NBA All-Star Saturday ~ Practice

If you can’t go to the actual NBA All-Star game, definitely go to NBA All-Star practice. Practice was held Saturday morning at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  ****  This was the first time since the NBA All-Star festivities were held in Cleveland, OH that I went to watch practice.  I have been missing out!

The LA Convention Center hosted the NBA Jam Session.  If you’ve never been to NBA Jam Session, check it out. There are numerous opportunities to interact with players, complete various basketball drills, and celebrate the game of basketball etc. More on that in a later post.

Practice is a ticketed event. I suggest you get there early if you want to take pictures since the tickets designate a section only. It’s general admission within the sections.

The guys are pretty loose during practice and you can see the smiles on their faces. NBA All-Star weekend is a fun time for the fans and the athletes. Unlike in football, where it’s a challenge to get the athletes to play in the Pro Bowl, the NBA shows up and enjoys itself during the All-Star break. 

 Don’t believe me? Check out the smiles on the guys’ faces.

One funny moment during practice occurred when Doc Rivers, coach for the Eastern All-Stars, told Carmelo Anthony to stand in the middle of the court since he didn’t know whether he was playing for the West or the East. ****  Obviously this was before Monday’s trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks and in the middle of the Melo-drama.

At any rate, practice was a good time and the teams performed various shooting drills. Towards the end of the practice Paul Pierce and Ray Allen established a record for 3-pointers by a tandem for the Guinness Book of World Records. Unfortunately for the Celtics duo, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant promptly broke the record to claim it as their own.

After practice there was media availability. The media had a chance to go onto the court to talk to the players. Picture it. I liken it to the media version of “storming the court”.

THE WIRK

If you can't stand the (Miami) Heat, you're unhappy with the NBA right now

If you can't stand the Heat, you're not loving the NBA right now.

The Heat went into Los Angeles and whipped up on the Lakers.  Merry Christmas Lakers fans!  You got a lump of coal.  Actually, you got hit with a bag of coal (i.e. grifters' style).  Ouch.  As someone who was rooting for the Lakers and raced to find a TV upon returning from the Chicago Bulls v New York Knicks' game, I was ready for the marquee match-up that the NBA and anyone that loves basketball was expecting.  Even Mike Tyson tweeted asking simply, "Lakers or Heat?".  ****  I may have transposed his tweet, but it doesn't matter.

The Los Angeles Lakers lost last night to the San Antonio Spurs.  I'm not that surprised since the Spurs were home, and they're playing tough ~ but I am surprised that while the Heat are scorching, the Lakers are stumbling.  To me it looks as though the Lakers need a swift kick to wake up...  Maybe it's Phil Jackson's strategy to pull a Doc Rivers' and have his team "chill" during the regular season and then dig down deep in the playoffs.  I don't know...

I can tell that Kobe Bryant's getting annoyed and frustrated.  I'm getting annoyed and frustrated...  I looked at the box score of last night's game briefly, and he's still the one carrying most of the scoring burden.  That's to be expected.  I just wish, one of his teammates would step up and start scoring also.

It's a long season, and I want to believe that the Heat won't have an easy road to the NBA Finals, much less an NBA Championship.  As it looks right now, and granted we haven't hit the NBA All-Star break just yet ~ Heat fans can almost bank on another championship ring...

If it's not LeBron scoring it's Dwyane Wade...  ****  I'll admit again, that I am a Dwyane Wade, Pat Riley, and Erik Spoelstra fan.  Don't worry, I'm not jumping on the Miami Heat bandwagon.  I'm just admitting that it's impossible to ignore them and look the other way anymore.  This isn't a problem for me, because I just sit in the stands or watch the games on TV.  This is a problem for the players who go against them night after night and choose to watch the show as opposed to compete. 

My friend went to the Knicks v Heat game last night in Miami.  In one word he described Wade's 40 point performance, "AMAZING."  My friend doesn't play for the Knicks, but I wonder if the Knicks had the same reaction...  Man, I hope not.

Come on: Lakers, Spurs, Knicks, Mavericks, Jazz, Celtics, etc.  I realize that the Heat are like crazy Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction ~ they will not be ignored, but...  It ain't over, til it's over guys.  It's a long season...  COMPETE!!!


