Pat to the Point

1+3=17

2008-06-07T22:14:00.004-04:00

(Photo courtesy of Brian Babineau) The big story out of Boston was Paul Pierce's knee injury in the third quarter of game one. A game in which the Celtics defeated the Lakers 98-88. When Pierce went down, and stayed down the hopes of banner number 17 went down just like he did. But, after being carried off the court by Tony Allen and Scal and wheel chaired to the training room Pierce made a triumphant, and yes a Willis Reed-esque return. Especially once this series is over and we find out the true extent of this injury...and the worse the injury is, the bigger that moment will become. It'll be added to the videos of Celtics Lakers lore, of Magic's foul line hookshot and McHale tackling Rambis.

Some have gone so far is to suggest that Pierce faked the injury. Which in and of itself is absurd, if he wanted to sit out and get a rest certainly he could've just put up a fist or asked Doc to come out. IF he did fake the injury, a notion I strongly disagree with, then it's perhaps the greatest act a player has ever done to motivate his team. When Pierce jogged through that tunnel you just felt the atmosphere change, even from watching on TV. You could see guys on the bench literally jumping up and down they were so happy! Pierce went on to score 19 in the second half on 6-6 shooting including 3-3 from long range. A common misconception is that when Willis Reed returned for game 7 he went on to score 40. In fact he contributed only four points, the first two buckets of the game, but he, like Pierce realized what coming back out meant in terms of motivating his team.

Kevin Garnett tied Kobe Bryant with a game high 24, on 9-22 shooting. Pierce, wound up with 22, Ray Allen with 19, and Rondo 15. PJ Brown had only two points but his 6 rebounds (and his play in general) seem to always come up when they need it. Whether it be a big offensive board or just making sure the Lakers are one and done. Derek Fisher played solid for LA with 15, and got help from Pau Gasol with 15, and Lamar with 14.

Game two will be huge because for some reason the NBA finals switch to 2-3-2 series format, meaning games 3,4 and 5 will be in Los Angeles. As a result losing game two would create a giant mountain that the C's would have to overcome, winning multiple games in LA. You figure if they are up 2-0 going into LA they can hopefully leave up 3-2. It's hard to beat a team three times in a row, let alone the best team (record wise) in the league.

Be(a)st of the East

2008-06-01T12:42:00.005-04:00

(photo courtesy of Gregory Shamus) The NBA has got their wish, a Lakers Celtics final. If it were Detroit vs. San Antonio, clearly the rating would be significantly less than with these two teams. It's a battle of east vs. west, blue collar vs Hollywood and most importantly a revival of the two most storied franchises in NBA history. It conjures memories of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain and of course Bird Magic.

Additionally, there's literally nothing better than Kevin McHale taking out Kurt Rambis as seen below:

As far as the final game of this series, I think it was pretty evident this one would go down to the last couple minutes of play. The Celts expanded their lead with some free throws and secured the eastern conference championship with a 89-81 victory in Detroit. Paul Pierce, the longest tenured Celtic scored a team high 27 points on 8-12 shooting as well as 10-13 on free throws. KG struggled but still managed to get 16 points on the night (it's kind of funny that he struggled and still got 16 points, because that's still a solid total). Ray Allen showed that game five was not a one time thing with 17 points and shot 50% from the field. Perk had 7 and 7, and Rondo wound up with 11.

For Detroit Chauncy B-B-B-Billups had a game high 29, and Rip Hamilton showed his elbow injury was a non factor with 21 to help out. Unfortunately for them, they didn't receive a lot of help from their teammates, specifically Rasheed, Tayshaun and McDyess who combined for 20 points.

No doubt this was the biggest factor in the game, Rasheed had FOUR POINTS, and shot 3-12 including 0-6 from threes. They say some people have it when it comes to big games, apparently this former Tar Heel doesn't. The end result here is something probably needs to change in Motown because the Pistons can get to the Eastern Conference finals (5 consecutive years) but it's getting over the hump now-a-days that's the problem. Have Rasheed's anticts rubbed too many people the wrong way? Has Flip Saunders worn out his welcome? Only time will tell...

For Boston moving forward, their ability to limit Kobe Bryant won't be as important as making sure the other players don't go off. Pau Gasol vs. Kendrick will be a very tough match up (as KG will have to guard the versatile Lamar Odom). Luckily for the Celtics, I think having already played against Lebron they'll be able to use similar strategies on attempting to minimize what he gets. Look Kobe is MVP for a reason, and a future hall of famer, he took 30 shots in their clinching game over the Spurs, so he's going to get his. It's about limiting Derek Fisher and his 3 point shooting, making sure Pau Gasol doesn't get easy put backs and so on.

Game Time is 9:00 on Thursday at the TD Banknorth Garden

Song of the Day:

Regaining Home Court Advantage

2008-05-26T13:31:00.009-04:00

(photo courtesy of John Biever)
Having worked all year to gain home court advantage throughout the playoffs the Celtics were visibly dissapointing in losing that, with their loss Thursday to Detroit. The best road team (record wise) in the league was able to get the "gorilla" as Paul Pierce said off their back, with their first road victory of the playoffs, a 94-80 victory at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Kevin Garnett led the way for the Celtics with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists. His rebounds were a game high, and assists tied him with Ray Allen for the team high. The C's had all five starters in double figures, as well as James Posey chipping in 12 off the bench. Ray Allen had a solid game (other than his 1-6 3 point shooting), finishing with 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. Perk had a double double with 12 and 10. Rondo had 12, and Pierce 11.

Leading the way for the Pistons (again) was Rip Hamilton with 26, but this time he got minimal help from the rest of his squad. Rasheed Wallace had 12 and 8. Rodney Stuckey continued to prove his case for replacing Billups in the starting lineup with 17. Billups made only one field goal, a three, and three free throws totalling six points.

