Los Angeles Lakers reserve guard Shannon Brown is by far one of the most athletic players in the NBA today (rumor has it he has a 44-inch vertical). Brown's leaping ability was on full display on this play againt the Knicks in Madison Square Garden:
That was ridculous. It even looked as if Brown was still going up when he caught the pass. Although Shannon Brown as a bit of a dud in last year's dunk contest we'll give him the benefit of the doubt as his in-game dunks >> the dunk contest almost any year.
Boston Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen is one of the purest shooters in NBA history. Against the Lakers on Feb. 10th, 2011 Allen nailed his second three-pointer of the first quarter, giving his 2,561 three's for his career, breaking Reggie Miller's previous mark as Miller was calling the game for TNT:
Congratulations go out to the future Hall Of Famer, who began his career as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks after being selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves 5th overall and immediately traded for Stephon Marbury. He joined the Celtics as a free agent in 2007 after spending the previous four seasons with the Sonics. He's also known for his role as Jesus Shuttlesworth in Spike Lee's "He Got Game".
Fitting movie title for a player of Allen's caliber and professionalism. Hats off to him.
J.J. Redick might need more work on his defense. Randy Foye made him look silly, in a nationally televised game no less:
Redick hit the hardwood like someone pulled the floor out from under him. Too bad Foye missed the jumper but we’ll give him a pass since he broke Redick’s ankles so beautifully.
With a name like ZaZa you just have to dunk on him. Luckily he ducked to avoid a three point play but he's still enschrined in the youtube hall of shame.
Kyle Korver is primarily a shooter and has never been known for his athletic ability. Blake Griffin on the other hand is, and Korver got reminded last night how athletically inferior he is to Griffin:
Either Korver doesn't have access to youtube or he was temporarily detached from reality. The Ashton Kutcher clone got smashed on. His team won the game though 106-88, snapping the Clippers 9-game home winning streak so he can feel a little better about that.
And tell me when's the last time you've seen Korver and Kutcher in the same place at the same time? Kyle Korver /Ashton Kutcher = Same Person.
If you're saying to yourself "Who?", like MJ said you are not alone. Jamal Shuler played his college ball for VCU (he was a member of the team that bounced Duke from the tourney back in 2007) and is playing for the French League's Vichy squad. After his team gave up a layup, Shuler delivered this desperation heave:
That's one hell of a way to get your 15 minutes of fame. To his credit Shuler is playing pretty well in France and finished that game with 35 points and 7 boards. Maybe someone will send a scout or two overseas to see if the young man has anything to offer over here in the pros. Or he can stay over in France and get those international women and tax free bucks. It's money in the bank either way for Shuler either way. Just like that buzzer beater.
Here's the scoop... the Miami Heat played the Team That Victory Forgot last night (the Cavs). Of course they won, with rappers Diddy and Rick Ross sitting courtside. Fox happened to be interviewing the two when Dwyane Wade delivered this slam:
Diddy's reaction was comical, but I still can't figure out the whole fixation with rockin' a "Grill". Maybe I'm just getting out. Or maybe that trend is. Who knows? But not to be lost in the shuffle, Wade finished with his third straight game over 30 points. Not bad.
Can we let the LeBron vs. the City of Cleveland die now? The Cavs are suffering enough in the win-loss column. Thanks.
A lot of people forget that DeAndre Jordan is only 22 years old and only spent one year at Texas A&M before bouncing to the pros. Or maybe because he plays for the Clippers they just don't care. Either way, D.J. had himself a smashing good time last night against the Milwaukee Bucks front line:
You have to admit, the 2010-2011 Clippers are a lot of fun to watch. They won the game last night 105-98, with Jordan filling up the stat sheet with 16 point, 7 boards and 5 blocks. Jordan has done a solid job filling in as a starter and is making injured Chris Kaman look more and more expendable every month.
Oh and that Griffin kid pitched in 32, but we'll let DeAndre get his shine for the moment.
