Archive for kobe bryant
Celts in Six, Please…
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been saying this around the office a lot lately. I have a lunch bet with one co-worker, a $5 bet on the series with another and several bragging rights at stake depending upon the play of the Boston Celtics tonight. I realize they are leading 3-2 in this best-of-seven series, and that there is a possibility the Lakers could stretch things to a seventh game, but I don’t want it to go to Game 7. I have a feeling the NBA would like it just fine if Kobe and company came out and obliterated the Celts tonight, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. I believe, in my heart of hearts, that the Celtics are the better T-E-A-M and I really feel that they will close out the Lakers in Game 6 tonight. In fact, I’m predicting the final score to be: Celtics 98 – Lakers 95.
Since Rondo rhymes with Hondo, the Lakers don't stand a chance tonight.
It’s time for Ray Allen to rediscover his three-point shooting prowess and it’s definitely time for Kendrick Perkins to play like Robert Parish. Kobe is the best player, pound for pound, on either team, but he alone can’t win the title. He’ll need guys like Lamar “Double Stuff” Odom and “Ron-Ron” Artest to step up and play tough, but that hunger doesn’t seem to exist. Artest had it against Phoenix, but he hasn’t been able to channel his aggression effectively against Boston. And that’s just fine with me.
If it comes down to bench play, I feel very good about the Celtics’ chances tonight. I mean, if Glen “Big Baby” Davis, Nate Robinson and Tony Allen all play aggressively – which I know they will – the score should fall in Beantown’s favor. Lakers’ coach Phil Jackson said this is exactly the way a 2-3-2 series is supposed to go, but he’s counting on his team winning the last two games at home. That’s not the way it’s supposed to go in my book. With Celtics Coach Doc Rivers barking out orders, and the green-and-white players paying attention, I feel very confident in my team’s chances this evening. Tuesday, June 15, 2010 will mark the Celtics 18th NBA title. Pretty sweet, huh?
What about you? Care to venture a final score? Come on, Laker wannabes. How ‘bout it?
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LeBron Wins MVP: Ho-Hum
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LeBron James and the acronym “MVP” are going to go hand in hand for the next several years. Like Kobe Bryant before him, LeBron was just named the NBA’s league MVP (for the second straight season, no less). He tallied 116 of the 123 total first-place votes. In a word: Wow. It’s always nice to see one of our athletes do so well, but it’s hardly surprising. After all, Upper Deck has consistently partnered with some of the top athletes in their chosen profession for years, so why not team up with a superstar hoops standout like LBJ? We’ve had him under an exclusive autograph contract since June 2003.
Child's Play: The high-percentage dunk by LeBron.
This past NBA season was a study in durability as far as I was concerned. Would Kobe dodge the injury bug? Would LeBron stay healthy? Would Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett’s 30-something-year-old bodies start breaking down over the long haul? Everybody knew going into the season that it would likely come down to the current eight teams still in contention for the title, but how many of us were secretly hoping that LeBron and Kobe would go head-to-head in the Finals? As a sports fan, I was. But as a Celtics follower for the past 40 years, I was kind of hoping the Big Three (Ray Allen, Garnett and Pierce) would emerge with Beantown’s 18th banner.
As we head into Game 2 of the Cavaliers/Celtics series, we see that LeBron’s twitchy right elbow isn’t so bad after all. That funny bone tweak of his didn’t exactly wreak havoc on LeBron’s high-percentage dunks in Game 1’s 101-93 Cleveland victory. I mean, he only poured in 35 points on 12-for-24 shooting from the field while nailing eight of his 11 free throws. And not one of them required him to try his left-handed shooting touch from the charity stripe. On paper, the Cavs should roll in this series, but it’s the luck of the Irish – and the ghost of Red Auerbach – that makes it difficult for anybody to bet against the C’s.
Like the campaign says: "We are all witnesses..."
Over in the Western Conference, we see the Kobe-led Lakers starting to take form following a somewhat hair-raising first-round series against the upstart Thunder of Oklahoma City. After outlasting the Thunder, the Lake Crew opened up their best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final battle against Utah with a 104-99 victory. Ever after losing the lead in Game 1 with less than three minutes remaining, the Lakers and Kobe still found a way to win. The fact that Bryant poured in 11 of his 31 points in the final four minutes only added to his legend.
