'8 Things To Be Happy About Now That The 2011-12 NBA Season Is Over'

8.  Metta World Peace

Metta World Peace is cooler to use as a VERB than it is as a NOUN. 

7.  Greg Stiemsma

The CELTICS have two future HOFers to build around in Rajon Rondo and Greg Stiemsma a.k.a. 'The Next Bill Russell'.

6.  Mark Jackson

By this time next year, Mark Jackson will be back where he belongs . . . calling games for ESPN. 

5.  Stan Van Gundy

Stan Van Gundy went out in ORLANDO the way everyone expected him to. . . as AWKWARDLY as he possibly could.

4.  Charlotte Bobcats

You're better at YOUR JOB than Michael Jordan is at his.

3.  Kyrie Irving

One year closer to Kyrie Irving deciding to take his TALENTS to somewhere other than CLEVELAND.

2.  Jeremy Lin

Any Asian, at any level, that's good at ball, from now on, will be given the nickname JEREMY LIN.

1.  NBA Finals

Atleast LEBRON JAMES didn't do the EYEBALL THING in the Finals EVERY SINGLE TIME he scored a key basket.

NBA Clutch Players: Jerry West aka 'Mr.Clutch'

West didn't win a ring until his 12th NBA Season

Jerry West - Los Angeles Lakers, 1960-1974
6-2 175lbs, Cheylan, WV (5/28/1938)
NBA Draft: 1960, Round 1, 2nd overall - West Virginia
NBA Championships: 1 (1972)
NBA Finals MVPs: 1 (1969, losing team)
Career Playoff Stats: 153 games, 29.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 6.4 apg

Clutchness:  West was second option for the Lakers (behind Elgin Baylor) until the 1964-65 playoffs.  In particular, West smashed on the Baltimore Bullets in the Western Finals best-of-five series to the tune of 46.3 points per game (NBA record) including a unforgettable performance in Game 2 when he dropped 52 points on 20-21 field goals and 12-12 free throws.  In 1969, West became the only player in NBA history to be named Finals MVP in a losing effort.  He had a triple-double in Game 7 (42 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists) but it wasn't enough to top the powerhouse that was the Boston Celtics.  West's most famous moment of 'clutchness' came in the 1970 NBA Finals against the Knicks.  West drained a 60-foot prayer in Game 3 with under three seconds left that sent the game into overtime, where the Lakers eventually pulled out the victory.  Click here to watch the shot.

Clutch-in-question:  His career record in NBA Finals appearances is 1-8, losing the first eight in a row.  West played in a Finals Game 7 four times and averaged 35.3 points per game, but is still 0-4 in those games.  West also played with Hall-of-Famers for most of his career that arguably carried him (Baylor, Gail Goodrich, Wilt Chamberlain).  The one championship West won in 1972, he himself says that he wasn't the main reason the Lakers won the title, saying, "I played terrible basketball in the Finals, and we won… It was particularly frustrating because I was playing so poorly that the team overcame me. Maybe that's what a team is all about."

