Without a doubt, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are two of the greatest basketball players to ever play the sport.
This is not a discussion of who is better, nor is it a slight to any other major NBA All Stars, past or present. It is simply an observation of two athletes who can, and have done, virtually anything with that ole round ball.
Some Black Mamba highlights:
A bit of King James:
Nice defense by Kobe (re LeBron):
It is always a pleasure to watch these two take the floor.
Over for Now.
Main Street One
Showing posts with label LeBron James. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LeBron James. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Dallas Mavericks, 2011 NBA Champions
When the season started, in October 2010, there were not many people outside of die-hard Dallas Mavericks fans who would have bet any money that Dirk & Company would be able to win the crown.
Especially against the big three of the Miami Heat (Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh), the free agents who came together last summer with plans to win multiple titles.
For Nowitzki it must have been sweet revenge for their embarrassing defeat to the Heat in 2006, after jumping to a 2-0 start in that series.
This was a hard-fought set of games where every night the announcers continuously spoke about how Miami was the dominant team, even when the series was tied at 2-2. That talk subsided a bit when Dallas went up 3-2 on Thursday. It left at the final match-up in Game 6 with the Mavs dominating the second half and ending with a 105-95 close-out victory.
Even though eventual Finals MVP Dirk shot just 1 for 12 in the first half of game six the rest of the team took up the slack until he got his groove back. Key was Jason Terry who, coming off the bench, burned Miami seemingly whenever he touched the ball and topped all scorers with 27 points. Another was speedster JJ Barea who added 15.
Dirk, who pretty much sealed the game with 2:27 left, ended with 21. One great effort was a rainbow 3 he launched 5 minutes into the 3rd quarter.
For Dallas' aging three (thirty-somes Dirk, Terry and Jason Kidd) the glory of victory to garner for the franchise their first-ever trophy certainly was sweet, as can be seen in the below video.
Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks on a hard-fought, well-played and well-deserved championship series.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Especially against the big three of the Miami Heat (Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh), the free agents who came together last summer with plans to win multiple titles.
For Nowitzki it must have been sweet revenge for their embarrassing defeat to the Heat in 2006, after jumping to a 2-0 start in that series.
This was a hard-fought set of games where every night the announcers continuously spoke about how Miami was the dominant team, even when the series was tied at 2-2. That talk subsided a bit when Dallas went up 3-2 on Thursday. It left at the final match-up in Game 6 with the Mavs dominating the second half and ending with a 105-95 close-out victory.
Even though eventual Finals MVP Dirk shot just 1 for 12 in the first half of game six the rest of the team took up the slack until he got his groove back. Key was Jason Terry who, coming off the bench, burned Miami seemingly whenever he touched the ball and topped all scorers with 27 points. Another was speedster JJ Barea who added 15.
Dirk, who pretty much sealed the game with 2:27 left, ended with 21. One great effort was a rainbow 3 he launched 5 minutes into the 3rd quarter.
For Dallas' aging three (thirty-somes Dirk, Terry and Jason Kidd) the glory of victory to garner for the franchise their first-ever trophy certainly was sweet, as can be seen in the below video.
Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks on a hard-fought, well-played and well-deserved championship series.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Friday, June 3, 2011
The NBA Finals: Heat 1 - Mavericks 1
It seemed no one thought the Mavericks could beat the Heat in Game 2 at South Beach, down 15 with seven minutes and change remaining.
Certainly the crowd at American Airlines Arena knew it was over. As did, based on comments, the announcers.
In what had been a relatively close back-and-forth contest for most of the game, the Heat went on a rampage and took what seemed like an insurmountable and commanding 15 point lead in the 4th, assisted by three consecutive Mav turnovers, capped by a D-Wade 3-pointer.
After Wade dropped the corner downtown shot to make it 88-73, LeBron James trotted over and congratulated him.
Perhaps it was a little too much. Some of the Mavericks noticed and took it as a too-soon mini-celebration. Tyson Chandler said it was "upsetting." Jason Terry said it was "a turning point."
