Monta Ellis – Jobless… for now

We were all made aware late last year that Monta Ellis “have it all“, however this statement (from Monta himself) will not quite ring as true in the coming weeks. ESPN is reporting that Ellis will opt out of his contract, forfeiting the last $11m of his current deal.

Monta Ellis, at least for the short term will have it all… except perhaps a job.

For all you Ellis fans out there, don’t panic. Monta will be one of the most highly sought-after free agents this off-season and will no doubt sign a new deal. Whether that deal is with his current team the Milwaukee Bucks or a new suitor remains to be seen but will be revealed over the coming months.

His well-known friendship with Dwight Howard may also be a factor. With the Los Angeles Lakers free agent also taking a look at the market, rumors are suggesting a potential pairing with Chris Paul. If that dream falls through however, Ellis may just try to be the next best thing for the man they call Superman.

This is not the first and certainly won’t be the last intriguing storyline of the NBA’s off-season… and the Finals still haven’t concluded! Stay tuned.

 

 

Do You Need A Flopping Coach?

With the NBA Finals heading towards a pivotal sixth game, the lads at The Rizzo Show in Cleveland, Ohio have given us something quite funny to entertain ourselves with before the big showdown.

Enjoy as this video takes us inside the mind of LeBron James’ “flopping coach”.

Seriously, they could have picked a number of NBA players to base this comedy sketch on but of course, being from Cleveland means LeBron is the target. Personally, I think Cavalier forward Anderson Varejao would be a more accurate example.

Either way, we hope you have a laugh.

via mikepolkjr & Basketball Forever

 

 

Manu Ginobili – Game 5 Assassin

Image via au.businessinsider.com/

The San Antonio Spurs are one win away from clinching their fifth NBA title after an impressive 114-104 home victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5. San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili pulled off what some might call a “D-Wade” by similarly rising from the outhouse to produce a retro classic.

Let’s take a snapshot of what happened in Game 5:

  • Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and hit 8 of 14 from the field.
  • San Antonio shot a combined 60% from the field including another +40% from beyond the arc.
  • The Spurs’ starting lineup of Parker, Ginobili, Green, Leonard and Duncan were really good at basketball, giving their reserves a chance to take the night off.
  • Danny Green once again made it rain, connecting on 6 of 10 from downtown and calmly smashed the NBA Finals record for made threes.
  • Speaking of that record, Green swiped it from Ray Allen, who put in a very handy performance scoring 21 points of his own. (including 4/4 from range)
  • Mike Miller started his second straight game. Not much else to report there.
  • Tracy McGrady still hasn’t scored in the NBA Finals.
  • Tim Duncan was so busy doing this in the first half while he used the halftime break to rest and catch up with his family.
  • LeBron James isn’t tired and is still good at running and dunking.
  • San Antonio had less assists, less steals, more turnovers and 16 less field goal attempts than Miami. They also had 10 more points at the end of the game. Crazy.

It’s “backs to the wall” time again for the Miami Heat who now only one option remaining, win two straight home games against the best in the business. Sounds doable for a team that won 37 of their 41 home games during the regular season.

Each game has seen a different assassin ironically take centre stage. The big question now is simple. Who will stand up in Game 6?

Televised live from Miami on Wednesday (AU time), Game 6 can be seen via ESPN or NBA League Pass.

 

 

Miami Thrice – Game 4 Assassins

The Miami Heat squared the NBA Finals ledger in Game 4 claiming a strong 109-93 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Miami’s “Big 3″ were dominant for the duration of this game and much like the Heat in Game 3, the Spurs simply had no answers.

Let’s take a snapshot of what happened in this one:

  • Dwyane Wade exploded for 32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals and took 25 shots.
  • LeBron James scored 33 points while also taking 25 shots and added 11 rebounds a couple of nearly everything else.
  • Chris Bosh scored 20 points, picked up 13 rebounds, blocked two shots and shot 8-14 from the field. He also looked more energetic than the entire Spurs roster (only because Patty Mills was inactive and towel-less) and was seen diving on a loose ball at one point.
  • Mike Miller started and we never saw the colourful Chris “Birdman” Andersen.
  • The Spurs turnover number (18) doubled that of the Heat’s.
  • It was Manu Ginobili’s turn to have all his skills abandon him ala the movie Space Jam. He also got back-kicked in the balls by Jesus.
  • Gregg Popovich smashed his usual word limit for a courtside interview and was also mad at Tim Duncan at one point. Or was he?
  • The Miami Heat collectively blocked seven shots.
  • The halftime entertainment in Texas has the curviest square dancing you’re likely to see.
  • Tony Parker’s first half was incredible, while his second half was only marginally better than T-Mac’s. Unfortunately for Spurs fans, McGrady didn’t actually play.

