A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
As he enters his 15th season, one of the longest tenured pro athletes with one team, Kobe Bryant, finds himself without his best buddy and without his girl.
His team is getting a divorce and so is his wife. The mighty Los Angeles Lakers are in transition and so is Kobe Bryant’s personal life. A change of scenery and sidekick could be just what he needs.
What a past couple of days for the NBA, eh fans?
We have rumors flying about just about every single team in the league, we have David Stern showing us why he is going to win the Dictator Of the Year award, and we have a lot of awkwardness inside NBA training camps (more specifically the Lakers).
You can be assured I am on top of things, and I have a few more juicy rumors and details that you guys might want to hear.
Reports from Adrian Wojnarowski of Y! Sports indicate that the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Hornets have agreed in principle to send Pau Gasol to the Rockets, Luis Scola, Lamar Odom , Goran Dragic and a few draft picks to New Orleans, while Chris Paul heads to Los Angeles.
It’s been a while since I’ve hit the ‘net with an article, but I’m glad to say I’m back for good…
Just as long as there isn’t another lockout anytime soon people.
We can all agree that the NBA lockout was a time of confusion, anger, and uncertainty for the league we all know and love, but thankfully David Stern and Co. have found a way to get this season underway with a 66-game schedule; which is better than nothing, right?
With the season beginning on Christmas Day, there is a short time for training camps, free agency, and for teams to tune up their rosters to their liking; and as always, there are rumors flying around all over the place. I’ve heard some pathetic ones, but I’ve also heard a few legit ones. Care to know what is true and what is not? I’ve got you covered!
Also be sure to follow me on twitter to keep updated!
For Part One of this two-part series, which is inspired by ESPN’s attempt to rank all NBA players from 1-500, click here.
Remember, our goal here is to rank the top 25 players in the NBA right now.
I don’t understand planking*, but professional athletes can’t get enough of it. So I decided to compile this visual treasury of sports stars lying face down, with their arms at their sides, in unusual places.
Note: While I was gathering images, I discovered that Sports Illustrated had beaten me to this idea. Although one gallery of athletes planking is already one too many, it’s good to have options.
Enjoy.
Last night, Dwight Howard tweeted out another planking picture, and for the first time this silly phenomenon actually made some sense to me.
Why? In this case, it all has to do with the person doing the alleged planking.
It’s Vince Carter.
“Planking” on a basketball court.
After Carmelo’s Knicks beat LeBron’s Heat on Sunday, I was prepared to hear some overreaction. But when I turned on Mike and Mike the next morning, it’s fair to say that I was more than a little stunned. The conversation focused around one question: “Who would you rather have, Carmelo or LeBron?”
Of course I was appalled.
How could you possibly say the two are comparable? Sure, Carmelo is a great scorer, especially in crunch time, and he was great on Sunday night against the Heat…but better than LeBron? Come on.
Further than that, not only was the question raised, but there actually seemed to be some consensus that people would, in fact, actually take Carmelo over LeBron. In my mind, the madness had to be stopped. I dislike LeBron as much as the next guy, but declaring anything other than the best player in the league is a little ludicrous…right?
Dwight Howard.
Some call him the new Superman. Some – like Shaq – call him the fake Superman. But one word that everyone uses to describe Dwight Howard is fun.
Among personalities and characters in the NBA, few are on the level of the Orlando Magic’s fun loving center.
That’s why I decided to count down the 10 most compelling reasons why Dwight Howard could and should have a post-NBA career as an actor, which is exactly what he wants to do when he hangs up his high tops.
And you know what? Hopefully he wouldn’t make a movie as bad as that other former Magic center who liked to act did…
If last season you were sitting in front of your TV and you were drowning in all of the Kobe & LeBron collision hype, you weren’t alone. As a matter of fact, we were all in that same pool my friend!
If you didn’t throw up last season, prepare to completely hurl your breakfast, lunch, and dinner this year, because if this season’s Cavs and Lakers aren’t as stacked as heck, then I don’t know what team is.
While there is much belief this Finals dream will become reality, there is always the alternate side of the story. Maybe a Denver-Cleveland Finals? Dallas-Orlando? (God no!) Los Angeles-Boston?