Career Playoff History
Result/ Points scored in deciding game/ Highest scoring teammate pts/ Significant opp. stats
1960-61:  loss, 3-4 St. Louis Hawks, Western Finals; West - 29 points, Elgin Baylor - 39 pts in Game 7; Bob Pettit (STL) - 31 pts
61-62:  loss, 3-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 35 pts, Baylor - 41 pts in Game 7; Bill Russell (BOS) - 30 pts, 40 rebounds
62-63:  loss, 2-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 32 pts, Baylor - 28 pts in Game 6;
63-64:  loss, 2-3 St. Louis Hawks, Western Semis; West - 25 pts, Baylor - 28 pts in Game 5; Lenny Wilkens (STL) - 30 pts
64-65:  loss, 1-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 33 pts in Game 5, Baylor DNP - injury
65-66:  loss, 3-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 37 pts in Game 6 win (forced Game 7) Gail Goodrich - 28 pts; West - 36 pts, Baylor - 18 pts in Game 7; Russell (BOS) - 25 pts, 32 rebounds
66-67:  DNP - injury; loss, 0-3 San Francisco Warriors, Western Semis
67-68:  loss, 2-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 22 pts, Baylor - 28 pts in Game 6; John Havlicek (BOS) - 40 pts
68-69:  loss, 3-4 Boston Celtics, NBA Finals; West - 42 pts, Baylor - 20 pts, Wilt Chamberlain - 18 pts in Game 7
69-70:  loss, 3-4 New York Knicks, NBA Finals; West - 28 pts, Chamberlain - 21 pts in Game 7; Walt Frazier (NY) - 36 pts, 19 assists
70-71:  DNP - injury; loss, 1-4 Milwaukee Bucks, Western Finals
71-72:  won, 4-1 New York Knicks, NBA Finals; West - 23 pts, Goodrich - 25 pts, Chamberlain - 24 pts in Game 5
72-73:  loss, 1-4 New York Knicks, NBA Finals; West - 12pts, Goodrich - 28 pts in Game 5
73-74:  loss, 1-4 Milwaukee Bucks, Western Semis; West played in only 1 game and scored 4 pts

Statistics and info gathered from:
http://www.databasebasketball.com/
http://www.basketball-reference.com/
http://www.nba.com/
http://www.wikipedia.org/

2012 NBA Draft Prospects: Harrison Barnes

Barnes has the ideal NBA physique.

F - Harrison Barnes - North Carolina - Sophomore
6-8 223 Ames H.S./Ames, IA (5/30/1992)

Breakdown:  Barnes showed improvements in FG% (.423 to .440), 3P% (.344 to .358), and PPG (15.7 to 17.1) from his freshman to sophomore years.  That said, it doesn't seem he has had any marked improvements in his draft status by staying the extra year (Currently ranked #7 overall prospect by draftexpress.com after being ranked as low as #11 last year). 

NBA Skill Set:  Barnes does have the ideal frame for an NBA small forward at 6-8 and with a wingspan of 6-11, and a well-chiseled 223 pounds.  He doesn't jump out of the gym like other top SF prospects so his role coming out will probably be as a defender first.  Barnes was mainly a catch-and-shoot/ pull-up jumper guy at UNC and will need to work on being able to get to the basket more and take advantage of his size to get to the free throw line.  He also needs to work on being a better passer/facilitator in the framework of an offense as he won't be a primary option right away when he gets to the league.

NBA player could-be-like:  Paul Pierce.  Barnes isn't going to ever 'wow' anyone with his athleticism but Pierce never really did either and is a perennial NBA All-Star.

Bad Week . . .

Any Melo could be a scapegoat this week.

If you play basketball and your name is 'Melo', then you're probably having a bad week.  The New York Knicks have lost six-straight games after playing pretty well when Carmelo Anthony was injured.  Now he's back and the Knicks look like they have some big time chemistry issues to deal with.  Anthony could barely get a touch late in the 4th quarter in the 104-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls March 12th, though he did manage to put up a team-high 21 shots, connecting on only eight of them . . . Fab Melo might've ended any shot Syracuse had to win its first National Championship since 2003, when Carmelo Anthony himself played there.  The sophomore center from Brazil has been ruled out for the entire NCAA Tournament for academic reasons.  Melo sat out three games earlier this season for not hitting the books hard enough and the Orange lost their only game of the regular season during that stretch (they were 30-1 entering the Big East Tournament).  Now Syracuse enters the Big Dance without Melo's 2.93 blocks per game, and removes another big man from team that already struggles on the defensive boards.

Throwbackz: '8 Worst Dunk Contest Performers of All-Time'

Why in Allah's name was M.A.R. in a dunk contest? 

