tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26521157977046766032024-03-20T20:28:18.112-04:00Beyond the Hardwood The Hardwood Nation, No Bias, No Spin, Just Basketball Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-38616475490451347092015-04-07T13:50:00.002-04:002015-04-07T13:50:43.752-04:00Dirk: Shaun Livingston Said My Groin is “Pretty Impressive” (Video)<iframe src="https://vine.co/v/eB792ImLKzX/embed/simple" width="300" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe><script src="https://platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js"></script><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-10064392605945169292015-03-31T08:18:00.001-04:002015-03-31T08:18:08.784-04:00Watch Shaq Rip Chris Paul And The Los Angeles Clippers At The Justin Bieber Roast<iframe width='315' height='315' src='https://www.whipclip.com/embed/3dhhm' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-74613413895295443462015-03-26T22:23:00.002-04:002015-03-26T22:23:44.134-04:00Watch Alonzo Mourning Confirm The Urban Legend Known As ‘Who Wants To Sex Mutombo?’ (Video)<iframe width="315" height="396" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HaN2v9JFImg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-63577714947499365722015-03-21T08:10:00.001-04:002015-03-21T08:10:33.948-04:00Vernon Maxwell on Michael Jordan: ‘I Wanted to Fight Him, Really’ (VIDEO)<iframe width="315" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S4jAj-a63Es" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-70852162561123029782015-03-06T22:17:00.000-05:002015-03-06T22:17:06.510-05:00ICYMI: Reggie Miller on Michael Jordan Torching Him for Trash Talking (VIDEO)<iframe width="315" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vkks7EqWnhU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-16926500891790181572015-03-04T23:03:00.001-05:002015-03-04T23:03:59.869-05:00Q&A: Dominique Wilkins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Courtesy of Slam<br />
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">LAM: I’d be remiss if I didn’t start this interview by getting your thoughts about Earl Lloyd. What did he mean to you?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Dominique Wilkins:</strong> He meant a lot to all of us. He was the first African American player in the NBA. I knew Earl very well. He was a super nice individual. It saddens us all. Earl Lloyd is what we are today as African American players. He really paved the way for what we are as players. We have no idea what he went through. We gotta be mindful and thankful of that. Young guys in this game need to go back and look at the history of this game. The league started before Dr. J and Spencer Haywood. You had guys who paved the way for them, and they [in turn] paved the way for us.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: On a more positive note, you’re in the midst of quite a big week. When I think about all the great players this game has seen, I can’t name many with statues.</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">DW:</strong> This will be the eighth statue. And to be among them, I cannot tell you how that makes me feel. To be immortalized that way is an amazing, amazing feeling.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Does this complete Dominique Wilkins’ basketball journey?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">DW:</strong> No question about it. It’s what a lot of young people strive to be. You strive to be something great. That’s why history, embracing the history, is so important for young players. It’s so important to give them goals and give them someone to look up to. You gotta embrace history.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Beyond the 26,000-plus points, what is your proudest NBA accomplishment?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">DW:</strong> You know what, I think it was me playing against the greatest to ever play. All the personal accolades are great, but playing against the greatest players to ever play this game—in one era! That will never be duplicated.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Who were some of the teammates who influenced you the most?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">DW:</strong> From an NBA standpoint, the guys who taught me a lot early on were Dan Roundfield, Tree Rollins and Lou Hudson. Even though I didn’t play with Lou Hudson—he was gone before I got into the League—he gave me a lot of positive information to help my game. Guys like Tree Rollins and Dan Roundfield embraced me as the leader of this team after my first couple of years [in the NBA]. We had some great leaders, some guys who weren’t afraid to tell me what I was doing wrong and things I needed to work on. You need that type of reinforcement to make you better as a player. Once I became a leader of the team, I had guys like Doc Rivers, Kevin Willis and Randy Wittman, who I think the world of. We cherished each other. We loved each other. We pulled for each other.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: What’s the toughest part about being a broadcaster?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">DW:</strong> The traveling. Broadcasting is easy. I’m just talking about what I already know. The rigorous schedule and traveling to all these different cities around the country [is taxing]. It feels like you’re playing again.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Speaking as someone who has a ringside seat with this team, does it bother you that they still aren’t getting the national magazine covers and ESPN-televised games?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">DW:</strong> I’m proud of our guys. Our guys have basically shut everybody up. The people who think this is a fluke—they’re mistaken. This is no fluke. These guys can play. You hear this, “Well, they don’t have a superstar.” We do have stars: Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague and Al Horford. They’re stars in my opinion. You cannot win on this level without guys who aren’t stars. What’s the definition of your superstar? Guys who do high-wire acts and ohhh and ahhh the crowd? That doesn’t make you a superstar. It’s the efficiency and consistency within a player that makes him a star.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Do you think the Hawks’ performance will have an effect around the League, where it’ll be less about building around big-name stars?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">DW:</strong> You have to understand that this team has created its own identity. Everybody can’t do that. [Atlanta] has the right mixture of players that work together.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Beyond the play on the floor, I’m also seeing some positive changes among Atlanta fans. What are your thoughts on the overall feel of the city these days?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">DW:</strong> The city has rallied behind this team in lieu of the negative publicity (surrounding last summer’s Danny Ferry controversy) this team has gotten. Fans have rallied around these guys. They supported them and that’s all you can ask for. Sometimes bad things pull people together. Sometimes it takes bad stuff for great things to happen.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-54612406163507796992015-03-01T06:53:00.002-05:002015-03-01T06:53:55.943-05:00Dr. J on Judging NBA Players Based Only on Championships (Video)<iframe width="315" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bVE7ucM9__8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-35709004403647554632015-02-27T08:12:00.003-05:002015-02-27T08:12:46.819-05:00Shane Battier Says Analytics Helped Him Defend Kobe Bryant (VIDEO)<iframe width="315" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nxcbuV0_WEM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-61089584496998695602015-02-22T13:57:00.003-05:002015-02-22T13:57:41.598-05:00Paul George Talks Air Jordan 3, Stefan Janoski & New Era Caps (Video)<iframe width="315" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rhxdNEorNlI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-86693379630930226162015-02-17T23:58:00.003-05:002015-02-17T23:58:53.611-05:00Rosenberg and John Wall Interview<iframe width="315" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MCIrSaUDAxk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-35441381296222210242015-02-16T18:47:00.001-05:002015-02-16T18:47:11.103-05:00Q&A: Charles Barkley <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Courtesy of Richard Deitsch<br />
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Last week we saw a lot of writers and broadcasters criticize you for your comments about analytics in basketball. Are they right?</span></div>
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I’ve had at least four or five NBA coaches call me loving what I said. I saw Mark Cuban said something. I also saw a couple of coaches say analytics are a small part of it but the big thing is what Charles said is correct. So I think more people agree with me who know basketball than disagree.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">What….</span></div>
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Oh, my God, did you see that? [Barkley is reacting to a dunk by Cavs center Timofey Mozgov against the Bulls].</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">The Cavs are playing much better.</span></div>
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The big thing was Mozgov. They were too small. I said tonight [on TNT] that Anderson Varejao getting hurt was the best thing to happen to the Cavs. They might not have made that trade if he did not get hurt.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">So is it just Mozgov’s size that game-changed things?</span></div>
