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NBA, WNBA, NCAA, FIBA, D-League makes no difference, its all ball!

Sunday, September 26, 2010

SUPER FRIENDS

(left: Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul)

The sudden attention and criticism being given to what some consider a new trend in the NBA, is something that has been going on for years with no complaints, until now.  Fans, the media, former players and coaches, current players and coaches along with everyone else has something to say about All-Star players signing contracts with the same team.  This of course being fueled by LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors) joining Dwayne Wade in Miami, leaving their teams in which they were the franchise players for 7 years.  It is important to remember that fewer people were upset with Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Ray Allen (Seattle Supersonics) joining Paul Pierce in Boston.  I think it's fair to say, however, that those transactions did not use an hour long television special and the teams were aware they were losing their star players days before the announcement.

The common feeling is that with too many stars on 1 team is that legit and entertaining competition will disappear.  Others have said it will make it harder for other teams to survive financially based on attendance, maybe causing some teams to fold.  The very popular, "They can't win without help" and "Can't beat 'em join 'em", are other sayings used early in most debates concerning this topic.  However, discussing the topic with many sports fan, the major concern and perception is that this has never happened before.  Although some of the above opinions do have some merit, they are not all 100% accurate.

1.  "No more competition":  
This statement only rings true when these so called "super teams" play against a much inferior teams.  There will still be competition among teams with average to above average players competing against each other, just as there always have been.  Do we not predict the Lakers will beat the Bucks in an L.A. home game?  There have always been historically inferior teams depending on the opponent.  Out of an 82 game season, not all games are played against super teams, there is plenty of opportunity to win games and make the post season.  Based on '09-10 standings, if you were the Denver Nuggets,  losing to the Lakers is understandable, but losing to the Nets is your fault.

2.  "They can't win without help" and "This is a bad new trend":
This one  bothers me a lot.  No player on any team, in any sport, has won a title alone.  It does not and cannot happen.  Any one who pays close attention to sports would know this, so it's forgivable if the casual fan makes this statement.  Unfortunately, I don't consider NBA legends Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Charles Barkley to be casual fans.  All 4 made comments about never joining their rivals to win games, but somehow forgot they were already part of a "Big 3" or "Super Team" themselves.

Magic Johnson had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Byron Scott and Michael Cooper by his side most of his career.  Michael Jordan, I'm sure, enjoyed his time playing with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman.  Larry Bird was never criticized for having Kevin McHale and Robert Parish by his side, helping him win games.  Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen all won their first championship the first year they played together with the Boston Celtics. Kobe not only won championships with Shaq, he is currently a back to back NBA champ with Pau Gasol and Ron Artest in the starting 5.

3.  "Other teams can't compete financially":
This is one I can see with a little meat to it.  Fans don't like teams that don't win and don't have stars giving them opportunities to win, which means they are not going to pay to watch their team lose.  Will the league shrink to 16 super teams, very unlikely, seeing as how there are not that many franchise changing players to go around.  That is the reason draft selection is done the way it is done.  The team with the worst record gets the best chance of getting 1st pick in the following draft.  Bad teams get good picks and good teams get bad picks.  New prospects with high expectations can revive any franchise from the bottom to the top.  LeBron James was a 1st pick in a draft, and we all know how that turned out.  Cleveland went from being a terrible team to a household name over night. Of course you never know how good a player will be in 7 years, but the bad teams get the opportunity to choose 1st, and thats what counts.

After all that being said, I chose to post a picture of Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul because they are the 2 new faces of this great debate.  Chris Paul wants to leave New Orleans to hopefully play with Carmelo Anthony in either New Jersey as a pair, or a trio with Amare Stoudemire in New York.  You can be sure this debate is not close to being over, and the more players request to be traded to teams with a chance of winning, everyone will have an opinion.



Sunday, September 19, 2010

FANTASY NBA BASKETBALL 2010-11



Paul Pierce, Boston Celtics

Fantasy sports season is upon us and is showing no signs of letting up.  From NHL, NFL to the NBA, friends, coworkers and strangers, are all coming together to draft their favorite players to a "Fantasy Team", that will go head to head with the other members of the group.

A quick explanation for those unfamiliar with the process.

A group of people come together forming a "Fantasy League".  

Each member takes a turn choosing who they feel are the best players in a particular sport, forming a "Fantasy Team".  

Points are earned every time one of the chosen players produces a statistic.
(scores a touchdown, blocks a shot, steals the ball etc.)  

