The Die-Hard Spectator

NBA Doppelgangers: Ricky Rubio and....

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:01:00 +0000

Welcome to the section where we take a look at the NBA's players and point out their doppelgangers, a.k.a lookalikes. Today we have Ricky Rubio, the flashy, mesmerizing and speedy point guard all the way from Barcelona, Spain.

And his doppelganger is.....

AZIZ ANSARI!!!!!

You may know him from shows such as Human Giant and Parks and Recreation. The talented comedian of Indian descent has that same shaggy hair and beard as Ricky and theres some kind of uncanny resemblance in their faces.

Any more NBA doppelgangers around? Any more uncanny resemblances? Feel free to suggest!

Rave of the Week: Skip Bayless gets Jealous of Deandre's Slam

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:29:00 +0000

This week, the world witnessed probably one of the greatest and most astonishing dunks in recent history. It set twitter ablaze, led to the creation of T-Shirts glorifying the dunk and also led to people really thinking that Brandon Knight was indeed deceased. (#RIPBrandonknight). Well, someone wasn't too happy about it.

Brandon Knight:"uh-oh"

ESPN's First Take's Skip Bayless, an avid commentator on the sports scene, reacted strongly against the dunk, as he took to twitter:

I'm sick of Clips getting away w/ leading w/ left forearm or elbow before dunking. THAT'S AN OFFENSIVE FOUL. But won't call it & ruin dunk.

Following it up with a tweet that just screamed: sore loser.

Clips are really good at dunking and celebrating. Not so sure how good they are at winning playoff games.

It's not clear as to why he had such disdain for the play, maybe he just wanted to be the contrarian in this case.

A day later, he tweeted during the Spurs-OKC game,

Now THAT was a dunk by Kawhi Leonard. Stole it from Westbrook, behind the back, coast to coast, LEFTHANDED dunk over Perkins, who isn't a PG

No doubt, it was an impressive dunk by Leonard, yet Skip Bayless had to compare it to the Deandre Jordan dunk, highlighting the fact that Deandre Jordan dunked on a PG, probably suggesting that it wasn't hard at all. YEAH RIGHT.

Few days later, he referenced the dunk in a tweet on the Heat-Sixers game,

Jrue dunks on LeBron, turning him into Brandon Knight. Tied, 1:20 left.

Now if you saw the dunk by Jrue, Lebron was nothing like Knight at all.

What those tweets show is how absurd it is that someone can come up with an opposing view on a subject that is so unanimously favoured, like the Jordan dunk and the dominance of Lebron, just for the sake of opposing something. Of course there will always be people like that around, but the ridiculousness, absurdity and even the hilarity of it made and entertaining week in the NBA more entertaining and enjoyable.

Lebron Auditions for Announcer Job

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 03:43:00 +0000

With the game still close at the beginning of the fourth quarter against the Sixers, Lebron James decided to think about his life after basketball and proceeded to pick up a microphone on the scorers table and try some announcing.

Watch out Kevin Harlan, im coming soon.

Well, what really went down: Lebron deflected a pass and while trying to save the ball from going out of bounds, he landed up at the scorer's table and in a moment of jest, picked up the microphone. He had a good laugh, the announcers had a good laugh, the scorers table had a good laugh and almost everyone else, except the Sixers of course.

Though it was out of fun, it leaves one thinking, will Lebron go the route of Reggie Miller and Shaq and a whole hosts of players who joined broadcasting after their careers were over? It could turn out to be a pretty good option, especially if Lebron gets a spot on the Inisde the NBA panel. Watching Shaq, Chuck, Kenny and Lebron going back and forth with jokes and jibes would totally hilarious and interesting.

Furthermore, besides being a pretty funny guy, people would actually care about Lebron's opinion on the NBA's weekly happenings, unlike Brent Barry or or Dennis Scott. Who knows, Lebron might even have a hit segment a la Shaqtin' a Fool.

We'll see in a few years time though, and for now, we'll just enjoy what Lebron's best at - Playing ball.

The Most Entertaining Frontcourt in the NBA?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 07:56:00 +0000

The Clippers just blew out the Bobcats 106-84, as DunkFest 2013 went underway. It was dunk after dunk, alley-oop after alley-oop as the Bobcats defense crumbled under the speed, ferocity and sheer precision of the Clipper transition game. Of all the good points for the Clips, two things stood out- Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, the most entertaining frontcourt in the NBA.

Let's break down the performance of the two. Blake Griffin- 24 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 block. Deandre Jordan- 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 blocks. The most amazing thing- both guys did not even play the fourth quarter.

Probably what establishes this pair as the most entertaining is their penchant for dunks. Lots of em'. Lob City (a nickname thanks to these guys and Chris Paul) has the two of them in the top three in dunks this season, with Griffin leading the way at 145 and Jordan third at 123. Possibly the most athletic frontcourt duo, no other pair can match up their speed and the sheer strength in which they dunk the ball.