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Yes, his size. I like him as a player but his size makes a difference. He is a big guy. Listen, Kevin Love is a small power forward. Him and Varejao are undersized power forwards. It looks different when you drive down the lane against two big guys.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Why do people react so vociferously to what you say?</span></div>
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Because I think people want their subject to be right no matter what. People like for Charles to be honest unless he says something different from them. That’s all it is. I’m pretty sure you get criticism.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">All the time.</span></div>
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People like you as long as you agree with them. But that doesn’t really bother me.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Do you have any interest in talking to Daryl Morey?</span></div>
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Not at all. I have nothing against Daryl Morey. But what annoys me about Daryl Morey is they [the Rockets] go out and get James Harden. Then, they go get Dwight Howard. They go get Trevor Ariza. They go after Carmelo Anthony. They go after Chris Bosh. How is that analytics, just getting better players? Just explain it to me. Seriously. I am willing to deal with common sense. I mean, come on. They are just bringing in better players. How is that analytical?</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Dean Smith passed away last week. Did you spend any time with him?</span></div>
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Michael [Jordan] introduced me to him and one time we played golf. It was really refreshing that someone you really respect from a distance was just as nice. He was still coaching at the time. I never played against him in college. We didn’t talk a lot, we just played golf. But he was just so nice. I’m a basketball junkie and it was like if I got a chance to hang it with Phil Jackson, or John Wooden, or Pat Riley, or Gregg Popovich. That would be pretty cool. Dean Smith didn’t think he was “Dean Smith.” </div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">What about Jerry Tarkanian? What was your relationship like with him?</span></div>
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A couple of times we had dinner and it was the same way as Dean Smith. I hope he gets the admiration the next couple of years. My opinion is just my opinion but to win at UNLV ain’t the same as winning at North Carolina or Duke. You are not getting the blue-chip guys. His best player was Larry Johnson, a JUCO. His next best player was probably Reggie Theus. He’s not getting McDonald's All-Americans. I think he was underrated as a coach. There was also something that came up last week with Popovich.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">What was that? </span></div>
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People were asking if he’s the best coach ever. I said for me he might be. Let me explain why: Look at his 15-year window. They’ve won 50 games every year, they’ve won five championships and look at the way he has won them. He won the first one with David Robinson, he wins the next one with Robinson and Tim Duncan. Then he wins with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili as maybe his best players. Now he wins with f---ing Kawhi Leonard. That is remarkable. How about him willing to change?</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">What about Red Auerbach?</span></div>
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I don’t want to judge Red because I don’t know. But to be able to win championships that many different ways—Popovich went from big dominance to point guard dominance and now he is doing it with a small forward. That is pretty amazing.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">What did you think of the long profile published on you by The Undefeated?</span></div>
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I’m not sure how to answer that question. You have to be more specific.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Okay, let’s start with this. Was it fair and accurate?</span></div>
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Was it fair? I think it was fair and I like [writer] Jesse [Washington.] But I need a specific question.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Were you comfortable with the context of the piece, a focus on how you think about race in this country and how people think about you when it comes to race?</span></div>
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Listen, man, I have always said the same thing. Racism is here, and will always exist but we can’t use it as a crutch. I think it is important for me to speak out on social issues. Sometimes people will agree with me. Sometimes people will disagree with me. I don’t take that personally.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">You are one of the few people on sports television who consistently talks about social issues. Why?</span></div>
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I think it is a great forum—because you have the voice. There are other guys who don’t have that voice, and are not on national television. But it is a double-edged sword. Because any time it comes to race, people like your opinion if they agree with you and if they disagree with you, they don’t like your opinion. But I am willing to speak because I think I can answer the questions [fairly] and honestly.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">How comfortable are you talking about the 2016 presidential race?</span></div>
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I am paying close attention to the political situation. I have always voted Democratic. But I like some of the Republicans this time around. I like Chris Christie. I like Jeb Bush. I like those guys.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">What about Hillary Clinton?</span></div>
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Well, I just told you I was thinking about voting Republican (laughs). But I was very disappointed in Chris Christie the other day on the measles thing. It is a shame that these guys are afraid of just answering the question and trying to make everyone agree with you.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">You have a daughter. Was she vaccinated?</span></div>
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Yes. But they answered the question and started getting blowback and criticism and then change up. I’m like, dude, your opinion is just your f---ing opinion. I don’t understand why you answer a question and think everyone is going to agree with you. You can’t live your life like that.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">What is Charles Barkley Avenue in Leeds, Alabama, like?</span></div>
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Projects and my mom’s house. I am there a lot. My mom is still there.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">What is your involvement in that area?</span></div>
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I gave my high school $1 million and another school in that area $1 million. My goal is to send as many kids to college as possible. I don’t do stuff so people will say Charles Barkley is a good guy. I want my hometown to be better. One of the problems is we marginalize a lot of black kids. They think they can only play sports and be entertainers. I got lucky. I hit the lottery of life with basketball. But I still think the best way for people to be successful is academics. Leeds was a great place to grow up.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">One of the interesting things about Jesse’s story was he talked and reported on your fitness level during your NBA career. I wonder if you had the best trainers in the world today, how much better would you have been?</span></div>
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Listen, I think after I got in shape in Philly, I was in great shape. I think I was in great shape in Phoenix. My first couple of years in Houston I was pretty good and after that I started breaking down. The only regret I have is I would have been traded out of Philly sooner because my last two years there were miserable. I was going to be traded every week. I finally had enough and said I’m not playing here anymore. So I would have left Philly two years sooner. They once had me on the cover of the <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sporting News</em> one year with six different uniforms because everyone was trying to get me. </div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Was there any other team than Phoenix that was close to getting you?</span></div>
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I got traded to the Lakers one day [in 1992] and they retracted the deal.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">No way.</span></div>
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Yeah. The Sixers backed out. It was going crazy for two weeks so I knew it would come down to Portland, [the] Lakers or Phoenix. So I get a call from my agent one morning and he said, “Philly has traded you to the Lakers.” So I went to lunch and started drinking. I’m f---ing so excited that I am going to the Lakers. Three hours later I get a f---ing phone call from my agent saying that the Sixers backed out of the deal. I said, “Oh, s--t, I’m feeling pretty good right now.” So I went out and played that night. </div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">How did you play?</span></div>
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I played pretty well. I wasn’t blasted, just a couple of drinks at lunch. I mean, I was excited to get the hell out of Philly.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Does doing <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Inside The NBA</em> ever get boring?</span></div>
