Basketball from a fans perspective

Published Monday through Friday

15 points

How did Kansas win the 2022 NCAA Championship…it was easy? All they had to accomplish was erase a 15-point deficit they faced at the beginning of the second half. I’m being facetious, of course this wasn’t an easy victory, the Jayhawks fought fearlessly and were able to attain the championship with a 72-69 victory. On the other hand, the North Carolina Tar Heels played 20 minutes of incredibly good basketball.

On the other hand, the length of a college basketball game is 40 minutes, this provides you an idea why the Tar Heels despite their start lost the game. The 15-point comeback by Kansas is the largest in NCAA Championship Game History. Congratulations are due Coach Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks. Coach Hubert Davis and his Tar Heels are also due a pat on the back, this team was lost at a point during the regular season. Despite that fact they managed to play good enough basketball down the stretch to compete for the top prize.

Is he correct?

Play by play guy Greg Gumbel was commenting on the huge salaries of broadcasters. He says, “Nobody tunes into the NFL due to the broadcaster.” We could make the same statement regarding NBA broadcasts. Do you turn on your television to witness Mike Breen or Kevin Harlan describe the game, how about this? In the role of analyst is it Doris Burke over Jeff Van Gundy or maybe someone else.

I don’t know about you but for me it doesn’t matter the sport whoever is conducting the play by play or color analyst is an extra. There are broadcasters and analyst in truth who are better than others. We have the same issue in the accounting or marketing department of a corporation one is much better at his or her job than another. It would appear I might be complaining about salary that is not the case, besides the fact it was Gumbel who raised the issue. Gumbel’s bio indicates he’s worked in the industry in some capacity or another since 1973 so he might have a little idea what he’s talking about.

Your choice

As the NBA season winds down which team is the most disappointing, the Nets or Lakers? The Nets have earned a spot in the playoff berth however the Lakers might skip the whole proceedings. The season began with so much promise for both franchises, the “experts” were divided would it be the Nets or Lakers NBA Champions in June. The playoffs have yet to begin however it would be shocking if either team is standing at center court being presented the Lawrence O’Brien Trophy by Commissioner Silver. What happened, let’s check out the Nets first? All season the drama of talented but eclectic Kyrie Irving, injuries to Kevin Durant and others.

Finally, the trade of James Hardin for Ben Simmons, did I mention as of April 2 Simmons is yet to appear on the court. Those are but the highlights for this Nets team which barely earns a playoff berth. Out west we have the Lakers of Los Angeles, LeBron and company. We knew in advance of the season they would be an “old” team; we had no idea how old. In addition, this team was reported to be one of the better defenders in the NBA, we discovered that was not the case this season. Injuries have always been part of the NBA however the absence of Anthony Davis really hurt. An athlete can have all the talent in the world but if you are not on the court...well. Notice I made no reference to the sometimes-erratic play of Russell Westbrook. In conclusion if I were a season ticket holder of either team, I might demand a refund.

No precursor of future success

We often discuss the change in basketball, it’s become a small ball/outside inside game. For the most part the Big Man game no longer exists or is less effective than 10-15 years ago. Big Man basketball will never return to a down-low type of game again…maybe. We introduce to some Jahzare Jackson, he’s a 7-foot 270-pound behemoth. Jackson played his high school basketball at IMG Academy in Florida. Instead of college Jackson chose to go the pro route and is currently playing for newly established Overtime Elite. Don’t expect to see the Big Man in action immediately, Jackson is not eligible for the NBA draft until 2023.

We’ve said over and over the easiest method to describe someone’s game is to compare it with a familiar player. That is the case with Jackson, he plays a power game around the basket and his size alone reminds many of a young Shaquille O’ Neal. That is exactly the case, Jackson at age 18 is the same size and weight of Shaq. YouTube video of him in action is available and from all indications his power game reminds us of a long-ago Shaq. My only negative seeing him in action in the videos he looks a little pudgy around the middle portion but that could change over time. It’s unfair in a sense, at his height and weight he easily intimidates the opposition, if he arrives in the NBA, it will be a different story. There we have it, a thumbnail sketch of Janzare Jackson a coming basketball prodigy.