J-Speaks: “Clutch City’s Special Night”

Twenty years ago, the Houston Rockets joined an exclusive NBA club when they won their second consecutive NBA title. Eventual Hall of Fame center Hakeem Olajuwon went from being just a great player to one an all-time great in helping lead the Rockets to back-to-back titles. They also can claim they are the first of the three Texas teams in the NBA to become champions first ahead of their Southwest Division Rivals the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks. This past Thursday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX, the Rockets took their fans back down memory lane and the Rockets current best player in All-Star James Harden had a historic evening.

In the Rockets (46-22) 118-108 victory versus the Denver Nuggets (26-44) this past Thursday night, their third win in a row, Harden scored a career-high 50 points going 12 for 27 from the field and 22 for 25 from the free throw line. He also had 10 rebounds and four assists.

It was the first 50-plus point performance since the aforementioned Olajuwon scored 51 points going 20 for 37 from the field and 11 for 14 from the charity stripe, grabbing 14 boards, three steals and two block shots, but the Rockets lost versus the Boston Celtics 108-106.

On top of that Harden became the ninth player in Rockets history to score 50 points or more in a regular season game and the four Rocket in team history compile 50-plus points and 10-plus boards in a regular season game in Rockets history. Olajuwon and fellow Hall of Famers Moses Malone and Elvin Hayes each accomplish that feat twice in their Rocket careers. Harden also became the first player in the league to achieve those stats since Miami Heat All-Star guard and three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade did it on Mar. 14, 2009, when he had 50 points, 10 boards, nine assists, four steals and two blocks in leading the Heat to a 140-129 victory versus the Utah Jazz in triple-overtime.

“It’s a blessing. All the glory to God,” Harden said to the NBATV’s Jared Greenberg and Dennis Scott after the game on Thursday.

“Credit my teammates and coaches. They did an unbelievable job as they do every single night. Getting me in positions to be successful. I got some shots to fall tonight and I was just in attack mode all night.”

Harden had this great performance on a night when the Rockets celebrated the 20-year anniversary of the team’s back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, with public address announcer during those two season Matt Thomas as the master of ceremony.

The celebration consisted of former players, coaches, front office personnel and the television and radio broadcasters from those back-to-back title teams. Also on hand was NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

Among the players that were in attendance along with Olajuwon were his former “Phi Slama Jama” college teammate from his days with the Houston Cougars Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler, who the Rockets traded for along with sharp shooter Tracy Murray in the middle of the 1994-95 season for Otis Thorpe who was also in attendance.

Other former players that were honored were sharp shooter Vernon Maxwell, Robert Horry, Mario Elie, Eric Riley, Earl Cureton, Tim Breaux, Chris Jent, Charles Jones, Pete Chilcutt and Matt Bullard.

Two key players that were not on hand for the festivities, but were major cogs in the Rockets back-to-back titles were starting lead guard Kenny Smith, who is now busy with Turner Sports coverage of the NCAA Tournament and his understudy Sam Cassell, who is an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Along with honoring former players, the Rockets also honored the coaching staff and key members of the front office from those title teams like head coach Rudy Tomjanovich, the franchise leader in regular season victories with 503 and playoff wins with 90; assistant coaches “Mr. Mean” Larry Smith, Bill Berry, Carroll Dawson and Jim Boylen, who was also the video coordinator; General Manager Bob Weinhauer; head trainer Ray Melchiorre; player scout Joe Ash and directory of player development Robert Barr.

The Rockets also honored the radio and television broadcasters during those seasons. Gene Peterson, the radio play-by-play announcer whose famous line was “How sweet it is!” and his partner color analyst Jim Foley. The Spanish broadcast radio broadcast team of Danny Gonzalez and Alex Lopez Negrete were also on hand as well as the television broadcast duo of play-by-play announcer Bill Worrell and color analyst Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy.  

Like any journey to height professional sports lure, there are many highs and many obstacles to overcome in reaching the mountain top of any professional sport.

For the Rockets, their championship journey began one year prior when they won then a franchise record 55 games and capturing their first then Midwest Division title since the 1985-86 season. They defeated the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round in five games, their first playoff series win 1987. Their season ended at the hands of the eventual Western Conference runner-up in the Seattle Supersonics in seven games.

The next season, the Rockets won 58 games in capturing their second straight division title, a first in team history. Olajuwon was named the Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the Year.

As the No. 2 Seed in the West, the Rockets defeated the No. 7 Seeded Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round 3-1.

In the Conference Semifinals against Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson and the No. 3 Seeded Phoenix Suns, the Rockets had big leads in Games 1 and 2 at home, but lost both games and were staring at a four-game sweep. They starred that painful possibility and never blinked winning Games 3 118-102 behind the 34 points Maxwell and the 26 points, 15 boards, six assists and six blocks from Olajuwon, who led the way in Game 4 with 28 points, 12 boards, eight assists and five blocks as the Rockets won in Phoenix 107-96 to even the series at 2-2. The teams split the next two games and the Rockets won Game 7 104-94 on their home floor to send the defending Western Conference champs home 4-3. Olajuwon had 37 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks in the clincher. Cassell was big off the bench with 22 points and seven assists.

In the West Finals, the Rockets made short work of the Hall of Fame duo of John Stockton, Karl Malone and the Jazz defeating them in five games.

In The Finals, the Rockets faced the rough and tumble Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks.

After splitting the first four games, the Knicks took care of things at home capturing Game 5 91-84 leaving them one game away from their first title since 1973.

In the closing moments of Game 6 though leading 86-84, Knicks’ guards John Starks, who had scored 27 points had his game-winning three-point shot blocked by Olajuwon preserving the win and evening the series up at 3-3. Olajuwon finished with 30 points, 10 boards and four blocks.