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Yes. We are on from 8 to 2:30 in the morning but we only work about an hour. Normally, we do five minutes before the game, halftime, and 30-45 minute show after the game. It gets boring, and I have been doing it for 15-16 years. That’s why I like going out to do games [as an analyst]. You are full of energy, the crowd is into it.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Are you excited about working on the NCAA tournament again for Turner and CBS?</span></div>
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Yes. I always look forward to the tournament. The tournament, the Olympics and the Super Bowl, you have to watch all of those.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Think Kentucky will go undefeated and win it all?</span></div>
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I think they will go undefeated during the regular season, but you can beat them in the tournament. You only have to beat them once. They will be the clear-cut favorite but they only have to have one bad day. I look at their SEC schedule and they are not losing a game in the regular season.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">How legit is Golden State as a title contender?</span></div>
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I do not think they can win it all. I think they are too small. I don’t think you can win a championship shooting jumpers. It also depends on who they play. But I have said the same thing for 10-15 years: I don’t think you can win a title shooting jumpers. Their two best players are guards and I don’t think you can make enough jump shots in a seven-game series against a really good team. Let me tell you something, they do not want to see Oklahoma City in the first round. That is a bad matchup for them. One of those guards is going to get into foul trouble guarding Russell Westbrook.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">How much better is Cleveland now than a couple of months ago?</span></div>
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Once they got Mozgov they went from being a little team to a big team. So it is different with Mozgov, but I still think if you asked me today, I would still go with the Bulls in the East. Cleveland is right there, though.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">Is there a person that you have yet to meet that you’ve always wanted to meet?</span></div>
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One of my biggest regrets ever was not taking the time to go to South Africa to meet Nelson Mandela. That is a big regret of mine. I should have figured out a way.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">What about someone alive today?</span></div>
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Somebody I would like to meet today? King Abdullah (II) from Jordan.</div>
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 900;">That’s interesting and unexpected.</span></div>
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Well, that’s only in the last week. Because I think his actions when they (ISIS) burned that kid [a Jordanian military pilot] alive, I thought his actions were heroic. He was like, “No, you cannot do that to my people.” I wish President Obama was like that sometimes. I do. I think that is the way we have to treat ISIS. We can’t keep thinking it will go away. I thought it was heroic what Abdullah did.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-37156457159721184312015-02-15T18:45:00.001-05:002015-02-15T18:45:12.385-05:00Q&A: Jerry West <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Courtesy of Steve Serby<br />
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Describe the moment Willis Reed came out of the tunnel before Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals vs. your Lakers at the Garden.</span><br />A: One thing I remember about it is how loud it was, OK? But I honestly thought it would give us an advantage. It would make it easier for Wilt [Chamberlain] on the inside. But having said that, we probably played the worst game [losing to the Knicks, 113-99]. And for me, I think might have played the worst basketball game in my whole career in that game. I remember after the game, I said to myself, “I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s too painful personally.” I felt like we had let a lot of people down. For the Knicks, it’s a signature moment for the franchise, and for him to go out there and do that — there’s not many players would do that. There’s few, but not many. And that has changed over the years, because at that point in time, you were expected to play whether you were hurt or not. And many of us did. And I’ll never forget my ears … two days after that, there’s still ringing in my ears.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: You hit a 60-foot shot in Game 3.</span><br />A: It was kind of a numb feeling, to be honest with you. I played every minute of that game, and we tied it. … It seems ironic today that we didn’t have a 3-point shot. The way that series turned out, we would have won that series, I think, in five or six games. And we lost that game in overtime [111-108]. I’ve had so many people say that they were there at the game. Trust me, the building wouldn’t hold ’em all, OK? The outcome was bittersweet.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: You enjoyed playing with Wilt?</span><br />A: He was one of the most uniquely different people that I’ve ever been around in my life. I felt that at times he never felt he got the credit due him. The two of us were probably pretty easy targets, because you would think that someone of his stature would have won more than two NBA championships during his career, and it was grossly unfair how people looked at him like that. And hell, I had never won a championship playing alongside one of the truly great players who never gets his due, and that’s Elgin Baylor. I had kind of an interesting relationship with [Wilt], particularly our last year together [1972-73 season]. It was really interesting because many nights we would, unbeknownst to most people, we would go in his room or my room and have dinner, and talk about a lot of things, many of ’em not basketball related, to be honest with you. But I found him to be very introspective, also now in many ways like all of us, the insecurities that we all have sometimes as athletes. It’s easy to feel great about when you win championships. There’s never been a real, I guess, study done of teams that have lost and what it feels like. It’s like, “Oh, God,” it’s like, “This is it, it’s done, and we’ve lost.” With all the hard work and all the dedication — from many people, not only the players that get the attention, but for many people — it takes a real toll on everybody … in organizations, coaches, trainers, my God, just down to the people who work in the front office, it’s kind of a devastating feeling.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Your whole career and life, really, you’ve taken losing harder than most, correct?</span><br />A: I wouldn’t know that. I don’t know how other people do, but even to this day it still haunts me. I’ve always been kind of a perfectionist. I watch teams in this league now … there’s always gonna be teams that are successful, and teams that are not successful. And I watch every game. And to watch how some teams who are not winning, how hard they play and how much they put into it. You can see that if they would have the right personnel, that they would have a chance to win. But the secret is, is to have players. If you don’t have players, you can’t win, OK. You just cannot win. To find the right coach to coach that team, I think is the most difficult job the front office person has to do. And then, when you get that person … Style of play has changed drastically. The 3-point line has changed the game so much. The day of the big man, unless you’re extraordinary good, is not numbered, but certainly you gotta be a lot more versatile to play the game today. You gotta be able to really run up and down the court. And then there’s certain teams that, if they have the right kind of players, can play a different style, they’ll slow the game down, and defensively they become better.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: In your junior year, your 1959 West Virginia team lost in the NCAA finals loss to California, 71-70.</span><br />A: I’ve had a lot of disappointment in my life, but little did I know that that was one that would lead me on that path. But I think the thing that I remember is that I got in foul trouble in that game and I wasn’t able to play a lot of the game in the second half in particular. It was a close game and really hard fought. I remember a tap-in that Darrell Imhoff made — it was probably the luckiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, he just hit the ball and it went in the basket, and we were, I think, ahead by one. And then also, having the ball at midcourt and time running out and not being able to get a shot off. That was the start of almost something that followed me throughout my basketball career when it came to winning things that were most important to me, and at the end of the day, be the last one standing.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Describe winning the gold medal and standing on the podium for Team USA in the 1960 Rome Olympics.