NBA Twilight Zone

subota, 30.06.2007.

CRO-BASKETBALL GOES RETRO: Split vs. Real Madrid, 18.00...

FEŠTA KOŠARKE: SPLITSKE GRIPE, 18 SATI
Velikani uživo


Osamdesete su bile godine... tekst je poznate splitske pjesme koji je potpuno pogođen za opis košarkaške manije u Splitu pred današnji ogled veterana Split Jugoplastike CO i Real Madrida.

Ulaznice za spektakularno okupljanje najvećih sinova Gripa svih vremena su najtraženija roba u gradu pod Marjanom (još ih ima), a ipak će tu glavnu ulogu imati generacija koja je triput na prijelazu osmadesetih na devedesete godine prošlog stoljeća bila prvak starog kontinenta.

Kao uvod susretu i programu, koji počinje u 18 sati, na parket Velike dvorane na Gripama istrčat će gotovo svi koji su najzaslužniji za stvaranje muške košarke u gradu pod Marjanom. Pet slavnih generacija "žutih" redom će jedna za drugom biti predstavljene gledateljima.



PRVI EUROPSKI NASLOV - Jugoplastika - Maccabi 1989.
A shock heard 'round Europe. After the success of 1988, FIBA repeated the Final Four formula. Barcelona, Maccabi, Aris and Nashua repeated among the last eight teams. Meanwhile, Scavolini replaced Tracer, Jugoplastika did the same with Partizan, Limoges came instead of Pau-Orthez and CSKA debuted in round before the Final Four. Maccabi finished first (12-2), Barcelona second (11-3), while Jugoplastika and Aris arrived to the FInal Four as the third and fourth qualifiers, both with 8-6. The final tournament was played in Munich, Germany from April 6 to 8. Maccabi beat Aris in the first semifinal with 28 points by Doron Jamchy and 20 each by Kevin Magee and Kenny Barlow. In the second semifinal, Jugoplastika defeated Barca behind 24 points by Toni Kukoc, 21 by Dusko Ivanovic and 18 by Dino Radja. In the big final, and for the second year in a row, favored Maccabi said goodbye to the Final Four without the title. Like Barcelona before, Maccabi surrendered to 24 points from Radja and 18 from Kukoc in the final. The talented youngsters from Split were a revelation.


Prva će istrčati generacija koja je 1963. godine izborila plasman u tadašnju Prvu ligu, zatim momčad koja je 1971. Splitu prvi put podarila naslov prvaka tadašnje države, trofejna generacija "žutih" koja je od 1972.-1977. osvojila šest trofeja, među kojima i dva Kupa Radivoja Koraća, zatim osvajači pet kupova i jednog prvenstva Hrvatske te na koncu trostruki prvaci Europe, koji će se većinom i zadržati na parketu na revijalnoj utakmici.

Konačno je definiran i sastav "žutih", za koje će igrati: Perasović, Sretenović, Kukoč, Naglić, Tabak (jedno poluvrijeme nastupit će i za Real u kojemu je sada pomoćni trener), Naumoski, Rađa, Burić, Ivanović, Vulić, Dukan, Vranković i Tvrdić. Sa klupe će ih voditi Božo Maljković, Željko Pavličević, Petar Skansi i Saša Radović, sin "oca splitske košarke" Branka Radovića.

Spomenuta četvorka dirigirat će "žutima" protiv trideseterostrukih španjolskih i osmerostrukih prvaka Europe, ali palicu će na parketu ipak, kao i u stara dobra vremena, imati playmaker Zoran Sretenović.


Frane Vulas
Slobodna Dalmacija

petak, 29.06.2007.

DRAFT AFTERPARTY: Oden BR.1...TEČAJ STRANIH JEZIKA: Šveđo & Jianlian u klupi

POČETAK JE BIO PREMA SVIM OČEKIVANJIMA...



NBA draft's Winners and Losers


With the green room empty, the heckling fans gone home and the newly minted NBA players wondering if they can return those suits, it's time to take a look back on the winners and losers of Thursday's NBA draft at Madison Square Garden.

WINNER: Portland Trail Blazers – They got Greg Oden. At the end of the day, that's all that really mattered. At the team's draft party, fans stormed the court in celebration of landing an athletic 7-footer who is a supreme defensive talent and an absolutely great guy. This is the start of a great run.

That said, the trade with the New York Knicks was a bit baffling, Portland giving up 20-and-10 machine Zach Randolph to take Stevie Franchise Killer and a sort of stalled-out Channing Frye. Opening things up for LaMarcus Aldridge and eliminating about the last of the Jail Blazers makes sense, but was this the best the Blazers could get? You really want Francis in that locker room?

Is what they have now up front – Oden, Aldridge, Travis Outlaw and Frye – better than if they had gone with Aldridge, Randolph, Outlaw and Kevin Durant? Yes, probably because it is a struggle to play Randolph and Aldridge at the same time, but it's a fair question to ask.

Of course, in the end, it hardly matters. The Blazers are still big winners. Oden is Oden, the franchise is relevant again and Portland has an inside track on a second consecutive Rookie of the Year.

LOSER: Boston Celtics – The trade for Ray Allen was a head-scratcher, even by Danny Ainge standards. Can the Celtics ever trade for a guy not coming off of surgery? Does Ainge know that NBA statutes actually allow this?

Boston gave up the five pick, Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak for another gunner with questionable ankles. Maybe his brain/personality profile fits into Ainge's qualifications. (They also got Glen "Big Baby" Davis, which means buying stock in Bickford's isn't a bad idea right now.)

Perhaps Allen is the "veteran" that will keep Paul Pierce from going Kobe on the franchise and demanding a trade, but it can't be seen as anything but a desperation move by a front office and coaching staff trying to hang onto their jobs.

The ultimate insult is the parade of players who refused to be traded to the winningest franchise in NBA history. The Celtics are the new Clippers, which is almost unbelievable to imagine.

WINNER: Seattle SuperSonics – Not only do they get Kevin Durant, the most exciting player to enter the league Thursday and a future 10-time all-star and highlight-making machine, they also shipped out Allen to get Jeff Green, the big-time scorer from Georgetown, an outside shooter in Szczerbiak and a rotation guard in West. Plus, with Allen gone, they have the money to re-sign Rashad Lewis.

That's a heck of a night for a franchise starting a brand new era. Durant is such a thrilling talent that he may even be able to energize the city and help get an arena built. If not, he'll be a mega-star in Las Vegas, the new-age Sinatra on the Strip. It's a win-win for the Sonics.

LOSER: Los Angeles Lakers – Javaris Crittenton? Yep, that ought to do it. Kobe Bryant is currently wandering Orange County parking lots looking for rogue film crews to tape his latest rant against the franchise.

The Lakers couldn't get Kevin Garnett or any other difference maker that Bryant wanted and if they thought he wanted out of L.A. before, heaven knows what is coming now. Is there really any way he would pull a 180 and show up at training camp as a productive leader eager to help mentor Andrew "Are you kidding me?" Bynum. Agree or not with Kobe, the Lakers needed to do something to solve this problem.

A young and erratic (if gifted) point guard out of Georgia Tech wasn't it. Of course, they did pick up Marc Gasol in the second round. Maybe they can confuse Kobe and make him believe they got Marc's brother, Pau.

At this point, the Lakers need to try something.

WINNER: New York Knicks – Isiah Thomas has been an annual draft night loser, but this was one of the good ones for Thomas, who ditched one past mistake (Francis) and Frye to pick up Zach Randolph, a beast of a low-post scorer.

Now, how Randolph and Eddy Curry coexist down low is a major question, but at least Randolph plays hard. Of course, if he could find trouble in his hometown of Marion, Ind., and then Portland, uh, what's Manhattan going to do to him? And maybe Frye wasn't so bad. So this isn't the greatest night in the franchise's history.

But if nothing else, the move inspired the downtrodden Knicks fan base to foresee a better, brighter day. Then they landed a great athlete in Wilson Chandler.

For the Knicks, that doesn't make them good and doesn't solve all their past mistakes, but it at least makes them a little better.



PORTLAND, OREGON: #1 DRAFT PICK GREG ODEN CELEBRATION...


WINNER: Scores – If the Manhattan gentleman's club was struggling financially, the arrival of Gentleman Zach Randolph can only be hailed as the start of the salad days for working girls and owners alike.

WINNER: Wilson Chandler – OK, the kid entered the draft after two seasons at DePaul with everyone saying he'd be a second-round choice. He then proceeded to work out for no teams and attend no draft camps. "He worked out for no one," said his agent, Chris Grier Luchey. And then the Knicks take him at 23. That is a truly incredible route to the first round.

LOSER: Money picks – The Phoenix Suns are trying to get over the hump and win a NBA title with a brief window (Steve Nash is 33) and now a young big man (Amare Stoudemire) who was deep on the trading block. So they trade the 24th overall pick to Portland for cash. They couldn't get anything that could help? They couldn't pay a little luxury tax?

