Nba

Today, after receiving a pair of free tickets to the Pistons/Nuggets game at the Palace, I had a few reactions. 

My first one was, “Hell Yeah! Free Pistons Tickets!” 

The second one was, “Have I seen Carmelo Anthony in person?” I had to think about it, but nope, I’ve never seen ‘Melo play. 

Continue reading "Three Year Bucket List"

Tim Donaghy, the referee who spent 15 months in a federal prison for his role in a betting scandal that rocked the NBA, is out of prison and looking to make a splash once again. 

The NBA did a phenomenal job sweeping the whole Donaghy scandal under the rug as best they could when the revelations were made public that he had ties to organized crime and that he may or may not have affected the outcomes of NBA games. 

Continue reading "An End to the Tim Donaghy Scandal (Hopefully)"

www.sporcle.com is awesome. It’s a great place to waste time.

If you’ve never heard of it, basically it is a website that gives you the topic to a list of people, places, or things, and you have a certain amount on time to guess all the answers in the list. 

Continue reading "Sporcle.com is awesome"

Officially, attendance was listed for the Los Angeles Clippers at Memphis Grizzlies game last night at 10,012.

The only way that number was over 10,000 is if you took every person in the arena, counted every person whose number was stored in their cell phone, and multiplied it by two.

Continue reading "The End of the Grizzlies? Let's Hope So."

Have you looked at the league leaders yet this season?

There are some familiar faces atop some of the big categories. Kobe leads the league in scoring. Nash leads the league in assists. Rondo leads the league in steals. 

Continue reading "New Era of NBA Bigs?"

I wrote a short blog last week about Allen Iverson being unhappy with his role in Memphis, and I predicted that by March 1st the Grizzlies would send him home.

I mean, it was obvious that it was a marriage that was doomed from the start.

Continue reading "Who is Allen Iverson?"

Last week in “Fun With Box Scores” I took a look at about ten different things that jumped out from the previous week’s box scores. 

It was the initial plan to roll out ten more fun little facts that I discovered while rummaging through the box scores this week, but I came across one box score that was so unique that I don’t feel like any other stat line from the week is worthy of being in the same post as this one. 

Continue reading "Fun With Box Scores"

LeBron James makes his only trip to Madison Square Garden tonight. 

For the past two seasons there has been plenty of talk about LeBron bolting his hometown of Cleveland for the bright lights of New York City. 

Continue reading "LeBron Makes His Only Trip to "The Garden" Tonight"

He fooled me yet again.

We’ve seen this act before. Andrew Bynum, through the first five games, is averaging over 20-10, yet again. 

It’s nothing new. For the third straight season, the young, potential stud, center for the Los Angeles Lakers has hit the ground running and has shown flashes of being an all-star caliber center in the NBA. 

Continue reading "Andrew Bynum: The Oldest 22-Year-Old in the NBA"

The NBA season is officially underway (unless you live in Chicago or Milwaukee). 

After several hours parked in front of the NBA League Pass for the past two days, it’s time for some first impressions. 

Continue reading "First Impressions"

Happy New Year!

With the new NBA season set to tip off with four games tonight, here are some of the things I’ll be watching for in tonight’s action.

Boston @ Cleveland, 7:30pm

I can’t wait to see LeBron again this season. Last year, coming off the Olympics, you could see that his focus was on improving defensively. Now, without a summer in the spotlight, I’m curious to see if he’s made any improvements to his already unreal game. Is this the year we finally see LeBron use his Karl Malone-like body to beast on people inside?

Continue reading "NBA Opening Night Quick Thoughts"

Disappointing news for NBA fans everywhere, courtesy of yahoo: 

"LOS ANGELES (AP)—Blake Griffin’s (notes) NBA debut has been pushed back indefinitely after the Los Angeles Clippers revealed late Monday night that their No. 1 overall draft pick has a broken left kneecap.

