the delicate and complex arrangements from the Gaither Vocal Band’s a capella project and you get my drift. I love a good bass singer and on this song you can clearly hear Tim’s deep vocals in the mix, possible they have been pushed out a little more, which makes for a great bass undercurrent throughout the song. Tim and Doug sing together at one stage, cascading down the notes together, which is a lovely moment. They build up the finish and take it home by having Ernie reach for the stars vocally and Tim dropping down nice and low.
What Child Is This? – A lovely big ballad, which starts of softly and ends softly with big orchestration and high notes throughout the majority of the song. This track has some well arranged vocals and features Doug and Ernie throughout its duration.
If It Doesn’t Snow On Christmas – Another fun number from the project. The track opens up with Tim Duncan on vocals which sets off the track with me! it definitely appears to be marketed towards children, their is a noticable clarity and distinction to Doug and Ryan’s diction feature on the later verses. The whole song just radiates with the one question that many children will have, If it doesn’t snow on Christmas how will Santa use his sleigh?! But Ernie will let him use their bus. According to the lyrics anyway!
All I Want Is You - A further a cappella number from the group. It has a great arrangement and feels just right at that part of the CD. I would love the group to do a whole a cappella CD. With these arrangements and talent that they possess, it would be a truly great project.
Christmas In Indiana – A mid tempo tune from the pen of Gloria and Benjamin Gaither. This was the first time i had ever heard this tune and it was a pleasant experience. It paints a beautiful picture of family being reunited for Christmas and spending Christmas with a loved one. This is the type of tune i can imagine being on in the background whilst decorating the Christmas Tree or whilst having family over to celebrate.
Silent Night – The last a cappella piece on the project. Boy did they leave the best til last. They make it sound so easy yet i’m sure the complex vocal arrangements are hard to do. It sounds great. My favourite part is at the end on the “sleep in heavenly peace” line. Ernie sings softly yet in a really high note, it could be falsetto, more musically aware people can step in and correct me if im wrong! But whatever it is…..it’s sublime!!
Light A Candle – This is a song is somewhat similar to “We Need Each Other” of the Dream On album in its collective and “reaching out” nature. It highlights the need to remember that not everyone gets to enjoy Christmas in the way we maybe do. Emphasis is placed upon the need to love, care and respect each other.
Amen – Elvis fans may recognise this track. It uses the same basic structure of the song that Elvis used to feature J.D Sumner most nights. It is widely known that Ernie is a big Elvis fan so maybe that is where the influence was derived from. It goes over well in a live setting. The crowd all become backing vocalists and sing the under current “Amen, Amen, Amen” part whilst the featured vocalist does their part on top. A great way to close out the album.

Easily the best of their two Christmas projects. It is a fun project, with elements of sincerity thrown in. It is a very uplifting and enjoyable CD. A friend of mine who works in a premier menswear shop, commented that they would have no problem playing the CD over the PA system for customers to enjoy. This exemplifies just how flexible Ernie Haase & Signature Sound can be with their music. It has something for everyone, yet it is uniquely EHSS in its musical stylings and delivery.

Vocally they have never sounded better. Bold statement yes, but give the CD a listen and let me know if you agree. I think it’s only natural to get better and better vocally as time goes on with the same group. Ernie Haase and Ryan Seaton in particular sound very good on this album. A fun album for a fun time of year!

Verdict – A must have. :)

This project is available from www.ehssq.com

Gameday: Raptors-Spurs

Jeremy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:07:57 +0000

Bosh will have his hands full tonight with Tim Duncan

After splitting a pair in New Orleans and Dallas, the Raptors wrap up their current three-game west coast swing in San Antonio tonight against a Spurs team that’ll be without Tony Parker. Come on boys, capitalize! As always, a full preview over at Raptors Republic, where my NBA 2K10 game sim should be posted shortly.

The Spurs come in at 2-3, having lost back-to-back road games in Utah and Portland on Thursday and Friday, but I don’t think anyone is sweating it in San Antonio, because we know they’ll be there in May and June when it counts, as usual. With it being early and Parker out, the Raps actually draw the Spurs at the perfect time, with a win not out of the realm of possibility. The Raptors have actually played Tim Duncan & co. well the past few years — last season they picked up a win at the ACC sans Chris Bosh and they even escaped with a road win in ‘07-08, 83-73 in a slugfest. Don’t count on that kind of D tonight, but hey, anything can happen.

The key for Toronto, I’d say, is point guard play. Jose Calderon showed signs of coming out of his early season funk over the weekend, and he and Jarrett Jack will be counted on to jump on Parker-less Spurs, who’ll start George Hill in his absence. Post D, as usual, will be big, even with Duncan having lost an offensive step.

Anyway, how about a big road win before coming home for the Bulls and heading out west to do it again? The Raps and Spurs tip tonight at 8:30.

Mr Fundamental ...... Tim Duncan

tophatal — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:44:49 +0000

Mr Fundamental ……Tim Duncan

He’s been called boring , he’s been called one of the alltime best to play the position of power forward and center. But quite simply put, when one uses the moniker Mr Fundamental to describe him . One simply knows who you’re talking about one of best players to have graced the basketball court of the last fifteen years. Tim Duncan is essentially that ‘Mr Fundamental’. Need one say anymore ?

Duncan drives the lane while being defended by the Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh . picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Clarke Patterson ……

Long considered amongst the elite players in the NBA. Duncan alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant are the elder statesmen of the league. Their legacies are now etched in the annals of NBA history. And that essentially places this triumvirate amongst the very best of the best to have played in the NBA in pre and post modern era of the game. Each has four NBA rings and has been regular a season MVP and NBA Finals’ MVP. Accolades come to Duncan, much like applause comes to an opera singer after a great performance at La Scala or the New York Metropolitan Opera . Duncan consistently performs at a high level that leaves one aghast at his consistency.