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors have to ship Jason Richardson – whose high-wire act was perfect for their system and thrilled crowds – to the Charlotte Bobcats for Brandan Wright, who is talented but has consistency and toughness issues. It was all for the money since the Warriors can't pay Baron Davis and J-Rich, but for fans that's a tough thing to deal with. Golden State was more exciting and better before the draft than after.

WINNER: Atlanta Hawks – The Hawks kept their two lottery picks and landed Al Horford, who should be great, and a much-needed point guard in Texas A&M's Acie Law, who is a cold-blooded scorer down the stretch. Two solid picks by the Hawks. Plus they even avoided picking Yi Jianlian even though a part of the team's ownership group has business interests in China, as was reported this week.

WINNER: Mike Conley Sr. – In his first year as a sports agent, the former Olympic triple jump champion and AAU coach had three players (Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr. and Daequan Cook) taken in the top 21 picks. That's a monster haul for a rookie.

Late Thursday, a round table of Armani-clad slime-ball agents gathered to orchestrate his immediate whacking. Try the onion rings, best in the state.

LOSER: Milwaukee Bucks – There were plenty of questions about Yi Jianlian – like, how old is he? 28? – even before the Milwaukee Bucks took him. But Yi's handlers want no part of Wisconsin, preferring a big market with a huge Asian population for their guy. They wouldn't even work out for Milwaukee, a city with just 27,500 Asian-Americans according to the Associated Press.

Yi has no choice, so he'll probably play for the Bucks and learn to love beer, cheese and brats as much as the next guy. Heck, one tour of the Mars Cheese Castle ought to do it (get him the beer bottle-shaped salami or the "Cheddar Christmas Tree"). But taking a guy with so many question marks who may not want to be there to even some degree doesn't seem like such a smart policy.

WINNER: Chicago Bulls – Always one of the most effective franchises on draft night (they never miss), the Bulls landed Joakim Noah who, with his energy and athletic ability, was born to play for Scott Skiles. No, he certainly doesn't solve their low-post scoring issues, but he fits in and will help Chicago immediately by doing all of the little things you need to win games.

WINNER: Florida Gators – They had three picks in the fist nine (Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Noah) plus Chris Richard and Taurean Green, who went in Round 2. That's a great night for the Gators although Billy Donovan was suspiciously absent from the festivities. Either he had flight issues getting to New York or his NBA ban includes the green room. Or he just held a press conference claiming how happy he was to be here and then hurried back to Gainesville.

LOSER: Philadelphia 76ers – The Sixers had three first-round picks and wound up with Thaddeus Young, Jason Smith, Derrick Byars and some "cash considerations." Not terrible but not overwhelming considering the potential of the night.

WINNER: Sean Williams – The Boston College shot blocker was booted off the team in midseason for repeated drug test failures. But he still went No. 17 to the New Jersey Nets, and he should be a great pickup. The good news is the Nets shouldn't have to worry about Williams smoking any more pot because, as we all know, NBA players never do stuff like that. He'll be insulated from the weed culture of America. It's like an alcoholic joining the Mormons. Nothing bad can happen now.

WINNER: Agricultural Leadership – That's what Acie Law majored in at Texas A&M and far be it from us to make fun of the course work at the Harvard of the Brazos River Valley. After all, this Agricultural Leadership student just became a millionaire at the age of 22. But what the heck is "Agricultural Leadership" again? "It's a wide-open field," he said. And he didn't even intend the pun.



KAKO POSTATI PRVI PICK NBA DRAFTA: Glenn Robinson 1994 Purdue Highlights...


WINNER: The Three UMass Fans At The Draft – Here's the beauty of the NBA draft – other than Joakim Noah wearing a bow tie or the screaming at Stephen A. Smith or chanting outrageous things about Duke players.

Deep in the second round just as deputy commissioner Adam Silver announced to a mostly silent theater that with the 46th pick Golden State had selected Stephane Lasme out of UMass, a wild and loud cheer went out. In the stands were three guys wearing UMass basketball cheering, high-fiving and eventually hugging each other in a show of complete jubilation and support because their guy had been chosen.

This was their night. They wait nearly five hours to hear a mostly anonymous player on a mostly anonymous team go No. 46. Then they promptly left.

That, folks, is NBA draft magic right there.


Dan Wetzel
Yahoo! Sports

četvrtak, 28.06.2007.

DRAFT DAY 2007: Good Luck Lukša, Marko & Stanko!!...VUJČIĆ: "Neću igrati na EP"

LUKŠA ANDRIĆ EXTENDED DRAFT DAY MIX...


Za sve vas žedne Draft predviđanja evo jedan link s potencijalnim winnerima/luzerima. Ma kud ćete bolje od NBADRAFT.NETA, kojemu BTW dugujem par izvješća iz zemlje zvane Hrvatska, poznate po dugovima. Sve se više uklapam..

Svi, uključujući i Duranta, na BROJU 1 predstavljali bi iznenađenje. To je mjesto čini se definitivno rezervirano za Odena, iako će T-Blazersi i danas, pod vječitim pritiskom najvećeg draft busta ikada učinjenog, najvjerojatnije promisliti ne dvaput, nego triput prije nego stisnu button..



2007. NBA DRAFT CLASS MIX..


Od ostalih Draft predikcija izdvajam: Yi Jianlian najvjerojatnije u Kaliforniju, Lukša Andrić najvjerojatnije "5 do 12" ala Markota last year, barem 1 srpski igrač u drugoj rundi (ima jedan "mali" iz Pakraca) visoke ocjene žirija za braniče iz NCAA finalista Ohio Statea & Floride. Uhh, umalo zaboravih da je kolega Pakrac prorekao čak 3-5 mid-2-big-D-day-tradeova..

Marko Tomas, 2 years after? Stvarno ne znam..off-the-rec: nadam se da netko od glavnih i odgovornih vidi novog Stojakovića u njemu..

Danas nam se Starbury II vraća iz Velike Jabuke, pa bih zamolio prijatelje i poznanike da ga počastimo sa 24 sata mira i tišine, dok se ne prilagodi na srednjoeuropsku vremensku zonu..

Barem je izbjegao val vrućine u Hrvata..

Go Lukša & Marko!!


Muraya
nba.blog.hr

srijeda, 27.06.2007.

GIRINO "UVJETNO DA" REPKI: Kapetan Nikola Vujčić on the move...

ANDRIĆ DRAFT DAY MIX...

NBA.BLOG.HR

utorak, 26.06.2007.

MICHAEL JORDAN 1988: 50pts vs. Bird's Celtics...Billups officially becomes Free Agent

With the legendary Boston Celtics in town, MJ continued his legacy as the greatest performer against the greatest teams. It is this distinction that has always separated the elite from the greats and MJ from the elite.

The Celtics need no introduction here. Having knocked MJ's young team out of the playoffs in two consecutive years, they yet again took the #1 placing in the eastern bracket. With the best team and Bird in town, MJ would rise again and again.

Answering Bird's silky-smooth set shots throughout the game, Jordan would shoot 59.4% at 19-32 with 1-2 in threes and 11-11 free throws. He added 5 rebounds, 9 assists, 5 steals and 1 block. But of course, it was the way he dominated and carried the game in his usual spectacular fashion that can never be measured.



The Celtics roared back in the second half to cut into the Bulls' early lead. MJ shifted into his top gears and attacked the basket in a way only he could. With one incredible shot after another, he secured the Bulls win and took an early seat onto the bench.

What amazed me most during this era was MJ's ability to get stronger and more energetic as the game entered the 4th quarter. Never settling for jumpers even if he was on, he always attacked the frontline to demoralize the interior defense and sap his opponents strength. MJ was his at his most vicious during these years as an indomitable acrobat and you never knew what he would create next.


BOX SCORE:

Hoopsencyclopedia
Youtube.com

ponedjeljak, 25.06.2007.

WORKOUT TIME: Portland still undecided on Oden vs. Durant?? I don't think so...

KOGA BISTE VI IZABRALI?? GREG ODEN WORKS OUT FOR T-BLAZERS..


NBA DRAFT 2007. BITI ILI PITI: ODEN ILI DURANT WITH 1st PICK??
Portland has enviable position of choosing between 2 talents


E-mails arrive for Portland Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard reading simply "honk" or "honk, honk."

They come from fans weighing in on whom the Trail Blazers should take with the first pick of this week's NBA draft. Franchise officials have embraced the alluring but agonizing choice, putting up billboards around the city that ask drivers to beep their horns once for Ohio State center Greg Oden and twice for Texas forward Kevin Durant.

The Blazers did not indicate which way they were leaning heading into Thursday's draft in New York. "There is no consensus" among the team's brass, Pritchard said.

