|
|
January 8th, 2013
 Heat Championship Rings After a tough first 9 seasons in the NBA, with lots of criticism, lots of hate and love for his face, Lebron James finally redeemed himself last season winning the long-awaited Championship Ring. Can he really do it again this year?
Whether you hate Lebron, love him or simply don’t care about him –that would be curious- you have to admit that he is the best player currently in the NBA. I am not talking about best scorer, best passer or best rebounder or even the most clutch player. I am talking about doing all these together at a superior level, non-human, video-game like. Even if you were a tough NBA defender it’s almost impossible to stop a 6-8” body-frame weighting 250 lbs coming towards you at full speed. Combine it with top-class agility and shooting stroke and you have an ultimate weapon at your arsenal. I mean, what can’t Lebron really do? The most usual answer to this question until last June was that he can’t win a championship. Or some jokes about giving him a dollar and him giving you ¾ back. Well, all that has now changed, at least at some point. It’s always natural for a champion to ease the tension towards himself and that happened also with Lebron. Especially when this summer we all witnessed the Dwight Howard saga that finally ended up with him being traded to the Lakers. In fact the Lakers took a lot of the media attention and the criticism that Miami and Lebron had last year. It seems that together with power always comes responsibility and expectations for the greatest achievements. That’s what the Lakers face this year, they are in the tough position the Heat were last year. They are in a win now mode and not only because of getting 4 former all stars in their starting lineup, but also because everybody knows that in order to compete in the NBA, you need to be fresh (and young enough). The Lakers don’t have the luxury to wait a year or two like Miami did. On the other hand, the Lakers have already won several championships and the fans may not be so championship-hungry.
Back to Lebron and Miami, though, could they really make it to the finals again and win their second in a row? Only the Lakers have achieved to win two or more in a row the past decade. But the question might be which team can beat Miami in 7 games? As they’ve proved last year, they can do well even with tall teams managing well their weakness at frontcourt. They found the way to make the most out of their roster. What they wisely did last year for example against the Thunder at the finals, was that they switched Shane Battier at the four. That changed the game, because it forced Serge Ibaka, the monster blocker, run all the court around to chase Battier and defend him shooting the three. So that left the inside space clear Lebron and Wade. This year, they’ve added also Ray Allen, who needs no comments about his three pointers and Rashard Lewis, plus they’ve kept all the valuable members at their team. And with Lebron having another super season this far, they look like they are eligible to repeat. Let’s wait and see how things go for Miami and all the other true Championship contenders.
Tags: 2013 NBA Championship, lakers, Lebron James, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, nba, Oklahoma City Thunder, Shane Battier
Posted in
Lebron James, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder |
(0) Comments »
By
Chris Michaels
Find us on Google+
August 3rd, 2012
 USA Dream Team 1992 Vs 2012 The fundamental 1992 Dream Team set the gold standard-both literally and figuratively-for Summer Games basketball. Kobe stated the 2012 Dream Team could beat Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and the rest of the 1992 group. Is he right?
Miami Heat LeBron James, LA Laker Kobe Bryant and Thunder Kevin Durant head line the latest edition of the “Dream Team,” one that will defend Team USA’s World and Olympic championships in basketball at the Olympic Games in London.
Much has been made about the current team’s weak frontcourt. The 1992 team had 4 players who grabbed at least 15 percent of available rebounds in 1991-92 (Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, David Robinson).
The present team has about three players at that rebound rate last season (Tyson Chandler, Clipper Blake Griffin, Grizzlie Kevin Love). The 1992 team had two players (Ewing, Robinson) who blocked no less than 5 percent of the shot attempts they faced in 1991-92. No 2012 player had a block percentage greater than 3.4 last season (Chandler).
The 1992 team was about 2½ years older on average (28.8-26.2). Other than Bird and Magic, every Dream Team member was 30 years old or younger. Each member of the current team is 29 or younger, apart from Kobe, who is 33. But the NBA experience level is about the same.