The moniker of Mr Fundamental doesn’t seem to bother him at all. Other less focused players might consider it an insult or a sleight. Duncan simply lets it slide off his broad shoulders without a worry . And why not ? There are few players of his caliber to have graced the NBA stage and show the poise displayed by Duncan. The San Antonio Spurs are a better team for having him !

Often thought of as a cerebral player, Duncan is seen here alongside LaMarculs Alridge of the Portland Trailblazers in a recent NBA game played at the Rose Garden Area in Portland Oregon. The Trailblazers would go on to defeat the Spurs 94-86 in the game between the two Western Conference teams.picture appears courtesy of nbae/getty images/ Ross Coleman ….

He learned and honed his craft initially playing alongside ‘The Admiral’, David Robinson. And what better way for Robinson to exit stage left from the NBA courts than with an NBA championship and ring in his final season ? The torch was passed from Robinson to Duncan as a new era was set to begin in the history of the San Antonio Spurs. And throughout the next dozen or so years, Duncan and this team have been amongst the perennial contenders in the NBA. Such consistency is rarely seen in sports nowadays. Even less so in the NBA. But Duncan and the Spurs have been able to deliver that with their model of consistency under their legendary coach, Gregg Popovich. And the coach alongside General Manager R . C. Burford have been the main architects behind the Spurs’ success. During their era of their tenure with the San Antonio Spurs, 4 NBA titles in four appearances in the NBA Finals. And all four championships with Duncan in tow, have come in the past fourteen years.

Duncan having now reached the pinnacle of his career . He’s now set to see the curtain call, as the stage is being set for him to bow out gracefully with perhaps at least one more run at a championship ? In doing so they’ll have to get past the reigning NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers in the postseason of the Western Conference playoffs. But it’d be remiss to think that the Lakers are their only threat in the postseason within the conference. Such stalwarts, as the Denver Nuggets, Portland Trailblazers, Phoenix Suns, New Orleans Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks are looking to usurp the current champions. And this season we’re likely to have an enthralling year throughout the NBA but even more so in a contentious and competitive Western Conference. And all this sets up for a thrilling year in the NBA for the fans and in particular those of the San Antonio Spurs, with Tim Duncan in tow as their spiritual and vocal leader.

So over the course of the season, admirer or not ,watch this team and Duncan at play. It may well be the last time, perhaps that you’ll get to see this great player and an ambassador for the game at play. As the stage is being set for another pursuit of an NBA title.Few players of note, have been equally admired by his peers and fans of the NBA, alike. And that if anything, is something admirable in this day and age of the ego driven athlete . Duncan who if anything is as level headed as they come and shows little signs of being such an individual. He’s merely just a player whose graced us with his play and presence without the hint of being capricious and overbearing. He’s just simply, Mr Fundamental . He comes in and gets the job done without asking for anything in return. And that’s all, we as fans can ask of a player. Nothing more, nothing less ,wouldn’t you agree ?

The game of basketball being what it is , it’s not often appreciated by many who fail to understand many of the pleasures that it brings. When played with heightened skills and with the true essence of teamwork on display.It is one of the very few team sports that has the fans jumping out of their seats in praise. There are those who’ll look at the San Antonio Spurs and simply …” so what if they’ve won 4 NBA titles ” ? ” They’re so boring “! . But I’d ask of them what has your team done lately ? And better yet, on your team is there a player of Duncan’s caliber who has maintained the consistency that he’s shown over the past fifteen years ?

Tim Duncan’s bio :
Born 25th April 1976 College Wake Forest
Height 6′ 11″/ 2.11m Place of birth St Croix , USVI ,.
Years Pro 12

Chronological bio in part

1998-99: Named to both the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team … appeared in all 50 games, averaging 21.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.52 blocks in 39.3 minutes per contest … shot .495 (418-845) from the fi eld and .690 (247-358) from the line … was 1-for-7 (.143) from three-point land … the only player in the NBA to rank among the top 10 in scoring (sixth), rebounding (fifth), blocks (seventh) and FG percentage (10th) … finished third in MVP voting … led the NBA in double-doubles for the second straight season with 37 … scored in double-figures 48 times, with 20 or more 31 times … scored over 30 fi ve times, with a season-high 39 points – along with 13 boards and 6 blocks – vs. Vancouver on 4/1 … during the Spurs 31-5 run, averaged 22.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.72 blocks while shooting .512 from the field … named the NBA Player of the Month in March … named the Player of the Week for the period ending 3/8 … led the Spurs in scoring 35 times, in rebounds 31 times and in blocks 30 times … hit a pair of free throws with 3.7 seconds left to give the Spurs an 81-80 win over Portland on 4/16 … in the playoffs averaged 23.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.65 blocks in 43.1 minutes … named the 1999 Finals MVP after averaging 27.4 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.20 blocks in 45.8 minutes in five games vs. the Knicks … logged at least 44 minutes and had at least 20 points in all five games … had 33 points and 16 rebounds in Game 1 vs. the Knicks on 6/16 … in Game 4, in New York on 6/23, had 28 points and 18 rebounds in 47 minutes … in 17 postseason games, had 10 double-doubles, including four in the Finals … scored 20-plus 12 times and had 30-or-more four times, including 37 points in Game 3 at Los Angeles on 5/22.

Personal ……..