I think it will most likely be Kobe and company squaring of against LBJ and the Cavs in this year’s NBA Finals. But it’s always fun watching the guys earn their plane rides.
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Brag Photo: Chris Paul Signs for UDA
Posted by: | CommentsUpper Deck is of course best known for trading cards, but we have a great memorabilia side of the company as well: Upper Deck Authenticated.
The uber-talented point guard Chris Paul did a signing for UDA on Tuesday. He signed the game-used jersey, shorts and sneakers he wore in a game against the Bulls on 1/29/2010. Check this out:
Note all the signed basketballs in the picture as well.
And of course, a personal inscription to mark what he did in that game is always appreciated by collectors:
Keep an eye out for these in our online store: they should be available in the next few weeks. In the meantime, you can click here to check out all the Chris Paul items that are currently up for sale.
If you want to keep up to date with Upper Deck Authenticated, you can click here to join the Facebook page. Once we get up to 1,000 fans, we’ll be giving away this sweet item to one random fan:
We’re already at 856 fans, so you’ll want to join now!
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Brandon Roy Has Got Next
Posted by: | CommentsThe legend of Brandon Roy continues to grow. He is truly an NBA superstar even though he is still not a household name in many NBA cities. He’s out to prove to everyone that he belongs on the list of the NBA’s elite with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James. Judging by what he has already accomplished in his young career, Roy is almost there. For those who don’t agree, Brandon has a few words: “My time is almost here.”
Players like Wade and Bryant boast awe-inspiring workout routines that they follow during the NBA’s off-season. “B Roy,” as he is often called, employs the same desire and dedication to succeed as they do, albeit in his own workout regiment. He knows that he and his young Trailblazer teammates are on the verge of something really, really great in Portland. In addition to being the squad’s leading scorer, he has matured and evolved into their ever present leader. He has amped up his off-season conditioning and added a new haircut in hopes that his team will follow suit and take the next step toward an NBA Championship.
Take a look at Brandon Roy’s training camp workout and his thoughts on competing with Kobe:
Training Camp Week: Brandon Roy Workout
When judging Roy’s dedication to win, you need look no further than his boyhood idol while growing up in Seattle, “His Airness” himself, Michael Jordan. Brandon witnessed Jordan, who was perhaps the league’s best competitor ever, continually improve and upgrade his skills every off-season, even when winning scoring titles and NBA rings.
Roy used his mentor’s inspiration to become the state of Washington’s best high school basketball player in 2002. He even flirted with going directly to the NBA before pulling out of the draft and attending the University of Washington. Even though he was a top 50 recruit, Roy had doubts about academically succeeding at the NCAA level amid problems passing the SAT test, so he took a minimum wage job at the Seattle Ports cleaning out shipping containers until he could work out his difficulties with the entrance exams. His parents discovered that he had a common learning disability, which was common to many students, and eventually he passed the exam after being granted some extra time to complete the test.
Brandon honed his all-around skills in his four seasons under Coach Lorenzo Romar at Washington. After his junior season he thought again about going pro but stayed for his senior season since teammate Nate Robinson had already declared for the draft. Roy excelled in his senior campaign, averaging 20.2 ppg and led the Huskies to a 26-7 record and a second straight Sweet 16 appearance. He received many accolades including PAC-10 Player of the Year, All-America honors, and was a finalist for many national Player of the Year awards.
With his draft stock at an all-time high, he was selected No. 6 overall in the 2006 NBA Draft, before being traded to Portland for Randy Foye. His rookie season in the NBA was sensational from the start where he scored 20 points in his first game and never looked back, averaging 16.8 ppg, 4.4 rebs, four assists, and 1.2 steals for the season. His excellent numbers as well as his team’s improved play helped earn him an All-Star nod and Rookie of the Year honors even though he played in only 57 games due to a heel injury.
During his second season he improved his numbers to 19.1 ppg and a career high 5.8 assists, earning another All-Star berth where he led all Western Conference scorers with 18 points along with Chris Paul and Amare Stoudemire. Last season, “The Natural,” as local Portland play-by-play announcer calls him, had his best season by setting career highs in scoring (22.6), rebounds (4.7), FG% (.480), and 3 PT% (.377) earning yet another All-Star appearance along with an All NBA 2nd Team Selection (first Blazer to do so since the ’92 season).
