Every two years at the FIBA World Championships or Summer Olympics, we are treated to plenty of talented (non – NBA) international basketball players that otherwise are off our radar. Back in the ’80s, one such Brazilian player dominated like nobody before him or since.
Warrior fans may be seeing these three together again…but only in an ugly All-Star game uni
Draymond Green is a unique basketball player. He does everything well. He can score in the post, facing up, off the dribble, and from the perimeter. He runs the floor well, can lead the break, and is a good passer. On the other end, he guards wings and bigs as well as anyone in the league. He gets his hands in passing lanes and protects the rim. Green also is a vocal leader beloved by teammates and looks irreplaceable based on everything he does for the Warriors.
Green’s contract situation is also unique. (more…)
Odds to win the West Conference
There are 7 teams with 50 wins and the 8th seed has 49 wins. Every team is capable of winning one, if not two, series depending on the match ups, but what team has the best chance to get to the Finals? (more…)
A month ago it looked like Miami and Indiana were neck and neck to come out of the East. Unless this is just some big set-up, this is the Heat’s to lose without much trouble. If there is a dark horse, it’s Brooklyn…although the Bulls can never be completely overlooked.
Miami – 10/13 odds to win the East
Not a lot has changed from a year ago; Lebron is still the most complete player in the league, D Wade is rested and relatively healthy, and Bosh is good enough when they need him to be.
ALL-NBA*
1st Team
Kevin Durant, OKC
LeBron James, MIA
Carmelo Anthony, NYK
Deron Williams, BKN
LaMarcus Aldridge, POR
2nd Team
Russell Westbrook
Chris Paul
Dwyane Wade
Rajon Rondo
Marc Gasol (more…)
Southwest
1. Memphis – Losing O.J. Mayo was addition by subtraction, and bringing in Jerryd Bayless gives them a nice one-two punch at the point with Mike Conley. The frontline is nasty, and Zach Randolph figures to be even more productive now that he is healthy. Rudy Gay can shoot them out of games, but his talent is undeniaable. The bench isn’t great, but Lionel Hollins is one of the best coaches in the league. The division will come down to the wire, and the Grizz will edge out the Spurs by a couple of games.
2. San Antonio – Status quo for Pop’s crew, as they return the big 3 plus important role players Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard. But it’s too much to expect Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, both in their mid 30s, to play 70 games and be fresh enough in the playoffs to beat other elite (and younger) teams in a (more…)
Atlantic
1. Philadelphia – Only one starter (Jrue Holiday) returns from 2011’s opener, and the health of newbie Andrew Bynum is a huge issue. But the minutes formerly allotted to veterans Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams, and Elton Brand are now going to better fits in Doug Collins’ game plan: Evan Turner, Jason Richardson, and Thaddeus Young. They’ve added an additional two shooters in Nick Young and Dorell Wright. Promising young big men Lavoy Allen & Arnett Moultrie compliment veteran PF/C Spencer Hawes. Without Bynum, this team wins 45 games. If he plays 50 games, they win 55.
2. New York – I wasn’t a fan of the Knicks ditching Jeremy Lin in favor of Jason Kidd/Raymond Felton. You don’t let promising young PGs just walk out the door. Now you have a knucklehead starting backcourt of Felton & J.R. Smith; neither are efficient shooters and Felton has a lot to learn about
Take another look at that picture. Mike Cage has that swag due to 1) he is 6’9″ & ripped and 2) his gorgeous hair.
The 70’s and 80’s were known for outrageous hairstyles. The NBA had their fair share: (more…)
Quite routinely, supremely talented athletes come along in the world of sports. And some of them are also charismatic, likeable, and highly entertaining.
Unfortunately, the demons of drug or alcohol addiction can derail such promising careers. Mickey Mantle. John Daly. David Thompson. George Best. Dwight Gooden. And one-of-a-kind NBA guard Michael Ray Richardson.
The long-awaited Dwight Howard trade has finally been completed (to the relief of basketball fans EVERYWHERE).
Lets take a look at the teams & players involved, and the impact of the trade on the 2012-2013 season and beyond.
ORLANDO
What they gave up
Dwight Howard, Jason Richardson, Chris Duhon, Earl Clark. (more…)
THE SPORTS CULT will be live blogging the NBA Draft tonight beginning at 7:30 EST.
Join us here…as we tear apart ugly suits, dumb draft picks, & the Commissioner, among other things.
<a href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/index.php?option=com_altcaster&task=siteviewaltcast&altcast_code=6cbd6110f0&height=550&width=470” target=”_blank” >Click Here</a>
1. New Orleans Hornets – Anthony Davis: PF, 19, 6-10, 220, Kentucky
Davis will be the first pick, but he won’t be a player to build a franchise around.
Top end NBA Comparison: Marcus Camby
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (predicted trade with Charlotte Bobcats ) – Bradley Beal: SG, 18, 6-4, 201, Florida
Beal caught fire at the end of his freshman year, and the Cavs are in love with him. He won’t be the best wing player taken in this draft in the long run.
Top end NBA Comparison: (young) Ray Allen (more…)
Birth: June 6, 1946.
Death: June 21, 2012.
The NBA passed away late last night at the age of 66, after a two-year battle with a deadly disease. (more…)
LeBron-KD
The NBA Finals kick off tomorrow night, and it should be a great series. Hardcore hoops junkies and casual fans alike should find it highly entertaining.
