Jackson Five

 

 Courtesy of nba.com

There’s no doubt in my mind that Phil Jackson will win his fifth NBA championship with the LA Lakers and NBA record eleventh world championship overall this season.  Jackson is the greatest coach of all time and barring a serious injury to Kobe Bryant, the Lakers will hang another championship banner up in Staples Center come June.  No one can dismiss the power of the Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups led Nuggets, or the addition of Caron Butler to the Mavericks, or the game changing ability possessed by the king, Lebron James, but at the end of the day, none of those teams have Phil Jackson. Jackson dominates the premiere coaches in the league such as Greg Popovich and George Karl, and in the playoffs he prepares his teams mentally and physically better than any other coach in the history of the game.  I know picking the Lakers to win the NBA Finals once again this year, is not a bold prediction by any means, but even with the phenomenal roster additions such as Antawn Jamison on the Cavs and a rejuvenated Mavs team, one can safely say that due to Jackson’s brilliance, patience, and experience, the Lakers are once again the team to beat and there is no one around that wouldn’t take Phil Jackson in a seven game series or coaching a seventh game over any other coach. I look forward to a competitive and exciting playoff push over the next month, but in the end Phil Jackson’s bunch will prove to be better than the rest, due solely to the success of the head coach who has the most NBA titles in the history of the game.

BCS Championship Blues

 

                            

Last night College of Charleston upset #9 UNC in overtime.  NCAA football could learn a lot from their counterparts on the basketball court as march madness is the most exciting time of the year in all of sports, and that is because of the chance. The chance that a school as small as College of Charleston could defeat the likes of a powerhouse such as UNC, Kansas, or even Kentucky.  NCAA football has sucked the life out of the most beautiful part of sports due to the BCS and its focus on percentages along with the number of dollars that an athletic program has in their budget each year. The NCAA continues to serve an injustice by neglecting to have a playoff system in place so the likes of undefeated Boise State could play the Alabama or Texas Powerhouses in what would be one of the most anticipated matchups in all of sports. Instead NCAA football continues to shove their BCS system down our collective throats in pursuit of perfection, but in the end it achieves the exact opposite and creates an ever larger void as the athlete and fan craving is one in the same; to give the underdog a chance.   For the most part these bowl games have been boring and mundane, and the excitement of the National Championship game is deflated by our imagination. In all other arenas both professional and amateur the excitement of a championship game or series is unmatched because it is assumed that each team no matter what sport they play had to go through the utmost trials and tribulations to get to the final act, but in college football there is somewhat of a feeling of emptiness as the championship game looms. There is a feeling of injustice that seems so easy to fix:  A change to a system that would allow for the utmost competitiveness, which is debated and discussed to no end each and every year. I’m tired of the discussion, aren’t you? I’m tired of agreeing that a 16 team playoff is the way to go and I’m tired of teams like Boise State and TCU getting shafted because of the conferences they rule. In college basketball George Mason of 2007 showed us why they play the games as well as the 2007 New York football Giants who dethroned the all but perfect New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. NCAA Football forgets that to get to a “super bowl” there must be a playoff(s) first!  If NCAA Football does not amend its postseason rules this offseason then I pray that the discussion on such necessary changes end completely. I’m tired of the talk and this debate, because without action it will always just be that, the most frustrating injustice in sports today.

Westphal Knows Best

 

