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May 4, 2022

NBA Playoffs 2022: A Casual Fan’s Guide to the Postseason

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , — admin @ 5:32 pm

A fundamental problem for any sports fan: There are more leagues than you could ever have time to watch. You may adore 14 different sports—my own number is closer to eight or nine—but unless you’re the right mix of un-busy and deranged, it’s impossible to keep up with more than a few of them at once. One approach to alleviating the backlog is to accept that not every sport is going to be your sport, and sometimes it’s OK to skip the regular season and tune in at playoff time. I dabble with this approach for both hockey and baseball, but my white whale in this arena is the NBA. It’s the greatest basketball league in the world, and it also doesn’t put a big emphasis on the regular season. Now that the NBA playoffs 2022 have begun, it’s time to pay attention.

In the NBA, star players frequently sit out regular season games to rest. But with hundreds of NBA games stretching from October to June, pacing is important for fans, too. Since the NBA playoffs began in April, my attention to the league went from glancing to somewhat more serious. Should you be contemplating a similar step in your basketball journey, this guide will get you up to speed. Here are three key storylines to know as the playoffs move through the second round, which just got underway.

NBA Playoffs 2022: A Casual Fan’s Guide to the Postseason

1. The “assemble a bunch of superstars” approach cratered spectacularly this year.

The Lakers and Nets had the best preseason odds to win the 2022 NBA Finals. As a passive NBA watcher, I figured these teams would at some point stop being mediocre (or worse) and figure it out.

The Lakers had LeBron James, who does not, as a general practice, miss the playoffs when healthy, plus Anthony Davis and some supposedly decent role players. It seemed obvious that Los Angeles would be in the discussion at the end of the year. But LeBron only played in 56 games, Davis only played in 40, and an aging Russell Westbrook was hilariously inefficient. The entire enterprise collapsed, and the team fired coach Frank Vogel at the end of the season. Tough!

The Nets lined up a trio that was more superteam-ish than anything since Kevin Durant played with the Warriors in the late 2000s. They had Durant in Brooklyn, and they benefited from all-time elite scorer James Harden and the odd-but-incredible Kyrie Irving joining him in the backcourt. It looked great on paper.

But Harden, who’d forced a trade to the Nets in January 2021, forced a trade off the Nets, and the guy Brooklyn got in return, Ben Simmons, played as many games for the Nets as he had all season for the 76ers: none. Irving refused to get the COVID-19 vaccine, so he couldn’t play in home games until late March and the Nets’ chemistry suffered as a result (even Irving himself admitted it). So much for a superteam trio.

2. While the superteams burned, the top of the league found other ways to be fun.

Everyone watched the Bucks win the NBA championship in 2021. Everyone, tangential viewer or not, is aware of the supernatural gifts and drive of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nearly his entire supporting cast was back this year, too. But the Bucks weren’t even the Eastern Conference betting favorites entering the season (that was the Nets) and were a quiet enough elite team that you and I (because we were not watching the NBA) barely noticed their continued shine.

Yet here the Bucks are, doing their thing again in the NBA playoffs. Shockingly little has changed. Giannis scores 30 points per game. Khris Middleton scores 20, while Jrue Holiday, Bobby Portis, and Brook Lopez all average double-digit figures. The only notable change is that Grayson Allen is here. He’s productive, but his on-court antics are annoying and make the Bucks less likable defending champions. In a way, that’s for the best: Things are more fun when the champ is a heel.

The Suns, who lost to the Bucks in six games in last year’s NBA playoffs, are still grinding away as the best team in the West. Chris Paul is now 36 years old (more like 100 in NBA years) but somehow remains dependable. Devin Booker continues to make baskets at high rates (26.8 points per game this year, a career best).

The other frontline contenders are fun to watch as well. The Warriors have reconstituted an excellent team around the still-brilliant Steph Curry, and the way they’ve done it is delightful. After missing more than two years due to injuries, Klay Thompson is back and scoring a lot. Andrew Wiggins, the one-time No. 1 overall pick who was lackluster for years with the Timberwolves, has finally hit his stride. Wiggins apparently learned to shoot when he got to the Bay Area and is now genuinely effective rather than just a bouncy disappointment.