However, they cannot be the most entertaining frontcourt without their backcourt, especially their floor general Chris Paul. Paul has been one of the main reasons why Lob City is known as Lob City, and with the leagues's two best dunkers in your team, there can only be one result- Alley-oops. Just look back at the start of the game, where a play for an alley-oop to Jordan was drawn up and easily executed to start the game with a bang.

One must never forget. Blocks. Jordan though not a leading shot blocker, is an avid shot blocker and shot alter-er. Griffin too, however its hard to imagine him not being one with the air and hangtime he gets, but he is known for the big block or two in games( remember Deron Williams?) Jordan had 4 blocks tonight with some tight defense, especially a huge one on Haywood which led to yet another dunk.

So, possible challengers to their entertainment value title? Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph seem the closest, but they seem to be more effective and efficient compared to being entertaining. Randolph hardly jumps, and Gasol's athleticism seems nowhere near Jordan's, but these two get the job done still.

Probably David West and Paul Hibbert? Again, they seem to be effective and dominant with their size and shot blocking, but they just don't get people up on their feet like the Clippers duo can.

Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol? Errrr....

As the season passes the halfway mark and the post season arrives, fans all over the world will be ready to see even more of the Clippers frontcourt, possibly leading Lob City to the Conference Finals? That will be a debate for another day, but as for now, Blake Griffin and Deandre Jordan are definitely the most entertaining frontcourt in the NBA, though not the best-YET.

Rave of the Week: Chris Bosh's Humiliating All-Star Night

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 09:22:00 +0000

There are moments in the All-Star Weekend that leave you amazed, in awe, bored, fascinated, excited, or rolling on the floor laughing. The 2013 All-Star Game was a ROFL kind of night, well at least when it came to victim-of-the-night: Mr. Chris Bosh.

Let's do a summary for Bosh of the things that he does not want to remember ever again:
Airballs x4
Getting Posterised x4
Ball dribbled through legs x2
Various clumsy actions

He pretty much had a nice full list, all he needed was to miss a few dunks to complete his embarrassing night.

Highlights of the night would include Chris Paul's sweet dribble through Bosh's legs as if he wasn't there. To make matters worse, awhile later, Bosh took Parker one on one and yet again got left red-faced. That's two times in a single game to the SAME player. For something that happens once in probably ten plus games, that was laugh out loud hilarious.

He probably wished Rondo would never have gotten injured and that he would never have started the game in his place. Now Bosh will probably have to face tons of jokes from teammates, jibes from friends and family and a possible starring role on the next Shaqtin' a Fool. My advice: no family gatherings for the time being Chris.

As next years All-Star Weekend comes around, you can be rest assured that I will be excited and ready to spot not the next big star or the next dunk champion, but the next All-Star Blooper Hall of Famer. On the list, Chris "Birdman" Andersen and Chris Bosh.

Who's next?

Wayne Rooney's Top 5 Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 15:07:00 +0000

At 27 years old and with 9 seasons already past him, Wayne Rooney has been a goalscoring machine that has captured our hearts and at times, left us staring in shock with the way he scored them. With more than a hundred goals scored in his career, let's take a look at the 5 best goals of Wayne Rooney.

5. vs Middlesbrough FA Cup, 2005

Just no chance for Schwarzer.

After scoring an out-of-this world wonder goal, chipping Schwarzer from 40 yards out,(I rank it no.6, just missed the cut) Rooney completed his destruction of Middlesborough with a vicious volley just dripping with venom.

Difficulty: 7

Style: 8

Importance: 6

4. vs Arsenal, 2002

Seaman loves to eat grass.

This was Rooney announcing his arrival into the elite. With an audacious curling effort, Rooney broke Arsenal's streak and their hearts. Did I mention he was 16 then? FANTASTIC.

Difficulty: 8
Style: 8
Importance: 8

3. vs Portsmouth, FA Cup 2007

David James left standing still.

Yet again, Rooney chips someone in the FA Cup, and to make it even more impressive, he did it with a defender right in front of him. Either he did not see the defender or he had his calculations all correct, but we all know its the latter. David James did not even know what to do as he just gave up. Hilarious yet breathtaking.

Difficulty: 9

Style: 9

Importance:7

2. vs Newcastle, 2005

That was too badass.

Rooney, feeling really ticked off the whole game, and with United trailing to Newcastle, decided to vent his anger on a poor Tim Howard clearance. Result: Mind-Blowing goal. Just look at the curl on the ball and the distance from goal! Personally, I would choose this goal to be no.1 but you gotta give credit where credit is due, which leads us to......

Difficulty: 10
Style:10
Importance:9

1. vs Manchester City, 2011

*speechless*

This was just a goal that got everyone who saw it live, off their seat. Man City or Man United or even Liverpool fans, give it up, that was just pure genius that only comes once in a lifetime. With the score at 1-1 and both teams needing the win to gain an upper hand in the title race, Rooney stepped up and made history. Overhead or Bicycle or whatever you want to call it, it was just world class.

