Nickname Games Prove NBA is a Joke

The NBA will be allowing players to wear their nicknames in place of their actual last names on jerseys in select games coming up in the New Year.  When the Miami Heat take on the Boston Celtics on January 21st, players on the Heat will be wearing jerseys featuring the nickname of their choice.

A picture was leaked, and later tweeted out by the Sportscenter account, that shows Ray Allen's #34 Heat jersey featuring the name "J. Shuttlesworth" on the back, in reference to the character Allen played in the movie He Got Game.  It can be assumed that Lebron James will wear "King James" and there will probably be several other players wearing nicknames that no one has ever heard just to be included.

Some may think this is a cool and novel idea, but I think it's a joke.  I think the NBA is a joke of a league and publicity stunts like these only support that view.  Tell me another sport that would let their players wear their nicknames on the back in an actual game (never mind multiple games).

The worst part is the NBA will justify this decision with the money they will rake in from these jersey selling at about $110 apiece.  It's one thing to own and wear one of these jerseys as a fan, but having the players actually wear them in multiple games?  You can't honestly tell me that allowing this doesn't discredit the NBA as a professional organization.

It wouldn't surprise me if this was just the first step to having players wear whatever name they want on the back of their jersey for good.

Remember the good ole days when to put something stupid like "World Peace" on the back of your jersey you actually had to legally change your name?

Lose Yourself to Dance

This kid has me absolutely rolling at my desk right now.  Epic dance-off between a young Pistons fan and a Palace of Auburn Hills usher.

I haven't seen moves like that since Judy took Robert to that club for the first time...

Kyrie Irving Pretends to be "Uncle Drew" in Another Pepsi Prank

Pepsi has been doing big things lately.  The blog recently had a post about NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon participating in this new prankster ad campaign, and now, Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving is getting in on the action.

Irving plays "Uncle Drew," an older gentleman who remembers watching Oscar Robertson and who doesn't understand the rappity-hippity hop the kids listen to these days.

Blackhawks Or Heat: There Is No Argument

Never has the phrase "comparing apples to oranges" made more sense to me.

The Chicago Blackhawks have started out this lockout-shortened season with a 21-0-3 record, not losing a game in regulation to date.  The Miami Heat, about three-quarters of the way through their lockout-free season, have won 16 games in a row.  Both streaks are very impressive, but the Heat -- outside of their Harlem Shake video -- don't hold a candle to the Blackhawks right now.

In the NBA, there have been far better streaks than what the Heat have done so far.  The 1971-72 Lakers, for example, won 33 games in a row and won the NBA Championship.  The Blackhawks currently hold the record for longest unbeaten streak to start the season at 24 games.  They have won 11 in a row, which is six shy of the record, not 17 shy like Miami.

"But losing in overtime is still losing..."  Give me a break.

Chicago has lost three games in a shootout, and they have had to play bonus hockey (4 OT wins, 3 SO wins) a total of 10 times.  They have never lost while they have had more than just one player or just the goalie on the ice.  In their March 3 win against the Red Wings, they ran into a red hot goalie in Jimmy Howard who stopped 32 of 33 shots, yielding just one with 2:02 to go in regulation.  In basketball, there is no one who can be in a position to shut down an entire offense by blocking the basket.  The Heat have given up over 100 points five times during the 16-game streak, and have held just four opponents to less than 90 points.  That doesn't sound all that impressive to me.

Next time LeBron James goes for a baseline three and gets flattened into the boards, let me know.  Or maybe think about the last time a star player like Dwayne Wade made an impact for only about a third of the game in the form of one minute shifts at a time.  The Heat are a great team, and what they're doing cannot be discredited, but it should not receive nearly as much praise as it does.

Streaks like this in hockey are so few and far between.  Your offensive lines need to be clicking, your defensive pairings need to be responsible and your goalie -- or in this case, both of your goalies -- needs to be sharp night after night.  Using two goalies has only worked well for just one team in recent memory, the St. Louis Blues with Brian Elliot and Jaroslav Halak, and with the Hawks using usually less-than-stellar Corey Crawford and Ray Emery, the streak carries even more weight.

The Blackhawks only have two players on their roster whose +/- rating is below 0.  Both goalies average two goals or less allowed a game, putting them numbers 2 and 4 in the top five for goalies who have started 10+ games.  And their top three scorers (Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa) average just 20:17, 19:33 and 18:15 minutes of ice time a game respectively, equivalent to about one period of play, or about 33 percent of the entire game.