The Celtics might beat the Bucks in the East. (Their second-round series is currently tied, 1–1.) Even after losing Irving to the Nets a few years ago, Boston improved: They hung onto their young players, developed them, and won a ton of games. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown do the offensive heavy lifting, and Marcus Smart won Defensive Player of the Year this season. And after years of throwing up bricks, Smart has even upped his shooting game—which may be jarring if you’re just tuning in.

The Heat are the East’s No. 1 seed. This one is a minor mystery to me, but I deduce that Erik Spoelstra may be the best coach in the NBA at this point. Between old-but-still-solid players Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry and athletic young fellas Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, there’s enough going on here to take the Heat seriously despite their lack of starpower.

3. Some young players have morphed into bona-fide superstars.

This realization mainly set in for me when Ja Morant, the Grizzlies point guard in his third year in the league, committed this heinous crime against the Timberwolves’ Malik Beasley:

Morant proceeded to finish that game with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists, and then he celebrated courtside with his dad and Usher. I knew he was very good but didn’t realize he was that good and had the cultural cachet to make Usher so excited. Morant is a mega-star, and he upped his game considerably this year to set career highs in points (27.4 per game), rebounds (5.7), and effective shooting percentage (49.3).

“A youngish guy going from promising to a full-on star” also sums up Jayson Tatum’s rise with the Celtics. Tatum has made that leap over the last few years, but this season he set career highs in points (26.9), rebounds (8), and assists (4.4). Most importantly, he did all that while taking up more and more of the Celtics’ responsibilities. When I’ve watched them the last few weeks, it frequently seemed like Tatum was taking every other shot. That’s not quite true, but his 32.1 percent possession usage rate is a career high and illustrates a trend of him absorbing more of the Celtics’ possessions every year since he arrived in the league in 2017.

It’s fun to watch rising players fully come into their own, especially in the postseason.

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March 21, 2022

NCAA Tournament 2022: These Teams Will Battle It Out in the Sweet 16

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , — admin @ 11:32 pm

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament moves to its regional rounds this weekend, with the Sweet 16 on Thursday and Friday and the Elite Eight on Saturday and Sunday. Most of the teams still hanging around in March Madness are exactly the ones you’d expect. Ten of the top 12 teams in Ken Pomeroy’s adjusted efficiency ratings are still standing, including three of the four No. 1 seeds. A pair of No. 2 seeds (Kentucky and Auburn) didn’t make it out of the opening weekend, however, and four teams with double-digit seedings have made it to the regional semifinals.

For everyone left (you can view the complete schedule here), the days leading up to the Sweet 16 are a time for optimism. Here’s the brief case for each remaining team to be the one cutting down the nets after the Final Four, which tips off on April 2 in New Orleans. Teams are ordered by their bracket placement in each region, so the first two teams face each other and so on.

West Region

No. 1 Gonzaga is (on paper) the best team in the country for the second year in a row. Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren form the best frontcourt in college basketball, and the Zags’ superior conditioning and lightning pace should serve them well as we enter the later stages of March Madness. It isn’t hard to envision the Bulldogs getting over the hump this time.

No. 4 Arkansas is also well conditioned and comfortable playing at a fast pace, so the Zags might not overwhelm them like they have so many other teams. If the Hogs can win this game, they won’t face a more difficult opponent in the rest of the NCAA tournament.

No. 3 Texas Tech has what almost every team wants this time of year: loads and loads of experience. The Red Raiders lost their coach, Chris Beard, to Texas after last season. But new boss Mark Adams hasn’t missed a beat, and a mix of developmental players and transfers has TTU in the mix again. The team has players who were around for a lot of Beard’s success and others who have had it elsewhere—for example, forward Kevin Obanor, who was a star in No. 15 seed Oral Roberts’ ride to the Sweet 16 last year.

