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NBA Western Conference Playoff Matchups

April 19th 2013 03:04
Western Conference

Oklahoma City Thunder v. Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs v. Los Angeles Lakers
Denver Nuggets v. Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers v. Memphis Grizzlies



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Posted By: Jabari Howard - Category: Basketball
   


Jerry Buss Dies at 80

February 22nd 2013 22:44

This past week marked the passing and remembrance of the life and legacy of Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss. Jerry Buss was one of the greatest owners of one of the greatest franchises in sports history. Throughout his career Jerry Buss proved to be a sports pioneer. NBA Commissioner David Stern called Buss “nothing less than a transformational force in the history of sports.”


At Buss’ memorial on Thursday Hall of Famers such as Jerry West, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, and future Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant all came celebrate and reflect on the life of a man that Jerry West said “left a shadow over the entire sports world.”

Since taking over the Lakers in 1979 Buss brought Los Angeles 10 championships in the form of having the most entertaining show in basketball. Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy brought Showtime to Los Angeles during the Lakers' run to five titles in nine years in the 1980s. Buss brought a style of play and show that mirrored that of the flamboyant Hollywood lifestyle.

In the early 2000’s Buss would again rekindle the flame of the 80’s with Phil Jackson leading Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant to a three-peat from 2000 to '02 before Bryant and Pau Gasol teamed up to win back-to-back titles under Jackson in 2009 and 2010.

Through all of the high and lows in Lakerland Jerry Bus very much embodied the characteristics of the Lakers and their Hollywood mentality. Buss loved poker and frequently participated in high-stakes tournaments. Even as he reached his 70’s Jerry Buss was no stranger to the Los Angeles club scene.

Jerry Bus truly lived the Hollywood dream and I think Magic Johnson put it into words best. "This is a celebration of life," Johnson said. "This is a celebration of success. We shouldn't be sad. We should be happy that the man enjoyed his life and did it his way."
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Posted By: Jabari Howard - Category: Basketball
   


The Hard Life of the Los Angeles Lakers

January 25th 2013 08:11

Somewhere in the world JaMarcus Russell is sitting back and smiling. He is no longer the biggest bust in sports history thanks to this year Los Angeles Lakers. When the Lakers acquired Steve Nash and Dwight Howard in the offseason they thought they had established themselves as legitimate championship contenders.

The Lakers thought they had put together the best starting five of all time with three sure fire Hall of Famers in Kobe Bryant (five-time champion, fifteen time All-Star, MVP), Steve Nash (six-time All-Star, two-time MVP), and Dwight Howard (seven-time all-star, three-time Defensive Player of the Year). And the other two guys that round out the starting five, how about four-time All-Star Pau Gasol and former Defensive Player of the Year Metta World Peace?

Going into this year NBA’s season, expectations for Los Angeles’ super team were sky high. World Peace’s goal for the team: "Well, we definitely want to win 73 games." That would have been an NBA record. Instead, half way through the season the Lakers are the owners of a very mediocre 17-24 record. Max Kellerman of ESPN LA may have worded it best -- "This is the largest disappointment in NBA history. You can build super teams that don't gel in the NFL. Not in the NBA. Never has there been a team assembled like the Lakers that has performed so poorly, ever."

The Miami Heat are no strangers to hype and expectations. When the Miami Heat assembled the Big Three of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade, it was championship or bust. By their own standards, Miami’s Heatles were a bust in their first year together falling to Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals in six games, but at least Miami’s ‘super team’ made it to the finals.

With each loss this year’s Los Angeles Lakers are further establishing themselves as of one of the greatest debacles in sports history. Going into this season it was championship or bust for the Los Angeles Lakers. Now the question is not whether or not the Lakers will win a championship. The question is instead whether or not the Lakers will even make the playoffs and only one person seemingly has the answer to that question, his name is Jim Mora.
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Posted By: Jabari Howard - Category: Basketball
   


The Manti Te'o Saga

January 18th 2013 18:04

On September 12 Notre Dame’s star linebacker Manti Te'o learned that his 72-year-old grandmother, Annette Santiago, had died. A mere six hours later Te’o learned that his girlfriend Lennay Kekua had lost her battle with leukemia.