Continue reading "Disappointing First Impression of Blake Griffin"

Welcome to the Diary of an NBA Junkie.

My Name is Scott Shepherd, and I’m addicted to the NBA. 

After a few years of covering the NBA for a great website, www.sports-central.org, I’ve decided to branch out and start my own blog. 

Continue reading "Welcome to the Diary of an NBA Junkie"

1.  Julius Erving:  Dr. J

2.  Dominique Wilkins:  The Human Highlight Reel

3.  George Gervin:  The Iceman

4.  Ervin Johnson:  Magic

5.  Michael Jordan:  Air Jordan

Continue reading "The 50 Best NBA Nicknames Ever"

1.  LeBron James:  Analysts and writers seem to be 50/50 on the LeBron/Kobe debate.  I pick LeBron.

2.  Kobe Bryant:  Probably one of the 10 greatest players ever.  And counting.

Continue reading "The 35 Best Basketball Players in ..."

This is just not the Celtics' year. Last night's game 7 looked like a game 4 in a 3-0 series. The Celtics came out without their energy, all out of sync. Clearly, they missed KG. Ray Allen, who we needed to step up, finally did, but he was the only one who showed up to play. Meanwhile, Orlando 21-13 from three point land, was just too much to handle and every shot they took led to me biting my nails off and praying for a comeback that never came. This game was a tough one for Boston to handle; we were losing all game and never made the run that they usually can.

Continue reading "The Celtics Lose Game 7 and Boston ..."

No better day than Mother's Day for the Celtics to get the victory they desperately needed. Up to this point in the series, every game has been a blow-out; the Magic had won 2 and the Cs 1. In yesterday's game, both teams came out on fire, and we knew that this was going to be a fight to the finish.Pierce set the tone for the Cs and scored a game high 27 points, also 3 rebounds and 4 assists; just what the Cs needed from their captain. (Note: when Pierce has scored over 40% a game in the playoffs we are 4-0.)  It was still a 2 point game at the half and then Allen scored 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Rondo stepped it up with 21 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. Now, as the Professor says, when Rondo plays well, the C's win; and Rondo played well but he got major help from Big Perkins with 21 points, 13 rebounds, 2assists, 1steal and 5 huge blocks, and the man of the night  -- Big Glen Baby Davis!!! He had 21 points and 6 rebounds, but the biggest shot of the night that knocked me on the floor was the last shot of the game. The Celts had possession in a timeout with 11.2 seconds remaining and the Cs down 1. Big Baby had hit the Cs last jumper with 37 seconds on the clock but even then you expected the ball to go to Pierce or Allen; not this time. Pierce held the ball at the top of the 3point line as time ticked down and no one in Boston could sit down!With the clocks ticking it's down to seconds...4..3..2...Pierce passes to Big Baby and with 1 second and the buzzer going off just after the release, nothing but net!!!!!!! Big Baby was the hero in an amazing must win game in a 95-94 final and now they come back to Boston with momentum, exactly what C-Nation need!! What a game, amazing and intense; that's why the NBA rules!!! This game also proved we can hang in there when in foul trouble because Pierce, Baby, Perkins and Scalabrine (who played great Defense) were all in foul trouble early and Doc was able to handle it. So game 5 -- I can't wait --at the Garden would be a great win; MIT thinks we will win by 8-10 points, I believe this series is going to turn into the Bulls series where the last possession can determine the game.  I am sticking with my original guess with G, Dato, JR, A, KC, Jon, Rach, Ro, Hannah and even Murray, that this is going 7 just like last year.   So Go Cs!

Continue reading "The Sky's the Limit for Big Baby and the Celtics"

Steroids has officially gone postal.

The list of all-star players who have been revealed to be using steroids: Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Alex Rodriguez, now.......MANNY RAMIREZ.

Continue reading "Manny being Manny: The Latest twist ..."