He and wife, Amy, were married in the summer of 2001 … the couple has two children … created the Tim Duncan Foundation in November of 2001 … Amy serves as the executive vice president of the organization which is set up to serve “the areas of health awareness and research, education and youth sports and recreation” in San Antonio, Winston-Salem and the U.S. Virgin Islands … since its creation the Foundation has raised approximately $1 million … through the Tim Duncan Character Champions program donates 50 tickets to each game to students who demonstrate integrity, respect, dependability, fairness, caring or civic responsibility … member of the NBA All-Star Reading Team … the winner of the 2001 Home Team Community Service Award given by the Fannie Mae Foundation and the NBA … named one of the “Good Guys” in sports by The Sporting News in both 2001 and 2002 … also supports the Children’s Bereavement Center, the Children’s Center of San Antonio and the Cancer Therapy and Research Center … received his degree in psychology from Wake Forest … didn’t play organized basketball until ninth grade … concentrated on swimming as a youngster – at one point was a top U.S. competitor in his age group in the 400 freestyle – before his local pool was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 … known for wearing his practice shorts backwards, a trend he started while in college … has two sisters, Cheryl and Tricia … admits to being afraid of heights and sharks … favorite movie is The Crow … a video game junkie.

Career Season Averages

Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
97-98 SAS 82 82 39.1 0.549 0.000 0.662 3.3 8.6 11.9 2.7 0.7 2.5 3.40 3.10 21.1
98-99 SAS 50 50 39.3 0.495 0.143 0.690 3.2 8.2 11.4 2.4 0.9 2.5 2.92 2.90 21.7
99-00 SAS 74 74 38.9 0.490 0.091 0.761 3.5 8.9 12.4 3.2 0.9 2.2 3.27 2.80 23.2
00-01 SAS 82 82 38.7 0.499 0.259 0.618 3.2 9.0 12.2 3.0 0.9 2.3 2.95 3.00 22.2
01-02 SAS 82 82 40.6 0.508 0.100 0.799 3.3 9.4 12.7 3.7 0.7 2.5 3.21 2.60 25.5
02-03 SAS 81 81 39.3 0.513 0.273 0.710 3.2 9.7 12.9 3.9 0.7 2.9 3.06 2.90 23.3
03-04 SAS 69 68 36.6 0.501 0.167 0.599 3.3 9.2 12.4 3.1 0.9 2.7 2.65 2.40 22.3
04-05 SAS 66 66 33.4 0.496 0.333 0.670 3.1 8.0 11.1 2.7 0.7 2.6 1.92 2.20 20.3
05-06 SAS 80 80 34.8 0.484 0.400 0.629 2.9 8.1 11.0 3.2 0.9 2.0 2.48 2.70 18.6
06-07 SAS 80 80 34.1 0.546 0.111 0.637 2.7 7.9 10.6 3.4 0.8 2.4 2.80 2.50 20.0
07-08 SAS 78 78 34.0 0.497 0.000 0.730 3.0 8.3 11.3 2.8 0.7 2.0 2.28 2.40 19.3
08-09 SAS 75 75 33.6 0.504 0.000 0.692 2.7 8.0 10.7 3.5 0.5 1.7 2.20 2.30 19.3
09-10 SAS 5 5 29.0 0.536 0.000 0.565 2.8 9.0 11.8 2.2 0.8 1.6 1.60 2.00 14.6
Career – 904 903 36.8 0.507 0.186 0.684 3.1 8.6 11.7 3.2 0.8 2.3 2.77 2.70 21.4

All Star Appearances

All-Star – 11 10 23.8 0.584 0.333 0.800 3.1 7.5 10.6 2.5 0.8 0.7 2.45 1.30 11.9

Career bio and playoff stats’ totals ……click here to view ……

Can we just all agree that TV is secondary?

theblogpoint — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:45:20 +0000

To the internet of course. In more ways than just time sensitivity and general news content, too. It’s almost 2010 now, and the internet in all of its mighty ways is just now starting to develop into the TV substitute it was destined to become. For a long time we’ve been able to look up cool stats, game recaps and box scores, but now it’s time to start watching all the games and television shows we used to watch on cable.

Though I’m not as well versed in MLB’s online broadcast offerings, it seems pretty commonplace that they were the first of the four major sports to break the mold. My experience and concern comes moreso with the NBA and NHL.

First, hockey. Never mind the fact that hockey is less of a draw in most of the United States than, say, arena football, paint ball or televised pie-baking competitions, the managers of NHL’s Game Center Live have taken it upon themselves to charged $200 for a yearly subscription. That number is in Canadian dollars but at this point it doesn’t really matter.

The NBA on the other hand runs at $150 and even that is significantly increased from the season prior. I hope that the people responsible for operating this innovative new digital frontier understand that the majority of people computer-savvy enough to want to watch hockey games online in the first place, are also savvy enough to know that there are places to watch them for free.

Until every computer and every internet connection is absolutely flawless, I can’t consider charging anybody a substantial sum to watch the sports they are used to seeing for free on television as a good business idea. I have less sympathy for this relatively new model than the more piracy-troubled music and movie industries because online, all-inclusive sports packages are far less rooted in tradition.

If I’m the NHL already struggling to get young people south of the border interested in my product, there’s no way I’m going to ask them to put down half a month’s rent just to watch a jumpy and sometimes non-functioning video broadcast. And trust me, more often than not the streams of these games is riddled with lag and bugs.

The NBA seems to have a better understanding of the purpose of this new potential, considering their significantly lower fees, but at the end of the day even they seem to fail to grasp the true power of the endeavour – advertising. What’s more beneficial in the long run, having thousands of people pay hundreds of dollars to watch a season’s worth of basketball, or having millions of people get hooked on and obsessed with the sport? With advertising funds and general brand awareness (if you can call it brand awareness) the NBA, or any of the major sports that do so, position themselves to truly cash in on the power of the internet.