Te’o said that the loss of his grandmother and girlfriend inspired him to play better as he helped his Notre Dame Fighting Irish get to the BCS title game. Media outlets pounced on the “feel good” story of the college football season -- only to find out later that the story about Manti Te'o's girlfriend was a hoax.

In a news conference Wednesday night Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said that coaches were informed by Te'o and his parents that Te'o had been the victim of a hoax. Lennay Kekua had never existed and someone using a fictitious name had conspired with others to lead Te’o to believe she had died of leukemia.

Deadspin was the first source to break this story noting that Kekua did not have a death certificate and Stanford, where she reportedly went to school, had no record of anybody by that name.

On October 2 in an interview with ESPN Te'o said Kekua's last words to him were "I love you" and called Kekua "the most beautiful girl I've ever met." Notre Dame Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick said Te'o never met Kekua in person claiming “this was exclusively an online relationship."

Then there’s Manti’s father Brian Te'o who came to say that his son and Kekua met in person on a number of occasions claiming that his son and Kekua met in person after a Notre Dame-Stanford game in 2009 in Palo Alto, Calif. Brian Te’o explained that "Every once in a while, she would travel to Hawaii, and that happened to be the time Manti was home, so he would meet with her there. But within the last year, they became a couple.”

Now multiple media outlets have even found multiple instances of Notre Dame’s star linebacker talking about Kekua as if she had existed after Dec. 6, the date that he and the university say he found out that his supposed girlfriend who had died of leukemia was made up. According media reports players claimed Te'o had only met Lennay Kekua once and it wasn't accurate to call Kekua his girlfriend, but according to an anonymous teammate as condolences began to pour in, Te'o simply "played along."

According to Deadspin, the only photos online that identified Kekua are actually pictures of another 22-year-old woman, not named in the report, who told Deadspin one of those photos was shared by Ronaiah Tuiasosopo who is believed to have created Kekua. Tuiasosopo has since confessed to the hoax and claims Te’o helped in keeping up the lie.

On Thursday an independent baseball team, the Florence Freedom in Florence, Ky., announced it would have "Manti Te'o Girlfriend Bobblehead Day" in late May giving the first 1,000 fans an empty bobblehead box. While some may say it’s too soon to poke fun, it does bring levity to what had been a tragic story.

This is not doubt an intriguing saga, but we should take the time to put things into perspective. As so many people are looking to find out whether or not Manti Te’o was involved with this horrific hoax, what is most important is that a twenty-two year old girl did not die of leukemia.


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Posted By: Jabari Howard - Category: NFL (America)
   


James Harden A Rocket

October 29th 2012 21:58

The Wu-Tang Clan said it best. Cash Rules Everything Around Me.

Oklahoma City Thunder star and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Award Winner James Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Kevin Martin, Jeremy lamb, and two future first round picks.

Satudray’s blockbuster trade sent shockwaves through the NBA, but if we would have only listened to the wise words of the Wu-Tang Clan we could have seen this coming. The Oklahoma City Thunder offered James Harden $55 million over four years which is $4.5 million less than the max deal Harden will get from the Rockets.

Harden may not have wanted to leave Oklahoma City but he will have 4.5 million reasons to get over it. In the meantime the Thunder get a proven scorer in Kevin Martin and promising young talent in Jeremy Lamb.

Whether or not the Thunder will remain a title threat after dealing Harden remains to be seen. But in losing James Harden, Oklahoma City does not just lose a great basketball player, they lose a truly great beard.
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Posted By: Jabari Howard - Category: Basketball
   


Ray Lewis Out For Season

October 16th 2012 07:45

I want to take the time out to announce that Ray Lewis is still an NFL player. Ray Lewis tore his right triceps during Sunday's 31-29 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Ray Lewis has a season ending injury; he did not announce his retirement.

In 17 years in the NFL Ray Lewis has been invited to 13 Pro Bowls, was named Super Bowl MVP and is a two-time NFL defensive player of the year. Lewis' passion for the game is unlike anything we've ever seen.