Difficulty: 10

Style: 10

Importance: 10

The 2013 Dunk Yawn-test

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 03:47:00 +0000

"The strongest line-up since 2000", "will be the top ten dunk contests of all time"-Kenny smith, "The Gerald Green-White Rematch". These were some of the things that were said about the 2013 dunk contest, but boy, did it disappoint

It was definitely a highly anticipated event, more so with the underwhelming performance in 2012 which featured virtual unknown Jeremy Evans as the winner. This year he was back with 5 others who was supposedly going to put on one of the best shows in dunk contest history. Gerald Green, former dunk champion and James White were one of the top picks to win, considering their impressive dunk showdowns in recent history and this was supposed to be the event that settled who was the best. Out of the three repping the east, one of them was rookie Terrence Ross, who threw down a few impressive ones during the season but had limited playing time.

In the most anti-climatic way possible, Green and White both did not make it though to the finals and Terence Ross did instead. To be fair, Green's first dunk had me jumping out of my seat. A vicious reverse jam after a self-oop off the side of the board. AMAZING. Finesse, style, swagger, it was all there. What a way to start off.

To put things in perspective, the only time I got excited after that was Ross's first dunk in the finals, paying tribute to the great Vince Carter by putting on his jersey and throwing down an eye-popping dunk with incredible force.

Besides those, man was it lame. Evans jumping over a portrait of himself jumping over a portrait of himself jumping over a portr....wait a minute. You'll get it when you see the video. Bledsoe had a monster second dunk which I really thought should have out him through to the finals. He missed it by one point.

Gerald Green, who had such a successful first dunk, got everyone excited by cutting off the net on the rim for some kind of double dunk, which he failed to do and to make things worse, he managed to compete it after the time was up. But Charles Barkley was totally right in saying that even if he did it it would still not be quite as impressive. It just wasn't a power dunk that would have got people excited.

James White wasn't even in the conversation, as he failed time and again to complete his second dunk. Maybe he's just getting old. It was just sad to see him all tired and panting and slightly sweating as time expired. Shaq made a good point/joke about White's playing time and fitness though.

Faried had two good dunks but frankly, his in-game dunks are waaaaay better, impressive and awesome.

To end things off, Ross jumped over a boy, went between the legs and threw it down. Meh.

There just wasn't the anticipation, excitement and rapturous audience reaction that made previous good dunk contests.

However, the dunk contest is not yet dead. There is still much hope for the future, and hopefully next year is gonna better just like how this year was better than last year. I definitely wanna see Bledsoe and Ross back in, and REALLY HOPING that DeAndre Jordan makes his tweet official and joins the dunk contest next year, which really should be referring to that.

Most importantly, everyone please follow Skip Bayless and #GetLebronToDunk.

Please.

In Retrospect: MJ's best personal season?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 09:13:00 +0000

Michael Jordan has been one of the most recognizable and celebrated basketball players in the history of the NBA and is definitely in the conversation for the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time). His phenomenal basketball skills, determination, competitiveness and ability have been one of the biggest stories in the world of sports. However, as we look back at the 15 amazing seasons that he has had, which season did MJ truly establish his individual greatness? Here are our four choices...

1984-85' Rookie Season (38-44)

Gotta love those Jordan 1s

Stats: 28.2 PPG 6.5 RPG 5.9 APG 2.4 SPG 0.8 BPG PLAYOFF PPG: 29.3 (lost first round 3-1)

This was the season that MJ announced his arrival into the basketball world. Picked at No.3 (Behind Olajuwon and Bowie), Jordan made an immediate impact in the Bulls squad, putting up exceptional numbers for a rookie. What made it more amazing was the fact that MJ led the Bulls to a playoff spot, improving from a 27-55 record from the previous season, easily getting Rookie of the Year honors. However, MJ was still a skinny, inexperienced player, and his amazing skills were still not fully developed (thats's scary) and greater things were still to come.

1986-87' Season
(40-42)

Epic 87' Dunk Contest

37.1 PPG 48.2% FG 5.2 RPG 4.6 APG 2.8 SPG 1.5 BPG PLAYOFF PPG: 35.7 (lost 1st round 3-0)

This was statistically one of the best seasons that MJ had(37.1 PPG?!!). With Charles Oakley, John Paxson and Brad Sellers, MJ led the Bulls to a better win-loss record and into the playoffs where they met with the Celtics who swept them aside. Furthermore, Jordan still did not win his first MVP title. This season probably was the start of many times where critics of MJ said, "Scoring champions don't win titles". Well, he showed them, didn't he...

1990-91' season (First Championship)
(61-21)

Two of the greatest

31.5 PPG 53.9% FG 6 RPG 5.5 APG 2.7 SPG 1.0 BPG PLAYOFF PPG: 31.1

This was the year that really got things rolling for Jordan and the Bulls. Not only did he win the elusive NBA title he wanted so badly, he got his second Regular season MVP, 5th straight scoring title and his first NBA finals MVP that came with this stat line: 31.2 points on 56% shooting, 11.4 assists 6.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals and 1.4 blocks. WOW. With the development of BJ Armstrong, Horace Grant and Scottie Pippen, Jordan had a solid supporting cast which would form the mould for the Bulls first three-peat.

