NBA in sync moments

A few months ago, a post appeared on reddit that show some interesting things happening on the court during NBA games.   It shows players being in sync with one another doing the same acts at the same time.  The first post was a video of the suns players all turning their bodies in the same direction at the same time when possession of the ball changed.

When this post was found on reddit, it made its way over to twitter.  Now it has become more common for NBA twitter/fans to notice these in sync moments between teammates in more games.

I don't know what explains why these moments happen.  Maybe it has to do with physics or teammate chemistry.  I have no clue, but I think this is fascinating.  They do say the longer you're around someone, the more you become like them.  This could be a case of that happening between teammates. who knows. 

NBA League pass

On Monday the NBA announced a new option for fans to watch the game.  They can now watch games in the last quarter for only 99 cents.  This a great idea as the season is coming to an end and playoff positioning is becoming more and more important.  Teams on the edge of making the playoffs need all the wins they can get.  Teams that have already secured a spot in the playoffs may need to win a few more games to get their ideal playoff spot.  So the end of games have become more important to watch rather than the rest; the result is all that matters for these teams.  This idea is also smart because it's another option added to the numerous available options on NBA League Pass. With the addition of fourth quarter streams, the program now has 7 options available for fans. The most expensive plan allows you to have access to all team broadcast and in area broadcast during commercials/timeouts for only $39.99 a month.  This post might sound like I was paid to put this information out there, but I swear I wasn't lol.

Odell Beckham Jr.

Since his sudden rise to stardom, Odell has consistently received criticism from the media and fans over his antics on and off the field.  And I personally believe that it has all been very unfortunate and unfair.  Odell is one of the best wide receivers in the game.  He's definitely in the top three. I'll admit, Odell did have some on the field anger issues his rookie season, but I think he's gotten better at handling his emotions.  However, I don't understand why when Beckham shows his emotions, he's considered a distraction, but when Brady shows the same fire on the field it's seen as someone who is passionate about the game and just wants to win....  It's a double standard that I believe has something to do with the perception of wide receivers as "divas"' and quite frankly because he's black.  Other black players who have been in a similar situation regardless of the position they play have had to deal with this double standard.

The treatment negative attention Odell gets from the media is ridiculous, and it's even gotten to a point where some fans and media personalities truly believe the giants should trade him...............lol......that's all I have to say about that idea. When Mara ridiculed Beckham for his doggy pee celebration I thought that was stupid and so was the penalty for it.  I didn't think it was a big deal.



 If the giants were to trade him,  it would be the dumbest trade in giants' history.

Celtics Unique Comeback

Last night the Boston Celtics pulled off a unique victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder snapping the thunder's six game winning streak.  The Celtics won 100-99 in an improvable fashion.  In the final 17 seconds of the game, Boston erased their six point deficit and took a one point lead with 1.2 seconds left in the game.  Marcus Morris made the go-ahead three pointer to seal the game.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, the comeback was the first of it's kind this season.  Entering into Tuesday night's action, teams were 0-884 in situations when down by five or more points with 20 seconds left in the game.  Boston was down by five with 16.8 seconds to left on the clock.   I wouldn't be surprised if this comeback was the first and last of its kind for this season as there are only about 11 games left for each team this season.

What makes this comeback interesting is that the Thunder had the chance to essentially end the game if Melo had made his two free throw attempts.  Melo is my favorite player, but he has got to make those free throws.  However, it's not all on him, the thunder's defense should have been better in the closing seconds of the game.

Lebron James Does It Again

On Sunday night, the Cavs played against the Lakers and guess what.......Lebron had another big highlight for the night.  He threw a no look pass to Ante Zizic that fooled the entire Lakers team.  Chris Weber, the color analyst for the night, was even fooled by Lebron's pass.

