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Dif's World of Basketball
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Devin Harris at Dunkin Donuts
Devin Harris of the NJ Nets was at the grand opening of a new Dunkin Donuts in Hackensack, NJ.
He was there to sign autographs and glad hand with the people. He was scheduled to start signing at 10 am to 1 pm. I arrived at 10:15 and waited on a modestly long line.
Once Devin arrived (10:30) he did a quick interview with WFAN and then began signing around 10:45. The people in charge there kept the line moving pretty quickly.
I was able to get my grey and blue Nets ball signed, seen in the photo there, and Devin was nice enough to take a picture with us.
The event overall was pretty good. Dunkin Donuts employees were walking around handing out free samples and there were other companies there giving away SWAG.
Snap Sports assempled a little court there with a hoop and all where kids gathered to shoot foul shots and what not.
Of all the things I saw get signed, the coolest I thought was a fan who had made a commemorative jersey honoring Harris' career high 47 point game against the Suns on 11/30.
While I didn't see the front, the back had Harris where the names would normally be, the number was 47 and then underneath the number had the date 11/30/08. A nice job by the fan, and he got it signed so that's a nice collector item for him.
I shook Devin's hand and told him nice season. Devin was polite and took time with each person which I thought was cool.
Snap Sports assempled a little court there with a hoop and all where kids gathered to shoot foul shots and what not.
Of all the things I saw get signed, the coolest I thought was a fan who had made a commemorative jersey honoring Harris' career high 47 point game against the Suns on 11/30.
While I didn't see the front, the back had Harris where the names would normally be, the number was 47 and then underneath the number had the date 11/30/08. A nice job by the fan, and he got it signed so that's a nice collector item for him.
I shook Devin's hand and told him nice season. Devin was polite and took time with each person which I thought was cool.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Kobe Bryant Undberbite Face
There it is. I'm going to dub this the Kobe underbite face. Being a lover of all emotion being showed after a play, this has excited me greatly. I love the pure emotion stuff, not the pre-mediated stuff. I have no idea if this is something Kobe has been doing all season long, but I've only started noticing it in Game 6 of the Denver series and it was in full form tonight.
You can be sure I am going to be keeping track of this closely in Game 2 and from here on out.
NBA Finals Game 1
Well since the Anthony Johnson experiment didn't work out so well..at least not in Game 1. Here he is doing what he did for the full 48, sitting the bench. Jameer Nelson came back and hit his first shot and from there it was all over for our ex-Net buddy. I thought he maybe had a shot of seeing some garbage time, but the NBA gods did not smile on him today. Anyways onto my thoughts from the finals, Game 1, aka the Lakers shellacking of the Magic.- First of all, they're all not going to be this easy for the Lakers surely. But from watching this game today you have to think the Lakers are just the better team, and may have too much offensively for the Magic to handle.
- Kobe. Mamba. Here's the thing about Kobe. He is just an extroadinary shot-maker. Turning around towards traffic, getting hit, and banking it in from the center of the lane? Check. Slashing from the wing through two defenders, hanging in midair, avoiding shot blocker and finish with right hand across his body? Check. Coming off a handoff, fading away with a hand in his face to his right? Check. While Kobe did have a lot of rhythm shots as Dwight pointed out after the game, he did take and make his fair share of difficult shots, but thing is he makes the difficult seem and look routine. I also loved his use of ball screens. He proved that if you have proper spacing, you can literally walk a defender up to a screen, who knows the screen is coming, he'll still get stuck on it as Kobe did using a Gasol screen and Pietrus got stuck on it. Final thought on Kobe, absolutely love the underbite face. I saw him break it out in Game 6 against the Nuggets and I saw it again tonight after he made that bank shot and 1 in the third quarter. Love it.
- Gasol. You would think Dwight would destroy Gasol right? Well didn't happen tonight at least. Thing about Gasol is he's a smart defender. And granted the times he was isolated with Dwight, the Lakers sent some help, at least guys like Fisher and Kobe stunting at him, but Gasol is crafty and picked up two offensive fouls on Howard. You have to remember Gasol has been through some wars not just in the NBA but in Europe. While he never played anyone of Howard's physical stature in Euro, he did pick up some tricks as were evident tonight. Howard also just isn't there yet as an offensive player. He needs to slow himself down and make his moves despite those guards coming down and slapping at the ball. One quick move and the important thing is, finish. He had some opportunities near the rim tonight that he failed to convert.
