Nick Saban Looks Like......

Humphrey Bogart.

One night last summer my wife and I were watching "Sabrina." My wife is a big fan of Audrey Hepburn, and I'm a big fan of my wife, so we decided to watch the movie together one Friday night. I wasn't really familiar with Humphrey Bogart so for the first half of the movie I was trying to figure out where I had seen him before. Finally it hit me, I had seen Humphrey Bogart on the sidelines at the University of Alabama! Take a look for yourself:

 

With all of the Bama-LSU hype and analysis going on, I figured this was as appropriate a time as ever to post my revelation. After all, this may be the only unique observation surrounding this match up that I can offer!

2011 NBA Draft Preview

I'm lacking in free time today as I finish up a few items before leaving for a trip, so here are some links and a few quick thoughts to look over in preparation for the NBA draft this evening:

1) There is no one I will be cheering for more than Jimmy Butler. You may have already seen his story by now, but if you haven't, it is must read material:

The Hope of Jimmy Butler

2) Grantland.com did a great (and extremely thorough) job of previewing the lottery picks and making their projections:

Lottery Preview and Projections

3) Looking at the Celtics options with the 25th pick, I would love for them to select Taylor (even if it is a reach). It may just be wishful thinking, but I would be thrilled to see Bismack Biyombo or Kenneth Faried in green next year as well if they happen to still be available. For the second round pick, I think the Celtics should just look to get the best player available who has potential to contribute. I feel like Nolan Smith and Travis Leslie have been undervalued and either one would be a low risk, high reward candidate in the second round if they slip that far.

4) Expect trades. I'm tired of hearing about the lack of talent in this draft. There will be no basketball played tonight, so to me the draft has always been more about the movement of established NBA players than the drafting of potential contributors. There are usually more trades on draft night than there are at the trade deadline so that should be reason enough to tune in.

5) Finally, we can always look forward to picking up some fashion tips:

Hakeem Olajuwon- 1984 Draft

Erick Dampier- 1996 Draft

Drew Gooden- 2002 Draft

Improving the NBA- One Pivot Foot at a Time

A few weeks ago I decided that there were three issues I wanted to address from the NBA Playoffs regardless of who won the championship. Being just over a week removed from the end of the season and the day before the NBA draft, I thought now would be a good time to address the issues. Here they are:

1) I would like to propose a fourth referee known as the "footwork ref." All he is allowed to do is call traveling violations. I know that a fourth ref is going to create real estate issues so I am open to ideas about where he could be positioned. Sitting at half court maybe? Here are a few reasons why we need a footwork ref:

Help prevent this in 2011-12:

NBA Finals example:

This isn't a new problem either:

Wade wasn't the only one traveling in the playoffs. LeBron and Jason Terry are both terrible about catching the ball and immediately shuffling their feet before dribbling. Realistically, I know this won't happen so I'm hoping this will at least make the annual "points of emphasis" and be enforced as strong as the quick technicals were last year.

2) Get rid of the 2-3-2 format for the Finals. It makes absolutely no sense to me that the rest of the playoffs are played 2-2-1-1-1 and then everything is changed for the Finals. I don't care about the media having to travel more, the distance players have to fly on chartered 1st class flights, or the money it cost. None of that matters during the rest of the season/playoffs, so why does it matter in the Finals? If the NBA wants to make the series as fair as possible then it needs to make the Finals 2-2-1-1-1. The current format is unfair to both teams.

3) I love competition. I love sports. Because of this, I choose to consume an inordinate amount of basketball games each year. It offers an escape from the worries and stresses of life. It occasionally delivers moments that are so perfect they cause me to continue watching time and time again in search of the next "moment."
But in the end, it's just a game. The people who are involved in these games are humans just like me and you. They triumph and they fail. They cause us to cheer and just as often they cause us to shake our heads in shame.

The society we live in glorifies and at the same time tears down these individuals far too much. In return, these players tend to buy in to what we create them to be. Nothing that I can say will change the way individuals are promoted within sports due to the money involved; but I do hope to issue a challenge to the people who happen to read this. Think about how you react to athletes who are in the public eye. Do you glorify them like they are inhuman objects? Like they are idols? Even if they are presented by the media as perfect role models who have everything figured out, I'm guessing that they are really regular people who struggle with the ups and downs of life like everyone else.

So the next time you are told that an athlete is a hero and you should want to emulate their lifestyle, take a step back and look at the big picture. Chances are, you have people around you who are much better role models and heroes than you will ever find playing a game on TV. I know I do.