</span><br />A: Greatest thrill of my life. At that point in time, there were only two people that received the gold medal, it wasn’t the whole team. For some reason, the co-captains of the team, Oscar Robertson and myself, lifelong friend, lifelong competitor, for the two of us to go up there and receive the gold medal, for me, it was one of the most thrilling things in my life. I’ve always been really nationalistic, and I had a brother killed in Korea. And I think, the “Star Spangled Banner,” even today — and I’ve heard it a heckuva lot of times, OK — has always been a significant feeling to me. I know with me, competing was the greatest thing of all, and to have a chance to compete for your country. And at that point in time, there was a lot of stuff going on in the world that was … not for the best for the world, it wasn’t best for the black race, and in the Cold War of communism, threat of nuclear war. … We were doing things for our country that at that point in time, even though you thought about it, you didn’t realize the significance of it until a number of years later. And for me, that’s always been the highlight of my life, to go up there and represent your country along with one of the truly great players to ever play the game, and more importantly, someone that I valued as a friend and valued as a person.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Did you hang around with Cassius Clay?</span><br />A: No, no. You’d see him around the [Olympic] Village, even then he had his own entourage. To watch him grow up and become this iconic figure that even he is today, he was a person that people rallied around. He had charisma like no one, and it’s still that way today.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Is there any way to describe how sick you were to see Celtics coach Red Auerbach light up those victory cigars?</span><br />A: It might have bothered someone else, it didn’t bother me. I had great respect for him as a coach. At one time, there was real talk that I was gonna go to Boston as a player for Bill Sharman. And I know that was discussed. But it didn’t happen. I thought to myself, “My God, playing there certainly would have given me a chance to play on a lot of championship team.” In Los Angeles, we were the ones who on many occasions lost by a nose.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: When you finally won the 1972 NBA championship beating the Knicks in five games, what was that moment like?</span></div>
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A: It probably didn’t strike me till a couple of days later, to be honest with you. Peggy Lee had a song, “Is That All There Is?” That’s sorta how I felt. … I walked to that locker room, and it almost didn’t seem like that there was any difference until a couple of days later.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: And then when it hit you?</span><br />A: I thought, “Oh my God, something really positive has happened.” It wasn’t for me personally, OK? For the city of Los Angeles, my God, they had to endure all this stuff for years, and to finally say we won, I felt a sense of responsibility to our fans. I hated to miss games … at the height of my career, I missed a lot of games due to … just a hamstring pull. And I hated sitting out, I just hated it. You play for your team, but you also play for the people who attend the games. I’d say it was uniquely different to us to have won it.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: You were 1972 All-Star game MVP.</span><br />A: It was much more competitive, I’ll tell you that, than it is today. Today it’s kind of a fun event. That was kind of a magical year in Los Angeles. We’d won the 33 straight games in a row, and to play in Los Angeles in front of our home people, and to win the award, that’s always nice. I knew it was late in the day for me as a player, and that was pretty unique to be part of that.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Describe the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s.</span><br />A: They were so much fun, and of course, Magic Johnson, that smile on his face, made it look like this was the easy way to play basketball. Trust me, that team was so competitive it was a joke.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: How would you compare your ’72 Lakers to the Showtime Lakers?</span><br />A: We talk about players of yesteryear, guys who could play or couldn’t play, and I think it’s ridiculous to try to even compare people. … The things that you can do in basketball today that you couldn’t even do then … you can carry the ball, you walk all over the place. … It makes it easier, but also, basketball, I guess, is about entertainment. … I’ve often thought that playing today, when you have the best of everything — the travel is so much easier, not playing three games in three nights in maybe a three-week period, or maybe four times in three weeks. … Players talk about being tired, well, not many players play 40 minutes a game. I think there was five or six times in my career I averaged over 40 minutes a game. It was easy. I didn’t get tired, period. I didn’t want to come out. I didn’t like people I played against even though some of ’em were friends, I didn’t like ’em. I don’t like fraternization at all. Away from the game, it’s fine. I hate when I’m watching games today on TV, a team’s getting beat by 25 points and you got people laughing on the bench. I don’t like stuff like that, period. I don’t like it.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: You were nicknamed “Mr. Clutch.”</span><br />A: Never really thought about it a lot. It’s flattering that people would talk about that. I hear people talk about clutch players today, and a lot of ’em I don’t think are as good as advertised.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: What was it about those moments that you liked?</span><br />A: I thought it was easy to score. … And the reason I did is because teams didn’t want to foul you if the game was close. … I hear these announcers, what do they call it? … “Lock-down defenders” … I don’t know who’s a lock-down defender in the league. I know there’s a lot of good ones, but I haven’t seen someone to stop someone that’s a good offensive player.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: What was Pat Riley like as a teammate?</span><br />A: Unbelievably dedicated, hard worker, really a fierce competitor. And someone who was my best friend. I think he knew his role. He was someone that you liked having on your side. You weren’t gonna get a free day in practice if he was playing you. And I used to tell him all the time, I said. “Look, I’m so sore, why don’t you go guard [Gail] Goodrich or somebody else? I don’t need you beating on my ass.” Very prideful … very professional.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: You didn’t enjoy coaching?</span><br />A: I hated it. It was hard enough for me to deal with myself as a player. … Again, I’d say I was obsessive with my day-of-the-game same routine. I would see players eating at 6 o’clock or 6:30 or something like that, and I’m saying to myself, “How in the world do they do that?” I had to eat at 2:30 or otherwise I’d be so sick it would be a joke. … You have all kind of models of what you should do as an athlete today in terms of eating and sleeping. … For me, the sleeping part was the most difficult part because I couldn’t sleep after a game.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: You cut Kobe Bryant’s impressive 1996 predraft workout against Michael Cooper short.</span><br />A: Michael had been out of basketball a year, I think, or maybe a year-and-a-half, and we asked him to come up and participate. And Michael was a tremendous defensive player, but not much he can do with him, that’s for sure.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: You drafted Derek Fisher later in the first round that year.</span><br />A: Hard-nosed kid who we had hopes that would make our team as a backup. He really kinda was a position-less player — he really wasn’t a point guard. But he was another of those dedicated, hard-working people who even though he didn’t have all the things that you look for in a player, he had a long, productive career, and it has served him well throughout his life. He won’t fail because of work ethic, that’s for sure.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: What advice would you give him going through what he’s going through now as a rookie head coach?</span><br />A: Have Phil [Jackson] get him better players. For any coach who’s going through it, have whoever’s running the team get better players, and you’ll see better results (chuckle).</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Do you think the triangle offense could scare away free agents?</span><br />A: I think it takes unique players to do it, in the sense they really have to buy into that. When Phil went there, if you looked at their team, they had a lot of players that have played one-on-one basketball, and sometimes it looks disorganized, but it’s not. And I think those players would not fit into what maybe Derek — and again, I don’t know what interaction Derek has with Phil — but I think one of the things you want to do is have a relationship with your coach and find out what kind of players they like. My best guess is that Phil didn’t think those players there were capable. And it’s easy to criticize for everyone who’s involved. … He might have done the right thing. But if there’s one player I wouldn’t have traded, it certainly would have been Tyson Chandler. I think in Phil’s case, this is not something that he’s done before, and he will work hard and get the kind of players there that are necessary to build a winning team. But I’m not so sure he didn’t do the right thing by letting these players go.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Why wouldn’t you have traded Tyson Chandler?