All in all, the perfect outcome for all basketball fans as this series is now guaranteed at least two more games.

It’s now a three game series and the Heat hold the home court advantage. Can the Spurs apply the ultimate pressure by taking Game 5? Or will Miami take control and give themselves two home games to repeat as Champions?

Game 5, Monday (AU time) on ESPN or NBA League Pass.

 

 

No Kidding, Brooklyn welcomes back Jason

The Brooklyn Nets have hired Jason Kidd to be their next Head Coach. The veteran point God who less than a fortnight ago hung up his sneakers as a player has been announced as the new captain of the sidelines and the hoops world seems to be pretty happy with the move.

See below for some NBA Twitter reactions:

And then of course, there’s Metta World Peace’s contribution on the subject, sans lettuce.

So it seems the NBA fraternity is happy for the future Hall-of-Fame point guard but is a rookie coach, fresh off the court what the Brooklyn Nets need? Reports suggest that Kidd will be surrounded with a strong cast of assistant coaches to aid the transition and of course in Brooklyn, money is no object.

In a move that is the first of it’s kind in lonnnnnnng time, it will be interesting to see how this shapes up come next season. Good luck to Jason Kidd, point guard one minute shooting 0-19 from the field to Head Coach the next, shooting 1-1 from the job interview line.

 

 

Danny Green and Gary Neal – Game 3 Assassins

The San Antonio Spurs absolutely laid the smackdown on the Miami Heat in Game 3, winning 113-77. A barrage of three-point makes was one thing but when accompanied by excellent team defense from the outset, a 2-1 series lead was certainly earned by the Spurs in this one.

The Heat look disorganised yet still only trailed 44-50 when half time rolled around. Once the third quarter got going however, Danny Green and Gary Neal personally shut the gate on any chance the Heat had with a hurricane of three-point bombs.

Green and Neal combined to shoot an incredible 13 of 19 from beyond the arc, which served as a double-trouble that Miami just couldn’t cope with. Heat guard Dwyane Wade looked noticeably hobbled and missed several defensive rotations that resulted in Green/Neal baskets. Wade’s lack of intensity on both ends of the floor really cost the Heat and one senses that some rotation adjustments will be made for Game 4.

Post-game, LeBron James lamented a lost opportunity but stated that the Spurs were still only awarded one win for their stellar performance. As for Game 4?

“We will be better… and I will be better”.

Game 4 will be played on Friday (AU time) and will be televised on ESPN (channel 508) via Foxtel.

 

 

Mean Tweets – NBA Edition

Some NBA personalities dropped by the Jimmy Kimmel Show to read out some “Mean Tweets” recently. While it’s hard to pick a favourite, I think if I had to choose, I’d go with Greg Anthony.

Also, I’m not at all surprised that Russell Westbrook doesn’t appear here.

Which entry is your favourite?

 

 

LeBron James – Game 2 Assassin

The Miami Heat have tied up their NBA Finals series against the San Antonio Spurs with an emphatic 103-84 win in Game 2. This was a closely contested game for the most part, until of course James and guard Mario Chalmers took over from late in the third quarter.

Up until that stage, the Heat were looking tired and vulnerable, while the Spurs looked to be “hanging around”, waiting for their opportunity to strike. That opportunity never came though as Miami used a 33-5 run to finish this one off early.

In a positive for Australian hoops fans, Patty Mills got some burn in Game 2. Playing a sneaky eight minutes, Mills scored the first basket by an Aussie in an NBA Finals game since 1998.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The Spurs may have wasted an exceptional game by Danny Green with the young emerging star scoring 17 points including a perfect 5-5 from the arc. Green also played some exceptional defense on LeBron James for three quarters. With the stage about to be moved back to Texas for three straight games, the Spurs may not be as concerned and perhaps can be content with a split of their first two games.

Only three teams in NBA Finals history have won their middle three home games since the 2-3-2 format was introduced in 1985. Those teams include the 2004 Detroit Pistons, as well as the 2006 and 2012 Miami Heat.

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Game 3 (Wednesday AU time) is going to be huge as both these teams look to take control of this series.

 

 

Tony Parker – Game 1 Assassin

Tony Parker took his considerable talents to South Beach for Game 1 and a game-deciding dagger for the ages.