This is a huge win for Boston to not only get the pressure off of them to win a game on the road, but to regain the home court advantage. If they win tonight, the series is essentially over, because boston will have two home games to win one, as well as game 6 in Detroit if necessary. They need to come out with the same intensity as they did last time, and hopefully get off to an early lead like they did in game three.

If Perk and Rondo can help like they did in this one, KG continues to be aggressive and gets to the rim they have a shot at winning again. In the playoffs you always want to at least split the two road games you play, but winning game four would be monumental.

Other Notes:

In a tragic event of bad luck, former MLB pitcher Geremi Gonzalez was killed when he was struck by lightning.

Fun Fact of the Day: Current Yankee Jason Giambi was high school teammates with former Yankees Cory Lidle and Aaron Small.

Which makes the Yankees the hot bed for high school reunions as Alex Rodriguez and Doug Mientkiewicz were also teammates in high school. You can see a picture of A-rod in HS here.

Song of the Day: Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan

Selling Some Jordans

2008-05-25T12:07:00.003-04:00

In an obvious attempt at promoting it, I'm selling some Jordans on ebay. They're the new Jordan Collezione Package and feature the Jordan VIs and XVIIs. They end in about 48 hours (from 12:00 PM on Sunday)

Above is a picture, here is a link

Posting about the Celtics win later

Ray Ray Returns in Celtics Loss

2008-05-23T15:32:00.011-04:00

In order to advance to the NBA finals, the Celtics will need to win their first road game of the year. With Detroit's win they now have games 3, 4, and 6 in The Palace, and as a result have shifted home court advantage. The Pistons won 103-97 behind 25 from Richard Hamilton, and five other players in double figures. Helping out on the scoring end was Billups with 19, Antonio McDyess with 15, Prince with 14, and 'Sheed and Rodney Stuckey with 13.

As I was watching the pregame graphics on ESPN and showed the pieces to a puzzle, that was the NBA championship. When they showed Ray Allen the word that he had to say was "confidence." Immediately I thought this was cruel irony, obviously because of his lack of confidence in the playoffs. My second thought was maybe somehow this will foreshadow tonight's game. My second intuition was correct as Ray exploded for 25. Pierce and Garnett had 26 and 24...and yes for those of you keeping track that's 75 out of the 97 points the Celtics scored. Rondo had 10 but didn't play nearly as well as he did in game one.

What hurt the C's more so than anything was the fouls in the third quarter making 28 of their 32 free throws. A lot of these fouls were off-ball fouls that just put their guys on the line, all of whom can shoot well from the charity stripe. Additionally, late in the fourth quarter as the minutes were winding down the Celtics led up some offensive rebounds, which not only met Detroit could kill the clock, but they could get additional opportunities.

For game three, the Celtics need to not only foul significantly less, but also need to take the crowd out of the game early. Detroit is a notoriously tough place to play, and as a result the better they do, the more their crowd will get into it. Hopefully the officiating can be better too, Pierce got screwed on at least two charge calls, including the one late in the game on Rip's floater.

Other Notes:
How awesome is it to see Josh Hamilton doing so well, 53 RBI for Texas, leading the league, no big deal. He pretty much has secured himself an all-star game bid. Here's a picture of him when he was drafted by Tampa.

Detroit needs to go back to these uniforms atleast once.

The next Jordan Package comes out tomorrow, the VIs and XVIIs.

How nuts is it the bulls won the lottery with a 1.7% chance...could Derrick Rose be playing for his hometown team? Or will they go with Beasley.

Song of the Day: Small Town by John Cougar Mellencamp (played to a Larry Bird highlight video)

Not in Our House

2008-05-21T06:46:00.013-04:00

(Photo Courtesy of Elsa) Yes Kevin Garnett you and the Celtics are up one game on the Detroit Pistons, thanks in large part to a nice little 26 and 9 (plus four assists) performance. The 88-79 win moves the Celtics just three wins from the conference. Behind Garnett was Paul Pierce with 22, 6 and 6. Rajon's offensive confidence to grow as he hit some outside shots, a three included, winding up with 11 points to go along with 7 dimes. Clearly in the match up of point guards round one went to Rondo. Ray Allen showed some smarts and why he's a veteran player by up faking threes and getting to the rim, he also had some solid plays on defense. But...can we still call him the best shooter in the game? Air balls at an NBA level are few and far between and he had one last night on a poor shot in transition fading to his left. Has a player that has a near aesthetically perfect jump shot struggled this bad in any recent memory? Additionally, the only emotion he seems to exhibit is a sigh of relief if he hits a three, other than that, very little emotion.

For the Pistons, he was Tayshaun led the team in scoring with 16, followed by 14 from McDyess, 15 from rip, and a disappointing 9 and 11 from Billups and Rasheed respectively. Chauncey's injury has to be bothering him because he's better than that. For Detroit this means rookie point guard Rodney Stuckey or Lindsey Hunter will have to step up.

Other notes:

Manchester United defeated Chelsea in PKs. While watching the second half of the this match like getting teeth pulled, the PKs were exciting, especially given the magnitude of the situation. Tommy Smith was as jubilant as ever. Cristiano Ronaldo can thank keeper Edwin Van der Sar, because Ronaldo's missed PK would've been remembered for ever.

Bartolo Colon is listed at a svelte 245, but had a solid outing for the most part.

This begs the question what the late season/post season rotation will be. You have Beckette and Daisuke no doubt. But then there's Wake, Lester, Clay, Schilling and Colon to fill three spots, should be interesting.

Song of the Day: Flying Without Wings

Fun Fact of the day: Eddie House is married to Mike Bibby's sister. And they did play together in the 2004-2005 season with Sacramento.

