Last Throwback Thursday, we covered the Top Ten All-Time Dunkers… This week, we move onto the second most popular of NBA highlights. The legendary crossover. No ones likes to be posterized by a dunk, but just as bad, or worse, no one likes to fall on their ass in the middle of an NBA game by getting their feet mixed up and crossed over… in front of thousands of screaming fans. These next few players are the instigators of very many falls and embarrassments.
5. Stephon Marbury – Before he disgracefully disappeared from the New York Knicks and reappeared on the NBA has-been’s all time list, Stephon Marbury had one of the quickest first steps in the NBA, and a crossover that would consistently get him to the basket to either dish it off to a teammate or score. (Usually the latter)
The other day I was reading an interview with Tony Parker that quoted him saying he hoped to play in the NBA for as long as his body will allow him. Right now, he’s 30 years old and arguably having his best season as a pro. He began to express how he looks up to players whose older age has served not as a barrier, but as an obstacle to overcome. Here at HardWoodLife we’d like to remind you there are still a few “Oldtimers” in the NBA who share the same position as Tony Parker, and are still starting on teams and maintaining productivity. Continue reading →
I turn on ESPN this morning and look at the left hand column, the order of stories begin with the Heat and Lakers, then shift over to the Thunder and Bulls. Then to the 8th seeded New York Knicks. Bruce Bowen and his beloved bowtie will be on set breaking down each team and the impact they can have in the playoffs. I wonder where the San Antonio Spurs will rank in all of this? After all, this below-the-radar team in terms of media coverage has silently climbed their way up to the 1st seed out West in this shortened and significantly condensed season with a host of veteran players at their core.
This team continues to stand the test of time. It’s truly how a small market franchise is supposed to be run. They don’t make headlines, and certainly don’t boast about a “Big Three” which they quietly have had for years in Tim Duncan, Tony Parker & Manu Ginobili. They are the most stable franchise in the NBA and that seems to get them neglected when it comes time for SportsCenter.
17 months ago Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger had an idea. They thought that there was a niche in the application world that was wide open.They developed an app and named it Instagram. At that time, there is no way even their highest expectations could have imagined the success that this idea would bring to their lives.With 13 employees and a whole lot of passion, they have suceceded to the point where they recently struck a deal with Mark Zuckerburg and Facebook worth up to $1,000,000,000! For those of you having trouble counting the zero’s, that’s a billion dollars folks. Let’s break this down by the numbers to put it into a little perspective. Instagram has successfully made $60,000,000 per month in the 17 months it has existed and each employee has made $54,000,000 in their first year of employment. It was such a simple concept that led to a truly successful entrepreneurship.
Lamar Odom has given up. That much was clear this past Monday night, when Mark Cuban and co. announced that Odom would be put on the inactive list for the Dallas Mavericks for the remainder of the season, including playoffs. Last year, how many teams would’ve killed to have a guy like Lamar Odom on their squad for the playoffs?! Well, the answer is, how many teams are there in the NBA? Now, things are quite different. Odom, after being so used to the Hollywood Life with his famous for being famous wife and the rest of the Kardashians, moving from the entertainment capital of the world to Texas, is a pretty big leap. That combined with the myriad personal issues he’s going through has transformed Lamar Odom, last year’s 6th man of the year and two-time NBA champion, into a lazy self-centered athlete. He practically lives right across from the Mavericks arena, yet shows up to meetings and practices late, and has not put any effort into improving his game or conditioning. It’s simply inexcusable.
It’s not over till the fat lady sings. We’re nearly 3 weeks away from the 2012 NBA playoffs AKA Spring Christmas. The season has been filled with drama, injuries, trades, and inconsistency stemming from no training camps and a lack of practices. Teams have struggled, gone on runs, and struggled again. However, when it comes time for the playoffs, the slate is wiped clean. Here are a few teams from each conference that once playoffs begin, you just can’t count out…
Eastern Conference –
The New York Knicks – Yes, “Linsanity” has come and gone, but now that Jeremy Lin & Amare Stoudamire are on the bench because of injuries, Carmelo Anthony has taken the weight on his shoulders and is playing ferociously. Personally, we believe the guy is simply unable to play to his potential unless he’s the only star on the floor for his team. That being said, he WILL be the only star come playoff time playing for the Knicks. Yes, Amare is expected back, but his play has dramatically dipped since last season, and it will be even lesser because of the injury and rust he’ll acquire from these past few weeks warming the bench.