Julius Randle and Brook Lopez were the biggest culprits.  There should have been better communication on the defensive rotations.  Someone lost track off Kyle Korver--one of the best 3 point shooters in nba history-- and that's why the fake pass worked so well.  Korver was open for a open 3 and  Lebron made a smart move to get an easy dunk for his teammate.  He knew both defenders would automatically rush to Korver if he faked a pass to him.

This play was one of the highlights of the game, but unfortunately Lebron and the cavs lost the game by 14 points.  The lakers scored 127 points, which should not be happening against a team that's trying to win the NBA Title in June.  The lakers are 30-38; 8 games below .500 and they dominated the cavs throughout the game. 

Giants Release DRC...

Yesterday Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie tweeted out a statement confirming the reports that the giants had released their veteran pro bowl CB.  As a giants fan, I wasn't shocked that the organization decided to part ways with the DRC due to the inability to renegotiate a contract.  I understand their need to create space so that they can pay their biggest stars in the future like Odell Beckham and to sign free agents.  BUT, I think they were asking the wrong person to take a huge pay cut.  Because DRC is no longer on the roster, the depth at the corner back position is TERRIBLE...... After Jenoris Jenkins you have virtually no good corner backs on the roster.  Eli Apple showed promise his rookie season, but he played horrible last season.  He also became a locker room cancer.  Every one else is trash as well.  DRC was asked to take a large pay cut AND play to play the safety position; he wanted to play as an outside CB again because last year the team had him play as more of a FS or inside corner.  In my opinion, he should have been playing as the outside corner instead of Eli Apple because he was just bad.  He doesn't know how to turn his head smh.  I don't know why they wanted him to play as more of a safety than CB, but I think if they wanted to save money and have someone take a large pay cut, they should have asked Eli.  Eli is on a decline and isn't worth the $22m he has left on his contract.  I hate to say that, but it's true.

Some will say it's fake....

Two NBA nights in a row and two spectacular plays by the league's most popular players.  On Wednesday it was James Harden, and on Thursday the amazing play featured Lebron James.
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Lebron's behind the back crossover is arguably better than the crossover Harden performed on Wesley Johnson the night before.  One reason is splitting the defense with a behind the back crossover is extremely hard, especially with Embiid being the big hedging the pick & roll.  Splitting the defense is not an easy thing to do, but to do it using a behind the back crossover that went between the legs of his own teammates legs is impressive.  The fact that the ball had the perfect angle to slip between the narrow space of Tristan Thompson's legs is unbelievable.  I'm not sure if Lebron intended for the ball to slip between Thompson's legs, but nonetheless it's still an amazing play. Here's Lebron's reaction on Twitter earlier today: https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/969443373068292097  

Today in college women's basketball, Aina Bagur had her own Harden moment against Colorado: https://twitter.com/GoDucks/status/969690615494541312

I guess it's breakin' ankles week.  

The Most Disrespectful Cross Over in History?

Last night the Houston Rockets played the Los Angeles Clippers, and if you didn't watch it, something amazing happened between James Harden and Wesley Johnson.  With about 1:24 left on the clock in the first quarter, James Harden brought the ball up the court and proceeded to put Wesley Johnson on skates on an isolation play.  What makes the the play so amazing is the how Harden disrespected Wesley Johnson before knocking down a step back three. Take a look:

James Harden might have performed the most disrespectful stare down in NBA history.  There have  been plenty of disrespectful acts over the course of NBA history.  One that comes to mind to almost everyone is the Iverson step over on Tyronn Lue in the 2001 NBA Finals.  I think the James Harden stare at Wesley Johnson will go down as one of the most disrespectful moments in NBA history.  I've never seen a player stare down another player that they just crossed-over before taking the shot AND making it.  Usually it's after they make the shot, which is why it was amazing and crazy to see.  The crowd reaction makes it more amazing especially since the Clippers were playing at home. I didn't watch the game, but I saw the highlight on twitter where EVERYONE was talking about it. Here's Harden's reaction too play after the game:  

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/969095650116763649