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NBA Loud - by Travis

I’d like to post about the previously finished NBA Draft. A lot of trades were completed/proposed making this years draft exciting and noteworthy. In this first post I will be going through the top five picks and thereafter with updates and all you need to know up to the minute stats and transactions.

Let’s get this post draft analysis going with the first overall pick for the Chicago Bulls DERRICK ROSE. Rose out of Memphis has a solid NBA body and can take the punishment as a player in the paint. He will mold himself into whatever type of player his team needs him to be as evident by the video below. He is one of the most ready-type players to enter the league. A truly solid addition to any team, kind of makes me think of the miss of Jay Williams. In which whom the Bulls took as the savior type PG years ago before he had his motorcycle accident stifling his promising career. With this pick Chicago puts themselves back into contention for a playoff spot in the East.

This video shows how Rose can affect the game as he will become a solid NBA-PG.

# 2

Undoubtedly the Miami Heat selected MICHAEL BEASLEY out of Kansas State. This PF needs no introduction to basketball fans as his huge wingspan makes up for any negativity about his height at the four spot. One of the perfect teams for Beasley to go to, I think his character issues would only become apparent if he were to have to battle with a solid proven veteran for his starting spot. He will be going in battling Udonis Haslem who has seen his stock drop as he needs to create more of his own offence. The heat I am sure are not finished in tweaking their team for the 08/09 season. Marion though will alleviate any concerns of the rookie being overmatched down-low as he is almost like an extra PF out there sometimes with his rebounding efforts and hustle in trying to make the right plays.

# 3

Minnesota at the third spot went with OJ MAYO, who I have seen and been hearing about for a good number of years. Mayo will be a solid two as at 6’4” 200lbs he is limited in selected positions, but this guy is just a born scorer and if he ends up in Grizz-town, look for him to team up with Rudy Gay as Mike Miller was moved with Memphis making the choice to let him go after he admittedly carried the Grizzlies last season at times. In return Minnesota looks to get #5 Kevin Love. I am in love with this deal as the T-Wolves send Antoine Walker also to MEM. Minnesota gets the scoring they desperately need and character guys, to build around. I know what fans may be thinking and no this isn’t the second coming of Wally World, Mike Miller is a gamer playing all three spots from 1-3 for the Grizz and did whatever was asked, as he became a versatile and proven scorer, unlike streaky Szczerbiak.

# 4

Russell Westbrook a surprise at number four as the top three had virtually been decided weeks beforehand. Westbrook though an unexpected pick is an explosive guard that will do well in this league especially when Seattle gets all the parts and can continuously run up and down with Durant and Green. The Sonics clearly want a guard that can break down the D and get up and down the court at breakneck speeds. They have found that guy with Westbrook. People want to compare him to NBA champion Rajon Rondo and maybe Monta Ellis, he is long and skinny and extremely athletic, time will tell if he can make the right passes for a long career with Durant by his side.

# 5

Care of NBADraft.net

Memphis picks Kevin Love at the number five spot and in turn will be sending him to Minnesota in the deal outlined in the third pick paragraph. Love is solid, not an athlete like the Grizz love at the four spot, but the T-Wolves just need ballers in which Kevin is for sure. Down-low he will be helped by Al Jefferson for sure on defense. Also he will have a great passer in Mike Miller to get the ball to him in good spots. I like Kevin Love on a solid team a rebuilding team he may flourish or sink as he’ll need to create his own offence and may struggle with the speed of the NBA at first.

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NBA Wars II: Revenge of the Suns.

December 18th 2007 13:19

Anyone versed in last season’s playoffs would remember when Robert Horry of the San Antonio Spurs, floored two-time MVP, Steve Nash with a cheap shot. It turned out to be a pivotal moment, arguably costing the Suns a playoff victory against their arch-nemesis. Phoenix had to return to San Antonio one day – today was the day.