You never know, but here are a couple reasons, from a Cavs perspective, why a Cavs-Lakers Finals just might be interrupted by a couple other great teams.
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Throughout the week, we’ll be posting stories about the 2009 NBA Finals between the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers. I have to admit that the series will be a little bittersweet for me with LeBron and the Cavs out of it. I had never actively rooted for a particular NBA team since Jordan retired, but LeBron has turned me into a Cavs fan, as well as my association with so many Clevelanders. Plus, the sports fans in me would have loved to see a LeBron-Kobe mano-a-mano matchup.
But it didn’t happen, and the Magic are a very deserving team. Dwight Howard is becoming a dominant force, and the white-guy-from-Indiana in me can’t help but love seeing how deadly the Magic are from beyond the arc. There is something special about watching LeBron try to do everything on his own, but the Magic obviously play a much crisper brand of team basketball and are entertaining in their own right. I give a lot of the credit for that to Stan Van Gundy, the Magic’s underrated coach.
Can they beat the Lakers though? That will be tough. No one can beat the Lakers when they come ready to play and function as a cohesive unit. I think they’ll do that in four of the games and come away with another championship, but after watching Orlando play against Cleveland I certainly would be surprised if the series went the other way.
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Anyway, you’re here for information, and information you shall receive. The 2009 NBA FInals Lakers-Magic TV Schedule is below, with the complete TV listings (all games on ABC) including dates and times. Plus, I’ll hop on here regularly to update the point spread info and results of each game. Here ya go:
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time | Location | TV | Spread / Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LA Lakers def. Orlando Magic 100-75 | Thu, June 4 | 9:00 ET | Los Angeles | ABC | LA leads 1-0 |
| 2 | LA Lakers def. Orlando Magic 101-96 (OT) | Sun, June 7 | 8:00 ET | Los Angeles | ABC | LA leads 2-0 |
| 3 | Orlando Magic def. LA Lakers 108-104 | Tue, June 9 | 9:00 ET | Orlando | ABC | LA leads 2-1 |
| 4 | LA Lakers def. Orlando Magic 99-91 (OT) | Thu, June 11 | 9:00 ET | Orlando | ABC | LA leads 3-1 |
| 5* | LA Lakers v Orlando Magic | Sun, June 14 | 8:00 ET | Orlando | ABC | ORL -2.5 |
| 6* | LA Lakers v Orlando Magic | Tue, June 16 | 9:00 ET | Los Angeles | ABC | |
| 7* | LA Lakers v Orlando Magic | Thu, June 18 | 9:00 ET | Los Angeles | ABC | |
| * - if necessary |
Check back throughout the week as, in addition to the Lakers-Magic NBA Finals TV Schedule, we’ll also be bringing you historical information about the NBA Playoffs, the Magic and Lakers, and betting tips if gambling is your thing.
It should be a great finals, but the best player usually comes out on top; which gives the Lakers a huge edge I think. What do you think?
Who will win the 2009 NBA Finals?
- Orlando Magic (32%, 109 Votes)
- Los Angeles Lakers (68%, 227 Votes)
Total Voters: 336
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Explain this to me: After hitting a game-winner, Boston’s Glen Davis grazes a 12-year-old fan courtside, and ends up apologizing to the kid’s over-sensitive father. You have GOT to be kidding. Those very fans spent that last two weeks cheering as punches are thrown, blood flies, and bodies crash to the floor. And you’re upset because your kid was bumped?
The players get more than bumped. They get hammered…worse and worse as this glorious month of May rolls on. When the coaches say it’s gonna be a real fight, that’s no longer just an expression.
It seems like every game has an over/under of six total teeth lost, eight stitches, one ejection, and three flagrants. And like a wreck on the side of the road, you have to look.
“I’m sure people are just loving it,†Rockets forward Luis Scola told the Houston Chronicle. “When I win I love it, too.â€
Broadcasting and Cable Magazine reports that Game 7 of the Boston-Chicago series was watched by 6.9 million total viewers on TNT, making it the most-watched round one game in cable television history. Overall, TNT earned a 2.3 rating for 24 first round games, a 10% increase from last year. The network earned an increase of 11% in households from year-to-year (2.6 million compared to 2.3 million) and a 14% increase in total viewers (3.4 million compared to 2.9 million).