No. 2 Duke has as much raw talent as anyone remaining, with the possible exception of Gonzaga. You might prefer a “team of destiny” case considering it’s coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last season, but that doesn’t explain why Duke could win it all. The real reason: There just aren’t that many players in college basketball who can effectively guard 6’10” mega-athlete and Duke forward Paolo Banchero.

East Region

No. 8 North Carolina already beat No. 1 seed and defending champion Baylor, so the difficulty level is arguably all downhill from here. That’s not really how it works, of course, but it helps that the Tar Heels are one of the best recruiting teams in the nation and seem to be playing their best ball of the season right now. (Keep in mind that they stuffed Duke into a locker in the second half of Krzyzewski’s last home game just a few weeks ago.) Center Armando Bacot and power forward Brady Manek give the Heels a frontcourt edge over almost everyone.

No. 4 UCLA made the Final Four last year and nearly beat Gonzaga. The key players from that team are still here, the Bruins have no major statistical weaknesses, and they take good enough care of the ball (their offensive turnover rate is 11.4 percent, fourth-lowest in the country) to avoid shooting themselves in the foot.

No. 3 Purdue has both size in the frontcourt and elite shooting ability in the backcourt. The Boilermakers’ offense is scary in every way, and an occasionally troubled defense has looked quite good in the first two games of this tournament. Coach Matt Painter has had many good teams in West Lafayette, but there’s a real chance this one winds up being his best.

No. 15 Saint Peter’s is the longest of longshots to win even one more game, let alone four. The Peacocks are just the third 15th seed to ever make it this far (although they’re the second in two years), and everything about them—their lack of size, lack of scoring talent, and seed line—says they should lose. But they did beat Kentucky, so I’m not going to say they can’t keep this magic carpet ride going a bit longer.

South Region

No. 1 Arizona has lost just two games in this calendar year. The Wildcats are giant in the frontcourt, with two excellent seven-footers in Azuolas Tubelis and Christian Koloko. Freshman guard/forward Bennedict Mathurin is playing as well as just about anyone in the country and turned in 30 points against TCU. What’s not to like?

No. 5 Houston has been here before—last year, in fact—and has a head coach, Kelvin Sampson, who has repeatedly found ways to win March games. It’s fair to wonder if the Cougars, who got smacked by Baylor in last year’s national semifinals and have not played a team of Arizona’s caliber this year, are up to it. But the Cougars’ voracious offensive rebounding and interior defense should give them a shot.

No. 11 Michigan has Hunter Dickinson, a 7’1” center and one of the few players in the tournament who could drag a team to the Final Four with little help. Admittedly, we’re pushing it a bit here. Michigan will need to win four more games in a row to win it all and it has not won more than three in a row all season. But Dickinson? He’s good.

No. 2 Villanova is one of the most reliable great teams in college hoops. The 2022 outfit lacks the elite shooting talent of Jay Wright’s 2016–18 national champs, but it pounds the offensive glass and makes more of its free throws (82.6 percent) than any team in Division I. The Wildcats can string wins together, and Michigan is a good matchup for them this week.

Midwest Region

No. 1 Kansas has what might be the easiest path to the Final Four of any team left. That doesn’t mean the Jayhawks will get there, of course. It simply means if they can get past No. 4 Providence, they’re guaranteed to face either a No. 10 or No. 11 seed in the Elite Eight. KU has both the shooters (Ochai Agbaji and Christian Braun) and the rebounders (David McCormack) to be an all-around offensive threat against any team it faces.

No. 4 Providence feels like a longer shot than its seeding would make you believe, because the Friars are not awesome at any one thing. But they get to the foul line a lot, and their roster is almost entirely upperclassmen. In a tightly officiated game, they could be dangerous.

No. 11 Iowa State is what I like to call a chaos team. The Cyclones pressure the ball aggressively, and it works for them—they force a turnover on every one in four defensive possessions. The main problem for the Cyclones, though, is who they play in the Sweet 16 (see below).