Zero

2008-05-20T15:27:00.005-04:00

Zero, as in naught, nothing, or the amount of hits the Kansas City Royals got last night. Jon Lester threw 130 pitches in the Sox 7-0 victory last night. certainly this is falls in comparison to his well documented victory over non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer. Additionally he won the clinching game in game four of the 2007 World Series. He struck out nine Royals, including Alberto Callapso to end the game (oh by the way, 96 MPH on the radar on his last pitch, not bad).
There's no coincidence in that fact that this is Jason Varitek's fourth no hitter. And yes, even Curt Schilling admits it would've been five, had he not shook him off in Oakland (Schill went 8 2/3). It shows how valuable Tek is behind the plate with the younger guys, especially when you look at the Hughes and Kennedy in New York struggling with Posada not in the line up.
Like Clay's no hitter, when Pedroia made a diving play up the middle to keep the no hitter alive, Ellsbury made a diving catch on his right shoulder in the fourth to keep Lester's chances alive.

Other Notes:

Tip of the cap to Don & Jerry for not uttering the words "no hitter," baseball superstition is well documented, and these guys do an awesome job of adhering to those rules.

Julio Lugo's defense has been awful, he's batting .280, no home runs, 10 RBI, 12 runs, and 6 stolen bases. His contract, $9.25 million this year, is way too high for his performance, and it could be time to ship him out (Sox would have to take part of his contract) and insert the switching hitting short stop out of Stanford, Jed Lowrie.

If you have an extra $850-900 million, the St. Louis Rams are for sale.

Pistons come to Boston tonight for game one of the Eastern Conference Finals, and Sam, Ray, we need you guys to step up, thanks.

Song of the Day: Only Wanna be with you by Hootie and the Blowfish

(how awesome is the beginning of this video?)

The Truth Shall Set You Free

2008-05-18T20:16:00.007-04:00

So i've decided to throw a blog out and figured where better to start than the NBA playoffs. Specifically the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, where the only winning for the Celtics has taken place. The Bible says "The Truth shall set you free." And although it means many different things, tonight it meant Paul Pierce eliminating the Cleveland Cavaliers. The former Kansas Jayhawk has played all 10 seasons with boston, and deservingly led his squad to victory, 97-92. It was the battle of superstar vs. superstar as Lebron James poured in a game high 45. It was back and forth between the two all day as Pierce ended with 41. Pierce hit some clutch free throws too at the end, one with a lucky home bounce (thanks Red).

A couple things jumped out to me in this game, first LBJ is unbelievably strong, and blazingly quick and fast. Even when they try to foul him, he can still finish. Big Z, Zydrunas Illgauskas although he was only 2-8 can shoot the 17 footer as good as any big man in the league. Eddie House, despite having played very little in the playoffs provided and awesome spark off the bench. Ray Allen...Ray Allen, hmm something has to be physically wrong with him, he's got to be hurt right? Is his confidence that low that he's missing these shots? He had shots that were WIDE OPEN and couldn't hit, that's unacceptable and Doc was right in sitting him in the fourth quarter, until free throws were needed. PJ Brown seemed to be in the right place at the exact right time. Whether it was a quick putback on Rondo's airball, a defense rebound, or a 18 footer on a swing pass from Eddie House. Let's keep in mind this guy WASN'T EVEN PLAYING basketball at the beginning of the year, and was signed in Febuary. For Pierce to guard Lebron is tiring, and Lebron really can lead a team to victory, if he had any better plays around him that's a dangerous squad. Delonte West is solid, same with Wally and Big Z, but for the most part they're role players that he makes better.

In any event, Boston will host Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday, this is where Sam Cassell needs to step up huge, as Billups can easily backdown the smaller Rondo if they're in. Cassell will not only need to defend him, but his offensive shooting is off as well and needs to find it. Maybe he and Ray can get in the gym and shoot some extra jumpers.

Song of the Day: Lollipop by Lil Wayne

Movie of the Day: S.W.A.T

First NHL Game, Bruins vs. Candiens Game 3

2008-04-14T18:40:00.004-04:00

(Photo Courtesy of Elsa) For the first time Sunday night I attended a National Hockey League game, and luckily it was the playoffs, game 3 in Boston at the TD Banknorth Garden between the Bruins and Montreal Canadians. I was invited by uncle and cousin so I knew it would be a fun time regardless, I just was hesistant since I'm not a big hockey guy. We parked in the north end of town, and got there early enough where went to an awesome pizza spot, kind of hidden, but it was definately some of the better pizza I've had in a while. After that we walked to the Garden where before even getting in there were tons of "habs" fans, more than i expected, but they came down by the busload from Canada.. The nickname Habs according to Jaime Fitzpatrick is: "an abbreviation of "les habitants," the informal name given to the original settlers of New France, dating back to the 17th Century."

Once inside we met up with the guy that hooked us up with tickets and headed to our suite. I'd been in a suite there a few years ago for a Celtics game but it was perfect eye level for the game.

The Bruins were on the board first courtesy of a Milan Lucic goal. The Canadiens answered however with a Tom Kostopoulos goal, and 1-1 is where the score remained until 9:25 seconds into OT when Marc Savard netted his first career playoff goal. During the OT period, I thought for sure the B's were going to lose it, Montreal was getting way to many shots, and Tim Thomas was making fabulous save after save. In the case of the goal it was a delayed penalty and Savard was the extra skater that hopped on when Thomas reached the bench.

I must admit it's a hundred times better watching this sport in person than on TV. Zdeno Chara, the Czech defenseman and Captain is an absolute monster, as he's listed at 6'9 251 without skates and equipment. Tim Thomas kept them in the game in over time. There were probably 60/40 Bruins fans to Candiens, without question the most away team fans i've ever seen at a sporting event.