In Game 7, Olajuwon led the way with 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three blocks in leading the Rockets to a 90-84 win capturing the city of Houston’s first pro sports title since the Houston Oilers of the American Football League won it all in 1961.  

Olajuwon, who averaged 26.9 points. 9.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 3.9 blocks in the seven game on 50.0 percent from the floor was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1994 Finals and he became the only player in league history to win the regular-season MVP, Finals MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. He also became the first NBA player not born in the United States to win league MVP.

The next season was not as impressive for the defending champion Rockets as injuries and inconsistency limited them to just 47 wins and the No. 6 Seed in the West.

Even with the acquisition of Drexler as mentioned earlier, many thought that the Rockets chances of repeating were very slim, especially without having home court advantage.

All the Rockets did in the 1995 NBA Playoffs was go out and win, defeating the arch rival Jazz, who finished 60-22 that season in the opening round in five games.

For the second year in a row, the Rockets met Barkley, Johnson and the Suns, who won 57 games that year in the West Semis and once again had the Rockets behind the eight ball winning three of the first four games.

While many thought the Rockets would fold, they rose to the occasion and won Game 5 in Phoenix 103-97 in overtime led by the 31 points and 16 boards of Olajuwon. Smith had 21 points, hitting 5 for 11 from three-point range to go along with seven boards and seven assists. Elie had 15 off the bench as well as forward Chucky Brown and Horry had 11 points and 11 rebounds and five assists.

The Rockets dominated the Suns in Game 6, winning 116-103 to even the series 3-3.

In the closing moments of Game 7, Elie got open in the corner and knocked down a three-pointer, which gave the Rockets the lead and eventually the victory 115-114, taking the series 4-3. For an exclamation point, Elie blew a kiss to the Suns’ bench as he was greeted by his Rocket teammates.

In the Western Conference Finals against the West top Seed the San Antonio Spurs, who won a franchise record 62 games and league MVP and Hall of Famer David Robinson, Olajuwon put on one of the best displays in NBA history.

Olajuwon outplayed Robinson in the series averaging 35.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, five assists and 4.2 blocks on 50 percent from the field. Robinson averaged 23.8 points, 11.3 boards, 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals in the six-game series.

The Rockets took control of the series winning the first two games in San Antonio. The Spurs turned the tide winning both games in Houston to even the series at 2-2.

In the pivotal Game 5, the Rockets came with it right from the jump outscoring the Spurs 32-18 in the opening stanza and they never looked back stealing back home court advantage with a 111-90 victory to take a 3-2 lead over the Spurs. Olajuwon was magnificent once again with 42 points, nine boards, eight assists and five blocks. Cassell had 30 points, 12 assists and three steals off the bench. Drexler had 19 points and Horry had 14 points, 13 rebounds and four steals.  

In a nip and tuck Game 6, the Rockets outscored the Spurs 24-20 in the fourth quarter to win Game 6 100-95 and the series 4-2 to advance back to the NBA Finals.

Olajuwon, who outscored Robinson 81-41 the last four games had 39 points, 17 rebounds, and five blocks in the closing Game 6. Horry had 22 points and seven boards and Drexler had 16 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

The Rockets met the Orlando Magic and the up and coming dynamic duo of Shaquille O’Neal, Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and the Orlando Magic in The 1995 NBA Finals.

As they have throughout the playoffs, the Rockets had to overcome an early deficit as they trailed 61-50 at intermission.

A 37-19 third quarter gave the Rockets an 87-80 lead entering the four quarter. Leading by three in the closing moments of the fourth Magic guard Nick Anderson missed four straight free throws that gave the Rockets a chance. Smith made the most of that opportunity by nailing his seventh three-pointer of the game to tie the game at 110.

In the closing seconds of overtime, Olajuwon scored points 36 and 37 off a Drexler missed layup that gave the Rockets the lead and eventually the victory 120-118.

They never looked back capturing Game 2 in convincing fashion 117-106 thanks to 34 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks from Olajuwon. The Rockets won a tight Game 3 106-103 back in Houston.

A 66-point second half, outscoring the Magic by 66-50 points in the second 24 minutes earned the Rockets a 113-101 victory and their second straight title. Olajuwon, who won his second straight Finals MVP had 35 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and three steals in the clinching Game 6. Elie had 22 points on 9 for 11 from the floor, including 4 for 6 from three-point territory. Horry, who had a great Finals had 21 points, 13 boards and five assists. Drexler, who finally got that elusive championship after falling in his first two chances with the Trail Blazers in 1990 and 1992 had 15 points, nine boards, eight assists and two steals.

When the journey was completed, Tomjanovich said the iconic line that has stood for many years about the Rockets back-to-back titles.

He said after the presentation of the Larry O’Brien Trophy, “I have one thing to say to those non-believers. Don’t every underestimate the heart of a champion.”

The journey to the top of the NBA for the Houston Rockets began on July 30, 1993 when current owner Leslie Alexander bought the Rockets for $85 million. He took in interim tag from Tomjanovich making him the full-time head coach and the likes of Smith, Maxwell, Horry, Elie, Cassell and Thorpe became the supporting cast that Olajuwon needed and the rest is history.

The current edition of the Rockets has a very similar makeup. They have a dominate center in Dwight Howard, who has been named Defensive Player of the Year. A great two guard in Harden and solid role players like Trevor Ariza, Patrick Beverly, Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, Jason Terry, Josh Smith, Corey Brewer and Pablo Prigioni and a three-time NBA champion in head coach Kevin McHale.

They also have the motivation of disappointment from losing in the first round a season ago to the Trail Blazers, who took the series in six games when All-Star guard Damian Lillard hit the game-winning three-pointer in the closing moments.

Last Thursday night was a time to look back at a team that won back-to-back titles and immortalized themselves in the hearts of many of their fans. It was also an opportunity for the current Rockets to see what is possible and the necessary focus that it will take for them bring another title to “Clutch City.”