The 1992 team had, on average, 7.3 years of practical experience per player. This year’s team has 7.1. The 2012 version has seven championships among them, carried by Kobe’s five. LeBron and Chandler each have one. The present team has members of each of the past four NBA champions, while the 1992 team had members of the then-past two champions.
There’s no assurance the 2012 team wins the gold medal this summer, but LeBron, Durant and Kobe could probably rampage through the other teams at the 1992 Olympics relatively conveniently.
The 1992 Dream Team involved greats such as Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson among others. In all 11 Hall of Famers were on the team.
The latest 2012 U.S. Olympic basketball team consists of superstars such as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony.
Conclusion
2012 team has looked strong during its very first two games at the London Olympics 2012, and you can anticipate to see more of the same during Team USA vs. Nigeria as the team continues its bid for a gold medal. This year’s team may be preferred to bring back the gold from London, yet compared to its counterparts who took Barcelona by thunderstorm in the summer of 1992, the 2012 team appears at the silver podium.
Tags: 1992 Dream Team 2012, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, London Olympics, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Thunder
Posted in
Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder |
(0) Comments »
By
Chris Cabrera
Find us on Google+
May 20th, 2012
Oklahoma City 103, L.A. Lakers 100
Location – Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials – #43 Dan Crawford, #10 Ron Garretson, #41 Ken Mauer, #65 Sean Wright
Attendance – 18997
Kevin Durant buried the go-ahead 3-pointer with 13.7 seconds remaining as visiting Oklahoma City took a commanding 3-1 lead over Los Angeles in their Western Conference second-round series.
Durant’s long-distance dagger over Lakers swingman Metta World Peace capped a 31-point, 13-rebound performance. Russell Westbrook added a team-high 37 points as the Thunder ended a 14-game playoff losing streak to the Lakers in Los Angeles.
With the score tied in the final minute, the teams traded sloppy turnovers: Westbrook fell and fumbled the ball, while Durant picked off an errant pass at the other end. Durant then ragged time off the clock before coolly knocking down a 25-footer from the top of the arc, silencing the capacity crowd at the Staples Center.
Kobe Bryant misfired on a 3-pointer at the other end – capping a 2-for-9 fourth-quarter shooting effort – and Thunder guard James Harden secured the rebound to put the game away.
Bryant led all scorers with 38 points for the Lakers, who will look to stay alive with a win in Game 5 Monday night in Oklahoma City.
Bryant had 16 first-half points – highlighted by sensational back-to-back layups to end the second quarter – as the Lakers led 56-46 at the break. He added 10 points in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the third quarter to keep Los Angeles in front by double digits, but Durant responded with a 3-pointer following a Westbrook miss as Oklahoma City went on a brief run to trim the deficit to 74-67.
Bryant quelled the Thunder surge with a tough layup following an offensive rebound, then knocked down a long 2-pointer at the buzzer to finish with 15 points in the quarter as the Lakers carried an 80-71 edge into the fourth.
World Peace preserved the lead with Bryant on the bench, drilling a pair of 3-pointers to make it an 11-point game – but the Thunder hung around, riding nine straight points from Westbrook to close to within four with just over four minutes remaining.
Durant completed the comeback with a mid-range jumper and a Kendrick Perkins putback of a Westbrook miss – Perkins’ only field goal of the game – capped a 20-5 run that gave Oklahoma City a 98-96 advantage
If the Lakers come back to the Staples Center the game will be on May 28th. We have Lakers tickets for that game in stock now.
Tags: Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma Thunder, staples center, Thunder Vs Lakers
Posted in
Lakers, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, Thunder Vs Lakers |
(0) Comments »
By
Chris Cabrera
Find us on Google+
May 15th, 2012
 Lakers Vs Thunder Game One THUNDER 119, LAKERS 90: Russell Westbrook scored 27 points and Kevin Durant added 25 as host Oklahoma City trampled Los Angeles in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
James Harden scored 17 points off the bench for the Thunder, who showed no signs of rustiness from an eight-day layoff after sweeping the Dallas Mavericks in the first round.
