Playoff Witness

No big deal here, just a game winning lay up in arguably the Miami Heat’s biggest game of the season to date. It appears 2.2 seconds is just enough time to catch the ball at the top of the lane, turn, dribble and suck the life out of a plucky up-start Eastern Conference challenger.

LeBron James laid down 30 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and a lazy three blocks in this Game 1 victory. Not bad at all.

It was a massive missed opportunity for the Indiana Pacers in this game. They had been able to take the lead only moments earlier after Paul George was fouled by Dwyane Wade on a three-point attempt. This was Wade’s sixth foul, late in the first overtime period and the three made free throws by George had given Indiana a one point lead.

As previously mentioned however, LeBron James only needed 2.199999999 seconds to give his team a 1-0 lead in the series.

This was a missed opportunity of epic proportions for Indiana.

For all of LeBron James’ exploits, for some (crazy) people, this game-winner still wasn’t enough.

Seriously??

Michael Jordan put up with this sort of idiotic criticism too, it was just less scrutinized by the media and was concentrated to areas such as Detroit, New York and Cleveland where MJ left scorch marks during the playoffs.

While Miami (barely) prospered in this one, the Pacers were dealt with a severely tough break and will no doubt come back stronger in Game two. They need to be hungry and a split in South Beach is surely the only thing on the Pacer agenda. With anything other than a 1-1 scoreline now heading back home, the Pacers fans will no doubt be feeling very, very nervous come Game 3.

This game was also a prime example of why social media may be the worst possible invention ever, in the history of mankind. Anyone who is still hating on LeBron after this performance, quite frankly needs to be put down.

Bring on Game 2, especially for legit basketball people.

 

 

2013 McDonald’s All-American Dunk Contest

Ladies and Gentlemen, a peek into the future athletic talent of the NBA. The 2013 McDonald’s High School All-American Slam Dunk Contest. Sit back, relax and enjoy this recap of what looks to have been one of the best dunk contests of all time.

The contest featured Chris Walker, Andrew Wiggins, Aaron Gordon, Jabari Parker and Rondae Jefferson. Walker edged out Wiggins to take the 2013 crown, although a lot of people thought Wiggins had done enough to claim victory.

Nice work lads, see you in the NBA real soon.

via Ballislife

 

 

Australian College of Basketball

The Australian College of Basketball (ACB) is a state-of-the-art facility in Melbourne that’s delivering high quality performance training and education to both Men’s and Women’s basketball talent.

The facility is in its second year and is holding an Open Day on April 10th.

Based at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC), ACB is experiencing a boom in enrolments to their two-year full-time program from all around the country. Coached by Australian Under 17 Men’s National coach Guy Molloy, the program is highly respected and a premium source of top-tier basketball education.

ACB are holding a series of scheduled tours during the April 10th Open Day to allow full access and to the facility and a complete look at what the program is all about.

The tours will include:

  • Introduction to the College and the High Performance pathway
  • Hear from Head Coach Guy Malloy and expert staff in the fields of High Performance and Strength & Conditioning
  • Facilities tour, including;
      1. Show courts
      2. High Performance Training Centre
      3. Student Lounge
      4. Lecture Rooms
      5. Massage & Physiotherapy room
  • Witness live skills session and drills demonstration
  • Question and Answer session

For additional info email Beth from ACB or call 1300 859 880 to book a space in one of the day’s tours.

Places are limited for each tour so be quick!!

 

 

Helping Hoops Hit the Streets of Fitzroy

Media Release: On Sunday 3rd February, the inaugural Helping Hoops Fitzroy Tournament will provide reason for the kids living on the Atherton Gardens Estate to smile. Having run regular tournaments as part of our Helping Hoops Sunshine program in Melbourne’s west, we are stepping out of the gym and taking the tournament format to the streets!

Helping Hoops coaches Mike Spears and Omar Coles will run a morning clinic (10am to
12noon) at which time registrations will be open for the afternoon competitions. A BBQ lunch will be followed by junior and senior competitions, with kids placed into teams on the day.