For that to have a chance of happening the Rockets need Howard back on the court as he has not played since Jan. 23 because of swelling in his right knee. He did say the day before that he is getting close to returning and has returned to practice this past week.

“When he gets back, nothing changes,” Harden said on Thursday to Greenberg and Scott. “He’s going to do whatever it takes to help this team get to where we want to go. We can’t wait. We’re waiting for the big fella to get back and he’s going to help us with this playoff push.”

Information, quotations and statistics are courtesy of 3/20/15 1:30 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime” with Jared Greenberg, Dennis Scott and Tracy McGrady; Sporting News “Official 2006-07 NBA Guide;” www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1994.html; www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/NBA_1995.html; www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/19960118HOU.html; Feb. 10, 1994 article “The Voices of Los Rockets”  by David Theis of Houston Press from www.houstonpress.com/1994-02-10/news/the-voice-of-los-rockets; www.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?id=290314014; Video titled “Honoring The Champs” posted Mar. 19, 2015 on www.nba.com/gameline;  www.espn.go.com/nba/recap?id=400579309; en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Rockets; en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakeem_Olajuwon.   

J-Speaks: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly in NBA in Month of February

With less than two months before the postseason begins, two teams have risen from the ashes at the beginning of this season to be real serious players to not only make the playoffs, but make some noise when they get there and one team has played at a very high level despite missing their starting center. A couple of early favorites in the Eastern Conference have been leaking oil of late and injuries to key people has put another team’s championship hopes into question. Two other NBA teams began the journey for next season by making changes in the coaching ranks. Here is the good, the bad and the ugly in “The Association” for the month of February.

The Good

Thunder Striking Thanks to Westbrook

After a tough beginning to the season which saw them losing 12 of their first 17 games, due in large part to the absence of All-Star tandem of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, the Oklahoma City Thunder (36-29) have won 31 of their last 48 games, which includes a 8-3 February, that has them in a dead heat with the New Orleans Pelicans (36-29) for the No. 8 and final playoff spot in the West.

A big reason for the uptick in wins, particularly in February is the play of Westbrook, who averaged 31.2 points, 10.3 assists, 9.1 rebounds and 2.6 steals per contest, joining Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to averaged 30-10-9 for a month.

He had a real strong finish to the month which 21 points, a career-high 17 assists and eight boards in leading the Thunder to a 119-94 win versus the Denver Nuggets (25-41) on Feb 22.

The stellar play of Westbrook continued two nights later as he began an amazing streak of four straight games with a triple-double and six triple-doubles in the last eight games for the Thunder with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Thunder defeated the surging Indiana Pacers (30-34) 105-92 back on Feb. 24, earning their seventh win in a row. Forward Serge Ibaka, who has really come on since the All-Star break lead the team with a game-high 23 points along with 10 boards and three blocks. Center Enes Kanter, who was acquired at the trade deadline along with guard D.J. Augustin, forwards Kyle Singler and Steve Novak had 15 points. Dion Waiters had 14 points off the bench and sharp shooter Anthony Marrow had 12 points and five boards.

While Westbrook garnered two more triple-doubles in back-to-back games at the Phoenix Suns (34-33), with 39 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists and three steals and at the Portland Trail Blazers (43-20) garnering 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, the Thunder lost those back-to-back games 117-113 in overtime and 115-112 respectably.

While the team has recovered to begin the month of March winning four of their first six contests, the Thunder is in a dog fight with the Pelicans for the No. 8 spot as they are in a virtual tie with the same record, but the Pelicans have won two of the first three meetings giving them current hold on the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

This makes it all that more important for last season’s MVP in Durant to get back on the court from another surgery on his right foot that he injured back in Oct. 2014 that has forced him to miss the last 11 games. The Thunder have gone 8-3 in his latest absence though. If they have any hope of making the playoffs though, he must get back on the court and play to the level that he has shown.

As far as what adjustment Westbrook is going to have to make when Durant does get back into the lineup, things should be better for him and the team. If there is one thing that Westbrook has gotten better at in Durant’s absence is the fact that he has gotten the rest of the team involved in the game by getting the likes of Ibaka, Kanter, Morrow, Mitch McGary shots in the areas of the court that they are effective. He just has to be able to do that for Durant. If that happens, the Thunder will make the playoffs and can give their likely opponent the top seeded Golden State Warriors (51-13) a run for their money.

 

Rising Pacers

When the 2014-15 NBA campaign began, the Indiana Pacers, the East runner-up the last two postseasons had all the excuses in the world to fall to the bottom. They lost swingman Lance Stephenson in free agency when he decided to sign with the Charlotte Hornets. The team’s best player Paul George suffered a broken leg during the summer in a game for Team USA. On top of that, two key starters in forward David West and lead guard George Hill began this season on the shelf because of injury as well as Hills understudy C.J. Watson.

At one point this season, the Pacers playoffs were very slim after a 104-91 loss versus the Toronto Raptors back on Jan. 27, their eighth loss in their last nine games that brought their record to 16-31.

Since that point, the Pacers picked themselves off the pavement and have won 14 of their last 17 games, which includes a 7-2 mark in the month of February, which earned head coach Frank Vogel Eastern Conference Coach of the Month.

They concluded the month by defeating the red hot Cleveland Cavaliers (42-25) 93-86 back on Feb. 27, which ignited a seven-game winning streak. It was the Pacers 10^th consecutive victory at Bankers Life Fieldhouse versus their Central Division rivals, who were without four-time MVP LeBron James and guard Kyrie Irving. The Cavs last victory at the Pacers was on Jan. 29, 2010.

The aforementioned Hill had his first career triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. Rodney Stuckey led the way with 19 points off the bench. C.J. Miles had 13 points. West had 12 points and six rebounds.

