The NBA season is winding down, and some teams are fighting for a playoff spot…while others are battling for seeding in their conference. Teams like the Cavs and Warriors have been challenged by injuries and making adjustments to new players. The Warriors appear to be heading in the right direction, but the Cavs are still struggling. Although once believed Cleveland would be the top seed in the East heading into the playoffs, that is no longer imminent. Lately, they seem to be lacking the effort and intensity needed to be consistently great, and have experienced some tough…
Monthly Archives: March, 2017
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Will the Cavs Flip the Switch?
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LaVar Ball The Media Sensation
Continue ReadingI’ve been fascinated that for the past month I can’t avoid seeing something about LaVar and Lonzo Ball every day when consuming sports media. Lonzo had a strong freshman season at UCLA and has already declared for the NBA draft. He’s talented, confident, and fairly soft-spoken. LaVar, on the other hand, is loud, bold, and crazy. He’s a very proud father who has become a “national sensation” by making outrageous claims and almost daily being interviewed on as many sports outlets as possible. His comments steal headlines and have caused the media to shake…
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Taking the Shot
Continue ReadingI have a confession to make. Even as a Duke fan, I cheered and celebrated when Luke Maye hit that amazing game-winning shot for UNC on Sunday evening because it was such an exciting finish. With Maye’s tremendous shot on our minds, we also reflect on the anniversaries of two iconic game-winners. Yesterday was 25 years since Duke’s Christian Laettner caught the Grant Hill pass and hit the buzzer-beater to knock off Kentucky. Today marks 35 years since Michael Jordan hit the jumper to win the NCAA Championship for UNC…
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The Monkey Off His Back
Continue ReadingGonzaga’s Mark Few has been extremely successful during his 18 years as head coach of the Bulldogs. They have made the NCAA tournament each year, and have participated in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 multiple times. Few has consistently coached competitive teams who have won numerous games while being considered one of the best coaches in college basketball. Even so, in order for his success to be validated and to “get the monkey off his back,” people thought he needed to lead his team to the Final Four. Fortunately for…
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Why Not Us?
Continue ReadingThe Final Four is set for Saturday, and unfortunately, my bracket didn’t include any of these teams. Nonetheless, I’ve enjoyed the tournament and I’m very intrigued by the surprising runs that No. 3 seeded Oregon and No. 7 seeded South Carolina have made. I’d also throw Gonzaga in that, despite having a No. 1 seed, because this is their first time making the Final Four and it was hard to predict how good they really are. Then we have UNC, who we know is tough with Luke Maye making one of…
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A Surprising Gesture from the Losing Coach
Continue ReadingLast night, the Madness continued as No. 11 seed Xavier knocked off No. 2 seed Arizona 73-71. Although the game was back and forth, Arizona had a 71-64 lead toward the end until Xavier got hot and went on a 9-0 run to steal the win. Xavier is headed to the Elite 8, and the 8th team seeded 11th or lower to reach this round in tournament history. Making the win even sweeter is the fact that Arizona knocked out Xavier in the 2015 Sweet 16, and now the roles are…
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Tom Brady’s Stolen Jersey
Continue ReadingWe were all able to sleep better last night knowing that Tom Brady’s stolen Super Bowl jersey has been found! On a serious note, I’m glad the FBI and other authorities were able to track down and recover the missing keepsake. This has become a huge wake-up call for the NFL, as the guy who took the jersey had been a credentialed media member over the last few years because of his previous position at a Spanish-language newspaper. Important questions to raise are how could someone enter the Patriots’ locker room and walk out with…
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No Buzzer Beaters?
Continue ReadingThroughout the past few days, we have witnessed many tight games and multiple surprising upsets…and have gone from 68 teams to the Sweet 16. My bracket is officially done, as I picked my favorite team to win it all, and they got outplayed by South Carolina last night. I’m bummed, but there are still many great matchups in-store and the madness continues on Thursday. So far I’ve watched a lot of basketball in this tournament and must say I’m disappointed we haven’t seen a true buzzer-beater yet. The close games have…
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Why Did I Make That Pick?
Continue ReadingWe’re one day into the NCAA Tournament and we’ve already witnessed a 12-seed beat a 5-seed…a school get their first tournament win…and 1-seeds experience first-half scares. After 16 games, many of us look at our bracket and can’t believe we actually picked some of the teams we did. We hoped they would have pulled the upset, but deep down we knew we should have “erased” those picks. Unfortunately, we stuck with them anyway. The thoughts swirling around in our mind or the comments being made by our friends and co-workers most likely sound like this: “I…
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A Little Seasoning
Continue ReadingA tremendous four-day stretch of games in the NCAA Tournament is finally upon us! I’m ready for the upsets, buzzer beaters, and crazy finishes. I love college basketball, but one of the biggest changes over the years has been the trend of players leaving school early to head to the NBA. Unfortunately, we see fewer and fewer upperclassmen contributing to tournament teams because a big focus is being placed on talented freshmen. However, teams that do have juniors and seniors have a significant advantage and can be a key factor in the success of…
