The
Reebok retro movement has brought back a great line up of classic
footwear back into the hands of sneaker heads everywhere and has
connected generations. With the retro sneakers being back people in
the shoe game experiment using different silhouettes in colorways
that were never thought of. The Reebok Kamikaze 2 inspired by Seattle
Supersonics star Shawn Kemp was used as the basis for Packer Shoes
to use a colorway so crazy that sneaker heads worldwide wouldn't know
what to do with themselves. Enter the “Remember The Alamo” and
the gaudy colorway that comes with it and you have a pretty classic
sneaker on your hands.
The
sneaker features a grey/silver/white base with orange/pink/blue
accents inspired by the old colors of the San Antonio Spurs in the
1990's. The shoe will be released August 2nd exclusively
threw Packer shoes, you can follow them on Twitter @packershoes. All
in all I'm looking forward to the response from the world of sneaker
lovers. I'm pretty sure ina few months I'll see these in my neck of
the woods on someones foot here in South Florida@PackerShoes
Last
night in game 3 of the NBA Finals the San Antonio Spurs shot the
Miami Heat out of the building in a 113-77 blowout. The fact that I'm
even calling it a blowout should be considered a compliment to Heat
fans they gave up an NBA Finals record 16 Three Pointers. I have
never seen any team shoot the ball like I saw Danny Green and Gary
Neal last night who shot a combined 13-19 from behind the 3 point
line.
It's
great to see guys like that succeed especially in the NBA Finals. I
remember when Lebron James played in Cleveland and Danny Green wore
street clothes he barely ever suited up for the Cavs and was cut a
few years ago. Green a 2009 National Champion of the UNC Tarheels
played for 3 D-league teams and had a stint playing in Slovenia and
now he is dropping 27 points in the NBA Finals against the NBA's best
team, you just can't write this stuff.
Gary
Neal like Green has had a journey and a half to the NBA. After
playing basketball at La Salle and Townson he went undrafted in 2007
and played three seasons of pro basketball overseas all before
Signing with the Spurs in 2010. After proving himself in his 1st
season he was rewarded with NBA All-Rookie 1st team
honors. Now he is looking video game like in the NBA Finals dropping
24 points while him and Danny Green outscore the Heat Big three
51-43.
These
dudes could have stopped playing pro basketball years ago but stuck
to it, worked their tail off and waited patiently for a chance. Now
They are key contributors on a team looking to stay a perfect 5 for 5
in the NBA Finals and dethrone the best player in the world and
defending champs from repeating. So this is a great example for all
those basketball players who want to make it stick to your dreams,
work hard and wait for your chance and maybe you could be the next Danny
Green or Gary Neal.
The Career and situation of Kawhi Leonard is an interesting one at the fresh young age of 21 Leonard has earned rave reviews from players and coaches around the league. In his 1st season in the NBA he became a reliable starting small forward that played a good amount of minutes on a team that went to the western conference finals. For all the accomplishments and accolades Kawhi has earned so far none maybe as important as what coach Popovich has said regarding his career.
“I
think he’s going to be a star. And as time goes on, he’ll be the
face of the Spurs, I think. At both ends of the court, he is really a
special player. And what makes me be so confident about him is that
he wants it so badly. He wants to be a good player, I mean a great
player. He comes early, he stays late, and he’s coach
able,
he’s just like a sponge. When you consider he’s only had (two
years) of
College and no
training camp yet, you can see that he’s going to be something
else.”-
Greg Popovich
Coach
Popovich makes a lot sufficient points in that quote. Kawhi is a very
good player at both ends of the floor in only his 2nd
season in the league he is regarded as one of the best all- around
defenders in the league whether its man to man, zone defense or
perimeter defense Leonard excels highly at all of them. The best
example of Kawhi's defense would force you to look no further then
last nights game 2 of the NBA Finals. Although the stat isn't 100%
factual at this present moment checkout the job Leonard has been
doing defensively on Lebron James in the tweet below.
LeBron James is 1-of-4 shooting in the 1st half when guarded by Kawhi Leonard, and 3-of-12 against him in the series.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) June 10, 2013
Obviously
you aren't going to completely stop Lebron James but Kawhi has done a
great job guarding the best player on the plant which is a testament
to his defensive ability.