The Suns got their revenge somewhat with a 100-95 win over their rivals, resulting in the Spurs first home loss of the season. There wasn’t nearly as much drama as there was last time they played in San Antonio, but the Suns can feel good about beating their opponents at

Mike Dunleavy was hot, hot, hot. (Photo by Victor Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

home, while overcoming a massive scoring night from Tim Duncan who dropped 36.

"I thought it was a good win for us. We scrapped it out. It wasn't pretty for us in stretches. But we did the job," said Phoenix point guard Steve Nash. "Tonight the effort was there. Somehow we found a way to win over those guys." (White, AP, 2007)

Phoenix can take some satisfaction from this game, but you can bet your bottom dollar that they’d do anything to re-live that moment when Stevie Wonder was maimed on the open court.

Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic may be a hot MVP favourite this season, but when matched up against the best player from last season, Dirk Nowitzki, the big German had it all over the young whipper snapper. The Mavericks outlasted the Magic 111-108 with Dirk Diggler scoring 31 to Dwight’s 22.

It was a game of contrasting fortunes for the biggest, and most talented men on the court, with Howard starting off hot, then cooling significantly after the first quarter, while Nowitzki was non-existent at the beginning, but finished strong, scoring 11 of his 31 in the fourth quarter.

Today’s most exciting game was between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks which went to double-overtime. The Cavs have been on a massive losing streak of late, losing eight of their last nine outings. So, they needed a win in a big way.

Who else would come to the rescue of Cleveland but LeBron James. The King was big time, scoring 31, but he got a little help from Zydrunas Ilgauskas who scored the first six points in the second overtime period. Props to the Big Z.

Performance of the Day.

Mike Dunleavy has had a career resurgence after being traded to the Indiana Pacers, and his new badass identity came to the fore today against the New York Knicks. We’ve exhausted the English language in describing how bad Gotham City’s team is, so we won’t bother anymore.

As you may have guessed, oh, wonderful, reader, New York lost to Indiana, 119-92. Well the final scoreline suggests it was a massacre really, with Dunleavy leading the way.

Indiana’s star player today tore the hearts out of the Knicks, scoring 22 points in a pivotal third quarter. New York once again displayed their basketball ineptitude.

Following the coverage of our lead game, here is Robert Horry’s hit once again on Steve Nash from last season’s playoffs.

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Posted By: Stanley - Category: Games, Indiana Pacers, Lebron James

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Jamaal Tinsley is Lucky to Be Alive After Shooting Incident.

December 11th 2007 05:36

Loving a sport which is dominated by young, black males, it’s easy to get caught up in lazy stereotypes in what transpires in the NBA by the wider public. No, other professional sporting league in America comes under intense scrutiny as basketball. Whenever something negative happens to a player, the whole league is tarred with the same brush. Being a long time NBA observer it gets frustrating dealing with the euphemisms and assumptions that are made about the players and the Association in general.

Then players like, Jamaal Tinsley of the Indiana Pacers, get themselves in trouble and once

Jamaal Tinsley is proof that sometimes keeping it real can go wrong. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

again places the lifestyles of players, and their acquaintances under the microscope.

We should begin with the stark reality that the Pacers point guard is extremely lucky to be alive after being targeted by gunmen with an automatic weapon over the weekend in front of an Indianapolis hotel. He should count his blessings, and according to news reports he has.

“The man upstairs, he gave me another opportunity to see another day. When athletes step out, anything can happen…” (AP, 2007)

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first off-court incident involving, Tinsley, previously being involved in a bar room brawl. Jamaal was also present when former teammate, Stephen ‘Action’ Jackson started firing shots into the air outside a strip club a few years ago. Trouble seems to find, Tinsley.

Perhaps the latest incident might knock some sense into the Pacer guard because he was extremely close to calling it a day on this earth, with the only victim being the team’s equipment manager who was hit in the elbows.

Tinsley met with coach Jim O’Brien and president Larry Bird to discuss the latest incident, but the team didn’t feel punishment was warranted in this instance because the player wasn’t to blame in instigating the shooting.

