NBA and College Hoops

Will the Miami Heat Defend their NBA Title?

Thu, 06 Jun 2013 02:20:00 -0400

After a hard-fought series with the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat are heading back to the NBA Finals to defend their title.

Who will the Heat be facing in the Finals? The fundamental kings of basketball: San Antonio Spurs.

Each year the Spurs find their way back to the playoffs, but to say they were expected to represent the West in the NBA Finals would be false. The Oklahoma Thunder had been the favorites to return, however when Westbrook tore his ACL, the Memphis Grizzlies took full advantage, sending the Thunder home . Then the predictions shifted to the Golden State Warriors, or Grizzlies, but the small, quick teams just couldn’t send home the Spurs. Not this year.

The Heat swept the Spurs during regular season 2-0, but the infamous 2007 series sending LeBron James home is what is important here. That is what is lingering in everyone’s mind. Will James seek revenge? He says, “I’m 20, 40, 50 times better than I was in 2007 Finals.”

It will be an interesting matchup to say the least. Since everyone loves an underdog, the Spurs will be just that. Their roster is full of players who are unknown, aside from Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady and Manu Ginobli of course.

What I’m looking forward to most will be the display of skill, the contrast rather.

You have the Spurs, a team that plays the game the way Dr. Naismith imagined the game played, with flawless fundamentals, and high-efficiency shots, whereas the Heat… well, how many times have you picked up your jaw as James lobs a full court alley-oop to Dwayne Wade?

How will the Spurs guard James? Will they accept open jumpers from James and shut down the role players, or attack him from the jump, just to leave a pretty good squad of shooters wide open? If I was Coach Pop, I’d be putting Kawhi Leonard out there on No.6. His perimeter defense is up there with the best of them, and he is physical. Leonard will have a lot riding on his shoulders this series.

Who will guard Parker? We know Chris Bosh will take Duncan, and I’m really anticipating that matchup seeing they play pretty much the same game, but who is quick enough to guard one of the best point guards in the league? I’d say Norris Cole. yes, I have a lot of faith in Cole. Why not? He’s quick and a great on-ball defender. Mario Chalmers? He fouls too much, and doesn’t have the speed Cole has. We’ll have to wait and see the rotation Coach Spo uses, I’m sure they’ll be a few throughout the series.

Tomorrow the Spurs travel to South Beach to play Game 1.

Who are you going with? Miami or San Antonio?

I’ll say Miami in 6.

All games on ABC; Eastern Time

Game 1 in Miami: Thursday, June 6, 9pm
Game 2 in Miami: Sunday, June 9, 8pm
Game 3 in San Antonio: Tuesday, June 11, 9pm
Game 4 in San Antonio: Thursday, June 13, 9pm
Game 5 in San Antonio: Sunday, June 16, 8pm
Game 6 in Miami: Tuesday, June 18, 9pm
Game 7 in Miami: Thursday, June 20, 9pm

- @TishaGotGame

via The BLACKout Mag

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Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:59:36 -0400

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Thu, 14 Mar 2013 16:42:49 -0400

Welcome to Lob City !

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:12:11 -0400

Welcome to Lob City !

During Saturday’s Wake Forest vs. Maryland home game in...

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 20:03:00 -0500

During Saturday’s Wake Forest vs. Maryland home game in North Carolina, Chris Paul became the 11th Wake player to have a jersey retired.

Ranking second among Wake Forest’s all-time career leaders in 3-point shooting percentage (.469), and seventh in assists and steals, Paul left a lasting impression.

He led Wake Forest to its first No. 1 ranking in 2004 and a spot in the Sweet Sixteen. In his two seasons at the school, the Demon Deacons went 48-16 and made two NCAA tournament appearances.

The No. 3 jersey now hangs next to the one of his college coaches,the late Skip Prosser.

R.I.P. Dr. Jerry Buss

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 13:24:14 -0500

R.I.P. Dr. Jerry Buss

The 2013 NBA trade deadline may have been one of the most...

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 03:49:20 -0500

The 2013 NBA trade deadline may have been one of the most disappointing in a while, only building the anticipation for the offseason’s free agency period.

21 players changed teams as of the trade-deadline Thursday, and none were named Dwight Howard or Josh Smith

When it comes to who made the right moves before the deadline, there was definitely more losers than winners.

The biggest news Thursday was J.J. Redick’s move to Milwaukee and the Boston Celtics’ acquire Jordan Crawford without losing anything at all.

Aside from those two, Thomas Robinson’s trade was also a highlight of the day. Relocating from Sacramento to Houston, the No. 5 2012 overall pick will see a lot more playing time, under an experienced coach. The Kings sent Robinson along with Francisco Garcia and Tyler Honeycutt in exchange for Patrick Patterson, Cole Aldrich and Toney Douglas.

Another move that brought attention to the trade deadline, was the Phoenix Suns gaining Marcus Morris from Houston, in exchange for a second-round draft pick in June. The pick-up reunites Marcus with his twin brother Markieff, who both played together for KU before entering the draft in 2011.