</span><br />A: I just think he’s a very valuable player. And very well respected in the locker room. I think somewhere along the way, you have to take your lumps and try to bring the kind of players that will let a team succeed and get better. New York fans have always been very aware what basketball’s all about, and I think this will give him a chance to try to build a team there that has a chance for success long-term instead of short-term. It takes a lot of courage for someone in his position to do that. He’d never really been criticized before. It’s easy for people today to criticize. I don’t think he deserves it. Let him serve his time there and see what he’s able to do and then make a judgment. Their team wasn’t gonna win at a high level anyway. … This is gonna be a real good free-agent class. I think they’re gonna be highly sought. New York is kind of an intriguing place. When I was in college, I heard that Minneapolis at that point in time — I didn’t play in Minneapolis — but I heard they were gonna draft Darrall Imhoff and I was going to New York, which was where I really wanted to play.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Why?</span><br />A: We played there when I was in West Virginia, and I liked the atmosphere, and the fans really knew what was good basketball and what was not. We had a team that ran up and down the court and played fast-paced games and people seemed to enjoy it, and we were always well-received there.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Were you disappointed from afar when Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t get along?</span><br />A: I always think it’s foolish when egos get in the way of doing something that’s really special. They had a special bond together in terms of winning, and why it ever got to that point, I have no clue. I don’t understand things like that, I really don’t. Winning is the ultimate great feeling in sports, and it’s about a team, it’s not about individuals, and when players get into these rifts, whatever they might be, I don’t understand that.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: What do you think of NBA commissioner Adam Silver?</span><br />A: He’s a great guy, and he inherited a tough job. I think he’ll be great.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Describe your West Virginia coach, Fred Schaus.</span><br />A: Most exciting time in my life when I looked up, sitting in this little house that I lived in in West Virginia, seeing this great big guy walking down without a sidewalk in front of our house. … I said, “Oh, my God, that’s the coach of West Virginia.” He was the first coach that ever came to visit me, and all of a sudden I felt like, “Maybe I’m gonna have an opportunity to play basketball at a higher level.”</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: And your mom liked him right away, right?</span><br />A: Oh yeah, he was very personable, a real gentleman. And I do remember he said that he wanted me to walk up to his car with him, so he gave me a West Virginia blue and gold, right? And so he gave me a T-shirt (chuckle), and it was a gold one. And I’ve always been partial to blue. And he said, “Well maybe we’ll give you a blue one too, OK?” (chuckle). That was my first experience with really being recruited. But very exciting period in my life, and someone who obviously had a tremendous influence on me when I was in college, and really helped propel me into something I never thought I could become.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Your Team USA coach Pete Newell.</span><br />A: Greatest man I’ve ever met in my life. Father figure … had an incredibly close relationship with him. Someone who always remained part of my life even after being my Olympic coach. One of the kindest, nicest men I’ve ever met in my life. An unbelievable competitor in his own way as a coach. And someone who I felt was very much like me in the competitive way. Hated losing … something that I guess that’s still inside of me, I just don’t like to lose. And particularly don’t like the way you lose sometimes when teams just outwork you. I don’t like that at all.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Boyhood idol?</span><br />A: There was very little information about people except football or baseball. … Basketball at that time was just a sport in transition and growing. … I really didn’t have one. I was sort of a boy who loved the outdoors, loved fishing, loved being in the woods. And then basketball was my fantasy in life. I could make myself bigger than life. … I could play a game by myself — I was a coach, referee, I get to one second on the shot clock and find a way to make it after missing 10 times and always have one second on the shot clock. And I can distinctly remember just counting down if it was three seconds — 3, 2, 1, and turning and shooting it. And at that point in my life missing it most of the time because I was so small.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Three dinner guests?</span><br />A: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Dwight Eisenhower. And if I had a separate dinner, I’d love to have dinner with Winston Churchill. I read a book on [Franklin D. Roosevelt] and Churchill, and when FDR died, Churchill said the following: “I’ve lost my dearest friend and the greatest man I’ve ever known.” Those two guys would be right at the top of the list, too.</div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Q: Favorite movies?</span><br />A: Probably anything with Jack Nicholson in it, “Enemy At the Gate,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Silence of the Lambs,” “Apocalypse Now.”</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-16274429413737339392015-02-12T08:08:00.002-05:002015-02-12T08:08:29.413-05:00Charles Barkley Explains Why Space Travel Is Stupid (Video)<iframe width="315" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0SVlqGzauv4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-18285722152258043472015-02-11T17:05:00.000-05:002015-02-11T17:05:00.937-05:00Q&A: Karl Malone <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Courtesy of Slam<br />
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: We don’t see you TNT or ESPN on a nightly basis giving basketball analysis, but have you been following this year’s NBA season closely?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Karl Malone:</strong> I’ve been following a little bit. The reason I’m not on those shows is they never reach out and ask me to be on those shows. Maybe they don’t want me to tell them what I really think about the game and all that, which is not bad, but it ain’t my doing.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Would you have an interest in regularly appearing on TV?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> Yeah, if it’s set up the right way. If we can do it between hunting and fishing season and set it up the right way, I probably could pull that off. If you can go mobile with the satellite truck and I can get out long enough from fishing and hunting and driving heavy equipment, I might do that, yeah.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Who have you enjoyed watching this season?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> Well, I love the old-school players, so San Antonio, I really like them. The Portland Trail Blazers are young—I like to see the way they’re playing. Of course Golden State. I don’t sit down and say, I’m gonna watch “this guy,” but some of my favorites would be Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, LeBron James and Steph Curry, because I played with his dad. But here’s what I like: I just like good basketball and I like guys who play hard. We take rest now—we [are supposed to] work around the clock. Our servicemen and women and first responders, hell, they can’t take a break. They can’t take rest. What is rest? I’m paying you $20 million and you’re taking a rest? I don’t understand that. Enlighten me on that. Here’s the thing about it: I took pride in playing. When a family of four comes to see a person play and they show up and he’s resting, I don’t understand it. Now look, San Antonio and Coach Pop, they’re grandfathered in. They can rest all they want to. I love them. But beyond that, the young guys coming in that haven’t done anything—I don’t like that kind of basketball. I like real basketball. There’s some good teams out there, some good players out there, and you just want them to play every night. That’s what I miss most.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: A lot of this generation of players grew up watching you—do you see your game in any of today’s NBA?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> Well, better. Like as far as power, LeBron. But I didn’t jump like Blake Griffin. I didn’t shoot like Kevin Durant. But I see some guys doing it. I just like guys who play hard. I want to pick up my program and everybody that I came to see play, I want to show up anywhere—at home or on the road—and I want to see them play. I don’t want, “Oh, I’m gonna take this game off.” And then, all the geniuses of the world telling guys they shouldn’t do [certain things on the court], and they’ve got the analytics of basketball, which I don’t even know what the heck that means, but they’ve got that going. It’s like, suit up, get in the weight room, get bigger and go play. We’ve got more injuries now—shoulders, groins, all that kinda stuff. Please. Just go play. What if our soldiers or our first responders were like, “Oh, I’m sorry! My shoulder! My back’s sore! My groin hurts!” Come on, really? It’s called playing basketball—that’s all we wanna see you do.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: It’s funny you mentioned analytics, because last night that came to the forefront last night when—</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> Can I ask you a question?</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Sure.</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> Enlighten me on analytics. I’m a country bumpkin. Please tell me what that means, pertaining to my sport. Enlighten me and let me give you my response.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: It’s just a deeper way of looking at statistics, valuing numbers that aren’t necessarily in box scores. They’re supposed to encourage efficiency and smarter basketball, so like, advanced analytics would generally value three-pointers and shots around the basket over long two-pointers.