Watching Hockey for Dummies- Stanley Cup, Game 7 Edition

As a sports fan, I consider myself to have above average knowledge of basketball, football, and baseball. Therefore I will watch these sports when they are played at even the lowest of levels. I've discovered that when you understand a sport, I mean when you really "get it," then you can appreciate things that happen throughout the game even when it is being played at the lowest of skill levels.

I have a few sports in the middle (soccer, tennis, and golf come to mind) that I enjoy at upper levels of play and I have average knowledge of them.

However, I've also learned that I can watch just about anything I consider a sport (that just eliminated NASCAR) and really enjoy it when the quality of competition is at its peak. That's where hockey falls in my sports rankings and that is the reason I was tuned in to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals last night after only watching pieces of the NHL playoffs to this point. Being a Game 7 in a Championship series, I knew that the intensity level couldn't be higher and this would be the optimal time to tune in.

Pre Game:

As a citizen of the United States, I must say that Canada absolutely slaughtered us last night on the National Anthem. 

I know the game was being played in Vancouver and everything but I turned to my wife after this happened and confessed that for 3 minutes I actually wanted to be a Canadian.

Once the game got started it was easy to see that choosing to bandwagon with Boston was the right move. The game was closer than the final score indicated, but I only have a few thoughts from the actual game due to my lack of hockey knowledge. So here are my "uneducated hockey watching" thoughts from the actual game:

- Tim Thomas is a beast. I understand that everyone who watches hockey regularly already knew this, but I was amazed at how many saves he made last night. Vancouver seemed to have some great chances to score and Thomas smothered every one of them.

- Brad Marchand looked like the best player on the ice much of the night. He made a few moves (they would be crossovers in basketball) with the puck where he was able to leave defenders standing still. I was shocked to find out he was only a rookie.

- At one point in the first period, the announcers mentioned that the last time these two refs officiated a Game 7 "there were no penalties all game." What?!? That is incredible to think about for a fan who is used to watching basketball and football where games are littered with penalties. An entire game being played at an intense level without any penalties is unthinkable. There has been a lot of talk in the NBA about fining players for flopping or penalizing them in some way to lessen the amount of acting that happens on the court.

I suggest we put skates on them and make them play a few line changes in a NHL game. I'm not sure anything would make me happier than seeing Derek Fisher flail his arms as he flopped in an effort to draw a penalty on Zdeno Chara. Don't you think getting hit by this guy a few times would make you think twice about exaggerating the next time someone grazes your arm on a shot?

That's all the thoughts I have from the actual game. For some reason, the festivities surrounding the game intrigued me the most.

Post Game

I loved the reactions following the game. The Boston players were overcome with the moment and seemed genuinely joyful to be celebrating together.

The Vancouver players were absolutely crushed. You could see the pain and the tears as they watched Boston celebrate. Their fans all stayed and cheered wildly as the players saluted them after their loss. You could feel the connection. I don't know how the NBA gets to that point, but I would love to see fans appreciate their teams after they win or lose and players appreciate their fans regardless of the outcome of their game. Very cool moment.

I also loved the post game handshakes where each team lined up and formally gave congratulations and respect to each other. I thought this was a tremendous display of sportsmanship. I've always struggled with the balance between guys being opponents while still being too good of friends (the AAU phenomenon) and guys just being poor sports to each other. I think it dilutes competition to see opponents joking around with each other on the court, talking about hanging out at each others houses, going to parties together during a series, etc. But I also think it hurts the spirit of competition when guys become hateful and carry things off the court to an extent where they are unwilling to show respect to their opponent after a hard fought series is complete.

However, from what I saw last night, I think that hockey has found the right balance. This simple act of sportsmanship and respect following the game in no way took away from the intensity that the players competed with throughout the series and I'm sure it won't take anything away from future competition. They showed respect for each other and I think both teams are better for it.

Of course the Vancouver fans then mercilessly booed Boston as they were presented the trophy, then proceeded to light their own city on fire. At least this made it a little easier for me to get O Canada out of my head.

In all seriousness, it really was unfortunate to see the footage this morning of the riots in Vancouver. The passion that made the game such a spectacle to watch was quickly drowned out by the incidents later that evening. I hope the people of Vancouver can learn from the example set on the ice by their team last night. No one wins with destruction and violence, but everyone wins with respect. For this sports fan, last night was a huge win for the game of hockey. I'm going to choose to remember the game instead of the aftermath; I just hope the rest of the sports world chooses the same.

