Tennis Night in America – BNP Paribas Showdown

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Maria Sharapova (pictured above) will be one of the stars taking center court at Madison Square Garden this evening.

By Toni Headley

Toni Headley is a tennis expert who worked at ESPN for 10 years and has been a freelance writer there for the past 2 years.  She also previously worked at CBS Sports and has covered every major tennis tournament in the world multiple times.

As a precursor to the start of the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament from Indian Wells California, tennis fans will be treated to some exhibition tennis from the world’s most famous arena Madison Square Garden or “The Garden,” as it is sometimes called. Billed as “Tennis Night in America,” fans will get to see the likes of four former number one players, Maria Sharapova, Caroline Wozniacki, Roger Federer, and Andy Roddick.

Both matches will feature a best of three format. First up will be Maria Sharapova vs. Caroline Wozniacki, which begins at 7pm on ESPN3.com.  This will be followed by Roger Federer vs. Andy Roddick at 11:30pm on ESPN.

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Doing it the right way

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Mike Krzyzewski (pictured above) is now the all-time leader in Division 1 hoops with 903 wins.

By Josh Kramer

Records are made to be broken.  And on this night, another mythical record fell.  Whether you are a fan of Duke or not, you have to tip your cap to Coach Mike Krzyzewski.  The man commonly referred to as Coach K is now the all-time winningest coach in Division 1 NCAA Men’s basketball.  With the still very prevalent Paterno scandal unfolding, tonight demonstrated what doing it the right way is all about.

Coach K played for the great Bobby Knight at Army from 1966 to 1969.  And though he was never a great player, he learned from one of the greats.  Following his very lackluster playing career, Coach K served as an assistant coach under Bobby Knight at Indiana before taking over as the head coach at his alma mater.  After six years at West Point, Coach K took his talents to little-known Duke in 1980.  And well, the rest, is history.

NBA draft 2011: 5 must-miss prospects and 5 possible steals

Photo courtesy of USAToday.com. Kenneth Faried (pictured above) led the country in rebounds this past season. Our very own Nick Craddock thinks that Faried can one of the major steals of this year's lackluster draft class.

By Nick Craddock

As you’ve probably heard, the 2011 NBA draft is shaping up to be one of the weakest in years.

Rumor has it that one of the possible taglines the NBA league office considered to promote the event was: NBA draft 2011…where underwhelming talent happens.

In fact, if we likened all the hopeful hoopers waiting to hear their name called at the Prudential Center in friendly Newark, N.J. — Madison Square Garden is unavailable to serve as the venue this year because of scheduled renovations — to popsicles, then all the NBA teams have a disappointing box full of grape-flavored popsicles to select from (maybe there’s an orange or raspberry hidden somewhere in the box).

Just as any sane person should consciously avoid grape popsicles (I don’t care how hot it gets, I won’t settle for grape), if I’m an NBA GM, I’m avoiding taking these prospects:

“Food for Thought 3-22-11”

Cincinnati Bengal's wide receiver has talked trash to Raven's Safety Tom Zbikowski (pictured above, left) via Twitter about a possible boxing match between the two NFL players. Does Chad Ochocino really want to get in the ring with that guy?

It is another Tuesday.  Which means it is time for some “Food for Thought.”  These are the topics in sports that have really caught my attention in the past 24 hours.  Items that must be discussed.  So let’s jump right into it.

“Weekly Nickel”

I do not see Duke being able to win the ACC Tourney Title if they match up with UNC again in the finals. Unless of course, freshman phenom, Kyrie Irving (pictured above) returns.

It is another beautiful March Monday.  March truly has many qualities that make it “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”  There is no better sporting event than March Madness.  And Selection Sunday is right around the corner.  Spring Training is at full go.  The NFL Labor fiasco continues, and the NBA has guys crying in the locker room over regular season losses.  What more could you want?

Here is this week’s top 5.