"We're not ready to make a choice right now," he said. "We owe it to this organization to make the best choice, not the immediate choice."

These teenagers who turned pro after one year in college are widely viewed as future stars who can make an immediate impact on a franchise. Each worked out for the team last week.

Portland's good fortune of landing the No. 1 pick in a year when the top of the draft is so strong has turned fans giddy after several down years led many to lose enthusiasm.

An unscientific poll on the Blazers.com Web site showed Oden with 75 percent of the vote as of Sunday.

Oden would be the top pick of many teams because franchise centers are rare. The Blazers, who already have 6-foot-9 Zach Randolph and 6-foot-11 LaMarcus Aldridge, could be one of the few in a position to favor Durant.

After getting a late start his freshman year because of a wrist injury, the 7-foot Oden led the Buckeyes in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (9.6) and topped the Big Ten in shooting percentage (.616).



NEW GARNETT??? KEVIN DURANT WORKS OUT FOR BLAZERS...


Ohio State went 35-4 and won the conference's regular season and tournament titles before advancing to its first NCAA final since 1962, where the Buckeyes lost to two-time champion Florida. In the title game, Oden had 25 points and 12 rebounds.

The 6-9 Durant, The Associated Press Player of the Year, was the only player in the country to average more than 25 points and 10 rebounds.

He shot 47 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range and 82 percent from the foul line. He led the Longhorns in steals and blocked shots and scored at least 30 points a Big 12-record 11 times.

Each player downplayed the significance of going No. 1.

"It would be an honor for me," Durant said. "But I'm just blessed to be in this position. I'm not going to be picky."

After his workout with Portland, Oden was asked whether he likened himself more to Shaquille O'Neal or Bill Russell. Without hesitation, he answered, "Russell."

"Ten fingers, 11 rings," he explained.

Durant said he tries to emulate Dirk Nowitzki.

"But I know I'm nowhere as near as good as Dirk," he said.

Oden displayed his quick wit when asked what would happen if Portland doesn't select him.

Kidding aside, he added: "I would be a little disappointed because it's starting to grow on me. The trees. I love it out here."



NEUTRALNO LOTTERY RJEŠENJE: KINEZ YI JIANLIAN JE GADNO ZAPEO ZA OKO WARRIORSIMA, KOJI DRŽE 18. PICK, PA BI U OAKLANDU NA POMOLU MOGAO BITI TRADE. RAČUNICA JE JEDNOSTAVNA: ČAK JEDNU TREĆINU POPULACIJE BAY AREAe ČINE KINEZI...


Then again, it's all but certain both players will wind up in the Pacific Northwest, with Seattle picking second. Oden would get his trees, either way.

"You never know. Kevin's working out, he's working hard, too. Everybody else is working hard," Oden said. "You never know -- they might throw a curveball and draft somebody from Germany."


ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer

nedjelja, 24.06.2007.

MORE RARE CLIPS: Split vs. Patizan 1988., Notre Dame vs. Virginia 1981.

FINALE YU-PRVENSTVA 1988. JUGOPLASTIKA vs. PARTIZAN..


Funny how closely Yugoslav political history and basketball annals in that snakebit part of the world track each other.

The Nazis attacked Belgrade on April 6, 1941. Bosna Sarajevo won Yugoslavia's first European club championship on April 6, 1979. The first shots in the war in Bosnia were fired on -- you guessed it -- April 6, 1992. So why wouldn't we reach one more milepost for hoops in the Balkans on another day marinated in historical meaning?

Let the record reflect that date as June 28. Last Thursday was the day Slobodan Milosevic was spirited off to the Hague hoosegow. It was the 612th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo Polje that the Serb strongman exploited in his rise to power. It was the 87th anniversary of the Austrian archduke's assassination in Sarajevo that touched off World War I. And it was the eve of the arrival of 50 kids, ages 12 to 14, drawn equally from the five successor states of the former Yugoslavia, who gathered here for Basketball Without Borders, a collaborative effort of the United Nations, the NBA and FIBA.

The plan: Take the kids, assign them to teams regardless of nationality, and have them bunk in with their new mates. Nine pros from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and the Serbian and Montenegrin leftovers of Yugoslavia came, too -- to teach the game, yes, but also to teach lessons in leadership and tolerance and how to stand up to peer pressure. Among the counselor-coaches were Vlade Divac of the Sacramento Kings and Toni Kukoc of the Atlanta Hawks, two men who have had bouts with peer pressure that no one should have to endure.

Together, Divac, a Serb, and Kukoc, a Croat, had won for a united Yugoslavia a world junior title in 1987, a world senior crown in 1990, and -- in their last stand together, just as months of tensions were to erupt in a shooting war -- the European championship that was to be their shared country's last hoops honor. Some 200,000 people died in the civil wars of the intervening decade; another three million lost their homes. International courts of justice are still trying to sort out exactly what happened, and peacekeepers are on the ground to ensure that nothing like it ever occurs again. A typical Croat needs no ruling from the Hague to hold a grudge against a Serb, and most Serbs feel the same way about their former countrymen.



VERY VERY RARE CLIP: 1981 NOTRE DAME vs. #1-RANKED VIRGINIA: u petorci Fighting Irisha - John Paxson, Kelly Tripucka, Orlando Woolridge, Joe Kleine..


Not so long ago, if they had wanted to maintain their friendship, neither Divac nor Kukoc could do so publicly without being held accountable back home. In 1996 it was all so fresh that Kukoc ruled out ever again playing basketball with the Serbs who had once been his friends and teammates. "Too much has happened," Kukoc told me back then. "Too many people have been killed."

Cut to last Saturday morning. When Kim Bohuny of the NBA took roll in the breakfast room at the players' hotel, she came up one short. The notoriously late-sleeping Divac was missing. She dispatched Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Igor Kokoskov, who was a volunteer here, to rouse him.

Kukoc, who still knows Divac as well as any option in Phil Jackson's triangle offense, watched the scene with bemusement. "Nothing's changed," he said. "I know what his excuse will be. 'I didn't hear the phone ring.' Or, 'No one knocked on my door.' It's typical Vlade -- the guy I remember from 10 years ago when we were roommates."

To Kukoc, Divac was still recognizably Divac. And to Divac, Damjan, a 14-year-old from Zagreb, was just a kid, not a Croatian kid -- and last weekend Divac was his coach, playfully palming his head during a drill.

Even as religion, ethnic background and alphabets divided the denizens of the old Yugoslavia, basketball has always bound them together. During breaks in the negotiations that led to the Dayton Accords, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, the delegates would adjourn to Packy's, the base's sports bar. There the Croatian representatives convened when Kukoc's Chicago Bulls were playing, and the Serbs did the same when Divac and his Los Angeles Lakers were on the satellite. Last weekend's event so impressed U.N. secretary general Kofi Annan's special advisor on sport for development and peace, former Swiss president Adolf Ogi, that the United Nations may again team up with the NBA and FIBA. Next season the NBA is likely to count two Greeks and two Turks on its rosters, and Greece and Turkey are two more longtime antagonists whose citizens share a basketball jones.

To be sure, the weekend revealed that there's still work to be done. Asked where he was from, one Basketball Without Borders camper said "Republika Srpska" and another offered up "Sarajevo." When both say "Bosnia and Herzegovina," we'll know the lessons taught here will have taken. But in the camp final on Monday, moments after the Pacers team of real-life Indiana forward Zan Tabak beat the Divac-coached Kings, two Bosnian guards on the victorious side -- Milan, a Serb from Banja Luka, and Nenad, a Muslim from Zenica -- wrapped each other in an uncontrived, unforced hug.



NA NOTRE DAMEU JE PONIKAO I DAVID RIVERS..


All eyes are on the U.N. court in Holland, where the world is trying to come to terms with the Balkans' past. But it was another U.N. court that last weekend tried to set right that region's future course. All props to Divac and Kukoc, once estranged by circumstances far beyond their control, for setting so good an example by coming here.


Alexander Wolff
Big Game, Small World:
A Basketball Adventure 2002.

subota, 23.06.2007.

RARE CLIPS: Here come the Spurs...15 years ago!!

1992 BULLS @ SPURS - FIRST HALF 1.28.92.


In the intro piece you see a fight from the first game. David Robinson has a spectacular first half with 7 credited blocks, a steal and dunk off a MJ pass, and all around domination of the lane.

MJ with his usual athletic moves, smooth jumpers, and dunks, gets blocked by DR 2 or 3 times though.

Pippen with a huge dunk (think Vince Carter over the French guy), driving floater in the lane, and general mastery of the game.

Sean Elliot doing his best Pippen impersonation with some great scores and moves.

Terry Cummings with some solid jumpers and finished as the Spur leading scorer with 30, TC was one of the best PFs in NBA History, IMO.

Antoine Carr with a thunder dunk and a special play in the second quarter

Other players showing game include BJ Armstrong, Stacy King and Vinnie Johnson - Baylor !

