The real impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
really had a major impact on our nation when the National Basketball
Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL) postponed their seasons.
When Major League Baseball (MLB) canceled the rest of spring training and then
pushed back the start of their season right now by two weeks. The NCAA Men’s and
Women’s Basketball Tournament being cancelled completely. At the start this
though, this pandemic delivered a difficult blow to the sports world when it put a postponement on the one
sporting event that a lot of us were counting on to really bring not just the
U.S.A. but our world together at a time where we are more divided than ever.
On Tuesday, the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) announced that the 2020 Summer Olympics, that were going to be
held from July 24-August 9 in Tokyo, Japan are postponed until 2021.
In a joint statement, Japan Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe, and the IOC, led by President Thomas Bach said that the Olympic
Games will be held no later than the summer of 2021.
“We have to think about the current
outbreak of the coronavirus,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.
He added by saying that holding the
Olympics games when they do take place will “symbolize victory over the virus.
We will like to fulfill our responsibility.”
Veteran member of the IOC Dick Pound said
added by saying that the number of COVID-019 cases coming up everyday that it
was “pretty clear” that it would have been reckless to hold the Olympics Games
in July.
USA Basketball also put out a statement
saying, “The decision to postpone the 2020 Olympics was a difficult decision
and it was the correct one. USA Basketball is in full agreement and support of
the decision made by the IOC and the Japanese government to postpone the 2020
Tokyo Olympic Games. The health, wellness, and safety of the world, as well as
our athletes, coaches, staff, and fans is USA Basketball’s No. 1 priority and
this postponement was necessary to ensure that. As further details become
known, USA Basketball will work towards fielding and best preparing its Olympic
basketball teams for 2021 and we will do so in a way that we hope will continue
USA Basketball’s Olympic legacy and continue to make all Americans proud.”
The IOC also said that the move was made
to “safeguard the health of athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games
and the international community.”
The charge to postpone the 2020 Olympics due
to the COVID-19 pandemic was led by the United States and Canadian saying that
they either “would not or could not” send a team to Tokyo this July led by U.S.A.
Swimming and Track and Field.
In a letter to all U.S.A. athletes, United
States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sarah
Hirshland said, “We heard your concerns and shared them with the IOC. We’ll
ensure reimagined Games live up to original promise of Games. Excellence in
Team USA is our resilience, overcoming adversity.”
The spread of the Coronavirus had interrupted
the qualifying and training procedures this spring for those athletes who
wanted to compete in this summer Olympics.
Five-time Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer
and 15-time World Champion Gold Medal Swimmer Katie Ledecky echoed those same sentiments
in a tweet @kateledecky that said, “As we stand together to meet today’s
challenges, we can dream about a wonderful Olympics in a beautiful country. Now
is the time to support all those working to heal the sick and keep us all
healthy.”
Professional soccer and two-time Olympic
Gold Medalist for Team U.S.A. Carli Lloyd also praised the decision by IOC saying
to ESPN that “it was the right thing to do.”
“What’s going on right now in this moment
is unprecedented. And it’s bigger than any sport.”
The IOC cited reasons for their decision to
postpone the games included the issues with travel, as well as athletic training
and drug testing.
The other aspect of this as our nation and
the globe is having to social distance itself to contain the spread of the
virus a lot of Olympic hopefuls or those that have qualified to compete in the
Olympic Games in Tokyo, especially U.S.A. athletes are in places where they cannot
train properly.
“Most of the world is actually not able to
leave. Go to a training facility,” two-time Olympic Gold Medal in the triple
jump Christian Taylor said. “You have the preparation of not being on an even
playing field. And that’s something we have to consider.”
The IOC also said that it was going to
take up to four weeks to announce their decision to postpone the games. But in
the end with all that has happened there was simply no way for the games to
proceed this summer.
“I am overwhelmed just with satisfaction that
finally a decision was made,” USA Olympic Athlete Lolo Jones said earlier this
week of the cancellation of the 2020 Olympic Games.
She also said to ESPN’s Mike Greenberg on “Get
Up” on Tuesday morning that up until the last few days the IOC was telling the
athletes to continue to train and stay in shape towards the Summer Olympics.
“It’s about time,” Greenberg said about
the Olympics being finally postponed. “The reality is that this was inevitable
from the beginning of this, and candidly there was a much better chance that
almost anything else, including the NCAA (Basketball) Tournament was gonna get
played this year.”
“They were putting themselves and others
in harms way at times during this span of the virus pandemic in order to try to
find ways to work out…So, candidly I understand there were a lot of balls in
the air in this thing, and it was not easy to do but this was long overdue. And
it was probably unfair to the athletes that they waited this long to do it.”
The other aspect of this is fitting all the
other events on the Olympic calendar for 2021 like the World Track and Field
and Swimming Championships are set for next summer. The 206 countries,
consisting of at least 11,000 athletes have to hold their Olympic trials to determine
their squads.
To put this into perspective, the 2016
Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil the world was dealing with the frightening
Zika fever, a virus that was spread through a bite from a mosquito but did not
halt the 2016 Summer Olympics. The Coronavirus has killed in total across the
globe over 20,916 lives of the 480,266 confirmed cases, including 1,132 lives
lost here in the United States out of the 80,027 cases, according to John Hopkins/NBC
News poll, updated from Mar. 26, 2020 at 5:16 p.m., and seemingly rising by the
minute.
Going back even further, by the time the
1920 Summer Olympics took place in Antwerp, Belgium, the influenza pandemic that
had a grip on our world from 1918-1919, known today as the aforementioned World
War I that claimed between 20 and 40 million lives.
This is the first time the Summer Olympics
have been postponed during peacetime in our world. They have been canceled three
times due to either World War I or World War II in 1916, 1940, and 1944. This
will also be the first time that the Summer Olympics, which Japan has been
playing for the last seven years, according to T.J. Holmes of ABC News will happen
outside the scheduled year.
Even with the postponement, the Summer Olympics
when they are eventually held will still be called the 2020 Summer Olympic and
Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the Olympic Flame will remain stored and displayed
in Fukushima, Japan.
The other aspect of the 2020 Olympics
being canceled this summer is the legal and financial considerations of not
having this summer Olympic Games proceed on schedule. But then there is the
lost opportunity to achieve that incredible milestone of having the chance to
represent not just your family and all those that helped you reach the pinnacle
moment of your athletic career but the chance to represent your country and having
a throngs of people cheering you on to victory in person, on television or a
smart device.
It is an even higher level of
disappointment when you are a part of a team and you are not able to have the chance
to compete for the greatest prize in your career like a Gold Medal.
One person who can speak to both the
individual aspect and the team aspect of is three-time Olympic participant and
two-time Gold Medalist for U.S. Women’s Soccer team Julie Foudy, who now is a
soccer analyst for ESPN.
“They are heartbroken. And especially as
an Olympian you have this on your calendar,” Foudy said to Hannah Storm on the
Tuesday evening’s edition of ESPN’s “Sportscenter” about the heartbreak the athletes
of the U.S. seeing the 2020 Games moved to at least next summer.
“It’s four years out. You know it. You train
for it. So, you can understand there’s heartbreak there but overall, the overriding
emotion has been that they think it’s the right decision. That they weren’t
able to train. That the world needs to come together. And that in a sense of
health instead of actual geography. So, it just couldn’t go forward.”
One person who is heartbroken over the decision
is two-time Olympic Medal performing artist gymnast Laurie Hernandez who said of
the pandemic, “It’s chilling. And it’s definitely something that I’m gonna have
to cope and mull around. Just as everybody else.”
Another Olympian who is disappointed about
the Olympics being postponed is 12-time Olympic Medalist in Swimming Ryan
Lochte, who said to Michael Strahan on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” on Wednesday
that the moment we are in right now is “bigger” than him right competing in what
would have been his fifth Olympic games.
The other perspective that Foudy talked
about with Storm is that unlike the NBA, NHL and MLB and Pro Golf who came easily
to the decision to postpone their respective seasons, the Olympics consists of
206 national Olympic committees the IOC has to deal with. Then there are all
the coordination, planning and festivities that Tokyo put together to take on
the Olympic Games. Plus, it took World Wars for to cancel the Olympics the
aforementioned three times that decision has come down.
It also throws a wrench into how as
mentioned earlier athletes prepare and train for the Olympics.
However, as Lochte, 37 said to Strahan,
training will never be perfect and there will also be a hurdle that you have to
get over on this four-year journey that will hopefully put you in position to
win a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal.
Lochte said that because of social
distancing and the fact a lot of places like gyms and pools are closed has not
allowed him to work on his skills in the water, he said that he has done a lot
of core/abdominal workouts.
“That’s how us athletes train, and this is
just another bump in the road. The Olympics are not canceled. Their just
postponed,” he said. “So, you have to adjust your training for another year.
And just believe. Trust the process. Everything happens for a reason.”
The Olympics represent us as a world
coming together to two weeks-plus to put to the side the things that divide us
as a world and gives us the opportunity to compete against one another to see
in that moment who is the best individually or as a team. Also, for a moment to
learn what makes the opposite tick. That is what allows our world through
sports to see how we can all come together. That gets our world leaders into a
room and try to come to a consensus on how to bridge the gap that we have seen drive
a wedge between all of us.