The Celtics came out with that fire and determination in their eyes last night and showed Orlando exactly where they were(OUR HOUSE) and who the Champs are (The Cs, of course]!!!  The Cs got a quick lead from the beginning of the game and did not let it go; in fact, they did what I had hoped--if House, Scale, and Marbury could give us one good quarter of ball, we'd take it.

Continue reading "Boston Celtics: Now that's Playing in our House!"

If Kobe Bryant expects to win a championship this June, he needs to trust his teammates more. If he doesn't, the Lakers will not only struggle to win the Finals, they may have trouble even getting there. Last night's loss to the Houston Rockets, putting them down 1-0 in the series, is to me, enough cause for concern. Phil Jackson needs to sit down Kobe and tell him the same thing he told Jordan: trust your teammates more.

Continue reading "Memo to Kobe: Be like Mike"

Say Swine Flu keeps spreading. Say it gets worse, like "Outbreak" worse, and the majority of people in the US get it, including LeBron James. I still don't think I could beat him one-on-one. Even if it was first to score. Or if we played "PIG." Remember when Jordan had the flu in the '88 playoffs, and he dropped 47 against the Knicks, AT the Garden??? We spectators/bloggers/sports fans seriously over-estimate the flu. If LeBron had swine flu, not only would he stuff me like a Quizno's Torpedo, he would still be able to beat the following athletes/teams:

Continue reading "LeBron could beat me with Swine Flu"

People are calling this the best playoff series ever, but it all comes to an end tonight. This has been a back and forth epic battle with a different "main man" stepping up for both teams in each game (including the 4 overtimes in 6 games, an NBA record). 

Continue reading "Boston Celtics: It's All Come Down to This"

"There's no analysis here...what happened?!" - ESPN's Steve Levy, 4/27/09

The New Orleans hornets suffered the all-time-tying worst playoff loss in NBA history yesterday, getting stomped on 121-63 by the Denver Nuggets. Don't wet yourselves, Nuggets fans. The Hornets just played THAT BAD. Here are the Top 10 Reasons why they shouldn't bother showing up for Game 5:

Continue reading "Top 10 Reasons the New Orleans Hornets ..."

I'm a Kobe fan. Huge Kobe fan. He's practically my generation's MJ. Nothing against MJ, I just never saw him play much. I went to the United Center once, when I was seven, and all I remember is Scottie Pippen's crew-cut and cotton candy. Also, I'm from D.C., so the fact that MJ ruined the entire development and chemistry of an up-and-coming Washington Wizards team, just so he could milk a little more limelight, doesn't really sit well.

Continue reading "Why Lakers fans should worry about ..."

The first time I ever saw Michael Jordan was when I was searching through the channels one night. I was no more than eight years old. He was flying in the air with his tongue sticking out as he was preparing to dunk. I never saw anything like it. He was this mysterious figure that I would grow up to adore and admire. I wanted to be like Mike, except I was a girl. Truth be told, I wanted to better than Mike. In my entire life, I never thought we would have this discussion: Who is the next Michael Jordan? Everyone keeps saying Kobe Bryant or LeBron James is the next Michael Jordan. They will never touch his status.

Continue reading "The Boston Celtics: The Next Michael Jordan"

The story reads that on Christmas Day in 2008, two great teams, the Los Angeles Lakers (24-5) and the Boston Celtics (27-3), came together to play. One would imagine the goal was simply to win. However, the two teams seemed as if they were competing for something else besides a win. From the jump ball, the Lakers appeared to be on a mission to redeem themselves from last year’s NBA Finals. The Celtics played it as if it was just another game on the way to their ultimate goal of repeating as World Champions. The Lakers won the game with a score of 92-83, but the game can’t be told by the final score. It is told by what each team was playing for: another step in the right direction and redemption. The Celtics learned that they can be beaten. And, the Lakers got their redemption, for this was their Championship game.

Continue reading "The Laker's Championship Game v. ..."

It's odd, I have my site at bostoncelticsnews.com, and I have only posted one thing NBA related. Well, how about I make it two? 