1995-96' season (72-10) (The Return)

His Airness

30.4 PPG 6.6 RPG 4.3 APG, 2.2 SPG 0.5 BPG PLAYOFF PPG: 30.7

This was arguably the best season in Bulls history, completing the amazing feat of being the only team to ever win 70 games in a season. They started the season with jaw-dropping 41-3 record and never looked back. Jordan had just returned halfway through the previous season and their loss to the Magic in the 95' playoffs sparked a desire in Jordan like never before. With the established team core of Jordan, Pippen and rebounding champion Dennis Rodman, and the support of Harper, Kerr, Longley and Kukoc, the Bulls were set to dominate the NBA for the next three seasons. In this season, Jordan was only the second player ever to sweep the MVP awards for the All-Star Game, Regular Season and NBA finals, asserting his dominance like never before.

Honorable mentions: 1988-First MVP, 1997-Jazz and the Flu Game, 2003- Owning at 40

Some might say that in the latter years of Jordan's career he had a well-established team that made his individual job easier, while others would argue that it was then that Jordan showed his personal greatness in the clutch moments of the playoffs.

So what would your choice be?

Lebron and Wade have an In-Game Dunk Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:00:00 +0000

All-Star Weekend is still a week away from now, and the dunk contest won't be featuring James or Wade, but man, those two showcased some dunk contest-worthy jams that left the Lakers floored.

Maybe Lebron's tweet : "dunk contest?" was kind of a inside code thingy with Wade for in-game dunk displays, we'll never know.

Well, most of the dunks were by James, as usual, but Wade had a pretty monstrous 4th quarter as the Heat broke away from the Lakers to a ten point lead to end the game. However, 5 minutes left in the third quarter, with only a one point difference in the game, Wade did this:

OUCH. Howard, im sorry but you are on that poster.

To understand the difficulty of that dunk, Wade took off before the restricted zone painted area with Howard flying in for the block, hung in the air, flew under the net, before throwing down a huge jam on the reverse. WOW.

Scorecard: 10

James had his fun too, leaving all of us wishing he'd just take part in the damn dunk contest and answer our prayers.

In the first quarter, James left MWP standing and staring with the powerful spin and slam, and yes, no one really wanted to get in the way of that and ending up hurt. Pity the rim, though.

Scorecard: 8

Now this was just pure beauty. Wade does an amazing job saving the ball from going out of bounds, Cole gets the ball on the two on one fast break with James. Result: Massive Alley-Oop. Just look at the slow-mo, the rim was on James' eye level as he threw it down with both hands, poetry in motion. This dunk gets a perfect score for the team effort on the defense, to the save, up to the oop.

Scorecard: 10

While the previous dunk was a team effort, this was all Lebron. With the game ending, and with a seven point lead, James steals the ball, powers up the court, and guess who's in his way? Little ol' Stevie Nash. What comes next is no surprise: a textbook James freight train one hand tomahawk. Just nothing you can do about it.

Scorecard: 7

Let's all just hope that the actual dunk contest will be better than this, because this game was pretty awesome. Now if only we could get these two to sign up for 2014's Sprite Slam Dunk Contest.

Rave of the Week: Kobe Posterizes the Nets

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 15:28:00 +0000

Our rave of the week: Kobe turns back the clock and dunks on Kris Humphries AND Gerald Wallace like its good ol' 98'.

According to the Los Angeles Times:

I was pretty shocked that the lane was so wide open,” Bryant said after the game. “I think that everybody’s been drinking the ‘Kobe-pass’ Kool-Aid, so everybody kind of stays on the perimeter with the shooters. It just parted like the Red Sea. So I felt a little like Moses.”

There you have it, Kobe Bryant goes Old Testament on the Brooklyn Nets. Check out old Moses's dunk once more:

SICK.

For a moment there, if you said that you did not expect to see a Mini-Fro and a No.8 on Kobe's back as he landed, I would call you a big fat liar.

In retrospect, its been 17 amazing seasons with Kobe Bryant, and dunks like these from him are starting to get rare. So will Moses part the Red Sea one more time? I sincerely hope so.

The Good Ol' Days.

Keep a lookout for next week's Rave of the Week!

Celtics Destroy Lakers by 21 points, KG Not Surprised

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 08:16:00 +0000

A crushing win against the Lakers, Howard gets fouled out, KG reaches 25K points, Kobe loses his facilitator role and the Celtics get a sweet sixth consecutive win.

Who knew that the Celtics would be so good without Rondo? The Celtics dominated the game, and had a 27 point lead by the end of the third quarter. Avery Bradley proved his mettle once again with 10 points, providing the defensive hustle for the Celtics. Jeff Green was the spark off the bench, finishing with 19 points and one huge block towards the end of the third quarter.
Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 24 points and KG capped off a career milestone night with 15 points.