There is some video of Spur coach Bob Bass who was coaching just his 4th game with the help of his disciple, Greg Popovich.

SA was up by as much as 18 in the first half. End of first quarter score 31-23 SA. Halftime score 55-46 Spurs .




1992 BULLS @ SPURS SECOND HALF


The 3rd quarter saw DRob pick up 4 fouls in just this quarter, but he did have a spectacular dunk off the roll. MJ kept his aggressive push to the bucket and was helped by Paxson in keeping the bulls in the game. MJ and T.Cummings kept trading buckets for a while in the 3rd quarter with Elliot showing a freak jam off the rim.

During the play, the future SA coach is discussed with names such as Tom Penders mentioned. You can imagine the Spurs today coached by TPenders, eh?

The game is tight all the way thru the end and an MJ bucket makes it 101-98. MJ dished to Horace Grant to make it 101-100. Strickland hits an easy midrange J for a 103-100 lead which is followed by an MJ drive to make it 103-102. Willie Anderson steps up big and hits a MJ-Byron Russel shot over MJ ! 105-102.

The Bulls fight hard and Pip has a putback to make it 105-104. Then comes the most important play of the game as Robinson gets a layup in transition to make it 107-104. Man, the transition defenses in those days were lousy, even with 2 great defensive teams.

Down 3, MJ makes a poor choice and passes it up w the teammate unable to convert. Elliot is fouled and makes both, 109-104.

Gov. Richards spotted in the audience as MJ takes a long 3 , hoping to get 5 pts out of it, but bricks it and SA takes a very exciting game.

MJ finishes with 39pts, 9 rebs, 7 assts and 4 steals. Pippen has 21 pts, 10 boards and 5 assts.

Terry Cummings with 30pts and 11 boards, a great game for one of the best PFs in NBA history.DRobinson with 21, 13 rebounds, 8 blocks and 3 steals. Elliot with a solid game at 18pts

Notice that the Spurs only took 8 3ptrs and made only 1; Bulls only tried 6 the whole game and made 2. Each team with over 90 FG Attempts. 23 total blocks in the game!


VideoLonghorn
Youtube.com

petak, 22.06.2007.

PARKET vs. ASFALT: Mance (Cibona) vs. Dodo (Zapad), Sv.Juraj kod Senja u 19.00..

CROATIAN ADRIATIC: SVETI JURAJ KOD SENJA..


Stigao je i taj Trenutak istine..

Kralj asfalta je dočekao svoju šansu u 1-on-1 dvoboju s članom ekipnog prvaka Hrvatske za 2006/07.

O ovom high-profile dvoboju se u sjeni šuškalo već mjesecima, te se nadamo da će čelnici našeg euroligaškog kluba imati sluha za ovu jedinstvenu promociju košarke. Moramo Mancea održati još malo aktivnog prije ljetne kibernacije, pogledajte samo Ayusa koji „žari i pali“ puertoricanskim parketima (24.5 poena, 45% za tricu)..


vs.

Sve je poznato: meč se održava u danas, 22.06.2007. u 19h. Mjesto održavanja: Sveti Juraj kod Senja. Prestižne engleske kladionice William Hill, Ladbrokes, Bet365 već su izišle sa koeficijentima za ovaj prestižni meč - nevjerojatno ali istinito po tipovanosti ovaj meč je čak ispred finala lige prvaka Milan-Livepool.

Vrijedi istaknuti da će Marijan Mance prije samog meča istrčati onoliko kilometara koliko Dodo uspije popiti 0.5 Ožujskih, a to je više nego nekoliko..

Snimka samoga meča biti će dostupna već idući tjedan na Yubitu. Molimo gospodina Mancea da nam izađe u susret i posudi kameru!!


Stipe
KK Zapad

četvrtak, 21.06.2007.

37 DEGREES IN SHADE: Chris Warren TOMAHAWKS one over Todor Gečevski...

SAMO ZA DAVOROVE OČI: CHRIS WARREN TOMAHAWK DUNK..


..Čvrsti Portland cement, Betoniranje..

Slavko Cvitković
HTV+

srijeda, 20.06.2007.

CALIFORNIA BASKETBALL: Reggie Theus to coach Kings, Kobe24 leaving Lakers???

KOBE BRYANT - THE WONDERING LAKER..


So now we have Kobe Bryant trashing teammates and management alike on some covert amateur commando video.

This coming after a statement on his Web site spoke of continued dissatisfaction with the direction of the Los Angeles Lakers and a new interest in being traded. Which came after Bryant flew to Barcelona to meet with owner Jerry Buss and, according to the Los Angeles Times, figured out he still wanted to be dealt.

All of this, of course, comes in the wake of his Memorial Day weekend schizophrenic radio tour where he alternated claiming he would never play for the Lakers again and affirming his commitment to winning a fourth title in L.A.

You follow all of that?

What a couple of weeks this has been, even by Kobe standards.

Slowly but surely, day after day, bizarre act after bizarre act, he keeps hurting only himself. All of the goodwill, good soldier, good teammate stuff that he painstakingly built up after Colorado is eroding with each passing episode.

It's not that what Bryant keeps saying is all that incorrect – it's that he keeps finding worse and worse ways of saying it.

Web site open letters? Radio flip flops? And now some strange rant in a shopping center parking lot, mouthing off to a couple of strangers whom he may or may not have known were filming him? Was this really the best place to rip teammate Andrew Bynum and general manager Mitch Kupchak?

Bryant is essentially correct about this entire deal. He is the most talented player in the NBA and in his prime at 29, and the Lakers have done little to surround him with enough talent to compete for a championship, especially in the brutal Western Conference. This isn’t the easy breezy East where LeBron James can reach the finals with similarly average support.

Kupchak has been bad. Just about every Lakers fan wishes Jerry West was still running the team. The idea that L.A. used a lottery pick on Bynum, a high school project in 2005, was questionable enough, but the idea that they wouldn’t pursue Jason Kidd because they wanted to keep him?

"Are you kidding me?" asks Bryant in the video.



Michael Jordan 1998 Playoffs: Gm 3 Masterpiece Vs. NJ, 38pts: This is one of my favorite performances from MJ. This was MJ portraying his complete mastery of the game. 35 year old MJ had his Bulls up 2-0 against the young and athletic NJ Nets. With his year-long shooting hand injury, MJ was shooting a 'poor by his standards' 44% in those two games (although he was averaging 35.5ppg). With NJ facing a sweep, they were determined to play hard, scrappy and desperately. But MJ lived for these moments and elevating his game during these times was his trademark. Facing a 'closing' situation, MJ chose to lock into his Yoda mode - yet again.


Well, are they?

The thing is, if Bryant had an ounce of savvy, he could have spun this completely to his advantage. When the truth is on your side, when your core argument is that you just want to win, you shouldn’t come out looking like the bad guy – petulant, power hungry, ungrateful and unstable.

But what everyone is seeing is an irrational tantrum, stranger and stranger each time. And Bryant sure isn’t helping himself get traded. The past three weeks have done nothing to convince a contender to gamble on him, an owner to believe in him, a fan base to trust him. His handling of this has been career suicide – burning bridges on both sides of the island.

What a disaster and no amount of Phil Jackson talks are going to settle it down. Bryant’s true feelings are evident. His desire to get out of L.A. is real; it wasn’t just frustration and emotion talking. The temporary backtrack was the emotion – guilt, loyalty, embarrassment, whatever.

At this point, the Lakers are going to have to actually consider the unthinkable: trading him.

Buss understandably wants no part of that. Or at least he didn't three weeks ago. He banked the franchise on Kobe and dealt Shaquille O'Neal for what has amounted to little. He can't now give up Bryant for what will assuredly be below market value.

First off, the list of potential destinations dwindles by the day. Second, even a sound basketball trade can't replace the star power of Kobe. In L.A., you can’t sell three dimes for a quarter. The fans want the bright lights guy. Bryant, no matter what, remains that.

But he is also a wild card, a wild child and no one knows what he'll do next. One time, when he was getting criticized for shooting too much, he pouted and stopped shooting, passed the ball every single time like a wise-guy fifth grader.

If he doesn't want to be in L.A. next season, he can sabotage things in a million different ways. Really, at this point, do you put anything past him?

Bryant is a spectacular talent who has a deep desire to win, to compete, to get his front office and ownership to help make it happen.



Michael Jordan 1991 Playoffs: Gm 3 Vs. Sixers, 46pts: This was great performance by MJ that came with a tough loss. Ready to sweep the Sixers in Round 2 of the 1991 Playoffs, MJ switched to 'closer' mode and started to attack the basket. With 7-7 Manute Bol in the middle and Barkley powering the lane, MJ attacked even more. Even with tendinitis and a leg injury on top of that in the 2nd half, MJ's ability to continually raise his game and finish around the rim during these years was something the league never has experienced nor ever will experience again.


