Highlights Oct.29

Our first Highlights post of the 2014 season and it starts with a bang! 12 games here are some highlights. Bulls: 104 Knicks: 80, Read that again, the BULLS scored more than one-hundred points in a game, I was so excited watching this game because of the possibility that D-Rose, Noah, Gasol, Doug McDermott, and maybe Gibson together, because I don't want to see Dunleavy ever again. Dunleavy played horrible last night, he is replacing fan favorite Jimmy Butler who is missing 2 weeks, but McDermott was in for 24 minutes compared to Dunleavy's 31 and McDermott scored 12 compared to Dunleavy's big fat zero. Taj Gibson was arguably the best of the game with 22 pts, 8 reb, 1 stl, 1 ast, and 1 blk. Meanwhile there was a thriller in Charlotte having their old name and their old uniforms back the Hornets put on a show. Hornets: 108 Bucks: 106 Marvin Williams had 19 pts, and 4 reb. Lance Stephenson had 7 pts, 13 reb, and 8 ast, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 17 pts, 8 reb and 3 ast. For Milwaukee Brandon Knight put on a show with 22 pts, 8 reb, 13 ast, 1 blk, he also had 4 tunovers. Khris Middleton also put up solid numbers with 17 pts and 6 reb. Also, our favorite, Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Greek Freak put up 10 pts, 5 reb, and one ast and blk. O.J. Mayo scored big too 17 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast. I really like the Hornets, but I think the Bucks will surprise people and do better than expected. In Portland the Thunder lost to the Blazers, even though Russel Westbrook put out 38 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl, incredible numbers but the Thunder desperately need Durant back and hopefully with the magical hands of the Thunder doctors, he will be back by the end of November, or the start of December. Blazers: 106, Thunder: 89.
The rest of the score are here and so is the video.
                                                                           
                                                                            --KSP-- 

NBA:ALERT Rookie Julius Randle Breaks Leg in NBA Debut!

The NBA season started yesterday and we already have a news story. Julius Randle the rookie from Kentucky, who was sure to be a lottery pick, and was, broke his leg in his debut against the Rockets. Now I'm not a Lakers fan but I feel bad for him, for his family, and for the Lakers organization who have to deal with this while dealing with Kobe. Randle broke his leg in a non-scary fashion, like he didn't twist it or fold it but you can definitely tell when the injury happens, he was only 14 minutes into the game too. Other news comes from Anthony Davis, who in a win over the Orlando Magic he nearly missed the triple-double, having 26 Pts, 17 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 9 Blk. He had every stat except a turnover. The Spurs played without Kawhi Leonard last night with an infection in his right eye (should be back Friday, mySanAntonio.com‎ reports), but that didn't matter because Ginobli stepped up a was on fire from long distances. The full scoreboard: New Orleans: 101, Orlando: 84; San Antonio 101, Dallas 100; Houston: 108 Los Angeles Lakers: 90
                                                                              --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 4 Days! Nick Collison and Sports Illustrated!

We are less than 5 days away from Tip-Off and the Sports Illustrated NBA Preview issue got to my house yesterday and while I was reading it I saw the final team rankings, and the Bulls were ranked higher than the Cavs. A t first I thought I was day-dreaming but I was not, then I checked again and it said under "Eastern Conference Finals" in bold was Bulls over Cavaliers. I showed my Parents but they weren't as enthralled as I was mainly because there were still 70+ games left until this moment, in which the Bulls would beat the Cavs, would happen. The Finals were Spurs over the Bulls, which I thought was pretty fair, I like both teams even though I wan t the Bulls to win. I'd also love to see the best Lebron James defenders on the planet against eachother in Kawhi Leonard (Spurs) and Jimmy Butler (Bulls). I thought all of this would be a lot shorter so I can have time to talk about Nick Collison and the Thunder but now I have to write less (YAY!). Nick Collison is a Thunder vet who has been with them for 10 years, and has produced steady numbers(4.2 ppg, 3.6 reb, and 1.3 ast), but mainly has been used for defensive situations with the Thunder mostly with Ibaka. The Thunder lost to the Spurs last postseason in 6 games but they put up a fight with 'Power' Serge Ibaka (get it? power surge to power serge? It's okay if you didn't) Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook. The one main reason why the Thunder lost was because of the benches. San Antonio- One of the best benches EVER, Oklahoma- Young players who may not have even played more than 20 minutes in a single NBA game. If the Thunder can still get over that PTSD that started with trading James Harden a few years back, and get more bench players they will be dangerous.