Towards the end of the third quarter, with the Celtics up by 15, Jeff Green threw down a huge dunk, ran all the way back and rejected an Antawn Jamison layup, sending the TD Garden into a frenzy. Pierce proceeded to call for the ball and sank a deep three with a hand in his face. At this point, the Garden was exploding with cheers. From then on, they did not look back as they finished out the game easily.

Kobe sat out the entire fourth quarter with the game more or less finished, and Dwight Howard had a torrid game with 9 points and was clearly not comfortable on the court, fouling out in the fourth.

Yet again, this already fantastic season has pulled out another surprise. The Celtics have been absolutely fantastic since Rondo's ACL tear, proving all the doubters wrong.

What's next? Bynum returns and dominates? Rose leads the Bulls to a championship? Phil Jackson returns to the Lakers??

The Decline of Ronaldinho

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:20:00 +0000

It was the supposed return of the samba king, yet the night ended up short of any form of authority.

The 32 year old Ronaldinho marked his 100th appearance for Brazil, and the return from his one-year absence in the international friendly against England, but came up short with a 2-1 loss and the romanticized return of the Brazilian protagonist was cut short with a half-time substitution.

DAAAMMNNN.

To make matters worse, Ronaldinho missed a penalty in the 19th minute, kicking a limp right grounder to Joe Hart, who dived the right way. That pretty much summed up his night as he was muted and ineffective throughout the whole game(45 mins for him though).

(Check out the Brazilian Beer Belly- 0:16)

I guess to any football fan who watched this game, the inevitable question would be: "what the hell happened to him?"

11 years ago, a young Ronaldinho announced his arrival on the world stage with a stunning free-kick winner against England in the World Cup. Thereafter, Ronaldinho took the world by storm. His play mesmerized and captivated, not only entertaining the masses but winning trophies too. The two-time player of the year seemed to have the world at his feet.

Some say it was his 2008 move to Milan: " He should have never left Barca". While others blamed it on his partying lifestyle. Still others justified his decline with the numerous injuries he accumulated and his deteriorating physical fitness. To defend him, groups of die-hard fans clamoured: "he just got bored".

What's hard to justify, is the relation between his age and his fitness. At 32, the average football player will still be doing fine physically, able to start and finish whole 90 minute games, much less an elite player who played for a world class club.

As sad as it is, the reign of Ronaldinho is long over and the flashes of brilliance, over-head kicks, cheeky backheels, no-look passes and mesmerizing stepovers have dried up. The only thing we can do, is hope that the football superstars of this generation do not follow in his footsteps and have long, fruitful careers.

Goodbye Ronaldinho, I will always remember the time you did this:

Rockets Score 23 Treys: Luck or Skill?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:56:00 +0000

The Rockets crushed the Warriors 140-109 in one of the most devastating displays from downtown in the history of the NBA. Let's break down the long range culprits...

1. Jeremy Lin

28 points, 5 out of 8 from downtown.

Is Linsanity back? The last time he nearly reached the 30 mark was way back in Feb 2012 when Linsanity started. With a season average of 28.9% three point percentage, one would not expect 5 three pointers in the game. Im not saying he is a bad shooter, he's just not consistent enough. Besides, considering the amount of open looks that he had, knocking down those threes were a requirement.

Conclusion: LUCK

2. James Harden

18 points, 4 of 5 from downtown

Well we all know what Harden, can do, drive, shoot and look scary. Leading the Houston Rockets in scoring this year, Harden has taken tons of threes and made them. Possibly due to the high amount of shots he takes, his 3PT percentage stays around an unimpressive 32.8%, however, his deadliness from the three point line is well-known and give him open shots like in the Warriors game, he'll make those shots

Conclusion: SKILL

3. Chandler Parsons

16 points 4-8 from downtown

This is a pretty tough call. We know that he is only a sophomore but with a 3PT percentage of 36.4% I'm gonna say he earned it and anyway, he only made half his shots so skills and luck kinda balanced out for him

Conclusion: BOTH

4. Marcus Morris

13 points 3-6 from downtown

Morris has been a pretty good option for the rockets on the bench especially the three point option. Shooting 38.3% from the arc, his 50% made in this game seems like a normal day for him.

Conclusion: SKILL

5. Toney Douglas

14 points 2-4 from downtown

He is definitely known for his three point ability with a 37.7% season average and he too made 50% of his treys, nothing spectacular nothing out of the ordinary.

Conclusion: SKILL

6. James Anderson

8 points 2-4 from downtown

It's almost impossible to tell because this youngster has only played a total of 96 games since he entered the NBA in 2010.
So far, he's made 4 of 8 attempts from downtown this season, so....

Conclusion: LUCK

The others:

Patrick Patterson, Patrick Beverly, Donatas Montiejunas.

Top 10 Manchester United Strikers in Premier League History

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:50:00 +0000

Way back in 1992, the Premier League started, so did Manchester United's awesome domination over the next 20 years. In the blink of an eye, it's been 21 years since and Manchester United's success has of course come with the contributions of many great strikers of all nationalities. Here we count down the Top 10 of these strikers who have made Old Trafford a literal Theatre of Dreams.