Photo courtesy sportsillustrated.cnn.com 

Kings forward Andres Nocioni picked a great time to come out of a four game slump as he drained four threes on his way to scoring 21 points as the Kings pulled out a tough much-needed victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.  Nocioni had been 1-17 in his previous four games before catching fire from beyond the arc which is exactly what the Kings needed after losing their previous two games in overtime.  Nocioni’s performance was a huge factor in last night’s outcome, but the credit must be given to Paul Westphal, the orchestrator of the phenomenal lineup combinations which paved the way for the victory against the Northwest division leading Nuggets. Westphal has done a great job of maximizing the production of his personnel all season long, and last night was especially impressive with the sudden absence of star rookie guard Tyreke Evans who was sidelined by an ankle injury. Westphal tapped Beno Udrih on the shoulder before game time to start in place of the injured Evans and he responded with 17 points and 7 assists in 40 productive minutes and though Sergio Rodriguez didn’t shoot the ball well, he was able to dish out 6 assists in 22 minutes of play. Donte Greene was asked to defend the NBA’s scoring leader to this point in Carmelo Anthony, and the fellow Syracuse Orangeman did a superb job only allowing him to get to the line seven times where he converted just three free throws. Melo did score 34 points, but he needed 35 shots to get them which shows how well Greene defended the perennial all-star. On top of that Greene was extremely effective offensively scoring 17 points on 6-9 shooting and was a perfect 4-4 from the line in just over 22 minutes on the court.  Israeli rookie sensation Omri Casspi was the definition of clutch as he hit a three from the corner with a little over two minutes left in the game which put the Kings ahead for good 97-96. On this night however, coach Paul Westphal earned his keep by tapping rookie power forward Jon Brockman on the shoulder who excited the crowd as he pulled down 10 rebounds (four of which were on the offensive end) and connecting on all four of his free throws on his way to 6 points and 2 huge blocked shots in just over 16 minutes of play. Westphal’s injection of Jon, “the Brock-ness Monster”  infused the Arco Arena faithful with a newfound energy that proved to be the difference maker on this night, and Kings fans are looking forward to Coach Westphal’s next masterpiece.  

On a side note one can only hope that Kings rookie phenom Tyreke Evans learned something from watching his teammates persevere over the Nuggets on Monday night, as he took the brunt of the blame for their previous two losses.  Since his injury is deemed as minor, maybe watching his team play so well together as one unit was exactly what the young gun needed.  Maybe Tyreke Evans sitting out a game was exactly what these young Kings needed in order to show the rookie how well they can play as a team.  Some of the answers could come as early as tomorrow night when the original “Answer” Allen Iverson and the Sixers come to Arco as the Kings try to surpass last season’s home win total of 12 games four months ahead of schedule.  Once again, the League should take note that the Sacramento Kings are a team on the rise and will only get stronger as the season rolls on.

Nuggets vs Kings: A Pivotal Game for Young Kings

  

Photo Courtesy Vanishingtattoo.com                                                                                                        

   Photo courtesy NBA.com

The Sacramento Kings play a very important game tonight at Arco Arena against the Denver Nuggets and the absence of Nuggets starting point guard Chauncey Billups could prove to be the “x-factor” in tonight’s game. Though the Kings play their third game of a four game home stand, it’s important to note that this will mark the third game in a row in which the Kings will battle one of the best team’s in the NBA. After losing two heartbreakers in overtime and double overtime to the Cavaliers and Lakers (respectively) it will be interesting to see if this youthful bunch has any energy left for superstar Carmel0 Anthony and his high flying Nuggets.  Tonight’s game will be a true test of their resilience as they try to build on their previous two impressive performances where they unfortunately could not come away with the all important “w” in the win column.  This could easily be a let down game for the Kings who lack the experience needed to put the previous two losses behind them, but over the last couple of weeks they have shown the rest of the league that they will never give up, no matter the circumstances, as we saw so beautifully in Chicago when they came back from 35 points down to beat the Bulls. Rookie of the Year candidate Tyreke Evans was the bearer of significant criticism following consecutive games where he tried to demonstrate that there actually is an “I” in “Team,” but failed miserably, and proved to LBJ and Kobe that he still has a lot to learn. A rookie season should indeed be a learning experience and tonight Evans has the opportunity to redeem himself by being just as aggressive against the smaller Ty Lawson, while internalizing the importance of being a distributor, which will only make this budding star and the team that much better.  Stay tuned for another exciting matchup in the wild wild west…..

The Kings Have Heart

  Jon Brockman, New Kings on the Bloc, Omri Casspi, Tyreke Evans by kingsconnect

Last night I checked my phone and was disturbed to see that the Sacramento Kings were down 80-53 in the third quarter and then checked my phone again and saw that they had cut the lead to 88-71 and at that point thought that they had a chance of pulling off an incredible comeback.  I received an email a short time later from my father informing me that the Kings accomplished the improbable and came back  to beat the Bulls in Chicago by four. As an avid Kings fan I was of course ecstatic and could not believe that the Kings pulled off one of the greatest comebacks of all time and at the same time had to wonder how in the world the Bulls allowed such a thing to happen?  This pathetic defeat has got to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro who could be out of a job by Christmas Day. In fact just two years ago on Christmas Eve (of all days) the Bulls fired their coach Scott Skiles, so it would not be unheard of for them to act as the Grinch to Vinny D once again this year. It’s so incredibly sad that Vinny Del Negro may have coach his last game on the professional level against the team that drafted him with the 29th pick in 1988, the Sacramento Kings.  It wasn’t just that his team lost the game, it was the way they lost which will sting for weeks and months to come. The Vinny Del Negro led Chicago Bulls were up by over thirty points in the second half and ended up somehow blowing the lead completely and losing, with the kicker being that the game was played in their own building, The United Center.  