                                                                         --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 6 days! DeAndre Jordan and a Willis Reed clip!

I am dearly sorry I didn't post but I was busy. DeAndre Jordan is the center for the newly owned LA Clippers team, and he along with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin among many others will be looking to get past an injured Kevin Durant's Thunder team, at least until early December when KD gets back. Jordan averages 10.4 ppg, 13.6 reb, and 2.5 blk, a very useful center for the Clips. He is known for being the third part of the Lob City trio consisting of the players I mentioned before (Paul, Griffin) which put the Clips on ESPN frequently after the 2013 season. DeAndre has had many good slams, like the famous ,absolutely murderous, dunk on Brandon Knight and the new one from a yesterday the long distance alley-oop , it's almost scary how good of coordination DeAndre and Paul have, it is truly insane. The Clips will go far this season but it is too early to tell how they'll square off against the Thunder. Yesterday the new ESPN 30 for 30 documentary When The Garden Was Eden  based off the great book of the same name that I read last year (I highly recommend it). In the doc there was a never before seen clip of the already super awesome Willis Reed, whom I had talked about a few articles ago, single-handedly took on the entire Lakers squad of the late 60s and even broke two of there jaws, I respect Willis Reed even more now because of that fighting spirit.
                                                                             --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 9 Days! NBA game experience and the Hornets!

So 2 days ago on the 17th I went to see Miami Heat vs Golden State Warriors in the Sprint Center and many things happened here's the top 11:
1. I saw Steph Curry dunk, even some Warriors fans who have seen many more games than I did (1) haven't seen Curry dunk. It was very early on and was the second best dunk of the game.
2. I saw Chris Bosh perform a fiery performance in the 3rd quarter when the Heat started to catch up and eventually won the game.
3. I saw the man, the myth, the legend, of Aaron Craft. The former Ohio State PG was a legend in college basketball with many 20+ point performances and many game-winners. Kudos to may Dad to noticing him before everyone else near our section.
4. I SAW THE ROYALS! HOSMER AND DYSON WERE THERE WITH THE MIAMI HEAT DJ, DJ IRIE AND THEY PRESENTED THE ALCS TROPHY AND THE CROWD WENT CRAZY. I support many Missouri teams.
5. I saw NCAA champ, UConn huskies star Shabazz Napier play, one of the youngest players and he was very fast.
6. I never thought Andre Igoudala was that tall.
7. I saw Bogut airball a free-throw.
8. I saw the Miami Heat win their first preseason game :(
9. Klay Thompson scored close to 30.
10. I saw Steph Curry break Norris Cole's ankles.
11. The Miami Heat mascot was the ugliest and most annoying thing I have ever seen in an arena.
Gerald Henderson plays for the Hornets and wears number 9. It is also 9 days till' tip-off. Henderson averages 14 ppg, 4.5 reb, and 2.9 ast, very solid numbers. The Hornets are going to do better than the Pacers and the Heat this year the two teams that made it to the Eastern Finals last year. The Hornets are going to become a very dangerous team to many teams, they may be better than the Nets too because the Hornets now have a Lance Stephenson, Kemba Walker, Al Jefferson, Gerald Henderson, Noah Vonleh (the electrifying rookie out of Indiana), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and some other solid players that will help them get that 6, 7, or 8 seed in the playoffs where they might surprise you. The Hornets also have very cool uniforms, but I'm saving up for a Giannis Antetokounmpo jersey.

                                                                            --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 12 Days! Tobias Harris and the Magic!

Until five minutes ago I didn't see Tobias Harris play at all, but he averages 14.6 ppg, 1.2 ast, and 7 reb, good numbers for a SF. I've heard of Tobias being a good player and that he has great a great hustle-type spirit and is working on his conditioning to add to his arsenal, so he is a very solid SF and a great fit for the Magic. The Magic might get close to reaching the playoffs this year, they have an excited young team with new rookie Elfrid Payton, a very promising PG. On the team there is also Victor Oladipo , one of my favorite players, Arron Affalo a high scoring player who was the Nuggets SG last year, Nikola Vuvecic the tall F/C, Channing Frye the jolly but dangerous PF. You can't forget Maurice Harkless, or the 2nd most exciting rookie this year Aaron Gordon which we will see if he lives up to his hype. Because of the amount of solid players the Magic has, they will be a good scoring team, and also will be very good on the Boards.