Here is the second trailer for Nike's "Black Mamba" movie, starring Kobe Bryant, Danny Trejo, Bruce Willis and KANYE WEST. You can check out the first trailer here.
Gotta love Hollywood. Now if the Lakers can just a couple games against top teams, all would be right in LaLa Land.
I understand Josh McRoberts has a little bit of bounce, but last night Ronnie Brewer showed everyone that he's got little bit more:
At least McRoberts made the highlight reel, all be it on the wrong side of the highlight. He got SMASHED on. Oh, and someone please give the Bulls announcers a raise.
Blake Griffin has already become a youtube legend. There are thousands of videos of his above the rim antics just from this season alone. We can go ahead and add this insane 50-foot alley oop to Griffin's dunk contest resume:
Two things really stand out about this play; 1.) how quickly Blake got down the floor. When a big man runs that hard you have to reward him; and 2.) randy Foye put the pass on the money. The accuracy of that pass and from that distance was amazing.
If Blake Griffin doesn't put on a show ruring All-Star weekend it may go down as one of the biggest upsets and dissapointments in recent memory.
No, these two are not related... In the last minute of last night's game between the Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks, mild mannered Hawks forward Marvin Williams got into some fisticuffs with the Knicks resident hot head Shawne Williams. Here's footage:
Marvin Williams was going for the quick K.O. That right he threw was PPV worthy. They say its the quiet ones you have to look out for. Marvin was in just his second game back from an injury. M. Williams usually has a reputation of having a calm and subtle demeanor on the court so who knows what Shawne Williams said/did to instigate the scuffle.
If you recall this is the same Shawne Williams who almost got choked out by Ron Artest a few weeks ago and harassed Lebron James dfensively in a Knicks win over the Heat the night before. I'm starting to notice a trend here...
At this point we're not one bit suprised by Shawne's antics. He's from Memphis and seems to just not give a damn (as you can tell in the picture above). S. Williams has been arrested a couple times already, once for marijuana possession back in 2007 (surprised? Me either) and again in 2010 for selling codeine (known on the streets as syrup). But he might want to get back in the ring and put in some work on his close quarters boxing skills. Maybe he should get Roger Mayweather on the horn.
Oh by the way, The Hawks won the game and are now just 2.5 games behind the Heat for the Southest Division lead.
Juudging strictly off oftatistics, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love is having an all-star caliber season. He's contributing 21.6 ppg, a league leading 15.7 rpg (which is amazing) and also knocking down three pointers at a .447 clip (63-141). So to help Love's all-star campaigning, the Timberwolves released this video (you can also check out the full campaign at 612allstar.com/):
Very well done. The mascot toasting was PRICELESS. But here is my counter argument for Love to not be an all-star; his game is not attractive. The NBA all-star game is more of an exhibition than an actual basketball game. Love's main competition for an all-star berth would be Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol. While Love's "numbers" are slightly favorable over Griffin's 22.6 ppg and 12.8 rpg, the sheer excitement Griffin's style of play generates is far superior. Maybe with vote-in center Yao Ming out due to injury both with have a shot at an all-star berth.
And honestly would you rather see Griffin catching an alley-oop on the break from Chris Paul or Love tipping a rebound to himself then throwing a pin point over-the-head outlet pass? My point exactly.
LeBron James takes a lot of criticism. Mostly because of his off the court persona. But #6 is still a spectacluar athlete and this block of Ronny Turiaf's dunk attempt validates that athletism:
Wow. Turiaf should be ashamed and embarrased, no matter how much boost LeBron has. Shoutout to @jose3030 for the HD video.
That would be a big blow to the Lakers to lose Jackson, who has won 11 (ELEVEN!) NBA titles with the Chicaho Bulls during the Jordan Era and has had a losing record in any season. Never. Not Once. That is absolutely amazing.
So the question immediately can be asked; who would fill Jackson's shoes once he ssteps away from the bench? Brian Shaw? Possibly, or owner Jerry Buss might bring in another big name to remain a contender while Kobe Bryant still has a couple years left in the tank. Either way, Coach Jackson will go down as one of the greatest (if not The Greatest) coaches in any sport.