Point distribution varies between different "Fantasy Leagues" but, essentially the member with the most "Fantasy Team" points at the end of the season wins.  Features such as trading between teams within the "Fantasy League", adding unchosen players and dropping unwanted players is usually standard.

All in all it is fun to take part in these types of "Fantasy Leagues", even if no gambling is involved, because trash talking serves as the greatest reward anyways.


Even though there are 35 days until the NBA season starts, I have already chosen my "Fantasy Team", and to be honest, it's  looking pretty good.  I will follow the performance of my "Fantasy Team" in this blog, highlighting certain players that I feel stand out from the rest of the pack.

FANTASY TEAM: Crossover Kings 
(not the best name I know... I hate trying to give things "cool" names...)

Chris Paul - New Orleans Hornets
Paul Pierce - Boston Celtics
Chauncey Billups - Denver Nuggets
Hedo Turkoglu - Phoenix Suns
Chris Bosh - Miami Heat
Kevin Love - Minnesota Timberwolves
Andrew Bogut - Milwaukee Bucks
Udonis Haslem - Miami Heat
Steve Blake - Los Angeles Lakers
Boris Diaw - Charlotte Bobcats
Anderson Varejo - Cleveland Cavaliers
Linas Klieza - Toronto Raptors
Brad Miller - Houston Rockets

Sunday, September 12, 2010

FIBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 (DAY 15)

(Kevin Durant, Tournament MVP, Team USA)

FIBA 2010 CHAMPIONS: Team USA
Ranked 2nd in the world in 2009.
Ranked 1st in the world in 2010.

Today, in Turkey, would be the last games played of the FIBA 2010 Championships.  After a close 1st half against Team Turkey, Team USA took the lead and never looked back, earning the Gold Medal, going undefeated in the tournament.  Lithuania defeated Serbia earning the Bronze Medal in a game, which could have gone either way, decided by 11 points.

The fans attendance, passion and support for their teams is something we over here in the west could learn from.  Even when Turkey was down, not making shots or committing fouls, there were no "booos" to be heard from their fans.  A football (soccer) style chant rang through the arena during the final seconds, with the outcome long since decided, telling their team that they appreciated their efforts and accomplishments against the best in the world.

As a basketball addict, I fully enjoyed the FIBA tournament, however, I do look forward to a little time off before the NBA season begins.  Watching the Gold Medal US team play also showed me that players, when given playing time and a chance to contribute, are a lot better than we might think.  I am anxious to follow these Gold Medalists on their respective teams throughout the season with this new found appreciation for their skills.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL COUNTRIES WHO PARTICIPATED!


Medals
---------------
1st Place (Gold): USA
2nd Place (Silver): Turkey
3rd Place (Bronze): Lithuania


Scores
---------------
USA 81  Turkey 64
Lithuania 99  Serbia 88
Argentina 86  Spain 81

Saturday, September 11, 2010

FIBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 (DAYS 13 AND 14)




The 2 days leading up to the medal games have been more of formality than anything else.  No disrespect intended, I simply felt that Team US beating Russia and Lithuania came as no surprise.  Turkey also did what many had expected them to do, defeating Slovenia and Serbia setting up a Gold Medal game match between the 2 remaining undefeated teams.  Serbia and Lithuania will  battle for the Bronze Medal, which should turn out to be a great game as well.

All in all this has been a great FIBA championship tournament with many surprise upsets, close games, last second winning baskets and a slew of very impressive international players playing their hearts out, not for contracts, but for country.  I look forward to following FIBA closely from now on, as I have learned to love the game of basketball even more outside the NBA franchise model.  Congratulations to all teams for qualifying, and win or lose, you have made your countries proud.



SCORES
--------------

Day 13
---------------
Spain 97  Slovenia 80
Argentina 73  Russia 61


Day 14
---------------
Russia 83  Slovenia 78
USA 89  Lithuania 74
Turkey 83  Serbia 82

Friday, September 10, 2010

FIBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 (DAY 12)

(Linas Kleiza, Lithuania)

TEAM OF THE DAY: Lithuania
Ranked 6th in the world in 2009.

