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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Wilt Chamberlain Scores 100 Points in a Game!

August 17th 2007 07:50

Records are made to be broken, and this adage is especially true in the world of sports. Seemingly impossible times, statistics or performances are seen to stand the test of time but are broken as soon as another phenomenon comes along to make the old record redundant. Nothing can be taken as a given in sports.

However, there is one record in basketball that stands alone as perhaps the most untouchable sporting achievement. Not only that, the number that is associated with this storied performance is as mythical as the performer itself: 100 points in a single game.

One-hundred points is something of an impossibility to imagine. Kobe Bryant came close a couple of seasons ago by dropping 81, and the deity-like, Michael Jordan, never even came within sniffing distance of this number.

So, who stands alone on the shoulder of giants with this performance? Take a bow Wilt Chamberlain.

In the last post that wasn’t written by the Sports Insider, we profiled Bill Russell, so it would be natural to pen something about his contemporary superstar Wilt ‘The Stilt’.

Unbelievable numbers seem to be associated with Chamberlain, such as his boast of sleeping with over 20, 000 women in his lifetime! If this number was correct than surely it would be

Wilt Chamberlain holds up the record number of women he slept with in a night. Oops, that number is how much he scored. (Image from SI.com)

more impressive than his 100 points in a NBA game. Unfortunately, this ‘record’ cannot be validated, so this seminal performance is the one that everyone in the basketball loving world chooses to celebrate.

The 2nd of March, 1962, was the night that Chamberlain would put the world on notice that a basketball playing messiah was afoot, whilst playing for the Philadelphia Warriors. The end result and the opposition are seemingly irrelevant when talking about Wilt’s performance, but for those who are interested, it was the New York Knicks that got a caning, and the final score was, 169-147.

Chamberlain was an imposing physical specimen that dominated his peers and made them seem obscenely second-rate. Russell was the only one that challenged Wilt’s stature, but Chamberlain was in a league of his own.

On the famous night in question, Wilt was certainly both dominant and unstoppable. And with New York’s starting center, Phil Jordan, out with the flu, The Stilt, ended up eating his backups alive.

Scoring a quick fire 23 points in the first quarter, and 41 by half-time, Wilt, was about to shock the world before Ali would coin the phrase. In the third quarter he scored an additional 28, and by that stage the crowd were actively chanting “Give it to Wilt!”

So, what did the Warriors do? Passed it up and gave it to the scrubs on the bench – just kidding. They gave it to Wilt, because he probably would have punched them in the face if he wasn’t being fed the ball.

If New York were smart they would have quadrupled team Chamberlain, but his moment in history wasn’t going to be denied. One hundred points in a game was beckoning and everyone could feel the excitement in the air. Admittedly, New York tried to resist being a footnote in history by fouling the rest of Wilt’s teammates to try and keep the ball out of his hands. How did his teammates respond? By fouling the Knicks players in return to get the ball back! Smart!

With 46 seconds left in the game Chamberlain scored the magical basket that would take his scoring total to 100.

Bedlam followed with the fans rushing onto the court to celebrate. The final statline reads as follows: 36-of-63 from the field, 28-of-32 from the free-throw line and the most important number of all – 100 points.

Today’s video subject is of course Wilt Chamberlain. Enjoy.

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Posted By: Stanley - Category: Player News, Philadelphia 76ers

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Julius Erving Produces a Legendary Basket in the 1980 NBA Finals.

July 14th 2007 11:18

Continuing with our theme of looking back at the greatest moments in NBA history our focus today will be on another player that had a reputation of defying the laws of gravity. Julius Erving is his name, and excitement inducing plays is his game.

Dr. J was the coolest cat on the basketball block since the day he broke into the ABA in the early 70s. Rocking the ‘fro, and accomplishing jaw dropping jams from the free throw line the Doc was a rebel with a cause – to bring the most badass basketball to the masses.

When the ABA folded and merged with the NBA, Erving took his aerobatic theatrics to the Association and things would never be the same again. Although his hops weren’t as big as they had been during his ABA days, the Doc still had the mad skillz that separated him from the rest of the basketball playing mortals around at the time.

Michael Jordan may have taken the ‘wow’ factor of basketball to the next level, but it was Erving who was the high flying innovator, producing moves that were groundbreaking to say the least. He was the OG sick baller.

Like many players before him, and since, Doc wanted to be known as more than just a high flyer, he wanted a title, and desperately. After being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers (yes, they haven’t always sucked) Erving and his squad began an early 80s assault on the

Julius Erving legendary baseline reverse layup.

I believe that Dr. J can fly! (Image from nba.com)

Championship.

However, Dr. J will always be remembered for the one legendary shot that probably has defined his career during the 1980 Finals when the Sixers were facing the Lakers. It was Game 4 and Los Angeles were leading 2-1 in the series with Philly needing a spark. Julius Erving would provide such inspiration during the fourth quarter.

Game 4 was a hard fought battle with some legendary names on both sides, such as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Doc arguably had his best season in 1980 averaging 26.9 points per game.

Anyway, back to Game 4. Yes, the game was a close one, and Julius Winfield Erving II would produce a move that would go down in NBA folklore.

Laker Mark Landsberger was defending Doc down the baseline, and Erving easily passed him with utter contempt, setting himself to score either on a hard dunk or pretty layup. The legendary Kareem who has spotted these shenanigans decided to try and put a stop to all of this silliness by swatting away Erving’s shot attempt.

Doc was already committed to the shot and was soaring through the air when Kareem checked him.

Then it happened.

Whilst in the air Doc adjusted his body in a manner that avoided the desperate defence of Kareem and somehow managed to float to the other side of the rim and scored with a reverse layup.

The Philly crowd went crazy as expected.

A rookie point guard by the name of Magic Johnson who would also make his mark in this series bore witness to this magical moment with his mouth visibly agape at what he just saw. Here is Magic’s take on that shot: “Here I was, trying to win a championship, and my mouth just dropped open. He actually did that! I thought, 'What should we do? Should we take the ball out, or should we ask him to do it again?' It's still the greatest move I've ever seen in a basketball game, the all-time greatest.” (Weinberg, ESPN.com)

Philly would end up winning the game 105-102, but would ultimately lose the series.

Erving would break his Championship drought three years later.

So, without further Apu, here is the move in all of its cinematic glory if you can't be bothered checking out the moving image on this post.