Then
you have to look at Leonard on the offensive end. From his rookie
season to his sophomore season he has increased his scoring average a
whole 4 points from 7.9 to 11.9 Points per game as basically the 3rd
option in the Spurs offense behind Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Those
guys along with Manu Ginobli aren't getting any younger so you have
to believe that as Leonard matures that he will grow into becoming
the leader of the San Antonio Spurs.
Here
is an interesting stat I came across after doing a little research.
Of the 14 other starting small forwards in the western conference
Kawhi Lenoard's Player efficeny rating is 16.46 which is higher then
9 of them. The 9 guys he is higher then are as folllows (Harrison
Barnes-12.48, Caron Butler, 12.50, Metta World Peace,-12.55, Michael
Beasley-10.91, Chandler Parsons-15.33, Tayshaun Prince, Al Faraqu
Aminu-15.76, Nicholas Batum-15.76, Demarre Carroll-15.56). Pretty
impressive for a guy who is the 3rd and sometimes 4th
option on offense all depending on how Danny green is shooting the
ball.
So
lets put those numbers in perspective Kawhi Leonard’s Player
efficiency rating is the 5th highest of starting small
forwards in the western conference. The only guys with higher ratings
with him are as follows ( Tyreke Evans-18.16, Shawn Marion-18.02,
Andre Kirlenko-17.67 and Kevin Durant-28.35). So all the guys that
are higher then him are the 1st or second options on offense for
their respective teams and one of them is an MVP Canidate. That’s
pretty Impressive stuff from the second year man out of San Diego
State.
If
you look at just Kawhi the person and his demeanor you will see that
he really has no change of demeanor. He is even keel which is what
you want from a team leader. When you win you never want to get too
excited but when you lose you don't want feel to down it's just good
to stay in the middle and Kawhi does a great job of that. He posses a
few quality's that current teammate and future hall of famer Tim
Duncan has such as a calm demeanor, productivity, hunger towards
success and quite frankly he is a guy most don't people pay attention
to.
I
think in due time we will see Kawhi Leonard mature into an all-star
and leader for the San Antonio Spurs. He is in a great situation at
21 years old getting to be around guys like Greg Popovich, Tim
Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, Tracy Mcgrady. That’s a lot of
greatness surrounding a guy who is very young, plays the game the
right way and seems to have his head on straight. As long as he
continues to work and soak in as much info as possible then the sky
is the limit for Kahwhi Leonard.
So
Thursday night as I firmly plopped my behind on my couch in
anticipation for the NBA Finals I nonchalantly went on Facebook
because you know I got a page to admin and maintain. So as I'm
scrolling down my news feed I came across some disturbing news. The
picture you see above this paragraph made me eat my heart out. It
pictured the basketball player I hate more then anything pictured on
something I love dearly. Of course I am speaking about Lebron James
being featured on the cover of NBA 2K14.
Not
going to lie that caught me off guard but I had a game to watch so I
didn't care for now. The Spurs took game 1 92-88 due in large part to
some great execution down the stretch from the team and a big time
shot by Tony Parker.
After
the game ended and I had gotten over the fact that LBJ would be on
the cover of 2K but it got even worse. I did some research on some of
the new features in the game and I got even more pissed. Apparently
they are having a new game mode this year which features Lebron
called “Path to greatness”. ARE YOU SERIOUS?!! This guy is a
phenomenal talent and the biggest thing in basketball from a
marketing standpoint but to have all this already is premature his
story is still being written. In other words he isn't Michael Jordan.
2K
picked the perfect time to put him on the cover though his popularity
is at an all-time high and they're are less people like myself who
despise the guy so they will sell really high especially with this
being his 1st ever video game cover. They have something
called the “Lebron Pack” where you can buy the game for more
money and get exclusive features such as Lebron James in blacktop
mode and his signature skill. So 2k is going to max out his rating
most likely, make him unbeatable and basically make him immortal,
well being the cocky 2K player I am fearful of nobody I responded by
saying this on Twitter to Lebron Fans who play 2K and 2K Sports.
guys are goin to give Lebron all these signature skills and max out his rating but he is still getting crossed up by Kemba Walker #TrustMe
— Brendan Taylor (@ThatboyBTaylor) June 7, 2013
Btw
hit that follow button if you have a twitter and I'll follow back!