Sacramento appears the biggest loser in all of this, despite saving a bit of change with the transaction, they’re giving up such a highly-ranked pick. And because the Kings kept Tyreke Evans, come time for the free agency period, a lot of teams are going to draw offers for him, Sacramento won’t match, and they’ll lose him as well, for basically nothing.

But how about the Atlanta Hawks? All this talk about trading Josh Smith only to keep him?

Does this mean they plan to spend extra money during free agency period to keep him then? Why spend extra on a player who isn’t adding much to the squad now? Interesting.

Oklahoma City moved acquired Ronnie Brewer from the Knicks, in exchange for a second-round pick, hoping to better their perimeter defense. The Thunder also sent Eric Maynor to Portland.

And Orlando sure does have bad luck with trade deadlines, or confused on how the system works. The same thing that happened with Dwight Howard last season, happened this year, but with Redick. The Magic acquired Doron Lamb, Beno Udrih and Tobias Harris from Milwaukee in return for the veteran guard. Hopefully, those pickups work for the rebuilding of the team. They just continue to give so much, only to receive little in return.

With all that said, the 2013 trade deadline just wasn’t exciting this year at all. On edge since Monday, I can’t say I was expecting Dexter Pittman, Eric Maynor, Sebastian Telfair, and J.J. Redick to be the biggest names this season.

For a full list of the NBA trade-deadline deals, read more here.

- Latisha Hickem (Source: The BLACKout Mag)

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist posterizes Greg Monroe. Yikes.

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 17:21:53 -0500

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist posterizes Greg Monroe. Yikes.

Was the final minutes of the fourth quarter during the 2013 NBA...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:06:35 -0500

Was the final minutes of the fourth quarter during the 2013 NBA All-Star game a battle of Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James or what?

Poor Bosh.

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 12:04:01 -0500

Poor Bosh.

Sad day for Los Angeles Laker players, former players, fans, and...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:49:54 -0500

Sad day for Los Angeles Laker players, former players, fans, and any and everyone who knew the great Jerry Buss.

Owner of 10 Laker titles, and loved by everyone, Buss will be remembered as the greatest owner of all time after the legacy he created with the Los Angeles franchise.

R.I.P.

Chris Paul became the first Los Angeles Clippers player to win...

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 11:43:58 -0500

Chris Paul became the first Los Angeles Clippers player to win the title of All-Star MVP, scoring 20 points and 15 assists in the West’s 143-138 win over the East.

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Sun, 17 Feb 2013 22:27:22 -0500

Tony Mitchell Takes Homes the 2013 D-Leauge Slam Dunk Title

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 19:03:00 -0500

Tony Mitchell Takes Homes the 2013 D-Leauge Slam Dunk Title

Bosh to Replace Rondo in All-Star Game

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:54:47 -0500

Miami’s Chris Bosh will start in place of injured Boston guard Rajon Rondo in the lineup.

With Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra leading the East, it seemed pretty clear who would be starting in place of Rondo, but now it’s official, giving Miami three starters for the Eastern Conference.

And your judges are...

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:52:03 -0500

Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon, Rudy Tomjanovich, and Yao Ming will serve as judges in the 2013 Sprite Slam Dunk tonight at 8pm ET on TNT

Denver Nuggets Faried Wins BBVA Rising Stars Challenge MVP

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 18:50:58 -0500

Denver Nuggets Faried Wins BBVA Rising Stars Challenge MVP

“Houston, we have a problem.” This years All-Star...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:00:00 -0500

“Houston, we have a problem.”

This years All-Star shoes are definitely paying homage to the mission control center in Houston.

Which are your favorite?

Will Tony Parker be able to defend his title? The San Antonio...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:34:00 -0500

Will Tony Parker be able to defend his title?

The San Antonio point guard will compete against Jrue Holiday of the Philadelphia 76ers, Brandon Knight of the Detroit Pistons, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Jeremy Lin of the Houston Rockets, and Jeff Teague of the Atlanta Hawks.

The Taco Bell Skills Challenge features six players competing in a two-round timed “obstacle course” consisting of dribbling, passing and shooting stations. All players must observe basic NBA ball-handling rules while completing the course.

Kyrie Irving is everywhere. Irving and Indiana Pacers Paul...

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:30:00 -0500

Kyrie Irving is everywhere.

Irving and Indiana Pacers Paul George are the biggest names competing in the 2013 Foot Locker Three-Point Contest Saturday.

But, New Orleans Hornets… Pelicans… I’m not sure… Ryan Anderson, San Antonio Spurs Matt Bonner, and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors are also competing for the title.

Three players representing the Western Conference and three players representing the Eastern Conference will compete in the two-round competition, similar to the dunk contest. The highest scoring East and highest scoring West competitors from the Team Round will advance to the Championship Round.

In each round five shooting stations will be set up around the three-point line, with four Official Spalding NBA game balls worth one point each and one Spalding NBA All-Star 2013 commemorative “money ball” worth two points at each location. Each player will have one minute to shoot as many balls as he can.

The competitor with the lower individual score from the Team Round will go first in the Championship Round.

Anderson is the only returning player competing, will he have an edge over the rest of the players?