Below is the video of Savard's goal:

Quote of the Night: (as a Candiens fan was getting arrested)"Welcome to America, let us show you how our justice system works." -Said by a passing by Bruins fan

An Absolute Must See...The Last Lecture

2008-04-12T01:53:00.005-04:00

After a gorgeous Thursday afternoon, when I woke up Friday morning the last thing I wanted to do was go to class, but such is life. After 50 minutes each of organizational behavior and international business management I engaged in my daily website rotation of e-mail, facebook, fantasy sports, eBay, and espn.com. And while I frequently read articles on ESPN's website something really caught my eye, it was a preview of a Diane Sawyer piece she was doing on a man named Randy Pausch, a 47 year old profession at Carnegie Mellon University. He even has his own wikipedia page (I think this summer i'm going to create my own wikipedia page) The reason she was doing a story on him? From reading subsequent articles and watching youtube videos he is well educated (Brown for his undergraduate, CMU for a PhD) and is one of the leaders in the virtual reality field. More importantly he can be defined as a beloved husband, dad, colleague (here's his CMU website), professor, and friend. Sadly, Dr. Pausch has pancreatic cancer, and has only a few months left to live. So instead of dwelling in self pity, he's "having fun day," and doing what he can before he leaves us.

That is a brief synopsis of his background and where he's at. The story connects with ESPN as he is a huge Steelers fan and gets to hang out, play catch from Hines Ward, and other Steelers, which can be seen here. Here is a picture of Randy and HinesAnd from reading that, and googling him, there were mentions of this infamous "last lecture." So through changing around some of the words I found it on youtube, and have posted it below. It's 1 hour 16 minutes, so break it up if need be. This captivated me and i was hooked, I watched part of it before my mass communication class and couldn't wait to get back to listen to this lecture. (so i finish classes on a Friday yet want to continue to hear a professor talk, weird) His was different, the way he spoke, the underlying message, maybe because of his condition I wanted to judge whether he's being spotlighted for that, or because he's a great husband, dad, colleague, professor, and friend.

Below is the video, and again i STRONGLY encourage you to watch even just the few minutes and hear his story, his philosophies on life, and his future.

Ouch Charlie

2008-04-07T15:50:00.003-04:00

YouTube video of the day:

Comment with your request for your favorite videos

2008 Final Four-North Carolina Breakdown

2008-04-03T18:53:00.009-04:00

With a break to catch up on classes, I'll now get back into the blogging aspect of things again. So where to begin? The first will have to be with the March Madness going down in America, which has no gotten itself down to the Final Four which will be located in San Antonio, Texas. And for the first time in Division I history all four number one seeds have made it to the Final Four. They are the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, Kansas Jayhawks, Memphis Tigers, and University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) Bruins. Memphis will play UCLA Saturday at 6:07 P.M. (Eastern Time) and meeting his former employer for the first time Roy Williams and his squad will take on Bill Self and his Kansas University team at 8:47 P.M.

As a huge fan of Carolina, I obviously want them to win, but there are several players that will be crucial to their success:
First is Junior All-American from Poplar Bluff, MO, Tyler Hansbrough.
Next is the motor that drives their offense, an Oak Hill Academy product, sophomore point guard Ty Lawson
Third will be 6th man Danny Green, who has come through some adversity to produce the best season he's had in Carolina blue. Also Check out the infamous Danny Green Dance:

Third for the Tar Heels will be the ability of Marcus Ginyard to shut down the oppositions best player, whomever that may be.

Additional factors: Wayne Ellington's (who was a high school teammate of Duke guard Gerald Henderson) and how well he shoots from the perimeter, and Quentin Thomas' ability to play back up point guard at an efficient and productive level.

21st Birthday...No Joke

2008-04-01T07:57:00.002-04:00

As we know, today is the best holiday of the year, April Fools Day. Not only that but it also is my 21st birthday, and no I'm not joking...

So hopefully some pranks go down around the businesses and schools today, its what makes the day great.

Movie of the Day: April Fools Day

Tiger Woods, Can He be Stopped?

2008-03-17T16:10:00.004-04:00

(Photo Courtesy of J. Pat Carter) Ben Hogan now has some company as Eldrick "Tiger" Woods notched career victory number 64 with a one stroke win in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. And after a dramatic 25 foot put on hole number 72 to beat Bart Bryant by one stroke. Tiger's four rounds were scored as follows: 70, 68, 66, and 66 making him the winner at -10. This was his fifth time winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
The question now with Tiger's dominance in 2008 is will he lose?
And is he the most dominant player in any sport ever?

Only time will tell but don't be surprised to see his next victory come in Augusta at the Masters.

Patriots and Red Sox say Bye to Veterans

2008-03-14T17:45:00.007-04:00

The Troy Brown era apparently has come to an end in New England. The 15 year veteran out of Marshall, where he won a Division 1AA national championship. He will certainly be remembered for being Brady's prime receiver for their three Superbowl victories, as well as being not only willing to play defensive back when his team needed it, but the ability to do it as well. I personally remember him most for his punt return touchdown in the 2001 AFC championship game at Pittsburgh. His career stats are: 557 receptions, 6,366 yards, 11.4 ypc, 31 TD, 178 rushing yards, 51 tackles, 3 interceptions, 2,625 punt return yards, 3 punt return TDs, and 1862 kick return yards. He may sign on with another team but it's uncertain at this point, poetical justice would have him retiring as a New England Patriots.

