nedjelja, 22.06.2008.
NBA DRAFT IN 96 HOURS: Wolves send SEVEN TO WATCH MAYO work out in Chicago...
NBA FINALS 1991/L.A. vs CHICAGO, GAME 3, JORDAN 28PTS: MJ entered this game with a severely bruised toe which he suffered at the end of Game 3 on a miraculous clutch shot over Vlade Divac. Limited in overall mobility, one would have thought MJ would take more jumpers. But of course not. MJ picked his spots and opponents and attacked the rim as usual with gorgeous, spectacular moves to the hole. Shooting 11-20 and dishing 13 assists, it was a supreme performance on the greatest stage. In addition, he and Scottie switched on Magic throughout the game. With an intense LA crowd, MJ was in steely control with crisp passes to teammates, calm aggressiveness and confident poise. And as Marv caps it perfectly at the end, it's a good thing LA didn't see a healthy MJ that night. - Hoopsencyclopedia
NBA FINALS 2001/L.A. @ PHILADELPHIA, GAME 5 - PART 1/3
NBA FINALS 2001/L.A. @ PHILADELPHIA, GAME 5 - PART 2/3
RINGOLOGY/KB8 HAD SHAQ, MJ23 NEVER DID!
AIR JORDAN BRAND/It's Gotta Be The Shoes
ZONE DEFENCE? GIVE THE BALL TO MJ
NBA FINALS 2008/TOP 10 PLAYS
NBA 1995-96/CHICAGO BULLS
WNBA UPDATE
The Good, Bad & Ugly in the 1st Month of the 2008 Season
The WNBA's 12th season has arguably been its most successful one to date. The crazy thing is we're only a month in. Ever since the campaign tipped off on May 17, fans have been witness to the birth of a team, the rebirth of players, a myriad of surprises and flat-out great individual performances.
There's no doubt that the upcoming months promise to up the ante, but before we move ahead, let's take a moment to catch our breath and look back at the top story lines from an action-packed month of hoops.
Defending champs disappoint
Maybe it’s normal to expect a bit of a hangover after winning the title. For one thing, when you’re the champs, suddenly everybody’s gunning for you. But would somebody wake the Mercury and tell them, as Yogi Berra would say, that it’s getting late early? Off to a 3-6 start, Phoenix is feeling the effects of losing its head coach (Paul Westhead) and one of its top players (Penny Taylor) from last season. Sure, the Mercury, under new coach Corey Gaines, are still leading the league in scoring at 86.3 points per game, but they’re also allowing 87.3 points per contest, which is the worst clip in the league. Granted, the schedule has been tough, but it’s not going to get much easier with an upcoming five-game East Coast road trip that starts Sunday.
Change does the Sun good
Not much was expected of Connecticut as it headed into 2008 without Katie Douglas, Margo Dydek and Nykesha Sales. In fact, WNBA.com put the Sun at No. 10 in the preseason power rankings. They have since moved up to No. 2 in those rankings (after a brief stay at No. 1) with an impressive 9-3 start that has stunned even the more savvy basketball observers. How have they done it? First, point guard Lindsay Whalen is playing the best hoops of her career, leading the team rebounding, assists and steals and trailing only Asjha Jones in scoring. And Coach Mike Thibault and his staff picked the right time for a roster shake-up and acquired the right personnel to make the mix not only competitive, but an upgrade, adding Tamika Whitmore and Barbara Turner among others. Considering how well this team is playing on the road (4-2), the team’s hot start is likely no fluke.
Perennial East powers hold their ground
With the Sun once again a force in the East, not much has changed in the conference in terms of the balance of power. As expected, the steady Shock are right there, despite a recent 2-2 road trip out West. The core of Katie Smith, Deanna Nolan, Cheryl Ford and Plenette Pierson has quietly been going about its business and leading the team to an 8-3 mark while other squads have been garnering the attention. The Fever (sans Tamika Catchings for most of the year) and the Liberty are the only other teams playing above-.500 ball in the conference, meaning the four teams that made the playoffs last year are holding those top four spots in the standings again. Those breakout years for the Sky and Mystics haven’t gone as planned so far, but they’re within striking distance and it’s early. As for the Dream, well…
Atlanta embraces the WNBA, but Dream can’t break through
So it’s safe to say the expansion Atlanta Dream aren’t exactly happy with their 0-11 start. But there are positives to take away from their inaugural month. There’s no doubt the team has the support of the Atlanta community as the energetic Philips Arena crowds have been some of the best in the WNBA this season. Betty Lennox is turning in a career year and is among the top scorers in the league at 19.0 points per game. Second-year guard Ivory Latta has been blossoming of late, reaching double figures in scoring in seven of her last eight games. First-round pick Tamera Young has a promising future as a scorer in this league. And near-wins against Washington, Minnesota and New York show this team is on the cusp of capturing win No. 1 soon.