Turns out when you mix great basketball with MMA, you’ve got some good ratings.
These are arguably the best athletes on the planet, and like Russell Crowe in Gladiator, they are out for blood. Over the course of a series, it gets worse and worse as the players keep paying each other back. Guys drive to the basket and brace for impact. Not a game goes by where you don’t see a jaw-dropping, atom-smashing foul.
Boston’s Rajon Rondo punching Brad Miller in the face in Round One. L.A.’s Derek Fisher decking Scola in Round Two (see slow motion replay below). Shane Battier getting bloodied. Dwight Howard elbowing Philly’s Samuel Dalembert in the face. Rondo being a jerk every time he plays defense.
If I were Kirk Hinrich, I’d want to kick his a** too.
Just watch the videos below to see some some of the flagrance:
“When you get to the crucial stage of the season — the playoffs — everything gets more intense,†said Scola. “That’s why you’ve been fighting for a whole year. It all comes down to a couple of games, and you have to play as hard as you can.â€
Hard = Violent.
While the death-match atmosphere and high stakes are good for ratings, it is a nightmare for officials. If play is tougher in the postseason, are there a different set of rules? Do you let more things go? How does Dallas’ Antoine Wright’s attempted foul on Denver’s Carmelo Anhtony in Game 3 NOT get called? And how to differentiate between a flagrant-1 and flagrant-2?
Believe it or not, this year’s playoffs may be tame compared to last year’s playoffs, or a typical regular season in the 80’s. Nowadays, new rules encourage more scoring and less contact, but somehow it all goes out the window once the Best-of-Sevens start. To win, you need some beasts down low to give out (and take) the punishment, good FT shooting, and some strong-willed leaders to rise above the insanity. Do all that, and you may come out alive…assuming you don’t end up in a body bag first.
Scott Reister is a featured contributor to Midwest Sports Fans. He is a Sports Anchor for the NBC affiliate in the Tri-Cities and Spokane, WA. To learn more about Scott, visit the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Scott Reister bio page on Midwest Sports Fans or check out the Local Sports page on KNDU.com.
To contact Scott: sreister@hotmail.com
There is no question that the NBA Slam Dunk contest does not have the same cache that it once did. I remember back in the day when MJ, Dominique, Spud Webb, and even Dee Brown and his infamous Reebok Pumps made the Slam Dunk Contest the highlight of NBA All-Star weekend. (And for the record, I’m not old enough to remember DR. J in the Slam Dunk contest, but obviously his exploits were legendary and must-see TV as well.)
Now though? Well, times have changed. For the most part, the marquee names do not participate anymore. Can you imagine LeBron James and Dwyane Wade being in the Slam Dunk Contest today? Sadly, no. But back in the day, it was high profile players like these who made the Slam Dunk Contest great. I’m fairly certain, off the top of my head, that Dwight Howard won the Slam Dunk Contest last year. Beyond that, I’m not sure I could name anyone else who has won the Slam Dunk Contest this decade. I guess you could say that makes me a subpar NBA fan, but I think it is more of an indictment of the Slam Dunk Contest’s lowered profile that non-die hard NBA fans, but huge sports fans, like myself do not have a lot of great recent memories of the once prestigious contest.
With all that said, I plan to make a concerted effort to tune in this year. Maybe the Slam Dunk Contest is still great and I just haven’t been giving it a chance. We’ll see.
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Anyway, here are the particulars for the 2009 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest:
2009 NBA Sprite Slam Dunk Contest Schedule and Preview
- When: Saturday, February 14, 2009
- Time: 8:00 ET
- TV Schedule: TNT, as part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night
- Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith, Reggie Miller, Cheryl Miller, and Mike Fratello
- Participants: Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson, J.R. Smith, and Rudy Fernandez
- Official website of 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest
And to whet your appetite for all of the slam dunk madness of Saturday, here are some videos of the participants’ best dunks:
(Note: Rudy Gay was supposed to participate, but is being replaced by J.R. Smith due to injury.)
What’s your prediction?
