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Scottie Pippen Makes His Basketball Comeback... in Finland.

January 7th 2008 08:55
Wow, basketball truly is an international game. If you want proof in
Scottie Pippen playing for Torpan Pojat.
There probably aren't Michael Jordan-esque players in Finland. (Kimmo Mntyl / AP)
regards to the introductory sentence, look no further than Finland where former NBA All-Star, Scottie Pippen has been making a comeback of sorts.


Pippen suited up with Finnish League leaders, Torpan Pojat for two games, with a third, in Sundsvall, Sweden.

During the weekend, Pippen scored nine points, grabbed nine rebounds to help Torpan beat Honka, 98-85. Showing signs of rust after three years away from professional basketball, Scottie found his groove in the second half, making some impressive plays along the way.

“It was great, I did not know what to anticipate without a game for the last three years," the 42-year-old Pippen said. "My conditioning is not at the top level but I played with a great team and had a lot of fun.” (AP, 2008)

In Pip’s first game he scored 12 in another Torpan victory.

The motivation for Pippen in his mini Nordic sojourn is to inspire young Scandinavians to pick up the wonderful game.

Today’s video is highlights of Pippen’s time with Torpan. He actually looked very good.



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Magical Michael Jordan Moments: 'Payback is a Bitch!'

October 21st 2007 03:13
It’s been awhile since we’ve posted stuff on great Michael Jordan moments, so, what better time than now to write about another legendary tale in regards to MJ.

Now, the moments that have been covered so far are easily the more recognisable ones, but one favourite tale of this writer is little known outside the fanatical basketball world. Yes, we’re speaking in relative terms because this concerns His Airness, but generally speaking, this one is gold!

Has anyone ever heard of a former Washington Bullets player named LaBradford Smith? Hands up, any readers out there? Oh, put your hands down if you’re related to Smith, or are friends of the former Washington player. No?

Well, allow this writer to relate a tale involving MJ and Smith which is both hilarious and illustrative of the almost fanatical will to win from Jordan.

During the 1993 season, the Bulls were playing against the Bullets and Mike was guarding a
LaBradford Smith
The face of the man who for one night was greater than, Michael Jordan. (Image from hooppedia.com)
little known player called LaBradford Smith. This young upstart managed to drop 37 on Jordan and one could easily assume that His Airness was taking a night off defensively because he was a monster at stopping opposing players. Or, maybe Smith was just greater than Jordan, depends how you want to look at it.

The game is close and the Bulls won, but Jordan is furious that Smith had the temerity to embarrass the greatest like that. Even the win wasn’t enough to appease Jordan’s fury, and by a quirk of the scheduling the two teams would meet again the next night!

After the game MJ vowed to teammates that he was going to get back all 37 points Smith dropped on him by the first half!

Adding a further flapping red cape in front of the angry Bull, Jordan claimed that Smith also taunted him after his seminal performance with the words: “Nice game, Mike.” Telling all who would listen that LaBradford trashed him.

Everybody believed Jordan, the Bullets and Bulls players, while Smith never denied the fact that he taunted him. The legend grew with Washington players passing on the tale at how LaBradford zinged the greatest basketball player of all time.

So, the scene was set the next night when the two combatants would face each other again and Jordan was almost true to his word – he ‘only’ scored 36 points in the first half, with a jumper rimming out as the second quarter came to an end.

Want to know the best part of this tale? Are you ready for the twist at the end of the story? Jordan made up the fact that Smith had trashed him, in fact Smith never said a word, but MJ needed further inspiration to school LaBradford so told everyone that he was disrespected. Amazing.

Today’s video is of MJ lighting up Smith for 36 in the first half.
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A Hippie that Advocates LSD Consumption Makes his Mark in the NBA.

September 12th 2007 06:09
Light up your bongs, get out the tofu, and start making love, man! A
Phil Jackson 1970s basketball card.
Whoa! Look at the trippy colours in the Phil Jackson basketball card. (Image from ESPN.com)
hippie has now been immortalised in the Basketball Hall of Fame and every straight laced, starched shirted coach will always be measured against this 70s lovechild, Buddhist, that preaches a Zen philosophy to his players.

Well, for any basketball fan out there it should be bleeding obvious who we are talking about: why, Phil Jackson of course!

Moonbeam Jackson was always going to be a shoo-in for a Hall of Fame nod with an almost unparalleled coaching record, and not forgetting the nine NBA titles! Legendary Boston coach, Red Auerbach, also has nine titles, but the old Celtics strongman never considered Phil is equal. To be honest, Red thought Jackson was a ‘lucky’ Phil for going into situations with ready made dynasties, never having to build a team from the bottom up.

Well, Auerbach would be rolling in his grave now that Jackson’s bust joins his in Springfield, and that many consider Jackson his equal, if not his superior.