Roy could be called the next “Mr. Clutch” since he has 24 last-second shots where he has either tied or won a game with less than 35 seconds remaining. Portland definitely knows Roy’s worth as their franchise player since they resigned him in August to a four-year contract, with a fifth-year option, keeping him in “Rip City” through 2014.
Another facet of Roy’s game besides numbers is his leadership and ability to make those around him better. The season before he arrived in Portland, the Blazers finished fifth in their division with a dismal 21-61 record. Roy, along with young stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden, helped increase the Blazers’ win totals to 32, 41, and 54 wins respectively. Roy also led them to the playoffs and has revitalized a once-proud franchise which hasn’t won an NBA title since Maurice Lucas and Bill Walton led the in 1977 under Hall of Fame Coach “Doctor” Jack Ramsey.
One thing is for sure: the NBA’s Western Conference elite teams like the Lakers and Spurs should beware of the upstart Blazers. The Blazers’ and Brandon Roy’s time is coming, if it isn’t already here. I’m sure for Blazer fans, it is “Rip City or Bust!”
Check out Brandon Roy’s website for his full workout routine (http://www.broy7.com/roy/index/)
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and college basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckblog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven (hoopsworld4.wordpress.com).
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Hakeem Olajuwon Teaches His “Dream Shake”
Posted by: | CommentsHakeem Olajuwon is regarded as one of the best big men to ever step on a basketball court. As a NBA pro and collegian at Houston University, Olajuwon has done it all. He has been to the Final Four three times in college as part of the famed “Phi Slama Jama” (along with teammate Clyde Drexler), been to three NBA Finals (winning twice in ’94 and ’95), and won virtually every major individual award including MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. He is currently the all time NBA leader in blocked shots and ranks tenth in scoring. As an offensive player, he had no equal: he had a dazzling array of low post spins and fakes that he used to score more than 26,000 points, in his 18 year NBA career. He even had his own signature move dubbed, “The Dream Shake”, which was virtually impossible to defend. After his retirement from the NBA in 2002, Hakeem moved with his family to the country of Jordan to focus on his devout Muslim faith until he received the ultimate honor in 2008: induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Hakeem has resurfaced in the form of teacher and mentor to many of the NBA’s young big men. In 2006, he opened his own Big Man Camp, teaching his excellent footwork and amazing offensive repertoire. He has worked with many emerging professional players including Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, and Ameka Okafor of the New Orleans Hornets. His most recent up and coming pupil is Hasheem Thabeet, who was drafted #2 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies out of UConn in the most recent NBA Draft back in June. Thabeet and his agent sought out Olajuwon’s services in an attempt to give the 7’3 shot blocking center some low post offensive moves to match his already dominating defense. Thabeet has looked up to Hakeem as an inspiration since both have taken similar paths to the NBA. Both players started as soccer players in their native countries in Africa before dominating competition in NCAA Basketball, followed by the professional ranks. Olajuwon believes that with hard work, Thabeet can have a long and very productive NBA career: one that could parallel his own.
Olajuwon was surprised when former MVP and four time NBA Champion Kobe Bryant also expressed interest in working with the Hall of Fame big man to improve his front-court skills. Hakeem was both shocked and thrilled to have the opportunity to teach his moves to a player of Bryant’s stature, since most of his clientele have been slower front-court players. Olajuwon had always felt that his fluid and flexible style of play is really more suited for bigger guards who possess better agility than the larger plodding centers. Hakeem was honored when Bryant told him, “You are the best at the mid and low post moves”, and that he wanted to learn from the best.
Adding “The Dream’s” moves to one of the most skilled all around players in the history of the game is scary. After all, Bryant has already scored more than 23,000 points and is arguably one of the most difficult players to defend. His desire and dedication to perpetually get better is what makes him an all-time great, and will ultimately land him in the Hall of Fame as well. In what is perhaps the most inspirational part of this story is that Olajuwon’s generous efforts to help teach his outstanding moves to other players is a service he provides for free. He says it is his way of giving back to the game which has greatly improved his life of humble beginnings in Africa.
Here is some footage from FOX TV interviewing Olajuwon recently in Houston:
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously. He also coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckBlog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven (hoopsworld4.wordpress.com).
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