Food for Thought 6-5-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. The two best bench players in the NBA put on quite a show last night. James Harden (left) hit the big shot in the end though to help the Thunder go up 3 to 2 in the Western Conference Finals

By Josh Kramer

We could quite possibly be watching history in the making in regards to NBA Playoff basketball.  94% of teams that have gone up 2 to 0 in best-of-seven NBA series have gone on to take the series.  Only 14 teams in NBA history have ever climbed out of a 2 to 0 hole to win a best-of-seven game series.  Both conference finals series began with the higher seed taking a 2 to 0 lead.  Things appeared to be over.  Then both lower seeded teams miraculously defended their home floors (and OKC won one on the road last night).

Can Boston and/or Oklahoma City pull off the unthinkable?  Oklahoma City can.  Yes, I am going to keep doubting San Antonio.  I wouldn’t count on it from Boston.  The Thunder have been the team to watch out West all year.  Despite a very slow start in the conference finals, their bigs (Ibaka namely) awoke in Game 4 and James Harden hit the shot of the year in Game 5.  Remember, Westbrook and Harden combined for a mere 18 points on Saturday.  OKC still won.  Last night, the OKC bigs, Ibaka and Perkins combined for just 13 points.  OKC still won.  The Thunder will knock off the Spurs and become team number 15 to climb out of a 2 to 0 hole.

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Throwback Saturday Part XVI

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. A year ago, Rashard Mendenhall (pictured above) made some inappropriate comments on Twitter. The importance of Twitter in sports continues to grow by the day.

By Josh Kramer

We have reached the four-month anniversary of “Throwback Saturdays.”  This is a day where we reflect on what was going on in the wide world of sports one year ago and two years ago.  In addition, it is an opportunity to see just how right or wrong I was at the time in my analysis.  So what was happening on May 5, 2011?  How about on May 5, 2012?  Let’s find out.

One year ago..

Twitter: A Best Friend or Worst Enemy of Athletes

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For the athletic forum, Twitter can also be a great thing.   People are able to receive news instantaneously from millions of sources.  In addition, people are able to interact with players, coaches, and various sports personalities through “tweets.”  What could be better than creating a way for fans to actually relate with the athletes they idolize and cheer for?  Guys like Chad Ochocinco have used the Twitter world and the whole forum of social media to their advantage increasing their popularity exponentially.  The majority of athletes have caught on to this by now and are doing what they can to create a greater appeal to a larger fan base via Twitter.

Some guys just don’t get it though.  And there is one guy that comes to mind when I think of those that are “Twitter Incompetent.”

Rashard Mendenhall.

Now, Mendenhall has turned into a fine running back that played a key role in leading the Steelers to an AFC Championship this past year.  But boy has he struggled with his utilization of the Twitter World.  First he made comments backing up already hotly contested comments by fellow NFL Player Adrian Peterson, which compared NFL Players to slaves.  Now he has spoken out against Americans celebrating the death of Osama.  Talk about two heavy topics to hit on the wrong end of the stick (To finish read this post, click this link).

Throwback Saturday Part XI

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. The Boston Celtics shocked the San Antonio Spurs one year ago today at the AT&T Center. This was thanks in large part to a huge performance by Rajon Rondo (pictured above).

By Josh Kramer

We are nearing the three-month anniversary of the initial “Throwback Saturday.”  I for one am very proud of this segment and have truly enjoyed time traveling with you.  What was happening on March 31, 2011?  How about on March 31, 2010?  Let’s find out.

One year ago..

NBA Night Tonight

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People need to realize though that College Basketball is not the only game in town.  The NBA season is coming down to the final stretch before the playoffs, with much left to be decided.  Plus, tonight features two mega matchups.  So after you watch your respective MLB teams open up the season, tune in to one of the two insanely good matchups the NBA has this evening.  Sorry to my Giants and Dodgers fans.  As the only night game, you will have to make a decision, but for the rest of the country, watching the NBA Action is a no brainer.

Matchup #1

Boston at San Antonio:  Many are proclaiming this matchup a possible preview of the NBA Finals. Both of these elite squads have looked somewhat vulnerable as of late though.  Granted they both have easily secured home court advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs, but both would like to end up with the overall number 1 seed in their respective conferences.   In the East, the 1 seed has not meant much in recent years.  Just ask King James about that.  But in the West, the Lakers have secured the number 1 seed 3 consecutive years (this year is much in question though).  They have also represented the West in the NBA Finals 3 consecutive years.  Home court matters no matter how  you spin it in playoff basketball (To finish reading this post, click this link).

Weekly Nickel 3-12-2012

Photo courtesy of Mr. Eddie Trost and Mrs. Jayne Robertson, Event Directors of the Babolat World Tennis Classic. Francesca Schiavone (pictured above) is one of many players looking to make some noise at Indian Wells this week.

By Josh Kramer

The greatest weekend in sports is just ahead.  It is time for some March Madness and there is only one way to describe it.  “It’s totally awesome baby with a capital A!”  I know Championship Week was fun.  But the first few days of the NCAA Basketball tournament are the most exciting in sports.  Utilize your sick days or your vacation days.   Thursday and Friday will not be days that you will want to be stuck at your desk.  Also, despite popular belief, other sports have been going on over the past week and will continue to despite the lack of attention given.  Last week was great.  But this week will be ever better.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  Indian Wells is still doing swell.  All eyes in the tennis world are focused in California.  Sadly, at least in the US, many potential eyes have been and will continue to be focused on March Madness.  But for all of my die-hard fans out there, it is a great time to be an American tennis fan.  First Indian Wells, and then the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami next week?  It doesn’t get much better.