One could easily focus on the futility of the Bulls players and coaching staff, but the credit must be given to Paul Westphal, rookie Tyreke Evans, and the entire Kings team who could have easily given up and chalked it up as another awful road loss, but instead they never stopped believing in themselves and in turn pulled off one of the greatest victories of all time.  Last week the country witnessed the excitement of the rejuvenated Sacramento Kings as they defeated the Wizards on ESPN, and now after consecutive road victories over Brandon Jennings’ Milwaukee Bucks and Derrick Rose’s Chicago Bulls, the country should take note of one of this year’s great surprises in the NBA. People can call me crazy but it is my belief that not only will Tyreke Evans run away with the Rookie of the Year award, but with the great addition of Israeli sensation Omri Casspi, second year star Jason Thompson, a healthy Kevin Martin, and the aforementioned Evans, the Kings will make the playoffs this Spring. I know that at this point the odds are stacked against them, but with Paul Westphal’s leadership and GM Geoff Petrie’s brilliance, along with players who have the heart of a lion, the unthinkable can be accomplished.

Iverson vs Favre

                                       

It’s easy to say that Iverson pulled a Brett Favre by coming out of retirement so soon, but the comparison would have been even more similar if Iverson would have signed with the Knicks and not his former team.  Iverson signing with the Knicks would have been on par with how Favre signed with his long time rival Minnesota Vikings after a great career as the star and captain of the Green Bay Packers.  I know it’s a difficult comparison because though the Knicks and Sixers are indeed rivals, they are the bottom feeders of the NBA’s Eastern Conference where as the Vikings and Packers are at the top of their division.  Also, Iverson was passed over by the Knicks and the only team that showed interest in signing him was the team that helped make his legacy for over a decade, the Philadelphia Seventy Sixers.  Iverson signing with the Sixers this week was the greatest thing he could have done and if all goes well his career will end on a similar note that it began and he will be remembered as one of the greatest guards to ever play the game.

As a sports fan I am thankful that Iverson didn’t disappear into the night as the great Barry Sanders when he retired so shockingly ten years ago.  Though Iverson is 34 years young and not the explosive guard he was a few years ago, he is still good enough to have an impact on this young and struggling Sixer team and with it only being a month into the NBA season, his team does have a shot at making the playoffs which would instantly make this one of the best stories of the year in sports. I know I am getting way ahead of myself since AI has yet to play a game this season, but the writing is on the wall and the stage is set for a Monday night showdown between Iverson and the Denver Nuggets which is the team the Sixers sent Iverson to during his tumultuous exit from Philly in 2006.  Two nights later, Iverson and the Sixers will host the Pistons which is the team the Nuggets sent him to in exchange for Chauncey Billups in 2008.

The suspense and excitement builds as Iverson tries to prove that he is still the competitive force that he once was, who can change the face of the game with a blink of an eye with the hopes of retiring in good standing, just as Favre is proving in Minnesota as he is on pace for another MVP and Super Bowl trophy. Though AI will probably not have the impact of a Brett Favre this year, ending his career as a Sixer should seal his legacy, as one of the greatest guards (for his size) of all time.  On the other hand, if the pattern of selfish behavior does come out as it has so drastically since his departure from Philly in 2006, we could be looking at a long and painful season in Philadelphia which would tarnish his legacy as one of the most selfish players to ever play the game.  For the sake of the game I hope we will see a story book ending for Iverson and his Sixers, but for now all we can do is enjoy the moment as it unfolds before our very eyes.