You can see the full interview during ABC's broadcast of the Lakers vs the Celtics Sunday Jan 29th at 3:30p ET.
BYU guard Jimmer Fredette is quickly becoming a household name, and for good reason. The kid simply get BUCKETS. In bunches. The 6'2 senior is averaging a NCAA leading 27.4 ppg this season including 33 on Arizona, 39 at UNLV, 47 at Utah and just last night hung 43 while handing #4 San Diego St. their first loss of the season. Here are the highlights:
Wow. The double crossover for the open three at :31 sec mark was just nasty. SO you can see all the hype is legit. In college basketball. I say this because there have been a more than a couple excellent college scorers in recent memory that didn't immediately transfer well into the NBA (Ben Woodside and Lester Hudson come to mind) but none with the media attention that Fredette is receiving so far. Many say he compares very favorably to Steph Curry when he was at Davidson and I can agree with that as they have similar size (Curry is listed at 6'3) and playing styles. But Fredette is playing with a better supporting cast than Curry ever had at Davidson, although I do believe Curry was a better passer. Worth noting.
I will say this, Jimmer's ability to score is undeniable. Even Kevin Durant thinks highly of Fredette, which is evident by this tweet from last night;
Fredette tested the draft waters last season and would have gone pro but the Knicks reportedly would not guarantee they would pick him with their second pick in the 2nd round, which was used to draft Andy Rautins (I still think that was a mistake, but what do I know...) If "The Jimmer" can test out well athletically at the NBA Combine I see no reason why he shouldn't be picked in the latter half of the first round in the 2011 draft as he has the ability to be a J.J. Reddick type scorer in the pros.
Until then, we'll keep watching the kid from Glens Falls with the unique name and sweet jumper get buckets in bunches.
Heard about this yesterday, but I was waiting for the video to pop up... John Stone, who worked as a car salesman for Webb Chevrolet in Suburban Chicago, was fired after working there a little over a month and sold 14 cars for wearing a Green Bay Packers tie. Here's some of the owner Jerry Roberts' reasoning for cutting Stone loose:
"If he loves the tie more than his job, he's welcome to keep wearing it -- elsewhere," Roberts said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Roberts says the dealership has done promotions involving the Bears and he was afraid the tie could alienate the team's fans and make it harder to sell cars.
"We spend $20,000 a month on advertising with the Bears on WBBM during the season, and we have Bears players including Corey Wootton driving loaner vehicles, and here was a salesman openly undoing that work," Roberts said, according to the Sun-Times.
I have to call BS on that excuse, especially since Roberts offered Stone his job back according to the report...
Stone is a father of two who had worked at the dealership for a month and a half, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He said that he has been a Packers fan since he saw running back Ahman Green play.
"I liked the way he played, and I liked Brett Favre before he left, and I love Aaron Rodgers, the coaching staff -- the whole organization," he said, according to the newspaper.
Roberts told the newspaper that Stone was a good salesman who sold 14 cars last month and that no customers had complained about the tie. Stone agreed.
"I was just showing my love for my team and it was a nice, smart tie that matched my clothes -- none of the customers minded: They had a sense of humor about it," he said.
According to the Tribune, Roberts said later Tuesday he would hire Stone back if he returns to work. Stone said that would not happen.
"I'm not going," said Stone, according to the Tribune.
Sounds like a bitter Bears fan to me. As his boss, Roberts has the right to hire & fire whomever he chooses but to fire a good salesman for wearing a tie representing the team your squad lost to is petty and childish. If thinking that Stone wearing a Packers tie would damage your relationship with the Bears & the community imagine how much worse damage Roberts has caused his business with all the negative publicity they're getting because of it. Not a very bright move.
So we got Bruce Willis, zombies, and Kobe getting buckets. About what should be expected from Hollywood, right? You can check for the flick during All-Star weekend which also just happens to be out in Los Angeles this year.
And by the way, Kobe is still top 3 in the league.