10. Javier Hernandez

At only age 24, this young mexican has already cemented his place as an Old Trafford cult favourite, not only scoring important goals, but scoring them efficiently too. He was the first player since Ruud Van Nistelrooy(you'll see him later) who scored 20 goals in his debut season at his club, which is impressive considering he was not a consistent starter even up till now. He still has a bright future ahead and tons of goals to score.

Efficiency( Goals per game): 0.46 (31 in 67 games)

9. Robin Van Persie

Hello, it's another Dutch striker with the word 'van' in his name. Yes, his first season in United has not even come to a close and yet he has written his name in the history books and captured the hearts of United fans all over the world. Who could forget the masterful performances against Arsenal and Manchester City? Not to mention the countless times he has bailed United out with a last minute goal or winner. Many more goals to come from this Dutchman. That's a guarantee.

Efficiency: 0.76 (22 in 29 games)

8. Teddy Sheringham

One of the strikers from a great Manchester United era, Sheringham was well known for his poaching and scoring abilities as well as a high profile spat with fellow striker Andy Cole. Despite the limited starting chances he got with Yorke arriving, he made a lasting impact with his memorable goals (1999 Champions League Final anyone?) and is still considered a United legend in many fans' hearts.

Efficiency: 0.3 (46 in 153 games)

7. Dwight Yorke

Oh yes we remember this guy. Dwight Yorke made scoring not only look cool but immensely fun as well. His trademark toothy grin was a mainstay on many-a-television back in the day. He and Andy Cole formed one of the most prolific, entertaining and telepathic strike partnership in football history. He probably loved the hell out of Beckham who gave him inch perfect cross after inch perfect cross which made it so easy for him to head into goal.

Efficiency: 0.43 ( 66 in 152 games)

6. Mark Hughes

Ok ok ok, before you old school United fans get angry at this disrespectful ranking, I want to clarify that this a Premier League list. Hughes was in the twilight of his career when the 92 season came along and he left after the 95' season which his stats did not do justice to his Premier league legacy. But wow what a United legend this guy is. From the cool curly perms to even curlier mullets, Mark Hughes was a Red Devil through and through. He played with a determination and grit you seldom find in players nowadays and his goal scoring touch was legendary.

Efficiency: 0.35 (163 in 467 games)

5. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer

Few players can say that they made Peter Schmeichel cartwheel without any sort of financial incentive. Solksjaer scored the game winning goal in the 1999 champions league final against Bayern Munich with virtually the last kick of the game, sealing one of the most famous Champions League wins in history. HOWEVER, that can't take all the credit. Solksjaer was an extremely prolific scorer, despite the fact that he was the poster boy of super-subs and hardly started. Still, he kept his loyalty, his scoring boots and his hairdo all the way to his retirement as a Red Devil. Long live the Baby-faced Assasin.

Efficiency: 0.34( 126 in 366 games)

4. Andy Cole

Andy Cole was the other half of the incredible strike partnership with Dwight Yorke. Arriving from Newcastle in 1995, Cole made an immediate impact, scoring 12 goals in 18 games in the remainder of the 94-95 season. He proceeded on to a stellar career at United, constantly leading United in scoring and of course to the 1999 Treble season, cementing his legacy as not only one of the best at United but in the Premier League as well.

Efficiency: 0.44( 121 in 275 games)

3. Wayne Rooney

Here is the next great no.10 for United. Rooney has proven to be one of the best transfers Fergie has ever made. Arriving at United as an 18 year old what does he do? Score a hat-trick against Fenerbache on his debut. OK. Already in his ninth (wow time flies) season, Rooney has given his heart and soul to United. Besides being a world class striker with a mercurial knack for the jugular, he brings a passion and an aggression that spurs on the entire team. What's scary is that he is only 27 years old. We look forward to the tons of goals this true United legend is gonna score. Wazza!!!

Efficiency: 0.5( 194 in 389 games)

2. Ruud Van Nistelrooy

Back in the early 2000s the picture on the left was a real common sight. The Flying Dutchman scored like his life depended on it. Defenders would mark him and try to take him down but to no avail. One time against Fulham, he did a Ryan Giggs and dribbled from the halfway line all the way to penalty box for a goal. Sadly, his career with United did not last long enough for us to enjoy even more of his wizardry when he packed up his bags and left for Madrid. Now in 2013, his flying dutchman legacy is being carried on (see No.9) but he will be forever remembered as the original dutch goal scoring monster.

Efficiency: 0.68(?!?!?!?!!)(150 in 219 games)

1. Eric Cantona

You know you are 'King Eric" when you have goal celebrations like that( see pic on left). Just stand there, pose and look cool. All that after an insane lob over Sunderland's keeper. At the end of the day, its not the games played, goals scored or efficiency that matters. The No.1 spot belongs to the King because he ruled football wherever he went. His goals were audacious and spectacular, taken with ruthlessness and a swagger that could make opponents cry. In addition, he had amazing kungfu skills. After so many years, King Eric still reigns in the hearts of every United fan, and that familiar chant still rings in their ears : "OOH AAH CANTONA"

Efficiency: 0.44 (82 in 185 games)

The Miami Heat's Biggest Problem: The Big Three

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:38:00 +0000

Just hours ago, the Miami Heat took down the Charlotte Bobcats 99-94. Another day in the life of the Heat, probably, but the game showed potential problems the Miami Heat might face.