- Odom should start getting some credit on the defensive end. He's always known as sort of a virtuoso offensive player, but his skills translate nicely to the opposite side of the ball as well. Much different having him closeout on Rashard shooting a three than it is having Delonte West huh. I think Rashard made the correct adjustment simply stepping by the sprinting Odom, but it seemed like Rashard was indecisive on whether to go all the way into the rim or settle for a pull up. He sort of got stuck in that inbetween shot that he missed.
- Can Courtney Lee defend Kobe Bryant? I've read and heard a lot about how smart a defender CLee may be, and thats fine. But Kobe might just be too strong, and too smart for him. I wrote on twitter that I couldn't wait for a Kobe clinic at the pinch post, and while it may not have been clinic worthy from that position alone, it was clear that was where he wanted the ball when Lee was on him and he can more times than not get that turn around shot which is essentially uncontested.
- Two things I noticed about Magic fashion. First of all where did Dwight get that arm sleeve with the silver lines on it? Don't think that sleeve is too hip, I'll be honest. Secondly has Jameer Nelson always played with his mouth guard hanging out of his mouth? I understand luck and comfort but that just seems unnessecary.
- Vince Carter gave Brook Lopez this tip in the beginning of the season and I think someone should pass it along to Andrew Bynum. Try and dunk everything! Bynum, you're 7 ft tall, you got defenders bouncing off you and flying by you under the basket and you're going up weak and trying to lay it in? Maybe he doesn't have his usual explosion out of his knees, but for god sakes go up with two hands and throw that thing in.
- If you're Orlando, how excited are you that a lot of the success you're going to have in this series is if Rafer Alston can make the Lakers pay by consistently hitting from outside?
- Mickael Pietrus was secretly (or not, but doesn't seem like many people are talking about it) good signing for the Magic. I like him a lot as a player. Has good size, athleticism. Can shoot it. I felt he really competed against Kobe the time's he was on him. Seemed to have pretty active hands. Seemed like a guy who would serve pretty well in the Nellieball system over at GSW but maybe he just didn't get enough minutes behind S. Jackson?
- Final thought..Dwight Howard same message goes to you that goes to Lebron. Time to just play the game son. We get it. You like to have fun Dwight, we get it. There comes a time though when fun has to be checked at the door and business time has to take over, and Dwight that time was weeks ago, but why not start now. Don't do you're stupid fall away shake with the towel before the game. Nobody cares. You know what Magic fans want out of you? Production. Save your antics for the celebratory parade..but help your team get their first. We get it, you like to have fun. Now its business time.
A Nets Fans Tribute
During this NBA Finals I will of course add my opinion to the action that is going on the court just like everyone else. Though you are going to read probably about 50 other Finals breakdowns from people who are admittedly smarter than me. So in an effort to keep things fresh I'm going to keep another angle alive.
I call it, the Nets dedication angle. Upon thinking about these NBA Finals from a Nets fans mind, I was trying to think of an angle that would pertain to the Nets. I was all juiced up when Kmart was in the conference finals because I thought he was going to reappear and get his shot at a championship which he didn't attain with the Nets. But then, Kobe did his thing, and took KMart out. So that got me to thinking, who on either of these teams rosters had Nets ties?
Well looking at the Lakers, they had none, though I wrote on my blog and Ian O'Connor of the Record covered extensively that Kobe could have been a Net had he not threatened to play in Italy had the Nets drafted him.
How about on the Magic? Well one of the big story lines for the Magic heading into this Finals is whether or not All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson is going to play. This story actually puts the one former Net player in this whole finals in the spot light as well, Magic backup point guard Anthony Johnson.
Ah yes, every Nets fan favorite backup. The towel waving back up to the great Jason Kidd. No one really knew the true value of Johnson until after he left, and we the Nets, had a tough time finding another reliable backup, and only this year we found Keyon Dooling to do the job.