Westbrook added nine assists and seven rebounds and Durant grabbed eight boards before each took a seat for the fourth quarter.
Game 2 will be played Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
Andrew Bynum had 20 points and 14 rebounds and Kobe Bryant scored 20 points to pace the Lakers, who were playing two days after closing out Denver and wilted after a fast start. Metta World Peace finished with 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter.
The Thunder seized control in the final 3 1/2 minutes of the second quarter, getting five points from Westbrook in a 9-2 spurt to take a 59-44 lead into halftime.
The Lakers had erased an 18-point deficit to beat the Thunder at the end of the regular season, but Oklahoma City opened the second half with a 9-0 blitz to ensure there would be no comeback.
Durant scored eight points and the Thunder hit their first seven shots in the first four minutes of the third quarter to build the lead to 77-48.
The lead peaked at 35 points for the Thunder, who buried 12 of 17 shots in the quarter to turn it into a 98-68 rout entering the final 12 minutes.
Tags: Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Thunder Vs Lakers
Posted in
NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, Thunder Vs Lakers |
(0) Comments »
By
Chris Cabrera
Find us on Google+
April 22nd, 2012
L.A. Lakers 114, Oklahoma City 106
Location – Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials – #50 Olandis Poole, #57 Greg Willard, #59 Gary Zielinski
Attendance – 18997
We will stock all Lakers Vs Thunder Playoff Tickets for both Lakers Home and Away Games.
Lakers 114, Thunder 106 (2 OT): Kobe Bryant scored 19 of his 26 points in the final 3:56 of regulation and overtime as host Los Angeles overcame an 18-point deficit to move a game ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers in the race for the Pacific Division crown.
Bryant went for eight points in the second overtime, giving the Lakers the lead for good with a jumper in the final minute.
Pau Gasol added 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists for Los Angeles.
The game took an ugly turn late in the second quarter when Metta World Peace celebrated his dunk by throwing a vicious elbow into the side of James Harden’s head. Harden stayed down for several minutes and World Peace was ejected for the flagrant foul type 2.
The Thunder, who were leading by a point at the time, turned the game in their favor after the incident. Kevin Durant buried the two flagrant free throws and scored the final four points of the second quarter.
Oklahoma City came out of the break on fire, running the lead up to as much as 77-59 late in the third.
The Thunder were still up 84-70 with 7:13 left in the game when Los Angeles made a move, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Steve Blake and a three-point play from Bryant during an 18-3 burst. Bryant’s one-footed 3-pointer from the top of the key as the shot clock was winding down gave the Lakers their first lead 88-87 since World Peace’s elbow.
Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to shoot 2 for 12 in the fourth quarter but Westbrook hit four free throws in the final 1:13 to force overtime.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Westbrook finished 3 for 22 from the floor for 14 points while Durant scored 35 on 11-of-34 shooting. … Harden did not return to the game, finishing with 14 points in 13 minutes. … The Lakers outscored the Thunder 30-14 in the fourth quarter. … Oklahoma City dropped 1 1/2 games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the top spot in the West.
As of now the Lakers will play the Grizzlies in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. We will have Lakers Vs Grizzlies Tickets for all games of the first round playoffs.
Tags: Lakers Vs Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, staples center
Posted in
Los Angeles, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, STAPLES Center, Thunder Vs Lakers |
(0) Comments »
By
Chris Cabrera
Find us on Google+
April 19th, 2012
 Los Angeles Clippers Offical Partner Barrys Ticket Service The second-longest active postseason drought is over. The Clippers are officially in the NBA playoffs this year. They had more than just making the NBA playoffs on their minds after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder Monday night,
Monday night’s heavyweight Western Conference bout ending in a surprising manner, as the LA Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, 92-77. The game locked up Lob City’s postseason bid, marking the first time the Clippers have made the playoffs since 2006.