Jackson’s journey to the Hall of Fame was almost as eccentric as his coaching methods.

The odyssey began in the early 80s when Jackson took up the CBA coaching position with the Albany Patroons in Woodstock of all places. From the very outset the Zen-Master was different in his coaching methodology, leading the bottom of the barrel Patroons to unimaginable heights. The butt end of the standings, Albany team within weeks showed drastic improvements, eventually beating the CBA All-Stars in a game.

Within a year he had them carrying the championship trophy.

In that time, he got his players to buy into his mind expanding system in which he had minimal input, insisting his guys figure out their own way to basketball nirvana, in getting their butts back into the game if they were getting the crapped beaten out of them on the basketball court. In another coup for his coaching brilliance he got his players to share playing time and even wages amongst themselves!

It would be safe to call him the Rasputin of the basketball world as well!

Chicago came calling in 1987 and Moonbeam Jackson joined the Bulls as an assistant, seeing
Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan.
Moonbeam Jackson and His Airness got along like tofu and mungbeans. (Image from ESPN.com)
out that role for two years, before landing the job in ’89 when Doug Collins got canned.

What came out of his time with the Bulls? Oh, try six titles in eight years, with a further three more with the Lake Show for good measure.

Don’t even for moment think that this hippie coach doesn’t have a massive ego – he does. However, what distinguishes him from the rest of the coaching fraternity is that he relinquishes control over to his players, appealing to their intellects. Yes, many players might not be ‘book smart’, but when it comes to basketball and athletics, they’re the sporting equivalent to Einstein. Genius can be measure in more than one way.

Even when his squad is getting killed out there, Moonbeam can be found sitting on the sidelines as serene as Buddha himself. That’s what makes him special.

Need further proof of how out there Jackson is? Well, now that you’re all there sitting in a purple haze, here is what Library Journal said about Moonbeam’s book about his coaching days with the Bulls in Sacred Hoops: “Jackson demonstrates how he adapts the precepts of Zen Buddhism, the ways of the Lakota Sioux, and other alternative styles to the task of coaching. They range from group meditation sessions, to hanging Lakota warrior items on the locker room shelf, to splicing segments of the movie 'Wizard of Oz' into game films to make a point.” (ESPN.com, 2007)

Or in his 1975 tome, Maverick, Jackson, wrote of gaining basketball insight by consuming LSD.

Wow, wow, wow, once I stopped being distracted by the shiny tin foil in front of me, and after I go to 7-Eleven and get my hot pocket, I am getting those books!

Today’s video is a very funny one of NBA player Jalen Rose visiting the Lakers back in the day when Kobe and Shaq were on the same team, but not necessarily on the same page. Let’s reminisce while we play the bongos.


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Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins Face Off in the Greatest Dunk Contest Ever!

July 19th 2007 13:52
Michael Jordan free throw line dunk.
Flight 23 takes off. (Image from nba.com)


It’s hard to believe now that the best part of the NBA All-Star weekend back in the day wasn’t the groupies, or partying it up in the VIP section of the hottest nightclubs in town – it was the slam dunk contest. In our recent nostalgia for the days of yore in the Association it is perhaps appropriate to look back at what generally was considered the greatest dunk contest in history back in 1988.

Vince Carter in 2000 may have put on the best individual show, but it was Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan who gave the fans the most breathtaking competitive display of dunking artistry.

Back in the 80s all the big names who had mad hops made the dunk contest the jewel in the All-Star weekend crown. Being the king of jams was a title with honour, and the ballers fought hard to be seen as the man with the maddest hops, with 1988 being no exception.

The marquee players were of course ‘Nique and MJ, but Clyde ‘The Glide’ Drexler and former champion Spud Webb also featured in this contest.

The setting could not have been anymore perfect for His Airness to claim the dunking crown – it was in his hometown of Chicago, he was having perhaps the best season ever as a pro, and he was about to put on a show that would go down in the annals of basketball folklore.

In the first round The Human Highlight Film came out elevating like he has never elevated before with a close to perfect score of 49 out of 50, while MJ was slightly less spectacular with a 47 point dunk.

Clyde ‘The Glide’ and Otis Smith made it into the second round but were subsequently eliminated, leaving the dream final of Wilkins and Jordan. Just imagine a jelly wrestling final involving Jessica Alba and Jessica Biel in bikinis and you’d get the picture at how pumped the
Dominique Wilkins dunk.
The Human Highlight Film flying through the air in 1988. (Image from newsday)
crowd was for this match-up.

‘Nique set the pace with his first dunk scoring a jaw dropping 50 with an out of this world jam. Mike followed suit and ‘bam’ he also achieved perfection.