8 - Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf - 1993
- Chris Jackson had hops, but he was known as a shooter. I think even he was surprised he got invited.  And he couldn't have been too encouraged of his chances seeing he had to follow two-time champion Harold Miner.


7 - Darrell Armstrong - 1996
- I liked Armstrong's toughness as a player, and he dunked hard when he got some momentum going, but if your repertoire consists of three, maybe four dunks, you do not belong in the NBA dunk contest.


6 - Tony Dumas - 1995
-You know things didn't go well when you have to pretend you hurt your knee . . .

5 - Antonio Harvey - 1995
- Classic case of biting off more than you can chew . . . starts off good @ 1:24 . . . but ends miserably @ 1:46 . . . Shaq's face says it all.


4 - Joshua Treadway - 1985
- Here's all you need to know about Treadway's chances of winning the contest in '85; a list of the other participants: Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Larry Nance, Darrell Griffith, and Clyde Drexler.


If you squint, Barry looks a little like Blake Griffin.



 3 - Brent Barry - 1996

- Reverse affirmative action winner here.  Barry completed the most bland free-throw line dunk in basketball history and won the award because all the other contestants were either lame dunkers (see, Darrell Armstrong, Doug Christie) or did hard dunks but with no creativity (Michael Finley). 

2 - Nate Robinson - 2006
- I know he's the only player to win the dunk contest three times, and he's a fine little man baller and off-the-bench point guard, but as far as I'm concerned, 2006 was the beginning of the end of the contest for me.  Philadelphia 76ers guard Andre Iguoudala should have won the contest, as he hammered through a variety of impressive dunks with deft ease and fluidity.  Meanwhile, it took Robinson 14 tries to complete his final dunk, which took about nine minutes of realtime.  It was probably the most painful nine minutes of my basketball watching life.

1 - Jeremy Evans - 2012
- In the year of surprises, so far this has been the least exciting one.  He wasn't even supposed to be in the contest; he replaced New York Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, who has been nursing an injury.  And let's face it, replacing Evans for Shumpert in a dunk contest is like trading in a '99 Ford Taurus for a 2001 Hyundai Elantra . . . Granted, he did have one dunk that was impressive, his first dunk, where he decided to wear a camera on his headband so people can 'see what he sees' when he's dunking was a FAIL of epic proportions.  On the actual dunk, I'm not sure if he got more than a foot off the ground.  And then he hung on the rim and spun around so as to add to the camera effect.  Lame.  They should not have allowed him to continue to participate after that.

WeekleeInsperayshunFrumThaWurldUvSportz



Durant is a NBA superstar; while Oden can't shake the injury bug.

The day after Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant dropped a NBA season high 51 points, Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden had his third season ending knee surgery and fifth career surgery overall.  Oden was drafted first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft with Durant going No. 2 . . . So coming in second is not the same as being "first loser" as some people say.  Just ask Portland fans.

'Just Wondering . . .'

Slim chance to repeat in big D without Barea and Chandler. 

What are the Dallas Mavericks doing to the roster with these latest acquisitions?  You bring in a disgruntled Lamar Odom, who is clearly not ready to leave the Lakers nor the limelight of L.A., and an aging Vince Carter from Pheonix, who is no longer 'half-man, half-amazing' (he's more like 99-percent-man, 1-percent-amazing), and stands to get $18-million this year while leting go of starting center Tyson Chandler and reserve point guard J.J. Barea: two players that played enormous roles in winning the NBA Championship last year?  I'm sure they'll save money in the long run but you just lost yourself a shot at a repeat. . .

Did Xavier University guard Tu Holloway think his 'gangsters in the locker room' comment would help his already questionable NBA Draft prospects?

Harrison's wreckless style finally has him sidelined a game.

Why does Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison appeal any of his reprimands for illegal hits?  Normally, I'm the first guy to be all up-in-arms when I see a flag or a guy get fined for making a vicious, but clean hit.  I can't say that when I see a Harrison hit though because he always leads with the crown of his helmet and launches his body at defensless receivers/quarterbacks; which is exactly what they tell you not to do.  Funny thing about it: I honestly do not think that the man cares.  That's just the way he's always going to tackle . . . atleast until someone really gets hurt.