Of course no one will forget in the 2006 NBA playoffs when the Nets met the Pacers in the first round and Anthony Johnson absolutely had the series of his life..including this game in which he actually went off for 40 points against Jason Kidd. Ridicolous game to watch by the way. I think I screamed at my TV five different times.."It's Anthony freaking Johnson for god sake!"
Well I'm going to be detailing what Anthony Johnson does in this playoffs as a tribute and a sign of loyalty to those who gave their all for the Nets organization. Right now here's where we stand with AJ's playoff stats - a very modest 4.3 ppg, 2.1 apg, and 1.4 rpg in 14.7 mpg. His minutes though are sure to go down as the roations get smaller and the threat of Jameer playing which is looming large. So we'll see how he does.
I call it, the Nets dedication angle. Upon thinking about these NBA Finals from a Nets fans mind, I was trying to think of an angle that would pertain to the Nets. I was all juiced up when Kmart was in the conference finals because I thought he was going to reappear and get his shot at a championship which he didn't attain with the Nets. But then, Kobe did his thing, and took KMart out. So that got me to thinking, who on either of these teams rosters had Nets ties?
Well looking at the Lakers, they had none, though I wrote on my blog and Ian O'Connor of the Record covered extensively that Kobe could have been a Net had he not threatened to play in Italy had the Nets drafted him.
How about on the Magic? Well one of the big story lines for the Magic heading into this Finals is whether or not All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson is going to play. This story actually puts the one former Net player in this whole finals in the spot light as well, Magic backup point guard Anthony Johnson.
Ah yes, every Nets fan favorite backup. The towel waving back up to the great Jason Kidd. No one really knew the true value of Johnson until after he left, and we the Nets, had a tough time finding another reliable backup, and only this year we found Keyon Dooling to do the job.
Of course no one will forget in the 2006 NBA playoffs when the Nets met the Pacers in the first round and Anthony Johnson absolutely had the series of his life..including this game in which he actually went off for 40 points against Jason Kidd. Ridicolous game to watch by the way. I think I screamed at my TV five different times.."It's Anthony freaking Johnson for god sake!"
Well I'm going to be detailing what Anthony Johnson does in this playoffs as a tribute and a sign of loyalty to those who gave their all for the Nets organization. Right now here's where we stand with AJ's playoff stats - a very modest 4.3 ppg, 2.1 apg, and 1.4 rpg in 14.7 mpg. His minutes though are sure to go down as the roations get smaller and the threat of Jameer playing which is looming large. So we'll see how he does.
The Almost Dynasty and Monster Draft
Just a mere 10 hours before the start of this year's NBA Finals..its not a bad idea to take a look back and see how each team got to where they are today. The Magic lucked out and won the lottery and then had the guts or foresight (however you want to look at it) to draft Dwight Howard. They then built their team around him. The Lakers are arguably built around Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson. It's interesting to note that this pairing, back in 1996, may have formed in somone else's arena..the New Jersey Nets'.
Yes Ian O'Connor of the record wrote about this today..you can find his article here. O'Connor tells the story of the 96' draft in which the Nets held the 8th pick, but were scared away from selecting Bryant, in fear that he would bolt for Italy instead of playing for the Nets (Rubio anyone?) And how the Nets tried luring Phil Jackson to a roster which was a "rebuilding project" which at the time was a knock on Phil Jackson, and I guess you could say it still is.
Either way read the article for the full details of both of those events, especially if your a Memphis Grizzlies fan because you may be in a similiar boat this year with Ricky Rubio. This article, however, reminded me of the 1996 draft class..and how good a class it was.
Here are some of the names you had in that class with the number pick they were in parenthesis. Allen Iverson (1), Marcus Camby (2), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (3), Stephon Marbury (4), Ray Allen (5), Antoine Walker (6), Kobe Bryant (13), Steve Nash (15), and Jermaine O'Neal (17). That is your crop of stars and all of those, with the exception of Camby, all went on to be the best players on their respective teams for years. You also had some other players who were main contributing factors to their teams, names like: Kerry Kittles (8), Erick Dampier (10), Peja Stojakovic (14), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (20), Derek Fisher (24), and Malik Rose (44).