This has all been basically one unorganized rant, but now that we’re on the subject. Blackouts. Last night Greg Oden held his own against Tim Duncan. Neato, you say. I said it too. This morning I woke up anxious to see the archived game only to find out that it was blacked out from my NBA Choice package… meaning that just because it was broadcast to the minute few that subscribe to RaptorsTV on a national scale, I’m unable to watch it. Never mind the fact that I went out of my way at the beginning of the season to designate both Portland and San Antonio as two of the seven teams in my Choice package, this game is unwatchable.

The amount of internet users is preposterous and with such stupid growth is mind-blowing power. If we can all agree that the internet is how things are going to work from now on, can we have a little bit more logic involved in the process? A better advertising system that results in cheaper subscriptions, more sensible blackout restrictions, and quality at least high enough to make sitting down in front of your laptop worth your while?

If that’s not possible then there’s absolutely no reason for viewers to do anything other than just familiarize themselves with the many free, live broadcasting websites and save their money for tickets to a game in person. I hear there’s not as much lag when you’re watching from the Air Canada Centre.

Ernie Haase & Signature Sound To Embark On European Tour

Phil — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:21:38 +0000

Whilst attending the Gaither Homecoming Concert in Glasgow, Scotland last month, we were greeted with the news that Ernie Haase & Signature Sound would be returning to the UK in February 2010. I had been informed of this by a good friend who had attended the Belfast concert a few nights previous. Exciting stuff to say the least.

For the benefit of any UK readers of this blog here is the UK Tour breakdown of venues and tickets -

First up is my home country of Northern Ireland. On Friday 19th February 2010 at Assembly Buildings, Belfast, you can catch Ernie and the boys live. Tickets are only £19 and this represents fabulous value for money! Tickets are available from Faith Mission Belfast or Portadown. Tickets are also available from www.erniehaasetour.co.uk
The next destination of the tour is in Scotland. The venue is a Church called Findlay Memorial in Glasgow. Tickets are also available from www.erniehaasetour.co.uk and from the Wesley Owen bookshop at their Glasgow branch.
Finishing off the tour is a lovely location in London, namely City Temple, Old Hoburn. Again the tickets are available from www.erniehaasetour.co.uk

This is fabulous news for Southern Gospel fans and for fans of Ernie Haase & Signature Sound from within the UK. What it demonstrates for me is the sort of growth and success that Signature Sound have managed to achieve. To undertake a tour of this magnitude is a big challenge. I have only covered the UK segment of the tour, the entire European Tour looks likely to spread over the 11th to the 21st of February.

From a personal perspective, i am delighted about the prospect of having an EHSS solo concert. Whilst i thoroughly enjoyed the Gaither Homecoming Concerts, i always have hoped and wished that one day EHSS would come back on their own and we would get to experience a full length concert. At last, it seems, i will have another experience to remember and cherish! I plan to attend at least one, most likely two of the concerts, so you can expect a concert review or two in February 2010!

All tickets available from www.erniehaasetour.co.uk, just click on the relevant icon for the venue where you wish to attend. I would book as soon as one can, i would doubt that tickets for these events will hang around. Book now and tick off the days!

Manu Ginobili smacks a Bat on Halloween

Reviresco — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 15:28:10 +0000

Somehow a Bat was flying inside the San Antonio arena on Halloween and terrorizing the Basketball game. The Spurs own Manu Ginobili took matters into his own hands watch the video.

2k10 Fresh: Who Will Win It All?

JaCoB — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:31:25 +0000

The odds in Las Vegas are in the Lakers favor to repeat as NBA Champions in 2010. What’s not to love? The Lakers bring back everyone and swap out Trevor Ariza for the more talented Ron Artest. Kobe Bryant doesn’t want to stop winning, and you could see that in his face Tuesday night when he got his ring. Yes, Bryant was happy, but he wants more, he’s far from content with four championship rings and that’s why Bryant is so great.

If the Lakers are in fact going to win the title, they’re going to have to beat some really great teams, I don’t think it’s going to be easy and that’s why I don’t think the Lakers will repeat as NBA Champions. If you want know who will win the NBA title in 2010, then you better read the predictions after the jump.

Sorry Pau, but you will not be getting your second ring next summer.

Just in case you’re not caught up:

Read my Eastern Conference and Western Conference previews.

Western Conference Finals

San Antonio Spurs vs. Los Angeles Lakers

By the time March rolls around, I think it will be clear to most people that this will be the Western Conference Finals matchup come May. The Lakers and the Spurs have had some classic battles throughout the years, and this one could be the best yet.

The Lakers are loaded, but the Spurs just re-loaded. The addition of Richard Jefferson gives the team so much more flexibility in their offense, and it will help even out the fact that the Lakers have both Artest and Bryant to guard a team’s best wing player. Ginobili and Jefferson won’t put up the points like Kobe, and Artest will be able to frustrate either, but they’ll both be able to produce. As for Tony Parker, he will be more than capable of giving Derek Fisher fits on the offensive end.

The Lakers are able to kill teams down low with players like Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and most notably Pau Gasol. With Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff, the Spurs have the size and quality defenders to contain all three of those players down low and keep rebounds on the Spurs side, especially with the addition of the already impressive rookie DeJaun Blair. In addition to the big men down low, Spurs center Matt Bonner will be able to stretch the floor with his effective three-point shooting.

This matchup is pretty even, but I think the Spurs are better defensively, have a better bench and are more disciplined each game than the Lakers are.