As of right now, the Knicks sit at the #7 seed matched up against the #2 seed Heat. The Knicks are 15-2 at home their last 17 games, and winning at home is a key ingredient in the NBA playoffs. I’m not going to go as far as saying NYC can beat Miami in a 7 game series, but you can’t count them out. Since D’Antoni’s departure Melo has finally bought in. And Melo is someone you won’t want to matchup with come the playoffs. Just ask Derrick Rose and the Bulls.
We’ve been getting so much feed back on instagram & Twitter from the Throwback Thursday: Top Ten Dunkers of All Time article that we decided to spoil our fans with this amazing clip of the winner… Vince Carter. Enjoy fans. This video is priceless.
We’re back!!! Thanks for being patient with us fans. We’ve got a ton of articles coming out in junction with the last dozen or so games of the shortened NBA season. We’re starting a new weekly set of articles where every Thursday we Throw It Back to honor past and present players of the NBA.
Dunking in basketball is like scoring a goal in soccer or hockey, catching a touchdown pass in football, or hitting a home run in baseball. It’s what all the fans want to see. It’s the centerpiece of any/all highlight reels, and it’s the biggest WOW factor in the NBA today. Throwing it back some, we’re here to cover what we think are the Top Ten players to ever do it above the rim. The list is mixed with familiar names of the past, and some players still doing it today, enjoy Hardwood Life’s first Throwback Thursday.
10. Clyde Drexler – There’s a reason Clyde Drexler’s nickname is Clyde the “Glide” Drexler. He’s an NBA legend and was arguably MJ’s closest rival at the SG position (If he ever had one) let’s give it up for Clyde who threw down some smooth jams back in his days with the Houston Rockets & Portland Trailblazers.
Hey guys, unfortunately our Social Media team here @ Hardwood Life pulled a Wilt Chamberlain and tried to spread our seed too far and too wide over the Twitter community and in doing so Twitter have deemed us WAY TOO COOL… and naturally suspended our account. Fortunately, we are not guilty of breaking any “twitter laws” and should be up and running ASAP. In the meantime enjoy basketball this week, wet t-shirt contests in Cabo, tequila shots with every girl/guy out of your league, and some nice R&R. We’ll be back with some great new articles once all of the current and future hangovers sufficiently allow our brains to start putting complete thoughts down again. Right now all I can do is enjoy the beautiful California sun. Till next week!
While covering all things NBA on Hardwood Life part-time, my full time job is studying film in San Francisco, CA. In honor of preparing for my mid-term exams, and the potential suicide they may lead to, I’d hate to leave fans wondering what my top ten basketball films were. So, combining my two life passions into one kick-ass article, here are the Top Ten Basketball Movies ever made.
10. The 6th Man (1997) Directed by: Randall Miller Starring: Marlon Wayans, Kadeem Hardison
One of my favorite comedies of the ‘90s when I was a kid, The 6th Man is the story about two college basketball players and brothers chasing a NCAA title together. Antoine (Hardison) is the star while Kenny (Wayans) plays his second in command, much like a Scottie Pippen. However, after suffering an in-game heart attack, Antoine dies. All alone, Kenny becomes lost both on the court and off until Antoine reappears as a ghost to help lead Kenny and his old team as their “6th man” all the way to the finals. And the hilarity ensues. One of Wayans first movies, this movie is the perfect blend of laughs mixed with enough drama to satisfy moviegoers in search of a comedy with a meaningful purpose.
9. Space Jam (1996) Directed by: Joe Pytka Starring: Michael Jordan, The Looney Tunes
If you grew up in the 1990’s one of your favorite movies was Space Jam. If you didn’t know what basketball was, you did after his Airness teamed up with Bugs Bunny; one of the first movies to incorporate live-action with animation, Space Jam was a big time family hit. Featuring a ton of appearances from real life NBA superstars including Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, and all time great, Bill Murray, a band of aliens steal NBA talent in order to beat the Looney Tunes in a basketball game… Until well, Michael Jordan shows up.
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