Food for Thought 3-6-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Could Danny Ainge and the Celtics really trade Rajon Rondo (pictured above) after watching the show he put on against the Knicks on Sunday?

By Josh Kramer

Trade me?  You must be crazy.

This Sunday was definitely a “Fun Day” in the NBA.  Not only were there great matchups though, there were memorable performances.  Deron Williams dropped 57 as he continues to make his ploy for Dwight Howard to join him in Brooklyn (New Jersey heads to Brooklyn next year).  Kobe Bryant put on a heck of a show in which he scored 18 points in the first quarter to set the tone as LA handled Miami 93 to 83.  And of course there was the exceptional performance put on by the Celtics point guard, Rajon Rondo.

I seem to remember heavy gossip about a possible trade of a certain Celtic’s point guard before the March 15^th trade deadline.  Well after watching the show that Rondo put on yesterday against the Knicks, could you really imagine trading this guy?  Three numbers sum everything up.

18, 17, and 20.

Food for Thought 2-28-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. How many of you knew who Jeremy Evans (pictured above) was before Saturday night? At least he has a cool nickname (The Human Pogo Stick).

By Josh Kramer

Saturday Night Bust

NBA All-Star Saturday Night was one for the ages this year.  And not in a good way.  Your three-winners of the main competitions were Tony Parker, Kevin Love, and Jeremy Evans.  Though the vast majority are well aware of whom Parker and Love are, how many of you actually knew who the guy that “some” people call the “Human Pogo Stick” was before Saturday?

Throwback Saturday Part IV

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. A little over a year ago today, Jerry Sloan (pictured above) was forced into stepping down from his position as the Head Coach of the Utah Jazz.

By Josh Kramer

So when I originally constructed the idea of “Throwback Saturdays,” I figured I would do it for a month or so.  It would be a change of pace for you all and give you some time to reflect a bit. With that being said, I feel as if this idea has been a rousing success thus far, at least from the feedback you all have given me.  Please provide further feedback in the comments section.  I have a feeling next week you may be seeing “Throwback Saturday Part V.”

Unfortunately, I did not put up a post on February 11^th in either 2010 or 2011.  So I apologize for letting you all down on those particular dates.  We will just have to settle for dates very close in proximity.

One year ago (February 10, 2011)..

Sayonora Sloan

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Sloan is one of the greatest offensive masterminds of our generation.  The guy has won his entire career.  He handles his business the right way.  No ridiculous off court mishaps with this guy.  Yet ownership has chosen Deron Williams as the future?

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know who Deron Williams is.  He is a 5th year All Star point guard who played college ball at Illinois.  The guy is arguably the best point guard in the League (I would currently rank him behind Rose, Rondo, and Paul in all honesty though).  Any guy that puts up 20 points and 10 assists a night is doing something right.  But it has been well documented that Williams and legendary coach Sloan have had their fair share of tussles over the past year (To finish reading the post, click this link).

“Finals Rematch”

Miami and their star studded trifecta should actually be able to throw a legitimate championship party in the near future.

By Josh Kramer

It is finally time for the conclusion of what has been a wild NBA season. The NBA Finals are set.  And it is a rematch.  Though I will state, these are two very different teams from the matchup of 5 years ago.  In what has been a very memorable extra season thus far with many unexpected turns and twists, we have narrowed the field 2.  And not to be pessimistic, but make sure to tune in and savor it.  With the looming CBA disputes and possibility of a lockout next season, this may be the last professional basketball any of us gets to “Witness” for a long time.

“A Solid Matchup in the East”

Dwyane Wade (left) and Lebron James (right) have been lights out in the playoffs thus far. I fully expect Miami's dynamic tandem to give the Bulls fits and advance to the NBA Finals.

So the NBA Playoffs have not gone exactly as many projected.  The majority of people across the country had a Lakers/Celtics rematch penciled in for June.  Or they at least expected the NBA’s 2 most storied franchises to advance to their respective conference finals.  I will admit that I was one of those people.  Well I, along with many others was wrong.

“Heat Drop Celtics; Take 3-1 Lead”

According to our very own Wesley Kaminsky, Lebron James (pictured above) appears to finally have the look of a champion.

Wesley is a sports expert and journalist out of Philadelphia that writes for Bleacher Report.  You can check out all of his work at  http://bleacherreport.com/users/88810-wesley-kaminsky or follow his twitter @Wesley_Kaminsky

Don’t look now, but we are just one game away from both the Lakers and Celtics being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. When the playoffs begun, many people had these two teams meeting up in the championship for the third time in four years, assuming it would be too difficult to knock off either of these teams in a seven game series. I was not one of those people, seeing as I didn’t make playoff predictions, because of two reasons. The first being that being a die-hard Bulls fan, I know that my favoritism of the Bulls would be evident, and I would think of a million reasons as to why they could not lose in the playoffs. The second reason I did not fill one out was because I really had no idea, and wanted to save myself the embarrassment following a March Madness bracket that I never want to look at again.Anyway, enough about that. Time to get to the action that took place on Monday night, with the Heat taking a commanding 3-1 lead over the Eastern conference champion Celtics.