“The Olympics consider themselves as this
beacon of hope. This light, and that they have this opportunity to bring the world,”
Foudy said. “And in a sense, this is a situation where you actually given the Coronavirus
can’t bring the world together, and it’s nothing they’ve faced before. So, I
think from a historical perspective, it was also hard to make that decision.”
The other hard part of this decision from
the U.S. side of things is that half of the team has yet to qualify for the
Olympics CEO Hirshland said on Tuesday.
That leads to the question will those that
qualified be grandfathered into the Olympics when they are rescheduled as well
as the World Games in 2021.
Foudy mentioned that the U.S. Women’s
Soccer team had qualified for the Olympics, but the U.S. Men have yet to have their
chance to qualify.
When the sports world was put on hold, in
terms of the NBA and NHL schedule and the NCAA Men’s and Women’s basketball
tournaments being cancelled all together, it really brought home how serious
the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic was and has become in the United States.
The postponement of this Summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games shows how this
has become a global issue.
There is a lot that has to be sorted out,
in terms of the scheduling everything from what will happen with moving the
Olympics to next summer and not have it interfere with what is on the plate for
2021. At least the athletes will have their chance and as long as they have
their health, those chances become greater, no matter if this is their first
Olympics or their last. Having a chance is a whole lot better than not having a
chance at all, especially if you do not have your health.
“This is bigger than the Olympians. This
is affecting the entire world. And right now, our main thing is staying safe,
and staying healthy. We have to take care of ourselves and stay healthy.”
Information, statistics, and quotations
are courtesy of 3/24/2020 6 p.m. edition of ESPN’s “Sportscenter” with Kevin
Negandhi and Hannah Storm, with reports from Jeremy Schaap and soccer analyst
Julie Foudy; 3/25/2020 7 p.m. edition of ABC News’ “Good Morning America” with
Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Michael Strahan, Amy Roback, and Ginger
Zee, with report from T.J. Holmes; 3/25/2020 5 p.m. edition of MSNBC’s “Meet
the Press Daily,” with Chuck Todd; and www.google.com.
After spending two decades as the
offensive signal caller for the New England Patriots, future Hall of Famer Tom
Brady announced that he was moving on to join another team. The question was
where would he move on to? That decision came earlier on Friday and he decided
to take his talents to the place that bares the initials of his name.
On Friday morning Mar. 20, Tom Brady, who
spent his entire 20-year career with the New England Patriots took to social
media to announce that he has signed his contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(7-9 in 2019) to become their new starting quarterback.
The 42-year-old six-time Super Bowl and
three-time NFL MVP signed a two-year deal with the Bucs worth $50 million, all
guaranteed according to ESPN NFL Senior Insider Adam Schefter. The deal also
includes another $9 million in incentives at $4.5 million per year, and the
contract prohibits any tags (a transition or franchise) and the Buccaneers
cannot trade the future Hall of Famer. Brady’s salary of $25 million per year
is the highest in any contract he’s signed in his career, according to Roster
Management System. On top of that, Brady deal does not include state income
tax.
“Excited, humble and hungry…if there is
one thing I have learned about football, it’s that nobody cares what you did
last year or the year before that…you earn the trust and respect of those
around through your commitment every single day,” Brady said on his Instagram
page: @tombrady at his home signing his contract last Friday. “I’m starting a
new football journey and thankful for the @buccaneers for giving me an
opportunity to do what I love to do. I look forward to meeting all my new
teammates and coaches and proving to them that they can believe and trust me…I
have always believed that well done is better than well said, so I’m gonna say
much more-I’m just gonna get to work! #Year1.
Over the past couple of seasons, Brady has
been on record saying his goal was to play until age 45. He and the Patriots
however could not agree on a contract extension last season. Over the last two
off-seasons, Brady had his contract restructured where the amount of years were
not increased, according to ESPN’s Patriots reporter Mike Reiss said earlier in
the week, which created for Brady to explore other options as an unrestricted
free agent.
The contract that he signed also means
that Brady has plans of playing beyond the contract he just signed with the
Buccaneers.
The wheels of Brady eventually signing
with the Bucs were set into motion saying in his introductory conference calls
as the newest member the Bucs on Tuesday on the night he went to speak with Pats
owner Robert Kraft, where Brady said they had a great conversation, where he thanked
him for what he meant to him in his life.
The conversation also included head coach
Bill Belichick, who called from a different location.
“It was a great conversation,” Brady said
of the conversation between the three pillars of the Patriots success. “There’s
nobody whose been a bigger fan of the Patriots than me. So, I have nothing but
total respect and love, and you know, I’m so grateful to Mr. Kraft and the organization
and Coach Belichick, and all the coaches. And obviously all my teammates.”
“The relationships are what matter most to
me. And you know, I’m going to be friends with my teammates and former
teammates, and coaches for the rest of my life. That’s not going to leave just
because I’m wearing a different jersey. But at the same time for me, the new jersey
I’m wearing, you know, I’m prepared to give them the every bit of commitment I’ve
had my entire career to be the best I can be to help this team the it could be.”
Brady choice to sign with the Buccaneers
was an unlikely choice, especially when he could have signed with the Los
Angeles Chargers, who are just one season removed from making the playoffs,
compared to the Bucs who have not made the playoffs since 2007—the NFL’s
second-longest playoff drought behind the 18-year playoff drought by the
Cleveland Browns.
To bring this point into clearer context,
the Bucs have had only two winning seasons the past decade and have finished
dead last in the National Football Conference (NFC) South Division in seven of
those last 10 years.
“He knows how to win,” Bucks linebacker
Lavonte David, whose led the team in tackles the last three seasons said on the
Friday morning edition of ESPN’s “Get Up.” “And you know, the past whatever
years, you know? We haven’t been that type of team to be winning, you know,
whatever it may be. We have a guy who can get us over that hump, you know?”
“Every other year, you know, were right
there but we never find a way to get it done, you know? This guy right here
knows how to get it done. He can help us get over that edge.”
The Bucs, who quickly pounced on the
chance to add the most accomplished quarterback in NFL history brought to the
table a tandem of young and talented wide receivers to work with in Pro Bowlers
Mike Evans and Chris Godwin along with talented 6-foot-5 tight ends in Cameron
Brate and O.J. Howard.
Last season despite missing games because
of injury Evans and Godwin amassed 67 and 86 receptions for 1,157 and 1,333
yards, and eight and nine touchdown receptions respectably. Brate and Howard
combined for 70 receptions for 770 yards and five touchdowns, with four of
those five scoring grabs coming from Brate. Howard over his first two seasons
in the NFL has caught 11 touchdown receptions.
“Honestly, I was shocked,” Godwin, who led
the Bucs in touchdown receptions last season said of Brady’s signing. “You
know, I wasn’t really sure if it was a real thing or not until I guess we
started getting a lot closer and closer. Obviously, I’m elated. I’m excited.
Anytime you get the chance to play with a guy like Tom whose accomplished as he
is, and as great as he is you just got to relish the opportunity to learn from
him.”
Brady said about working building a chemistry
with Godwin, Evans and Howard and the rest of his new teammates on the
offensive end, “It’s not about what one player does well and great offenses aren’t
about one player. Great offenses are about every guy being on the same page.
And playing with confidence and anticipation.”
“There’s really some really talented
players here on this offense that have very unique skills sets and its really
my responsibility to-I have one ball, and I got to be able to deliver that ball
to the guy who can do something with it.”
The one question with Godwin is will he
give his No. 12 jersey to Brady, whose worn that number since he came into the
league two decades ago.
Godwin said on Friday he’s worn the No. 12
since high school but said if he does want it that he will “out of respect”
that he would defer the number to Brady
Perhaps what gives this marriage a chance
for some serious success is that the Buccaneers general manager is Jason Licht,
who was part of the Patriots scouting when they drafted Brady No. 199 overall
20 seasons back.
“Tom is a proven champion who has achieved
greatness on the field because he demands the best out of himself and his
teammates,” GM Licht said in a statement on Friday. “I’ve known Tom since we
drafted him in New England 20 years ago and through this process it became very
clear that his desire to be a champion burns as strong today as it ever has. He
possesses the type of rare natural leadership qualities that will immediately
impact our entire organization.”
On top of that, he will be coached by one
of the best offensive minds in the NFL today in head coach Bruce Arians, who
has coached some of the very best at that position in future Hall of Famers and
two-time Super Bowl champions in Peyton Manning and current Pittsburgh Steelers
offensive signal caller in Ben Roethlisberger, and Carson Palmer.
“Tom is the most successful quarterback in
the history of our league, but what makes him so special is his ability to make
those around him better. I have had the privilege to work with some of the best
passers in our game, and the characteristics they all possessed were the ability
to lead and get the best out of their teammates. Tom is no different. He is a
proven winner who will provide the leadership, accountability and work ethic
necessary to lead us to our goal of winning another championship.”
To put into context what Brady has done in
his career compared what the Bucs have done in their NFL history, Brady has had
seven seasons of at least 30 touchdown passes, compared to the Bucs having just
one such season by their signal caller. Brady has amassed 30 postseason wins in
his career, to just six by the Bucs. Brady as previously mentioned has won six
Super Bowls, while the Bucs have just one, which occurred this past season.