Los Angeles was lead by Blake Griffin who had 17 points and 11 rebounds, but got some serious support from Nick Young off the bench who went for 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 3-of-4 from downtown.
The real turning point in the game came in the 3rd quarter where L.A. topped Oklahoma 23 to 14. Durant mustered 24 points, but James Hardin only had 12 while Russell Westbrook only managed nine points to go along with five turnovers.
The L.A. faithful were in attendance to celebrate their playoff qualifying night as the franchise enjoyed their 32nd consecutive sellout crowd.
There was a time, for example, the bulk of the team’s existence that simply making the NBA playoffs would have been the most a Clippers fan would dare to expect from a team that has finished with a record above .
The Clippers’ 2005-06 playoff appearance represents the only time they’ve won a playoff series while playing in Los Angeles, and even then they didn’t get beyond the second round.
The playoff berth was actually sealed in the first half when the Houston Rockets lost to the Denver Nuggets, but give the Clippers some style points for the win over the Thunder.
The Clippers rank first in the league in points per possession (PPP) on shots the ballhandler takes in the pick-and-roll, while Paul ranks sixth among all players. Point being, if Paul gets a favorable switch or the space to operate coming off a screen, he’s one of the best point producers in the league.
To properly blow up a pick-and-roll, you need to have mobile, intelligent big men. The Lakers are a perfect example of this. Pau Gasol is one of the best in the business at showing hard on a screen, then recovering properly. He’s a big reason the Lakers rank 9th in pick-and-roll ballhandler defense, even with the molasses-like duo of Derek Fisher and Steve Blake covering the ball most of the year.
Although they probably won’t meet in the first round, offensively the Clippers would love a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, who rank as the league’s worst defensive team in PPP allowed to ballhandlers in the pick-and-roll. The Spurs have immobile bigs and lack the ability to switch their bigs on to guards — a huge reason why the previous meetings between these two teams have been so high scoring.
The Denver Nuggets would be another favorable matchup, as they check in as the 20th best team in spot-up PPP, and 23rd in 3-point percentage. However, both the Grizzlies and Nuggets pale in comparison to one of the best matchups for the Clippers and one of the worst shooting teams in the league — the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are 28th in the league in spot-up opportunities and 29th in 3-point shooting at a woeful 30.7 percent, which is almost ten percentage points lower than the first place Spurs. The Jazz are on the outside looking in at this point, but the Clippers would love to somehow see them in the first round.
The NBA playoffs begin April 28. The Clippers will play four of their remaining five games on the road, including visits to Denver, Phoenix and Atlanta before closing out the regular season April 25 in New York.
Barrys Ticket is an offical partner of the Los Angeles Clippers. We stock all Clippers Playoff Tickets for both home and away games and have the largest inventory on the web of Clippers Tickets. Barrys Tickets offers great prices as well as great service.
You can purchase your Clippers Playoff Tickets on the web twenty four hours a day, or visit one of our three Los Angeles Locations including one right next to the Staples Center.
Barry’s Ticket Service
1020 S. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA 90015
(across from the Staples Center inside the Luxe City Center)
Open 7 days a week, 10am – 9pm, for pickups.
(888)749-8499
Barrys Tickets is your Clippers Playoff head quarters.
Tags: Clippers Playoff Tickets, Clippers Vs Spurs, Clippers Vs Thunder, Denver Nuggets, los angeles, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, staples center, Utah Jazz
Posted in
Clippers Playoff Tickets, Clippers Vs Grizzlies, Clippers Vs Lakers, Clippers Vs Nuggets, Clippers Vs Spurs, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Clippers, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, STAPLES Center, Utah Jazz |
(0) Comments »
By
Chris Cabrera
Find us on Google+
April 17th, 2012
L.A. Clippers 92, Oklahoma City 77
Location – Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials – #17 Joe Crawford, #36 David Jones, #29 Mark Lindsay
Attendance – 19516
CLIPPERS Vs THUNDER : Nick Young scored 19 points off the bench, Blake Griffin had 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Los Angeles dominated play in the second half in beating the Oklahoma City Thunder for the second time in less than a week.