On MLK night, the Lakers took it the Cavs. If this game didn't showcase why the Lakers are the best team in the league right now, I don't know what does. For the average person who just looks at the NBA as a whole, the Lakers are the team right now. But, as Lee Corso would say, not so fast my friend. Breaking it down, here are my rankings for teams that I think have the best shot at winning the championship. 

Continue reading "NBA Wrap-Up"

We always here about things like this happening in another town in a different county or in a different state altogether; events that have no bearing to our lives whatsoever. We walk into another school while on a basketball trip and see a glass case perched on a wall close to the entrance which has an asortment of different items arranged around a picture set in the middle. The pictures differ from town to town, sometimes it may be just a normal school picture of a student with small heirlooms hanging around the image, other times it may be a student's athletic picture and his or her varsity letter nearby. There always seems to be a small passage included that can be read, describing the person's life and passions. In every case though, the glass case holds the same meaning, a memorandum of a life taken too early.

Continue reading "To an Athlete Dying Young"

I may be an over-the-top, totally subjective fan, but I know where to draw the line. Yes, I am always totally optimistic when it comes to my favorite teams, but when I sit down and think clearly about the broad outlook of things, I can do it objectively, and I hope I got the subjective and objective terms right and used them correctly.

Continue reading "NBA Championship Preview"

The Denver Nuggets did the right thing in getting rid of Allen Iverson.  They never should have traded for Iverson to begin with.  Iverson is one of the most overrated basketball players in the history of the NBA.  The Pistons are sure to suffer and lose all hope of any run to a title.

Continue reading "Allen Iverson Trade is Stupid Move on Pistons Part"

He shot four three-pointers and missed them all.  He shot eight free throws and missed four of them, including two near the end of the game.  If he could have made just one three-pointer and two of those free throws, the game could have been a victory for the Cavs.  Lebron James simply cannot shoot a basketball.

Continue reading "Same Old Lebron Loses To The Celtics"

Lebron James is an amazing athlete. He is big, strong, and fast and he can pass a basketball pretty well, but he is not a good basketball player by NBA standards.

The media love to talk about James. They love to tell us how good he is and how he carries the Cavaliers to victory time and time again. James can hit a fade away three pointer and the commentators will talk for five minutes about James’ amazing ability to get you from all angles on the court.

Continue reading "Lebron James Isn't Really That Good"

I'll start it off that these are just plainly predictions. My very own gut feeling and how I assume that the season will turn out to be. My opinion is influenced by current stats and my overall impression regarding the NBA teams and players.

Continue reading "PREDICTIONS for the NBA 2008-2009 SEASON"

I recently got talked into playing fantasy basketball this season.  We had our draft the other night and I was able to draft both Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics. 

Continue reading "Celtics Look The Same in '08 as in ..."

Lakers will win the NBA Championship! Well at least that what the NBA GM's think not like they know! I want to know who you think will win and Y !! Church

Continue reading "Lakers will win the Championship"

Don’t take this the wrong way, but I like a little violence, in sports that is. I think most people who like sports agree. The biggest reactions from spectators usually occur after a big coll

Continue reading "Violence Has It's Place"

With the Pentant races going on and the almighty NFL still keeping everyone including me at the edge of their seats, not only on Sunday but even throughout the week. Even NCAA football fans are direct

Continue reading "The Association"

Last night, we lost another star to the pre-season. Antawn Jamison went down with a knee injury after playing only 4 mins. Which begs the question why do we need a pre-season anyway. Now the Washin

Continue reading "I hate Pre season"

    So I missed out on being able to write during the greatest basketball month in the history of my fandom, but luckily for me, the League wisely places the NBA Draft at the perfect time. Just as the dust has settled on the Finals and fans everywhere have mentally prepared themselves for the blankness of the off-season, we get one more chance to scrutinize, debate, and celebrate our favorite teams. This year’s draft was tagged as unpredictable early on, and it certainly lived up to that billing. The beauty of the Draft is that the discussion is pretty much never-ending, as any player’s legacy is up for grabs until the day he hangs it up, but here are one fan’s initial thoughts, coming at you six picks at a time. Chicago Bulls- Derrick Rose, Fr, G, Memphis.