Baseball News in Searcy, Arkansas

In case you missed it last week, two young men who played baseball here in Searcy this past season were selected in the recent MLB draft.

Searcy High School's Dillon Howard drafted by Cleveland Indians

Dillon Howard was selected in the second round with the 67th overall pick by the Cleveland Indians. Howard has signed to play for the Arkansas Razorbacks this fall but the word around here is that he wants to start his professional career right away if the money is right. Howard was expected to be drafted even earlier but many have speculated that his "signability" may be an issue since he is represented by Scott Boras.

Harding University's Jason Nappi drafted by the Anaheim Angels

Jason Nappi was selected in the 42nd round by the Anaheim Angels. Nappi began his career at Mississippi State before transferring to Harding for his Junior and Senior years. You won't see any Anaheim articles about Nappi, but I know this was a big deal for his family and Harding University.
 
Congratulations to both of these guys as they begin their professional careers!

Thoughts from The NBA Finals

I don't know what the best format for this is, so I'm just going to lay out my thoughts following Game 6 last night.

- Miami starting Chalmers was the first sign of desperation from the Heat. They talked about playing "good enough to win" after the previous two games but this seemed to signal that they realized they couldn't win with the same group. Chalmers is a great example of a player who was performing at his maximum level coming off the bench. He wasn't being relied upon offensively, he was going against other second stringers, and basically anything he produced was considered a bonus. The fact that Bibby (a starter through 5 games) was taken completely out of the rotation reeked of desperation. I agree that Bibby was terrible during the series, but I think you still have to give him a few minutes if you believe in the team that got you to this point.

- DeShawn Stevenson was the most arrogant, boisterous, talkative, hot headed player on the court in Game 6 (and at other times throughout the series as well). He celebrated every wide open shot that he gets paid $4,151,786 per year to make like he had just found a buy one get one free coupon to his local tattoo parlor.

But here is the catch; when Stevenson was taken out of the starting line up following Game 3, he didn't complain or pout about it and came in to Game 4 ready to contribute however he was needed. When a team can use a guy who may be, umm, one of the craziest guys in the league as a key contributor then you know they get it. The Dallas Mavericks got it this year. The San Antonio Spurs have been known to surround a volatile talent with stable players to help him effectively find his role (see Stephen Jackson, 2002-03).

- I don't know where to find the specific stats, but Chris Bosh really seemed to disappear in the second half of games. He always seemed to come out confident and was able to knock down 18 foot jump shots with regularity in the first half of games. I don't know if he wasn't looking to get open as much or if the Heat just weren't finding him late in games but I often forgot he was on the court.

- The trade that never was. Remember this? Tyson Chandler to OKC

As I watched the Mavericks close out the series and Tyson Chandler play a pivotal role in the process, it was hard not to think of what might have been. If the Chandler trade to OKC doesn't get rescinded, does Chandler stick with the Thunder? If he does, do the Thunder then not go after Kendrick Perkins? (As a bitter Celtics fan I feel the need to bring 1 out of every 5 NBA posts back to the Perkins trade and how the Celtics cursed themselves).

- I honestly think that the worst thing the Miami Heat could do right now is panic and start making major moves. They definitely need to make some minor changes and add some pieces. However, I think it would be a mistake to trade any of their key players or make a coaching change. I don't like the Heat and I don't like the way they carry themselves. But I do recognize their talent and potential for basketball greatness if they will make some role and attitude adjustments.

- Mark Cuban deserves a lot of credit for having the trophy presented to the previous owner of the Dallas Mavericks. That showed class and maturity on his behalf. Of course, he was back to his old self 30 minutes later talking about how much better the Mavs fans were than the Heat fans this series. Come on Mark, anyone with a TV was able to see that the Mavs fans outatmosphered (I felt the need to create a word for what happened) the Heat fans throughout the series. There was no need to point out the obvious. Cuban really is at his best when he chooses to be silent and let his player and coaches actions do the talking.

- Dirk Nowitzki is one of the 25 greatest players in NBA history. He is also a poor defender. He is slow. He flails his arms and legs in an attempt (often times successful) to draw fouls. He takes ill advised shots and on Sunday night he wasn't hitting any of them. So why is Dirk treated different than LeBron? Let me offer a few reasons:

1) He performed in the clutch. This point about 4th quarter production has been driven into the ground but it deserves to be pointed out again. Everyone loves to see athletes produce under pressure and Dirk did it time and time again this series and throughout the playoffs.

