LeBron in the Dunk Contest?

8.03.09 2:13 pm by Matt

During All-Star 2009, LeBron threatened to “clean up” the Dunk Contest. He hinted that if the rules were tightened up and he talked some fellow superstars into it, he’d participate.

Here’s the thing: sure, LeBron can jump high. REALLY high. But there’s just a limit to how high people can jump. Through the legs and a variant thereof is the go-to move in the finals every year, which leads to boredom, which led to a push toward creativity, costumes, and chicanery of all sorts.

Since LeBron and his superstar competitors can only repeat the through-the-legs so many times, I’m here to bring some ideas to the table for an All-Star filled Dunk Contest.
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The Bummer of 2010

7.26.09 10:02 am by Matt

NBA analysis seems to consist of relating every move to the Summer of 2010, dreaming of players for teams to get during the Summer of 2010, or just talking about the Summer of 2010 for no other reason. The Summer of 2010 probably has a player card on ESPN.com. “The Knicks are smart to pick up those contracts that will expire in the Summer of 2010 so they can make a run at LeBron James.” “That’s a great trade for the Pistons, clearing that cap space aimed at Dwyane Wade in the Summer of 2010.”

Well I say PHOOEY. Here’s why we’re in for a big, massive, giant, huge BUMMER of 2010:

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Aq’s FAQs 3: Shaq to Cleveland?

7.03.09 9:36 am by Matt

A huge, monumental, incredible trade occurred last week. Shaquille O’Neal was purchased for the low, low price of expiring contracts. What are the ramifications, you ask? That’s why I’m here. Some of fans’ burning questions about the Shaq-to-Cleveland trade.

Q: How will Mike Brown integrate Shaq into the offense?
A: He’ll think up a second play. Play 1: Stand around and watch LeBron. Play 2: Stand around and watch Shaq. He spent all of Friday working on that. See, here’s page 3 of Brown’s playbook.
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Refereeing 101

6.21.09 12:11 pm by Matt

Editor’s Note: Introducing yet another new writer to theSportsGeeks.com. Here’s Matt’s first post. There are a lot of video links on this one. Click them; its worth it.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the NBA. All pictures and videos are property of their respective copyright owners. Please don’t fine me for criticizing officials, Mr. Stern. I don’t have 25,000 dollars! I’m just joking! Really!

I recently visited NBA.com to settle an argument about the kickball rule. While on the site, I stumbled upon a link to “Ask Bernie [Director of Officiating].” I thought about how helpful it was that Bernie would answer questions from referees about some of the trickier rules, but to my surprise, the page was meant for fans!

But what about our dear officials? They certainly have questions too! As a true fan, I’m here to help out the NBA in any way I can. Here’s an FAQ for some of our referees’ biggest questions because clearly they need some help.

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10 Rivalries That Are Bigger Than Red Sox-Yankees

6.13.09 8:26 pm by Will

Editors Note: I’m happy to introduce a new writer to theSportsGeeks.com. This is Will’s first, but hopefully not last article here, and its very impressive if I do say so myself. -Alex

As a Boston Red Sox fan, I was very excited about this week’s series between my beloved Sawx and the hated Yankees. NESN, the network that carries Sox games in New England, knew that the clash between the titans of the AL East was something that fans like me would get really amped up about, so they started showing commercials for the games about a week in advance. The one that really struck me was one that featured Jason Bay. It showed him sitting in the locker room, talking about how exciting the prospect of a Sox-Yanks series was. He mentioned how “[Red Sox-Yankees] is the biggest rivalry in sports.” Jason was very, very incorrect.

Before I point out 10 rivalries that are bigger/more ferocious/more important than the Sox and Yankees, it would be unfair to completely discount the intensity of their feud.  The Boston and New York clubs have a humongous, all-consuming rivalry that is probably the biggest in American professional sports. Sure, someone could make an argument for Cowboys-Redskins, Mets-Phillies, Celtics-Lakers, or Maple Leafs-Canadiens, (I know that last one isn’t exactly “American” sports, but they play in the NHL, so whatever.) However, oftentimes these rivalries go stale for extended periods, because, unlike baseball, other American sports have salary caps, which makes it difficult for teams to amass the same kind of talent that the Sox and Yankees attract every off-season by virtue of their greater resources, keeping each team competitive and relevant every single season, something that teams in the NFL, NBA, and NHL just can’t do. For example, the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacremento Kings had the biggest rivalry in the NBA for a short period in the early 2000’s. Shaq called them the Queens, Phil Jackson called Sacremento a “Cow Town,” and the two played in one of the most entertaining and controversial NBA playoff series of all time, the 2002 Western Conference Finals, which included a Robert Horry buzzer beater in Game 4, and a Game 6 that disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy has insisted was fixed by the referees in the Lakers’ favor. This series was followed by a 2003 preseason dust-up between Rick Fox and Doug Christie. Then, Shaq got traded and the Kings faded away, and the rivalry was dead. The Sox and Yanks will never fade away, until a salary cap comes in, or they are purchased by a more frugal ownership group, neither of which looks like happening anytime soon. Also, very few, if any rivalries in American sports have the history, mythology, and twists and turns that are intrinsic in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry. However, The Sox and Yanks fans don’t share the same devotion, investment, and antipathy towards the opposition that some rivalries on this list suggest, nor does the rivalry have the same extreme outlandishness of others. Sox-Yankees is a great rivalry, but not as great as the ten that I will present to you (in no particular order).

New Zealand vs. South Africa – Rugby

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Comparing Eras: Lebron James (2008-2009) vs. Oscar Robertson (1961-1962)

6.10.09 9:40 pm by Alex

LeBron James’ rare combination of skills have often led to him being compared with Hall-of-Famer Oscar Robertson. In the 1961-62 NBA season, Robertson averaged a triple-double for the season (30.8 pts, 12.5 reb, 11.4 ast), a feat that hasn’t been accomplished before that or since then. LeBron’s impressive 2009 MVP season (28.4 pts, 7.6 reb, 7.2 ast) has left people wondering whether he’s capable of replicating Robertson’s feat.

LeBron will probably never match Robinson’s ‘61-’62 season. In that season teams averaged 118.8 points per game, compared to only 100 this past year. Assist(23.9 vs. 20.9) and rebound(71.4 vs. 41.3)  numbers were higher as well. I’ve seen this done several different ways, but lets take a look at where LeBron would stand using these league-wide numbers as a reference point (Era multipliers calculated by dividing the per-game numbers from the ‘61-’62 season by the corresponding data from ‘08-’09):

LeBron 08-09 Era Multiplier LeBron Adjusted Robertson 61-62
Points 28.4 118.8/100.0=1.18 33.5 30.8
Rebounds 7.6 71.4/41.3=1.72 13.1 12.5
Assists 7.2 23.9/20.9=1.14 8.2 11.4

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