The Boston Red Sox have released longtime backup catcher Doug Mirabelli, the 12 year veteran out of Wichita State University. He will certainly be remembered as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher and for his police escort return, hopping out of the car with his uniform already on right into Fenway Park to play that days game. He was one of only 8 guys left that was both on the 2004 and 2007 World Series team and certainly was a valuable member of this squad. Jason Varitek often spoke of how prepared Dougie was for his start. He had 337 hits in 1456 at bats, a .231 average. 78 doubles, 2 triples, 58 homeruns, 206 RBI, 165 walks, 3 stolen bases, a .317 OBP, .407 slugging percentage and .724 OPS.
It's been said that Doug often calls his homeruns by yelling out "Dougie's going deep," which was made into a website that produced a daily schedule for Doug. Here's day 1, day 2, and day 3. Additionally, Curt Schilling wrote a nice little goodbye to Doug on his blog.

Celtics Win 10th Straight + Random Bball Notes

2008-03-12T23:50:00.011-04:00

The bright lights were on Wednesday as the Celtics to their season high 10th win a row. Garnett and (Ray) Allen led the way with 18 points each. Paul Pierce continues to play well as he had 14 points to go along with 11 assists. Eddie House and James Posey had 11 and 10 respectively off the bench, how valuable of a pick up were these guys?

This was Sam Cassell's first home game at the TD Banknorth Garden and Kevin Garnett moved into 31st on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

For the Sonics they've lost six in a row and 10 out of their last 11, and in those six games have let up an astounding 112ppg average. They certainly aren't going to win many games without better defense. Kevin Durant had 16 to lead the Sonics in scoring, Earl Watson had 11, and Johan Petro a double double with 12 & 10.

The Sonics also feature Chris Wilcox from the University of Maryland, who won a national championship. For some reason the starting five from this squad that won in 2002 is a pretty easy trivia question for any sports aficionado. And whenever I see one of them play I immediately think of the other four.

The starters were:
Steve Blake
Juan Dixon (Tourney MOP)
Chris Wilcox
Byron Mouton (Calling him a 'journeyman' would be an understatement as this article from 2007 describes)
Lonny Baxter (now playing in Spain, originally drafted in the second round by the Bulls)

What are some other memorable championship starting lineups? Leave a comment let me know your thoughts!

Sports Quote of the Day: "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." - Satchel Paige

Song of the Day: Wonderwall by Oasis

Movie of the Day: Semi-Pro

Bryant Women Lose NE-10 Championship

2008-03-09T18:24:00.004-04:00

The 6th seeded Bryant Women's basketball team had quite the journey to get to the conference finals, which were held today at Stonehill College. First was a home game against St. Michael's College, which the Bulldogs easily won 73-52. From there on out they had to travel on the road, with a win in Worcester, MA over Assumption College 64-58 and a win Friday in Rindge, NH over Franklin Pierce College 78-65. Up next was the Stonehill Skyhawks, the number one team in the NE-10 and ranked 10th nationally.

This was a game of runs and scoring spurts. 10-0 runs, giving and taking a few points were constant throughout the game and it made it a very exciting one to watch and broadcast. Sophomore Kelsey O'Keefe led the way with 27 points, helped by 17 from Cara Johnson, and 10 from freshman Siamone Bennett.

The officiating in the game was inconsistent to say the least as three bryant players fouled out, two of which were post players, one had four fouls and two had three fouls. I can't recall a game where that many players were in significant foul trouble. Stonehill to their credit hit 30 of their 33 free throw attempts, which was truley the difference maker in the game.

The NCAA selection show can be viewed on www.bryantbulldogs.com tonight for both the men's and women's teams.

Celtics Clinch Playoff Birth with Win over Pistons

2008-03-06T22:39:00.003-05:00

(Photo courtesy of Jesse D. Garrabrant)
The Boston Celtics defeated the Detroit Pistons behind a season high 31 points from Kevin Garnett. The Celts missed the playoffs in the past two season. This is a huge win for the simple factor that they now have home court advantage over Detroit.(winning 2 out of the 3 games that these two teams play) Rajon Rondo had 16 including a thunderous throw down which he hit his head on the hardwood, and luckily wasn't hurt badly. Pierce had 15, Perk 10, and Ray Allen had only 3 on 1-9 shooting.

For Detroit 'Sheed and Big Shot Billups each had 23, Rip had 15, and Tayshaun Prince contributed 7.

Lebron James had 50, 10 assists and 8 rebounds in a 119-105 victory in New York over the Knicks.

He and Kobe are the obvious two front runners for league MVP, with Chris Paul and maybe Garnett at 3 and 4 respectively. This raises the question, 'who you got' as league MVP?

Kobe or Lebron? My opinion...Lebron gets his first league MVP award, Kobe a close second. Possibly co-league MVPs

Leave a comment and post your thoughts!

Signing Day in Boston? Moss and Cassell both Sign

2008-03-03T20:20:00.003-05:00

Good news out of Foxboro, as the Patriots have resigned record setting wide receiver Randall Gene Moss, better known as Randy to a 3 year, $27m deal. Reportedly he is taking less money to do what he came to New England to do, win a Superbowl. Additionally, ESPN.com is reporting that tomorrow the Celtics will sign veteran point guard Sam Cassell. He's a bigger point guard and will be able to bang against Chauncy Billups when the teams play, and move Rondo off the ball, something he did now and then in college at Kentucky. The Celtics, who made no trades before the dead line also signed veteran post-player P.J. Brown.

Jordan Shoes, Top 10

2008-02-25T23:24:00.013-05:00

After yesteday's post today my top 10 list of Jordan's signature shoes are as follows:

#10: III Positives(s): notable Jordan shoe designer Tinker Hatfield lends his hand for the very first time. Additionally, these are the first shoes to show the Jumpman logo. Easy to wear off the court. Negative(s): For ballin purposes they don't have really high ankle support. And although i personally like the 'elephant print' some don't.

#9: II Positive(s)Made from high quality leather, which was revolutioned the shoe game, as it hadn't really been done to this extent before. Jordan scored 37.1ppg the season he wore them. They're old school, and thus making them cooler to have, especially when worn off the court. Negative(s) no Nike swoosh (the first Nike shoe not to) or Jumpman logo. They would be kind of weird to wear on the bball court I think, because the quality of materials then is significantly worse than today.