When the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals last year, they were on their game, but before that, they took nights off. The Spurs don’t take nights off, and it’s harder to repeat as champion then come back a couple years later. The Spurs are due for one more title, and if they stay healthy, they should be able to take the Lakers out in this matchup and get one more shot in the NBA Finals.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think anyone on the planet is a better basketball player than Bryant, but I think Duncan is close. I also think that if you look at the Spurs’ roster, guys like McDyess and Ratliff are dying to win NBA titles, and they’re going to play their hearts out knowing it may be their last shot. It’s going to be extremely close, but in the end, I think the Spurs will edge the Lakers.

Spurs in 7

Eastern Conference Finals

Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

LeBron James is the best player in this series, but the better overall team is obviously Boston.

Rajon Rondo is a better point guard than Mo Williams, by quite a bit too. Ray Allen is also better shooting guard than Anthony Parker, or Delonte West if he ever comes around.

The Cavaliers don’t have much of a bench and by the time May comes around the Celtics should have Glen Davis, Rasheed Wallace, Eddie House, Marquis Daniels, Shelden Williams and Tony Allen. The Celtics have options in their depth and they have plenty of size, along with quality defensive and offensive options. The Celtics are crazy, crazy deep. Cleveland is just not that loaded, and unless they make a trade mid-season, they’re going to have problems keeping up with the Celtics depth and versatility, just like they did with Orland last season.

The combination of Kevin Garnett and Wallace is enough to frustrate anything the Cavaliers can throw at them, on both ends of the floor. Plus, with Kendrick Perkins and Davis, it’s just more bodies to throw at Shaquille O’Neal, who won’t dominate in the series at age 38, by the time May 2010 arrives. Andersen Varejao cannot stop Garnett or Wallace, and he’ll also have problems with Davis, his flopping won’t work in this series, Boston is too tough.

Paul Pierce is a good enough defender to pace James, but more importantly, he’ll make LeBron work on the other end of the floor. The Celtics, in the end will be too much for LeBron and the Cavs. Even with the Diesel there, there just isn’t enough in Cleveland to help LeBron pass this very deep Boston team.

Celtics in 6

NBA Finals

Boston Celtics vs. San Antonio Spurs

It’s clear that both of these teams are deep, from their starters, to their benches, each team is filled with talent. They’re also two of the league’s best teams defensively.

Where Rasheed Wallace is a difference maker in a series against the Cavs, he won’t be as important in a series against San Antonio. Yes, Wallace guards Duncan better than anybody, but he will also have to worry about McDyess, who will for sure remember how Wallace had played lackadaisical during those years they spent together in Detroit–which wound up costing McDyess a couple quality shots a ring. Wallace loses focus and can kill a team just as fast as he can help them, the Spurs don’t have to worry about those problems.

Duncan has always been better than Garnett, and as both players are aging, Duncan still has the edge on him. Garnett is aging much faster than Duncan at this point, and Duncan has always been more clutch and more deadly in the playoffs, nothing has changed, even with his aged. Duncan has always managed to put up bigger numbers in the playoffs than he has in the regular season, or at least over the past five or six years. When Duncan is in the playoffs, he’s another animal, and when the Spurs are healthy, it only makes him more dangerous. Also, keep in mind that Duncan hasn’t had a frontcourt player as talented as McDyess next to him since David Robinson, and you can add the young Blair to that mix.

Both teams have size, both teams have great benches, both teams have shooters.

The difference in this series will come down to composure and coaching, and the Spurs will have the edge in both departments. Both teams are hungry and want to prove that injuries were the reason neither made the finals last year. The pride will be there all series, but coaching is obviously on the Spurs side and that is why they will win this series.

The Spurs know they need to win now, and Duncan has never lost in an NBA Finals in four tries. He won’t lose in his fifth attempt either.

Spurs in 6

2010 NBA CHAMPIONS: San Antonio Spurs

Western Conference Season Preview: '2k10 Fresh' Edition

JaCoB — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:08:01 +0000

Yesterday I went over the much-improved Eastern Conference, and today I’m going to hit you all with my Western Conference preview.

Ron Artest is in Hollywood, San Antonio is healthy and has added a bunch of new talent and Allen Iverson has agreed to come off the bench for the Memphis Grizzlies. The plot thickens out West, but one thing remains, Kobe Bryant is the league’s best player and is chasing after his fifth championship ring.

How will the West play out? I know the answers to all of this, so read the review already.

Teams are listed in the order in which they will finish in the division; the number in parenthesis is their position in the conference.

Southeast

1. (2) San Antonio

Without Manu Ginobili for a majority of the season last year, the Spurs were hurting. With Ginobili in the lineup the Spurs were 32-12, they could have given the Lakers a run for their money in the playoffs. They come into the season healthy and have also added Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess (who is dying to get a ring), Theo Ratliff and the steal of the draft in DeJuan Blair. Tim Duncan knows time is wearing thin and getting that fifth ring is on his mind just as much as it is for both Kobe and Shaq.

2. (5) Dallas Mavericks

This team still cannot play defense, even with Rick Carlisle as their head coach. Dirk Nowitzki played with a heavy heart in last season’s playoffs and he played better than ever. They added Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden and Tim Thomas and those players should help them win a few more games, but again, the Mavs won’t contend for an NBA title. They’ll probably get bounced in the first round by Denver.

3. (7) New Orleans Hornets

Chris Paul is great, Emeka Okafor is better than Tyson Chandler, but Peja Stojakovic is too old to rely on. The Hornets have a great second option in David West, but the key to their success is having a third go-to scorer. I don’t think that Morris Peterson, James Posey or Devin Brown can get that done, so unless Julian Wright has a huge breakout season, this team will float towards the middle/bottom of the West.