No. 10 Miami takes better care of the ball than almost anyone, turning it over on just 14 percent of their trips down the floor. The Canes like to work the ball inside and have been able to score reliably around the basket. Their coach, Jim Larrañaga, made a Final Four with ultimate Cinderella George Mason back in 2006; compared to that, getting Miami to the Final Four doesn’t even feel like a big lift. Miami has the offense, and if its opponents have cold shooting nights to lighten the load on an iffy UM defense? Then hey, it’s possible.

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February 11, 2022

Canada Goose Drops New Collab for NBA All-Star Weekend

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , — admin @ 11:22 pm

Roughly a decade ago, Canada Goose became hyper-ubiquitous. It didn’t matter if you were traipsing through a mountain town or urban city streets: goose down parks were everywhere. Canada Goose though, is not sitting back on its laurels, relying on existing designs. The brand just released a bold new collab with famed footwear designer Sales Bembury—the man behind Cole Haan’s LunarGrand wingtips, Yeezy Season 3 and 4 Military Boots, Versace’s Chain Reactions—for the NBA All-Star Weekend in Cleveland.

Part of a multiyear partnership with the NBA and its annual All-Star celebration, this new limited-edition collection uses patterns and materials essential to Canada Goose’s design DNA mixed with basketball style of the ’90s.

“The NBA significantly influenced my interest in design. Growing up watching games with my dad, and loving everything about ’90s basketball culture, from the ’94 Knicks to Space Jam and The Fresh Prince,” says Bembury. “The ’90s were a time of fashion exploration, and that ethos is what I believe Canada Goose, the NBA and I have captured with this collection.”

Canada Goose's collaboration with the NBA and Salehe Bembury brings 90s style to the cold weather brand.
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The Canada Goose & NBA Collection plays off the brand’s functional heritage and adds in a dash of Bembury’s “style without rules” approach. The four-piece unisex capsule was created so you can layer, mix, and match to present your own take on Canada Goose’s trademark style.

“Salehe Bembury is one of the world’s most innovative designers of today and we are excited to work with him as this year’s design partner for the NBA All-Star 2022,” said Woody Blackford, executive vice president of product at Canada Goose. “Our NBA partnership has opened the door to bold new interpretations of the Canada Goose brand. This capsule combines the quality and function that Canada Goose is renowned for with the cultural richness of the NBA and Salehe’s boundless design approach.”

A Look at the Canada Goose & NBA Collection

Canada Goose's collaboration with the NBA and Salehe Bembury brings 90s style to the cold weather brand.
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The Expedition Parka has been redesigned with an exaggerated chenille hood trim and removable vest.

Canada Goose's collaboration with the NBA and Salehe Bembury brings 90s style to the cold weather brand.
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The Concord Fleece uses the bold pattern of Bembury’s signature all-over thumbprint design.

Canada Goose's collaboration with the NBA and Salehe Bembury brings 90s style to the cold weather brand.
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The Signal Vest has an overstated front hem for added coverage and protection.

Canada Goose's collaboration with the NBA and Salehe Bembury brings 90s style to the cold weather brand.
Courtesy Image

The Tundra Bib is built to protect the lower body from extreme conditions and features adjustable elastic suspenders plus an interior drawcord for a closer fit.

Each style features an exclusive co-branded Canada Goose and Salehe Bembury patch along with label showing Bembury’s signature thumbprint pattern and NBA logo.

Canada Goose’s collaboration with acclaimed footwear designer Salehe Bembury for the NBA All-Star Weekend celebration launches in the U.S. February 11, and will be available in select Canada Goose retail stores February 12.

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December 25, 2021

The Victorian King who can’t stand United SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 05: Shaun Bruce of the Kings drives to the basket during the round one NBL match between Sydney Kings and Melbourne United at Qudos Bank Arena on December 05, 2021, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 5:13 am

Sydney Kings guard Shaun Bruce was brought up in Horsham and is a proud Victoria, though if there is one thing he can’t cop it’s Melbourne United.

Sydney Kings guard Shaun Bruce is a proud Victorian, but he’ll happily tell you he dislikes Melbourne United with a passion.

Bruce grew up in Horsham in regional Victoria, so you’d assume he loved the Tigers who dominated the NBL during his youth in the 1990s led by Andrew Gaze, Lanard Copeland and co.