With his Spurs up by two in the final stages of the game, Parker produced one of the most remarkable plays in NBA Finals history. The French marvel overcame a slip, a fall, an expiring shot clock and some tight LeBron James defense to give his team an game-sealing four point advantage.

You can watch this video over and over again without the brilliance of this shot wearing thin.

The Miami Heat led for most of the game behind a triple-double (18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists) from LeBron James and a lively 17 points from Dwyane Wade but it wasn’t enough.

Take a bow Tony Parker, you are amazing.

 

 

NBA 2KJAMES

LeBron James of the Miami Heat will be the cover athlete of NBA2K14. The hugely successful video game franchise has sold more than five million copies in each of the last three years and is set to break all records with its latest release in October.

Strangely enough this is James’ first ever video game cover.

As the guys over at USA Today explain, the game will have a bunch of new features as well as some pre-order bonuses featuring King James himself.

As LeBron said after winning his first NBA championship last year, “It’s about damn time”.

UPDATE: Could this be another case of a video game curse? LeBron and his Heaters dropped Game 1 today after the trailer for this video game premiered pre-game.

 

 

Help HD_Paul Help Helping Hoops!

Helping Hoops

Yes, there is a lot of HELP in that title but that’s exactly what we need more of at the upcoming Helping Hoops 24 Hour Shootout on June 29 & 30.

Volunteer shooters from far and wide will be spending 15 minutes of their weekend shooting free throws to raise money for Helping Hoops. Last year saw over 4,500 free throws made over the 24 hour period and over $5,500 raised. Can you help exceed both those figures this year?

Helping Hoops

I’ll be participating this time around also and I am urging you to help out by making a small donation to the cause. I would love to get at least $700 raised and I’m hoping you and the Internet can help.

Please click the link below and donate whatever you can, I’d really appreciate it.

Free Throw Paul for Helping Hoops!

Or get your friends, family, work colleagues etc. together and register to participate here! Go on, it’s a great cause and will be loads of fun.

Thanks heaps.

 

 

ESPN’s Incredible NBA Finals Commercial

While we are all part of the creative machine that keeps the NBA alive and well, the guys at ESPN most definitely lead the field with this NBA Finals commercial.

The imagery contained within this video conjures up many great memories of NBA Finals past. With precision and an artistic flair that should be celebrated, ESPN absolutely nails it with this one.

MJ

Simply beautiful.

UPDATE: From ESPN’s YouTube page:

London-based animator Richard Swarbrick created a unique animation celebrating the best moments in NBA Finals history through art and music. He painted great plays from Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Julius Erving, LeBron James, and many others, immortalizing them as art, set against Mint Julep’s triumphant “Save Your Season.”

To see more of Richard’s work, visit his firm’s website: http://hotspurandargyle.co.uk/

For more about Mint Julep, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mintjulepmusic

 

 

Grant Hill Retires A Legend

Grant Hill retired this week after nearly 20 years in the NBA. While he may be remembered by some as a player who never got to truly blossom due to injury, we remember (very well) just how good this guy was at playing the game we love.

These videos give you a taste of how special Grant Hill was as a player but growing up in the 90′s provided an amplified experience. It was almost impossible not to be a fan of Hill, his early high-flying days in Detroit were electrifying, while his injury-plagued years in Orlando left most fans eager for a return. The resurrection in Phoenix and subsequent leadership role was a pleasure to watch and even the final swansong with the disorganised Clippers was still a nice goodbye.

Whether you would uncharacteristically drink Sprite instead of Coke or wore what ended up being the only pair of FILA shoes you’d ever own it’s a certainty that Grant Hill was an influence and a role model during the 90′s.

Of course there will be more players with Grant Hill’s skill and athleticism. There will be more players with Grant Hill’s grace and composure. However there probably won’t be another player that is able to put it all together quite the way Grant Hill did. A fierce competitor and a role model to fans and peers alike, Hoop Diary salutes a champion of the game…

Grant Hill, number 33.

 

 

LeBron James sure is versatile

Here’s one for the “yeah, that sounds reasonable” file.

It seems even Science now declares LeBron James is the baddest man in basketball, as the guys from ESPN Sport Science explain in this video. If this doesn’t justify LeBron’s MVP status, nothing ever will.

Enjoy this two minutes and forty-seven seconds of mind blowing yet completely predictable basketball bliss.

Thanks LeBron, you’re doing great.