4. (11) Memphis Grizzlies

They added Iverson and Zach Randolph. They’ll sell more tickets, but they will pretty much still suck. Iverson wouldn’t come off the bench for Richard Hamilton in Detroit, but he has no problem doing it for OJ Mayo and Mike Conley in Memphis? Talk about a last resort option to keep your career going.

5. (15) Houston Rockets

I mean this in the most respectful way possible, if Aaron Brooks is going to lead your team in points per game, you’re not going to win many games. It’s no knock on Brooks, he’s a fine player, but this team is going to have problems putting up 90 points a night, especially with Luis Scola as the number two option. Trevor Ariza was a role player who benefited offensively from Kobe and others being guarded. Ariza is not a player who can average more than 15 a night on a consistent basis, unless he’s shooting a low percentage. It’s going to be a long season for Rockets’ fans.

Northwest

1. (3) Portland Trail Blazers

Greg Oden’s health is a major factor in their success, along with figuring out the Andre Miller situation. There is absolutely no way that Steve Blake should start over Miller, ever. They brought in Miller, because Blake is a backup. Now Miller is the backup? This team may take awhile to gel, but by January, I think they will be hands down one of the top teams in the league. They have a championship caliber roster, built upon a superstar (Brandon Roy), a solid number two option (LaMarcus Aldridge) and role players. They must find a way to get Oden involved on offense if they want to go deep into the playoffs, scoring down low will be critical against teams like the Lakers and Spurs.

2. (4) Denver Nuggets

They’re pretty much the same team as last year, except they replace Dahntay Jones with Arron Afflalo, who had a fantastic preseason, and added Ty Lawson. The Lakers, Spurs and Blazers all added major pieces, I don’t think the Nuggets upgraded enough to climb ahead of that pack. They’re still talented and cannot be ruled out, but I can’t see them getting back to the Western Conference Finals this season.

3. (6) Utah Jazz

The Jazz have the talent and the coach to win as many games as almost anyone out West, but I just don’t see it happening. I don’t think Carlos Boozer’s head will into the season, but then again, he does want to play for a contract and to re-up his value. Besides Boozer being healthy, there really is no difference here. Deron Williams will be healthy from the start, so it will turn into maybe a few more wins, but I’m sure this team will hit injuries down the road.

4. (10) Oklahoma City Thunder

This team is going to be fun to watch, and Kevin Durant is going to be an all-star in February. Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook will also improve tremendously. They won’t be in the playoff hunt, but the Thunder will win more than 31 games this season, no doubt.

5. (12) Minnesota Timberwolves

Al Jefferson is in great shape, and will be an all-star. Kevin Love’s injury is going to set them back a bit. Last season–the Timberwolves had the best record in the league during the month of January–so there is some promise here. Granted there is a different coach involved and plenty of new faces, the Wolves could win more games than many people think. It looks like Jonny Flynn is going to be the starter–but if you know anything about me–you know I think Ramon Sessions should have that spot. I’ll say they win around 30 games as well.

Pacific

1. (2) Los Angeles Lakers

I don’t need to say much. They won 60-plus games last season and a championship. They essentially swapped Ariza for Artest and they have a healthy Andrew Bynum. I don’t care what you think about LeBron James, Bryant is the best player in the world.

2. (8) Phoenix Suns

Steve Nash is getting old, but with Shaquille O’Neal out of the way and Channing Frye will be in the middle, this team will be running much more than they did last season. They’ll be back in the playoff race, but out in the first round. That’s assuming Amare Stoudemire stays healthy all season and doesn’t get traded by February.

3. (9) Los Angeles Clippers

If Baron Davis can play 72 games this year and shoot over 42 percent, they should be okay. They’ll definitely be better than last season, but health is the key. Once Blake Griffin gets back on the court, they should be fine. They have plenty of talent, the hard part is keeping guys like Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby and Davis on the floor. I think they’ll win around 35 games though, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they only won 15.

4. (13) Sacramento Kings

They have some good young talent, just not enough to win games. Nobody knows who Kevin Martin is, but the kid can put up 27 points per game with ease. His biggest problem is staying on the court for more than 70 games in a season. They’ll be more fun to watch this year, but don’t expect many wins.

5. (14) Golden State Warriors

As far as talent goes, this team should win around 40 games, but they won’t. Don Nelson alternates his lineups like crazy. Stephen Jackson wants out. Monta Ellis isn’t too happy either. The situation in Golden State is a mess, and it won’t be fixed this season. The Warriors should put up plenty of points and it will be fun to watch Stephen Curry, Anthony Randolph and perhaps Anthony Morrow, but other than that, it’s going to be an ugly season.

Publicidad de miércoles (Spurs - HEB)

Mauro Clementin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:48:59 +0000

La cadena estadounidense de supermercados HEB se ve que puso mucho dinero para contratar a cuatro jugadores del equipo de la NBA San Antonio Spurs para filmar varias publicidades que tienen como protagonistas a Manu Ginóbili, Tim Duncan, Bruce Bowen y Brent Barry.

La idea de todas las publicidades son graciosas, pero nosotros nos inclinamos por esta. Esperemos que la disfruten!

In Life some relationships work out. Some don't.

fullnelsonsports — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:56:03 +0000

As the NBA gets set to tip off tonight, there are some interesting looks tosome NBA franchises.

Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest. Lebron James and Shaquille O’Neal, and GilbertArenas and Coach Flip Saunders. Oh yeah, the Terrell Owens of the NBA, Stephen Jackson, and whatever team Golden State trades him too.