                                                                      --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 13 Days! Joakim Noah!

I'm back, them Royals though... Ok so just a heads up I will be going to the Warriors vs Heat preseason game in KC my first NBA game, and I might post and I might not so just a quick heads up.
It's 13 days until tip-off and guess who's excited? Joakim Noah! Noah is the all-star center for my favorite team, the Chicago Bulls, and in the first game we have our first glimpse of a team that has a chance this year with Rose on the court with Gasol/Gibson, Noah, Butler, and anyone who will step up for shooting guard (the Bulls have Mike Dunleavy Jr. now) and we might see Nikola Mirotic the best player who was not in the NBA last year or one of the most exciting, more experienced, rookies in Doug McDermott. Back to Joakim, he averages 12.6 ppg, 11.3 reb, 5.6 ast, 1.5 blk, and 1.2 stl, and he is the best center in the league (in my opinion and Bleacher Report's opinion). Joakim is good because of never ending hustle, and bulldozer style of play, he is also a great passer. The greatest Point-Center in the league and is a great guy to be with on a team. Noah, last year (or might've been the year before) had a triple-double with points rebound and blocks which if I recall , 12 in that game, which is insane. Noah also never backs down to any opponent including the Heat, or most importantly LeBron and even the great Jeff Van Gundy says so. With the Bulls being that 'tough as nails' team like last year only with an explosive, comeback ready Rose, Chicago has good chances of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

                                                              GO BULLS --KSP--
                                                            

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Countdown NBA Tip-Off 16 Days! Pau Gasol & expectations for Bulls v Cavs

So this will be an arcticle about former Lakers all-star player Pau Gasol which the Bulls acquired this off-season. By adding Pau Gasol it gave the Bulls it's first Big 3 since the Jordan-Pippen-Rodman era  by getting Rose-Pau-Noah and it really gives them their first shot at the title. But in order to get to that title they have to beat another Big 3 in the Cavs' LeBron-Irving-Love which sounds menacing. How will these two teams fight against eachother? I don't know but this is a Bulls vs Cavs player comparison article. :
Rose vs Irving: D-Rose has been injured for two seasons and many fans forget how great he is when he is healthy, for instance when he is healthy he is the most dangerous driving point-guard in the league, he also has great handle and can break many ankles. We know Irving as a great scoring point-guard with less handle , but can carry teams through tough situations. Irving stats go like this 20.8 ppg, 6.1 ast, 3.6 reb. Rose's stats go like this 20.8 ppg, 6.8 ast, 3.8 reb, slightly better than Irving's plus Rose has more experience in the league with on NBA MVP on his belt think about that. Even though D-Rose may not be as good as he used to be before his injuries, his continuous hard working spirit, crazy fast speed, and clutch play will get him past Irving. Rose > Irving.
Noah vs Varejau : Noah is a monster defender, rebounder, and passer, the best Point-center in the league. His relentless grit and grind style make him super intimidating and he is not afraid of anybody. Do I really need to do this? Noah >>>>> Varejau.
Gasol vs Love : Love is a great scorer and is incredible at shooting when at that size rivaling KD. Gasol can get big and play very good defense, he can also take over the team in situations, like last year when the Lakers were crap. Gasol is taller than love and will win the rebounds more than Love. Love will hit many shots over Gasol but it will be way harder for him because Gasol is taller and a better defender. Gasol can't hit from the outside but Kevin Love excels at that. In scoring Gasol < Love. In defending/rebounding Gasol > Love. In total Love > Gasol.
LeBron vs Butler: This should be easy right? NO. Butler is the best Lebron defender that's not named Kawhi Leonard. Butler can effectively defend LeBron out-hustling him and somehow out muscling him. But nevertheless LeBron is the best player of my generation and he is the King he will win, but it will be harder. LeBron > Butler.
EXTRAS: Those were all the big stars but the shooting guard situation will be hard too. it is presumably Dion Waiters vs  Mike Dunleavy jr. (Bulls) or maybe they can switch Doug McDermott to shooting guard or bring in my hometowns' hero of Kim English. Cavs win SG battle.
X-Factor: Taj Gibson > Tristan Thompson (Cavs) Gibson was THE MAN last postseason and Tristan Thompson is still young and learning he might win some battles though because of his speed.
                                                                          --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 17 Days! Dennis Shröder!