The 2013 NBA Finals starts tonight a 9:00 as Lebron James and the defending champion Miami Heat take on Tim Duncan and San Antonio Spurs for the chance to wear the Crown in basketball world as champions of the NBA. For the Heat its just a step closer to achieving dynasty status. For the Spurs this could be the last run in what has been the best run of basketball this generation has seen. Get my thoughts on the 2013 NBA Finals by clicking the video below.
The
San Antonio Spurs are a dynasty in the modern era whether they win a
title this year or not. For the last decade they have appeared in
half of the NBA Finals played and have won 4 times. They have been
called boring to the casual basketball fan but for people who live
this game they understand the greatness of the Spurs. Tim Duncan has
always been the man in San Antonio but over the last few seasons Tony
Parker has become “The Guy”. This whole season the Spurs have
been riding Parker as #1 option while playing the usual Elite team
basketball they are known for.
The
Spurs have been dominant this postseason and what looked like an even
match up in Western Conference finals became a one sided affair when
the Spurs crushed the hopes of Zach Randolph and the Memphis
Grizzlies with a 4 game sweep. Tony Parker has been playing great
basketball but people may be unaware of the magnitude of the level he
is playing at.
Tony
Parker is 31 years old as of this year and you may be surprised on
how similar or even better his numbers are in this postseason
compared to several point guards In the hall of fame when they were
31 years old.
When
Playing amongst stars like Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli Its hard to
shine sometimes but at 31 years old he has done that for the Spurs
and became a leader kind of like Jason Kidd had been through out his
career in his time in 2004.
In
the 2003-2004 playoffs Jason Kidd was 31 years old just like Tony
Parker is now but Parker s numbers are better then Kidd at 31 years
of ago, check the numbers below.
Tony
Parker at 31years old: 23 Points 7 Assists 4 Rebounds 1 Steal 47 % FG
37 % 3-Point 79% FT Through 14 games
Jason
Kidd at 31 years of old: 13 Points 9 Assists 7 Rebounds 2 steals
33%FG 20% 3-Point FG 81% FT in 11 games
Kidd
edges Parker in categories like Assists, Rebounds and Steals but
Parker proves to be more efficient having a higher field goal
percentage and 3 point percentage but the two are definitely
comparable.
While
Parker and Kidd are Parker certainly comparable at 31 you will be
surprised which Hall of famer's numbers are worse at 31 years old in
he playoffs. Isaiah Thomas is a beast anybody who drops a 25 points
on a bad ankle in the NBA Finals is but at 31 years of age Tony
Parkers Numbers are better.
Tony
Parker at 31years old: 23 Points 7 Assists 4 Rebounds 1 Steal 47 % FG
37 % 3-Point 79% FT Through 14 games
Isaiah
Thomas at 31 years old: 14 Points 9 Assists 4 Rebounds 1 Steal 40%FG
27% 3-Point 72%FT
Thomas
is great and a 2 time champion but like Kidd Points and efficiency
gives Parker the edge in postseason numbers at 31.
Arguably
the greatest point guard of all-time has comparable playoffs
statistics at 31 years of age with Tony Parker. Magic Johnson changed
the way basketball was played running point guard for the “Showtime”
Lakers of the 80's but his 31 year old playoff numbers are closer
with Parker than you think.
Tony
Parker at 31years old: 23 Points 7 Assists 4 Rebounds 1 Steal 47 % FG
37 % 3-Point 79% FT Through 14 games
Magic
Johnson: 22 Points 13 Assists 8 Rebounds 1 Steals 44%FG 29%3-Point FG
83%FT in 19 games
Magic
due to playing at some the fastest pace in NBA history has better
numbers then Tony Parker but Magic is known for being one of the best
all-around players in league history, so the fact that Parker Is
comparable is an accomplish in itself. Magic Doubles Parker up in
categories like assists and Rebounds but Parker averages more Points
and has better Field goal percentage and three point percentage then
Magic and we all know the importance of efficiency is in basketball.