But he has no idea how to tell them that. No idea at all. He just keeps thinking of the newest wrong way. And so it keeps getting worse, for the franchise, for the franchise players.

First a radio tour, now a bootleg internet video?

Are you kidding me?

Dan Wetzel
Yahoo! Sports

utorak, 19.06.2007.

2007 DRAFT WITHDRAWALS: Hibbert, Rush, TOMIĆ...WORKOUT: Andrić u Milwaukeeju...

DUBROVNIK, CROATIA: Home of the best Croatian Big Man..


Dakle,

Posredsvom kolega Pakraca (Superkošarka) & Iggypopa (nba.blog.hr) došao sam do informacije da je Ante Tomić odustao od NBA Drafta 2007!! Iako informacija još nije u potpupnosti provjerena, neki neimenovani izvori špekuliraju da su našega Antu zadesile brige srodne onima high-projected-lottery-picka Kevina Duranta koji se preplašio natjecanja u dizanju utega s vršnjacima..

No, bilo kakve paralele između Tomićevog odustajanja i odustajanja njegovog ex-kolege MTomasa 2005., at this very moment barem iz moje perspektive izgledaju neutemeljeno. Radi se o totalno drugačijem profilu igrača, backgroundu, upsideu, manageru i ostalome..



PIŠI MI BRATE...MUZIKA, STOPPP!!


Kada bi Dubrovačka republika imala svoju repku vrlo vjerojatno bi kotirala bolje nego Dubrovačka pomorska flota nekada. Pozdrav mom frendu Divu iz Pule, ali ga moram izvijestiti da je informacija koju je zaprimio od Lukše Andrića u Ciboninom passageu netočna. Naime, naš će se Div iz Dubrovnika umjesto na odmor na more, otisnuti put Velikih jezera, u krajeve gdje je nekada vladao nepobjedivi komadant Mark, a danas vlada komadant Markota a.k.a. Gotovina..

Ipak za vjerovati mu je kada kaže da se vraća around 30.06., nakon što eventualno bude izabran u drugoj rundi Drafta. Neke NBA franšize, u trenucima dok nisu u nedoumici tko je Br.1, već aktivno pripremaju svoje fanove na eventualno Andrićevo prisustvo:



Andrić kao back-up Odenu & Aldridgeu?? Why not???

Kruh gladnima, Voda sitima!!

Muraya
NBA.BLOG.HR

ponedjeljak, 18.06.2007.

PRVACI HRVATSKE 2006/07: CIBONA ZAGREB...

CROATIAN BASKETBALL CHAMPION 2006/07: CIBONA ZAGREB..


KULTURA I ŽIVOT
Zašto je za HTV hrvatska košarka neželjena poput pornofilmova?

Prvi put HTV bez prijenosa utakmice finala košarkaškog prvenstva


Kad čovjek malo bolje razmisli, postaje mu jasno koliko je naša javna televizija bila u pravu kad je pučanstvu uskratila prijenos treće utakmice finalne serije košarkaškog doigravanja između Cibone i Zadra.

“Katedrala duha” potvrdila je istančan njuh za izbjegavanje nećudorednih sadržaja i ponudila je neutralne “Teletubbiese” umjesto hardcorea. Kad na našu državnu i javnu televiziju ne mogu najpoznatiji pastusi planetarne pornoindustrije, onda definitivno ne bi smio ni Zadar, kad ne mogu silikonske ljepotice napućenih usana i izbrijanih međunožja, ne bi smjela ni Cibona.

Ako se “Posljednji tango u Parizu” emitira debelo iza ponoći, onda se ni ovaj susret, pogotovo, nije smio emitirati u ranom poslijepodnevnom terminu. Hrvatske majke, vizionarstvom HTV-a, nisu bile u situaciji da hrvatskoj djeci pokrivaju rukama oči kako im ne bi ostale fleke na neizgrađenoj psihi, zbog kojih će se poslije u životu buditi usred noći uplakana, počesto u mokrim krevetima.

Zadar, pastuh, i Cibona, lepojka, pokazali su se kao uigrana kombinacija iz spavaće sobe, uostalom nisu se prvi put susreli u ovom serijalu, dobro znaju mogućnosti partnera.



SECOND COMING of MIKE JAMES IN HOUSTON. Ovih dana bi u Houston trebao doći i Carl English koji se jučer totalno šuterski obrukao..


Kod promijene poze, čak Rocco Sifredi nije ni trebao reći “okreni se, dušo”, sve se događa laganim udarcem ruke po zategnutom bedru i naša Silvia Saint poslušno klekne, savijajući leđa i dižući stražnjicu, na zadovoljstvo muškog dijela općinstva. Žene, kao i uvijek, licemjerno uzdahnu i pitaju “moramo li ovo gledati”, a muškarci, dubokim i promuklim glasom, kažu “pusti, da vidimo hoće li se na kraju uzeti...”

Ako želite personalizirati ovu maštariju, izvolite, ima tu likova koji bi, razvojem događaja na terenu, sasvim pristojno mogli naći svoje uloge u castingu za domaći pornić pod naslovom “Zadar does Zagreb”, radi se zapravo o remakeu onog prastarog “Debbie does Dallas”.

Problem je, naravno, u tome što još “ne znamo hoće li se glavni glumci vjenčati na kraju balade”, još će tu biti mijenjanja partnera i poza... A HTV, zaboga, ima ozbiljnu namjeru u utorak se ponovo uključiti u to...

Pa dajte, ljudi, odustanite dok još ima vremena, kao što ste u petak odustali od subotnjeg prijenosa. Sigurno ima neka dobra alternativa u arhivi, labudovi s maksimirskih jezera, recimo. Ja ću sigurno gledati, nadam se i uživati, ako partneri ne prijeđu na sado-mazo, ali siguran sam da program opet neće biti za dječje oči. Ako prijenosa ipak bude, barem stavite ono “nije za mlađe od 18 godina”.

Zoran Čutura
Jutarnji list

nedjelja, 17.06.2007.

SUMRAK CRO-KOŠARKE: Tornado izbjegnut kvarom na 24$-$emaforu?

OVO JE SMIJEŠNO...


Završna utakmica finalne serije prvenstva Hrvatske u košarci između Cibone i Zadra zbog kvara na jednom od semafora odgođena je za 24 sata, odnosno do nedjelje u 20:15 sati.

Nakon što je u Zadru uoči prošle utakmice već organizirana proslava naslova prvaka, a Cibona iznenadila domaćine i izborila odlučujuću, petu utakmicu u Draženovom domu, cirkus se nastavlja.

Uoči susreta jedan od semafora smještenih iznad table, koji odbrojavaju 24 sekunde napada, pokvario se. Prema pravilima, da su se klubovi dogovorili utakmica se mogla odigrati i bez semafora, što bi značilo da će u svakom poluvremenu prednost imati momčad koja napada na stranu na kojoj semafor radi.

Zadar je na to pristao, ali pod uvjetom da se zamijene strane, odnosno da oni napadaju na stranu gdje radi semafor u drugom poluvremenu, a Cibona u prvom. Tako bi Cibosi u prvom poluvremenu vidjeli koliko im je vremena preostalo za napad, dok bi u drugom tu prednost imali gosti.

Cibona je taj prijedlog odbila, a službeni je spiker zahvalio šokiranim gledateljima u gotovo punoj dvorani, njih 3-4 tisuće, te objavio kako će utakmica biti odigrana u nedjelju.

"Ne radi jedan semafor 24 sekunde. Svi igrači, rukovodstvo, predsjednik našeg kluba željeli su bez obzira na to igrati. Igrači i rukovodstvo Cibone također žele da se utakmica igra, a to ne želi samo jedan čovjek - trener Cibone Dražen Anzulović."- ogorčeno je izjavio trener Zadra Aleksandar Petrović na konferenciji za medije nakon utakmice, dodavši kako se radi o dosad neviđenom presedanu.



CIBONA vs. ZADAR, GAME 5, 2005/06 FINALS by HAKLER S CVJETNOG (83MB)..


No, Anzulović je odbio igrati utakmicu u kojoj bi Cibona imala prednost u prvom, a Zadar u drugom dijelu: "Mi smo ipak ovdje domaćini. Aco je htio promijeniti strane, tako da mi drugo poluvrijeme igramo bez semafora. Mi smo tu domaćini i cijelu sezonu igramo na istim stranama i mislim da je hrvatsko prvenstvo zaslužilo da se igra u regularnim uvjetima za obje ekipe. Žao mi je zbog gledatelja, ali utakmica je odgođena zbog tehničkog kvara, nije do nas".