Wilkins next dunk was a tomahawk jam that rocked the rim so hard that it shook the stadium, scoring yet another 50 point slam. The Human Highlight film lived up to his moniker and it was on like Donkey Kong. MJ tried to follow suit with a reverse dunk that only netted 47.

Mike was being upstaged in his own house by a man that was on fire. Something had to be done.

There was one dunk left and all ‘Nique needed was a 48 and he would be crowned the champ. But this was Chi-Town and Jordan owned this city.

The Human Highlight Film set up for another power jam that shook the rim, it was nice, it deserved more, but it only scored a 45. Credit to Wilkins who just shrugged it off, while hoping for a higher score.

You could feel the anticipation from the crowd as they came to the realisation what dunk MJ was attempting.

Jordan began measuring his steps and mentally trying to figure out where he should start his run up. His Airness was about to defy the laws of gravity and jam it from the free throw line!

Flight 23 ready for take off! This dunk had only been accomplished once before by the great Julius Erving in 1976! Was MJ capable of pulling off such a feat? The crowd held its breath.

Jordan was building momentum, he took flight, and…he missed! Ouch! The crowd were stunned: ‘Was this the end?’ They all seemed to be asking.

Not a chance. The rules stated that Jordan was allowed one last attempt.

His Airness was rattled and then he got some inspiration from Dr. J who as legend would have it yelled at Jordan to attempt the dunk again.

Inspired, Jordan went back to the middle of the court and took flight, and this time it was majestic. It seemed like an eternity he was up in the air and it was a sight to behold. It was beautiful.

50 points.

Perfection.

Today’s video is of the contest. Enjoy.
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Magical Michael Jordan Moments: 'The Pose'.

July 13th 2007 07:58
Michael Jordan is God! Don’t believe me? Ask Larry Bird circa 1986.
Michael Jordan championship basket.
Everybody wants to be like Mike.


There have been a multitude of memorable MJ moments and during this offseason we’ll go through some of them here in NBALOUD.

Moment number one is pretty much the last significant imagery of Jordan playing basketball because let’s face it – no one wants to recall his time in Washington. Michael will always be a Bull.

So, what is the Jordan memory that will be recalled today? Well, try Game 6 of the NBA Finals in 1998 and the Bulls are facing the Jazz. With the clock ticking down on another Chicago run at a three-peat and playing in the Delta Centre in Utah, the game is on the line so who are you going to call? No, not the Ghostbusters but His Airness, because no one in the history of the game has been as clutch as Jordan.

The Jazz players and coaches knew who was going to get the ball, the crowd at the Delta Centre had no arguments at who was going to take the game winning shot, hell, just about everyone in the whole damn universe watching the game wouldn’t get any psychic brownie points in this instance because Jordan was always going to take the game winning attempt. It wasn’t just Game 6 that was on the line but a legacy.

After his first retirement and comeback the detractors came out into the fore calling MJ a spent force, he wasn’t the same cat. Two championships later everyone pretty much shut up but this was the icing on the cake. After accomplishing the impossible once already by winning three titles in a row, Mike and the Bulls were going to repeat the improbable once again.

Adidas’ slogan of ‘impossible is nothing’ should have been bestowed on Jordan and the Bulls because he made dreams come true. Too bad for Michael he is a Nike man.

With a minute left in the contest and the Bulls trailing by three Jordan strapped on his Superman cape and went to work.

Michael Jordan championship shot against the Jazz.
To appreciate true artistry you have to see the masterpiece through various angles.
First, he drove the lane and scored in a lay-up. No one in the Jazz was going to stop him and it ended up being the ‘smart’ play because they didn’t want the most hardcore baller on the planet making a 3-point play.

Utah found themselves on offense and handed the ball to their own superstar in Karl Malone, who had the ball down the baseline and was about to muscle in for an easy basketball. Wrong! Jordan and his defensive skills stripped the ball from the Mailman and was about to create history – again.

The ball was in the hands of God and there was going to be only one outcome – the stadium is hushed. MJ takes the ball down to the Bulls end and watches the clock tick down then makes his move.

With 10 seconds left on the clock and Bryon Russell of the Jazz checking Jordan tightly MJ was about to conjure up magic. His Airness fakes, does a little crossover dribble that shakes the earth from under Russell causing the Jazz player to fall ass first onto the ground, then came the shot.

It was beautiful to watch. The ball came out of Jordan’s hand in perfect fashion and with a pose to behold the ball fell through the hoop with a deafening swish sound.

Game over. Chicago wins 87-86 notching up their sixth title during the Jordan era. MJ finishes off with 45 points and the final pose etched in the memories of basketball fans forever more.

Poetry in motion. God was at work and the ironic thing is that I am an atheist.

Today’s video is obviously of this moment. Enjoy.



* All Images in this post are from NBA.com
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