THE WIRK

Tiger, Masters, Duke, Caps, Cavs, and the Caesars Tennis Classic ~ What a week!

Golf: 

As I sit and try to figure out whether I want to go to the Masters this week (practice round v tournament), I realize I don't have time on my side.  I need to make a decision.  Tiger Woods' interview is at 2, and I'm waiting patiently.  I doubt we'll hear anything of interest, but I have to cover my bases.

Basketball and Hockey (i.e. maybe):

Tonight is the National Championship game and I'm probably the only person (i.e. that's alright because I'm confident) that has a Duke victory as a forgone conclusion.  As a result, I'm entertaining the idea of going to the Caps game tonight, since it's been a while since I've been out to support them.  To address the rumors of Coach K going to coach the Nets, all I have to say is "Nope".  That's my opinion, and we'll see where my 2 cents stand up against $12-$15 million that's supposedly going to be offered.  I for one adore Coach K at Duke, and hope that he's not lured to the NBA by a few bucks.

On another note related to basketball, I have to say something about the Cavs v Celtics game I watched yesterday afternoon.  The Celtics held on to win, but they almost gave the game away (i.e. they squandered a 22 point lead).  If I was Doc Rivers I'd be very, very scared.  I wish LeBron would've went for the tie.  He went 0-9 in 3 point shooting.  I was more than ready for overtime.  However, my vote doesn't count.  Regardless, I'm still praying for a Cavs Championship this year.  I believe, and I cannot wait for the NBA Playoffs schedule to be announced.

Lastly, it's no secret that I couldn't wait for Zydrunas to return to the Cavs.  As such, check out the Fresh Brewed Tees - Cavz: Better with Z T-shirt.  It's a great shirt and at only $20, just buy it!  $1 from each sale goes to support the Cleveland City Mission.

Fresh Brewed Tees ~ So good, I bought two!

Tennis:

I'm still intrigued by the Caesars Tennis Classic being held this Saturday, in Atlantic City.  Venus Williams is hosting the event.  Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander, James Blake, Andy Roddick, Pete Sampras, and Marat Safin are slated to play.  For a person who used to follow the ATP Tour when names like Chang, Sampras, Agassi, Becker, Edberg, etc. dominated ~ this event is a fantastic idea!  Ticketmaster is offering a Buy One, Get One Free promotion (i.e. use promo code: BOGO).

I'm including some pictures of the pictures I've taken from my days of tournaments past.  The quality isn't that great, because I haven't scanned these pictures yet.  However, you get the point. 

Ivan Lendl

with Nick Bollettieri

Agassi

A young Pete Sampras

My favorite, Stefan Edberg

Boris "Boom Boom" Becker

That's all for now.

THE WIRK

Georgetown will win the Big East tourney, and a trip to The Garden triggers so many memories...

So I'm back from The Garden, and I'm exhausted.  Here you go:

Game 1:  (22) Georgetown v Marquette

• The Hoyas are tough.  They will beat WVU in the Big East final.  I saw them play against Duke earlier this year at the Verizon Center and they dominated.  Tonight, they crushed Marquette.  The Georgetown Hoyas are for real (i.e. if they continue to play with intensity and maintain their focus).

I missed the opening tip-off, because I was negotiating...

At The Garden and in NYC space is limited, so student sections are smaller

.

Marquette kept it close in the 1st half. 

Check out the Hoyas' shooting percentages.  Wow!

• This year is the 25th anniversary of Villanova beating Georgetown in 1985.  That game changed my life.  I watched it while at Snowshoe, West Virginia.  We were at our condo for a ski trip, and my father had sent my brother and I to bed.  However, I couldn't help but peek through the curtain and watch the TV from my bunk bed.  My dad must've heard me screaming in vain for Ewing and the Hoyas to pull off a victory, because he let me watch the end of the game with him.  We all know how it ended.  It was not pretty.
• Rollie Massimino was at The Garden tonight.  I'm sure he's a good man.  However, I cannot allow myself to root for Villanova.  Actually, I would never go to Cleveland State to watch a basketball game when he coached there. 

It's been 25 years and it still hurts...