One day after Serbia did the impossible, eliminating 2006 FIBA champs Spain, Lithuania provided another surprise by knocking out 1st ranked Argentina, beating them by 19 points.  I personally did not watch the game but, while going over the box scores, seeing 7 Lithuania players scoring in double digits versus Argentina's 3 players in double digits, the final results made perfect sense.  I had mentioned in an earlier post that if Argentina's Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino were the only 2 players  to contribute, winning would become difficult as the tournament continued.  My point was made clear as they combined for 28 points, with M. Mata being the only other player with more than 10 points. scoring 11.   

Lithuania now faces the US in what is sure to be nothing short of a spectacular Semi-finals match up.  I am officially done predicting winners for this tournament.  This is basketball, and in this beautiful game of momentum and runs, Lithuania has proved once again, that anything is possible.


SCORES
---------------
Lithuania 104  Argentina 85
USA 89  Russia 79

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

FIBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 (DAY 11)



TEAM OF THE DAY: Serbia
Ranked 5th in the world in 2009.

Today Serbia knocked out reigning FIBA champions Spain, it what was surely to become a classic among basketball fans worldwide.  The winning 3 pointer, from Milos Teodosic, was made with 3.1 seconds left in the game, giving Serbia the win, 92-89.  Spain had clawed back into the game with 4 minutes left in the final quarter, trailing by 8 points.  Even though the opportunity was there, Spain could not get off a winning shot to counter Teodosic's dagger.  True, star players Pau Gasol and Jose Calderon have been absent from the roster this year but, many teams have played without their major players.  Besides, no basketball game can be won by 1 player alone, and Serbia proved that today.  
Serbia will now face Turkey in the Semi-finals.


SCORES
---------------
Serbia 92  Spain 89
Turkey 95  Slovenia 68

FIBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 (DAY 10)

(Luis Scola, Argentina)

TEAM OF THE DAY: Argentina
Ranked 1st in the world in 2009.

Why label Argentina "Team of the Day"?  Ranked 1st in the world.  Came out of the group rounds with a 4-1 record, beating those opponents by an average of 8 points.  Winners of 1 gold and 1 silver medal since the tournament's inception in 1950.  Well, to be honest, it's none of the above.  This decision to crown them "Team of the Day" is based on the team's chemistry.  2 NBA stars on the team, Carlos Delfino and Luis Scola, have scored on average 40 of the 75 points per game and are a unit that plays together every summer, which at this point, is very important.  Other than Spain and the US, Argentina has the most team chemistry in this tournament, period.  Today, Luis Scola went all out, scoring 37 points, defeating a tough Brazilian team 93-89, which some expected to be contenders for the Bronze Medal.  

This is very good, for today, but for the future, this could be very bad.  With all signs pointing to a US opponent in the Semi-finals, Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino will either go on a scoring frenzy against the US, or will be locked down, forcing  the other players on the team, who average around 6 points, to pick up the slack.  

SCORES
---------------
Lithuania 78  China 67
Argentina 93  Brazil 89

Monday, September 6, 2010

FIBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 (DAY 9)


(left to right: Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Rudy Gay)

TEAM OF THE DAY: USA
Ranked 2nd in the world in 2009.

Many could argue that I deliberately snubbed Team USA for "Team of the Day" since the tournament began.  "They" would be right.  It is known globally that few countries can compete with the US when playing their best basketball.  All. except one, of their games were blow outs against teams everyone knew had no chance.  Today was no exception, embarrassing Angola 121-66.  I am only now giving them the credit they deserve because after today, with such a lopsided victory, the message has been sent loud and clear; "Team USA is here to win and little, if any, mercy will be shown".  

Today's match up between Russia and New Zealand was much more entertaining, filled with great defense, passion, pride and sincere desire to win.  Not to say that the US didn't play that way either but, once the NBA filled US roster began performing instead of playing, it got hard to watch.  You begin to wonder if perhaps feelings towards the importance of this tournament could be the reason why they have done so poorly in the past.  The tournament is theirs to lose, it's really up to them if they want to win.


SCORES
---------------
USA 121  Angola 66
Russia 78  New Zealand 56

Sunday, September 5, 2010

FIBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 (DAY 8)

Hedo Turkoglu (Team Turkey)

TEAM OF THE DAY: Turkey
Ranked 18th in the world in 2009.

With both of today's games being blowouts, I hesitated in even having a "Team of the Day". 

But after thinking about it, the decision was simple. NBA player Hedo Turkoglu and Team Turkey have put on a show thus far in the tournament, including today's performance against France.  Not many expected this team to get as far as they have but, that seems to only motivate them.  With no losses in the group rounds and a possible win over Slovenia in their next match, Turkey could go up against FIBA favorite Spain.  