If you have ever played Madden 13, you have been inspired by Ray Lewis. Ray Lewis is not a man, he is the man. Ray Lewis turns 38 years old next year, but a torn triceps will not end the career of Ray Lewis. Lewis has been through much worse.

So before we start writing the obituary for Ray Lewis and his legendary career, let's just acknowledge that Lewis has simply become a routine victim of the Madden Curse. But if anyone can beat the Madden Curse, Ray Lewis can. So look forward to seeing Ray Lewis back in the NFL next year.

Click Here To Be Inspired By Ray Lewis!
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Posted By: Jabari Howard - Category: NFL (America)
   


Michael Vick Owns A Dog

October 12th 2012 21:27

Michael Vick is a dog owner again, and somehow that has managed to make headlines. For those that think the thought of Vick owning a dog is sick and scary, it’s not.

What Michael Vick did was wrong, but guess what? Brett Favre hunts Mule Deer. You’ve eaten a McDonald’s Big Mac. Your cousin has had a Subway turkey sandwich, and your mom loves Buffalo Wild Wings. Those are all animals.

Michael Vick spent 18 months in federal prison on dog fighting charges. Michael Vick lost $135 million. Michael Vick isn’t going to make the same mistake twice. So don’t worry, your dogs are safe.

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Posted By: Jabari Howard - Category: NFL (America)
   


Tebow Time!

October 3rd 2012 20:31

You know the saying, “If it’s broke you should probably fix it.” The Jets are now 2-2. They’ve already lost their two biggest playmakers in Santonio Holmes and Darrelle Revis to season ending injuries. Mark Sanchez is completing only forty-nine percent of his passes and has thrown five touchdowns to go along with four interceptions and two fumbles. It’s safe to say that it’s Tebow Time.

Everyone bared witness to Tebowmania last year. Although his twelve passing touchdowns last year don’t jump off of the stat sheet, his 1.9 million followers on Twitter do. There’s just something about that guy. His t-shirt commercials are must see television, and Tebowing has become the new planking. Tim Tebow was not the sole reason for the Broncos’ turnaround season, but no one has made an argument suggesting that Kyle Orton would’ve done the same thing had he remained the starter.

Completing only 46% of his passes, Tebow’s completion percentage was in my estimation actually lower than the percentage of airtime he received on ESPN during that magical time in which Tebowmania took the world by storm. But who cares about stats. Tim Tebow wins, which is evident by his two national championships at Florida and his late game heroics last year that took the Broncos to the second round of the playoffs after starting out 1-4 with Kyle Orton as the starter.

Insert a cliché regarding Tim Tebow’s will to win.

I don’t see a reason to overanalyze the situation the Jets are facing. Tim Tebow finds a way to win, which the Jets up to this point of the season have struggled to do. Some people say that there are no shortcuts in life. That’s not true. When I park in my driveway I can take a shortcut to my house which is called the front door or I can go the long way which is called the backdoor. If the Jets want to win this season, the shortcut is starting Tim Tebow.

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Posted By: Jabari Howard - Category: NFL (America)
   


It's Official, The Refs Are Back!

September 27th 2012 06:57

The NFL replacement refs are bad, we get it. We’ve all seen the play that cost the Packers the game on Monday Night Football. But that wasn’t the first bad call of this season and this isn’t the first season that has seen a bad call.

In the last couple of years the NFL has thrown out more fines than Aaron Rodgers has thrown out touchdowns. Just today Bill Belichick was fined $50,000 for bumping an official. I know what you’re thinking. Why would such a upstanding man do such a terrible thing? Was it a bad call that caused such a disturbing outburst of violence? And if it there was a bad call, I know you’re wondering what type of disciplinary action was handed down to the referee?

Well, there was no disciplinary action, and that’s because referees don’t get fined. Why you ask? Well, I can’t answer that. It’s hard for defensive players flying in full speed to adjust last second to avoid helmet to helmet contact. But that doesn’t stop the commissioner from handing down hefty fines for those players who can’t do what is asked of them.

The truth hurts. Excluding anyone associated with the Seahawks, nobody likes referees. So why is that the referees somehow manage to avoid fines for bad calls? Referees need to be held accountable for their actions. Fining referees for bad calls would not only help to restore the integrity of the game, but it would satisfy the hearts of millions of diehard fans.