• Coach Massimino's strategy to slow down the offense worked in 1985, and he broke my Hoya-loving heart.  Seeing him tonight, brough it all back.  I'm not alone.  The minute he was shown on the screen, all the Georgetown fans around me started groaning and all you could hear was, "85"...  It was the best of times, and it was the worst of times ~ depending on who you were rooting for.  Regardless, people remember it. 
• Georgetown v Villanova is one of the basketball equivalents for questions like, "Where were you when you learned that Kennedy was shot?"  OR "Where were you when OJ was in the police car chase?"  You get my point.  Ugh... 

Game 2:  Notre Dame v (6) West Virginia University

• WVU is good, but there's something missing.  It seemed like such a slow game against Notre Dame, but WVU hit a few 3s to resurrect the memory of Kevin Pittsnogle in my brain. 
• Yes, I said - Pittsnogle...  Don't question my basketball knowledge/memory.  I'm fierce.  Plus, can anyone forget when WVU upset Wake Forest in 2005?  I can't.  It was INCREDIBLE.  I was in NYC, at my brother's apartment.  Do you know where that game was played?  It was played at Cleveland State.  I remember the day like it was yesterday.  Like I said, don't question my basketball knowledge/memory.
• I don't know if WVU is young ~ but they play young and seem to make mistakes.  This was my first time watching them, and I saw guys that thought they had their bunny shots/lay-ups made, so they finished sloppily and/or missed.
• Yuck...  Missed bunny shots make me think of only one person.  The New York Knicks' Charles Smith.  He missed 4 lay-up/bunny shots at The Garden, when the Knicks had a chance to take a 3-2 lead in the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals ...  Ugh ~ I don't want to type about it.  The memories give me heartburn...  I actually met Charles briefly earlier this year at NBA All-Star Weekend in Dallas.  I congratulated him on a great career.  It was the humane thing to do.
• There were moments during the game when I thought Coach Huggins' head was going to explode.  When one of the WVU players should've dunked, but instead went for a lay-up and missed, I instinctively "ducked and covered" (i.e. as if I were at a Gallagher show and he was about to crush a watermelon with that carnival hammer).  Honestly, I would've bet cash money that Huggins' head would burst and the game would have to be called.  I bet people, who were watching at home, started trying to adjust the color settings on their TVs.  It's not right for someone's face to turn that red.  That player is lucky that WVU won.
• Huggins' casual attire reminds me of Coach Belichick's hoody.  Random, but not really...
• I never really paid atttention to the Mountaineers until tonight, but there was no way to miss the fact that that they play(ed) a 1:3:1 defense.  I wonder...  When I was in junior high, we learned how to play man to man, and zone..  We learned and played against both 1:3:1 and 2:3. 

1:3:1 defense

• If my junior high coach had 3 months with Tracy McGrady, T-Mac would've never been clueless against a zone (i.e. preventing all the embarrassment about his playing slump and Doc River's coaching skills,when they were both in Orlando).  Just saying...
• 2:3 zone defense will always be one of the things I associate with Syracuse.  Who beat Syracuse earlier this week?  Yes, Georgetown did.
• FYI ~ Syracuse is also the real deal.  If I had to guess right now who'd go farther in tourney when March Madness really begins, tonight I'd pick Syracuse.  However, ask me again after Selection Sunday, and I take a look at the brackets.

Miscellaneous observations:

• I love to people watch and watching old drunk men yell at each other after/during games makes me laugh.  They look foolish, but they can't seem to help themselves.  After the doubleheader two, 50ish silver foxes were yelling and getting into each other's faces on the courses.  Who knows what got their Wranglers in a bunch?  But, leave it to some college kid to yell, "Kick his a**, Sea Bass!"  I literally laughed out loud.
• I only heard "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, ONCE!!!  Yeah!!! 
• If you don't understand the reason for this bullet, then you're not reading this blog regularly.  Keep in mind, that you're only hurting yourself :-P
• Over by the media tables, there are TVs.  People can change the channel on these TVs.  I kid you not.  Someone preferred to watch Talladega Nights as opposed to part of the 2nd game.  Does that tell you anything?

That's not a NASCAR driver, that's Will Ferrell

On to the next episode in the morning, so that's all for now...



And if you're not geared up for March Madness, here you go!



THE WIRK