2) LeBron is always going to be held to a higher standard because he has promoted and self-branded himself on a higher level than anyone else in the NBA ever has.

3) Dirk took the high road when LeBron and Wade made jabs at his sickness. Dirk took it all in stride. He addressed it for what it was: childish and ignorant. Then he moved on.

I honestly believe that when players play hard, perform in the clutch, and don't draw attention to themselves off the court, they are more easily forgiven for their shortcomings on the court. Again, Dirk is in no way perfect (on the court or off) but it is much easier to cheer for someone when they show a little humility.

- J.J. Berea played out of his mind. As in, I refuse to believe he can sustain that level of play over the course of a NBA season. I'm sure the Timberwolves will disagree and make an offer that the Mav's can't match. So the big question is: How can a lockout be looming when we have the potential of a Berea vs. Rubio battle in Minnesota?!?

- I want to finish with focusing on what the Dallas Mavericks accomplished as a team. Predictably so, the media has focused much of their attention following the game on LeBron, Wade, and more LeBron. I understand the reasons (the brand and person of LeBron has a cyclical relationship with the media) and I'm ok with evaluating the Heat in the coming weeks, but I think it is unfair to take away from what the Mavericks just did by not giving them proper credit.

Caron Butler was out. Rodrigue Beaubois was out. Brendan Haywood went down. Dirk tore a tendon in his finger and then got sick. The Mavericks rose to the occasion as a team. They collectively met every challenge that was presented to them and I couldn't be happier as a fan of the game of basketball. They won games when Dirk was cold, they won games with defense, they won games with incredible shooting, they won games with their bench, they won games with their second highest paid player in a nursing home (read: Peja Stojakovic), they won games when they were getting to the line and they won games when they weren't. Dirk deserves the praise he has received but so do the rest of the guys who all made significant contributions during these playoffs. I know the injured and inactive players will get rings too, but these are the guys who made it happen:

J.J. Berea, Brian Cardinal, Tyson Chandler, Brendan Haywood, Jason Kidd, Ian Mahinmi, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, DeShawn Stevenson, Peja Stojakovic, and Jason Terry. I'm going to choose to remember these guys as the storyline for this NBA season, regardless of what the media tells me I should remember. Congratulations to the Big 11!

The 2011 Austin Croshere Team

As the NBA Playoffs are finishing, this is an appropriate time to look back at the players who really stepped up their game at the right time this year. I've dubbed this the "All Austin Croshere Team" in honor of the man who took raising your game to a new level in the 2000 playoffs and thus earned an excessive contract that crippled the Pacers for years.

Quick refresher: In Croshere's first two years in the league, he averaged just over 3 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. Following his third season in the NBA, Croshere burst into the national spotlight during the playoffs as he helped lead the Pacers to the NBA Finals. This run was highlighted by Croshere averaging over 15 points and 6 rebounds per game against the Lakers in the finals. After that, the Pacers proceeded to give Croshere $51 million dollars over 7 years and both parties involved were never the same from that point on. That's right, the Pacers decided it would be a good idea to give this guy $51 million dollars to play basketball for them:

So here we are in 2011 and I present to you the All Austin Croshere Team for this years playoffs:

PG- Jeff Teague

Teague is a guy who you didn't really hear much about through his first two years in the league. He averaged just over 4 points per game in limited minutes (about 12 per game). Honestly, I had only seen him play a few times. He got his chance in the second round against Chicago and responded by averaging: 15 ppg, 4.2 apg, 2.8 rpg, while shooting 54% and playing 38 mpg. He only committed 7 total turnovers in 6 games and played respectable defense on Derrick Rose. I'm excited to see Teague's role expanded next year with the Hawks to see how he produces night in and night out in a guard dominated league.

SG- James Harden

Out of my list, Harden got the most national recognition for what he did during the playoffs. He carried the Thunder at times and really provided help offensively when they needed someone to step up. I was impressed by his versatility being able to run the point and then create his own shot when needed. More than anything, Harden really passed the eye test for me. There were times when he was on the court and without knowing any better you would have assumed he was the captain of his team. At 21 years old, I think Harden has all-star upside.