The Heat's top three scorers (James, Wade, Chris Bosh) average 38:30, 34:40 and 33:40 on the court respectively, good for over three quarters of play, or about 78 percent.  Hockey is so much more of a team-oriented game, and getting 19 players on the same page for 24 games without any real momentum from line to line to be had, is absolutely remarkable.

In the end, one might say the streaks are incomparable.  In basketball, there is no one sitting in front of the rim that you need to get by, there are no sticks or pads involved and you are never a man short for a two minute stretch.  In hockey, there are no free throws, you can't walk into the lane unchallenged and you're sure as hell not going to score 90 points a night.  On Sportscenter Thursday morning, the following question was asked:

Which would be a bigger blowout: the Heat hosting the Blackhawks in a game of basketball, or the Blackhawks hosting the Heat in a game of hockey?

If you can answer that question, then you know which streak is more impressive already.  In the National Hockey League, you have a physical game played with skates, sticks and fighting.  In the National Basketball Association, they play a game where you can take four steps without dribbling and get to shoot two free throws is someone taps your elbow.  Both streaks are ongoing, but as for right now, given the Blackhawks all-around talent and depth paired with the much more physically-demanding nature of hockey over basketball, their streak is far and away more impressive.

Miami Heat Pull Out All the Stops in This Harlem Shake Video

The Harlem Shake just isn't going away.  Which is awesome.

The Miami Heat have put out a video, still in its infancy with just over 300 views at the time of this post on Thursday.  With any of these videos, all you gotta do is watch, but I have to give credit where credit is due.

Dwayne Wade takes the gold medal here.  He's the guy in the red suit and bear head, doing the weird finger-pointing dance.  Silver has to go to Chris Bosh.  On the left side, wearing a bathrobe and cowboy hat with that obnoxious boom box.  Who actually owns one of those?  And bronze, goes to LeBron James.  The king outfit is pretty serious.

Hawks Season Ticket Holder Defies Physics

Hitting a half court shot is tough, but using some sort of magic and making the ball stop on the back of the rim after being hurled 40 feet has to be impossible, right?

During halftime of Atlanta Hawks home games, they have recently started their "Money Shot" promotion, where season tickets holders get a chance at $1000 for making a shot from half court.  Sunday's contestant was a guy named Kevin, who was "feeling pretty good" about the shot.  You know when something is so rare they say its one in a million?  I'm going to go ahead and say this is one in about a billion.

First of all, Kevin clearly shot long there and should've missed.  But since inside the Phillips Arena you can bend the laws of gravity, his shot just sat on the back of the rim until the emcee helped him out, showing off his ups and grabbing the net.  Sounds like $1000 for the assist if you ask me.  Much higher success rate of a pass from half court than a shot.

Good News, Bad News, News as Big as Your Head

A lot is going on in the sports world this Wednesday evening.  Some of it good, some of it bad, some of it kind of middle of the road.  Well its time for our first installment of...  Good News Bad News!

For every piece of good news, we'll give you a piece of bad news.  If there's no bad news, then we'll give you some indifferent news.

GOOD NEWS:  The NHL's Board of Governor's has unanimously ratified the new collective bargaining agreement.

BAD, well no, INDIFFERENT NEWS:  The players have still yet to vote, but its not really bad news because everyone in the world pretty much knows it will pass on their side.

GOOD NEWS:  Carmelo Anthony got suspended one game for waiting for Kevin Garnett outside the Celtics team bus.

BAD NEWS:  Brandon Bass ha an open lay-up, unguarded to cover the spread tonight over the Suns, and CHOSE NOT TO TAKE IT.

GOOD NEWS:  Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were denied entry into the Hall of Fame, each receiving less than 40 percent of the vote.

BAD NEWS:  Everyone else on the ballot was also denied entry to the Hall, only the eighth time in baseball history that has happened.  Craig Biggio received the highest number of votes with around 68 percent.

GOOD NEWS:  The Buffalo Bills are still undefeated in 2013.

BAD NEWS:  Its not January 19th yet.

Can't leave you hanging with some bad news, so here's one last good news for you.

GOOD NEWS:  This video still exists and is still funny..

New Orleans...Pelicans? Name Change Coming for 2013-14 Season

The New Orleans Hornets are in the middle of a complete revamping.  They drafted two big names in Austin Rivers and Anthony Davis this offseason, and eight of the 13 players on their roster are in the second year of their career or less.