Nakon drame u četvrtoj utakmici, propalog slavlja naslova prvaka u Zadru, Petrovićevih napada na suca nakon poraza Zadra te medijske oluje koju je podigao Tornado zbog nedostupnosti ulaznica za petu utakmicu u Zagrebu, priča je zbog tehničkih poteškoća dobila još jedno poglavlje, a svršetak ćemo (nadamo se) vidjeti u nedjelju.

Direktor Cibone Bože Miličević na konferenciji za medije se još jednom ispričao zbog kvara semafora, dodavši kako će igračima i sucima biti plaćen smještaj do sutra, ali i da će nadoknaditi dio troškova Tornadu.

Objašnjeno je i kako je alternativa bila isključivanje drugog semafora, kako bi oba kluba bila jednako hendikepirana, ali na to ni jedan klub nije htio prestati. Najbliži semafor kompatibilan s onima u Draženovom domu je u dvorani ljubljanske Olimpije (?????) te će do sutra biti dopremljen u Zagreb.


Crosports
Youtube.com

_________________________



I'LL BE BACK, DANNY BRING ME SOME HELP AT ONE..


Some week..

Nisam stigao ispratiti niti jedno (nezanimljivo) NBA finale..

Svaka čast kolegi Tomislavu Pakracu koji je prije početka finalne serije prognozirao:

Cavsi su se očito preiscrpili Pistonsima, te igranjem bez shot-clocka u trećoj utakmici finala Istoka. Sada razmišljaju o dovođenju boljeg komplementarnog šutera do Daniela Gibsona, spominje se Mike Bibby, makar je tek riječ o početku potrage.

LHughes je blizu izlaznih vrata..



Već smo gore spomenuli shot-clock..

Ne sjećam se kada je NBA finale završilo ranije od cro-finala, čak i ako izuzmete Parkerovu žurbu na vjenčanje. T, Tko će biti Kum??

Vratimo se na cro-verziju priče shot-clocku. Ipak nam je svima jasno da publika u ovom sportu često zna biti “šesti igrač”, pogotovo u ključnoj utakmici nekog finala. Three-pointer:


1) Jako puno Zadrana je bacilo karte, jako puno ih se vratilo u Zadar. Ako je to istina Tornado je vrlo vjerojatno (ili slučajno ili namjerno) transferiran u uragan..

2) Manja medijska eksponiranost, nekakva F1-nogometno-košarkaška TV kombinacija je ono što pogoduje netransparentnosti u ovom slučaju. Znate o čemu govorim, zar ne??

3) Najbliži kompatabilni semafor je bio u Ljubljani?? Somehow hard to believe..


On the other side, da sam ja na Zulinom mjestu učinio bih isto. Karte zaista nisu bile dobro podijeljene, da je Zula kojim slučajem prvi rekao “DA” sklon sam vjerovati da bi Aco rekao “NE”…

Da su se Zuli sviđale ostale karte u špilu vrlo vjerojatno bi predložio da se ukloni i drugi semafor te se utakmica odigra u neregulanim uvjetima za obje ekipe..

Rezultat takvog događaja bio bi nogometnog karaktera, pa i u tom vidim povoda za Vladovićev akt. Da je Jura Ozmec znao da će Vladović prošetati “bubamaru” kamere bi gotovo sigurno ostale uključene. Zamislite, nogometna tekma Cibona vs. Zadar, u vrijeme kada ZG Dinamo najavljuje izlazak iz erste cro-lige. H-I-T..

Ovako se dio TV-gledateljstva morao prikloniti pristalicama predsjednika Busha i izviditi što se zaista dogodilo kod Alamoa, mnogo godina prije slučajnog prolaska LeBronovih vitezova..

Što se medijske popraćenosti košarke u ovom trenutku tiče, dogodilo se najbolje. Jedan (ne)običan prekid ispunio je novine, TV, barove, internet. Ali nažalost radi se samo o zadnjoj utakmici našega prvenstva, već su skoro svi zaboravili jednog & jedinog Ayusa..


Što dalje?

Onima koji su sačuvali karte preporučujem odlazak na utakmicu, Zadrani će sigurno zagristi 110%, iako su neka zapaženija imena iz njihovih redova jučer vrlo kasno viđena u ZG središtu kako kupuju današnje novine (?)



Koliko kasno? Moj ekskluzivni izvor Div iz Pule još se nije probudio at this time point..

Vidio je i Šveđu kako izlazi iz oldtimer-taksija...

Zoran Planinić se s djevojkom odlučio za Thompsona, te je pokis’o do kože (odlična fotka u današnjem Večernjaku)...

Bagara je viđen dan prije u elitnom restoranu na Cmroku, u sjajnoj bijelo 'šulji...

Gira i Kapetan Nikola are about to announce svoje sudbonosno "DA" zajedničkom povratku pod reprezentativne krovove. Nadam se da ostali iz Družine neće imati ništa protiv (EP je na rasporedu početkom rujna)..

Jasko, inzistiraj na obrani first, a lopte u napadu na najveći postojeći mis-match na terenu, pa da vidimo tko Nas takve ima (provjerite petorku):



Samo me nemojte pitati zašto se Mr.Gotovina nije odazvao na B-reprezentativni poziv. Ne odaziva se niti meni..

Novac Bogatima, Vrijeme Siromašnima!!

Muraya
NBA.BLOG.HR

četvrtak, 14.06.2007.

PARKERU SE ŽURI NA SVADBU: LeBron James na 37% šuta...

Hey what's up everybody.

I know people hate mass e-mails, but im just sending this out to let everyone know my website is back up. (refresh with F5) I'm still workin out a few bugs, but you should be able to see the images just fine.

I'll be uploading some more pics and ads soon so let me know what you think or if you have a job for me! Hahaha. Take care and hope to talk to you all soon.

Leon

______________________________________



ROBERT HORRY: THROUGH THE YEARS..

Stvarno sam u nevjerojatnoj gužvi ovaj tjedan, nadam se da ću stići na Cibona vs. Zadar u subotu. Traži se karta više..

Kao što vidite iz naslova Parkeru se stvarno žuri na zasluženi odmor prije 7.7. A čak 7 prstenova sjalilo bi se na rukama veterana Roberta Horrya u slučaju večerašnje pobjede Mamuza u Clevelandu...

Ne vjerujem da će LeBronu pomoći i zanos rođenjem njegove najnovije prinove, Brycea Maximusa Jamesa. Štoviše radi se o još jednom razlogu više za prijevremeni godišnji odmor..

Muraya
NBA.BLOG.HR

srijeda, 13.06.2007.

CIBONIN PLES NA ŽICI: sa -10 na kraju 3. četvrtine do +1 u Jazinama...

Košarkaši San Antonio Spursa u trećoj su utakmici finala doigravanja NBA lige sa 75-72 (16-18, 24-20, 15-12, 20-22) svladali domaće Cleveland Cavalierse, te poveli sa 3-0 u pobjedama, došavši tako na korak do osvajanja trećeg naslova prvaka u posljednjih pet godina.

Za naslov Spursima nedostaje još jedna pobjeda.

Na utakmici u Clevelandu, koja po neefikasnosti dolazi na drugo mjesto u povijesti NBA finala, rezulatat je uglavnom bio izjednačen do samog kraja, a u posljednjem napadu domaćih najbolji igrač Cavaliersa LeBron James sekundu prije isteka vremena promašio tricu za produžetak.

James je dvoboj završio sa 25 pogodaka, sedam asistencija i osam skokova. Kod Spursa najefikasniji su bili Tony Parker sa 17 i Tim Duncan sa 14 koševa.

Četvrti ogled finala igra se u četvrtak u Clevelandu. Ukoliko pobijede, Spursi će se pridružiti Boston Celticsima, Los Angeles Lakersima i Chicago Bullsima kao momčad s četiri ili više NBA naslova.

Cleveland - San Antonio 72-75 (18-16, 20-24, 12-15, 22-20)

Gledatelja: 20.562

Cleveland: James 25, Gooden 13, Pavlović 13, Ilgauskas 12, Varejao 4, Jones 3, Gibson 2

San Antonio: Parker 17, Duncan 14, Bowen 13, Barry 9, Finley 7, Oberto 6, Ginobili 3, Horry 3, Vaughn 2, Elson 1

Šut: Cleveland 29-79 (36 %), San Antonio 28-68 (41 %). Trica: Cleveland 3-19 (16 %), San Antonio 10-19 (53 %). Skok: Cleveland 48 (Ilgauskas 18), San Antonio 41 (Duncan i Bowen po 9). Assitencije: Cleveland 19 (James 7), San Antonio 15 (Ginobili 5)

(San Antonio vodi 3-0)

HINA

ponedjeljak, 11.06.2007.

SANTURCE, PUERTO RICO: Ayuso na prosjeku 26.0 poena u 3 tekme (šut: 61%)...

MICHAEL JORDAN 1988: 44PTS vs. TWIN TOWERS..


The Master at it again against the most versatile center perhaps ever. With Akeem (not yet changed to Hakeem here) in the post, MJ took his defensive game to another level.