2012 Champions: The Miami Heat

Lebron James- 31 points, 8 assists, 8 rebounds. Dwayne Wade- 20 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists. Chris Bosh 23 points, 4 rebounds. Wow, great stuff by the big three. Using simple math, the Big Three accounted for 74 points of the 99.

The scary fact: The Big Three were the only players in double figures. The next highest scorer was Ray Allen with 7.

Furthermore, this is not a one time occurrence. In fact, the last few Heat games have shown the exact same pattern. In Toronto, the Big Three scored 81 of the Heat's 100 points with the next highest scorer being Shane Battier with 5. Before that, in the loss to the Pacers, The Big Three scored 58 of the Heat's 89 points.

This all points to one thing- An over-reliance on the Big Three. We saw how the Heat was tied up with the Raptors till Lebron came on to help the Heat pull away for the win. Today against the Bobcats, it was pretty much the same thing.

So what would the Heat do without the Big Three? Right now they are playing great basketball with the fancy dimes, cuts, alley-oops and even Bosh having his turn at the three-point line. All it takes is an injury to one of these guys and the Heat might be facing a real tough time. Last year's playoff run was a clear indicator. The Heat had a real tough time against the Pacers with Bosh out with abdominal pains. When he came back against the Celtics in the next round, they were playing much better ball.

Of course, some might say (and even I would say) that the Heat are just playing out the regular season, getting it over and done with and get to the post-season. Many games so far have shown that, constantly leaving it till the fourth quarter to get the win. There seems to be a lack of desire or drive for the Heat but when the post-season comes, I guarantee you the Heat will be a different animal.

So is this a cause for concern? Will the Big Three stay healthy? Can the 'The Others' rise up in case of an injury to the Big Three?

We'll just have to wait and see.

NBA Secret to Greatness: Weird Mouth Habits

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:06:00 +0000

Year after year, draft class after draft class, rookie players enter the NBA hoping to make their mark and become a great in the NBA, aiming for at least an All-Star appearance or a place in the Hall of Fame.

Good news for these rookies as a startling discovery has been made that points directly to the secret to being a great player, and by great I mean the best player of your generation. Michael Jordan, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant all share one thing in common that explains their greatness. Nope it's not athleticism, skill, competitiveness, desire, ambition, passion or motivation. Throw all of that aside. Their common secret is: Weird Mouth Habits.

Yeap, the one unflinchingly undeniable fact, weird mouth habits somehow brings you MVP awards, scoring titles and Championships. Let's take a look at these three NBA greats.

1. Michael Jordan/ Sticking-out-of-tongue

What an amazingly long tongue

Would you just look at that?! I think it's safe to say that MJ pioneered weird mouth habit #1. The tongue was always out when it came to dunks, layups, step back jumpers or a fadeaways. Amazingly enough the ball usually ended up at the bottom of the net. Many debate that it was the unusual tactic of using his tongue to achieve an inhuman balance on those classic fadeaways that led to his amazing balance to finish off the shots. In retrospect, that makes lots of sense. With a career 30.1 ppg, definitely, tongue don't lie.

2. Kobe Bryant/ Collar-Sweat-Sucking

Now that's what i call hydration!

Chew, suck, bite on your sweaty collar, good for dried lips but even better for your Hall of Fame credentials. Finally, after 17 seasons in the NBA, Kobe has revealed his secret. Rehydrating on your own sweat is apparently a method for churning out greatness. I have not seen another player doing that to his collar, and that's probably why Kobe's is and was a cut above the rest. Kobe now needs one more championship ring to match MJ, and we all know what he'll do-Suck that collar!

3. Lebron James/ Mouth-Guard-Displaying

Extreme tooth decay, oh wait! those are letters..

Number one way to motivate yourself to a championship: print the number of games you have to win in the playoffs on your mouth guard in roman numerals. That's what LBJ did and he proceeded to collect his first championship ring on his third try. Why did he not win the first two times? Lack of motivational mouth guards of course. Again this habit is an unprecedented one. Of course we have players chewing on their mouth guards like gum, but mouth guards with printed roman numerals? That's a first. Now as Lebron goes for his next title, we can expect to see alot more of this(see picture) but maybe in numbers or words next time, who knows?

Already young NBA players have started to learn this trade secret and develop weird mouth habits to lead them to their Championship-winning, league-dominating, MVP-chasing, Hall-of-Fame-Induction-ing career

Blake Griffin, Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler

And there you go, basketball's biggest secret is officially out, now go ahead and win some chips!