“But I was never a Tigers fan,” Bruce concedes. “I always went for that second Melbourne team that was going up against the top dogs in the Tigers and I guess now United.

“The Tigers were dominant and the other teams in town were the underdogs.”

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Bruce also felt burnt by the Tigers as a junior coming through the ranks.

Whether he was playing for Horsham or Eltham, his teams were always up against it playing against the talent-loaded Tigers.

Bruce’s dislike for the Melbourne Tigers continued when the franchise became United in 2014.

The club’s new navy blue colours reminded him of the beatings his Victorian Country teams received from the powerful Victorian Metro sides.

“So, every time I’d see United play, I’d just visualise them as being Vic Metro,” he said.

“Whether it was United or the Tigers, they were the best junior program, so you just wanted to take it to them and beat them.

“I never really made a Tigers team or tried out. The Tigers were just a team that poached players from around the metropolitan areas to build a team, which I guess rubbed other junior clubs the wrong way.”

Today, Bruce feels it’s fitting that he is a part of the NBL’s most genuine and intense rivalry between the Kings and United.

He has vivid memories of playing for other teams, including Adelaide, Cairns and Brisbane, and seeing the ‘Go hard or go to Sydney’ sign that sat inside John Cain Arena.

Bruce wasn’t donning Kings colours at the time, but the provocative sign always inflamed outrage within him.

“I remember seeing that sign when I was playing other teams and thinking, ‘That is kind of weird’,” he said.

“It definitely opened my eyes to what the Sydney versus Melbourne rivalry is all about.”

It’s why Bruce loves being a King and trying to take down the all mighty Melbourne United.

Although, he admits his understanding of the Sydney versus Melbourne rivalry went to another level when he signed with the Kings in 2019.

The week he put pen to paper, star guard Casper Ware left United after winning a championship to join Sydney.

Ware wanted more money from United, but they reportedly didn’t come to the party, opening the door for a switch to the club’s arch rivals.

“When Casper moved over to the Kings, it felt like the world had changed,” he said.

“From day one it was the biggest talk of the town that he had left United to move to the rivals.

“My first week at the Kings there was definitely a lot of talk in the media about the Melbourne and Sydney rivalry, so that was my introduction to the club.”

The Kings versus United rivalry has been littered with tension, player swaps and quality hoops for some time now.

Probably the biggest headline came via Boomers and NBA star Andrew Bogut knocking back Melbourne United in 2018 when the deal was all but done.

Bruce was playing for the Bullets at the time, but he remembers Bogut’s shock Sydney signing causing big headlines.

“That was huge – you could definitely feel that,” he said.

“It was a story that picked up a lot of media attention.”

For all the off-court banter, Bruce says the Sydney versus Melbourne rivalry is built on the court.

The Kings and United have battled it out in the NBL playoffs in two of the past three seasons, with the victory spoils shared.

Bruce has no doubts that this closeness adds to the clashes between the Kings and United.

“We’ve had big battles with United in the regular season, but I think the two recent playoff series against each other have added to the rivalry,” he said.

“Melbourne got the better of Sydney before Sydney hit back the following season.

“It is genuine. We go out there and we don’t like them, and they don’t like us, and I feel like our fan bases are the same.

“We feel it when we go down there, and I have no doubt that they feel it when they come to Qudos.

“It’s exciting for the league.”

BARLOW’S TORN ALLEGIANCES

Veteran forward David Barlow sits right in the middle of the Melbourne versus Sydney rivalry.

Barlow, born in the Melbourne suburb of Sandringham, started his career with the Kings in 2003.

He won two championships during his time in the Harbour City before returning home to the Melbourne Tigers in 2014 following European stints in Spain and Poland.

Barlow has since collected a further three championships playing for the Tigers and United.

He has a strong connection with both clubs, but concedes the Kings have changed so much since his time there that his affliction isn’t as deep.

“The organisation has changed pretty drastically, so no players, coaching staff or owners remain from that period,” he said.

“My history in the specific matchup is a unique one given I started my career with the Kings under Goorjian and now he is at Illawarra.