What many people seem to have forgetten is that Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs had been in situations like this three different times to three different contenders on their road to these 2011 NBA Finals.
Late in the games, they had been down 12 to the Portland Trailblazers and stormed back, down 16 to the defending Champion LA Lakers and won, as well as down 15 to the Oklahoma City Thunder only to turn up the heat (pardon the expression) to snatch that victory.
Their 22-5 run in the final 7:14 was capped by Dirk sliding around Chris Bosh for what would be the game-winning layup. No one knows why Bosh did not foul as Miami had a foul to give.
Regardless, it was a fantastic comeback by Dallas.
It was also payback. In the 2006 Finals Dallas had a 2-0 advantage over Miami and in Game 3 held a 13 point lead in the 4th only to lose that game and the next three.
The Mavs made a non-verbal statement with their Game 2 victory: Whatever else happens, this is a contest and may the best team win.
In what seems like agreement, LeBron, postgame, said, "It's a ballgame now."
Here are the highlights from Game 2 with fantastic plays by both teams.
It seems a certainty that James, Wade and Bosh will not allow anything like this to occur again in these Finals. It might also be that Dirk and Company will do everything in their power not to find themselves in that kind of position.
The series moves to Dallas on Sunday for the first of three games to be played at American Airlines Center, the airline hosting all of the 2011 Finals contests.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Certainly the crowd at American Airlines Arena knew it was over. As did, based on comments, the announcers.
In what had been a relatively close back-and-forth contest for most of the game, the Heat went on a rampage and took what seemed like an insurmountable and commanding 15 point lead in the 4th, assisted by three consecutive Mav turnovers, capped by a D-Wade 3-pointer.
After Wade dropped the corner downtown shot to make it 88-73, LeBron James trotted over and congratulated him.
Perhaps it was a little too much. Some of the Mavericks noticed and took it as a too-soon mini-celebration. Tyson Chandler said it was "upsetting." Jason Terry said it was "a turning point."
What many people seem to have forgetten is that Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs had been in situations like this three different times to three different contenders on their road to these 2011 NBA Finals.
Late in the games, they had been down 12 to the Portland Trailblazers and stormed back, down 16 to the defending Champion LA Lakers and won, as well as down 15 to the Oklahoma City Thunder only to turn up the heat (pardon the expression) to snatch that victory.
Their 22-5 run in the final 7:14 was capped by Dirk sliding around Chris Bosh for what would be the game-winning layup. No one knows why Bosh did not foul as Miami had a foul to give.
Regardless, it was a fantastic comeback by Dallas.
It was also payback. In the 2006 Finals Dallas had a 2-0 advantage over Miami and in Game 3 held a 13 point lead in the 4th only to lose that game and the next three.
The Mavs made a non-verbal statement with their Game 2 victory: Whatever else happens, this is a contest and may the best team win.
In what seems like agreement, LeBron, postgame, said, "It's a ballgame now."
Here are the highlights from Game 2 with fantastic plays by both teams.
It seems a certainty that James, Wade and Bosh will not allow anything like this to occur again in these Finals. It might also be that Dirk and Company will do everything in their power not to find themselves in that kind of position.
The series moves to Dallas on Sunday for the first of three games to be played at American Airlines Center, the airline hosting all of the 2011 Finals contests.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
NBA Finals - Dallas maligned in Game 1 loss to Miami
It's bad enough to lose the first game in the NBA Finals. Especially waiting five years to get back to this stage.
it is even worse to be maligned for losing when not deserved.
The Dallas Mavericks did, indeed, lose to the Miami Heat in game one of the NBA Finals. No doubt about it. Final score: Heat 92 Mavs 84.
Reading what some reporters and bloggers have written makes it seem as if Dallas could do nothing right - yet an 8 point loss is not a blow out by any means, especially when one is in the enemy camp, i.e., playing on your opponent's court. You know, the ole home court advantage thing.
As far as stats are concerned, Dallas shot 37% from the field, Miami hit 39%. Neither of those are very impressive.