If
you didn't appreciate the greatness of Tony Parker before this
article then I hope you this helped that. Tony Parker is a hall of
famer and winner in this league. His numbers are
comparable to some of the best who ever did it at his position.
As
I am sitting here typing this it is 1:05 PM and I am less then 5
hours from graduating South Broward High School. Usually with
graduation comes gifts, money and a bunch of hoopla from the family.
My Mom chose to gave me money and being the avid Sports collector I
am decided to take my behind to Hollywood Collectibles and spent part
of my new found riches on some cardboard heroes of basketball, so
lets begin!
Card
#1 Sky Box 1990 Magic Johnson
People
talk about how versatile Lebron James is and sometimes my man Magic
gets lost in the shuffle. This man was also 6'9 played multiple
positions and changed basketball with the offense he ran as point
guard of the “ShowTime” Lakers. I found this card Digging through
a dime box of assorted cards.
Price:
2$
Card
#2: 1997 Topps Tim Duncan (Rookie)
The
San Antonio Spurs are in the finals again and if Tim Duncan is to
capture another ring it will make 5 and further cement him as one of
the greatest the NBA has ever seen. Some people don't really
appreciate his greatness the way I do so when finding this card I
flipped. The Cards I gt is a rookie card and probably one of the best
cards in my miniscule yet evolving basketball collection.
Price:
4$
Card
#3: Sky Box 1991 Michael Jordan
Of
all the cards I purchased yesterday none are as visually cultivating
as this cardboard treasure which features MJ basking in the glory of
what was his 1st of 6 championship rings with the Chicago
Bulls. The card speaks for itself.
Price:
2$
Card
#4: 2007 Upperdeck Artifacts Jason Kidd Jersey Card
Of
all the cards this one is definitely my favorite for many reasons.
Its the only card I purchased not in a dime box. It was actually
inside one of those shelfs with other nice expensive cards I can't
afford. This was a steal though, I had a little more money then
usual so I decided to splurge a bit. This card is rare numbered
12/100 so the feeling I have of purchasing something rare is
comforting. Also Watching Kidd with the Nets growing up along with
guys like Vince Carter,Keyon Martin and Richard Jefferson was some of
the most fun I ever had watching basketball.
Price:
10$
So
all in a another great day of purchases at Hollywood Collectibles.
Now it's time to start practicing throwing my cap up in the air at
the conclusion of graduation.
When Dwight Howard came to LA he immediately posted
a picture on twitter of himself holding a basketball with a bunch of jerseys of
former great Laker Centers such as Shaq and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the back
round. If pictures are worth a thousand words then those are worth a few
million. He put himself in the same class as some of the greatest centers to
ever play the game of basketball. This postseason the Stage is all his with
Kobe Bryant injured he can either rise up and become great or just post
pictures about it.
As most of the Sports world knows the Lakers had a
very up and down season. Mike Brown got
fired early, D'antoni was hired, Dwight and Kobe had chemistry Issues and the Lakers
got off to a tough start. Through all of that the Lakers are still in the
playoffs.
The Lakers enter the 1st round as underdogs vs a
Familiar foe in the San Antonio Spurs Without Kobe Bryant which means it will
allow Dwight to Give more touches in the offense . We need to see that guy who
was dominant in Orlando and led the Magic to the finals. I want to see him stop
being nice and dominate average 20 Points and 15 Rebounds. That's easier said than
done though the San Antonio Spurs are one hell of a team and will exploit even
the greatest players weakness.
Dwight has a great opportunity in front of him to
truly become the great player the Lakers traded Andrew Bynum to get. Now is not the time to make Friends nor is it
the time to smile it's time to become a Champion. Can Dwight Howard help the Lakers
upset the Spurs and lead them deep into the Playoffs?
The Playoffs begin for the Lakes today April 21st as
they take on the San Antonio Spurs.
