The Many Ridiculous Shots in Steph Curry’s Arsenal

Posted by on May 13, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

After the first 10 playoff games of his career, Stephen Curry is up to 39 three-pointers, shooting an impressive 43 percent on his 91 attempts.

It’s gotten to the point where he’s almost shooting better from outside the three-point line than he is inside of it.

One of the pleasant developments of this season wasn’t the fact that Curry was healthy enough to play 78 games (although that was definitely a bonus), it’s that he has turned into a player who could possibly end up being the greatest shooter of all-time.

Curry beat out Ray Allen’s best three-point shooting season (at least as far as total three-pointers made is concerned) by knocking down 272 triples throughout the year, giving him the most in a single season.

He’s a slight, 25-year-old point guard who is enjoying one of the best shooting years of any player in the history of the NBA, let alone one of the best of any point guard.

His shooting has become such a delightful part of the NBA that I found myself watching a three-minute clip of Curry’s shooting form in super-slow-motion.

From there it branched out to Curry making ridiculous shots in general, and before I knew it I had spent the better part of an hour just watching Stephen Curry shoot.

This is my life, people.

In the process of re-evaluating how I spend my Sunday evenings, I decided to compile the arsenal of shots that you might see Curry draw from on a game-to-game basis.

Three-Pointer, Spot-Up and Otherwise

Of course we’ve got to start out with Curry’s three-pointer. It’s the foundation that makes him such an amazing player, and it’s the reason the Warriors have been able to make it this deep into the playoffs.

So, what better way to get acquainted with Curry’s three-ball than to watch all 11 of them that he knocked down against the New York Knicks back in February.

There were a few instances of spot-up three-pointers throughout that game, but for the most part he’s creating space on his own and taking his shots off the dribble.

That’s what makes Curry such a unique player. Not only does he make a ton of three-pointers, but he does a lot of it in a one-on-one situation.

Three-Point Runner

The only three-pointer you didn’t see from Curry in his slaughter of the Knicks (which was actually in a loss) was this three-point runner that he pulled off against the San Antonio Spurs a few days back.

I don’t know another player in the NBA who would attempt a shot like this, let alone make it with a defender so close to him.

You see, conventional wisdom is that when you’re that far away from the basket the best thing to do before a shot is–well, stand still and square up. Curry does the opposite of that here.

Now he’s got but three shots from range that I’m waiting to see.

First I want a fade-away, then he can whip out Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sky hook from the corner and a straight-away, underhand shot like Rick Barry shooting free throws.

Lose Defender, Mid-Range Jumper

Every once in a while, like two or three times a game, Curry will actually step inside the three-point line to take a shot. 

Okay, so he takes the majority of his attempts from inside the arc, but it sure does seem like he’s living behind that thin black line.

In this case, Curry uses the most dangerous offensive weapon he has in order to create space. Gary Neal gets shaken loose once, and when he sees Curry behind the three-point line he overreacts, he goes full-speed at him in fear that he’s going to get burned by a three.

Curry steps past him, takes a dribble or two inside the three-point line and drops in an uncontested jumper.

He’s going to make those nearly every time.

Up-and-Under

When Curry gets even closer to the hoop (again, I know it seems like he’s always shooting, but he does take two attempts a game at point blank range), one of his favorite moves is going up-and-under for the layup.

Sometimes it’s out of necessity, like trying to avoid Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and other times it just looks really cool.

Curry’s shot up and over his head seems to be just as effective as a regular old layup for him, so who are we to tell him to just go straight up more often?

Pretty Runner

When a layup is on his mind but one of those pesky, enormous dudes protecting the rim get in the way, Curry gets creative.

One of the usual shots you’ll see him whip out is a runner, sending a teardrop up and just out of the reach of the defender. Whether it goes straight in or banks, odds are it’s going to look pretty.

There was a bit of a concern about Curry when he entered the NBA that he was too small to go into the lane and bang into bigger players on a regular basis. The floater that he has perfected over the past four years has been a definite response to that criticism.

The Scoop, Either Way

Guarding a shooter on the run is hard enough as it is. Taking on a left-handed shooter is even harder, as it’s a bit of a more unconventional approach.

However, when you’ve got a guy that’s got the ability to knock in a scoop shot with either hand, it’s like playing NBA 2k13 with the sliders for the AI all the way up.