Bryant and Artest is intriguing, because the guy that guarded Bryant the best, now plays with him. Will Artest be happy just scoring likely 9-13points a game and yes, when the Lakers play say, Cleveland in the finals,you go guard Lebron for seven games. Artest was brilliant in short-handed Houston to a seven game series against L.A. last year. Now surrounded by a better team and coach, the sky has to be the limit for theLakers. 70 wins? In the west, close, but don’t be surprised if they do it.

The east is tougher now, but what will Shaq’s impact on Cleveland be? Will he clog the lane for Lebron, or will he be enough of an impact where teams can’t help off him when the flight 23 takes off? The top three are verygood, Boston, Cleveland, and Orlando with a healthy Jameer Nelson and astronger bench with Matt Barnes coming over from Phoenix. How much will they miss Hedo Turkoglou?

How much will Washington benefit from new coach Flip Saunders. He’s won at each stop, but when healthy, Eddie Jordon did just fine with this team. Will Arenas be able to create as much as he did in pre-season, yet be the late game shooting hero he was when last seen healthy?

Eddie Jordon will make an impact in Philadelphia, the new screen intensive offense should help free up a gifted Andrew Iguodala. Can Louis Williams be his wing-man?

Does Tim Duncan have another run in him in San Antonio? The Spurs pulled off Grand Theft, NBA style in the off-season acquiring Richard Jefferson and getting rebounding machine DeJuan Blair from Pitt in the second round.

Its hard to not pick L.A. versus Cleveland. The spoilers will be San Antonio and Boston if the top two teams under achieve or suffer injury. Of course how many people will really care about the NBA until say February?

Southwest Division Team Goals

hoopsfansam — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:05:29 +0000

Well, it all begins tonight! We are really close to finishing out these goals, so let’s take a look at the Southwest Division:

Memphis Grizzlies: For what it’s worth, the Grizzlies are sure making it interesting down in Tennessee. With the additions of Zach Randolph and Allen Iverson there is not going to be a lack of drama for the Griz this year. Yet, when you add these two talented players to a line-up that already had Marc Gasol, O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, and Mike Conley, the offense looks very strong for this team. And, aside from these players that can put points on the board, they drafted defensive minded players in Hasheem Thabeet and DeMarre Carroll that can defend both the perimeter as well as around the hoop (Gasol can do much of the same thing). To be honest, I have somewhat high expectations for Memphis in 2009-10. Who is to say that they can’t think about them winning 35 games this year? Z-Bo and AI are quality players aside from the off-the-court antics, and it’s not like Memphis was thinking about building team chemistry when they signed them, so maybe the talent will carry them to 35 or more wins this year. So I’m going to put the goal at 35 even though it may seem high, and maybe see what they are going to get out of Thabeet and Mayo moving forward.

New Orleans Hornets: Many people, from listening to and reading various sources, don’t have the Hornets making the playoffs this year. One Mike Rice (Portland Trailblazer Television Color Commentator) also pointed out last night that there have been talks that the Hornets may not be satisfied with their head coach Byron Scott. However, we cannot forget that this is a team that still features the best point guard in the game in Chris Paul, All Star Forward David West, and added a talented big man in Emeka Okafor. Other than that, though, it’s hard to find much of an impact player on the Hornets’ roster – some may argue Julian Wright or Peja Stojakovic, but I only see a player (Wright) who is slowly coming into his own, and another (Stojakovic) who is past his prime. Because this team made the playoffs last year, I’m setting the goal of making the playoffs again this year, but I’m not totally convinced that is going to happen. They should be well above .500 again like they were last year, but an improved Phoenix Suns could snatch their spot come the spring of 2010.

Houston Rockets: The Rockets have taken major blows in the offseason. Everyone knows about what happened to Yao Ming, who knows what is going on with Tracy McGrady, and you need to mention the departure of Ron Artest. However, with good leadership from head coach Rick Adelman, some pieces are falling into place for the Rockets. Starting with Aaron Brooks, and on forward to Trevor Ariza, Carl Landry, and Shane Battier, there are players in Houston that can run and make the game interesting for fans. I, unfortunately, am not totally convinced of what they can do this year; there are just too many transitions going on for something great to be accomplished. Therefore, I don’t want to make the goal to be the playoffs for the Rockets even though it should, but rather I’d like to see them develop an identity offensively as a unit this year, because I don’t have a clue what they are going to do [yet]. If they can accomplish this, I think the playoffs will follow closely behind. It’s going to be somewhat of a struggle though – I wouldn’t expect close last year’s win total of 53 again this season.

Dallas Mavericks: Mavericks’ fans, I really hope you like ‘good but not good enough teams’ because you guys have another one! All kidding aside, I feel bad for Dallas. They are really close, and adding Shawn Marion I believe was a huge addition, but looking up at the Spurs and Lakers ahead of them it’s probably going to be a great regular season but most likely a quick postseason. Also, losing Josh Howard for who knows who long wasn’t helpful either. So, I’m going to say the goal in 2010 is to win a playoff series. There are a lot of people who say that even that isn’t possible with all of the talent that the West is showing right now, but Dallas definitely has talent to match. Let’s not forget that Dirk Nowitzki won the league MVP only two years ago, and this team has looked better and better after the addition of Jason Kidd. I would even like to see the Mavs get home court advantage, and I think that is a very hard but definitely possible goal for this season.