Sir Charles Spoke the Truth

                            

In 1993 All-Star power forward Charles Barkley made a statement that drew considerable controversy around the sports world and made national headlines as well.  Sir Charles exclaimed in a Nike commercial words that stung the superficial culture that this country lives by, but at the same time his upmost honesty and truth will be recounted for generations to come. “I am Not a Role Model” will forever be remembered as the first time a star athlete expressed his desire to be treated like a human being and not the hero or villain that the media makes our athletes out to be. Many critics believed that Barkley and other star players had an obligation to their communities in which they played for and therefore had to live up to the great expectations which were placed on them from an extremely young age.  The fact of the matter is that children look up to these star athletes over their teachers and parents and one can make a case that adults look up to these stars as well. Children and adults alike admire the bling, the game, and the fame, which define pro athletes today and they tend to become our role models.

Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire saved the game of baseball by belting homeruns and chasing history hand in hand, but behind the scenes they injected themselves with performance enhancing drugs to make these moments come alive.  These heroes of yesteryear lied under oath in 2005 when asked if they used performance enhancing drugs and their legacies are forever tarnished because of their actions. As a sports fan we want more than anything to look to our star athletes as our role models and heroes, but time and time again they disappoint us by making critical mistakes, proving that they are human beings just like everyone else.  The icons of sports history such as Babe Ruth, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and countless others all engaged in off the court lifestyles that role models should not possess.  At the end of the day they will be remembered for what they did on the court and the rest will be a side note to the impact they had on Sport.  Just last week we learned that the best golfer of all time isn’t perfect after all, and it is so hard to accept that even Tiger Woods has made critical mistakes off the golf course, but there is a guarantee that when he returns to the golf course in a few months all his past transgressions will indeed be forgotten for his dominance of the game will prevail over his character defects.

Controversial Laker star Ron Artest just revealed that he drank Hennessey cognac during halftime of games he played as a member of the Chicago Bulls early on in his career. This only leaves us to wonder why in the world he felt the need to reveal this information and why now?  Is the pressure of being a star athlete so great that one must rebel by acting out on and off the court?  Do we, the public, set expectations too great for our star athletes, which in turn sets them up for failure?  It seems that the media only has a story when our star athletes accomplish a feat on the field or when they break the law off the field.  Unfortunately, the middle ground is not news worthy, and if you are indeed a sports star you carry the burden of living under a microscope with your every move over examined and documented until the story comes out. The story which for the moment strips the title of role model or hero from their jersey, the title which they never asked for, but accepted as the pinnacle of their profession; These iconic titles return ever so quickly with a hole in one, a game winning shot, or a championship ring and at the end of the day we will remember what our athletes accomplished on the field. The question is whether we can call them our role models or heroes any longer?

Iverson has had Enough Practice

Allen Iverson still thinks he’s good enough to lead the league in scoring and is not willing to accept a leadership role which he’s avoided his entire career.  The ten time NBA all-star and four time NBA scoring champion feels that he should start in the NBA even though he’s past his prime and his skills have diminished somewhat in the last couple seasons.  From the beginning of his career Iverson has only been about the “I” in his name and it is only fitting that his career could end over his selfish mentality as well.  Some may have thought that AI may have learned something from his terrible experience in Detroit last season as he complained about his role of coming off the bench, but the superstar still cannot come to grips with making millions to come off the bench in Memphis either. When Iverson called it quits in April of last year with a back injury many believed that maybe, just maybe, the often times controversial superstar would retire and never be heard from again.  During the off season however, Iverson signed with Memphis and apparently did not make it clear that if he played in Memphis he must start each and every game without a question of what might be best for the team.  Iverson, through his words and actions has repeatedly shown that being a leader is not a priority and that being an example for his young teammates and other newcomers to the league is not his cup of tea.  No one is asking AI to be a role model for the NBA youth movement or even show a few pointers to future stars such as  O.J. Mayo or Michael Conley,  all they are asking AI to do is to play a different role than he has in the past.  Coach Hollins asked Iverson to be a veteran spark off the bench who could infuse a new confidence into his young nucleus and all AI could do was say “NO!”  One might have some sympathy for the perennial all-star because he was once a dominant scorer who battled larger guards each and every night,  often times playing through painful injuries, showing a toughness unmatched for his size and position. With that said, it has always been about AI and his legacy is now forever tainted as one of the most selfish players to ever play the game.  Everyone remembers Iverson’s infamous ”we’re talkin’ about practice” press conference in November of 2006 when he stormed out of the Sixers’ practice facility and it’s difficult for Sixer fans to forget when he showed up a few minutes before tip off of fan appreciation night in April of 2006 which was the Sixers final home game of that season.  There is no question that AI had a phenomenal career on the court, but we are all tired of his off the court antics and selfish attitude that will only hurt his legacy in the end. AI, thank you for your blood, sweat, and tears, but it is time to hang it up and call it a career because maybe, just maybe your practice has gone on a little too long for all to bare.