</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> Can I tell you something? When you find the guy, whoever invented that word, if he wants to debate me, please let me know. I want to talk to him about the analytics. You cannot tell me—you know what? My memory’s coming back to me a little bit. Someone told, I forget which player it was, that you don’t need a mid-range game. I want to say somebody said that to Kevin Durant. Are you kidding me? I will kill you with a mid-range game. That’s the analytics? That’s what they’re talking about? How many games are they playing? And how many games are they winning? When you find that person [who invented the term “analytics”], please get in touch with me so I can debate him. Just go play and get rid of all that.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Today’s power forwards and centers play way differently than they did in the ’90s, but DeMarcus Cousins seems like a player today who would’ve fit in with you guys back then. He’s been in the news recently for reportedly not wanting to play for Coach George Karl [<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">who the Kings actually hired minutes after this interview ended—Ed.</em>]<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">.</em>Have you watched him play at all?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> I can actually say I don’t know DeMarcus Cousins really well, but I will say this: You have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Sometimes you learn a lot more by just being quiet. You get a Hall of Fame coach, he might teach you something. And how about this: Don’t make no judgments until you meet the coach and have issues with it. Or how about this, young fella: Just play. When you’ve done something in the League, in about 10 years, maybe 12 or 14, then you get your comments. Right now, I don’t know that fella personally and unfortunately you do hear some negative things, but I do know he’s a hell of a talent. So hopefully one day he’ll just play the game and let other people see how great he is. But you’re talking to a Hall of Famer—respect your elders, young fella. That’s what I’d say to DeMarcus Cousins.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: You really should be doing more TV spots.</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> Well, I’ll tell you what. If you get a satellite truck out there between hunting and fishing season, I might take my camouflage paint off my face—‘cause you know, you shine in the sunlight—and we’ll do a show from the woods. Absolutely.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: How much of the year are you tied up with hunting and fishing?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> Look, it’s somewhere to hunt or fish everyday, son. The fish and the animals don’t take a break, we do.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Tell me a little about the Karl Malone Delivers For You campaign you’re involved in.</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> Well, I got involved in it because I lost my mom to a heart attack. She had high blood pressure—I guess the sexy word is “hypertension,” but it’s high blood pressure. My mom understood that. So I had an opportunity to partner with AstraZeneca to do a campaign, because, number one, it’s Black History Month, and it’s American Heart Month. African Americans are more prone to diabetes and high blood pressure, so we formed a partnership. If you go to karldeliversforyou.com, you’ll see my story—there’s recipes and family activities, but also a very private way for you to get your blood pressure medicine delivered right to your door. If my mom had the opportunity to use this, she would’ve loved it, because my mom was a very discrete lady and a very private person. The convenience of it in your home is just awesome.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: And as someone who doesn’t do a ton of public appearances, it seems like if you’re involved in something like this, it must have a special meaning for you.</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">KM:</strong> Yeah, I lost my mom as well as my grandmother to a heart attack. So my thing is, I’ve played for a long time and I’m known as the Mailman and all of that, but if I can help or assist one person to go to <a href="http://www.slamonline.com/nba/karl-malone-utah-jazz-nba/karldeliversforyou.com" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s ease; box-sizing: border-box; color: #b01111; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">karldeliversforyou.com</a>, that one person could’ve been my mom, or that person could be your mom. But you have to go to the website to look at it. And how do you know if you’re a candidate? You have to have a conversation with your doctor. I’m not a doctor—I’m the Mailman. But you’ve gotta be honest. My mom would talk to us about how she felt all the time, but when she got in front of a doctor she wasn’t honest with him. People don’t realize—there aren’t warning signs, where you can say, OK, this is going on. I’ve got high blood pressure—well, what is that? You’ve got to talk to a doctor.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-43251287685191107722015-01-22T08:14:00.002-05:002015-01-22T08:14:38.786-05:00Michael Jordan's CBJ Business Man of the Year acceptance speech (Video)<iframe width="315" height="400" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QLuJsXggW4g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-80820759405294066632015-01-14T07:46:00.000-05:002015-01-14T07:46:48.285-05:00Q&A: Roy Hibbert<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Courtesy of Luke McCormick<br />
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">Were you a fan of <em>Parks and Recreation </em>before appearing on it?</span>Well, I had always been a fan of <em>The Office</em> and thought the mockumentary style of the show was hilarious. So with <em>Parks</em> taking the same approach, it drew me in right away. The characters are just so funny and I've certainly been a fan of Amy Poehler since her days on <em>Saturday Night Live</em>.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">So how did your first cameo on the show happen?</span>My agent, David Falk, always said to let him know if there's anything I want to do outside of basketball, so he got the ball rolling. I remember I had heard Derrick Rose was supposed to be on <em>The Good Wife</em> – which I also love – but he missed his flight and he didn't get to be on it. So, <em>Parks </em>is a set in a fictional town in Indiana and I just started thinking that could work. Plus, Detlef Schrempf had been on the show so I thought I might as well try and wet my beak too!</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">When it was time to film were you nervous?</span>I only had three lines but I was <em>so</em> nervous. I did not want to mess anything up. The nervousness set in when they emailed me the script, and then I got on set and saw how those actors work. They would do a scene for two-to-three hours! Half the time was doing it by the script then the other half was them just going off the top of their heads. I was just trying to focus on getting my lines right so none of the real actors would get mad at me!<span class="pagebreak"></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">Who is your favorite character on the show?</span>Everyone is so funny. I will say that I've gotten close to Ben Schwartz, who plays Jean-Ralphio on the show. Whenever I'm in L.A. we go to dinner. He comes to my Lakers and Clippers games. We just hung out after my Clippers game a couple of weeks ago. He was in <em>The Interview</em> and we had dinner the night it was announced they were going to cancel the release of the movie. He was so bummed the whole night. But, Ben and I have a real nice friendship there.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">Did you spark up a friendship with anyone else?</span>I'm a huge fan of Michael Schur [creator of <em>Parks</em> and <em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</em>] and we talk from time to time. I also became really good friends with Chelsea Peretti while she was a writer on the show. She's blowing up right now!</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">What's your favorite episode of the show?</span>Man, I'm just a fan of the whole show. I will say, there was an episode that Chris Bosh was in and it was a really funny one. Chris did a real good job when he popped up there.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">Would you say your turn was funnier than Bosh's?</span>Um, I don't know [<em>laughs</em>]. I'm not going to say. I just know I had an amazing time when I got to film my parts.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">Do you have any plans to do more work in comedy?</span>Not right now. I'm kind of focusing on the whole basketball thing, you know. I actually reached out to my agent about appearing on <em>The Good Wife</em>. The main character of the show went to Georgetown and that's where I played my college ball so there's a small connection. I mean, I don't want to jump on Derrick Rose's thing, but when I see a connection like that I like to try and create a relationship. Sadly they film in the spring and that's when I'm in-season so it's not going to happen.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">But you definitely want to do more acting?</span>Somewhat. I think I'm going to be taking some voice lessons because I'd like to do a voice in a video game. Something like <em>Call of Duty</em>. I'd really like to do something along those lines. I don't think so much voiceovers on television, but doing a voice on a cartoon would be a lot of fun.