However, I don't want to only focus on the "what if", "maybes" and "possible match ups" when evaluating this team.  Turkey, with a home court experience for every game, along with a winning momentum, is not relying on luck alone for their success. It's determination, consistency in play and great execution in all their games that have gotten them to this point.  That combination of factors for this underdog team will make them very hard to beat in the future.


Scores
----------------
Slovenia 87  Australia 58
Turkey 95  France 77




Saturday, September 4, 2010

FIBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 (DAY 7)

TEAM OF THE DAY: Spain
Ranked 3rd in the world in 2009.

Moving on from the group rounds with a 3-2 record, Spain would faced one of the teams chosen by many to go the distance in this tournament, Greece.  
Spain controlled the pace in the 4th quarter with a 13-3 run before allowing Greece a chance to attempt a come back, 72-68 with 1:01 left in the game, only to have Spain deny them with 2 made free throws.  
Not only did Spain eliminate a legit force in Greece, they set up a favorable Quarter Finals against Serbia, based on their win over Croatia.  Taking into account that Spain will likely defeat Serbia, Spain will then match up against 1 of 4 teams ranked outside the top 10, Slovenia, Turkey, France and Australia.  From the looks of it, Spain is headed the Bronze Medal game at the very least.  However, as we all know, in a tournament like this, anything can happen.


Serbia 73  Croatia 72 
Spain 80 Greece 72


I LOVE THIS GAME



Sometimes a player's greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.
-- 2010 Hall of Fame Inductee Scottie Pippen --









Don't let what you can't do stop you from doing what you can do.
-- John Wooden --
The first person ever enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame
*As a player in 1961 and as a coach in 1973.



FIBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 (DAY 6)

TEAM OF THE DAY: TURKEY
Ranked 18th in the world in 2009.

Of the 3 teams still undefeated after the group rounds, Turkey is the only one ranked out of the top 10. USA and Lithuania also remain undefeated, ranked 2nd and 6th in the world respectively. Turkey sits above 2 teams at the bottom of the world standings, Canada and Slovenia, proving that anything can happen in this tournament. The hosts of this years tournament won all there games by an average of 21 points.  The only close game came at the hands of a much higher 10th ranked Puerto Rico team.  

*Canada went winless in 5 games but, are still qualified for the 2012 Olympics in London, England.


GROUP A
---------------
Australia 76  Angola 55
Serbia 84  Argentina 82
Germany 91  Jordan 73

GROUP B
---------------
USA 92  Tunisia 57
Slovenia 65  Iran 60
Brazil 92  Croatia 74

GROUP C
---------------
Cote d'Ivoire 88  Puerto Rico 79
Russia 73  Greece 69
Turkey 87  China 40

GROUP D
---------------
Spain 89  Canada 67
Lithuania 84  Lebanon 66
New Zealand 82  France 70


TEAMS ADVANCING FROM GROUP STAGES
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Serbia, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Australia, Turkey, France, USA, Angola, Russia, 
New Zealand, Lithuania, China, Argentina, Brazil





Wednesday, September 1, 2010

FIBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2010 (DAY 5)

TEAM OF THE DAY: Slovenia
Ranked 20th in the world in 2009.

Slovenia's win today may seem unimportant on a superficial level, but considering today's opponent, Brazil, which shared a 2-1 record, winning this game helps them avoid facing 1st ranked Argentina in the next round.  If all goes well, Slovenia could likely go up against a beatable Angola and a slightly tougher Australia in a single game elimination.  Slovenia is in a good position to cruise by Iran tomorrow, sealing their 2nd place position in Group B to move on in the tournament.  To be ranked last in any tournament and continue past the group stages to me, is definitely worthy of note.

*Canada remains winless in the FIBA 2010 tournament losing to New Zealand, 71-61.
They play for pride in their final game tomorrow against FIBA 2006 champions, Spain.



GROUP A
---------------
Serbia 94  Australia 79
Angola 92  Germany 88
Argentina 88  Jordan 79

GROUP B
---------------
Croatia 84  Tunisia 64
USA 88  Iran 51
Slovenia 80  Brazil 77

GROUP C
---------------
Russia 89  China 80
Greece 97  Cote d'Ivoire 60
Turkey 79  Puerto Rico 77

GROUP D
---------------
New Zealand 71  Canada 61
Spain 91  Lebanon 57
Lithuania 69  France 55