Continue reading "Draft Analysis: Picks 1-6"

 "The Big Three," "Drive for 17." With all the media attention focused on the two recently-added all-stars and the team's comeback this season, a young player's name may have gotten lost in the shuffle, Rajon Rondo. Sure, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and KG are the present heroes of the Celtics, but it's the young players like Rondo who are the future of this franchise. With his remarkable intelligence at the ripe age of 21, Rondo is a promising leader as point-guard for a team that will undoubtedly be successful in the playoffs for several more years. Look at where he's led his team so far. Although he makes some unwise decisions, this is to be expected from a second-year player. Some fans have criticized Rondo's inexperience as it was evident in game five of the finals against the LA Lakers. During one play, Rajon Rondo had an opening and took it to the paint, but instead of finishing, he dished the ball to Pierce for a jumper from beyond the arc, which missed.

Continue reading ""

How quickly we forget. Just last year Kobe Bryant was a whining malcontent who was estimated by just about everybody to be a cancer to the Lakers organization. He was a ball hog who shot first, and thought about winning second. He was the type of player who would rag on his teammates in front of a camera in a department store parking lot, and the type of employee who would throw his employers under the Buss any chance he got. It seems that winning changes a lot of things for Kobe, but even more so for Laker fans.

Continue reading "MVP or FWT? (Fair Weather Teammate)"

That putback dunk by Kevin Garnet said it all. This game was very competitive. Celts win 98-88. I like watching it and I wouldne mind seeing it again but with a little more Kobe. I dont know what happ

Continue reading "Boston Celtics Take Game 1"

The two most successful teams in NBA History will be going at it in the NBA Finals tonight. The Celtics already own 16 championships while the Lakers are sitting at 13 championships. Each team will be looking to become one game closer to another ring. This will be the most exciting NBA Finals that we have witnessed in recent years. I like to call this years NBA Finals “Star-Studded”:

Continue reading "Lakers vs Celtics Matchups"

This NBA Finals will be the most watched Finals in a couple years. I myself have not watched any in quite a few years since the Spurs and Pistons were so frequently in them. No offense to them but they are just not exciting teams to watch. I would much rather watch Kobe light up the Celts great D for 50 points or the Big Three of Boston. Tim Duncan is just not an exciting player to watch. Not only are the teams fun to watch but each of the matchups are interesting:

Continue reading "Celtics vs Lakers Breakdown"

The Detroit Pistons are now on their search for a new coach. Flip Saunders was released today.

“Decisions like this are difficult to make, especially with the success we have had throughout the last three regular seasons,” Dumars said in a statement. “However, at this time, I feel it is necessary to make a change. “I thank Flip for his hard work and dedication, but it is time for a new voice to lead our team.” - Joe Dumars

Continue reading "Flip Saunders fired"

Paul Pierce v. Kobe Bryant. Period. These two will be lighting up the scoreboard the whole series. Expect to see a couple of 40 point games. However this series is not just about the scorers. It wi

Continue reading "NBA Finals - Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers"

I see that Donnie Walsh is showing that he wont be playing any games with the Knicks. He is showing that he is strictly behind Mike D' Antoni. If any Knicks player want to get out of line, expect to hear from "The Boss" Donnie Walsh.

Continue reading "Walsh on D'Antoni's Side"

Considering I'm from New York City and being a big Knicks fan, ofcourse my first entry will be about the Knicks. To begin, for some reason I'm looking forward to the 2008-2009 Knicks season. Why you a

Continue reading "State of the Knicks"

What a night of basketball it was! The ESPN pundits summed it up perfectly when they were asked to describe the game in one word: "Phenomenal", "spectacular", "thriller"...you can easily add "awesome" to that list.