The win against the conference-leading Thunder was icing on the cake for the Clippers, who learned moments before tipoff they had clinched their first playoff berth since 2005-06.
Randy Foye scored 13 points and Chris Paul finished with 12 points and 10 assists as Los Angeles held superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in check while moving within a game of the Lakers for first place in the Pacific Division.
Durant scored only five of his 24 points after halftime and Russell Westbrook shot 4 of 16 from the floor for nine points as the Thunder recorded their lowest point total of the season.
With the game tied at 66 entering the fourth, Mo Williams nailed a 3-pointer that jump-started the Clippers. Young later made a jumper to open a 13-3 run that included six points from Griffin, four coming on back-to-back dunks. The spurt was capped by a Williams’ 3 for the 87-75 lead with 3:58 remaining.
Durant had 19 points in the first half, but the Clippers put the clamps down defensively in the third. Durant was held scoreless and the Thunder made only six baskets in the frame.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Paul was announced Monday as the recipient of the Sportsmanship Award for the Pacific Division. … The Clippers won three of the four matchups this season. … Young’s point total was his highest with the Clippers since being acquired from Washington. … Durant missed all seven of his 3-pointers.
We have Clippers Playoff Tickets onsale now. We stock all Clippers home and away playoff games.
Tags: Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Kevin Durante, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, staples center, Thunder Vs Clippers
Posted in
Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Clippers Tickets, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, STAPLES Center, Thunder Vs Clippers |
(0) Comments »
By
Chris Cabrera
Find us on Google+
February 27th, 2012
Kobe Bryant got the scoring record, Kevin Durant the MVP, and the West got the win – barely.
Oklahoma City Thunder Kevin Durant scored 36 points to lead the Western Conference All-Stars to a 152-149 victory against the Eastern Conference All-Stars in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday night, earning MVP honors in the process. The game proved to be about as dramatic as one without any lead-changes can be, as the East rallied from a deficit that reached as many as 20 points in the final period to draw to within one point twice in the final two minutes, only to come up short. LeBron James had 36 points, six rebounds, and seven assists for the East, while Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade posted a 24-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist triple-double.
James and Deron Williams helped lead the East’s comeback effort as each hit a pair of three-pointers in the final period. Williams ignited the Amway Center crowd by stealing a Durant inbounds pass under the basket and laying the ball in to bring the East to within a point. After forcing a LA Lakers Kobe Bryant miss, the East had a chance to claim its first lead of the game on a fast break, but Wade lost the ball out of bounds on what should have been an easy layup attempt.
And, in a twist that’ll be debated throughout the media in the days ahead, James turned the ball over with two seconds left and his team trailing by two points. Williams’ go-ahead three-point try missed the mark, but New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony made an impressive back-tap to keep the ball alive for the East. James recovered the ball, but fumbled it away before the East could call timeout or get anything going. It was the 19th turnover of the night for the host conference, which was one of the factors that contributed to its defeat: the West scored 30 points off the East’s turnovers.
The game got off to a horrid start, with the East somehow managing to shoot 43.3 percent in the first period of an All-Star Game. The silliness progressed from there, as one might expect, given the low-intensity, low-stakes nature of the event. The West’s 88 first-half points set a new record for All-Star scoring in a half, which is as good an indicator of the quality of play through the first 24 minutes as any.