ZAGREB (IPAK) IMA SVOJE KOŠARKAŠKE PRVAKE: jučer su košarkaši KK Zapada iz Španskog roštiljadom na Jarunu proslavili naslov regionalnog B2 prvaka, te plasman u B1 ligu. Da je popularnost košarkaša KK Zapada sve veća, barem u zapadnom dijelu metropole, posvjedočila je i želja nekih od brojnih posjetitelja jarunskog jezera da se slikaju s Prvacima.
Teams adjust as injuries take their toll
Despite being without their best player -- Catchings -- for the first eight games, the Fever managed to grind out a 5-3 record. That's thanks in large part to the tremendous start of Douglas, whose acquisition in the offseason has proven to be pivotal in keeping Indiana among the East's elite. Douglas currently leads the team in scoring (18.4) and assists (3.7), and the team should only get better when Catchings is back at full strength. The Lynx have gone 6-4 without point guard Lindsey Harding (knee) and the Liberty have also found ways to make up for the absence of their starting point, Loree Moore, who has missed five games with back spasms. Rookie and fan favorite Leilani Mitchell has done an admirable job filling in for Moore, including posting 18 points and seven assists against Houston back on June 6.
But while Indiana and New York have stayed competitive through the setbacks, others haven't been as fortunate. Erika Desouza averaged 11.0 points and 9.0 rebounds through three games for Atlanta before going down with a leg injury that will likely sideline her for another month. It was a crushing blow for the Dream considering they can use all the help they can get. But the loss that has perhaps been most devastating is that endured by the Sky, who saw franchise cornerstone Sylvia Fowles go down with a knee injury in just her fifth game with the team. Prior to the setback, Fowles had been averaging 10.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 53 percent from the floor. Chicago is just 3-6 on the season, with two of its victories coming against the expansion Dream, and finds itself in danger of fading further from playoff contention with Fowles expected to miss another couple of weeks.
Mixed results for star-studded Storm
Seattle’s revamped starting lineup of WNBA greats shouldn’t be compared to the 1996-97 Houston Rockets trotting out Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon in the latter stages of their careers. Sure, Yolanda Griffith and Sheryl Swoopes are carrying a lot of miles, but Lauren Jackson is the reigning MVP and Sue Bird and Swin Cash are as productive as ever. This should be closer to the 2007-08 Boston Celtics with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen because a title is a realistic possibility. Yet, the Storm are headed in the wrong direction at the close of a busy first month. After a 5-1 start, the team has lost five of its last seven games and recently had its home win streak snapped. The defense is there, but the scoring isn’t. The team is averaging just 71.2 points per game and shooting only 40.5 percent from the floor.
But along with the team’s additions, which also include new coach Brian Agler, you must also take into account the subtractions. People forget that Lennox and Iziane Castro Marques -- both with Atlanta now – combined for 25.7 points per game last season, and Janell Burse (out for the season) was a force in the post. It’s not time to panic in Seattle; the cohesion process just might take longer than anticipated.
Surprising Lynx rocket to 5-0 start
Few pegged Minnesota to be the last undefeated team in the league, probably because just last season the team started off 0-7 and endured a 10-game losing streak. But that’s just how things played out after the Lynx captured their first five games of the season. To no one’s surprise Minnesota’s start has been spearheaded by scoring machine Seimone Augustus, but it’s the contribution from a trio of first-year sensations that proved to be the x-factor. Third overall pick Candice Wiggins has provided a scoring spark off the bench, averaging a rookie-best 17.3 points per game, while Nicky Anosike and Charde Houston have given the squad some much-needed lively bodies and depth up front. The Lynx have since come back to Earth a bit, losing four of their last five contests, but they remain the second-highest scoring team in the league and the most efficient in terms of field-goal percentage.
Candace Parker better than advertised
We’re already becoming jaded to Candace Parker’s greatness just 10 games into her WNBA career. Perhaps it’s unfair, but blame Parker for scoring 34 points and coming up just two assists shy of a triple–double against Phoenix in her WNBA debut. Blame her for averaging 16.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. Read that last sentence again. And blame Parker for owning the top spot in WNBA.com’s Rookie Rankings all season and also capturing the Hanns-G Rookie of the Month honor for May. Things do promise to get tougher though for the rook, who is playing a WNBA season on the heels of a championship campaign with Tennessee and will also take part in the Beijing Olympics. That’s a lot of basketball and L.A. fans can only hope she has enough left in the tank come late September and early October.
Lisa Leslie picks up where she left off
It’s as if she never left. Lisa Leslie, who missed all of 2007 due to the birth of her child, has shown no signs of rust from her one-year hiatus, leading the Sparks to the league’s best record (8-2) after the first month. The three-time MVP is averaging team-bests of 17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.70 blocks and 2.2 steals per game for the season and she has already captured one Western Conference Player of the Week honor. She’s scored in double digits in every game and posted six double-doubles. On top of all that, she’s acting as a sage mentor to Parker, and together the two are proving to be the most lethal tandem going in the WNBA right now.
Mark Bodenrader
WNBA.com