#8 XXIII Positive(s) I think a lot of people may disagree with this ranking but the XXIIIs are growing on me more every day. I love the conceptualization behind it. That on the White/black/varsity red version the shoe literally has the M from Michael's signature (which by no coincidence when looked at from an angle makes a 23) and on the bottom his tumb print. Also on the inside tongue of one of the shoes there is a finger print as well. I'm down with the look of the black/red/stealth as well as the white/titanium that don't have the M from his signature. The idea to release the white titanium colorway for $230 in only 23 stores is awesome as well, because it makes them extremely limited, increasing their value, and the colorway is on point. Negative(s): I wonder about the traction of these shoes, and some maybe argue the ability of these to be worn off the court, at this point that is yet to be determined.

#7: V Positive(s)The reflective tongue was a first of its kind, there were and are several original and retro colorways that are awesome. And it is rumored that these are the best shoes for balling in because of the ankle support. I think they're one of the best for casual wear personally more of these were sold than any other Jordan. Check out the other styles here.

#6: I...the later modified version is here, and more commonly recognized as the original Jordan I even though it's merely a modification of the original. The landmark shoes were so hip they Jordan literally got fined $5,000 every game for wearing them (Nike covered this). The shoe sold 450,000 pairs in the first month at a retail price of $65.

#5: XIV Positive(s) The shoe has a real slick design, and the shot itsellf is one of the most comfortable Jordan shoes to wear, hands down. A nice fact about these is that there are 7 Jumpman logos on each shoe, 7+7=14. They are also the shoes he wore when he hit "The Shot" over the Jazz in the '98 finals. Negative(s) the plastic top of the tongue can be uncomfortable at times if you don't tie the shoes tight enough. With that said that's not a huge problem at all. Several other colorways were released: White/black/varsity red, white/black/green, among others that can be viewed here.

#4: XIII Positive(s): The concept behind them that they are designed after a black panther who stalks prey in the dark is pretty intimidating/real cool in its thought process. The hologram, which represents the panther's eye. These shoes are great both on and off the court and come in other colorways such as: black/altitude green, and blue/grey/white, other colorways can be viewed here.

#3: IV Positive(s): This shoe helped launch the Jordan brand worldwise, especially with the Spike Lee, Mars Blackmon commercials. So much so that when retroed he got his own version of the shoe. They are a sleek shoe, that can be worn to ball in but probably are better served off the court, and with so many colorways you really can't go wrong in any of them.

#2: XII Positive(s): Debut of Zoom Air in Jordan shoes, for a show that was inspired by a Japanese rising sun. They were light weight and performed phenomonally on the basketball court. They also uniquely wrote Jordan's number on the tongue, vertically writing "TWO 3". They also came in a black/white colorway, white/french blue.

#1: XI Is there any doubt? While this list is easily debateable, it seems that almost everyone can agree the XI's are the best Jordan shoe ever. The patent leather stripe and clear sole bottom produce the best look a Jordan shoe has ever seen. Helped Mike and company get 72 wins in a season, an NBA record. The different colorways all are sick as well: grey/cool grey, white/columbia blue, and black/red

Agree or disagree? Lets hear what you have to say! post a comment and let me know YOUR TOP 10!

The Jordan Shoe Brand: 23rd Anniversary...Rankings

2008-02-23T19:36:00.037-05:00

(All Individual photos courtesy of www.pickyourshoes.com)

Saturday was the release of the 23rd Jordan shoe in the black, red and stealth colorway pictured here and as I stated a little while ago with this I'll be talking a little bit about the shoes that revolutionised the sneaker game. It revolution pop culture as well, so much so that Sports Illustrated put it on the cover of one of their issues, discussing some shootings that took place over shoes. The first shoe was banned by the NBA because of its two color scheme, but Jordan wore them anyone, as did America, with over 450,000 sold in the first month. Of course the price back then was only $65, a lot different from the $184.99 the Jordan XXIIIs cost.

With that said I will compile a personal ranking in order of the Jordan shoes. Note: any of the other sub shoes (such as the dub zeros, and spizikes, etc.) are factored in.

These are personal opinions, and despite the fact that this is a ranking all the shoes are great in some way or another. That's why the distinction between one and the other may be very minute.

#23: XV Positive(s): sticking out of the tongue resembled MJ's style & the 23/6/15 on the heel represent his number, championships won and the shoe number. Negative looks aren't as great as others, and having personally worn these the ankle support could've been better

#22: XVIII Despite this being the last shoe that MJ wore in the NBA the shoe inspired by Italian race cars fails in comparison in the looks department.

#21: VI Positive(s): First shoe to utilise an inner bootie, and Jordan won his first championship with this one. I'm not huge on the looks on this one, especially the bubble around the ankle bone.

#20: XXI Positive(s): Hidden message on the inner side of the shoe by where your ankle bone would be, which can only seen under a black light. The top of the tongue that lets you button in the little flap (thus the laces too) that has XXI on it. Also, the wearer of the shoe can chose between Zoom and Encapsulated air, by switching the cushioning in the heel. Negative(s): Despite three places for the laces at the top, after a while the ankle support diminished and the laces were thin and frayed easily. Ultimately what hurts these shoes is they would be hard to rock anywhere outside of the basketball court.

#19: VIII Positives: The shoe can easily be worn off the court and have recently retroed in some never before seen colorways, such as white/stealth/orange. Negative(s): They were heavier than the previous seven Jordans of the time, and the double straps, though unique are ok at best.

#18: XVII Positive(s): The shoe came in a briefcase which gave them that extra flavor. Negative(s): The steep price of $200 made them the most expensive Jordan's ever, which still holds true today. Push: The briefcase also came with a CD that had a song about the Jordan shoes.