But in the third quarter, the game turned and all the players on both sides seemed to wake up. James hit three three-pointers in the first three minutes after halftime, helping the East cut the West’s lead from 21 to 12. Wade’s hard foul of a driving Bryant at the 8:48 mark–it drew blood! in an All-Star Game!–signaled the East meant business, and would not be content to let the West continue to pile up the points. Bryant declined to address the media after the game due to a headache he suffered on that foul.
Durant had plenty of help in leading the West to its second consecutive victory. Bryant scored 27, though he shot just 4-of-11 after the first period, while Russell Westbrook scored 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench, giving the East fits with his speed and leaping ability. Kevin Love scored eight of his quiet 17 points in the fourth quarter to help the West hold off the East.
Conclusion:
In all, the players rewarded the City of Orlando with an All-Star Game for the ages, despite the low-energy first half. Several records fell: Bryant passed Michael Jordan on the career All-Star scoring list; the East made 14 three-pointers; the teams combined for 301 points; Wade tallied the third triple-double in All-Star history; and Durant and James nearly broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record for single-game All-Star scoring (42 points).
Tags: Amway Center, Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, nba, NBA All-Star Game
Posted in
Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA, NBA All Star Rookie Challenge, NBA All Star Slam Dunk Contest, NBA All-Star Game, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sports |
(0) Comments »
By
Chris Cabrera
Find us on Google+
February 26th, 2012
Friday night the NBA hosted a number of events, none more interesting than the 2012 Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (5 p.m. | ESPN) and BBVA Rising Stars Challenge (7 p.m. | TNT).
Back in my day All-Star Friday night would be a place where they’d just talk to the All-Stars on camera, live, and get Karl Malone mad. The Celebrity Game and “Rookie” game have both gone through a number of changes over the years. This year in the Celebrity game they augmented the rosters with some former NBA-All Stars (passed their prime), and one WNBA notable (Tamika Catchings). The coaches for the two teams (somehow separated into “East” and “West”) were Orlando Magic Dwight Howard and Oklahoma City Thunder Kevin Durant respectively. I really had no idea who the celebrities in the celebrity game were except for the Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Kevin Hart.
There were even more changes in the Rookie game. This year they put all the rookies and sophomores into a pool, and had Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley alternate picks to fill out the two teams. The rosters used to only be 8 players strong, but because Jeremy Lin is a huge story right now, they increased the roster size to 10 players. In the older format it was very rare for the rookie team to beat the sophomore team. This way seems a bit more interesting though; you know, provided that the people making the picks actually know what they are doing. Ex Los Angeles Lakers Shaq’s first two picks, LA Clippers Blake Griffin and Jeremy Lin, both hardly played at all during the game. On the other hand, Chuck’s first two picks dominated when they were in the game. Early on DeMarcus Cousins was dunking on everybody, and his first pick Kyrie Irving won the MVP of the game (He went 8-8 from downtown). Also the two teams had every uneven coaching. Shaq’s team was coached by an assistant coach for the Chicago Bulls and Steve Kerr (TNT). The Chicago Bulls assistant was coaching in a game where no one played defense, so he was wasted; and Kerr was a GM but never a coach. On Charles’ team the two coaches were Maurice Cheeks (Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach), and Mike Fratello (TNT). Mo Cheeks and The Czar were both NBA head coaches — and Mike was totally into the game actually coaching.
I’m having difficulty finding an actual Box Score of the game, but Gordon Hayward finished the game with 14 points, a pair of blocks, and countless nice passes. His outside shot was still missing; however he got to do a little bit of everything and he looked like he was having fun. I was particularly impressed with his defensive rebounds — which he snagged due to his length and athleticism, I would like to see more of that for the Jazz. Derrick Favors also added 14 points, in 14 minutes according to John Hollinger. He made pretty much all of his shots, including all of his free throws — and he was the only guy out there on Chuck’s team who failed to convert his thinking into “Exhibition Game Mode”. In a way, he was the analog to Shaq’s team’s dour blue collar bigman Greg Monroe. They both played back to the basket, had some dunks, but many more of their finishes were fundamentally sound. And they both played post defense, instead of just letting people dunk it. Monroe, of course, stole the game and the highlight of the game when — in super-duper garbage time, actually disrupted a potential John Wall Jam, and turned it into a full court assist with seconds left on the clock.