The Bucs offensive signal caller Jameis
Winston threw 33 touchdown passes, but also threw 30 interceptions, the first
time that has happened in NFL history. Seven of those interceptions were
returned for touchdowns by the opposing defense. Also, 13 of those 30
interceptions came when Winston held the football for more than 2.5 seconds.
Brady, who threw 24 touchdowns compared to
just eight interceptions last season, threw a pick on just on just one percent
of his passes this past season.
“Tom Brady holding the football is not an
issue. He’s gonna get the ball out of his hands,” EPSN NFL analyst and former
quarterback Dan Orlovsky said. “One of the greatest abilities that he was going
to have was his availability. To stay on the field. Make sure he was there for
his teammates. So, it’s a really good fit schematically.”
“I think the greatest impact will be
outside the football would be the urgency he’s gonna bring this organization.”
The Bucs showed some of that urgency by
adding some help their offensive line by reaching an agreement with former
Indianapolis Colts’ offensive tackle Joe Haeg.
Along with his intellect and ability to be
as prepared to play as anyone else in the NFL, the one great attribute that
Brady has had throughout his career is his ability to get the ball out of his
hands. That ability to make quick, accurate decisions, which allows the
offensive line to block for a certain amount of time while he makes quick reads
on where to throw the football.
Last season, particularly in the second
half of the season, the skilled players at wide receiver, tight end and at the
running back position for the Pats had a problem creating separation and
getting open for Brady to where they can make those flash plays that he was so
used to having made by the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Troy Brown, and future Hall
of Famer Randy Moss, who in 2007 had 98 receptions for 1,493 yards and an NFL
record 23 touchdown catches.
“When you look at Tom Brady he’s
constantly searching for the ceiling and pushing his own ceiling higher. Always
trying to do more,” ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark, who played 13 seasons with the
Washington Redskins, Steelers, and New York Giants, winning Super Bowl XLIII
with Steelers said.
“He understood who he was last year
without having the weapons in New England. When people weren’t able to create
separation. So, he said, ‘You know what, let me go to a place where I can have
that in Godwin, in Mike Evans, in O.J. Howard. And now I’m going to find a way
to use all these guys to the best of their ability.”
“The best we’ve ever scene Randy Moss was
with Tom Brady. When Rob Gronkowski was the top tight end in the game it was
because Tom Brady understood matchups. Understood defenses, and new how to get
him the ball where he could be most effective.”
“He’s great at making offensive lines
better than they are because he’s so quick on the trigger,” Hall of Famer,
Super Bowl champion with the San Francisco 49ers and ESPN NFL analyst Steve
Young said on Friday. “And he has guys that can get open. All over the field.”
“When you have a culture changer like a
Tom Brady, a guy whose not only a leader but one of the greatest leaders this
game has ever scene. The skies the limit for a talented offense, and I think
this team immediately takes a jump into being a contender in the NFC.”
The other thing that Brady will bring at
the quarterback position is their ability for their offense to not lose games,
as seven of their nine losses this past season were by seven points or less.
What will be difficult with the transition
that Brady is about to make getting enough time with his new team, the new offensive
system and building that timing with offensive line, receivers and tight ends
because with the COVID-19 pandemic we are going through right now and the
social distancing that we all have to observe right now.
“There’s a lot of ground to make up
because I haven’t worked with, you know, these players. And I’m gonna have to
learn what they do and their body language, and how they like things. And you
know, that’s part of the challenge.”
“I think hopefully the knowledge, you know,
I’ve had in my experience playing quarterback will allow me to, you know, transition
quickly. There’s a lot of things that I got to get up to speed on. Obviously
learning a different terminology. And you know, that’s a unique challenge that
I haven’t faced.”
The Buccaneers have already felt impact
has already felt the impact of Brady’s arrival with 5,000 to 7,000 fans waited
to purchase season tickets, while raising their season-ticket prices by 15
percent for new season-ticket holders.
It almost seemed impossible to fathom that
Tom Brady would play anywhere else in his career except for the New England
Patriots. That all changed on Tuesday when he announced on his Instagram page
that he was leaving Foxboro, MA for a new opportunity elsewhere to finish his
career.
Brady found that place in Clearwater
Beach, FL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he remains on the East Coast,
not too far from his wife famed Supermodel Gisele Bundchen and their two children
and is with a team that he has a serious chance to win one more Vince Lombardi
Trophy, maybe two.
It will not be easy as he in the NFC South
where he will be going head-to-head against former Super Bowl champion and
Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees, who just re-signed with the New Orleans Saints
on a two-year, $50 million deal according to ESPN’s Diana Russini and Atlanta
Falcons signal caller in 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan twice a year.
“I’m going to just do it the only way I
know how to do it,” Brady said of his approach to being the Bucs new starting
QB adding, “which is just to fully engulf myself in what they’ve done here.”
“It’s a new program that I’m a part of,
and they have their way of doing things. And their committed to winning, and I
got to come in and do my part. And that’s why I’m here.”
“Looking forward to the opportunity to
learn from the new coaches and the new players that I’ll be playing with, and I’m
gonna go out and give everything I got.”
Information, statistics, and quotations
are courtesy of 3/17/2020 5 p.m. edition ESPN’s “Sportscenter” with Kevin
Neghandi and Nicole Briscoe, with reports from Adam Schefter, Mike Reiss, and
Chris Berman; 3/20/2020 www.espn.com
story, “‘Hungry’ Tom Brady Officially Signs with Buccaneers,” by Jenna Laine;
3/20/2020 3 p.m. ESPN “Sportscenter” Special, presented by Autotrader: “NFL
Free Agency,” with Zubin Mehenti, Adam Schefter, Dan Orlovsky, Dan Graziano, Ryan
Clark, and Steve Young; 3/20/2020 5 p.m. edition of ESPN’s “Sportscenter” with
Ryan Smith and Antonietta Collins, with report from NFL Senior Insider Adam
Schefter; 3/24/2020 4 p.m. edition of ESPN’s “NFL Live” with Wendi Nix, Dan
Graziano, Tim and Matt Hasselbeck; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Moss#NFL_career_statistics;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Ryan_(American_football);
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Brees;
and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Brady#Personal_Life.
The 2020’s got off to a pretty good start
in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before the COVID-19 pandemic brought
that and the rest of the sports world to a holt for now. This is on the heels
of one of the best decades in NBA history where we saw championship dynasties
form; we had record setting performances that will be talked about for years to
come as well as the special moments that took place in the 2010s. Here is a
look back at a memorable decade in NBA.
Individual Records and Team Runs That
Defined the Decade
-The New Three-Point King of NBA
In the Feb. 10, 2011 loss by the Boston
Celtics versus the arch-rival Los Angeles Lakers (92-86) on TNT, Hall of Fame
guard and two-time NBA champion Ray Allen at the 4:14 mark of the first quarter
tied fellow Hall of Fame guard and current NBA on TNT color analyst for the
most made three-point field goals in NBA history. Moments later he broke that
tie, finishing the night with a total of 2,562 made threes, surpassing Miller’s
record of 2,560.
Upon breaking the mark and being
recognized for making NBA history, Allen took a moment to go over and hug
Miller, who was broadcasting the game for TNT alongside legendary play-by-play
commentator Marv Albert.
Allen currently leads the league all-time
in threes made at 2,973, with Miller as mentioned right behind at 2,560. Right
behind Allen and Miller is two-time Kia MVP and perennial All-Star Stephen
Curry of Golden State Warriors at 2,495 threes, with current Milwaukee Bucks’
sharp-shooter Kyle Korver right behind at 2,437 made triples.
-Rise of Kidd on All-time Assists and
Steals List
When current Los Angeles Lakers assistant
coach Jason Kidd came into the league as the No. 2 overall pick by the Dallas
Mavericks in 1994 NBA Draft, he came in with the uncanny ability to find open
people and the ability to create turnovers with his active hands.
Those two great skills rose him up the
all-time charts as he moved into second place on the all-time assists list in
the Mavericks 130-99 win at the Houston Rockets on Nov. 25, 2009.
Three years later Kidd moved into second
place on the all-time steals list on Feb. 20, 2012 in the Mavericks 89-73 win
versus the Boston Celtics on Feb. 20, 2012 passing the great Michael Jordan.
Currently, Kidd is second all-time on the
NBA’s assists and steals list at 12,091 and 2,684 respectively behind fellow
Hall of Fame guard of Utah Jazz John Stockton at 15,806 (assists) and 3,265
(steals) respectively.
While Kidd came into the NBA with the
great ability to find open people and steal the ball, his major weakness was
his ability to make perimeter shots. That weakness he turned into a strength as
his career progressed as he finished his career No. 10 on the all-time
three-pointers made list at 1,988.
Heat’s Record Setting Streak
The 2012-13 NBA season would be the best
in the history of the Miami Heat as they set the franchise record for wins in a
season with 66 and repeated as NBA champions, but record a major NBA milestone.
With their 100-85 win at the Toronto
Raptors on Feb. 3, 2013, the Heat began the second longest winning streak in
not just franchise history, but in NBA history as their 27 straight wins from
Feb. 3-Mar. 27, 2013 are second only to the 33 straight victories by the 1971-72
NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.