From downtown the Heat were at 46% while Dallas shot 41%, a difference of 6 points in favor of the Heat. The Mavs held the edge at the free throw line hitting 78% to the Heat's 71% for a 6 point advantage. They effectively cancelled each other out.
Offensively, Miami took 80 shots to Dallas' 67. That was a huge help for the Heat. And Miami did dominate the boards, 46 to 36, which is what gave them, to a fairly large degree, the winning edge.
Yes, Miami won, mostly due to their better defense and the offensive board advantage they took.
To read the headlines, one would think Dallas did absolutely nothing right. Yes, LeBron and Wade made some big, key plays in the 4th quarter. And those two can be dominating, but they did not "dominate" this first game. And then consider that two of Miami's starters failed to score a single point.
Sweet slam by LeBron.
One article that appeared in Yahoo! Sports mentioned that it would be tough for Dallas and their one star to beat Miami and their three stars, meaning Dirk beating LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh. Apparently that reporter does not consider Jason Kidd a threat, despite the fact he is a 10-time All Star and is in 3rd place all-time for triple-doubles. Go figure.
True, everyone has, and is entitled to, their own opinion. This blogger's opinion is that Miami won, Dallas lost. Miami played better at the right times, especially down the stretch. Neither team played close to a perfect game.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
it is even worse to be maligned for losing when not deserved.
The Dallas Mavericks did, indeed, lose to the Miami Heat in game one of the NBA Finals. No doubt about it. Final score: Heat 92 Mavs 84.
Reading what some reporters and bloggers have written makes it seem as if Dallas could do nothing right - yet an 8 point loss is not a blow out by any means, especially when one is in the enemy camp, i.e., playing on your opponent's court. You know, the ole home court advantage thing.
As far as stats are concerned, Dallas shot 37% from the field, Miami hit 39%. Neither of those are very impressive.
From downtown the Heat were at 46% while Dallas shot 41%, a difference of 6 points in favor of the Heat. The Mavs held the edge at the free throw line hitting 78% to the Heat's 71% for a 6 point advantage. They effectively cancelled each other out.
Offensively, Miami took 80 shots to Dallas' 67. That was a huge help for the Heat. And Miami did dominate the boards, 46 to 36, which is what gave them, to a fairly large degree, the winning edge.
Yes, Miami won, mostly due to their better defense and the offensive board advantage they took.
To read the headlines, one would think Dallas did absolutely nothing right. Yes, LeBron and Wade made some big, key plays in the 4th quarter. And those two can be dominating, but they did not "dominate" this first game. And then consider that two of Miami's starters failed to score a single point.
Sweet slam by LeBron.
One article that appeared in Yahoo! Sports mentioned that it would be tough for Dallas and their one star to beat Miami and their three stars, meaning Dirk beating LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh. Apparently that reporter does not consider Jason Kidd a threat, despite the fact he is a 10-time All Star and is in 3rd place all-time for triple-doubles. Go figure.
True, everyone has, and is entitled to, their own opinion. This blogger's opinion is that Miami won, Dallas lost. Miami played better at the right times, especially down the stretch. Neither team played close to a perfect game.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Friday, May 27, 2011
2011 NBA Finals Match-Up- Heat vs Mavericks
After a long season, where injuries and internal strife played a major role in determining the two teams advancing to the 2011 NBA Finals, it all comes down to the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks.
Miami began their run-for-mulitple-titles process last summer, bringing on free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play with Dwayne Wade.
Dallas, on the other hand, has been continuously rebuilding since their 2006 championship loss, where they flubbed a 2-0 lead, marching in with a roster of veterans, including the most dominant big in the league, Dirk Nowitzki.
Along the way this year, Miami eliminated last year's Eastern Conference Champions, the Boston Celtics, in five games while Dallas snuffed the reigning NBA Champs, the Los Angeles Lakers, in four.
For their Conference title, #2 seed Miami took care of the #1 seed Chicago Bulls and 2011 MVP Derrick Rose in five games.
Dallas, the #3 seed, handled the young and talented #4 Oklahoma City Thunder and two-time NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant in five games.