“I then went to the Tigers and now I’ve been playing for United for a while.

“I absolutely loved my time in Sydney. It was a brilliant time in my life, and we had success on the court.”

The United versus Kings rivalry has reached new heights in recent seasons on the back of intense finals clashes and player swaps or failed deals like Bogut, Ware and most recently veteran swingman Brad Newley leaving Sydney for Melbourne.

Throw in United handing the Kings their worst loss in club history last round – a 42-point hammering- and Sunday’s rematch at Qudos Bank Arena on Boxing Day will be must-watch television.

“All that adds to a rivalry,” Barlow said.

“Each situation is different and depending on what happened they can create certain emotions that can feed into this desire to beat one team or the other.”

Melbourne United vs Sydney Kings

All time meetings: played 35, United won 24, Kings won 11

All time played at Qudos: Played 14, Kings won 8, United won 6

Kings won the last 7 in a row at Qudos

Melbourne have won 11 of their last 12 games played against Sydney at John Cain Arena while Sydney have won their past seven in a row at Qudos Bank Arena, so it’s a real home court advantage between these teams.

The last 10 games played between these teams has been won by the team playing on their home floor.

Originally published as Sydney Kings v Melbourne United: Inside the NBL’s most genuine rivalry

Read related topics:MelbourneSydney

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December 3, 2021

Coach stops game to put his players through degrading punishment Arkansas-Pine Bluff men’s basketball head coach Solomon Bozeman is cold. Photo: @UAPBMBB, @CurryHoff13

Filed under: Outdoors — Tags: — admin @ 3:14 am

An ice cold basketball coach is going viral for the moment he put his players through a public act of humiliation in front of a stadium crowd.

A stone cold basketball coach has divided the internet over the brutal moment he called a time-out to punish his players in the middle of a game.

University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff basketball coach Solomon Bozeman called his players into a huddle in the middle of their 83–64 defeat to Iowa State on Thursday (AEDT) and forced them to turn around and carry out suicide-run drills up and down the court.

The 33-year-old head coach was not afraid to subject his players to the public humiliation after watching them concede three consecutive baskets with the scores at 44-24.

Videos of the scene have been watched by millions on Twitter with one college sports page having more than 2,000,000 views on a video first posted by @CurryHoff13.

It seemed to kick his team into gear and they steadied to only lose the second half by three points.

Bozeman is in his first season as a college basketball coach and he is certainly making his mark, despite the team off to a nightmare start with just one win from its first nine games this year.

The internet has been divided over the coach’s call with some commentators praising the hard-line approach.

Most are chortling away glad it isn’t them getting flogged on the hard wood.

It remains unknown if there was any other form of motivation behind Bozeman’s move — on top of the three consecutive buckets conceded.

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March 31, 2021

How ESPN Studio Host Maria Taylor Went From Athlete to Sideline Reporter

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 5:53 pm

ESPN studio host and sideline reporter Maria Taylor isn’t just the most stylish personality in sports broadcasting. She’s one of its best prepared and most determined.


 

The Basics on Maria Taylor:

  • Age: 33
  • Height: 6’2″
  • Hometown: Atlanta
  • Favorite Southern food: Anything smothered
  • Power fashion: Black leather jacket

Men’s Journal: How did you go from being a basketball and volleyball player at University of Georgia to reporting on the sidelines of a Steelers vs. Giants Monday Night Football game?

Maria Taylor: I told my athletic director I wanted to work in sports broadcasting from day one. I got my first job because he called Learfield/IMG [sports marketing company] and said, “You have to give Maria a job because she’s in my face every day.” When I got to ESPN I went to my bosses and said, “Hey, one day I’d like to host College GameDay. What are the steps to get me there?” Closed mouths don’t get fed.

And by 2017 you were hosting GameDay. Could you always rattle off stats?

At Georgia you’re in SEC country and don’t have a social life if you don’t go to games. That’s when I fell in love with football. But when I started GameDay everyone knew football inside and out, it’s their life’s heartbeat. Luckily my game analyst Matt Millen would take me to practices and we’d watch film. That’s how I really learned the game.