“It’s a special. It’s a special ride that
were on right now,” current Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said then.
“Every team is gonna give us a good shot, no matter the record, no matter whose
out on the floor.”
-Warriors Record Setting Start and Historic
Win Total
The 2015-16 NBA season for the defending
NBA champion Golden State Warriors ended on a sour note as they lost in seven
games in the 2016 NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers and four-time Kia MVP
LeBron James. They did start of this season really strong and had a historic
start and history making finish.
Their 24-0 start to the 2015-16 NBA season
was not only the best in NBA history, but the best in start in the four major
North American pro sports (NBA, NFL, NHL, and NFL).
The Warriors finished that season with 73
wins, breaking the all-time mark for most victories, previously held by the
1995-96 NBA champion Chicago Bulls of 72 wins.
-Triple-Double Dominance by Russell
Westbrook
When now Brooklyn Nets perennial All-Star
forward and two-time Finals MVP with the Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant
left the Oklahoma City Thunder in free agency the summer of 2016, the fate and
playoff hopes of the franchise fell on the shoulders of fellow perennial
All-Star Russell Westbrook. He proved that his shoulders were big enough to
carry the Thunder as he did something for three straight seasons that had only
been done once in NBA history by Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.
The now Houston Rockets’ lead guard for
three straight seasons averaged a triple-double from 2016-2019.
To put that into perspective, that feet
had only been accomplished once by Robertson in the 1961-62 NBA campaign.
Westbrook led the league in points per
game (31.6) in the 2015-16 season on his way to winning Kia MVP in the first of
those three straight seasons that he averaged a triple-double.
“I’m trying to bring some joy to the game,
put smiles on people’s faces,” Westbrook said of what he has tried to
accomplish in what would be his final three seasons with the Thunder. “I’ve
been blessed to play this game and every night I try to leave it (all) on the
floor.”
In his first of three straight seasons
where he averaged a triple-double, Westbrook joined Robertson (five times) and
the late great Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlin (twice) as the only three players
in league history to record 20 triple-doubles in a single-season. Westbrook
would finish that season with 42 triple-doubles, breaking the tie with
Robertson’s 41, the most in a single-season.
“While Russell was on this journey, I felt
that I just had to be here. I think what he has done has been historic in nature,”
Robertson said at a Thunder home game before tip-off to the fans at Chesapeake
Arena in early April 2017.
The next two years that he averaged a
triple-double, Westbrook led the NBA in assists per game at 10.3 and 10.7
respectably, while also averaging a career-best of 11.1 rebounds in 2018-19.
In the last of his three straight seasons
averaging a triple-double Westbrook set a new NBA record with 11 straight games
averaging a triple-double.
In the Thunder’s 119-103 win on Apr. 2,
2019 versus the Los Angeles Lakers on TNT, Westbrook had 20 points, 21 assists and 20 rebounds,
joining Wilt Chamberlin (1958) as the only two players in NBA history to record
a 20/20/20 (points/assists/rebounds) in a single game. Westbrook also matched
Chamberlin with his eighth game of at least 15 points, 15 assists and 15
rebounds. Westbrook would finish the 2018-19 season with 138 triple-doubles,
tying Hall of Famer, five-time NBA champion and Lakers legend Earvin “Magic”
Johnson for the second most triple-doubles in NBA history. Westbrook broke that
tie with “Magic” Johnson posting his 139th career triple-double in
the Rockets 126-123 win versus the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 26, 2019.
Westbrook with eight triple-double so far
this season has 146 in total for his career, trailing only the 181 by
Robertson.
-Love Joins 30/30 Club
Before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers as
a part of their championship chasing teams in the teen part of the past decade,
All-Star and now NBA champion Kevin Love began his NBA journey with the
Minnesota Timberwolves, who drafted him No. 5 overall in 2008. During that
time, he was known for putting up big numbers for a losing team. That also
included his history making back in his second season.
In the Timberwolves 112-103 win versus the
New York Knicks, Love had 31 points and a career-high and franchise
record-setting high 31 rebounds. Love had the second most rebounds in a game
since Hall of Famer and current NBATV/NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley had 33
rebounds (career-high) to along with 20 points in helping the Houston Rockets
to a 110-95 win at his former team the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 2, 1996. Love also
became the first player since Moses Malone in 1982 to post a 30/30 (point/rebound)
performance.
“I just got into a great rhythm on the
offensive and defensive glass,” Love said of his performance that night. “That
was definitely a special night for me and probably the best game I’ve had in my
career, and it was kind of my welcome to the NBA moment.”
-Stephen Curry’s Three-Point Party at MSG
Over the past few seasons, the Golden
State Warriors All-Star backcourt of two-time Kia MVP Stephen Curry and Klay
Thompson have made a reputation for lighting up scoreboards with their ability
to strike a match from the perimeter, especially from three-point range. That
has helped the Warriors to reach The Finals five straight seasons and win three
Larry O’Brien trophies. That reputation, especially for Curry was on full
display to the national audience at the “Worlds Most Famous Arena” seven years
ago.
It was on this night at Madison Square
Garden in New York, NY that the oldest son of former Charlotte Hornet and current
color analyst for them in Dell Curry scored a career-high 54 points on 18 for
28 shooting, including going 11 for 13 from three-point range.
As the play-by-play commentator for ESPN
that night Mark Jones colorfully said on the broadcast when Curry’s hot night
from distance, “Making it rain in New York.”
-Record Setting Night at MSG By Anthony
There were many things that current
Portland Trail Blazers Carmelo Anthony did not do in his 6 ½ years with the New
York Knicks. Not leading them beyond the Semifinals of the postseason. Not
really being more than a prolific scorer or raising the level of play of his
teammates. What he always did though was be front and center for the rare good
moments and take responsibility for all the rough ones. One of those rare good
moments happened on Jan. 24, 2014.
On that night in the Knicks 125-96 win
versus the then Charlotte Bobcats, now Charlotte Hornets, Anthony scored a
career-high 62 points and grabbed 13 rebounds on 23 for 35 shooting, including
6 for 11 from three-point range and a perfect 10 for 10 from the free throw
line.
Anthony, who set the single-game scoring
record and single-game scoring record at MSG was rocking right from the
beginning with 20 points in the opening period. That was followed by 17 points
in the second quarter; 19 in the third quarter and seven points in the fourth
period.
He closed out his 37-point first half with
a buzzer-beating one-legged three-pointer from half-court.
“It’s just a zone you get that you get in
sometimes. Only a certain group of people know that zone feels like, and
tonight was one of those zones,” Anthony told then MSG sideline reporter and
now WNYW FOX 5 Sports anchor Tina Cervasio.
-Historic Triple-Double by “The Beard”
Over the course of the last two seasons,
Houston Rockets perennial All-Star and 2018 Kia MVP James Harden has put up
some very prolific numbers, especially in the scoring department. That also
includes reaching the 60-point mark a few times.
The first team to fall victim to a
60-point performance was the Orlando Magic on Jan. 30, 2018, a 114-107 win by
the Rockets where Harden had career-high and Rockets franchise record 60
points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, becoming the first player in NBA history to
register a 60-point triple-double.
That was the first of four occasions where
Harden scored 60-plus. He scored a career-high
and set a new Rockets single-game scoring record with 61 points along
with 15 rebounds and five steals on 17 for 38 shooting, including 5 for 20 from
three-point range and 22 for 25 from the free throw line in the team’s 114-110
win at the Knicks on Jan. 23, 2019.
Three months later, Harden matched that
61-point performance in the Rockets 111-105 win versus the five-time NBA
champion San Antonio Spurs on Mar. 22, 2019.
Harden on that night joined the late great
Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, and the late great Wilt Chamberlin as the only
players in league history to register 60 points or more in multiple games in a
single season.
-Suns Guard Scores Big in “Beantown”
There has not been a lot of winning done
by the Phoenix Suns during the 2010s. That has masked the stellar growth of
their top offensive player in five-year guard, who was named a first-time
earlier this season in Devin Booker. On Mar. 24, 2017 Booker put on a performance
to remember at the Boston Celtics, despite another loss by the Suns.
In the Suns 130-120 loss at the Celtics,
Booker scored a career-high 70 points, joining Wilt Chamberlin, fellow Hall of
Famer David Robinson; Hall of Famers David Thompson and Elgin Baylor and the
late great Kobe Bryant to score 70-plus in a single-game in league history.
Booker, who went 21 for 40 from the field,
including 4 for 11 from three-point range and 24 from 26 from the charity
stripe on his way to scoring 70 at the Celtics.
He surpassed the previous single-game
scoring mark in Suns history, which was previously held by current Suns studio
analyst for FOX Sports Arizona Tom Chambers, who scored 60 on Mar. 24, 1990.
Booker also recorded the highest scoring game since Bryant 81-point performance
in Jan. 2006.
“I know that you can’t take nothing for
granted in this league, and that your opportunity can be gone in one day,”
Booker said once of the approach he takes entering every game. “So, every time
I get out there, I try to play my hardest.”