Now that the NFL has reached a deal with its referees, not only is Footlocker hiring, but the quality of officiating should improve. Don’t expect the officiating to be perfect though. There will still be bad calls, and when that happens referees still won’t have to worry about any financial consequences. If Belichick can be fined $50,000 for a bump then the officials from Monday night’s game should at least shell out enough to buy dinner for Aaron Rodgers and company.
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Posted By: Jabari Howard - Category: NFL (America)
   


The Life of a College Student-Athlete

September 21st 2012 14:57

Growing up, hundreds of thousands of young athletes dream of playing college sports. Then reality sets in. Everyone on your JV basketball team isn’t getting a full ride to North Carolina or UCLA. There comes a time when your illustrious high school sports career comes to end. There are no more halftime oranges or road trips on the short yellow bus. Only a select few athletes continue on to the college level, others are left to imagine what could have been.

From the outside looking in college student-athletes seem to be indulged in a lifestyle similar to the rich and famous. It seems that for a college student-athlete just about everything is free, and if you need someone to hold your hand for four years, that can be arranged. Life for a college student-athlete would seem to be easy.

I realize that I am fortunate to be in the position I am. I earned a full athletic scholarship to a four-year university. Many people would love to be where I am. I get paid to play football, in the grand scheme of things I don’t have a lot to complain about, but the life of a college student-athlete is far from easy.

When everyone on campus was leaving for summer break, so was I. But my summer break was ten days instead of three months. Just ten days after finals the football team began “optional” workouts. What “optional” really means is that you have an option of whether or not you actually want to see the field this year. Therefore the majority of the team is on campus during the summer working hard and getting ready for the upcoming season. But these “optional” workouts are only the calm before the storm, because fall camp isn’t optional.

Fall camp marks the beginning of a new season and the beginning of the longest three weeks of the year. At any given time during camp approximately 89% of the team couldn’t tell you if today was a Monday or a Friday. That’s because during camp there are no days off and every day is the same. A camp day goes something like this.

I wake up at 7:00 A.M. to get ready for meetings at 7:30 A.M. Watching cartoons in the morning is fun, but for some reason watching film of last night’s practice in the morning doesn’t seem to be as attractive. After fighting sleep for a little over an hour it’s time to head over to the stadium for the first practice of the day. Practice is practice, and if you don’t know what that is, you can always ask Allen Iverson about his feelings on the matter. Practice is a grind, it’s not always fun but it’s necessary. After two and half hours on the field it’s off to lunch.

For a lot of the guys on the team, outside of dinner, lunch is the highlight of the day. Lunch is a time when everyone gets to eat which a lot of guys on the team really seem to enjoy. After lunch there’s a chance for guys to go to rehab or to just kick back and relax, but not for too long. There are position meetings at 3:30 P.M. At meetings we take a look at the film of the practice we just had only a few hours earlier. After another hour of film, it’s time to get a lift in. After lifting weights for a little over an hour it’s time for dinner, which besides lunch is the highlight of the day for a lot of guys.

After dinner there are more meetings. After meetings there is more practice. The second practice of the day isn’t as long though. This time around practice only goes for about an hour and a half, but by now it’s already somewhere around 9:30 P.M. Now that all football related activities are finally done for the day it’s time to get some sleep, wake up in the morning and do the same thing again tomorrow.

During camp, football is a full-time job. When school starts, that doesn’t change. There are a few less hours spent on the field, but those hours are now committed towards the classroom. Regrettably I don’t play football for North Carolina so I do have to take real classes, and I can tell you from firsthand experience that balancing your sport with your school work is no simple task.

Because of our football schedule we cannot take any classes after 2:00 P.M. And after practice finishes at around 7:00 P.M, catching up with school work isn’t always the first thing on your mind. Traveling every other weekend can cause you to miss out on class time and a social life.

The job of a college student-athlete isn't for everyone. But for those who chose to embark on that journey, in the end team comradery and a scholarship check at the beginning of the quarter or semester makes it all worthwhile.
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Posted By: Jabari Howard - Category: Athletics
   


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