The Top 5 'One-Two Punch' Pairings in the NBA

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 02:39:00 +0000

Back in February 2012, Kobe Bryant passed Shaq on the all-time scoring list which prompted a congratulatory response from the former Laker big: "thanks for making us the best laker one-two punch ever."

We all know the effect these two had on the NBA in their time: countless win streaks, total domination on both ends of the court, hours of clips of highlights and of course, the three-peat. This begs the question: does the one two punch dynamic still exist today?

Not counting the 80's celtics and lakers who were more like multiple punches, we had Jordan-Pippen, Malone-Stockton, Kobe-Shaq, T-Mac-Carter, Nash-Stoudemire, who's next in line?

5. Stephen Curry and David Lee

These two Golden State Warriors have to be one of the most underrated pairs in the NBA. The Warriors have been on a remarkable run of games, taking down heavyweights such as the Clippers and OKC back-to-back, which of course would not have been possible without the All Star play of Curry and Lee. Lee is a double-double machine, constantly grabbing boards and scoring efficiently with an array of layups, hooks and put-backs which has earned him an All-Star spot. How Curry was shunned from the All-Star Game, no one will ever know or forgive, but he has risen up to be an amazing player, constantly knocking down threes and clutch shots. No wonder the dark-horse warriors are sitting pretty at 5th place in the West.

PPG: 40.5

APG: 10.5

RPG: 14.9

Championships: 0

4. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin

These two players have revolutionised the alley-oop. From a rare highlight basketball play, it is now an expected necessity in all of the Clippers games and that's why they own the term Lob City. But eye-dropping highlights of freakish athleticism and mind-blowing dishes aside, these two have transformed the oft-ridiculed Clippers into an opponent's nightmare. Chris Paul is the floor general of the NBA. Period. It's not only about assists and setting up team mates, it's making an entire team better and also making the team a place where quality players are attracted to because of it's championship potential. BG32 on the other hand, is one for the future. Sure, one can just dismiss him as the brainless dunk addict, only good for highlight reel dunks, but Griffin has developed a devastating post game. Hooks, spins, fakes, step backs you name it, he has improved in it. He is definitely on the road to be one of the best PFs in the league.

PPG: 35.1

APG:13.3

RPG: 12.1

Championships: 0

3.Tim Duncan and Tony Parker

Longevity and experience are the names of this player's games. This one two punch combo has been around for a long time; multiple championships and numerous finals appearances. These guys are the real deal. Too bad they seem to be the least talked about All stars in recent history and many people seem to forget they are around. Timmy D has been defying all laws of everything with his play this season. At the grand old age of 36, he seems to be playing like its 2007. Or according to his stats better than 2007( The last time he had 2.7 BPG was way back in 03-04). Parker, has slowly taken on the lead role in San Antonio and he has risen into MVP contention this season. Probably the only thing that's keeping them from the number one spot: Age. The likelihood of this one two punch dominating or even being around for the next three, four seasons is not that big.

PPG: 37.4

APG: 10.3

RPG: 12.7

Championships: 3

2. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook

Say hello to your worst basketball nightmare. It almost seems as if fate brought these two basketball freaks together to terrorise the NBA. If there is one word to describe this one-two punch: Relentless. If it's not a three from KD, its a monster drive from Westbrook , if it's not a monster dunk from Westbrook, it's a bigger monster dunk from KD. At only 24, KD has three scoring titles,(WHAT?!!) and en route to a fourth this season. This guy is just a scoring machine with no conscience and no sympathy for any opponent. Nuff' said. Russell Westbrook is an amazing athletic player who is a stat sheet stuffer, sadly though, his greatness is limited because he is on the same team as KD and he tends to get the blame when things go wrong. However, these two are still young and if they stay together in OKC, multiple championships and total dominance are inevitable.

PPG: 52.2 (??!!!!)

APG: 12.7

RPG: 12.8

Championships: 0

1. LeBron James and Dwayne Wade

Currently, these two own the NBA. "What! they don't even have the best record in the NBA!!" chill, i know what you are thinking. This one two punch lives for the off season. Looking at their matches so far, they are purely on cruise control. If KD and RWB are Relentless, these two can be described by the word: Effortless. These two have developed an amazing chemistry and dynamism and a surprising unselfishness to lead the Heat to be one of the top teams in the league. LeBron is so good that people have actually become bored of his MVP play. "Oh 20 points again? 7 boards? an almost-triple-double?meh." would be a typical response to your average NBA fan. Since winning his first title and reinventing his game( dreamshakin!) Lebron is playing with grace coupled with force, which is contradictory yet he pulls it off so well. D-Wade, Superman, Flash whatever you want to call him, is definitely not over the hill. He has evolved into a more complete player, shooting efficiently, using his championship experience and clutch abilities to maximum effect. Why are they at the top? they knocked off no. 2 in the 2012 finals, and have pretty much taken care of the rest in their own effortless ways.

PPG: 47.1

APG: 11.6

RPG: 12.9

Championships: 1

All stats true as of Feb 3 2013.