While he has played in just 25 games this season, Hill has been a serious factor in whether the Pacers win or lose when he has been on the court. In the wins, the hometown product who played his collegiate ball at IUPUI is averaging 14.7 points, 4.9 assists on 44.0 percent shooting in 18 wins and just 12 points, 3.6 assists on 40.7 percent from the floor in the seven losses.

What has helped the Pacers rise from the ashes has been their ability to stick with their team identity that has gotten to the cusp of the NBA Finals the past two seasons and that is playing defense.

The team is ranked third in the league in points allowed at 96.1 and in field goal percentage allowed at 43.2 percent. They are seventh in the league in opponent’s three-point percentage at 33.8 percent. They are sixth in rebound differential at +2.6 per game and are ranked fifth in total boards per contest at 45.1.

With all of the injuries that the Pacers have had this season, it has given opportunity to others to step up. Miles (12.5 ppg) and Stuckey (13.1 ppg, 45.5 FG%, 39.8 3-Pt.%) have been big time additions to the team this season. Luis Scola (9.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Solomon Hill (9.3 ppg), Donald Sloan (8.6 ppg, 4.0 apg), Ian Mahimi and Chris Copeland (6.7 ppg) have had their moments. The Pacers also have gotten solid play from rookie forward Damjan Rudez from Yugoslavia.

The Pacers current winning-streak has them in the No. 7 position in the East and if the playoffs started today, they would take on the struggling Raptors, who have beaten the Pacers in their first two meetings with one more contest against them on Mar. 16 at home.

There is speculation that George might come back this season. Conventional wisdom says that would not be a good idea because it would mess with the chemistry of the team and that he had a very serious injury that he would need weeks of time to just get his confidence back in terms of being on the court and playing at the high level on both ends of the court that made him an All-Star.

Considering where the Pacers began to start this season and where they find themselves now, the organization looks a lot better in giving Vogel a contract extension before this season began. More than anything his unflappable confidence in his team and holding it together in the rough times early on has made them a stronger team.

Soaring Rockets

When a team loses to key pieces like its starting center and starting power forward for lengthy periods because of injury, it will cause a major reduction in the number of wins it can obtain. That has not been the case for the Houston Rockets (43-22) this season.  

They have continued to win despite the starting front court tandem of All-Star center Dwight Howard (16.3 ppg, 11.0 rpg) and forward Terrence Jones (12.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 51.6 FG%) have missed a combined 76 games because of injury. Howard is still on the mend following a procedure he had on his right knee back in early February.

Without Howard, the Rockets have been led by All-Star guard James Harden (26.8 ppg-2^nd NBA, 5.8 rpg, 7.1 apg, 2.0 spg) whose spectacular season has him at the top of the 2015 Most Valuable Player race in the league.

Along with the Harden, new additions Trevor Ariza (12.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.9 spg), Corey Brewer (12.7 ppg) and Josh Smith (11.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg) have had a serious impact.

The emergence of forward Donatas Motiejunas (11.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 50.4 FG%, 36.7 3-pt.%) and guard Patrick Beverly (10.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 35.5 3-Pt.%) has helped the Rockets maintain a high seed in the West.

While the team has been a solid offense this season, particularly from three-point range, leading the league in made three-pointers at 11.6 and attempts at 33.6 and ranking seventh in scoring per game (103.0) and 10^th in assists per contest (22.0), the Rockets have won over 40 games this season because of their improved defense.

They are tied with the Chicago Bulls for 10^th in opponent’s field goal percentage at 44.0 percent. The Rockets are No. 1 in the NBA in opponent’s three-point percentage at 31.1 percent; No. 4 in steals per game at 9.6 and in forced turnovers at 15.7.

While the team has played well without Howard, the Rockets and head coach Kevin McHale knows that their chances of succeeding in the postseason with him still on the shelf are very minimal. The sooner he can get back and round into form for the playoffs, the Rockets chances of competing in the West increase greatly.

The Bad

 

The Unraveling Raptors

Coming into this season, the Toronto Raptors (39-26) were looking to build on their record setting season a year ago that saw them win a franchise-tying 48 games and their second Atlantic Division title in team history.

Through the first three months of this season they looked every bit like a serious contender in the East. They even survived the loss of leading scorer DeMar DeRozen (18.9 ppg) for 21 games because of injury earlier in the season going 13-8.

A 4-7 mark in the month of February, which included four straight defeats to close the months has the Raptors sitting in the No. 3 spot in the East, which is not a bad place to be. With that being said, they are in a virtual tie with the up and down Chicago Bulls (40-27) for the No. 4 spot in the East and are just two games in front of the slumping Washington Wizards (37-28), who are the No. 5 Seed currently.

One big reason the Raptors have slipped record wise lately has been their inability to keep their opponent from lighting up the scoreboard.

The Atlantic Division leaders have given up 100 points or more in eight of their last 11 games, garnering just three wins in that span.

This has been a serious problem all season long for the Raptors, who last season were a top ten offense and a top 10 defense.

This season, the Raptors rank 23^rd in points allowed at 101.2 per game; 27^th in opponent’s field goal percentage at 46.0 percent; 14^th in opponent’s three-point percentage at 34.7 percent and 21^st in rebound differential at -1.5.

The Raptors got back on track with a solid 102-92 win versus the Miami Heat (29-36) last night, ending a 16-game skid against the four-time defending East champs, holding them to 44.3 percent shooting and just 21.7 percent (5-17) from three-point range. The Raptors scored 21 points off 20 Heat turnovers and had 26 assists on 34 made field goals.

First-time All-Star Kyle Lowry led the Raptors with 19 points, eight boards, eight assists and seven steals on 7 for 12 from the field, including 5 for 8 from three-point range. DeRozan had 18 points, six boards and six assists. Lou Williams had 14 points off the bench. Amir Johnson had 13 points and Greivis Vasquez had 12 off the bench.