San Antonio Spurs: It has been a couple years since their last championship, and based on the trend that we have seen from the Spurs over the last decade it’s no wonder that they are elite once again. Everyone knows about Duncan, Parker, and Ginobli, but the addition of Richard Jefferson this offseason was key to making this a championship contending team. Therefore, I’m setting the goal for the Spurs this year at making a Finals appearance in 2010. I do think that it is true that the San Antonio is really the only competition for the Lakers when it comes to playoff time – I’m just hoping, for the Spurs sake, that things go according to plan in the first two rounds, because sometimes things can get a little interesting when a powerhouse team struggles slightly (does anyone remember the Dallas-Golden State match-up from a year ago?). Ultimately I think they will be fine, and look for the Spurs to have a fantastic season overall.

There is the Southwest Division for you all and I hope you enjoyed it. Also, I will be getting up the Northwest Division up very soon, but in the meantime enjoy the games tonight, and I’ll talk with you all in the near future!

Thoughts on NBA contenders

Magnus Gudmundsson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:54:27 +0000

The Lakers:

Their point guards are these guys: Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown. Derek Fisher is 48 years old at this point and though he did hit two clutch shots to drown the Magic in the Finals I think he missed a 108 shots in a row up to that point. He’s kind of like Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon 4, he’s been too old for this for too fucking long.

Jordan Farmar has a lot of talent, he can shoot it, he’s quick and he’s got hops but he hasn’t shown anything in the playoffs so far in his career. He has the potential to be a legit threat in this league but it’s not going to happen this season.

Then we’re on to Shannon Brown, a guy who earned his stripes in last season’s playoffs. He’s got a lot going for him, athleticism, decent shooting and nice handles but he’s not a guy you’re afraid of. I like him. I like his game as long as he plays within himself. I saw a couple pre-season games and he was shooting an awful lot. I don’t think the Lakers are winning a lot of games when Shannon Brown takes more than 10 shots.

Another note I’d like to make. The Lakers didn’t really beat anybody when they won the title last year. They just made sure they didn’t beat themselves. Now that Ron Artest is in town that might not be the case this year. Seriously, he’s at a level of crazy I haven’t seen in a while. I have no clue what he might do this year. Kill a guy. Win a championship. Buy a motor home. Adopt a kid, seriously, everything’s in play.

The Spurs:

Like the Poltergeist 2 ad campaign said: “they’re back!” The Richard Jefferson trade was so good it makes me want to shave my beard because it makes me look like a young Gregg Popovich. I hate this team. I hate them so much because they don’t make mistakes, ever. They only make good decisions on and off the field. The only good thing about them is that they’re old and they get hurt easily. I think Manu Ginobili last played a painless game when he was 15 and Tim Duncan’s knees might need an engine change after the season, they’ve got a lot of mileage on them. If they stay healthy, they win the league. If Manu, Jefferson, Parker or Duncan get injured they’ll lose to the Lakers.

The little girl is afraid of Gregg Popovich's face.

The Cavaliers:

The Shaq signing doesn’t really make them better, the Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon acquisitions, on the other hand, do. I have a bad feeling about this season for the Cavs. They’ve shoved all of their money to the center of the table and they don’t really have the hand to back it up, or a steady stream of cash to fall back on if they lose. It’s do or die for them this year and the Shaq thing smells of desperation. It was the sort of, “we need to do something right now” trade that never works. Ask Isiah Thomas.

Lebron will have to carry the team again and he just might be able to do it. You see, it’s not just a make or break season for the Cavs, in a sense, it’s also a make or break season for Lebron’s career. If he doesn’t get a championship now and goes to New York or L.A or wherever he goes, it changes the complexion of his career. He won’t be the guy who stuck with his state to the very end. He won’t be the guy who finally brought a championship to Cleveland. He’ll be a great player who might or might not get a couple rings and breaks some more statistical records. It’s a desperation season and I have a bad feeling about it.

The Magic:

Turkoglu wasn’t THAT good. Vince Carter is a better player. Bill Simmons also makes a very good point in his recent NBA preview that this is the first legit contender that Vince has played on. Maybe he steps up.

I’m worried that they’ve turned themselves into a conventional team. Not with the acquisition of Vince Carter but rather with the acquisition of Brandon Bass. He’s too short to be a backup center, he’s too slow and lumbering to be a backup small forward. In short: he’s a conventional power forward. Even though the Magic did, at times, play Gortat and Howard together last season they always had the 6-10 Turkoglu out there creating match-up problems. Brandon Bass does not create match-up problems and neither does Air Canada (or is it Southwest Airlines at this point?) Talent wise they are better though.

The Celtics:

Ahh the Celtics, you bunch of unlikable douche bags. Okay, Ray Allen is likable but that’s about it. They, much like the Spurs, rely on their aging stars’ health. Kevin Garnett’s knee looks fine for now. I’ve seen him in pre-season action and he seems to be moving around pretty well. Ray Allen is always in perfect shape and hasn’t had a serious injury since that ankle thing a couple years ago. Paul Pierce hasn’t missed action for a while now and Brian Scalabrine is still the whitest guy in the league. Okay that last bit had nothing to do with anything. All of the guys I just mentioned are past their prime and they have a lot of mileage on. Since they also have Rasheed Wallace who has similar issues, they’re like a used car dealership-except they’re all quality cars… I think I’ve taken the analogy too far.

I’m just putting this out there but I wouldn’t put money on Kevin Garnett’s knee. I just wouldn’t. I have no reason to believe that it’s not fine. But I have no reason to believe that it’s going to be okay for another 100 game season either. No Garnett, no title and that’s that. Rasheed Wallace is a good guy coming of the bench, he still has something left in the tank and he has some valuable experience but he doesn’t put them over the top. The only thing standing between the Celtics and another title is a slight slip or a misjudged landing from Mr. Garnett and they won’t win another title for a long time.

-Magnus.