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">Will you be returning to Pawnee at all during this last season?</span>I was supposed to film an episode this summer but we couldn't work it out with my practice schedule and their filming schedule. It sucks that I won't be on the last season but they've had an amazing run. I would have loved to have done a last-episode musical or something. I could come in singing a few lines then sink into the background and come back out at the end and just be clapping along.<span class="pagebreak"></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">Wait, you're a singer too? Are you dropping an album this year?</span>Oh I don't think so. They'd definitely have to get some Auto-Tune on me.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">Back to <em>Parks</em>, do you feel the show is ending at a good time or do you think they had a few more seasons left in the tank?</span>I would love for it to go a few more seasons but I don't know about ratings and those things that go into a decision like this. A lot of the characters have moved on in the show so it seems like the right time for it to end. I'm definitely sad to see it go.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700;">When you had dinner with Jean-Ralphio, did he give you any spoilers about the final season?</span>No, no, no. I'm a fan of the show so I don't want to know what's going to happen. I'd rather just watch it all unfold.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-76873442477523188432015-01-10T08:41:00.000-05:002015-01-10T08:41:15.400-05:00adidas Originals | #OriginalSuperstar (Video)<iframe width="315" height="400" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0HYGOB7Ofa0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-87497209458513473012015-01-08T15:06:00.004-05:002015-01-08T15:08:19.891-05:00Tall Justice 2 with Chris Bosh (Video)<iframe src="http://www.funnyordie.com/embed/99c9f7a778" width="315" height="400" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen></iframe><div style="text-align:left;font-size:x-small;margin-top:0;width:640px;"><a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/99c9f7a778/tall-justice-2-with-chris-bosh" title="from Funny Or Die, Chris Bosh, Hal Rudnick, Joe Hartzler, Michael Burke, Dashiell Driscoll, Alex Richanbach, Jason Carden, Sean Dacanay, Libby de Leon, Jonathan Nicholas, Jessica Leigh Schwartz, Tricia Robertson, and Ben Forman">Tall Justice 2 with Chris Bosh</a> from <a href="http://www.funnyordie.com/funnyordie">Funny Or Die</a> <iframe src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?app_id=138711277798&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.funnyordie.com%2Fvideos%2F99c9f7a778%2Ftall-justice-2-with-chris-bosh&send=false&layout=button_count&width=150&show_faces=false&action=like&height=21" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="border:none; overflow:hidden; width:90px; height:21px; vertical-align:middle;" allowTransparency="true"></iframe>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-6235027867775333802015-01-08T13:41:00.004-05:002015-01-08T13:41:50.692-05:00Charles Barkley on why he's no longer friends with Michael Jordan (Video)<div style='text-align:center'><script type='text/javascript' src='http://pshared.5min.com/Scripts/PlayerSeed.js?sid=281&width=315&height=401&playList=518587971'></script><br/></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-59761830753322162852014-12-21T05:19:00.000-05:002014-12-21T05:19:00.135-05:00Q&A: Matt Bonner<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Courtesy of Slam<br />
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Big Red says that you are a “deliciously different” addition to their team. How are you “deliciously different”? Is that an apt description for you?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Matt Bonner:</strong> Aside from the time I fell into a barrel of maple syrup when I was eight, I can’t vouch for the delicious part. As for being different, I don’t know? I just try to be myself.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Wait, you once fell into a barrel of maple syrup?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">MB:</strong> [<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Laughs</em>] That never happened. I was just joking!</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Big Red says they are America’s best-selling “red soda,” are there any other bestselling red products you can see yourself endorsing?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">MB:</strong> Manu always gives me grief for putting a ton of ketchup on everything. So maybe that? Or maybe I could endorse stop signs. I’m a big fan of traffic laws. They are important. Other possibilities: Redbox, Red Robin, Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Reddit, Red Lobster, Red Rider BB Gun, Red Cross, and Clifford the Big Red Dog.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: Since you are the Sandwich Hunter, what is the ideal sandwich to eat and then wash down with a glass of Big Red?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">MB:</strong> Any sandwich goes well with a Big Red. But if I had to pick one, I’d say a pickled cow tongue sandwich. The sweetness of the Big Red compliments the overall bitterness of the cow tongue quite nicely.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: You are now affectionately known as the Red Mamba and the Red Rocket, but growing up did people ever call you Big Red? Or was there another affectionate nickname?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">MB:</strong> Actually, I was indeed often called Big Red. I grew up in Concord, New Hampshire where everyone is a Celtics fan. Since Dave Cowens’s nickname was “Big Red” and I was a tall kid with red hair, it was only natural that I inherited the moniker.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">SLAM: On a more serious note, with the whole push across the country to cut down on sugary drinks, like with Michelle Obama’s Drink Up campaign—why did you partner with Big Red? People may say that you should be promoting healthy choices, so are you afraid of any backlash?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">MB:</strong> I’m not trying to perpetuate a Coo-Coo Cola situation; yes, I just referenced Chip n Dale’s Rescue Rangers. As a parent and role model, teaching kids to make healthy choices is important to me. That being said, I think it’s perfectly okay to have a soft drink on occasion. For example, I love getting popcorn and a soda when I go to the movies. Why not make that soda a Big Red?</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-59180352059813614442014-12-15T23:33:00.001-05:002014-12-15T23:33:35.513-05:00Jordan Brand Releases The ‘Melo M11′ (Video)<iframe width="315" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/WnhZUo_-dXI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-64745645547269385162014-12-06T15:10:00.001-05:002014-12-06T15:10:11.281-05:00Q&A: Grant Hill<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Courtesy of Game Time Magazine<br />
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Game Time: You have dedicated so much time and money to philanthropy. What motivates you to give back?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Grant Hill:</strong> There are a number of things that have played a role in motivating me to give back. One, having some really good examples growing up. My parents were constantly trying to help others by dedicating their time and resources in a number of different ways. When I was young and impressionable, seeing what my parents were doing had a tremendous impact on me. Two, during my time in college, being around Coach K, understanding the influence of athletes and being part of a high-profile program also allowed me to see the impact of giving back. Many of the things that we did within the Durham community played a role in building on a strong foundation. So, since I was in a position to do a number of things as a kid with my parents and while a student at Duke, my giving back now is just a continuation of my experiences at home with my parents and my time in school.</div>
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I think you come to realize as you get to a certain point, graduate from college, reach a certain level of success, you realize that there were a number of people who helped you along the way, some directly and some indirectly. It’s an enjoyable experience to be in a position to be helpful. You don’t have to be an NBA basketball player or be on the Forbes 500 list, we can all help and give back by creating opportunities for others regardless of who we are and what position we hold.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Game Time: You support many different causes, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, your scholarship endowment fund and community development. How do you choose which causes to support?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">GH:</strong> My wife and I have always understood that education is vital, and that education is lacking in so many communities. Through the years we’ve managed to support education through these causes. Education is one of the consistent themes we’ve supported through scholarships at Duke University and at several high schools.</div>