Teams that go far in the postseason have the ability to shut people down at their offensive end for long stretches. If the Raptors and head coach Dwane Casey have any plans on making a serious playoff run this year, they have to correct their problems at the defensive end. If they don’t, their season will end just like last year’s did, in the opening round.

Injury Ravage Bulls

Over the past two seasons, the Chicago Bulls (40-27) have been injury hit at the end of the season and it has killed their championships dreams both times. This season has been no different.

All-Stars Derrick Rose (18.4 ppg, 5.0 apg), Jimmy Butler (20.2 ppg-leads team, 5.9 rpg), Joakim Noah (7.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 4.4 apg), forward Taj Gibson (10.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg), swingman Mike Duleavy, Jr. (9.1 ppg, 41.5 3-Pt.%), guard Kirk Hinrich and rookie forward Doug McDermott have missed a total of 130 games because of injury.

Currently, the starting backcourt of Butler and Rose are on the mend because of a knee surgery and an elbow injury respectably.

The saving grace for the Bulls this season has been the play of Gasol (18.4 ppg, 12.1 rpg-4^th NBA, 2.0 bpg-leads team) who in his first year with the team leads the league with 44 double-doubles.

The absence of so many key members of the Bulls has not deterred them in the win column as they went 7-3 in the month of February, but it has been a different story to start March as the team is 3-5 so far and currently has lost four of their last five games, giving up 100-puls points in three of their last four contest.

This latest slump has raised the question is this the end for head coach Tom Thibodeau, who ever since he has been in Chicago has delivered many victories and playoff appearances in all four of his seasons, soon to be five.

With that being said, the Bulls, who have been one of the most hard noise teams in the league under Thibodeau, the bottom line is they have flamed out in the playoffs the last two years. The team’s best player in Rose has not been himself since that terrible knee injury in the playoffs three years ago.

Talent wise this is the best team Thibodeau has had since his first season in the “Windy City.” If Rose can come back and be close to his MV level for 2011 and the team can build some chemistry as this regular season winds down and be what many people expect of them, the can make all the way to The Finals and possibly win it. The team’s health is going to be the key. 

 

Bad Magic in Nation’s Capital

Coming into this season, the Wizards new that they were not going to be sneaking up on people. They were going to get their best from whoever they played. The dynamic young backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal needed to bring their games even higher for the Wizards to make some more noise this season. The addition of former champ Paul Pierce and his plethora of playoff experience said that the Wizards are serious about winning a title.

They got off to a strong start and at the end of January were 31-17 and were playing really well.

All of those great feelings were put to the ground in February as the absence of Beal for eight games because of a stress reaction in his right leg and the inability for the Wizards to hold onto big leads are two big reasons why they went 4-9.

With Beal out, the Wizards lost their best perimeter shooter that spaced the floor and had the ability to create shots for others. Without his back court mate, Wall was the only duel threat on the floor at times and he turned the ball over a lot in taking on too much of the responsibility of creating shots for others.

In their second meeting last month in Charlotte, the Wizards blew an 11-point lead late in the third at the Hornets and fell 94-87 for their fifth straight loss.

After two straight wins versus the Brooklyn Nets (25-38) 114-77 and the Orlando Magic (21-46) 96-80 on Feb. 7^th and 9^th respectably, the Wizards lost six games in a row, with the last two coming at the Minnesota Timberwolves (14-50) 97-77 on Feb. 25 and at Philadelphia 76ers (15-50) 89-91 two days later.

The team got back on track to close the month with a 99-95 win versus the Detroit Pistons (23-42). With that being said, they had to hold on for dear life after blowing a 21-point lead in the second half. They did avoid dropping their seventh consecutive contest.

Wall led the way with a game-high 22 points to go along with six assists. Forward Nene had 21 points, seven boards and two steals. Center Marcin Gortat had 16 points, 17 boards and three steals and Pierce had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Wizards started the month of March with a 97-92 loss at the Bulls 11 days ago, but have won three of the next four games.

Their inability to hold big leads continued back on Mar. 6 versus the Heat when the Wizards nearly gave up a 35-point lead, but held on to win 99-97. Following a close loss to the surprising Milwaukee Bucks (34-31), 91-85 on the back end of a back-to-back, the Wizards garnered their first win against the Hornets blowing them out on their home court 95-69 this past Monday night.

They followed that up with a 107-87 victory this past Thursday versus the Memphis Grizzlies (45-20), who rested starters Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Mike Conley and reserve Tony Allen.

Wall, who had 21 points, seven boards and six assists and two blocks in the contest was not pleased with the fact that Memphis held out three of their starters.

“They sit’em, and I don’t know the reason why,” the All-Star guard said after the game. “I think we’re a team that’s on the rise, and teams respect us now. And I guess they don’t respect us.”

Gortat lead the way with a game-high 22 points along with nine boards, three steals and three blocks. Pierce had 17 points and Drew Gooden had 13 points and five boards.

Coming into this season, the Wizards had the talent to be a contender in the East. Many thought they also had the maturity to become a title contender. They have shown in the past few weeks that they have a long way to go to be a part of that top tier of teams that can win a title. They have some time to get things right before the playoffs. If they do not, they will be taking a serious step back in their maturation as a title contender.

 

The Ugly

Coaching Change in Orlando

When a head coach takes the job being the leader of a young team that is trying to build something from scratch, there is a very good chance he may not be there to see the finished product when they become a team that wins consistently.

That was the case in early February for Orlando Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn who was relieved of his duties on February 5. The team named lead assistant and a product of the San Antonio Spurs organization James Borrego.

Borrego born in Albuquerque, NM began his basketball journey at Albuquerque Academy, where he led the school to two state title.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in English and then a master’s degree in leadership studies from University of San Diego in 2001, Borrego started his coaching career as an assistant from 2001-2003 at his alma mater, where they won a West Coast Conference title and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament 12 years ago.