#17. XXII Positive(s): The shoe came out in 2 other versions, one was made from the same material that a Jordan Brand basketball, is made with. This is known as the "Basketball Edition". And the other one known as the "Omega" version showcased Jordan's reaction after hitting the game winning shot against Utah in game 6 of the 1998 NBA finals. Once they released version they got kind of carried away by releasing versions that outlined the skyline of several cities. The cities are Seattle, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, and Detroit.

#16: IX Positive(s): The statue outside the United Center that has the Jordan Statue has these shoes on, forever immortalizing them. Negative(s) Jordan never wore these shoes for a full season. Some may disagree on this one, since it's considered somewhat of a classic but I feel it's one of the more bland shoes, in terms of looks and style.

#15: XVI Positive(s) The look represents the transition from Michael Jordan the basketball player, to Michael Jordan the businessman. It combined parts of the Jordan III, V, and XI. Negative(s) the flap was noted at times for falling off while playing. Traction was also suspect with this one. Push: the flap, some liked it, some didn't. Personally? I'm down with it. Different colorways were released in white and cherry and ginger.

#14: XIX Positive(s): The concept behind the top of the shoe is based on the black mamba snake, made of the innovative Tech Flex material. The material is made to help PVC piping not burst, and would've allowed the shoe to be worn without laces, which Jordan wisely considered to add for extra support. Negative(s):The shoe is very weird looking with this feature, which brings it down (despite the thought process behind it), the shoe would've ranked a lot higher if it were just released in it's SE (special edition) version: Push: Releasing of a West, East, and Olympic version would give the shoe a higher ranking, but because it's the SE version, it's a push.

#13: VII Positive(s) The shoe can be easily worn outside the court, and gets major props for its success there. Since they were released in late '91 and early '92 it improves their ranking and value because they do have the old school Jordan look. Also several colorways were released which can be viewed here. Negative(s): The shoe has a lot of similarities to the VI in terms of appearance.

#12: XX This shoe is the celebration of the life of Michael Jordan, the important factors in his life both on and off the basketball court. How? The laser technology that straps over the middle.For more information on some of the lasering designs click here. Also has an internalized impact distribution plate. Negative(s) the floating ankle strap is a bit bizarre and slightly uncomfortable.
(That's it? The ankle strap is the only negative? when trying to crack the top 10, everything is factored in, and the littlest differences separate the really good from the great)

#11: X The style of this one is truly unique and different than any other. It's ability to be worn on and off the court truly make it one of the classics. The best part? on the bottom of the shoe a list of some of Jordan's accomplishments. The white/red/steel grey colorway was also and still is very popular Negative(s) There aren't many, but the shoe with the horizontal stripe is liked by some, disliked by others. The bottom of the show is strictly flat, which some 'ballers don't want for their shoes as it feels more like a boot than a sneaker.

Check back tomorrow as the top 10 will be revealed!

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment and let me know what you think of my order so far and...

Comment with your own list of your rankings for numbers (in your opinion) 23-11

West Coast Struggles

2008-02-23T15:28:00.008-05:00

(Photo courtesy of Lisa Blumenfeld) I write this first part of this particular entry not from the comforts of my suite, but rather from the Chace Athletic Center on a cold, brisk morning courtesy of a Treo 755P. It's pretty amazing what cell phones have evolved into, not only that someone can access the internet on them but also get into my website and write a blog entry. Of course the hundreds of text messages sent and received each month you get used to the small keyboard on the bottom of the phone. If anyone's look for a nice multi functional, business oritented phone I highly recommend this one.
I saw the other day on ESPN that Keyshawn Johnson is contemplating a comeback to the NFL, presumably reuiniting with Bill Parcells in Miami with the Dolphins. When I think of Keyshawn, I think of two things, his post game press conference when he was with the Jets after losing to the Patriots, where he flips out and slams his fists on the table. Unfortunately (and surprisingly?) this video isn't anywhere on youtube. The other is the fact that he was a number one overall pick in the 1996 draft to the Jets out of USC. I wonder if he is the most dissapointing #1 overall pick? Certainly guys like Ki-Jana Carter ('95) and Tim Couch ('99) would be in contention for this distinction.

As i finish this entry on my computer later in the day I'm glad i'm in a warm place as a winter storm once again hit New England. Usually in Rhode Island we get a good amount of rain but this time we got hit with some snow. Certainly the sun only shining in Phoenix on the Suns as they defeated the Celtics last night 85-77 in one of the more physical games of the last year. Leading the way for the Suns was Amare Stoudemire with 28, who is really benefiting from Shaq's arrival. Steve Nash had 18, and Grant Hill had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Frenchman Boris Diaw added 10 off the bench. For the Celtics the story was Pierce and Allen's inability to put the ball in the bucket. Pierce, who finished with 8 was 2-13 from the field and Ray Allen was 3-12, including 1-7 from three point range, he finished 11 on the day. Garnett had 19 to lead the Celtics, and Rondo had 12, unfortunately those were the only three players in double figures.

The Celtics continue this West Coast road trip in Portland tomorrow, and in Los Angeles on Monday against the Clippers before returning home to take on the Cavs on Wednesday.

Sports Quote of the Day: "Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision."-Muhammad Ali

Song of the Day: "Here it Goes Again" by OK go

Movie of the Day: Jungle to Jungle

B-Diddy Downs Celtics with Buzzer Beater

2008-02-21T16:44:00.006-05:00

(photo courtesy of Rocky Widner)The Noble Baron of the Golden State provided the 20,711 a record crowd to attend a basketball game in the state of California according to the Warriors a thrilling victory with a game winning jump shot over Tony Allen. with just under seven seconds to go Paul Pierce (23 points) tied the game at 115 with two clutch free throws, but clearly he and the Celtics left too much time on the clock. And although Don Nelson called a time out, he didn't really need it because there was no doubt Baron Davis was taking the last shot. For the Warriors Davis led the way with 29, followed by Monta Ellis with 26, Andris Biedrins with 21 and Mickael Pietrus with 12.