-Thompson’s Prolific Scoring Nights
During the Golden State Warriors’ stellar
run the last five seasons, which has seen them add three more Larry O’Brien
trophies to their case, the other half of their “Splash Brothers” perennial All-Star
tandem in Klay Thompson has shown the ability to light up defensives with his
prolific and beautiful right-handed stroke.
In the Warriors 126-101 win versus their
Norther California rivals the Sacramento Kings, Thompson scored a then career-high
52 points on 16 for 25 shooting, including 11 for 15 from three-point range and
9 for 10 from the free throw line. Thompson scored an NBA-record with 37 of
those 52 points in the third quarter. He also had enough time in the game to
register five assists, four steals and two block shots.
“You always dream of it. Being a big-time
scorer, big time player. When I ever be putting up shots in the park, in my
back yard I be dreaming about it,” Thompson said once about being in that zone
where the basket looks like an ocean to where everything you shoot is going in
the hoop.
Thompson would have that same feeling one
year later when in the Warriors 142-106 win versus the Pacers on Dec. 5, 2016,
Thompson scored a new career-high 60 points in 29 minutes going 21 for 33
shooting, including 8 for 14 from three-point range and 10 for 11 from the free
throw line.
To put into context how great of a
performance Thomson had versus the Pacers, the only time he cooled off is when
Stephen Curry dumped a bucket of ice on him during a postgame interview with
then NBC Sports Bay Area’s Ros Gold-Onwude.
When Gold-Onwude asked if Curry cooled him
off, Thompson said, “No. I’m still hot.”
The one great attribute about Thompson is
his ability to never let a rough shooting night or a string of rough shooting
games dim his confidence to keep shooting and that was on full display on Oct.
29, 2018.
In the Warriors 149-124 win at the Chicago
Bulls Thompson scored 52 points, going 18 for 29 from the field, including
hitting an NBA-record 14 three-pointers on 24 attempts. Thompson surpassed the
previous mark of 13 threes made by his teammate Curry in the Warriors 116-106
win versus the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 7, 2016.
“I just knew I was due for a big night. I
just knew it,” Thompson said about his big night after a rough shooting start
to that season scoring no more than 19 points and hitting just 5 for his first
36 from three-point range last season.
To put into context how good Thompson was
on this night at the Bulls, he scored 36 points hitting 10 triples in the
opening half as the Warriors registered 92 first half points, second only to
the 107 by the Suns in opening half of their 173-143 win over the Denver
Nuggets in 1990 for most points in a half in NBA history.
All-Star Moments in 2010s
The 2010s in the NBA saw perennial
All-Stars joining forces to make a run at a championship(s) together. A number
of those stars would meet up in the middle of February for the NBA’s annual
mid-season weekend to bring us unforgettable moments during All-Star Saturday
Night and at the league’s unofficial mid-season classic.
The decade began with the 2010 NBA
All-Star Game at AT&T Stadium, also known as Jerry’s World-in reference to
Dallas Cowboys long-time owner Jerry Jones.
The game, which was held on Valentine’s
Day on Feb. 14, 2010 set a new Guinness World record for the most fans to
attend a basketball at 108,713, beating the previous mark of the 78,129 that
attended an NCAA contest between the University of Kentucky Wildcats against
the Michigan State University Spartans.
“To be a witness of the largest crowd to
ever watch a game and play in it is an honor for all of us,” 2010 All-Star Game
MVP and the recently retired Dwyane Wade said.
The most talked about even at the 2011 All-Star
weekend in Los Angeles, CA was the Slam Dunk Contest, which was where six-time All-Star
then with the Los Angeles Clippers, now with the Detroit Pistons Blake Griffin
announced his arrival on the NBA scene.
Griffin highlighted his stellar performance
in the exhibition by performing a dunk where he jumped over a Kia, which sealed
his win in the contest.
The 2015 All-Star Weekend at the Barclays
Center in Brooklyn, NY was highlighted first by the Three-Point contest where
two-time Kia MVP of the Warriors Stephen Curry stood out amongst the pack great
shooters in that contest taking home the trophy thanks to a display of
marksmanship and precision that would have made past champions of that contest
like Larry Bird, Mark Price, and Jeff Hornacek proud.
The 2016 All-Star Weekend at Scotiabank
Arena in Toronto is where the Slam Dunk Contest took centerstage as then
Minnesota Timberwolves, now Chicago Bulls highflyer Zach LaVine and Orlando
Magic highflyer Aaron Gordon put on a
one-one-one duel in the contest that brought us back to the famed duels between
Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins of the late 1980s.
Both LaVine and Gordon were performing
dunks that had everyone in the arena from current NBA players to the fans
dropping their jaws and out of there seats.
It all came to one final dunk as Gordon
performed a between the legs double-pump two-handed reverse throw down was out
done by LaVine’s take off from the foul line between the legs one-handed finish
that won it.
“We did some crazy stuff, man. It came
down to it, man. This was ridiculous,” LaVine said after the contest.
Gordon added by saying afterwards, “It was
really fun. You had two of the most athletic people in the league. Zach just
closed it out with that last dunk. It was crazy, man.”
-Davis Shines at All-Star Game in “Big
Easy”
One of the best moments an NBA player can
have in their career is to play and start an All-Star Game in front of their
home fans. That is what former New Orleans Pelican, now Los Angeles Lakers perennial
All-Star forward Anthony Davis had just three seasons back.
Davis put on a show scoring an All-Star
Game record 52 points and taking home MVP honors.
New All-Star Game Format, Brings More
Exciting Game
Two years back in an effort, the NBA decided
to change the All-Star format up where the two leading vote getters would be
chosen as captains and they would pick their teammates and hopefully will lead
to a more exciting and closer game than in season’s past. We got that and then
some in the 2018 unofficial mid-season classic in the “City of Angels.”
Through the first three quarters the game
was nip-and-tuck as there were the accustomed highlight dunks, no-look passes,
open threes and transition buckets.
As the game progressed from late in the
third quarter and throughout the fourth quarter the game got serious to where
both Team LeBron and Team Steph locked in on both ends to where precision
offense needed to be run and all 10 players needed to have a plan of how they
were going to execute.
A perfect example of this on the last play
of the game as Team LeBron was on the high side of the scoreboard, Curry with a
chance to tie the score with a three was swarmed by James and Durant, having to
pass to then Raptors’ All-Star, now with the San Antonio Spurs DeMar DeRozan
whose three attempt was after the final buzzer, giving Team LeBron the 148-145
win.
Durant said after the game, “Since I’ve
been playing in All-Star Games, this is the best one because, you know? It’s
because of the format. All the guys came out and played hard.”
James, who had 29 points, 10 rebounds, and
eight assists in route to his third All-Star Game MVP award said postgame,
“Team LeBron, Team Steph this is for the fans.”
MVPs in the 2010s
Over the course of NBA history, there are
two things that make an NBA player standout amongst the plethora of players
that have come and gone. How many titles did you lead your team to and did you
win league MVP along the way? This past decade provided some of the most
transformative MVPs in the history of “The Association” seemingly took turns in
passing the most prestigious honor, which featured players still thriving as
this next decade is underway.
“The teamwork. The intensity. The passion
for the game that has been demonstrated by this superstar has been a joy to
behold,” is what the former late great NBA Commissioner David Stern of LeBron
James when kicked of the past decade winning his second consecutive Kia MVP.
He would go on to win two more consecutive
MVPs with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013 in helping the them captured
back-to-back titles in their four straight appearances in The Finals.
Before injuries began piling up for former
Bulls guard, now member of the Pistons Derrick Rose beginning the playoffs in
2012, the Chicago native and former No. 1 overall pick out of the University of
Memphis used his superior athleticism and ability to dominate the offensive
action interrupted James reign winning Kia MVP in 2011 becoming the youngest
ever to win that honor at 22 years and six months old, surpassing the previous
record holder of former Washington Wizard Wes Unseld at 23 years, two months in
the 1968-69 season. The Bulls that season made it to the Eastern Conference
Finals for the first time since the spring of 1998 but lost to James and the
Heat 4-1.
Three years later Kevin Durant of the then
Oklahoma City Thunder, now of the Brooklyn Nets won MVP honors in 2014 to go
alongside his four league scoring titles.
As great of a players he was on the floor
that season and has been throughout his career, Durant, whose on the shelf
right now recovering from a ruptured Achilles sustained in Game 5 of the 2019
NBA Finals gave perhaps the most memorable acceptance speech thanking who he
called “The Real MVP” of his life in his mother Wanda.
In a speech that brought Ms. Durant, and
those who watched in person and on television to tears, the now two-time Finals
MVP said, “We weren’t supposed to be here. You made us believe. You went to
sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us. You’re the real MVP.”
The player who would bring his opponent’s
and opposing coaches to tears with his ability to make shots from near half
court to go along with his ability to raise the level of play of his teammates
was Stephen Curry of Warriors, who moto in recent years was “Strength In
Numbers” won back-to-back Kia MVP for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, where he
became the first unanimous MVP in league history on the back end of that run.
“I just want to say thank you to the fans.
All ‘Dubnation’ for your support all year long,” Curry said in one of his MVP
acceptant speeches.