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In terms of other organizations and charities that we support—this depends on where we are, what we’ve seen, and what we’ve been exposed to. In general, we enjoy working with children and by supporting educational initiatives. We are allowed the opportunity to impact all kids, especially kids that may not be as fortunate to have a strong education platform.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Game Time: Do you have a favorite cause or charity to support? If so, what is it and why?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">GH:</strong> I don’t necessarily have a favorite cause or charity. It would be like having to pick a favorite child; they’re all good. I enjoy programs and causes that are based on education. At a particular time, I may have identified something that I enjoy or that’s on my mind—something I really want to get behind financially, with various resources and with my time. All of the organizations that my wife and I support are having an impact and doing great work. We try not only to support them financially but also, hopefully, we are able to add value through our experiences, insights and our network of contacts. Regarding having a favorite, perhaps we should have one. Getting behind one organization and being 100 percent committed could be very valuable to that organization. However, there are so many great groups that are doing wonderful things that it would be hard for us to narrow it down to one organization.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Game Time: Tell us about the mission of the Grant Hill Foundation?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">GH:</strong> There really is no specific mission statement or an established organization structure for the GH Foundation. The Foundation is a vehicle for my wife and me to donate money. For initiatives that are near and dear to our hearts—at a particular point in time—we use the Foundation to contribute money and support. If I had to provide a mission statement for the Foundation it would be “to make a difference and have an impact on the lives of young people.”</div>
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Many times when people look at philanthropy and at the generosity from people who have given a lot of money, people get intimidated and say, “I don’t have that [money],” or “I don’t have those kind of resources, so I can’t participate in giving,” but that’s not the case. We all can participate, and we all can give. It’s about the spirit of giving that matters most.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Game Time: Since you were a pro athlete and still a very public figure, do you feel that you have more responsibility when it comes to philanthropy?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">GH:</strong> Yes, regardless of whether you’re a successful pro athlete, or in industry, academia or services—you didn’t get there on your own. There were many people that paved the way for me. It was their hard work and sacrifices that created the opportunities. I think one should “pay it forward” by giving back and helping others.</div>
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[For athletes] I think it’s a responsibility. We have a platform, an audience and we have young people who hang on to every word or everything athletes do, and with that, comes a huge responsibility. It’s something all of us should take seriously and understand the importance.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Game Time: You recently donated $1 million to Duke’s athletic facilities. Why did you choose to donate to the athletic facilities?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">GH:</strong> I believe that people have the perception that a private university, a school like Duke University is has an unlimited amount of financial resources. However, universities, like Duke, survive on the generosity of their alumni. It was through philanthropy that Duke was able to initially become a great regional college and has now become one of the leading international universities. As an alumni, you want to continue to make your alma mater a special place that continues to improve and be the best that it can be.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Game Time: How did dealing with injuries change how you played, and what did this teach you about dealing with injuries and obstacles in life?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">GH:</strong> I was very fortunate that my four years in college and my first six years in the NBA were fantastic. I was playing at a high level. Fortunately things came early for me in my career. Then I had a rash of injuries and misfortune and uncertainty about whether I would ever play again. I was able to come back, and it was very fulfilling. Obviously, I wasn’t the same player, there were restrictions in terms of my ankle and I was not able to play at the level that I played at during my first six years. However, I was still able to contribute. Going through that dark period, going through the injury and the surgeries—there were many life lessons and learning experiences that I’ve benefitted from, and those experiences have made me a better person.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Game Time: What one piece of advice would you give us, not related to basketball?</strong></div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">GH:</strong> The key pieces of advice that I would communicate are: life is not easy and requires hard work, and education and college are very important. College taught me how to think, how to solve problems and most importantly, college taught me how to endure. I believe that college is a microcosm of life, regardless of who you are, what you’ve done or what you’ve accomplished.</div>
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Success, on and off the court, requires hard work. It requires being persistent, and it requires believing in yourself. Do not expect anything to be handed to you; you have to work extremely hard to achieve your goals. Hard work is the key, and I certainly try to emphasize this to my own children, and the kids that I’ve had the opportunity to come in contact with.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-30388476803870662912014-12-06T11:33:00.002-05:002014-12-06T11:33:48.202-05:00Former NBA star Antoine Walker: Life after losing $110 million (Video)<iframe width="315" height="360" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="http://finance.yahoo.com/former-nba-star-antoine-walker-220815755.html?format=embed" allowfullscreen="true" mozallowfullscreen="true" webkitallowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true"></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-5639411849274708472014-12-05T06:07:00.002-05:002014-12-05T06:07:59.908-05:00ICYMI: Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith openly talk about Ferguson on Inside The NBA (Video)<iframe width="315" height="400" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Sf-ZC5qQbuY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10568157691385986674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2652115797704676603.post-44535245199892174082014-12-04T14:08:00.001-05:002014-12-04T14:08:33.937-05:00Q&A: Nick Young <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Courtesy of Sarah Kogod</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nick Young, what was the last...</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Movie you saw</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Horrible Bosses 2. It was pretty good, I liked it. I ain't gonna lie, I was shocked. I saw the first one but I was forced to see the second one. The sequel's never that good. I think it might have been better.</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Book you read</span></b></h4>
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<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Bible. A little bit every day.</span></span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thing you cooked</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some eggs. I try to make them over-easy, sunny-side up, but it's hard to get it right.</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Song that was stuck in your head</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Black Widow." [<i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;">Ed note: Duh.</i>]</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Vacation you went on</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cabo.</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dream you had</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think two days ago. It was about the game. I was running late and I missed the whole game. I kept getting stopped trying to get there and when I got there, there was nobody there. And I woke up, like, I'm glad it was a dream.</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Person who made you laugh</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm gonna have to say Robert Sacre. Just looking at him.</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Person you texted</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My momma. "What are we cooking this weekend?"</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thing you took a picture of</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Myself. I was feeling good that day.</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Time you cried</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Probably this summer when I was going through my free agency. That was scary.</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Time you were embarrassed</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two games ago, when Iggy was sitting courtside. I just slipped and fell for no reason. The ball went over my head. And then I tried to get back up and I slipped again. I blamed it on the floor. She didn't believe me.</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Time you said "I love you"</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today. My momma and Iggy.</span></div>
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<b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Date night</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two nights ago [with Iggy]. We went to STK.</span></div>
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