NBA Draft 2009

Will the Clippers ever catch a break? Honestly, not sure if Blake Griffin is the best year to have the #1 draft pick. Yeah, he can dunk a lot in college. On the plus side he does have an NBA frame. So, we shall see. This draft likely to be more about the diamonds in the rough. Live chat coverage at Sporting News here. ESPN DraftCast coverage here, plus analysis. Official NBA Draft 2009 here.

Grandpa Phil gets #10

Like it or not, Phil Jackson has the most coaching world championship titles in the history of the NBA. Read up at NBA.com here. His 10 championships (6 with the Chicago Bulls and 4 with the L.A. Lakers) could stand for all-time. By luck, or zen forces, Phil managed to have Michael Jordan around for all 6 in Chicago, then Kobe and Shaq together for 3 of them in L.A., and finally a focused and determined Kobe this year. The talent is definitely a key reason for Phil's ten titles. However, his unique triangle offense and zen coaching style work well for execution on offense and keeping his players level-headed and in line toward the prize. And for that, Phil Jackson is a legend.

Luis Castillo reminds sports fans of 1986

The Mets were ahead 8-7 with 2 on and 2 out in the bottom of the ninth when Alex Rodriguez popped up to short left field. Mets 2B Luis Castillo back peddled under the ball as A-Rod chucked his bat; and why not when you get paid that much with 2 on and 2 out you need a game winner. Well, saved by an error. Castillo dropped the pop up and the Yankees walked off as 9-8 winners.



Flash back to 1986. World Series: Mets beat the Red Sox on Bill Buckner's error. Much better to lose a regular season game, even against the Yanks, on an error, and win during the World Series. You can see the 86 World Series video clip here. We will leave the common denominator in this post unsaid.

Tiger Roars Back

Tiger Woods, just 2 weeks before this years U.S. Open, is back on top, finishing with a birdie-birdie that stole the show and won the Memorial tournament by 1 stroke (final leaderboard here). Recap stories here and here. Woods has managed to put golf right back on the national stage just in time for the 2009 U.S. Open at the Bethpage State Park black course in Farmingdale, NY June 18-21. Official site here. Watch his approach shot on 18. Wow.

Superman: the road to the Finals

Thinking about Dwight Howard and his journey to the NBA Finals, two things come to mind: the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk contest and the 2007 and 2008 playoffs. Both of Howard's only other trips to the playoffs ended against Detroit. However, in 2008, Orlando actually won one of the games. And the Magic had a 15-point lead in Game 4 which would have evened the series. They ended up losing that game by 1 and went down in the series 4-1 (background here). But the point was made in our opinion: Dwight could compete. And a couple months before that, Dwight arrived on the scene as an entertainment force. There was Michael Jordan vs Dominique Wilkins in 1988 (watch it here). And there was Vince Carter in 2000 (video here). The 2008 Slam Dunk Contest can be thrown in that category. Dwight Howard stole the show from the opening bell, throwing down a dunk from behind the basket after tossing the ball against the backside of the board. That got the crowd behind him. It didn't matter that Gerald Green blew out a candle on a cupcake while dunking, because Dwight came back with a Superman cape to, literally, throw the ball threw the hoop.

Patrick Ewing and the Finals

Patrick Ewing won an NCAA Championship with the Georgetown Hoyas back in 1984. However, his 17-year NBA career (stats here) ended after the 2001-2002 without a world championship ring. Though his Knicks did play in the NBA Finals. Twice (1994, lost to Houston, and 1999, lost to the Spurs). Now on the bench as an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic, Ewing says "Hopefully, I'll get a ring this time" (story). Besides being an 11 time all-star, Ewing played over 80 games in 6 straight seasons, and played in over 76 games for 4 straight seasons after that. His work ethic is a sign of his determination. It is in part because of his work ethic that we shouldn't count out his influence on the bench for the Orlando Magic. The New York City media is all over the story tracking Ewing's elusive quest for a ring. The NY Post here. If you don't think it matters, they asked Ewing. Straight away he says, "It means a lot. A player, coach, winning a championship means a lot. That will shut everybody up. Everyone who says I don't have one, it will shut them up when I do have one."

Patrick Ewing and Coaching

Ewing never thought he would be coaching. He (career) was brought in the same year the Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, prior to the 2007-2008 season. Now that he is an assistant (and the evidence would say, a successful one at that) his vision of the future has changed, "I enjoy it" he told the NY Daily News recently. And now, Ewing even envisions one day he will be a head coach. Story.