Then Thunder guard, now with the Rockets
Russell Westbrook joined the MVP party in 2017, as he became the first player
since the great Oscar Robertson in the 1961-62 season to average a triple-double
as he registered averages of 31.6 points (Led NBA), 10.4 assists and 10.7
rebounds, and 1.6 steals.
Westbrook would average a triple-double
the next two seasons showing that what he did in the 2016-17 season was not a
fluke as he would lead the Thunder to the playoffs those three seasons in the
departure of Durant in free agency the summer of 2016 joining the Warriors.
Westbrook’s reign of being league MVP
would end to his now teammate with the Rockets in James Harden in 2018 in one
of the closet MVP races in recent history.
Harden in the 2017-18 season led the
league in scoring a second straight season with an average of 30.4 points to go
along with 8.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals, as he captured the
league’s highest individual honor after finishing a close second the two
seasons prior.
Harden’s has displayed over the past few
seasons an ability to score at the rim, from three-point range and at the free
throw line is how he led the league in scoring again the next season with an
average of 36.1 points, with 7.5 assists, 6.6 rebounds and two steals but he
finished second in that race to “The Greek Freak,” and future face of the NBA
in Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
The relative unknown No. 13 overall pick
from Greece in the 2013 draft, who been an All-Star selection for four
consecutive seasons increased his numbers for a sixth consecutive season,
averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists on 57.8 percent shooting,
authoring as season that Bucks nation had not seen since Hall of Famer Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar was piling up one of his NBA record six MVP awards.
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks past to the
Semifinals for the first time since 2000-01 season and they came within two
games of reaching The Finals for the first time since 1974 as they lost to the
eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“Two years ago, I had the goal in my head
that I going to be the best player in the league,” Antetokounmpo said at “The
NBA Awards Show” in Los Angeles, CA last June. “I’m going to do whatever it
takes to help my team win, and I’m going to win MVP.”
Here is the thing about Antetokounmpo, he
won MVP and became the player that he did last year without having a consistent
jump shot, and a consistent free throw stroke. What he does have in his
offensive arsenal is the uncanny ability to handle the basketball for a forward,
the ability to get to the basket and score over the top of anyone; a ferocity
to defend on the perimeter or at the rim; rebound the ball on both ends and
makes plays for his teammates.
With the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo,
Stephen Curry, James Harden and even LeBron James still in the prime of their
NBA journeys it is fair to imagine what they will bring to the table this
decade, and considering what they were bringing before the NBA had to shut
itself down because of the pandemic of COVID-19 these players have a lot left
to bring to the forefront of the NBA hardwood.
NBA Greats Who Said Goodbye
The arrival of the likes of perennial
All-Stars in Anthony Davis, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Blake
Griffin, Klay Thompson, Nikola Jokic, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Giannis
Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons just to name a few who lead the NBA
this decade. Their arrival also meant the greats that defined the past decade
passed the so-called torch them as they took their final bows.
In 2011, we said goodbye to the
charismatic, fun, and dominant Shaquille O’Neal who played 19 seasons in the
NBA with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns,
Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. The 2000 Kia MVP helped lead the
Lakers to three straight Larr O’Brien trophies (2000-02) and added one more
with the Heat in 2006. He was selected as an NBA All-Star 15 times; was an
All-NBA selection 14 times; made the All-Defensive Team three times; was a
three-time Bill Russell award recipient as the Finals MVP; and has his number
No. 34 retired by the Lakers and his No. 32 retired by the Heat. He was elected
to the Hall of Fame in 2016.
Joining O’Neal in the 2016 Hall of Fame
class was Yao Ming, who played nine seasons with the Houston Rockets after they
took him No. 1 overall in 2002 NBA Draft.
Ming, who averaged 19.0 points, 9.2
rebounds and 1.9 blocks in nearly a decade with Rockets brought to the table
the ability to score down low while making jumpers consistently from the
perimeter.
His career though was cut short due to a
series of foot and ankle injuries that shelved one of the league’s first global
stars from China for 250 games over his last six seasons.
Today, Ming serves as the 6th
President of the Chinese Basketball Association.
Also, a part of that 2016 Hall of Fame
class was No. 1 overall pick in 1996 draft Allen Iverson, who was a game
changer on the court but off the court as well.
He was one of the first small guards of
our era who could score with the best of them and was never afraid to take one
anyone in front of him.
That was especially true in the 2000-01
season where he led them to their first appearance in The Finals since 1983,
but they lost against the Lakers and O’Neal 4-1.
That is how Iverson led the league in
scoring four times in his career and finished his 14-year career with a scoring
average of 26.7 points, 6.2 assists and 2.2 steals.
The 2001 league MVP and 2001 All-Star Game
MVP, who averaged made cornrows and having tattoos cool, which had been taboo to
those saw sports athletes and even those in society have them years prior.
Perhaps Iverson greatest gift that he had was
the ability to connect with fans, especially fans of the city of “Brotherly
Love.” That came from the fact that win, lose or draw he brought an effort and
energy level to the hardwood on a nightly basis that gained a level of respect
and admiration from the fans that never waivered even after he was dealt to the
Denver Nuggets on Dec. 19, 2006 after playing 10 ½ years with the 76ers.
“My relationship with the fans of Philadelphia
is like no other,” Iverson said at his Hall of Fame acceptance speech in Springfield,
MA four years ago.
Before becoming an NBA studio analyst for
ESPN, Tracy McGrady was for an eight-year period in his time with the Orlando
Magic and Rockets one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, averaging
between 24 and 32 points per game from 2000-08. McGrady led the league in
scoring in 2002-03 (32.1-career-high) and 2003-04 (28.0).
“T-Mac wanted to be great. T-Mac wanted to
dominate,” his cousin and former teammate in current Atlanta Hawk Vince Carter,
who was playing in his 22nd NBA season said.
His ability to score at the rim and make
shots from the perimeter made him truly one of the most special wings to ever
play and that is how he became a Hall of Famer in 2017.
For McGrady who was drafted No. 9 overall
in 1997 by the Toronto Raptors out of Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham,
NC, he had to earn his way on the court by making himself into a great
defender. The scoring came later.
What also came were injuries, which cut a
very promising career short, as he retired in 2013. Those injuries also kept
him from making McGrady from etching his name where it really mattered, the
playoffs.
In 2013, the basketball world said goodbye
to Jason Kidd, who for 19 seasons was one of the best floor generals on the
hardwood on both ends.
His ability to make plays for others; to
his play at the defensive end and how he became an even better offensive player
in terms of his shoot making is how he became an eventual Hall of Famer in
2018.
That work ethic and determination he
brought to the floor nightly is how the he helped turn the Phoenix Suns in his
4 ½ seasons with them into a playoff perennial. How he made the then New
Jersey, now Brooklyn Nets into a title contender as they made it to The Finals
in 2002 and 2003, losing in four games to the Lakers and in six games versus
Spurs the next year.
In his second stint with the Mavericks, he
helped them get over the hump in 2011 as they defeated the LeBron James, Dwyane
Wade and Chris Bosh led Heat in The Finals 4-2.
If you look up the word perseverance, determination,
and sheer will in the dictionary, you will find a picture of fellow 2018 Hall
of Famer and Co-Kia Rookie of the Year in 1995 Grant Hill, who retired in 2013
after playing 19 seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns
and Los Angeles Clippers.
There was a time where being a small
forward who was a triple-double threat in the league was a very rare thing,
compared to today’s NBA where it seems like any wing player can register one at
the drop of a hat.
Before the now co-owner of the Atlanta
Hawks and NBATV/NBA on TNT analyst had a foot injury that cut short a very
promising career in his six seasons with the Magic in the 2000s, Hill was
putting up averages of 20-plus points, over seven rebounds and seven assists in
the late 1990s with the Pistons.
This was on the heels of a terrific
collegiate career with the Duke Blue Devils where he helped lead them to
back-to-back NCAA titles.
This decade we also said goodbye to
several players that were the key or played a major role in leading their
respective teams to the NBA’s mountain top.
In 2014, Chauncey Billups, the 2004 Finals
MVP of the World Champion Pistons who defeated the Lakers in five games retired
after 17 seasons with the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets,
Minnesota Timberwolves, Pistons, Knicks, and Clippers. Billups No. 1 jersey no
stands in the rafters of Little Caesars Arena alongside his teammates during
that time Richard “Rip” Hamilton (No. 32) and Ben Wallace (No. 3); Hall of Famer
Isiah Thomas (No. 11); Vinnie Johnson (No. 15); current head coach of the WNBA’s
Las Vegas Aces Bill Laimbeer (No. 40); Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman (No. 10) and
head coach of the Pistons back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990 and the head coach
of the 1992 Dream Team in the late Hall of Famer Chuck Daly (No. 2).
The aforementioned Ray Allen, who helped the
Celtics and Heat win championships in 2008 and 2013 respectively also retired
in 2014 and was enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame four years
later.
In 2015, Steve Nash, one of the best
shooting and playmaking guards in NBA history retired after 18 seasons playing
two stints with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers.
“I’m just gonna try to work as hard as I
can everyday from now. The rest of my life,” Nash said after getting drafted by
the Suns in 1996.
