Basketball from a
fans perspective
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday
May-September
PLEASE NOTE: WORDS EYE VIEW WILL NOT PUBLISH MAY 28
Didn’t see the game
Sorry
cannot give you my spin on Game 5 Celtics-Cavs, I was surprised when I checked
my IPhone and discovered the score. The
Celtics defeated the Cavs 96- 83, I checked the box score and found out LeBron
led the way with 26 points followed by Love with 14. The balance of Cavs scored in single digits
which likely contributed to the loss.
Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics with 24 points, but four other
Celtics were in double-figures, I’m content with my choice with Ben Simmons
being Rookie of the Year. We heard a
great deal of argument indicating Simmons was ineligible (drafted in 2016),
many said Donovan Mitchell of the Jazz should be ROY, how about some love for
Jayson Tatum? I’m going out on a limb,
Celtics win…..Celtics win the series.
Wes Unseld
He
played mostly center during a period most teams had 7-foot athletes at the
position. Unseld stood 6 feet 7 inches the height of several small forwards and some
shooting guards. The stats say he
checked in at 245 pounds but many believe it was much more. He was immovable on the block as he battled
the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Willis Reed and
others. Between Unseld and the late Gus
Johnson few rebounds were grabbed by anyone apart from these two. Unseld spent his entire career with the
Bullets in Baltimore and later with the teams’ move to Washington D.C. He would snatch a rebound off the backboard
and whip it the length of the court to a streaking teammate for an easy
layup.
It was said no one was his equal at tossing
the outlet pass, he was even better than the great Bill Russell. Unseld was never a proficient scorer most of his
scoring consisted of put backs and 10-foot or less baskets. Over the course of his 12-year NBA career he
averaged 14 rebounds and an efficient 3.9 assists an outstanding number for a
center. After Unseld set a pick on you
it was felt it throughout the length of your body. This former Louisville Cardinal was enshrined
in the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Hall of Fame. After his retirement he served as general
manager for a period but is now in education.
He and his wife opened a school in 1979 where he serves as office
manager and basketball coach. Wes Unseld
a name basketball fans should know.
I’m not opposed
Despite
what you might believe I’m not opposed to LiAngelo on the Lakers. Any likelihood the Laker staff believes the
middle Ball brother can aid the team’s growth I’m okay with. A great deal of politicking has been
conducted by the brother (probably orchestrated by dad LaVar Ball) over the
last several weeks. We believe LaVar
Ball thinks he alone was responsible for son Lonzo being drafted by the Lakers. My opposition to LiAngelo on the Lakers comes
in the form of a draft choice to acquire him.
His name is listed on no mock draft sites, in addition talent scouts
claim the 6-foot 5-inch 215-pound LiAngelo Ball might be the least talented of
the three brothers. No, I’m not opposed
to the middle brother becoming a member of the Lakers however it must be strictly
as a free-agent. No wasting a draft
choice even a 2nd round choice on this potential prospect.
They are relatives…who
would have figured?
The
Cavs and Celtics series has an unusual twist to it besides the teams. Seated on both benches at points during the
game are cousins which is unusual. Cavs
coach Tyronn Lue was born in Mexico (MO) but played the major portion of his
high school basketball at Raytown High School in Metro Kansas City. On the other side of the state in St. Louis
Jayson Tatum was growing up watching his cousin play at Nebraska and later in
the NBA. According to the family tree
they provided Lue and Tatum’s fathers are cousins on Lue’s grandfathers side. I would guess this news is now being revealed
because the teams are facing one another in the playoffs.
“Well,
isn’t that special”
Dana
Carvey played several characters while a member of the Saturday Night Live
cast, it’s likely “The Church Lady”
was his most famous role. The Church
Lady would interview guests on her program and when the fictional guest made an
interesting statement she would investigate the television camera and say, “Well, isn’t that special.” We could make the same statement regarding
Evan Yerkes, never heard of him, neither did I until recently.
The
6-foot 3-inch combo guard will be a member of the 2018-19 Mizzou roster, why
was he a secret you ask? He’s a walk-on
at Mizzou, Yerkes reported to have turned down scholarship offers to Division I
and NAIA schools “because he wanted to
play at the highest level.” He broke
numerous scoring records at Victor J. Andrew High School in Tinley Park, Ill, a
Chicago suburb. Yerkes shot 45% from the
3-point line in high school and Cuonzo Martin hopes he can bring that type of
shooting to the Mizzou roster. We all
could say, “Well, isn’t that special”
his 3-point shooting that is.