Curry’s scoop shot has been one of his biggest improvements this season, and now that he’s shown that he can knock it down with either hand he’s that much more of a threat.

From the Hallway

There’s a reason there are boundaries on the court. Sometimes you’ve just got to rein in the league’s more ridiculous players.

Stephen Curry can make a shot from anywhere in the arena, and he’s done his best to prove that this season.

At this point the only thing limiting him is–well I suppose it would be the rules.

But I say stop giving these defenders a break, David Stern. Make the hallway shot a legal one to take in the NBA. Enough of this 22-foot range from the corner, let’s go ahead and extend it to about 40 and let Curry take these shots during a game.

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Many taking the fight to the NCAA these days

Posted by on April 26, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

Where governing body was once invincible, now it is fighting 15 lawsuits.

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Predicting How Many NBA Titles Miami Heat Would Win If LeBron Re-Signs in 2014

Posted by on April 1, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

If LeBron James re-signs with the Miami Heat during the summer of 2014, he will have delivered on his promise to bring multiple championships to South Beach.

After breaking through to win one already, James and the Heat appear destined for a second consecutive title in 2013. 

Taking the leap to assume they deliver on that possibility, the Heat would then enter the 2013-14 campaign with an opportunity to three-peat.

In doing so, James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh specifically, could enter their run together into an elite class of NBA dynasties.

But while a third championship in four seasons could influence James to activate his player option in ’14 and re-sign with the Heat for two more seasons, I do not expect a fourth title.

Even if James does play alongside Wade and Bosh through 2016, three championships is the most I predict they win.  

A second consecutive NBA title for the Miami Heat appears likely in 2013

LeBron James is once again performing like the NBA’s most dominant player in 2013.

He is on his way to winning a second straight MVP award while posting a career high in rebounds (8.1) and field-goal percentage (56 percent).

Alongside James, both Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are also shooting better than they ever have from the field at 52.1 and 53.5 percent, respectively. 

The Miami Heat are owners of the league’s best record at 58-15 through Sunday on the heels of wrapping up a 27-game winning streak.

While leading the NBA in field-goal percentage collectively at 49.7 percent, it appears there’s no stopping the Heat’s combination superstar scoring threats. The totality of which being why I expect a second consecutive championship for the Heat this summer.

The quest for a three-peat to match historic runs of past champions

Assuming the Heat are able to capture their second title, next year’s campaign would become an opportunity to enter an elite class of NBA dynasties.

By three-peating in 2014, the Miami Heat would become the first team to do so since Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant helped their Los Angeles Lakers accomplish the feat from 2000-02.

They’d also become the second team to since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen helped the Chicago Bulls do the same from 1996-98.

With this historical motivation as a driving force—coupled with the superstar abilities of James, Wade and Bosh in what would be their fourth season together—I do expect Miami to cash in a third championship in 2014.

Even if that means the Heat would have to go through a maturing and improving Oklahoma City Thunder team led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to do it.  

Heat roster currently projects to $76 million with James, Wade and Bosh in 2014

The championship celebration in Miami after a third straight title could be enough for LeBron to activate his player option and re-sign through 2016.

Even if he does, though, I don’t expect James to win another title for the Heat in 2015.

The elevated competition around the league, combined with the age of his two primary co-stars, would be too much for James and company to overcome. 

If Wade and Bosh activate their lucrative player options identified above—which I expect each to do—the Heat will be restricted in their ability to add talent outside of James.

Each of the Big Three will be entering their 13th professional season on the plus-side of 30 years old by then. The Heat would be locked into approximately $76 million in contracts as a result, with only Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem to show as their next best players.   

Starting completely over in 2015 with James, Wade and Bosh

By the time the 2015-16 campaign begins, the Heat would be forced to start completely over in building around James, Wade and Bosh.

Based on who is under contract as of today, the Heat would need to add an entirely new supporting cast in 2015.

This new group would then need to develop championship-level chemistry with an aging collection of superstars by the time the postseason got underway.

This is not the recipe for a championship. It is also the reason I predict that LeBron’s run in Miami would end after 2016 with three rings to show for his efforts.

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Metta World Peace’s Post-Surgery Twitter Rant Was Many Things

Posted by on March 30, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

Metta World Peace underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, and he’ll be out of action for the next six weeks. However, the most interesting story is what happened to World Peace’s Twitter account following his surgery.