That hard work and dedication is how Nash became
an eight-time All-Star, two-time league MVP (2005 and 2006) as the orchestrator
of the seven seconds or less offense of the Suns in the middle of the 2000s. He
led the league in assists five times (2005-07, 2010, and 2011) and on four occasions
registered seasons of 50/40/90 (field goal percentage/three-point
percentage/free throw percentage). Nash joined Allen, Hill, and Kidd in the
2018 Hall of Fame class.
In 2016, the league said goodbye to the third
cog of the four-year run of the Miami Heat reaching The Finals from 2010-14
winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 in 11-time All-Star Chris Bosh, played
his 13-year career first with the Raptors for six seasons and the last seven
with the Heat.
During those 13 seasons, the No. 4 overall
pick in the 2003 draft out of Georgia Tech University, who helped the 2008 “Redeem
Team” capture Gold at the Beijing Olympics 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds on 49.4
percent shooting.
Bosh’s career was cut short by a blood
clotting condition that he tried to fight back from before announcing his
retirement in Feb. 12, 2019.
One month later, the Heat retired his No.
1 jersey on Mar. 26, 2019 when the Heat played versus the Orlando Magic.
“It’s your determination. It’s your will.
You have to keep fighting, that’s what being a rebounder is about,” Bosh said
at his jersey retirement.
Another great power forward retired after
a great NBA career in Tim Duncan, who spent his entire NBA career with the San
Antonio Spurs.
When “The Big Fundamental,” who is now an
assistant coach with the Spurs was drafted No. 1 overall in 1997, the Spurs
missed the playoffs for the first time since the 1988-89 seasons. They had not
missed the playoffs since and alongside first David Robinson and then Manu
Ginobili, who retired in 2018 and Tony Parker, who retired in 2019 and head coach
Gregg Popovich went on to win five NBA titles, making the playoffs 22 straight
years and counting, which is tied with the Syracuse Nationals/76ers for the
longest streak of postseason appearances in NBA history.
“Greatest player at his position, whose
ever stepped on a court,” Coach Popovich said of Duncan.
Not too far behind Duncan as one of the best
big men to every play is fellow future Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, who also
retired in 2016 after 21 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who drafted
him No. 5 overall out of Chicago’s Farragut Academy in 1995, the Celtics, who
he helped lead to the their 17th title in franchise history in 2008
over the Lakers in six games, and the Nets.
Garnett was a 15-time All-Star selection
in those 21 seasons, winning the game’s MVP in 2003. He was a seven-time
All-NBA selection; 12-time All-Defensive team selection; 2004 Kia MVP; 2008 Kia
Defensive Player of the Year.
Alongside Garnett for those five seasons
with the Celtics, including their 2008 title team was the aforementioned Ray
Allen, lead guard, who now plays for the Lakers in Rajon Rondo and fellow perennial
All-Star Paul Pierce, who retired in 2017 after playing 19 seasons with the
Celtics, Nets, Washington Wizards, and Clippers.
The current ESPN NBA analyst, who can be
seen on “NBA Countdown” and “NBA: The Jump” was a 10-time All-Star (all with Celtics);
three-time All-NBA Third Team selection and has his No. 34 retired in the
rafters of the TD Garden alongside the likes of Larry Bird, Robert Parish,
Dennis Johnson, Kevin McHale, Bill Russel and John Havlicek to name a few.
The conclusion to the 2018-19 season was
also the swansong for the NBA careers of future Hall of Famers in three-time
NBA champion Dwyane Wade, who spent 13 of his 16 seasons with the Miami Heat,
while having a cup of coffee with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers,
and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks, who spent his entire career in “Big
D,” leading them to their only title in 2006 over Wade, LeBron James, Bosh and
the Heat in six games.
Wade earned 13 All-Star selection in his
16 seasons in the league. Earned 8 All-NBA selections; three All-Defensive
Second Team selections and won the scoring title in 2009.
Perhaps Wade’s biggest accomplishment was
making the Heat relevant in a town that was mainly dominated by the NFL’s Miami
Dolphins and Miami Hurricanes college football.
The same can be said for Dirk Nowitzki,
who with the help of Steve Nash to start helped turn the Mavericks from the
doormat they were throughout the 1990s into a playoff perennial and eventually
a champion in 2011, earning the Bill Russell award for Finals MVP that season.
In his 21-year NBA career, all with the
Mavericks, Nowitzki was named an All-Star 14 times and a was a 12-time All-NBA
selection.
Above all else, Nowitzki gave all foreign
players the vision and blueprint for how to have success in the best league in
the world and showed you can be an effective big man by having a consistent
jump shot, even all the way out to three-point range.
“I left Germany over 20 years ago and I
became a Texan,” Nowitzki said after his final home game in 2019, “So, thank
you guys for having me and I’ll see you soon.”
A Finale Game to Remember by A Late Great
Laker
The 2010s were a very busy one for the
late Kobe Bryant, who passed away in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles,
CA on Jan. 26. The future Hall of Famer began the decade leading the Lakers to
their 16th NBA title, his fifth overall over the archrival Boston
Celtics in seven games in the 2010 Finals, winning Finals MVP. He surpassed
Jerry West as the top scorer in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers. Battle
back from a ruptured Achilles, which happened on Apr. 13, 2013 versus the
Warriors to score enough points to finish his career third on the NBA’s
all-time scoring list, passing Michael Jordan. After that plethora of great
moments, Bryant had enough left for his final unforgettable act.
That final act in front of a national
audience on ESPN on Apr. 13, 2016, Bryant in his final game scored 60 points,
on 22 for 50 from the field, including 6 for 21 from three-point range and 10
for 12 from the free throw line in leading the Lakers to a 101-96 victory versus
Utah Jazz on ESPN.
Bryant scored 23 of those 60 points in the
fourth quarter as he registered his first game of 50-plus points since Feb.
2009.
“Excited, you know? I’m happy,” Bryant
said pregame that night to Spectrum Sportsnet’s Mike Trudell about his feelings
entering his last game. “I’ve had some great memories. Doing it one last is
pretty cool.”
Everyone you could think of was in
attendance to witness this special performance from regular fans to the most
famous in entertainment from Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Jack Nicholson to name a few.
“He’s really one of the greats players you’ll
ever see play the game. No doubt about that. Everyone knows it,” Nicholson said
to ESPN’s Lisa Salters that night.
The best part about Bryant’s last game is
the fact he got a chance to do it surrounded by those that were a big part of
his life from his wife Vanessa and his daughters in the aforementioned Gianna,
and Natalia; some of his former teammates in Shaquille O’Neal, Derek Fisher;
Lakers legends in “Magic” Johnson, and James Worthy; former longtime trainer
Gary Vitti and his then head coach and mentor who was there at the start of his
career in Byron Scott.
“You know I grew up a diehard Laker fan.
So, to spend 20 years here, I mean, you can’t write something better than this,”
Bryant said postgame to the Laker faithful inside Staples Center. “What can I
say, ‘Mamba out.’”
He added as he left the arena alongside
his wife Vanessa and their two daughters then, “It’s a beautiful time. To be
able to have this moment with my family and have the finish that we’ve had. It’s
amazing how fast time goes, man. Just extremely blessed and extremely appreciative.
A dream come true.”
That is what makes the passing of Kobe
Bryant back in late January so painful is that he gave all of himself on the
hardwood and was doing just as much off the floor with his storytelling and how
he was raising his family.
While he may not be visibly in person when
he is inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame this September, he
will surely be there in spirit.
Game-Tying/Winning Shots in the Playoffs
in 2010s
NBA on TNT studio analyst and two-time NBA
champion with the Houston Rockets in the middle of the 1990s Kenny Smith said that
the NBA regular season is “where you make your name.” The NBA Playoffs is “where
you make your fame.” It is in the NBA’s second season where show your best,
especially in the clutch. The 2010s put that on full display.
Two-time Kia MVP Stephen Curry showed that
at the start of the Warriors epic run in Game 3 of the Quarterfinals where he
tied Game 3 up with a corner three-pointer in the closing seconds at the New Orleans
Pelicans. The Warriors would go on to sweep the Pelicans 4-0.
Then Los Angeles Clippers perennial
All-Star guard Chris Paul displayed his greatness in the final seconds of Game
7 of the opening-round versus the five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs by hitting
the eventual game-winning floater off the glass with 01.0 second left.
One player that always rose to the moment
in the clutch during the 2010s was now Lakers perennial All-Star LeBron James,
then with the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose buzzer beating corner jumper in Game 4
of the 2015 East Semifinals at the Chicago Bulls tied the series at 2-2. The
Cavs would go on to win the series in six games.
In the opening-round of the 2018 playoffs,
James came through for the three-time reigning East champion Cavaliers again
with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win Game 5 and put them up 3-2 in the
series. The Cavaliers would hold the Pacers to win the series in seven games.
James would do it again in the Semis
versus the Toronto Raptors by breaking the Top Seeded heart’s once again with a
game-winning floating banker that won Game 3. The Cavs would sweep that series 4-0.
Entering the 2014 Playoffs, the Portland
Trail Blazers had not made it passed the opening-round since reaching the Western
Conference Finals at the start of the new century.
That all changed in Game 6 of the First-Round
of the 2014 postseason versus the Houston Rockets where 2013 Kia Rookie of the Year
hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to win the series.