Borrego’s coaching career in the NBA began in 2003 with the Spurs, where he worked for seven seasons. He worked his way up from video coordinator in the summer of 2003 to becoming an assistant head coach. He was a part of the 2005 and 2007 title teams before joining another former Spurs assistant Monty Williams when he became the head coach back in 2010.

Borrego was a part of Williams’ staff for two seasons before joining Vaughn’s staff in Orlando in 2012.

Just 24 hours after being named interim head coach, Borrego made his head coaching debut versus the Los Angeles Lakers (17-47), earning his first victory 103-97 in overtime, which ended a 10-game losing streak.

Tobias Harris led the way with a game-high 34 points, going 14 for 18 from the field and seven rebounds. Nikola Vucevic, who is currently third in the NBA in double-doubles with 37, had 25 points and 13 rebounds and second-year guard Victory Oladipo had 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

The Magic shot 51.8 percent from the field, out-rebounded the Lakers 48-43 and outscored them in the paint 58-34.

“It’s exhausting,” Borrego said after his first win back on Feb. 6. “I have a much deeper appreciation for what head coaches do, the amount of mental stress as well as physical stress, the amount of decisions you have to make, the management of the game. The emotion was the moment, the fight, sticking with the guys. They really pulled us through tonight.”

The Magic have played much better under Borrego, going 6-9 so far. Whether he is the long term answer for getting this team back to title contention where they were not too long ago when they had perennial All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, now with the Houston Rockets remains to be seen.

One thing he has in his favor is a talent group of players led by Harris, an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, Vucevic, Oladipo, rookie Elfrid Payton, Evan Fournier, Channing Frye, rookie Aaron Gordon to work with for the rest of this season.

Information, statistics and quotations are courtesy of www.espn.go.com/nba/teams/standings/schedule/statistics; 3/3/15 12:30 a.m. NBATV’s “The Beat” with Vince Cellini, Sekou Smith and David Aldridge; and en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Borrego.  

J-Speaks: The Magnificent Russell Westbrook

Ever since he came into the NBA six seasons ago out of UCLA, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook has been a dynamic player unlike any other. He can score in a multitude of ways. He has been a solid 1-2 sidekick to fellow All-Star teammate Kevin Durant, even though at times he has shown that he should be the No. 1 option. Even though he has had injury problems the past two seasons, he has put up solid numbers and has helped the Thunder win a lot of games. This past month he has played at a level that has not been seen since Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson.

Last month, the Western Conference Player of the Week for March 1^st-7^th averaged 31.2 points, 10.3 assists and 9.1 rebounds and three steals per game in the month of February, joining the aforementioned Robertson as the only players to average 30-10-9 for a month in NBA history.

Westbrook also joined the late great Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlin as the only players to put up 120-plus points, 40-plus boards and 30-plus assists in a three-game stretch, which the Thunder lead guard did from Feb. 26 to Mar. 4.

If that was not enough, the 2015 All-Star Game MVP last Wednesday when he had the best game of his career with a career-highs of 49 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in leading the Thunder (35-28) to a 123-118 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers (14-49).

It was the fourth consecutive game in which Westbrook notched a triple-double, which tied Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who accomplished that back in the 1986-87 NBA campaign. The great Michael Jordan had seven straight games with a triple-double back in the 1988-89 season.

The 49 points Westbrook scored are the most with a triple-double since Hall of Famer Larry Bird, who also had 49 points back in a game in 1992. He also joined Jordan and the late “Pistol Pete” Maravich as the only players in league history to have back-to-back 40-plus point games with a triple-double and joined Memphis Grizzlies swingman Vince Carter, Alvan Adams and Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Chamberlin have at least 45 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in a game.

“Just a blessing,” Westbrook said to FOX Sports’ Lesley McClasin after the game. “I’m just happy to be able to play the game I love. My teammates do a great job of providing me anything I need throughout the game and they got us this win tonight.”

What makes the performance even more remarkable is that this is after Westbrook missed a game because of a right cheek fracture he sustained in the closing moments of the Thunder’s 115-112 loss at the Northwest Division rival the Portland Trail Blazers (41-20) last Friday night from an elbow shot from teammate Andre Roberson. Westbrook, who had 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the game last Friday night had surgery that Saturday and was out when the Thunder garnered a 108-101 victory at the Los Angeles Lakers (16-46) on Mar. 1.

Westbrook did wear a protective facial mask, but that nor the Sixers defense slow him down.

The triple-double streak came to an end last Thursday and so did the Thunder’s two-game winning streak when they sustained a close loss at the Chicago Bulls (39-26) 108-105. Westbrook had 43 points, eight boards, seven assists and two steals.

He and the team got back on track versus the struggling Toronto Raptors beating them, 108-104 this past Sunday. Westbrook garnered his fifth triple-double in the last six games, his NBA-leading seventh of the season and the 15^th of his career with 30 points, tying a career-high 17 assists, 11 rebounds and four steals.  

A season ago, Westbrook was on the mend because of injury and Durant had the best season of his career and went on to be named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. This season the roles have been reversed as Durant has missed 36 games because of injury and is currently on the mend because of another surgery on the same foot that he had operated in on Oct. 12, 2014. Westbrook is averaging career-highs 27.4 points, which leads the league, 8.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

The magnificence of Westbrook is a big reason why the Thunder have gone from out of the playoff picture to the current holders of the No. 8 and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

What has really stood out in Westbrook’s play of late besides the out of this world scoring is how Westbrook has made the rest of his teammates better like Dion Waiters and the new additions at the trade deadline like Enes Kanter, D.J. Augustin and Kyle Singler.