8 Things To Watch For Now That The NBA Lockout Is Over

1 - Will LeBron, Wade, Bosh, make the Finals again?

The Heatles have one year under their belt together and should put together a sound round through the Eastern conference on the way to the Finals.  Atleast that is what the talent of the roster indicates.  Pressure is on LeBron James again to see what he can do down the stretch.  I'm not sure his career/legacy can take another 4th quarter late playoff meltdown/disappearance.

2 - Chris Paul, Dwight Howard on the move?

King James can't afford another 4th quarter playoff letdown.

This was originally fifth on my list of things to watch for before the events of this past week transpired, with Paul almost becoming a Los Angeles Laker and Howard seemingly on the cusp of becoming a New Jersey Net.  It's going to be interesting to see now how the league handles CP3 and the league-run New Orleans Hornets.  Paul may have to just become a free-agent as it will be difficult for teams to propose a trade for him without other league owners having a problem with it and urging commissioner David Stern to step in once again.

3 - Can Kobe be a good teammate without Phil Jackson as coach?

Mike Brown is the old coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the new coach of the L.A. Lakers.  So this means he is going from coaching LeBron to coaching Kobe Bryant.  If Brown couldn't really check Bron's ego, what the hell is he gonna do when Kobe starts throwing up 30 shots a game?  It will be something to watch to see how coach Mike handles that yearly slide that the Lakers always go through, when they're losing to teams they shouldn't lose to and people act like the world is coming to an end.

4 - What rookie will take the NBA by storm?

It's happened for a good four straight years now where a rookie has hit the scene and looked like a future dominating presence in the NBA (see John Wall, Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, and Kevin Durant).  It's been a while since we've seen these guys because of the lockout but write me down for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Derrick Williams and Sacramento Kings guard Jimmer Fredette as the top two rooks to have big impacts.

This might be the last chance for the 'Big 3' to get that second ring.

5 - Boston Celtics 'Big 3' final run?

When Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge put together the team that would eventually win the 2007-08 NBA Championship in its first year together, most basketball fans found it likely that this team probably could win a minimum of two rings barring any major injuries.  But of course, sports are sports and injuries do happen.  Kevin Garnett went down with a knee injury the following year and really gave the C's no chance of repeating.  The 2009-10 squad made it back to the Finals, only to squander a 3-2 series lead at the hand of the rival Lakers.  Last year, most Celtics fans would blame Ainge for the team not making the Finals, as long time center Kendrick Perkins was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder late in the season, effectively destroying the team chemistry and morale.  But Boston still has K.G. (age 35) along with Paul Pierce (34) and Ray Allen (36), but the window of oppurtunity for that second 'chip keeps getting smaller.

Dirk is the reigning NBA 'baddest man in the clutch'.

6 - Can Dirk establish himself as one of the greatest players of all time?

Dirk Nowitzki led the Dallas Mavericks to the franchise's first championship ever last year while running through the Western Confrence and the likes of Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant and stunning the star-studded Miami Heat in the Finals.  This was no doubt one of the best individual playoff runs in NBA history, as the Mavs were not anyone's favorite to win the title before Dirk began his unconscious tear.  Can Nowitzki repeat this type of playoff performance in 2012, with the target of 'baddest man in the clutch' squarely on his back?

7 - Short season to benefit veteran teams or young teams?

You would think that this short season would help the veteran teams because logically they already have chemistry playing together, but I'm not so sure.  Sometimes it takes the older guys some time to get things rolling, it's only 16 less games, yeah, but those games definitely could effect where teams are seeded when playoff time comes.

8 - Blake Griffin?

What do I really have to say here?  It's Blake Griffin folks!

Look out below!!!