In short, it was weird, sentimental, almost insightful and at times totally incoherent. The only difficult part was trying to differentiate between which tweets were the result of the anesthetic he was on, and which were just Metta being Metta.

Initially, he sent out a few shots of himself through his Instagram getting prepped to be cut open with a simple message.

From there it started to get weird. Metta sent a video over to Comedy Central that was nothing more than him babbling about being “drunk” while the coming down from his anesthesia.

Moving forward, World Peace gave away a few tickets to a movie, and advocated the Lakers‘ fitness challenge.

 

 

After philanthropic, community-oriented Metta, he went back to being completely out there.

 

 

I’m not sure whether or not he ever got the answer about the flower, but nobody ever did guess “who” he was, mostly because he was less of a “who” and more of a “what.”

Most strange was that he tossed out another tweet just a few minutes following that last one telling everyone that he was out of it after his surgery.

This made it all incredibly hard to figure out what was tweeted because of the anesthetic, and what was tweeted because he just a weird dude in general.

That’s one of those questions for which the world will never have an answer.

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Harvard’s win destroyed many brackets

Posted by on March 22, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

Harvard’s win over New Mexico messed up brackets, including President Obama’s.

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NBA: Houston Rockets Are the Sleeper Team of the West and Will Shock Many

Posted by on March 16, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

The Houston Rockets have continued to be a competitive team in the Western Conference, year in and year out. However, have failed to escape the first round of the playoffs in the last fifteen years.  

With the additions of Jeremy Lin and James Harden, the Rockets are now seen as a serious contender and a force to be reckoned with. The organization has proven that they will not slow down, with their activity at the trade deadline, making moves to clear up salary space and adding a promising young stud in power forward Thomas Robinson.

If you take a deep look at this roster, and consider how good Houston is when everything is rolling on all cylinders, the Rockets are a very dangerous threat in the West when it comes to playoff time. Sure they still haven’t managed to earn an extensive winning streak, but, have maintained a meritorious record at home. So far, Houston has won 22 of 31 games played at the Toyota Center which will be extremely valuable in the postseason.

The Rockets have a few important advantages in its favor when it comes to effectiveness in the playoffs. Not only are they the highest scoring team in the NBA, averaging 106.9 PPG, Houston also averages the fifth most assists per game with 23.5. This is very beneficial because the Rockets have proven to be consistently capable of spacing the floor and playing team basketball. Also, the high intensity and fast pace play in which the entire Houston team exudes on a daily basis gives opponents nightmares.

Although the Rockets have a very complete and quite deep roster, the team has mainly been based around Jeremy Lin, Omer Asik and James Harden. Three players who were not a part of the team last season. Lin, Asik and Harden compliment each other so well and give Houston the ability to run such a speedy offense. This is a new Houston team that will be dominant in the Western Conference for years to come. However, do not count them out this season with the leadership that has been displayed by Harden and Lin.

 

As impressive as they have been this season, Houston still has some big competition standing in its way. The Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are undoubtedly favorites in the West to reach the NBA Finals, but all the Rockets have to do is steal a game on the road. If this happens early in a series, you can bet your bottom dollar Houston could win against any of these teams because of its nearly flawless play at home. Unfortunately, it is easier said than done with a current record of 14-21 on the road. But, the Rockets have six more away games to attempt to gain momentum heading into the postseason.  

The most important goal for Houston should be to earn and lock up the sixth spot in the Western Conference and hope for the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. The Grizzlies are a very favorable matchup for the Rockets and would be a much easier victory than the other two teams Houston can potentially face: The Thunder and the Clippers.  

Despite who Houston goes up against in the opening round, you can expect a very competitive series that may go down to the wire. This Rockets squad is clearly a blossoming force in the future, but will surprise many once the postseason arrives by finally escaping the first round. The organization receives its fair share of credit, however, no one is even considering them as a finals threat. Keep your eyes on this thrilling Houston team and expect the unexpected in the playoffs.

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Tonight’s NBA schedule: Many Knicks return to old home

Posted by on March 14, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

USA TODAY Sports breaks down Wednesday’s NBA schedule, ranking the games by watchability.

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So many reasons to love Creighton

Posted by on March 11, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

The Bluejays have many traits common to many recent successful NCAA tournament underdogs.