Lillard would break the hearts of Oklahoma
City Thunder and ended the Russell Westbrook era with his long three-pointer at
the buzzer in Game 5 of the Opening-Round of 2019 Playoffs to win the series
4-1.
The decade of playoff game-winning shots
concluded with the epic series-clinching five bounce drop by then Raptors All-Star
Kawhi Leonard that took down the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 Semis and was
the springboard to them winning it all back in June 2019.
The Epic Streak of Eight Straight Finals Appearances
By “The King”
When Dirk Nowitzki led the Dallas
Mavericks to the second title of the 2010s with their six-game win over the
Miami Heat. Little did we all know that series was the start of an incredible
streak of Finals appearances by the best player in “The Association.”
Starting with that Finals loss against the
Mavericks while with the Heat, LeBron James would lead first the boys from
South Florida to four straight Finals appearances (2010-14), winning it all in
2012 and 2013 and then four more straight appearances in The Finals in his
second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2015-18).
“You know that loss and that heartbreak
was the best thing that ever happened to me,” James, 2012 and 2013 Finals MVP said
back in 2011, “Because it refocused me. And I was able to regain who I am, you
know, both on and off the floor.”
James and Chris Bosh and the Heat’s first
of their back-to-back titles came against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and three
eventual Kia MVPs in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, three
eventual Kia MVPs in five games.
The Heat and James would make their way
back to The Finals in 2013 facing a dynasty from the previous decade in the San
Antonio Spurs.
Facing elimination with just seconds to go
in Game 6, the Heat regained the moment as Bosh grabbed a key offensive rebound
and kicked it out to Ray Allen who hit a corner three-pointer that tied the
scored and etched himself into NBA lure with one of the most iconic shots in
NBA Finals history. The Heat would win in overtime to tie the series and would
prevail in Game 7 to capture back-to-back titles.
“For us, you know, it’s about doing what
we came together to do. And that is to win championships, and we’ve been able
to do that. And now, we’re a part of history,” Wade said.
James would return to the Cavaliers for
his second stint in 2015 and would lead the Cavaliers to The Finals but fell in
six games to the Golden State Warriors.
The two teams would meet again in The
Finals one-year later and it seemed the same result would about to occur as the
Warriors led the series 3-1 after four games.
The Cavs would win the next two games to
tie the series at 3-3 setting up a winner take all Game 7.
That Game 7 would be defined by two epic
plays by the Cavaliers. A game-changing block by James on 2015 Finals MVP Andre
Iguodala late in the fourth quarter.
In the closing minutes, then All-Star Cavs
guard Kyrie Irving hit what would be the game-winning three-pointer that won the
Cavaliers their first NBA title and the first major sports championship in the
city of Cleveland since the NFL”s Browns won it all in 1964.
“To be able to accomplish something like
that with a group of guys that you genuinely care about and genuinely love,
there’s no better feeling in the world,” James said of his team becoming the
first team in NBA history to win The Finals after trailing 3-1.
The other iconic moment from that Game 7
came in his postgame interview with NBA on ESPN/ABC’s Doris Burke when he said,
“Cleveland! This is for you!”
While many thought after the Cavaliers
were down 3-1 against the Warriors, James had faith, and he gave a hint of what
eventually happened to NBATV/NBA on TNT sideline reporter Kristen Ledlow when
he told her after Game 4 in an interview that, “We’re still gonna win this
series.”
Ledlow said about that moment on her
podcast “Ledlow & Parker” back in late December that she laughed at that
moment, thinking that he was kidding.
“One of my most vivid memories not just in
the NBA, but the entirety of my career and now life is watching him (James) win
that championship, walk off the court holding not only The Finals trophy but The
Finals MVP trophy as well,” Ledlow said, adding, “As I am standing there, he
walked by and really quickly said, ‘Told you.’ And I’ve never bet against him.”
“It was a moment that defined the history
of the game. And to get the chance to witness it though firsthand, it’s still
tough for me to wrap it into words.”
The Cavaliers would make it back to The Finals
the next two springs but would fall to the Warriors in five games in 2017 and
then a four-game sweep in 2018.
Spurs Win Fifth Title
One year after a devastating collapse in
the 2013 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs made it back
to The Finals one year later and got their revenge.
After splitting the first two games in
Texas, the Spurs simply took a part the Heat winning the next three games of the
series, two of which on the Heat’s home floor to capture their fifth NBA title
in 16 seasons.
Leading the way during in those five
titles was future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan and the only coach he ever had in
his 19-year career Gregg Popovich. It was the fourth title for Duncan’s
teammates in fellow future Hall of Famers in Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
“To see the fortitude (that) you guys
displayed in coming back from that horrific loss last year. You are to be honored
for that,” Coach Popovich said to his team postgame after winning their fifth
Larry O’Brien trophy.
Warriors “Strength in Numbers” Dynasty
In 2015, a new dynasty was rising in the
West, whose unconventional approach on both ends of the floor ushered in a new era
in the NBA.
Before this time, it was unthinkable that
a team could shoot there way to a championship. That at team could win it all
with the best defensive player being one that is 6-foot-7.
The Warriors had two of the best sharp
shooters in the game in perennial All-Stars I Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson
and one of the most versatile defenders in the league in Draymond Green.
Led by that trio, the Warriors took down
the LeBron James led Cavaliers in six games of the 2015 Finals to capture their
first title in four decades.
“When you finally can relax and just
celebrate, it’s just a moment of pure joy,” Curry said of that moment of the
Warriors winning it all five seasons back. “And nothing I would rather have
than celebrate with my brothers on the court.”
The Warriors and Cavaliers would lock horns
again in the 2016 Finals and the Warriors seemed all but certain to take them
down again leading the series 3-1.
The Cavaliers mounted a historic comeback
winning Games 5 and 6 to force a Game 7, that was highlighted by a James block
of an Andre Igoudala fast break layup and a clutch three-pointer by now Brooklyn
Nets All-Star guard Kyrie Irving that would be the game-winner as the Cavaliers
on Game 7 on the Warriors then home floor of Oracle Arena.
The Warriors retooled themselves in 2017
with the addition of 2014 Kia MVP perennial All-Star and four-time scoring
champion Kevin Durant in free agency.
That addition helped the Warriors reach The
Finals the next two years and they took down the Cavaliers in five games in the
2017 Finals and in a four-game sweep in the 2018 Championship Round as Durant
was named Finals MVP both times.
“We’ll be remembered as a team that did it
together,” Durant said. “Not one man was bigger than the group. That’s the sign
of a true team.”
The Last Champion of 2010s
The Golden State Warriors would appear in
the last championship bout of the 2010s, but they would be on the wrong end of
it as they were taken down by the first NBA champion from outside the U.S.A.
Led by Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who the Raptors
acquired from the San Antonio Spurs in the summer of 2018 defeated the injury
riddled Warriors in the 2018 Finals in six games.
The Raptors became the first team in NBA
history to win the Larry O’Brien trophy from outside the United States.
This title also was the first one in the
last five seasons not won by a LeBron James led squad or the Warriors.
As you can see, a lot took place in the
NBA in the 2010s. We saw the rise of NBA championship dynasties. We saw players
etch their name into the historic mantles of “The Association.” We saw the
passing of the torch of one generation of NBA players to the next. What we also
saw is the historic rise of players move up the historic charts in the NBA.
If this next decade is anything close to
the last one, this league is going to be just as exciting to watch.
Information, statistics, and quotations
are courtesy of 12/28/18 4 p.m. NBATV’s “Basketball Stories: A Decade to
Remember,” with Matt Winer, with reports from Sekou Smith, Kristen Ledlow and
Candace Parker; https://www.nba.com/games/20200101/PORNYK#/preview;
1/1/2020 7:30 p.m. “Portland Trail Blazers versus New York Knicks” on Madison
Square Garden Network with Mike Breen, Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Rebecca
Haarlow; https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3468/russell-westbrook;
https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/fg3_career.html;
https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/DAL/2010_games.html;
https://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/triple-double-most-times.html;
www.espn.com/nba/history/leaders/_/stat/steals;
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameid=400578943;
www.espn.com/nba/recap/boxscore?gameid=401070772;
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/recap?gameid=400829115;
https://www.landofbasketball.com/boxscores/2019/0323SASHOU.htm;
https://www.landofbasketball.com/box_score/2016/1205INDGSW.htm;
https://www.landofbasketball.com/records/60_or_more_points.htm;
https://www.espn.com/nba/game?gameid=401071383;
https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MIA/2013_games.html;
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/19961102PHO.html;
https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201302270NYK.html;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Westbrook#regular_season;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Allen#Boston_Celtics_(2007-2012);
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_National_Basketball_Association_career_3-point_scoring_leaders;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Love#2009-10_season;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devin_Booker#2016-17_season;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_NBA_All-Star_Game;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damian_Lillard;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Kidd#Return_to_the_Mavericks_(2008-2012);
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrick_Rose#2009-11_All-Star_season_and_MVP_campaign;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracy_McGrady;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yao_Ming;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Hill;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Nash;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Iverson#NBA_statistics;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Duncan;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Garnett;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Celtics;
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Pierce;
and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwyane_Wade.