Both Dallas and Miami experienced come-from-behind games during their runs to close out contests in their favor.
The stage is now set.
Through the first three rounds both teams played 15 games to eliminate their opponents.
What remains are anywhere between 4 and 7 contests, sure to be hard-fought, in quest of the NBA trophy.
It is interesting that the 2011 Championship showcases the same two teams from 2006, though each with much different line-ups and personnel. The Heat took that crown in six games, after losing the first two. Dwayne Wade remembers that. So does Dirk Nowitzki.
Can the Big 3 in Miami stop Dirk and Company from attaining the crown?
Will Dallas have the answer to stop the Heat in consecutive games?
Only time and some excellent games to come will answer that question.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Miami began their run-for-mulitple-titles process last summer, bringing on free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh to play with Dwayne Wade.
Dallas, on the other hand, has been continuously rebuilding since their 2006 championship loss, where they flubbed a 2-0 lead, marching in with a roster of veterans, including the most dominant big in the league, Dirk Nowitzki.
Along the way this year, Miami eliminated last year's Eastern Conference Champions, the Boston Celtics, in five games while Dallas snuffed the reigning NBA Champs, the Los Angeles Lakers, in four.
For their Conference title, #2 seed Miami took care of the #1 seed Chicago Bulls and 2011 MVP Derrick Rose in five games.
Dallas, the #3 seed, handled the young and talented #4 Oklahoma City Thunder and two-time NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant in five games.
Both Dallas and Miami experienced come-from-behind games during their runs to close out contests in their favor.
The stage is now set.
Through the first three rounds both teams played 15 games to eliminate their opponents.
What remains are anywhere between 4 and 7 contests, sure to be hard-fought, in quest of the NBA trophy.
It is interesting that the 2011 Championship showcases the same two teams from 2006, though each with much different line-ups and personnel. The Heat took that crown in six games, after losing the first two. Dwayne Wade remembers that. So does Dirk Nowitzki.
Can the Big 3 in Miami stop Dirk and Company from attaining the crown?
Will Dallas have the answer to stop the Heat in consecutive games?
Only time and some excellent games to come will answer that question.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The Celebrity Pitch - TV ads "ad nauseum"
There is no doubt that celebrities (movie, TV, music, sports, etc.) possess a certain flair, an appeal and that "star quality" power that affects people.
There are times, though, where it seems that companies do not consider if the person endorsing a product or service can actually make a positive impact in sales of that particular item.
Perhaps the mindset of the executives, or the marketing firm who sold the concept in the first place, is to simply have their brand tied to a celebrity - any well-known celebrity.
It would seem that a company in choosing a celeb to promote their wares would at least try to match what that talent is known for or at least to something that is loosely associated
The school of thought that says "if that celebrity is endorsing that product it must be good" only goes so far. Sometimes, not at all. There needs to be some form of connect for it to really work.
A few examples of not-so-good:
The character played by Pauley Perrette on NCIS (Abby Sciuto) is priceless. Pauley has that absolutely nailed. Why Expedia believes that Pauley can influence decisions for travel is beyond thought as she does not have anything to do with travel or the services that Expedia offers.
Another would be State Farm featuring LeBron James in a horribly scripted insurance commercial. LeBron is certainly a super-great NBA star but there is a disconnect for him to be hawking car insurance (especially playing the world's smallest violin). Where the "bright idea" originated to have him doing the ad is beyond imagination.
One has to wonder at the market researchers who placed Eminem in a Lipton Brisk commercial. Perhaps those who really love the star will try Brisk, but the manner in which the commercial was produced leaves a lot to be desired and could alienate potential consumers.
As much as this blogger appreciates the athletic prowess of NBA All-Star All- Everything Michael Jordan is he really someone who makes a difference in the brand of tee-shirts and underwear that men purchase? Seems a bit of a stretch.
There are more, to be sure. The above, however, are perhaps examples of the some of the worst match-ups of celebrities "selling" on the small screen.
All this blogger can see is that having random celebrities in many TV spots adds an additional expense to the cost of the product or service. Because we all know, celebs do not do this for free.