Indiana have been struggling to cope with their image since that infamous brawl a few years ago, which still continues to be a blight on the franchise: “Of course, you worry about your fans and the community and how people look at you,” Tinsley said. “I made a stupid mistake, again.

“I'm very disappointed that it happened, with me. It was supposed to be fun. That's all I wanted to do is have fun.” (AP, 2007)

In the latest incident, Tinsley and his entourage, traveling in a Mercedes, Rolls Royce and Dodge Charger, all owned by the Pacer, rolled to a club where a group of men were giving him a hard time for his wheels and salary.

Upon leaving the venue, the group was followed, and instead of going to a police station, or home, Jamaal’s group instead stopped at a hotel car park where the vehicles tailing them started opening fire with their automatic weapons.

After the shooting, James Tinsley, who is the brother of Jamaal, followed the car with his crew and started firing shots towards the original perpetrators.

This case just illustrates that fame and fortune doesn’t protect athletes from the possibility of violence.

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Posted By: Stanley - Category: Player News, Indiana Pacers

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Reggie Miller Makes NBA Fans Orgasm in 9 Seconds.

July 22nd 2007 11:34

Rarely do people want the spotlight, or the responsibility that comes with carrying a group of individuals on their shoulders and saying, ‘I want the consequences. I’ll take the kudos or the blame.’ People may say they want that type of burden, but rarely does a person mean it with conviction.

Than there are those who crave the biggest stage and perform appropriately. These individuals are both loved and loathed in equal measure – however, they are respected, sometimes begrudgingly.

Many in the NBA have had ice flowing through their veins and have put up their hand for the chance to be the man. Reggie Miller was one of these ballers.

The beanpole thin Miller doesn’t strike anyone as a particularly outstanding ball player. Yes, he could score like Wilt Chamberlain on a road trip, but he wasn’t a particularly good defender and was nothing more than a great shooter. However, he was great when it counted the most – playoff time. It was the postseason where he made his mark.

Miller was so clutch in the playoffs that he had about as much playoff highlights as some of the all-time greats, which is a testament at how good he was – when it mattered the most. They didn’t call the final seconds ‘Miller time’ for no reason.

In saying all of this, there is one performance that stands above all others. Miller’s final second heroics in this game were of such epic proportions that no one has ever come close

It's Miller Time! (Image from wikipedia)

to emulating this feat. Furthermore, it was in a big game and on the biggest basketball stage in the world.

Need any help at guessing what game we’re talking about here? Try, Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semi-finals against the New York Knicks, at the mecca of basketball, Madison Square Garden.

Many who have seen this majestic work of art have called it both spectacular and horrifying in equal measure. Spectacular, because of the clutch performance of Reggie, but horrific at the utter collapse of a tough Knicks basketball team.

Miller, in a nine second span, managed to score eight points and plunge a dagger into the hearts of the New York team. This is how it happened: Reggie nails a 3-point basket with 16 seconds to play, steals the Knicks inbound pass, has the presence of mind to step back to beyond the arc, and sinks another 3-pointer tying the game at 105 with 13 seconds left on the clock.

New York enforcer, Anthony Mason summed up the feelings of the players and the New York fans: “We were shell-shocked…We went numb after his second three. We became totally disoriented. It was like a terrible nightmare that you couldn't wake up from. I still think about it today. I can laugh about it now. I wasn't laughing then, that's for sure.” (Weinberg, ESPN.com)

After Miller’s second 3-point basket, John Starks of the Knicks is fouled but promptly misses both free throws, but it seemed no big deal because the legendary big man for New York, Patrick Ewing grabs the rebound. But he manages to mangle his shot attempt, then who else but Reggie grabs the rebound and is fouled.

Ardent Knicks fan Spike Lee is courtside and Miller begins trash talking to the renowned director, hits both of his free throws, and then the Pacers take it, sparking a wild celebration.

With both the Knicks and the crowd stunned by this grandiose performance, Miller runs out of the court shouting over and over again “Choke artists! Choke artists!’

Truer words have never been uttered by an NBA player.

Today’s video is of those nine seconds. View it in awe.