To try and re-brand themselves, apparently their latest bright idea is to rename the team for the 2013-14 season.  The proposed idea?  The New Orleans Pelicans.

The name of the Pelicans was first used in 1887 by a minor league baseball team in the New Orleans area.  Ditching the name would be great news because it could give way for the Charlotte Bobcats to take the name back, which His Airness, Bobcats chairman Michael Jordan has said the team would "entertain the opportunity."

But when I think of Pelicans, I think of the hockey team from Finland or I think of Nigel from "Finding Nemo," but it would make sense for a bad basketball team.

Nate Robinson Goes Under Defender

Nasty Nate Robinson, all five-foot-nine of him, is a three-time Slam Dunk Champion and has some serious moves on the court.  His latest showcase of talent came on the road against the Phoenix Suns.

Showing good movement off the ball, Robinson shakes his defender Sebastian Telfair.  When Nasty Nate gets the ball, he pump fakes and throws Telfair for a loop, who bites and jumps in the air.  Telfair, only six feet tall himself, gets up enough for Robinson to slip right under and finish off the play for two on the lay-in.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself.  Too bad as far as weekly top plays go, this doesn't hold a candle to Ibrahimovic's bicycle kick.

Should the Lakers Fire Mike Brown? Well, They Just Did

The Lakers are off to a 1-4 start, their worst since the 1993-94 season.  In a city without a football team and where the defending World Champion Kings are sidelined by a lockout, basketball reigns supreme.  So with their worst start in almost two decades hanging over their heads going into a six-game homestand, will there be jobs on the line, namely the head coach's spot occupied by Mike Brown?

When the Lakers attempted to create a "super team" by signing Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, it was easy to pick them as the NBA Finals favorite.  But no one picked this kind of start.  The new system the players...

So right there is as far as I got writing this post, before the breaking news came out that head coach of the Lakers Mike Brown has been fired.  He only made it five regular season games into his second season with the team, writing a strange ending to the chapter following his stay in Cleveland where he won Coach of the Year in 2009.

Firing Brown was ultimately the wrong choice by the Lakers.  They have too many egos to control and too much to learn to start over with a new coach.  This essentially erases all they learned from him over the summer, but the one good thing that comes from this is that they weren't very good at applying what they learned, so hopefully a new coach can bring a quick fix.

From 3,000 miles away, even I could feel the pressure the media was putting on the purple and gold.  Kobe Bryant's "death stare," Steve Blake mouthing off to a fan and Howard's constant internal battle over whether he is defined as a center or a forward are all cases of how the team is already starting to wear themselves down. 

Howard has fired back at Shaquille O'Neal and then the NBA itself, declaring himself a true center and taking things very personally when someone says otherwise.  He first needs to work on lightening up, then he needs to work on adjusting to his new role.  His selfishness is hurting the team's defense as a whole -- a defense that has only held opponents to under 23 points per quarter four times through five games.

The Lakers defense has always been streaky, at best, as shown here in January and here two months later during last season.  This year will not be a rebuilding year for the Lakers, even with their head coach out of the picture.  In a way, the Lakers have hit the reset button on their season.  Lucky for them, they are only five games in, shrinking the blast radius of the news, but they have a long road ahead of them to get this train back on track. 

They have the talent to do so, but the removal of Brown will push this team to the brink early in the season, and I think it will take significantly more time to get this team on track.  While I don't agree with the firing, I do think this team will get back on track and most likely make the playoffs.  They're just too good.  But then again, take a look at the 2012 Boston Red Sox...

The Ol' Fantasy Curse

So the NBA season tips off tonight, with the Celtics-Heat, Mavericks-Lakers and last (and definitely least...) Wizards-Cavaliers game.

NBA has always been the last of the four major US sports that I follow, becoming a Celtics fan by proximity then staying interested because of players like Ray Allen and Keyon Dooling.  But this season, with the NHL season looking bleak, I decided to try my hand in fantasy basketball.  Fantasy sports and me go together like the Sharks and the Jets, but its still fun.

Sometimes.

For years now, I am convinced that I am a star player's reckoning.  In 2005, I chose David Akers second round (yeah, I know) and he broke his leg during a kickoff.  The two years on either side of Jacoby Ellsbury's near-MVP season I picked him high, only to have him fold up like a paper bag.  Last year in hockey, my top two goalies were Ryan Miller and Kari Lehtonen.  A concussion and a serious groin injury sidelined them for too long to hold onto, and I suffered five straight losses.

