Basketball from a fans perspective
“Ice water in his veins”
You may be unfamiliar with the headline above the explanation is simple. No matter the time left in the game the player is willing to take a difficult or clutch shot. We can certainly make that statement about Steph Curry especially this season. By the time you read this he may have accomplished the task again but his winning shot against the Thunder was a thing of beauty. I’ve watched it over and over again, Mike Breen during the play by play said; “They (Warriors) do have a time-out remaining decide not to use it Curry way downtown bang bang oh what a shot by Curry with .6 of second remaining.”
There is debate on the distance of the shot it continues to creep slowly upward it’s been reported as anywhere from 28 to 32 feet away from the basket. Let’s just say it was nearer than the distance from Chesapeake Arena to Dell City Oklahoma via I-40E (6.3 miles). If you witnessed it in person or saw it on television the shot was all net. No high bounce and then drop no rolling around the basket in a manner similar to a whirlpool. The shot went in cleanly and my only thought the guy has “ice water in his veins.” He’s unfazed with taking a critical shot to end the overtime game.
Straight outta Compton---I meant college!
With the exception of Larry Brown the success of college coaches in the past has been checkered. We shouldn’t really count Brown as a college coach because he’s coached in the ABA, NBA and college. Based on past history I was skeptical when the Celtics hired Brad Stevens with no past NBA experience, I waited to see how the former Butler coach would adapt. There is no NBA Championship banner hanging in the TD Garden yet but Stevens has adapted and is on his way to re-building the Celtic brand. Last spring the Bulls hired Fred Hoiberg from Iowa State and the Thunder hired Billy Donovan from Florida.
I adopted a wait and see attitude regarding both, I said to myself; “Both have long time experience as college coaches.” Hoiberg and Donovan played in the NBA however Hoiberg’s career was slightly longer than Donovan. Both would later surface as college coaches and successful ones with Billy the Kid winning two NCAA Championships at Florida. The NBA season is almost complete and I’m not sure what to believe about the Bulls or the Thunder. In fairness to both coaches Injuries have impacted their respective teams however it appears Donovan’s Thunder might be the only one to reach the playoffs. If I were issuing grades Donavan receives a C+ and Hoiberg a C.
?????
Two of the most talented but puzzling teams in the NBA met on Wednesday night. The Thunder faced the Clippers in Los Angeles; the game appeared to be well in hand for the home team. With a 20 point lead at stages into the 3rd quarter I had to go to bed the clock was creeping toward 12:00 a.m. in the Midwest. This morning I was surprised to discover the Thunder had blown a 22-point lead, they held the lead into the fourth quarter. I didn’t check the record but believe its source, it’s reported the 76ers lead the NBA in losses after a fourth quarter lead. The second place team is the Thunder, surprised I was.
A second chance?
Michael Beasley was chosen foreign MVP in the Chinese Basketball Association. It figures a call might be coming from the NBA, it came from the Rockets. This transaction may be a good move-bad move development for the Rockets. There is no doubt Beasley has talent and motivated could help the team, on the other hand adding him to the Harden-Howard mix could prove interesting.
He saved the program
Scott Drew saved Baylor basketball; the program had run off a cliff under former Coach Dave Bliss. Drew took over in 2003 and the program was on probation until 2010. Scholarships and recruiting visits were restricted until the year 2007. Somebody might ask did Drew have a screw lose why take over a program in such a mess, I‘ve never read why maybe he wanted the challenge. The first three years of Drew’s tenure Baylor won a total of 21 games while losing 63.
Year four began the turn-around for the program as they finished 15-16. Since the 2007-08 season Baylor has never won less than 21 games the exception was 2010-11 finishing 18-13. That was the only season the team failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. As this is written Baylor is 17-4 and will likely have their ticket punched once again for the “Big Dance.” A salute to Scott Drew a coach who is successful but travels beneath the radar.