Registrations are free and open to children aged 10 – 21.

Set among the backdrop of trendy Brunswick and Gertrude streets, the Atherton Gardens
public housing estate is home to approximately 2,500 residents. A high percentage of the
families are from a refugee background, having come to Australia to escape the hardships and dangers faced in Africa.

Aside from end-to-end hoops, the tournament day will include DJs and giveaways. We
welcome the public to come down and see the action.

About Us: Helping Hoops is a charity running FREE weekly basketball programs for disabled and disadvantaged kids in Melbourne. The Fitzroy Program runs every Thursday at the outdoor basketball court at Atherton Gardens. For two hours every week, the aspiring basketballers are given a safe, encouraging environment with people who believe in them.

Our promise is to be a constant presence in the lives of these kids from a refugee background.

Helping Hoops takes the role of assisting personal growth and life skills extremely seriously, always delivering the best possible programs.

For further information, or to become a Helping Hoops Hero, please contact Adam McKay
0433 857 875.

 

 

Victor Dukes and… the dunk

Dunk of the Year voting for 2013 anyone? Victor Dukes lodged his entry above in the NEA Tournament Finals recently.

It’s not quite Vince Carter in the 2000 Olympics but it’s impressive in its own way. It has athleticism, power, speed and a lot of ‘GTFO’ factor which is always appreciated.

Wrap it up… we’re not sure who or what can beat this in 2013.

via Ballislife.com

 

 

Smoke ‘Em – December 13, 2012

After a short recess, Smoke ‘Em returns today with Ryan and I looking to right the wrongs of our negative records.

Current standings put me at -$20.90 for the month while Ryan sits on -$81.00. Time to turn this around.

Today’s Picks

Paul - LA Clippers (A) 1-10,  Oklahoma City (H) -14.0, Boston (H) -6.0 and Brooklyn (A) -7.5. (Multi odds = $17.69)

While the Clippers are significantly better than the Bobcats, they don’t blow out teams on the road like they do at home. Charlotte have put up some great fights this season and I expect the same today. I’ve never seen a Pelican struck by lightning but today might be the day, regardless of Davis’ return. Boston at -6.0 is too good to refuse considering I think they’ll win by 11+ and the Nets should put an old fashioned Brooklyn beat-down on the Raptors who have suspensions, injuries and trade demands to navigate.

Wager on this multi = $15.00

Ryan – Golden State (A) to win by 11+ and San Antonio (A) 1-10 and Brooklyn (A) by 11+. (Multi odds = $94.33)

Yes, this is going out on a limb, but the Heat have trouble with teams that can shoot from deep and the Warriors are pretty strong this year, which will combine well with the fact the Heat don’t play consistently and seem to be coasting until the Playoffs. The other two legs are pretty easy calls, with San Antonio a sure bet to take care of business and Brooklyn to lay the smack down on poor Toronto.

Wager on this multi = $20.00

 

 

Breakers Defeat The Turnover Tigers

(Hannah Johnston/Getty Images)

The New Zealand Breakers have added to both Chris Anstey’s and the Melbourne Tiger’s woes, scoring a 75-64 victory at Hisense Arena on Friday night.

The first year coach Anstey was just as frustrated with his team as he was confused as to why his team has started the season so inconsistently.

“It’s a broken record,” said Anstey. “It’s too tough [of] a league.”

“You give a small excuse week one, the first game and it’s a new group. It gets tiring walking into these things. I can’t walk into one and say we’ve lost to a team we couldn’t beat.”

“I don’t want to sit in here and say we are getting closer, that was no closer than what we were last week.”

Off season arrival Seth Scott was also at a loss to how the Tigers can get their season started.

“We’ll be playing well, everything smart. All the gameplan that he [Anstey] has provided for us and everything will be working well. I don’t know what the reason is, at any given moment we can just fall apart.”

“We’ve all been asked these questions. It’s easy to answer these questions. But we’ve got to back it up with our actions.”

Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis on the other hand was proud of his team’s consistent defensive effort and his import point guard, Cedric Jackson. (more…)