This year, I thought, new sport, new results?  Good one.  Top pick: Kevin Love -- out for six weeks.  Second round pick: Dirk Nowitzki -- out six to eight weeks.  Third round pick: James Harden -- traded to the Rockets.

I mean if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all.  While my recent picks have been dead wrong, I'll try my hand tonight, going with the Heat, Lakers and Wizards as the winners.  Hopefully the whole Allen-Celtics fiasco doesn't get blown out of proportion tonight, but it'll sure be awkward during the ring ceremony...

UPDATE: Steve Nash was taken out of the Lakers' second game Wednesday night with a leg bruise.  Hopefully it is nothing serious, but either way, my fifth round pick joins the ranks of the DL.

Russell Westbrook Misses the Exit

As a kid, I remember going to a Connecticut Pride game to watch Kevin Ollie and one night, Jeff Van Gundy happened to be there.  The Pride were a Continental Basketball Association team that dropped off the planet in 2001, but it was some solid basketball, and the closest thing to a professional sport since the Whalers left in 1997.

At halftime, my dad walked me down to the court, and right up to Van Gundy to ask for his autograph.  From what I remember, he was a wicked nice guy and signed my program.  After seeing this commercial, I have never been so happy to have his autograph.

The Real Superman vs. Dwight Howard

"We as players, we always watch people before us," Shaquille O'Neal said.  "When I came in, it was Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, guys who played like true centers who played inside.  What we have now are centers that are going to the European style, which is a lot of pick-and-roll.  Dwight Howard, who's a pick-and-roll player, some people say he's the best center in the league, but me being an old-school center, I'm going to go with [Brooke] Lopez and Andrew Bynum because they play with their back to the basket."

Shaq was speaking in a roundtable discussion for NBA.com when he made these comments.  Since they were made, Howard hasn't been handling them well, apparently.

"He hated the fact when he played that the older guys were talking about him and how he played and now he's doing the exact same thing," Howard said.  "Just let it go.  There's no sense for him to be talking trash to me.  He did his thing in the league.  He's one of the most dominant players to ever play the game.  Just sit back and relax.  You did your thing.  Your time is up.  So, I don't really care.  I don't really care.  He can say whatever he wants to say."

Easy, big fella.  Howard has been compared to Shaq in the past after playing for the Orlando Magic and using the nickname "Superman."  Everybody knows Shaq is basketball's only Superman, and Howard should have been out of the running as soon as he threw that ball in wearing the cape during the All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest.  And now, Howard's career path mimics Shaq's to the T at this stage in his career, starting in Orlando and moving to Los Angeles.

Shaq, never one to let anyone get the last word, all but closed the book on this "feud."

"You have to care to have a reaction," O'Neal said. "I've got businesses to run. I always tell people that in order to step in my shoes you have big shoes to fill. For him, he's going to have to at least win three [titles] to get people's respect."

LeBron Finally Gets a Ring, Ruins Everyone's Weekend

Disaster.

Just about the only word I can use to make sense of the last couple weeks of the NBA playoffs.

In the lockout shortened, 66 game season, the Miami Heat have won the championship.

Let it sink in.

LeBron James. NBA Champion.

For weeks, criticism of James’ overall skill set, especially with regards to the fourth quarter, ran rampant throughout media outlets, from ESPN to backwater blogs. LeBron finally answered with some of the best performances of his career, silencing his critics once and for all with a well-deserved ring.

From Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals forward, James carried the Heat on his back towards the finish line, never looking back, and playing with a look of sheer determination not seen in quite some time.

This Finals series leaves the casual fan with a few questions, which I will postulate here for your entertainment.

How in the world did Scott Brooks get out-coached by Erik Spoelstra?

-I’m going to chalk this up to a complete lack of poise and leadership, as the entire series it was a 2-man team with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, with Serge Ibaka and James “The Magician” Harden completely disappearing in the most important of times, forcing Brooks’ hand to try and make something work.

Why didn’t Kendrick Perkins get more playing time?

            -Look, the guy made some bonehead plays, but for one of the best defensive centers in the game to average 20 minutes of playing time (largely out of foul trouble) speaks volumes to why the Thunder lost this series. There’s a reason he was a key to the Celtics’ 2008 run. Perkins even vented about his lack of playing time throughout the series to the media. Especially given Miami’s lack of size at center, this one was a head scratcher. 

Could the Celtics have beaten the Thunder?