Greatness of certain players in the NBA sometimes
get taken for granted because they get Classified as boring due to them not
having a high flamboyant playing style like most stars in the league, Tim
Duncan is one of those players. He has arguably been the best player in the
last 15 years and a model of consistency for the San Antonio Spurs. He has 4
Championship rings to put that into perspective, the big 3 of the Miami Heat
have that same number combined. He may be boring to the Casual fan but Tim
Duncan is a Living legend.
This season for the Spurs star was pretty much the
same he produced averages of 17 Points and 10 rebounds while helping the Spurs
get 2nd best record in the Western Conference. While people are quick to point
out his age they need to also acknowledge that fact that at 36 years of age he
is still averaging a an efficient double-double.
As the San Antonio Spurs enter the Playoffs once
again they will face the LA Lakers but this year it comes with a bit of a twist
in the plot, there will be no Kobe Bryant due to an injury he sustained just
before the season ended. The Spurs and Lakers have had many classic playoff
battles before but with no Kobe it won't feel right they can't stop the game
though we got basketball to play. The Lakers are expected to get dominated by
some but some also believe this will be
an evenly matched series. I just know that as far as coaching goes that Greg
Poppivich will not allow an undermanned Lakers squad to beat him.
At 36 Years of age Tim Duncan is getting closer to
turning the page on his basketball career,
Can himself and the Spurs get him ring #5?
The Playoffs begin for the Lakes today April 21st as
they take on the San Antonio Spurs.
The upcoming NBA Season is around the corner and lately Ive been seeing a plethora of teams making alterations to there uniforms. Some Great and not so great either way the new uniforms look to add some more flares to what I and many others anticipate as a great basketball season.
Brooklyn Nets
Since the day they stepped
foot in The league New Jersey the Nets have always played second fiddle to the Knicks. They were like that awkward stepchild few people liked. Owner Mikhail Prokorov and Rapper Jay-z are doing there very best to take over NYC and culturally build an untouchable brand of basketball. Brooklyn has completely rebranded from last year from the Jerseys,City,Arena and roster. Signing the likes Of Joe Johnson, Deron Williams and Gerald Wallace The Nets are trying to make the word “Brooklyn” on the front of those jersey’s mean something when they take the floor at the Barclay center. These Jerseys are a huge upgrade over the dull Red, white and Navy jerseys they sported in Newark last year. Black and White are colors that represent toughness and in all honesty they make what was once an uncool team cool again.
Charlotte Bobcats
Last season my hometown team came off the worst season in NBA History at 7-59. They made some alterations to the threads this year. On the home Jersey they took the “Bob” out of Bobcats and now it just reads “Cats” in a baby blue font paying homage to UNC. The road uniforms are my favorite’s on it has a navy base minus the battleship gray pinstripes in a smaller font it reads “Charlotte” it has a much cleaner feel to it. The jersey’s are part of a new identity that the team is trying to forge with new head coach Mike Dunlap. The team improved it’s roster adding Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jeffery Taylor through the draft along with veterans like Ben Gordon, Ramon Sessions and Brendan Haywood. The team looks to be tougher, faster and stronger then last year and as they continue to improve they will look good in the new uni’s those get a thumbs up.
Denver Nuggets
Of all the teams New Jersey’s this season this one is by far my favorite. It features a yellow base which is weird for the Nuggets because that color has always been an outline and never the base of a jersey. Then it Pays homage to the 80’s Alex English era of basketball with the Denver skyline along the rocky mountains. These Jersey’s although they are alternate’s and will only be worn 17 times this year get a 10 out of 10 thumbs up. It looks to be an exciting year of basketball in the city of Denver this year. Ty Lawson during the unveiling of the new jersey boldy proclaimed his team as “The team to beat” in the western conference. I’m definetly rooting for Ty and the Nuggets and look forward to watching them play in the new swagged out jersey’s
New York Knicks
Of all the jersey’s that made changes this offseason the Knicks made the least amount any changes to the jersey’s. They Basically took out any black outlines they once had in the jersey’s. it looks more like the team’s jerseys from the Walter Frazier days I guess that’s what they were going for. In my humble opinion though I feel like they just wanted a revenue stream to combat what the nets did.
San Antonio Spurs
I really don’t like these because when you have won multiple championships and are known as a dynasty in basketball why mess with something great seriously. I’m so happy these are alternates.
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