For Boston, they've lost two games in a row on this west coast road trip, and will play at Phoenix with their new lineup tomorrow featuring Shaquille O'Neal. Ray Allen led the way with 32 points on 11-17 shooting, Pierce had 23, Tony Allen had 18 off the bench, and Garnett had 17 and 15 in just under 31 minutes of play.

Tony Allen played some nice defense on the last play, unfortunately he slipped when he tried to contest Davis' shot which provided him just enough of a look to make the shot. How good are the point guards in the Western Conference? Nash, Kidd, Roy, Paul, Davis, etc.

Sporst Quote of the Day: "Do your best when no one is looking. If you do that, then you can be successful in anything that you put your mind to." - Bob Cousy

Song of the Day: "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty

Movie of the Day: American Psycho

King of the Castle

2008-02-18T17:05:00.009-05:00

(Courtesy of Nathaniel S. Butler) Despite being a late addition to the Eastern squad, Ray Allen proved he was worthy of his selection, scoring a game high 28 to help the Eastern All-Stars to a 134-128 victory in New Orleans. With the game coming down to the wire Lebron James, the game's MVP with 27 points 8 rebounds and 9 assists, drove to the middle and showcased his beastly strength dunking in traffic on Dirk Nowitzki. Jason Kidd stated before the game that his gut feeling was that he would wind up in Dallas, which is surprising because most guys take a politically correct stance and will go with the "we'll see what happens in the next couple of days" routine. Overall this game does a lot of good for New Orleans and the state of Louisiana as it brings in extra revenue that wouldn't normally come, and it gives them a bright spot, something they can be proud of. Is it better than last year's game in Vegas? Probably not, but from Friday through Sunday night they were a worthy host for NBA All-Star Weekend.

The Scoring breakdowns are as follows:

East: 134
*Jason Kidd - 2 (10 assists)
*Dwayne Wade - 14
*Dwight Howard - 16 (9 boards, 7-7 from the field)
*Lebron James - 27
Chris Bosh - 14
Paul Pierce - 10
Ray Allen - 28
Joe Johnson - 3
Antawn Jamison - 2
Chauncy Billups - 6
Richard Hamilton - 9
Rasheed Wallace - 3

West: 128
*Kobe Bryant - 0 (only played 2:52 because of his finger)
*Yao Ming - 6
*Tim Duncan - 4
*Allen Iverson - 7
*Carmelo Anthony - 18
Chris Paul - 16 (14 Assists)
David West - 6
Steve Nash - 8
Brandon Roy - 18 (9 boards)
Dirk Nowitzki - 13
Carlos Boozer - 14
Amare Stoudemire - 18

*Denotes a starter

Sports Quote of the Day: "Players win games, teams win championships." - Bill Taylor

Song of the Day: "All-Star" by Smash Mouth

Movie of the Day: 3 Ninjas

Shooting Stars, Skills Challenge, 3-Point Shootout,Superman that Ho...ward - Dwight Takes Flight

2008-02-17T16:20:00.013-05:00

(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant) To kick off the Saturday night All-Star festivities was the Haier Shooting Stars which featured a current NBA player, a Legend, and a WNBA player. The winner of this competition was the San Antonio team which featured Tim Duncan, David Robinson, and Becky Hammon from the San Antonio Silver Stars. I'm glad they won over any of the other teams because Duncan and Robinson were actually teammates, and won a championship together in 1999. Next game the Playstation Skills Challenge which featured Dwayne Wade, hometown point guard Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, and Deron Williams. The winner of this one was Deron Williams, who set a Skills Challenge record of 25.5 seconds (which beat Dwayne Wade's previous record of 26.4 left). Paul struggled in the final round and had to be perfect (like Williams was) to come close to his time.

Next game the 3-point contest which featured defending champion Jason "uh oh" Kapono, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Daniel Gibson, Rip Hamilton, and hometown sharpshooter Peja Stojakovic. The winner for the second year in a row was Kapono, who in the final round hit 20 of 25 shots, giving him (because of money balls) 25 out of a possible 30 points.

Finally came the much anticipated Slam Dunk Contest which featured Dwight Howard, Rudy Gay, Jamario Moon, and defending champion Gerald Green. Howards first dunk consisted of him starting behind the backboard on the left side (as he's facing the hoop), he throws it off the back of the backboard, catches it in the air and dunks it left handed while his head is still behind the backboard. Check out a picture of it here. After that, since in the first round you must use a partner Howard transformed into his alter ego for the night, Superman (picture above). And Although he didn't technically dunk the ball, or come close really, the showmanship and humor provided in it was worth a good score (but a 50? hmm). His next dunk, and arguably his most impressive, was when he lobbed it up from the right side, tossed it kind of towards the left side of the hoop, jumps throws it off the backboard with his left hand, catch it with his right hand then dunks it, all while just hanging there waiting to throw it down. His final dunk of the night was when he placed the ball on an Orlando Magic mini hoop that stuck to the bottom right corner of the backboard, he ran up took it off of that mini rim, windmilled it and secured his victory. Gerald Green did have some creative dunks with the cupcake and the dunk with only socks on, but Howard's creativity, his imagination and ability to pull it off made it a hands down victory. Thanks B-Coo for the help on the Dwight Howard Title

Sports Quote of the Day: The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club wont be worth a dime. -Babe Ruth

Song of the Day: "Hanging by a Moment" by Lifehouse

Movie of the Day: Space Jam