“Food for Thought 2-22-11”

In the big news of the day, the New York Knicks just added the likes of Chauncey Billups (left), Carmelo Anthony (right), and others to their team. New York appears to finally be relevant again for the first time since the Ewing days.

“You had me at Melo.”  That is what the whole city of New York is saying today in light of recent developments where their beloved Knickerbockers picked up scoring machine, Carmelo Anthony.  The former Syracuse star is finally heading to play in the Mecca.  Its about time.  There is so much going on in the sporting world.  There is so much to talk about. 

So lets jump right into the day’s main headlines.

You Had Me at Melo

“Food for Thought”

It is almost a foregone conclusion that Carmelo Anthony (pictured above) will not be wearing a Nugget's jersey at this time next year. Could he be wearing a Laker's jersey?

It is yet another jam-packed Tuesday in the sporting world. And all of you know what that means. Lets jump into another round of “Food for Thought.”

Here are some of the major headlines today.

Melo to LA?

“Weekly Nickel”

Come Wednesday, College Basketball fans are in for a treat as they get to watch Jim Boeheim (left) and Jim Calhoun (right) lead their squads into another epic Big East battle. It should be a great one.

It is another Monday, and you all know what that means.  Lets get the week started with a look at the top events coming up in the sporting world throughout the next 7 days.

“Weekly Nickel”

The Under Armour Senior Bowl is set for Saturday. Derrick Locke (pictured above) is one of many players looking to wow the NFL scouts before the combine.

After the weekend “that was,” we are now heading full steam into another amazing week in the wide world of sports that “will be.”  Saturday was arguably the best day of College Basketball we have had since last March and Sunday was just an outstanding day of NFL Football.

So whats in store for this week?  Here is a closer look.

“MVP of Christmas Day?”

Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant (pictured above), wowed a national audience today with a 44 point performance. Is this guy in the same elite class as Kobe Bryant and Lebron James?

Christmas is always one of the most special days of the year.  A day of giving.  A day of reflection.  A day of family time.  But it is also always a day of big time NBA basketball.  And this year had the makings of being one of the all time greatest Christmas Days of NBA Action.  So the games did not exactly pan out to be as close and exciting as expected.  There were some big time performances though.

Some of the League’s main MVP candidates put their talents on display for the whole world to see.  In the early game, the Knicks sported their traditional “festive (green)” Christmas jerseys.  They put on a show and brought home a victory for the jam-packed Madison Square Garden crowd.  Two of the League’s top MVP candidates took part in this one. 

Derrick Rose

Rose almost willed his “Noahless” team to victory by filling up the stat sheet.  He had 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists.  It was quite the performance.  Sadly though, he put up 28 shots and committed 7 turnovers.  It was an impressive performance.  And the 22-year-old out of Memphis continues to wow me with his improvement each time I see him.  But I give him a C+ on the day.  This is due to the fact that not only did his team lose, but he committed nearly as many turnovers as assists, and he shot well below 50 percent from the floor.

Amare Stoudemire

This guy is definitely in the discussion to take home the MVP hardware at this point in the season.  He is absolutely lighting up the stat sheet.  Today was no different as he put up yet another double/double.  20 points to go with 10 boards and a Knick’s victory is a solid day.  He did not exactly wow the crowd with his lowest scoring effort in some time, but he did do enough to lead his team to another victory.  I give him a B on the day.  An above average performance, but no wow factor.

Game two was a very hotly anticipated matchup.  It pitted two teams that have duked it out for the East the past couple of years.  Though neither of these teams have a sure-fire MVP candidate, they demonstrate the importance of team basketball as well as anybody.

Kevin Garnett

KG is not the force that we all once knew.  The guy can still play defense as well as any guy in the League though, and today he showed some of his old school offensive prowess.  Garnett shot a very efficient 10 of 14 from the floor and finished with 22 points.  7 above his regular season average.  I give the guy a B+ for the day’s work.  He played above average, but his team lost for the first time in 14 games.