F- Tyler Hansbrough

Hansbrough really didn't have that great of a postseason as far as numbers go. However, he did have a huge game where he gained some national attention and people have started to actually think that he could be a consistent starter on a winning team. I'm still not convinced that Hansrough is anything more than an off the bench energy guy, but you do have to give him credit for his production over the second half of the season. He had a string of 13 consecutive games where he scored in double figures; which is quite an achievement considering he only scored in double figures twice in the first 23 games of the season. If nothing else, the playoffs made people talk about his improvement during the regular season.

F- Taj Gibson

Ok...hear me out on this one. First of all, I'll go ahead and acknowledge that Gibson's numbers actually decreased from the regular season to the postseason. My reason for naming him to this team is simply that some GM had to be watching him and saying "that is a guy who could bring something to our team." I think the Bulls should have given him more of Carlos Boozer's minutes. I don't care how much you have overpaid a guy or "invested" in him, when he becomes a defensive liability to the point where teams are isolating him regardless of who he is guarding (Boozer), you have to get him out of the game. I think Gibson offers as much offensively while bringing much more aggressiveness and effort to the defensive end. I didn't know that or recognize that before these playoffs and for that reason I have him on this team.

C- Marc Gasol

I had no idea how skilled Marc Gasol is. His minutes increased in the playoffs and he responded by averaging 15 ppg and 11 rpg. This was quite a step up from the 11 and 7 he averaged in the regular season. The center position is thin in the NBA right now but Marc Gasol has established himself as one of the best we have.

Honorable Mention- Mike Conley, Darrell Arthur, Jose Berea,  and Joel Anthony.

I wanted to mention Conley and Arthur specifically, but you could just about name anyone on the Grizzlies roster and make an argument for how they stepped up their game.

Berea may fit the Croshere comparison the best if I was looking for a guy who has shown flashes of unsustainable brilliance and may end up getting overpaid for it.

Joel Anthony has stepped up at times during the Heat's run to the Finals. While most of his work has been on the defensive end of the court, I do want to point out that he doubled his season high for field goals made in a game during one of the games in the 2nd round against the Celtics. Not sure where it came from, but for a moment it looked like had some offensive skills.

The Story of Nate Fleming

I've heard it said that sports can bring out the best or worst in a man. I think that the statement could easily be flipped. Sometimes an athlete comes along or an event occurs that brings out the best or worst in sports. The story of Nate Fleming is one that brings out everything that is good in sports. Hard work, competition, family, commitment, teamwork, encouragement, acceptance, compassion, and the list could go on. It also tells the story of a fathers' love for his son and the heartbreak that we deal with at times in this life. The pain of defeat, adversity, suffering, and loss. The perspective of how small sports really are in relation to a human life.

Personally, I think this is the best sports story I've read in quite some time. It is beautifully written and cuts to the core. Make sure you have about 15 minutes of uninterrupted time (and maybe a few tissues) and I think you will be glad you read Nate's story.

Dear Nate- The Story of Nate Fleming

Video Blog: Harding University vs. University of Arkansas-Monticello

Harding University hosted the Boll Weevils (and Cotton Blossoms) on Monday night for a pair of rescheduled games at Rhodes fieldhouse in Searcy, AR. The Bison and Lady Bison each managed to protect their home court against tough GSC competition. The Bison are now 5-0 in conference play while the Lady Bison victory moved them to 4-1.


Here are the stats from the guys game:

Box Score

Instead of doing a recap of the game, I decided to shoot some video and post it to the blog. Enjoy! (Increase the quality to 480p for a much better picture)

Blake Griffin is a Beast

I was able to watch the second half of the Pacers-Clippers game Monday afternoon on NBA TV and it was an absolute treat. That's right; I just said that I willingly watched the Clippers play an afternoon game on a National holiday. I'm all about team basketball, but it is hard to watch a player like Blake Griffin and not just lock your eyes on what he is doing at all times.

The Clippers were coming off of a victory vs the Lakers and seemed primed for a letdown. However, Griffin was unstoppable as the Pacers tried without success to throw him off using various defenders. He banked in jump shots, took it to the rim, and posted up with his back to the basket. The result was a career high (and NBA season high) 47 points. I was thoroughly impressed by the way Griffin never seemed to force the action at all. He moved the ball around and only took what was given to him. His efficiency (19-24 from the field) was remarkable. Here is the complete box score from the game:

Box Score

And since I couldn't resist, here are Blake Griffin's top ten dunks of the season. Keep in mind when you watch this, he has only played about half a season in the NBA! There aren't many players in the league who could come up with a highlight tape this impressive for their career.