Both of our guys played well off the bench, and seem to be enjoying themselves. Hopefully they can get more playing time together in the second half of the season. I think the last time I watched the rookie game was when Andrei Kirilenko was a sophomore, and he was the only guy playing defense for his team. Nice to know that few things have changed for the mentality of our players.
Tags: Blake Griffin, Chciago Bulls, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Shaq
Posted in
Chicago Bulls, Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA All Star Rookie Challenge, NBA All Star Slam Dunk Contest, NBA All-Star Game, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Sports |
(0) Comments »
By
Chris Cabrera
Find us on Google+
February 24th, 2012
NBA All-Star Weekend 2012 officially kicks off Friday in Orlando. Here’s a schedule of all the top-tier All-Star Weekend events.
Usually known as the Rookie/Sophomore Game, the 2012 edition of the Rising Stars Challenge is different because TNT analysts Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley selected the rosters from a pool of the top first- and second-year players. Reigning Rookie of the Year winner Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin headline Team Shaq. Top overall draft choice Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers and versatile big-man DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings anchor Team Chuck.
All-Star Saturday Night opens with the Haier Shooting Stars, which pits the defending champion Team Atlanta against Team Orlando, Team New York, and Team Texas.
The next event is the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, in which six of the league’s top point guards battle to complete an obstacle course that tests their dribbling, passing, and shooting ability. Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors, the defending champion, will take on Irving, Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs, John Wall of the Washington Wizards, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets.
The Foot Locker Three-Point Contest follows the Skills Challenge in which Magic forward Ryan Anderson will challenge the defending champion James Jones of the Miami Heat. Other competitors include Mario Chalmers of the Miami Heat, Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City, Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Anthony Morrow of the New Jersey Nets. Durant replaces Atlanta Hawks swingman Joe Johnson, who will sit out the contest due to injury.
The Sprite Slam Dunk Contest concludes All-Star Saturday Night. This year’s dunk showdown features four players who have never before competed; it’s all fresh faces. In addition, the dunk contest will debut a new, one-round format in which each competitor has the opportunity to execute three dunks. The field is Chase Budinger of the Houston Rockets, Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz, Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, and Derrick Williams of Minnesota. Evans replaces Knicks rookie Iman Shumpert, who had to bow out of the competition due to injury.
The main event of the weekend finally tips Sunday evening. Magic center Dwight Howard, the leading vote-getter among all players, will start for the East, while Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant will tie a record for consecutive All-Star appearances with 14.
Barrys Tickets sells NBA Basketball tickets for all teams in all venues as well as NBA All Star Tickets and NBA Playoff Tickets.
Want to win a pair of tickets to the game of your choice? Just comment on this blog post about your Want to win a pair of tickets to the game of your choice? Just comment on this blog post about your favorite NBA Team or Player and you could win a pair of tickets to the game of your choice.
No purchase necessary, all you have to do is put your name, email (so if you win we can email you) and then your comment and you are automatically entered to win.
Only ONE email address per entry will be accepted.
Winners will be chosen at random, once the game or event is chosen the tickets can not be exchanged for another game or event. Up to 10 winners will be chosen. If tickets are unavailable for the game you select Barrys Tickets has the right to offer the equivalent value in a gift card.
Contest ends March 5th 2012.
Barrys Tickets is not responsible for travel and lodging.
Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, NBA All Star Weekend, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs
Posted in
Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA, NBA All Star Rookie Challenge, NBA All Star Slam Dunk Contest, NBA All-Star Game, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Uncategorized |
(0) Comments »
By
Chris Cabrera
Find us on Google+
Older Posts:
|
|