As a final note, AdvertisingAge Magazine found that twenty percent of celeb TV ads in 2010 actually diminished the ads effectiveness and yet a 2011 report shows even more celebs appearing in TV ads. Go figure.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
There are times, though, where it seems that companies do not consider if the person endorsing a product or service can actually make a positive impact in sales of that particular item.
Perhaps the mindset of the executives, or the marketing firm who sold the concept in the first place, is to simply have their brand tied to a celebrity - any well-known celebrity.
It would seem that a company in choosing a celeb to promote their wares would at least try to match what that talent is known for or at least to something that is loosely associated
The school of thought that says "if that celebrity is endorsing that product it must be good" only goes so far. Sometimes, not at all. There needs to be some form of connect for it to really work.
A few examples of not-so-good:
The character played by Pauley Perrette on NCIS (Abby Sciuto) is priceless. Pauley has that absolutely nailed. Why Expedia believes that Pauley can influence decisions for travel is beyond thought as she does not have anything to do with travel or the services that Expedia offers.
Another would be State Farm featuring LeBron James in a horribly scripted insurance commercial. LeBron is certainly a super-great NBA star but there is a disconnect for him to be hawking car insurance (especially playing the world's smallest violin). Where the "bright idea" originated to have him doing the ad is beyond imagination.
One has to wonder at the market researchers who placed Eminem in a Lipton Brisk commercial. Perhaps those who really love the star will try Brisk, but the manner in which the commercial was produced leaves a lot to be desired and could alienate potential consumers.
As much as this blogger appreciates the athletic prowess of NBA All-Star All- Everything Michael Jordan is he really someone who makes a difference in the brand of tee-shirts and underwear that men purchase? Seems a bit of a stretch.
There are more, to be sure. The above, however, are perhaps examples of the some of the worst match-ups of celebrities "selling" on the small screen.
All this blogger can see is that having random celebrities in many TV spots adds an additional expense to the cost of the product or service. Because we all know, celebs do not do this for free.
As a final note, AdvertisingAge Magazine found that twenty percent of celeb TV ads in 2010 actually diminished the ads effectiveness and yet a 2011 report shows even more celebs appearing in TV ads. Go figure.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Saturday, May 14, 2011
LeBron James finally conquers Boston Celtics dominance
It seems, over the past few years, that the Boston Celtics have always had the upper hand when playing teams with LeBron James.
Well, maybe a few hands - Allen, Garnett, Pierce, Rondo and the rest of the gang.
Consider just last year when the Celtics dominated James and the Cleveland Cavaliers (the top seed in the Eastern Conference with the league's best record) in the second round, eliminating James for a possible NBA Championship in six games.
At the start of the 2011 season it seemed that James and his new team, the Miami Heat (even with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh) could not best the performance of the Celtics, losing the regular season series 3-1.
This year's playoffs, however, were a different story.
After taking both home games, Miami found itself in Boston and a resounding loss in Game 3. With the series at 2-1, and still playing at TD Garden, James et al accomplished something remarkable. They beat the Celtics on their home turf in overtime.
Why remarkable? Prior to that victory James had only won twice in Boston out of 15 attempts and his teammate, Dwayne Wade, had lost 11 straight games on that court.
After the win, James was quoted as saying, "I haven't had much success in this building."
That was a gigantic understatement.
Back in Miami, with Boston trailing 3-1, there was a definite threat to extend the series. It could be seen that the Celtics were gunning for a win at Miami despite the fact the Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal were sidelined with injuries. The game was tied 87-87 with 2:13 remaining and all of a sudden LeBron exploded.
He dropped two shots from downtown, stole the ball and took it in for a slam dunk, then closed out the game with a jumper, scoring the final 10 points of the game. Final Miami 97, Boston 87. Series end: Miami 4, Boston 1.
It does seem that LeBron conquered whatever it was about the Celtics and TD Garden that had haunted him. And it was gratifying to watch him compliment Doc Rivers and the Celtics as he did following the game.