Over the past couple of seasons, the biggest issue many have had with Westbrook is could he curtail his game as the point guard of the Thunder to where he can find a way to be the gifted scorer he is and get the rest of his teammates involved in the game, in particular Durant.

With Durant missing so much time this season, Thunder head coach Scott Brooks has had to get production from other people and he has gotten that thanks to Westbrook.

In the aforementioned overtime win versus the Sixers last week, Waiters had 20 points on 9 for 15 from the field to go along with a career-high 10 rebounds off the bench. Augustin had 17 points and Anthony Morrow had 11 points.

Last Sunday versus the Raptors, forward Serge Ibaka who has really stepped up his play as of late had 21 points on 10 for 16 shooting to go along with seven boards and five blocks. Kanter also had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

With Westbrook on the shelf at the Lakers last week, the Thunder got contributions in many places in the victory. Ibaka had 18 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Augustin starting in place of Westbrook also had 18 points, nine boards and five assists. Kanter had 16 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. Waiters contributed 14 points off the bench and Nick Collison had 12 points to go along with two blocks.

The Thunder with the injuries to Durant and Westbrook this season have had to scratch and claw their way into the playoffs this season. Currently they hold a ½ a game lead on the surging New Orleans Pelicans (36-29), who have won three consecutive games and are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

It is one thing to score 30 points or more in an NBA game. It is even more difficult to do that and garner a triple-double in consecutive games.

Since the All-Star break, Russell Westbrook has averaged 34.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 11.4 assists since the All-Star break. In winning Western Conference Player of the Week in the first week of March, Westbrook averaged 40.7 points, 11.3 boards and 11.3 assists in leading the Thunder to a 2-1 record.

The question now is when Durant returns likely in a couple of weeks, can Westbrook continue to play at this level, while still getting the rest of his teammates involved?

If the Thunder have any hopes on holding onto that No. 8 and final playoff spot in the West, that is going to have to happen.

With that being said, seeing the role Westbrook is on is something to marvel at. A player who can score at the rate he has and still having the energy to do everything else has been a remarkable site to see. Being able to be in the same sentence as the great Oscar Robertson, who averaged a triple-double for a season in his Hall of Fame career and Michael Jordan means that you are playing at a high level.

Information, quotes and statistics are courtesy of 3/5/15 news crawl on ESPN; 3/5/15 3 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime” with Vince Cellini, Dennis Scott and Shaquille O’Neal; 3/5/15 8 p.m. “NBA Tip-Off” presented by Autotrader.com with Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley; www.espn.go.com/nba/player/stats/russell-westbrook; www.espn.go.com/nba/standings; ww.nba.com/games/20150308/TOROKC/gameinfo.html; 3/9/15 6 p.m. NBATV’s “The Beat” with Vince Cellini, Sekou Smith and David Aldridge.

J-Speaks: NBA’s Best Sideline Reporter Returns

There are a number of great sidelines reporters in the National Basketball Association. The likes of Heather Cox, Lisa Salters, J.A. Adande and Israel Gutierrez for ESPN to name a few. Neither one of them though come close to who many consider one of the best to ever do it. While his wardrobe leaves a lot to be desired sometimes, he ask the best questions and gets the best answers and has been doing it for over three decades. After nearly a year away from the sidelines to battle leukemia, Turner Network Television’s (TNT) top notch sideline reporter returned.

Last Thursday night, Emmy-Award winning sideline reporter Craig Sager returned for NBA on TNT’s telecast of the Oklahoma City Thunder versus the Chicago Bulls after an 11-month battle with acute myeloid leukemia, which shelved him for the entire 2014 NBA postseason.

He was in rare form in terms of his wardrobe as he wore a red, black and gray plaid jacket with matching Nike shoes, matching the colors of the Bulls.

It was the first game for the 63-year-old Sager since Apr. 10 in Dallas where he fell ill and received treatment from Mavericks’ team physician Dr. Tarek O. Sourval, who had performed knee surgery on Sager.

It was discovered that Sager had a low hemoglobin count and he had to receive six blood transfusions over the next 24 hours before he returned to Atlanta, GA.

“It’s not just the game. It’s the people,” Sager said in an interview about what he missed most. “The NBA is such a family. It try to get there three hours before the game, talk with the ushers and the security guards, the coaches and the fans…I just missed the whole atmosphere. I like being there.”

Sager received a bone marrow transplant from his son Craig Sager, Jr. and had spent some of his absence in isolation.

Among those to reach out to show support for Sager were NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Minnesota Timberwolves’ forward Kevin Garnett--who has ragged Sager on his wardrobe over the years and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich--who has over the past few years has had the most memorable sideline interviews.

In Game 2 of the Spurs first round series versus their interstate rival Dallas Mavericks on Apr. 20, 2014, Sager, Jr. worked the sidelines during that game and interviewed Popovich between the third and fourth quarters to air a special get well message to Sager, Sr. The entire NBA on TNT crew from the broadcast commentators to the sideline reporters wore suits similar to Sager from the past as a special tribute to him. Many of the coaches during between quarter interviews on that same day each expressed their get well wishes to Sager.  

Sager, a 34-year veteran sideline reporter with Turner Sports who had never missed a day of work before his battle with leukemia, hoped to return for last fall’s baseball postseason, but a bout with pneumonia put a dent in those plans.

When he did make his return to the sidelines this past Thursday he looked in rare form in his aforementioned attire and the Thunder and Bulls players, coaches and all those in attendance at the United Center were happy to have him back.

During TNT’s pregame “NBA Tip-Off” presented by Autotrader.com, Sager received several welcome back greetings from Thunder lead guard Russell Westbrook, Popovich, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who sported a purple suite in honor of Sager and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Sager also received many more congrats on Twitter and Instagram.

One of those well wishes came from Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James, who said on Instagram, “Miss you very much Craig!!!!! Welcome back and can’t wait to see u. Been too long. #SwagChamp Haha!”