Dennis Shröder's number is 17, Germany beat Brazil 7-1, coincidence? We will not know until Hawks vs Spurs when he goes against Tiago Splitter. Today we will analyze and discuss a player that will soon be a big player. Dennis Schröder has 1 year of experience in the league in which he averaged 3.9 ppg, 2 ast, 1.2 reb not neccessarily big stats but he didn't get much playing time considering  he is in a league where bench-warmers only go out when their team is blowing out another team or when they are needed as a backup, and the Hwaks did't qualify much at all in the circumstances they allow Schröder to go in. Schröder is from Braunschweig, Germany and was an absolute star while playing in Germany, which led scouts from Atlanta to go on a 10 hour flight to see him play ( they eventually picked him 17th in the draft) and it will be well worth it in 2 or 3 years. Schröder can evolve into 3  players, number one would be a Jimmy Butler, a good player who started out with even worse stats than Schröder with less ppg, and ast in his first season. If Schröder works as hard as Butler on his finishing and also works on his passing abilities, like Butler did, he will become a similar scoring, better assisting  type, smaller Butler and will be a good starter on the Hawks. The second player he can work to be as is a Kemba Walker/Patty Mills hybrid player. Which he can be as good of a passer like Walker, but can be a finisher like Mills. Mills is also a great come off the bench player and if Schröder who because of his youth and being on the bench affect his sportsmanship he will not become a Mills. To become a respectable player like Mills you must have a hard work ethic and always, ALWAYS be ready to come off the bench and help your team out even if you don't get enough minutes. Schröder can also become the type of player that stays bad for many years after he cannot finish consistently (which is his problem, weak finishing) with his team plagued with wasting a high draft pick over other better players and will become a kickboxer (hint, hint Darko Milicic). But that is rare and Schröder gets better everyday and most likely he will become player 1 or 2, don't let him go Atlanta, let him grow.
                                                                              --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 18 Days! Tony Mitchell & Preseason action!

NBTA! NBTA! The Next Big Thing Alert is sounding and it is pointing straight to Tony Mitchell. Tony Mitchell is the best prospect in the D-League in my opinion and will soon big a good player in the league. Tony wears number 18 right now and in the D-League averaged 20.2 ppg, 4.9 reb, 3.0 ast, 1.1 blk, 1.1 stl,  per game a great all-around player. Two years ago he wasn't as good of a post player now he is better with more rebound s and adding a block to his arsenal. Tony Mitchell was a North Texas university product after he couldn't attend Mizzou (long story) and oooh how much I wish he got to play here  our team really needed him, but you never know maybe if he attended MU he wouldn't have gone into the NBA so good for him. The reason he can get big in the NBA is his ability to get big, how he works the post a few teams may need him as a solid role-player or a replacement for the forward position and he will rise when he gets that chance.
THE SCORES: Pistons: 94 Bucks:80, Rockets: 113 Grizzlies: 93, Jazz: 109 Trailblazers: 105, Warriors: 120 Lakers: 105. It is the Preseason and these scores will most likely not matter later on.
                                                                            --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 19 Days! Preseason action!

There is no article worthy players right now wearing 19 and the only one in history who is good is Willis Reed and he was AMAZING beat Wilt Chamberlain's Laker team in 1973 with a leg injury but also won in 1970 without being hurt. Those years the Knicks had Walt 'Clyde' Frazier, the coolest basketball player ever, they also had Bill Bradley, Phil Jackson, Earl 'the Pearl' Monroe, Dave DeBusschere, Jerry Lucas. All of which are HOF's, I also highly recommend reading When The Garden Was Eden By Harvey Araton which is now a ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about the Knicks of that era. Preseason action from  yesterday was Berlin: 94 Spurs: 93, 76ers: 106 Hornets: 92, Wizards: 94 Pelicans: 89, Celtics: 106 Knicks: 86, Bucks: 86 Grizzlies: 83, Nuggets: 114 Thunder: 101, Suns: 100 Flamengo: 88. These are all preseason games so they don't really matter. Fun global games though!
                                                                       --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 20 days! Manu Ginobli and Preseason recap!