Now, on to the rest of the NBA championship run.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Well, maybe a few hands - Allen, Garnett, Pierce, Rondo and the rest of the gang.
Consider just last year when the Celtics dominated James and the Cleveland Cavaliers (the top seed in the Eastern Conference with the league's best record) in the second round, eliminating James for a possible NBA Championship in six games.
At the start of the 2011 season it seemed that James and his new team, the Miami Heat (even with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh) could not best the performance of the Celtics, losing the regular season series 3-1.
This year's playoffs, however, were a different story.
After taking both home games, Miami found itself in Boston and a resounding loss in Game 3. With the series at 2-1, and still playing at TD Garden, James et al accomplished something remarkable. They beat the Celtics on their home turf in overtime.
Why remarkable? Prior to that victory James had only won twice in Boston out of 15 attempts and his teammate, Dwayne Wade, had lost 11 straight games on that court.
After the win, James was quoted as saying, "I haven't had much success in this building."
That was a gigantic understatement.
Back in Miami, with Boston trailing 3-1, there was a definite threat to extend the series. It could be seen that the Celtics were gunning for a win at Miami despite the fact the Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal were sidelined with injuries. The game was tied 87-87 with 2:13 remaining and all of a sudden LeBron exploded.
He dropped two shots from downtown, stole the ball and took it in for a slam dunk, then closed out the game with a jumper, scoring the final 10 points of the game. Final Miami 97, Boston 87. Series end: Miami 4, Boston 1.
It does seem that LeBron conquered whatever it was about the Celtics and TD Garden that had haunted him. And it was gratifying to watch him compliment Doc Rivers and the Celtics as he did following the game.
Now, on to the rest of the NBA championship run.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Monday, February 21, 2011
NBA All Star Game 2011 - Kobe & LeBron
What appeared to be a runaway game by the NBA West All Stars became very tense in the final moments, as the East, under some incredible bursts of steam led by LeBron James, created a nail biter for many fans.
However, one of the most memorable plays was a few moments earlier when eventual MVP Kobe Bryant (with game highs of 37 points and 14 boards) streaked for a dunk with LBJ attempting to deny Kobe on his home court with the now-famous "Chase Down" block.
What followed, aside from the Michael Jordan-style rear tap, was a beautiful behind-the-arc shot by the Black Mamba.
A quick one minute recap of these plays.
A great NBA All Star game to be sure, despite way too many turnovers, with a lot of hustle from Kevin Durant, Pau Gasol, Amar Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, to name a few.
Side Notes: Kobe tied the record of most times named All Star MVP with Bob Pettit at four while LeBron became only the second person to score an All Star Game triple-double (29-12-10) along side Michael Jordan.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
However, one of the most memorable plays was a few moments earlier when eventual MVP Kobe Bryant (with game highs of 37 points and 14 boards) streaked for a dunk with LBJ attempting to deny Kobe on his home court with the now-famous "Chase Down" block.
What followed, aside from the Michael Jordan-style rear tap, was a beautiful behind-the-arc shot by the Black Mamba.
A quick one minute recap of these plays.
A great NBA All Star game to be sure, despite way too many turnovers, with a lot of hustle from Kevin Durant, Pau Gasol, Amar Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, to name a few.
Side Notes: Kobe tied the record of most times named All Star MVP with Bob Pettit at four while LeBron became only the second person to score an All Star Game triple-double (29-12-10) along side Michael Jordan.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
Sunday, February 6, 2011
In Honor of NFL Super Bowl XLV
The Super Bowl became famous for some of the best television commercials ever made.
This post, however, is not about a best ad, it is about basketball infiltration of the football championship game, with food as the vehicle.
The following two Super Bowl TV ads feature NBA greats Michael Jordan vs Larry Byrd and LeBron James vs Dwight Howard during the NFL's classic match.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
This post, however, is not about a best ad, it is about basketball infiltration of the football championship game, with food as the vehicle.
The following two Super Bowl TV ads feature NBA greats Michael Jordan vs Larry Byrd and LeBron James vs Dwight Howard during the NFL's classic match.
Over For Now.
Main Street One
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