He knew that to beat Akeem, he'd have to raise his defensive intensity and he did just that with 5 blocks and 5 steals in addition to his 44 point offensive brilliance. He blocked Akeem twice and set the tone early on.



AYUSO SCORING 33 vs. CIBONA by 10MEANMACHINE...


Again, MJ mixed it up with his maxed out perimeter game and maxed out driving game. But it was his all around leadership here that stood out. With 9 assists and 30 points in the 2nd half coupled with his always efficient 16-28 shooting, MJ made sure the Bulls got the win with everyone getting a piece of the action.

What's incredible again is that not only did MJ make clutch baskets, but his clutch steals and rebounds were always there and often overlooked. Is it just me or is MJ always getting the rebound off the last shot from the opposing team to make sure he seals the game? Unreal.

Hoopsencyclopedia

nedjelja, 10.06.2007.

VITEZOVI PRED ALAMOM, PART 2: na OBN-u @ 03.00 (ako sutra ne radite!!)

SPURS vs CAVS, GAME 2 PREVIEW..


Stigoh nazad iz Crikve..

Bilo je super, vrijeme nas je poslužilo, isprika lokalnim Velikim Haklerima u blizini Konzuma što nisam imao više vremena za njih. Celebrity sightings: 0. Čini mi se da sam vidio cica-macu, te scouta slovačke i austrijske reprezentacije..

Naravno da sam se trudio ostati IN, 'sijao sam SN svaki dan na rivi nakon što bih pročitao košarku, nazvao me je i one & only Hakler i upozorio na izvanrednu jučerašnju izvedbu Zadrana feat. Jure Lalić.

Pazinanjin Pankracije Barać, taj česti gost bespoštednih haklova na Knežiji & Šari je ponovno postao enigma lipanjske noći za Ciboninu obranu. Vraćamo ga na listu reprezentativnih kandidata.

Ipak ne bih dao ruku u vatru da će Cibona samo tako izgubiti u Zadru. "Vukovi su najgladniji kada su najgladniji", posebno u ovoj kategoriji, reče netko iz mase i ostane živ...



OVAKO JE TO IZGLEDALO: GINOBILIJEVA PRVA NBA TEKMA, Admiral je još bio na parketu..

U taboru Spursa, osim što se Parkeru itekako žuri da stigne na pripreme za The Vjenčanje 7.7., novost je to što se Bruce Leeju Bowenu rodio sin OZMEL, a Manu je u last-but-not-the-least kategoriji proglašen najboljim Šestim čovjekom Lige..

Prodaja LeBronovih dresova je negdje u ovim trenucima dosegla all time high, natoč činjenici da će današnja utakmica u TV rejtingu ipak zaostati za zadnjom epizodom najnovije sezone Sopranosa koja se emitira u identično vrijeme.

Ma bolje i Sopranosi, nego odbojka na pijesku, oooo. Gdje je na pijesku dinamika, uzbuđenje..tipičan sport za gledatelje koji bi se umjesto na plaži sunčali na tribinama!! Ma kakvi Brazilci, koja je to kategorija odbojkaša, jel' netko to istražio, ja stvarno nisam plaćen za to, ajmo ljudi na posao..



Naš ekskluzivni reporter Starbury II javio nam se from the face of the place, NY Rucker Parka, s prilično konkrentim prijedlogom:

Pa navali narode, tko voli nek' izvoli..

Muraya
NBA.BLOG.HR

srijeda, 06.06.2007.

VITEZOVI PRED ALAMOM: Key match-up feat. King James vs. Bruce Lee Bowen...

OFFICIAL PREVIEW: SPURS vs. CAVS, GAME 1...


Da je Lawrence Frank nekim slučajem trener Cavaliersa, sigurno bi im na ploču napisao ovo:

Iako bi neki on-the-rise cro-košarkaški treneri gore navednu misao mogli sažeti u tek 5 riječi napisanih ispod dresa Pistonsa!!

Stvarno smo jedinstvena nacija, a danas (kao i na any other God given day) i ABS-nogometna..


Nadam se da vam se sviđa nova podloga..

Ipak je prošlo vrijeme čamljenja na neboderu i došlo vrijeme NBA Drafta!!
UPDATE: Ante Tomić trenutno 26. pick (Rockets) i kreće se prema gore!!

Što se ostalog tiče, sutra rano ujutro odlazim na zasluženi obiteljski odmor u Crikvenicu.

Ako Vam baš budem falio malo izoštrite reflexe, pa me brže/bolje pokušajte uhvatiti kad se vratim..

Kud koji, Mili moji!!

Muraya
NBA.BLOG.HR

utorak, 05.06.2007.

BOG JE STVORIO ČOVIKA, A ZADAR KOŠARKU: Cibona (16.15) predgrupa Zuccheru (20.15)...

LEBRON JAMES S 22 GODINE VEĆ NA TRAGU NAJVEĆEG
Ameriko, pokloni se kralju LeBronu!

U gradu rocka, Clevelandu, košarkaši su zasvirali najljepšu melodiju. Cavaliersi su prvi put u povijesti u velikom finalu NBA lige, a s druge strane nišana stajat će neuništivi San Antonio Spursi. Momčad Cavsa koja je prije samo četiri godine čamila na dnu lige, uzdignula se iz pepela i ugledala svjetlo... Da, veliki LeBron James poveo je Cavse u avanturu njihova života. “Odabrani” je došao da ispuni proročanstvo, misiju zbog koje je došao među košarkaške smrtnike. Jer, navijači gladni trofeja traže još, traže nemoguće, traže NBA naslov...


FINALE CIBONA vs. ZADAR: OVAKO JE TO IZGLEDALO PROŠLE SEZONE (83MB!!!)...


Samo nebo je granica

Nemoguće? Ne. S LeBronom u momčadi samo je nebo granica. Znaju to svi u Americi, zna to i LeBron. Samo mu dajte loptu, on će već pronaći način. Hendrixovom virtuoznošću stvara očaravajuće košarkaške simfonije. A tek su mu 22.

Oduvijek je znao da mu je NBA suđena. Pokušao se u nju prošvercati kad je imao 16. Nije mu uspjelo, čak ni peticija koju je napisao nije pomogla. Pravila lige su jasna, moraš imati završenu barem srednju školu. Strpio se godinu dana, a nestrpljiva je postala liga. “Kad će napokon stići taj novi Jordan?”, pitali su se senzacije gladni Amerikanci.



Često uspoređivan s veličinama poput Oscara Robertsona, Magica Johnsona i Michaela Jordana, priznaje da mu je najdraži igrač – Penny Hardaway.





ZUCHERRO & PAUL YOUNG: SENZA UNA DONA (1991.)..


Ukleti sportski grad

Cleveland je opet na nogama. 43 godine čekaju trofej. Bilo kakav trofej, jer posljednji koji su ga osvojili bili su Brownsi u američkom nogometu davne 1964. Sad je sve spremno za novo slavlje. Grad koji je u SAD-u prozvan prokletim, mogao bi skinuti kletvu. Ameriko, pokloni se kralju!

DEJAN ŠMEHIL
Večernji List

ponedjeljak, 04.06.2007.

FLORIDA BASKETBALL: Coach Donovan se zatečen stanjem u Magicu vraća u Gatorse!

LARRY ELIAS AYUSO DEEP THREE!!! (HIGH QUALITY VIDEO by 10MEANMACHINE)...


AYUSO NASTAVLJA NIZ U PUERTO RICU..
Ayuso guía a los Cangrejeros a una victoria sobre Humacao

Larry Ayuso anotó 17 de sus 23 puntos en la primera mitad para guiar a los Cangrejeros de Santurce sobre los Grises de Humacao por el marcador de 99 a 71.

Santurce ahora tiene marca de 12-12 y se encuentran quintos en la Sección Fico López.

Los Cangrejeros ganaron la primera mitad 52 a 34 y no miraron hacia atrás.



Richie Dalmau anotó 23 y su hermano Ricardo 18 para los Cangrejeros quienes ahora buscan clasificar con la llegada de Ayuso.

En causa perdida Ansel Guzmán anotó 20 puntos y Miguel Alí Berdiel 18.


Ramon Ortiz

nedjelja, 03.06.2007.

HAIL TO THE KING: Cavsi eliminirali Pistonse, izborili Finale sa Spursima!!!

WE ARE ALL WITNESSES: Nakon 4 NBA sezone, na 4 koraka od Trona..


Making his teammates better

"Make way for the superstar!" shouted LeBron James to the throng crowded outside the victorious Cleveland Cavaliers locker room. "Make way for the superstar!"

Whatever King James asks around here, King James gets, of course. Only he started laughing as a path was cleared not for him but also for his previously anonymous teammate, Daniel "Boobie" Gibson, who entered this series as a role player, a rookie and a second-round pick and ended it with 31 knockout points on the Detroit Pistons.