Manu "It's not delivery it's" Ginobli the only Argentine pro-sports player I am not in a rivalry with (the rest are soccer players and I'm Paraguayan so I dislike them strongly). He is getting older and has an awful hairline but he produces like no other at his age of 37 and you can say he's playing better than players that are almost his age like Paul Pierce for example who is 36. Gino averages 12.3 ppg, 3 reb, 4ast, and a steal per game, which is pretty good considering you've been playing for 12 years and you are consistently scoring over 11 points and dishing 4 assists per game. The only player who is still over that age and still that consistent is his teammate Tim Duncan the undisputed Chuck Norris of the modern basketball world (I say modern because there were players that were even more consistent many years ago like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Bill Russell). Now that I'm talking about Chuck Norris I think I should name the Chuck of every major sport I know knowledge of.
Tim Duncan: Norris of Basketball
Andrea Pirlo: Norris of Football/Soccer
Peyton Manning: Norris of Football/NFL
Yadier Molina: Norris of Baseball
SCORES from yesterday:
Pacers: 103 Timberwolves: 90, Nets:111 Maccabi: 94,  Magic: 108 Heat: 101, Pistons: 111 Bulls:109, Rockets: 111 Mavericks: 108, Jazz: 92 Trailblazers: 73, Kings: 113 Raptors:106, Warriors: 112 Clippers:94. This is the preseason and the records or scores won't matter later on but hey, basketball is on again!
                                                                            --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 21 Days! Jimmy Butler!

OK so I let you guys down, I was sick then I was in KC then I had to study, excuses I know I'm back for now. First of all there are a lot of good players wearing 21 including my man Jimmy Butler: 13.1 ppg, 4.9 reb, and 2.6 ast, is the man for the Bulls along with Noah and Gibson (When D Rose was out). He started all off the games he played and was a boss in the playoffs in which his best moment was when he  got in a fight with the annoying Nene and it's safe to say that if Nene did more after that fight he would of gotten KO'd by Noah who'd stand up for his teammates. Anyways Butler is good because of his ability to go to the basket, it's like a tank when he goes to the basket plowing through anything, and after that he finishes consistently. Going from the fight I was talking about, preseason basketball was on yesterday and it was a rematch of Bulls vs Wizards, and old, washed up Paul Pierce decided to clothesline Butler causing a skirmish in which Pierce challenged Butler and Noah like I was saying stepped to intervene when pierce poked him in the head, and I swear if the Bulls assistants weren't in the middle Pierce would be in the Emergency Room right now. The scores of yesterday were: Celtics: 98 76ers: 78, Hawks: 93 Pelicans: 87, Wizards: 85 Bulls: 81, Lakers: 98 Nuggets: 95.
                                                                             --KSP--

Countdown NBA Tip-Off 25 Days! Al Jefferson!

I'm back and now I'm on track, because these next 25 posts are the ones you want to see the most, KSP is back which means more sports,jokes,and memes! OK so today we have Al Jefferson the All-Star caliber center for the Charlotte Hornets (Bobcats last year) he does everything well and was a menace when Charlotte was against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs last. Everybody knew Charlotte had absolutely no chance to win, but there was one moment, and I remember it well, I was watching Bulls v Wizards and on the ESPN Bottomline a score came up, it surprised me, Charlotte was winning by six, even for the 4 1/2 minutes that they were winning in that game, the world had hope players could lift a bad team to have a chance against the champion team. That glimpse of hope Charlotte had was Al Jefferson (and Kemba Walker I'll write about him on 1 day until tip-off). Big Al stats were 21.8 ppg, 10.1 reb, and 2.1 ast, he is a human double-double. Al Jefferson is a great big man almost bullying Chris Bosh in the playoffs and he will be even  better this season. But the biggest change for Al will be that this season he will team up with Kemba Walker, just like last season, and Lance 'L.A.N.C.E.' Stephenson. L.A.N.C.E. stands for
Lebron
Assassin
No
Clemency
Exterminator
     And it's safe to say the Hornets will be very good this season.
                                                             --KSP--

OK so we are without luck.

There is no player who is number 26 who is worth writing a full article about, except Phil Pressey the baller from Mizzou, my hometown of Columbia. He is doing pretty good with the Celtics as the backup PG, when Rondo is out, like he is now so I'm expecting more Pressey this season. I have too much homework and I will try my hardest to post tomorrow. Thanks for your patience.
                                                                         --KSP--