This draft class had 10 all-stars and 11 if you count Ben Wallace, who was eligible for this draft but went undrafted. You had three different MVP's and four total..Iverson, Kobe, and Nash who won it twice. Thats an impressive class right there. As the draft approaches I think its interesting to take a look back at draft classes and see where guys fell and in this class Kobe going 13 looking back is pretty crazy, though it was noted that the Nets would have selected him at 8 had they thought he would have played.
Either way when the finals begin tonight and they are announcing the starting lineups, take note that the Lakers had the vision to draft their starting backcourt for the 2009 Finals 13 years ago in 1996.
Here is the full draft - 1996 NBA Draft
Yes Ian O'Connor of the record wrote about this today..you can find his article here. O'Connor tells the story of the 96' draft in which the Nets held the 8th pick, but were scared away from selecting Bryant, in fear that he would bolt for Italy instead of playing for the Nets (Rubio anyone?) And how the Nets tried luring Phil Jackson to a roster which was a "rebuilding project" which at the time was a knock on Phil Jackson, and I guess you could say it still is.
Either way read the article for the full details of both of those events, especially if your a Memphis Grizzlies fan because you may be in a similiar boat this year with Ricky Rubio. This article, however, reminded me of the 1996 draft class..and how good a class it was.
Here are some of the names you had in that class with the number pick they were in parenthesis. Allen Iverson (1), Marcus Camby (2), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (3), Stephon Marbury (4), Ray Allen (5), Antoine Walker (6), Kobe Bryant (13), Steve Nash (15), and Jermaine O'Neal (17). That is your crop of stars and all of those, with the exception of Camby, all went on to be the best players on their respective teams for years. You also had some other players who were main contributing factors to their teams, names like: Kerry Kittles (8), Erick Dampier (10), Peja Stojakovic (14), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (20), Derek Fisher (24), and Malik Rose (44).
This draft class had 10 all-stars and 11 if you count Ben Wallace, who was eligible for this draft but went undrafted. You had three different MVP's and four total..Iverson, Kobe, and Nash who won it twice. Thats an impressive class right there. As the draft approaches I think its interesting to take a look back at draft classes and see where guys fell and in this class Kobe going 13 looking back is pretty crazy, though it was noted that the Nets would have selected him at 8 had they thought he would have played.
Either way when the finals begin tonight and they are announcing the starting lineups, take note that the Lakers had the vision to draft their starting backcourt for the 2009 Finals 13 years ago in 1996.
Here is the full draft - 1996 NBA Draft
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
ESPN Classic NBA Finals Marathon
Clearly someone who works over at ESPN Classic caught wind of the Hoopennium 1000 hour experiment, got in their executives ears, and threw Hoopennium a bone with their NBA Finals Marathon they aired today giving Hoop a nice start into the video gathering campaign. These were the games that ran today in case you missed them:
1984 Celtics vs. Lakers Game 4
2006 Heat vs. Mavericks Game 6 - the closeout game if I'm not mistaken.
2003 Nets vs. Spurs Game 6 - also the closeout game, in which the Nets held a lead in the second half until S. Jackson went nuts..sadly, if I'm not mistaken.
1998 Bulls vs. Jazz Game 6 - 2 hours of MJ.
2008 Celtics vs. Lakers Game 4 - Nice symetry here as they are starting and ending the marathon with Lakers/Celtics game 4's which were played 28 years apart.
So thats five games or 10 hours for our purposes..all dubbed "classics" which will be added into the Hoopennium bank of film.
1984 Celtics vs. Lakers Game 4
2006 Heat vs. Mavericks Game 6 - the closeout game if I'm not mistaken.
2003 Nets vs. Spurs Game 6 - also the closeout game, in which the Nets held a lead in the second half until S. Jackson went nuts..sadly, if I'm not mistaken.
1998 Bulls vs. Jazz Game 6 - 2 hours of MJ.
2008 Celtics vs. Lakers Game 4 - Nice symetry here as they are starting and ending the marathon with Lakers/Celtics game 4's which were played 28 years apart.
So thats five games or 10 hours for our purposes..all dubbed "classics" which will be added into the Hoopennium bank of film.
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