Both OKC & Miami play an engaging style of basketball, and there promises to be plenty of memorable moments.
There are multiple story lines: (more…)
A few weeks back while watching OKC in the first round of the playoffs, I started to realize that James Harden’s game was a lot like that of Manu Ginobili. I began to refer to Ginobili as “White Harden”, and to Harden as “Black Ginobili”.
I decided to explore the comparisons a little closer; the similarities are uncanny…right down to unflattering areas of their games’. (more…)
The 76ers and Celtics are meeting in the playoffs for a record 19th time, and their storied rivalry has included many notable regular season and postseason games.
This year’s matchup is only the second in the last 17 years; from 1980 to 1985, they met four times in the Eastern Conference Finals. Historically, only Lakers-Celtics is on the same level as a rivalry.
This series is shaping up to be a tight, grind-it-out affair. Could this renew what was once one of the fiercest rivalries in sports? Before we look forward, lets look back.
Here are my five most memorable games: (more…)
I’m not expecting a helluva lot from a cell phone commercial. But since we’re going to be seeing this Kevin Durant spot for the next six weeks, it deserves a little bit of criticism. Go ahead and watch the ad again before we get started.
A number of things are bothering me here. (more…)
The point guard position is one of the most important, if not the most important position in the NBA. They are otherwise known as floor generals; are compared to quarterbacks; and operate as captains whether they’re named as such by their coaches.
Today’s PGs are offensively talented and they need to be just as good defensively, because the guy they’re guarding is usually another point guard.
At the turn of the century the NBA was losing fans because it seemed like a game of superstars, rather than team play, hard work, and winning. I’ve heard more than enough people say that NCAA ball was better. (more…)
Baseball’s new Wild Card format got me thinking – if I could change one thing in each major sport, what would it be?
MLB – Problem: I am sick of 162 games not meaning anything and Wild Card teams winning the World Series. The regular season used to mean something; the new one-game playoff helps even the field a bit, but it’s not enough in my mind. (more…)
In a few hours, the NFL free agency frenzy begins. And with it, five days of sports euphoria.
Am I being too dramatic? (more…)
Lots of nostalgia surrounding Wilt’s 100 point game. It got me thinking about Larry Bird’s 60 pt game he had vs the Hawks in the mid ’80s.
I remember a couple of things from that night: Dominique Wilkins also went off; Bird was unconscious; and my old man (a Celtics fan) telling me “he could do this every night, but he’s too unselfish”.
I decided to do a little research, and it was well worth it. (more…)
Exactly when and why did basketball analysts, commentators, journalists, and talk show hosts begin using the silly phrase “score the basketball”? And how do we get them to stop?
Can a short sports phrase be any more redundant? “…he has the ability to score.” That’s the same as “…he has the ability to score the basketball.”
It sounds DUMB. (more…)
Who won the 2011 NBA title? Was it:
Kobe and the Lakers – no that was 2009 and 2010.
Oh I got it, it was those Spurs led by that all-time great Tim Duncan – sorry, no.
Was it the NBA’s greatest franchise, the Boston Celtics, they won number 18 right? Wrong again.
It was Oklahoma City, led by the league’s youngest star Kevin Durant. No, what the heck?
Oh yeah I almost forgot, it was the Miami Heat – they won the title in July 2010, that’s what almost everyone said anyway. No no no, why I am so confused? (more…)
Kevin Hart Drives against TIM Hardaway
You may or may not agree with that opinion but it’s a fact that he is a fool.
Last night was the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, the annual curtain-raiser for the NBA’s All-Star Weekend; a game of actors, singers, rappers, television personalities, NBA Legends, male athletes from other sports, and usually a WNBA star or two. The game was a classic East vs West battle.
The West team boasted the old Golden State Warriors trio, Run TMC (Tim Hardaway, Mich Richmond, and Chris Mullin). Other notable stars were JB Smoove, Ne-Yo, and Common – who is not an NBA player but played one on TV. Common and the East’s J Cole had a head-to-head battle that was dominated by J Cole, as he invited him into “Cole World.” (more…)
It was fun while it lasted.
The Jeremy Lin story, which has captivated the sports media, the Twittersphere and the Worldwide Web over the past several weeks, came to a screeching halt last night as the Miami Heat gave “Linsanity” and his followers a much-needed dose of reality.
Lin’s final line – 8 points on 1-11 shooting, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 8 turnovers in a 102-88 loss by the New York Knicks to the Miami Heat in a game that was much more lopsided than the score indicates.
As has been well-documented during his rags-to-riches story, Lin overcame long odds to even make an NBA squad this season. He’s Asian-American, an Ivy-Leaguer and by all accounts a very articulate, engaging young player in a “me-first” league… an NBA marketing dream for both domestic and international basketball markets. To his credit, Lin was given an opportunity to play at the highest level and he seized his moment on an incredible run, turning his team from a pretender into a potential contender in under a month. What’s not to love here?
The reality is – similar to rookie pitchers in Major League Baseball – it was only a matter of time before the book was written on how to stop Jeremy Lin. Don’t get me wrong – Jeremy Lin is a nice player who will carve out a niche in the NBA as a score-first option at guard. As we learned last night, the second coming of Isiah Thomas he is not. (more…)
JM
d cro
Jay Bakes
Mojah Fukweh
Jeff Gehring
timmybaker
Trev
The Sports Cult 