Reid it and Weep

Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid has trouble managing close games and one has to wonder if he’s overstayed his welcome in Philly.  As a football fan I was appalled by his coaching decisions during the second half of  Sunday night’s game against the Cowboys.  Reid used two horrific challenges which left the Eagles with no timeouts when they needed them most  and proved to be a major reason why the Eagles lost to the Cowboys at home on Sunday night.  The first challenge flag that he threw was on a third and short which the replay clearly showed could not be overturned by the officials. Not only was the call not overturned, but the Eagles then lined up to go for it on fourth and short but were forced to punt the ball away due to a false start on left tackle Jason Peters. So instead of lining the offense up immediately while the Cowboys defense was on their heels in pursuit of a first down the Eagles lost a timeout and had to punt the ball away due to Reid’s ineptitude.  The second challenge Reid used proved to be even more of a problem because it was toward the end of the fourth quarter and if it wasn’t overturned, the eagles would be left with no timeouts with five minutes left in the game. The replay was of course inconclusive and the Eagles gave the ball back to Tony Romo who completed a 49-yard touchdown pass to Miles Austin which proved to be the game winning touchdown.  Andy Reid needs serious help in deciding which plays are worth the risk of challenging  and must realize that there must be conclusive evidence for a play to be overturned.  Challenging the spot of the ball is an extremely difficult challenge to win and the Coach must take into consideration the negative affect that losing a challenge has on the outcome of a game.  In his last five seasons, Andy Reid has only won 5 of 26 challenges which is an extremely poor 19.2 pct conversion rate.  This is an awful bullet point on Coach Reid’s resume and that fact that the Eagles are  1-8-1 in their last ten games that were decided by less than six points shows that Reid cannot get the job done managing close games. Andy Reid is in his 11th season as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Eagles owner Jeff Lurie should be weary of bringing him back for another painful season.

London Lidge Has Fallen Down

Brad Lidge was the best closer in baseball and helped lead the Phillies to a World Series Championship in 2008 and now a year later he’s one of the most unreliable closers in baseball and is responsible for the Phillies being a game away from the ultimate defeat.  Lidge is not the only reason why the Phillies may not repeat this fall, but a closer’s job is to get three outs to secure a lead or a tie and Lidge did a great job of getting the first two outs of the 9th inning on Sunday night, but the third and final out proved to be devastating to Phillies fans as they headed to the bottom of the ninth down three runs and destined for defeat. The Phillies are not down 3-1 in the World Series only because of Lidge’s poor performace in Game 4, there are a few other factors including the fact that the Yankees an extremely talented team with incredibly clutch hitters and a strong pithing staff. Charlie Manuel may have wanted to take a chance by starting Cliff Lee on three days rest on Sunday night instead of ” The Farmer” Joe Blanton who gave up four runs in six innings in what was a must win for the Phillies down 2-1 heading into game four. The public is still confused why Manuel has so much faith in Cole Hamels who has had a down season overall and gave up five earned runs in Game three which helped set up the huge hole the Phillies are in right now. Why would Manuel want Hamels starting Game 7 when he hasn’t been a clutch performer all season long? How could Manuel start Blanton over Lee in arguably the most important game of the Series? Did it really matter that Cliff Lee hasn’t pitched on three days rest before? Why didn’t Manuel bring Lidge in the 8th or 9th inning of Game 3 to get his closer some work because he hadn’t pitched in 10 days? The Manager will always take the most heat especially during a World Series but much of the blame must be attributed to the Phillies top hitters who have been silenced throughout the series. Howard, Rollins, and Ibanez  have had awful performances so far and every Philly hormerun has been a solo shot which hasn’t helped either. The Phillies demise in the World Series has been a total team effort, but at the end of the day Lidge and Manuel will take the most heat for their mistakes. The Yankees are definitely the better team in ’09 and it seems the Phillies are content with their World Series win in 2008…..maybe a little too content.