Brandon Bass

How many of you had heard of this guy before today’s game?  If you were not a Magic fan, you probably had no idea who this kid out of LSU was.  Boy did he show up to play today.  Bass shot 8 of 15 from the floor and finished with 21 points to go with 9 boards.  Bass averages just 11 points and 5 boards a game.  This kid had the best game of his career.  He was a main reason why Orlando picked up their biggest victory of the season.  I give the kid an A for the day.

Game 3 was the most anticipated game of the entire season thus far in my eyes.  All of the talk around the NBA has centered on the Miami Heat since July.  The Lakers are the two-time defending champs yet nobody has been talking about them.  This matchup featured the likes of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh, and Lamar Odom.  Sadly, this game was way overhyped.  LA forgot that they had a basketball game today.  They did the same thing last Christmas in a showdown with Cleveland.  Did it affect the final outcome?

Lebron James

I will admit that I am not the biggest fan of the “King.”  But the guy really played an outstanding game today.  Plus he kept his composure while a pesky Ron Artest did everything he could to throw him off.  James went 8 of 14 from the floor and shot an amazing 5 of 6 from 3 point range.  Who says LBJ cannot shoot from the perimeter?  Plus James ended up with the first triple/double every recorded on Christmas Day. Nobody can fill the full stat sheet like the King.  27 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 4 steals.  Give me a break.  Plus his team won on the road by 16.  I give the guy an A+.

Kobe Bryant

It is very hard to choose a most valuable player for LA on this day.  Nobody brought their A game, much less their B game.  But Kobe has been the rock of this franchise for some time now.  And he did have the best numbers on the day.  Bryant finished with 17 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds.  He really never got a rhythm going though.  Could it have been Miami’s outstanding defensive effort?  Could it have been the lack of production from his supporting cast?  Whatever it was, I give Kobe a D- on the day.  Do not take this game as an indicator of things to come though.  The Lakers know how to win when they need to.  Today was an off day.  It also could serve as a wake up call.

The 4th game of the day was another big time matchup.  A Nuggets team that has been around the block versus a young and very talented Oklahoma City Thunder team.  Plus this was probably the last Christmas that fans would get to watch Carmelo in a Nuggets uniform.  Sadly, Carmelo did not play.

Chauncey Billups

This guy has been one of the best big game players in the NBA for over a decade now.  He just always comes to play when he is put on the big stage.  Well today was no different.  The former Piston’s star finished with 30 points, on 10 of 16 shooting.  Plus he was a perfect 7 of 7 from the charity stripe.  The guy did everything in his power to give his injury riddled team a chance to win.  It just was not in the cards tonight.  I will give him a B+.

Kevin Durant

This guy may be the best player in the NBA now.  After watching Kobe, Lebron, and Kevin Durant today, it is hard to not consider this guy in the same elite class.  The guy has become the face of this franchise that is all the sudden looking like a contender.  44 points on 14 of 20 shooting?  Absolutely outrageous.  This guy is leading the League in scoring for a reason.  He is the leader of the most exciting team to watch in the NBA.  Today he just continued to do what he has been doing all year.  I give the guy an A+.

Recap

To conclude my thoughts on the first 4 games today, Kevin Durant is my MVP.  With Lebron James in a very close second.  If you have not gotten to watch Durant play a full game this year, tune in next time they are on national television.  He has hit that elite level and is a joy to watch.  Lastly, I will state that the Heat put on the best overall team performance this afternoon.  I know that the Magic’s win over Boston was huge, but they did not exude dominance the way that the South Beach boys did.  Miami looked awesome.  And believe me, ABC Sports Analyst Jeff Van Gundy will make sure you know it.  This guy hated the Heat 10 years ago.  What happened?  LA will be fine though.  They will work out the kinks just like they have in past years.  I still have the Lakers winning the title.

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

-TheSportsKraze