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Predicting How Many MVPs LeBron James Wins in His Career

Posted by on February 24, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

LeBron James can take comfort in knowing he’s in the same company as Moses Malone, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson as far having three career MVP awards.

Only four other players have won more—Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. No matter the era, Most Valuable Player has always held a special esteem.

Many often try to quantify a player’s value with varying statistics, but that single award by itself tells us more than a printout of obscure arithmetic or out of context data. The MVP award is more a recognition of the eye test than anything else.

LeBron James passes the eye test. You don’t need to look at stats to know how critical he is to his team’s success. 

He is a hulking, hyper-athletic behemoth of a man whose dominance is undeniable. While he may not be the most fundamentally sound player, he is a mismatch for virtually any player who attempts to guard him from a physical standpoint.

His height, weight and speed obliterate any concept of specific positions, and he is a reflection of the recent trend of super-versatile players. 

So considering his career so far accomplishment-wise and his individual talent and ability, just how many MVPs could LeBron James win by the time his career is over?

Well, it’s not an easy question, and it’s a question with numerous variables.

The Rise of Competition

The MVP award is an open contest. Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker, Chris Paul and Kevin Durant are arguably LeBron’s biggest current competition. LeBron will have to continue to push himself and his teammates to new levels if he is to be in the running throughout his career. 

The award itself is mostly subjective. As we mentioned before, it is often a reflection of the “eye-test” as in, actually watching games and considering wins and losses. Often it is considered that the best player on the best team should win the award, and as a result, whoever comes out on top of season matchups tends to win the trophy at the end of the season.

As it stands, LeBron has dominated most of his key opponents this season—the Clippers, Lakers and Thunder have all been felled by Lebron, so as a result, he is certainly the leading candidate to win MVP as it stands. Tony Parker is also a huge favorite to win MVP, but again, it is a subjective award.

At the end of the day, the players with the sexier market tend to edge their way through when it’s very close, and Miami beats San Antonio in that regard. Considering the market and success LeBron has had against most of the leading candidates, there’s no denying he is worthy of the consensus No. 1 MVP standing.

Also considering the current NBA climate, it is important to note as long as LeBron and his squad maintain dominance, he can simultaneously take comfort in having control of the award each and every season. 

LeBron and Father Time

Aside from his market, media visibility and overall record, when analyzing an individual award we have to analyze individual talent.

LeBron James is arguably the most gifted athlete in the history of the NBA.  Although he has made strides as far as refining his game fundamentally, much of his success is due to his incredible athleticism. 

Because his game is predicated on what he does physically more than anything else, what will happen to his game when he loses a step?

At some point, LeBron will have to develop a better mid-range and perimeter game, something we’re already seeing glimpses of. He will also have to continue to expand his post game which, again, is something he has put a tremendous effort in doing so.

While he still might be a great player, he may not be as dominant as he is now. An older LeBron would also mean his younger competition might surpass him in certain aspects, and as a result, the Kevin Durants and Kyrie Irvings of the world might very well be just as worthy of MVP as LeBron once was.

Now this isn’t to say LeBron is some decrepit, old man—he just turned 28 this past December. He’s got a lot of game left in him, but at some point he will lose the gifts he once had, and he’ll have to adapt.

So considering all of the aforementioned variables and what they all mean for his future, just how many MVP awards will LeBron win?

Well put it this way: If there ever was someone who could match Kareem, LeBron is the guy to do it.

LeBron is a supreme floor general and elite scorer rolled in one. He is relied upon to distribute the ball just as much as he is relied upon to score and dominate individually.

He is a superstar in a superstar’s market on an incredible all-around basketball team. When you consider that concept in a nutshell, you realize that he could easily win this year’s award and the next two after this season. 

Do the math, LeBron could very well be in his early 30s and win six trophies, very similar to Kareem back in the 1979-80 season. 

In the MVP trophy regard, LeBron has more than an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the game’s greatest players, he has the opportunity to pave a path of his very own. 

Although his hairline may be completely gone at that point, LeBron can take comfort in having at least five MVP awards in his trophy room to make up for it.

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How many NCAA bids will the unpredictable ACC get?

Posted by on January 29, 2013 · Leave a Comment 

The ACC has been underwhelming and fascinating at the same time this season.

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