Continue reading "Back on the Bigger Scene"

Now that the first games of the Conference Finals are out of the way with the home teams coming up trumps in both, I would like to share an interesting thing that caught my attention regarding the teams that have come thus far. Celtics, Lakers, Spurs, and Pistons ...

Continue reading "Same Old, Same Old..."

What a game it was last night. As I was pacing up and down the modest size of my apartment's living room, my heart palpitations above healthy limits, Celtics managed to cling on to their lead to see away LeBron and his Cavaliers. Make no mistake - despite some of the Cavs' unquestionable talents, without LeBron they aren't that good.

Continue reading "LeBron and On"

    Lakers took the Blazers last night in an up tempo game that had me routing all four quarters.  This being the second straight win for the lakers after two previous losses to two of the NBA's weaker teams, was a needed win for them.  Pau Gasol had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and seven assits in his first game in nearly 3 weeks.   Kobe Bryant scored his first 14 points of 36, in the fourth quarter, which may have led to the Blazers defeat.  Travis Outlaw and martell Webster had 23 points each playing better offensively most of the night.  As with the last three games, Roy was out via his strained right groin.

Continue reading "L.A. Lakers Take Portland Blazers"

Everybody knows Paul Pierce can score.  His reputation in the NBA is that of a tenacious scorer, capable of tormenting defenders and taking over offensively for stretches, using his combination of size and grace to muscle or slash his way into the lane or to the rim or to create space for his silky smooth mid-range jumper.  Unfortunately for Pierce, this is all he's been known as, and for several years he has been seen as only a ball-hogging chucker who couldn't defend anyone, more focused on padding his stats on an irrelevant team than winning games.  While this characterization seems fitting enough given the performances of him and his team for the past few seasons, this season Pierce has shown to the world what dedicated Celtics fans have known for years, that Pierce is a well rounded and versatile player on both ends of the floor, both willing and able to do whatever it takes to get his team a win.

Continue reading "The Complete Truth"

The always entertaining and God praising Magic Johnson professed that the excitement and allure of the NBA All-Star Weekend "is back! It is Back!" Wow, Magic, that is amazingly profound! The truth of the matter is that the All-Star Weekend is NOT back ... it just happens to be the ONLY All-Star event in professional sports that is any good and can captivate a decent pool of the sports viewing public. I mean seriously, what is it competing against?

Continue reading "All-Star Weekend is Back?! Sure it is!!!"

It's been a closely watched season of careful observation but I'm sure now of what I've seen. I haven't seen it since about 1987 but there is no doubt about it now. After 20 years there are finally some genuine Celtics wearing the Celtic uniforms.

Continue reading "I Know a Celtic When I See One"

I call myself the Sports Sage so that should give you a clue as to just how dumb I really am when it comes to actual sports knowledge. I watch sports because they are exciting, inspirational and free on TV. They happen in real time and have predictable commercials. Often we get to ooh and Ahhh at things that we will almost never be able to do while watching grown up people like us at play. Its a lot more fun than watching regular people like us work.

Continue reading "Welcome to My Sportsworld!"

Apparently the Miami Heat and the Phoenix Suns have agreed on a trade that would send Shaquille O'Neal to Phoenix in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. I believe this is simply a knee-jerk reaction to the Los Angeles Lakers' acquisition of Pau Gasol (a brilliant move by L.A., by the way) and do not see how this trade can make sense from the Suns' vantage point.

Continue reading "Shaq Headed to Phoenix?"

On April 28, 1982 the world changed forever: Christopher Zane Kaman was born. At 7 feet, 265 pounds, he was the most dominant baby since Shaquille O’Neal to ever to post up an obstetrician. Twenty-one years later, this promising phenom was given his shot when he was drafted sixth overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2003. The rest is history.

Continue reading "Kaman Saw and Conquered"