How do you stay in shape when you’re on the road?

You can always do a HIIT workout. Whether that’s doing burpees or mountain climbers, mix that in with 20 minutes of cardio. Everything I do is interval training because I was a volleyball player, and your game is spent in 30-second spurts.

What part of the athletic mindset powers you off the court?


Fail fast.

Please elaborate.

In a game a lot of mistakes are made, but it’s about how you handle it. So if you miss a layup you instantly get back in the layup line or on defense. Expect more in the next play. The mentality has to be: I’m going to improve. I give myself grace and push myself forward.

Best career advice you ever got?

It was from Robin Roberts—make everyone in the room believe that there’s no place you’d rather be from the time you start out making coffee, which I’ve done, to when you get to host the NBA Finals. Your reputation is going to precede you. Make sure it’s a good one.

Sports are rife with alpha personalities. Who’s intimidated you?

The Hall of Fame coaches you run into, the Nick Sabans of the world. There’s just an aura that comes with them. But I’ve learned to shift the intimidation away from me. I just really respect what they do and who they are.

So you weren’t intimidated when you met Barack Obama at the Duke vs. UNC game where Zion Williamson blew out his Nike and injured his knee?

That was my first time being completely starstruck! We had an inkling Obama might show up because Zion was playing and everyone had been coming to see him, like Jay-Z and LeBron. After I found out Obama was coming I decided to say, “Because of you and Michelle I can be who I am now.” Then he came up and said, “Hey, we love watching you on Get Up!” I was shocked to think that he had even heard my voice. And he was in that black bomber jacket—it was cool Barack Obama, cool #44.

What are you most proud of career-wise?

The first time I worked a National Championship football game was in Atlanta, my hometown, and my alma mater was in the game (2018). The whole time I thought, “This is where you belong.” And hosting the NBA Finals for the first time. My dad texted me, “What is my daughter doing on the halftime show of the NBA Finals?” I said, “Yeah, I don’t know, Dad, but we’re here though.”

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March 24, 2021

These Players Are the Stars of March Madness (So Far)

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , — admin @ 6:41 pm

In the first week of games, it felt like the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament was making up for lost time after being canceled last year due to COVID-19. This year’s tournament has been ultra-heavy on upsets. This weekend, the NCAA tournament moves to the regional rounds, with the Sweet 16 kicking off on Saturday and the Elite Eight on Monday. Although it’s still early, a handful of players have already proven themselves to be March Madness heroes.


 

Let’s meet eight of them. From free throw specialists to all-around power players, the athletes below are setting their teams up for success in this year’s NCAA tournament—and putting on a great show in the process.

Jalen Suggs, guard, Gonzaga

Suggs is a new kind of Gonzaga superstar. The Bulldogs used to win with a mix of unheralded American recruits (like Adam Morrison) and international prospects (Tobias Harris, Przemek Karnowski, Domantas Sabonis). But Suggs is not an off-the-radar find like those players. He’s a true freshman five-star point guard who could have gone to almost any school in the country. But he picked Gonzaga, and he has quickly become one of the best playmakers and shot creators on a veteran-heavy roster.

Cameron Krutwig, center, Loyola–Chicago


Krutwig, a senior, is an indispensable player for the Ramblers, who are trying to mount their second run to the Final Four in four years. He’s an incredibly efficient scorer around the basket, and Loyola likes to run its offense through him—a rarity in an era when most teams rely heavily on guards to generate open shots. Krutwig can facilitate for others, too. He had 19 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists in an upset of No. 1 seed Illinois in the second round.

Also, as ESPN’s Mina Kimes pointed out, he looks like a character in a Coen Brothers movie.

Max Abmas, guard, Oral Roberts

Along with Colorado, Oral Roberts is making a run at finishing the season with the highest team free throw percentage of all time. The 1984 Harvard team holds the record at 82.2 percent, and No. 15 seed Cinderella ORU is currently leading the league at 82.4 percent. The main reason for that is Abmas, a 6’1” guard who has made 129 of 143 foul shots this season—an incredible 90.2 percent. He shoots better than 40 percent on three-pointers, too.