Cleveland finally rocked Saturday, this long hopeless, mostly helpless franchise growing stronger and stronger, higher and higher with each passing game until a wave of building, budding confidence just crashed its way into the NBA finals.

James produced 20 more points, 14 more rebounds and eight more assists Saturday in the Cavaliers' 98-82 silencing of Detroit, but nowhere in any box score was a measurement of James' ageless leadership ability and contagious confidence. There was no measure of its profound effect on his unheralded, uneven supporting cast that keeps getting better by the day. There was nothing of an icon acting as the bodyguard for a lowly rook.

Gibson entered Game 2 of this series averaging 3.7 points in the playoffs. But he got his chance, drained a few three-pointers and immediately had LeBron hugging him on the court, whispering in his ear and lifting him up.

If Gibson, the 42nd pick in last June's draft, wasn't certain he was ready for a starring role in the Eastern Conference finals against that vaunted Pistons backcourt, James was. He had watched his work ethic all season. He had been telling him that when he got his chance he'd deliver.

Now that the time was here, LeBron kept telling him and telling him and telling him until the rest of the series the kid from Texas with the silly nickname averaged 17.8 points and became a weapon Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton couldn't handle.

None of it happens without James. No way. Not Boobie, not Drew Gooden's baseline jumpers, not Anderson Varejao's tenacious inside play, not the Pistons' reduction to nothing but shouting at officials, not this frantic, frenetic college-like crowd, not an entire franchise that never had any reason to believe in anything suddenly rising up.

James may be 22, but he's always been a leader. His boyhood friends back in Akron say he dominated Pop Warner football games. When he was a high school freshman, he was the best player in Ohio, everyone looking to him, everyone focusing on stopping his game. He compared what Gibson did Saturday to what his best friend, Dru Joyce, did when they were freshmen in the Ohio state championship game. The defense focused on LeBron; Joyce won the game.



CAVS vs. PISTONS, GAME 6 - REMEBER THE NAME: Daniel Gibson..


Different stage, different kid, same result.

"He told me he was going to make me something special," Gibson said. "He told me to keep shooting, don't hesitate.

"When a guy like that tells you that, you step to it with a lot of confidence and knock it down for him."

Yes, for him, everything for him. James is such an oversized superstar – the commercials, the highlights, the international fame – that he could cast an awful shadow over his locker room. Yet he stuns each and every member of this organization with his humility, his friendship, his desire to take even the most nervous of rookies under his wing if it might, just might, make this team better.

"I just knew he was going to be something special and tonight it was perfect," James said.

You've never seen a team grow so fast, so furious. Every moment seemed to build toward this, every decision James made a part of a master plan that would pay off.

He was criticized for half of his moves by so many knee-jerk skeptics, but giving up the potential game-winning shot in Game 1 led to Detroit having to respect the pass in Game 5 and his teammates developing boundless confidence in Game 6.

The averages of 25.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists in this series were just some of the magic LeBron worked here. The rest were the little conversations, the postgame praise for his guys, the talks on the plane, the bus, the locker room, the way he makes everyone – even the old veterans – do it for him.

James was never going to let this series get away. He alternated between dominating when necessary and playing motivator for his teammates when possible; he was like a parent teaching his kid to ride a two-wheeler, letting go and grabbing on at just the right moments. On Thursday, he scored the final 25 points. On Saturday, the other Cavs scored the first 18.

If two teammates hadn't missed wide-open game-winners in the first two games, Cleveland would have won this series 6-0. But even with the misses, LeBron never criticized, never pouted or frowned. He just kept telling them to shoot, kept telling them they were good enough, kept telling them this was possible.



TOP 10 PLAYS OF WEEK 30, 2006/07 SEASON..


"From day one I've chanted, 'One, two, three, championship,' " James said of the way he breaks huddles. "Funny faces at first looked at me. I didn't care. I kept it going. 'One, two, three, championship' every single day."

And then he worked to make it happen. Not just by making himself better but by making everyone else better. One, two, three. Every single day.

Make way for the superstar, he said. Make way for these Cavaliers.

Dan Wetzel,
Yahoo! Sports

subota, 02.06.2007.

FLORIDA BASKETBALL TRANSFER: Coach Billy Donovan from Gators to Magic...

Bok, ovdje je malo uzarilo al ne ko kod vas pa sam se sklonio na net da ti posaljem par slicica. U subotu sam napokon otisao doma:)-na coney island-marbuyjev kvart za one koji ne znaju. Vrijeme prekrasno, prekrasna pjescana plaza s podosta ljudi, siroka staza za pjesacenje,i pogled na more ili s druge strane na crnacki Projects i lunapark.

Lunapark, pravi old school. Wonder Wheel, najveci cool, filling kraja 70 i Hillovih Warriorsa. Sad mozes maknuti onu sliku marburyja s bloga i staviti moju. Nakon dve voznje u najvisem kotacu na svijetu iz prve polovice 20 st. kotacu odo ja na legendarni Cyclone-rollercoaster: izvana je izgledao mali-i stvarno jeste u odnosu na rollercoastere u disneylandu i slicnim parkovima. Al kad sam proso prvi spust, jao majko, mislio sam da cu umrijet do kraja, al znas kak ide, nekon jedne voznje oces jos pogotovo kad ispred tebe vriste komadi s dignutim rukama u zrak a ti se grcevito drzis za stanku i hvatas zrak.


CONEY ISLAND'S FINEST MIX by YINKA DARE..

Jucer sam iso na Pistonse-Clevland u pub, i prolazim ja pored igralista i tri portorikanca su bas isla doma i jedan me pita ocu igrat s njim za pare, da mi malo slomi gleznjeve, ja velim da hocu al za dolar a on nije htio vec za sto! Tak da cu morat ovih dana hitno na hakl iako jos uvijek nisam igro. Onda mi je htio prodat travu al nije islo...

Danas na ulici vidim crnca s Petrovicevim autentic dresom i velim ja njemu: di si drazen! a on se razveselio jer mu je dragon najbolji igrac i malo smo popricali i veli ja njemu da su mi Hrvati ovdje rakli da su ga volili jer nije bio skrt i volio je s njima otic u birtiju na pice i dao je svake godine stipendiju za tri studenta sto i danas traje. Kukoca ovdje ne vole jer je skrt, reko mi je neki tip koji ga zna da nije htio platit rundu u birtiji na svjetskom prvenstvu nakon sto su je svi okrenuli.



Vikali su Toni-zvoni, al niš...


STARBURY II exclusive from NY
NBA.BLOG.HR

petak, 01.06.2007.

CRVENA LAMPICA 'STONSA ZATITRALA:: LBJ (22god:48p,9s,7a) stavio Vitezove jednom nogom u Finale!!

ZAŠTO BI RADIJE GLEDAO 20 SEC. KOŠARKAŠKE UTAKMICE NEGO 20 MINUTA NOGOMETA - PART 2: LARRY AYUSO feat. CHRIS WARREN vs. VINCE CARTER: nakon gledanja Carterovog videa ispada da je Marin Rozić negdje u rangu Matta Harpringa, pa čak i bolji u defanzivnim assignmentima. BTW, Larrya su snimili njegovi gigantskim teleskopom iz Areciba i sada pomno prate svaki njegov šut u ovom dijelu svijeta..


Premda se činilo kako će Detroit Pistonsi bez većih problema preskočiti Cleveland Cavalierse (??) i izboriti veliko finale NBA lige Pistonsi su na rubu ispadanja. U petom susretu finala Istočne konferencije Cleveland je u Palace of Auburn Hillsu u Detroitu nakon dva produžetka slavio 109:107 i u seriji na četiri pobjede poveo 3:2.

Iduća utakmica na rasporedu je u Clevelandu i pobjeda domaćine vodi u finale gdje već čekaju San Antonio Spursi. Junak dramatične utakmice u Detroitu bio je LeBron James koji je uništio domaćine postigavši 48 koševa uz 9 skokova i 7 asistencija. James je ubacio posljednjih 25 koševa Cavsa pri čemu i pobjednički koš 2.2 sekunde prije kraja utakmice.


NAJBOLJE AKCIJE 40. DANA DOGRAVANJA 2006/07..

"Nisam mogao vjerovati da je Lebron zabio 29 od naših posljednjih 30 koševa. Bio je nezadrživ, doslovno je sam uništio Detroit," kazao je trener Clevelanda Mike Brown.

Domaćine, koji su u seriji poveli sa 2:0, a potom nanizali tri poraza, predvodili su Richard Hamilton (26), Chauncey Billups (21) i Chris Webber (20).



DA LI JE (VEĆ) VRIJEME ZA LEBRONOV NBA DIPLOMSKI URADAK?? Cavs vs Pistons 2007 Eastern Conference Finals Game 5..




HINA