-       Going into this series, it was largely assumed that Oklahoma would trample all over the Eastern Conference champion, be it Boston or Miami. Yet Miami absolutely dominated the Thunder, and if it wasn’t for heroic performances by Russell Westbrook, would have been filled with blowouts.

What the hell is going to happen next season?

-       Going forward, there are a lot of questions around the league.

-       In Boston, the questions will be centered around Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to see just what they have left in the tank and if they can contribute in Boston for the near future.

-       Chicago will play the “what if” game all offseason and wonder what to do despite injuries.

-       Will the officiating change? Inconsistent officiating marred the playoffs in essentially every game one way or the other. I will reference a certain play that had Erik Spoelstra guarding Westbrook on a wide open 3-point attempt with time running out in the fourth quarter of Game 3.  The Thunder were down by 3 at the time, making it a crucial possession. The rulebook calls for an automatic technical for Spoelstra’s actions, yet nothing was called. This, along with the mind numbing stat of technical fouls in favor of the Heat (I believe it was 23-3 last I checked during the ECF) makes one wonder about officiating. It’s universally accepted that it needs to change at this point.

-       The Lakers also enter an offseason of uncertainty, with a cancerous locker room that needs to be remedied.

-       Can the Miami Heat defend their title next year? This makes for a sickening outlook for the Boston homer, but an unfortunate reality. According to James, this was the first of many titles for the Heat, so look out NBA.

--BQ

Jim Rome Continues to Suck

Jim Rome is a genuine dirt bag.  He is everything a person should never strive to be.  This time, he's decided to call out the NBA commissioner, David Stern.  If you're going to do that, you're going to want to make sure you win.

In the conversation with Stern, which you can listen to here (skip ahead to 7:40 first), Rome asked Stern if the NBA Draft lottery is fixed.  Stern's response?  "Shame on you for asking."  Rome immediately freaks out, hiding behind what other people have said, rather than owning up.

If you're wondering about Stern bringing up Rome beating his wife, that's just Stern trying to show how ridiculous the question was.  I didn't know that either.

Rome chooses to keep digging himself further and further into a hole later in the conversation as well.  When Stern accuses him of trying to get a "cheap thrill."

"Here's what I don't want to do, I don't want to say, 'hey commissioner, people would say...' because I'm going to ask a direct question.  But people did wonder," he said.  Wait a minute, earlier, you said you were asking only because other people were thinking it? So you are saying "people would say," you dumb ass.

Classic Stern when he tells Rome that he's made a career out of cheap thrills and is only pouting about the response, followed up by the greatest closing line, to which Rome has absolutely no argument, and I'm not sure he even understood completely.

"Listen, I got to go call somebody important, like Stephen A. Smith now.  He's up next."

I'm not trying to take the commissioner's side, but insulting someone by comparing them to Stephen A. Smith is pure gold.

LeBron Sucks

LeBron sucks. Wade does too. That is all. Go Celtics.

Celtics-Sixers Headed to Game 7

Ryan Hollins sucks.  Brandon Bass is an upgrade from Big Baby Glen Davis, but won't be scoring 27 points again in the playoffs.

I'll be the first one to tell you, I don't know much about the NBA.  I went to my first Celtics game in January, and watched them pull one out against the Pacers, and have followed them a little bit closer this postseason once the Bruins got knocked out in the first round.  But they need to play a lot more disciplined style in order to move on.

But, Game 7 is at the Garden, where the C's dominated in Game 5.  After the Pacers' performance in their Game 5, the Heat should easily move on, and if the Celtics should meet them in the Eastern Finals, I got my money on the Celtics.

Ron Artest Sucks

“During that play, I just dunked on Durant and Ibaka. I got real emotional, real excited. It's unfortunate that James had to get hit with an unintentional elbow. I hope he's okay. The Thunder, they're playing for a championship this year. I really hope he's okay and I apologize to the Thunder and to James Harden. It was such a great game. It was unfortunate so much emotion was going on at that time. That's it for today.” -- Metta World Peace

Did World Peace decide he's going to limit his celebrations to only Jon 'Bones' Jones impressions? First of all, I get just as pumped up as anybody for a big play, but never have a thrown my elbow backwards in celebration. Go ahead and try that for yourself, how awkward does it feel? He should be suspended for the rest of the season and the entire playoffs, no question. I don't care if he dunked over Shaq, Wilt Chamberlain and Dikembe Mutombo, no one throws an elbow like that by accident.  If Raffi Torres earned a 25-game suspension, World Peace's elbow is right on par.

For my closing argument, I give you Dan HL, making his second blog post in a row...