Buddy Boeheim, guard, Syracuse

Orange head coach Jim Boeheim’s son is also his most vital player. Buddy is a 39.6-percent shooter from three-point land, and he also shoots 87 percent at the foul line. He’s one of the few players on the Syracuse squad who can create his own shot off the dribble. His 18-point, 2.5-rebound, and three-assist average makes him the team’s bellwether—if Buddy is having a good night, there’s a solid chance the No. 11 seed Orange are having a good night, too.

Justin Smith, forward, Arkansas

Smith is averaging an excellent 24.5 points per game in this tournament, which puts him in third among remaining players (behind Boeheim and Oral Roberts forward Kevin Obanor). In what should be a terrific game, Smith will likely be matched up directly against Obanor in the Sweet 16.

Evan Mobley, center, USC

The Trojans are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2007. A big reason is Mobley, the seven-footer who leads all remaining players in the tournament with six blocks in two games. Mobley is a prodigious defender around the basket, and he also happens to be USC’s most prolific scorer and rebounder, averaging 17 points and nine rebounds. If USC manages to get to its first Final Four since 1954 (when the tournament had just 24 teams), Mobley will be the driving factor.

Jared Butler, guard, Baylor

Averaging 17 points per game, Butler is the straw that stirs the drink for the Bears, who have one of the scariest offenses in the country. Sure, he makes 41.5 percent of his threes, but he’s also the best playmaker coach Scott Drew has. His 4.8 assists per game are likely to help backcourt mates MaCio Teague and Davion Mitchell get buckets, too.

Hunter Dickinson, center, Michigan

The Wolverines’ freshman wunderkind is even more important for the team now that star point guard Isaiah Livers is out with an injury. Dickinson is Michigan’s best rebounder, best interior defender, best shot-blocker, best scoring option in the post, and best player at drawing fouls on the other team. He might turn out to be Michigan’s best big man since head coach Juwan Howard played at the school in the ‘90s.

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February 19, 2021

Should COVID-19 Sport Titles Count?

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 3:10 pm

It’s an argument you’ve probably had half a dozen times already: Should COVID-19 sport titles count? Here’s our two cents.

Did you hear the one that goes: What do the Dodgers and Lakers have in common with Joe Biden? They probably wouldn’t have won without COVID-19 either. The NBA shutdown last March heralded the full-court disruption of many, many pleasures taken for granted in American life. But while barbershops were shuttered and concert halls converted to pandemic hospitals, the NBA and its co-leagues dutifully shouted “Game back on!” and bravely forged on in their essential role as bellwethers of the collective morale. After all, if a team wins Game 7 and no one is around to cheer and high-five, is it still the champ?


 

We’re kidding, of course. The compacted seasons were played to force TV networks into upholding contracts they’d inked with leagues for billions in ad revenues. Committed to its show-must-go-on principles, the NBA expanded its playoff format to make up missed games. MLB began play after what would have been the 100-game mark in any normal baseball season. And amid a succession of COVID-induced cancellations, the SEC passed off a No. 5 vs. No. 8 matchup featuring football teams with a combined record of 7–2…in November.

Along with canned crowd noise to compensate for empty stadiums, all the TV-driven shenanigans have upset purists, with some caterwauling about illegitimate titles.


Yet nine years after a lockout shortened the 2011–12 NBA season, few remember that all schedules that year were reduced to the number of games played last year by teams that didn’t even make the league’s bubble. Yet no one questions the Miami Heat’s O’Brien Trophy. Fewer recall that in the strike-marred 1987 season, NFL teams played just 12 games using the same rosters with which they started the season—one week was canceled, three were played using scabs. But anyone conscious at the time remembers that the Washington TBD Football Club glue-factoried the Denver Broncos, 42–10.

Winners write history—and America’s major sports leagues are always the winners. Besides, if the Houston Astros’ cheating-marred 2017 World Series win can stand asteriskless, 2020’s COVID-19 champions deserve their own feel-good Disney movies.

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