“Welcome back! Were thrilled to have you here. We appreciate you wearing our team colors tonight. It’s great to see you. You’ve been a great inspiration to a lot of people for the way you fought through everything. Your courage. Your determination. I think it inspired all of us. Were excited. Your home,” Bulls’ head coach Tom Thibodeau said to Sager in an interview before the game.

Sager received a standing ovation from the United Center crowd as the Bulls played a video tribute and the Bulls’ mascot Benny presented him with a signature jacket in the Bulls’ colors of red and black.

You never know how much something means to you until it is no longer there. The absence of Craig Sager from the NBA left a major hole in the league. When the Northwestern graduate and Batavia, IL native returned this past Thursday, it was like order was restored to the NBA and pro sports world.

It is also a great testament to the sheer will and determination of Sager to get back to doing something that he loved to do and was well respected for it. Four people who really understand that more than anything are Sager’s colleagues of “Inside the NBA” in Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal as well as the commentators for the game of the Thunder versus the Bulls Kevin Harlan and Steve Smith.

Along with his colleagues at Turner Sports, Sager’s wife Stacey, a former Bulls dancer and their five children, including Sager, Jr. were there every step of the way.

As far as the game itself, the Bulls came from behind in the fourth quarter to win the game 109-105 and reserve guard E’Twaun scored 13 of his career-high 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead the way, including hitting the eventual game-winning three-pointer with 2.1 seconds left.

It was a great night in the “Windy City” as the Bulls defeated the surging Thunder, without the starting backcourt of Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler, who were out because of injury. Westbrook who came into the contest with four-straight triple-doubles, the most in 26 seasons had 43 points, seven assists and eight boards in defeat. Most of all, the 21,696 at the United Center and many others watching on television saw the return of one of the best sideline reporters in pro sports that is great at his profession as well as respected by his colleagues, the fans, NBA coaches and players.

“I’m very grateful for my health and the fact that I am back,” Sager said. “I feel great.”

Information, statistics and quotations are courtesy of 3/05/15 nba.com post “TNT reporter Sager returns from leukemia to sidelines; www.nba.com/video; 3/05/15 8 p.m. NBA on TNT Tip-Off pregame presented by Autotrader.com with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal;” 3/06/15 article, “Craig Sager Receives Warm Welcome Back, Standing Ovation After Long Battle With Cancer,” by Lucy McCalmont of “The Huffington Post;” en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Sager.  

J-Speaks: The Passing of the NBA’s version of “Jackie Robinson”

In the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), there have been a lot of players who were known in their careers for their amazing statistics. Their ability to lead their respective franchise to championships and their ability to change the game by how they displayed their incredible skills. We have also had players, particularly some who helped establish roots of the league when it first began have an impact by just getting drafted and stepping onto the pro hardwood. There was a time when just certain people of color were allowed to even play in the league. That was until 1950 when an Alexandria, VA native stepped into the league and made a dream for those who watched a reality. Last Thursday, this Hall of Famer who became the Jackie Robinson of the NBA said goodbye.

Hall of Fame forward Earl Lloyd Washington Capitols passed away at the age of 86 in Crossville, TN. Lloyd is survived by his wife Charlita. They had three sons and four grandchildren.

“The NBA family has lost one of its patriarchs,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement this past Friday. “Earl Lloyd, the first African-American to play in an NBA game, was as inspirational as he was understated, He was known as a modest gentlemen who played the game with skill, class, and pride. His legacy survives in the league he help integrate, and the entire NBA family will strive to always honor his memory. Our deepest condolences to the Lloyd family.”

Born on Apr 3, 1928 in Alexandria, VA Lloyd basketball journey played collegiately at West Virginia State College Yellow Jackets, a Division II school from 1946-1950. Lloyd made his name on the team at the defensive end and helped guide his team to two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference and Tournament titles in 1948 and 1949. He was named to three All-Conference teams (1948-50) and was named two-time All-American.

In his senior season, Lloyd averaged 14 points and eight rebounds per contest and led West Virginia State to a second place finish in the CIAA Conference and Tournament Championship. Lloyd’s amazing college career led him to be named the CIAA “Player of the Decade” for the 1940s.

“The State mourns the loss of a fellow Yellow Jacket and trailblazer who was a true champion both on and off the basketball court,” West Virginia president Brian Hemphill said in a statement last week. “When Earl stepped on the court on that fateful date of 1950, this remarkable man rightfully earned his place in the historic civil rights movement and, more important, he opened the door to equality in America.”

He was the 100^th overall selection in the ninth round of the 1950 NBA draft by the Washington Capitols.

Lloyd made his NBA debut on Halloween in 1950 becoming the first African-American to play in the NBA.

As mentioned earlier, this was a dream to most people because this was a time of segregation. When African-Americans were seen a less than their Caucasian counterparts. Everything was segregated from where you eat or get a drink of water from the water fountain. Just looking at a Caucasian person was considered suicide.

Just stepping onto a professional basketball court, the National Basketball Players Association in an ESPN.com article called Lloyd, “a leader, a pioneer, a solider.”

“To be honest, it was sort of uneventful. Plus, in the winter time in Rochester [NY] it’s too cold to hate anybody,” Lloyd said in an interview back in 1995. “Most of the problem I had were with fans. You’re going to fall to pieces because somebody call you a name. You got to be bigger than that.”

Lloyd was bigger than that and in his career he time and time again used a set back and used it a fuel to prepare for the next opportunity.

After playing just seven games for the Capitols before the team folded on Jan. 9, 1951, Lloyd went into the U.S. Army where he was stationed at Fort Sill in Lawton, OK.

He was later picked up by the Syracuse Nationals of waivers, where he would spend the next six seasons before moving on to the Detroit Pistons before retiring in 1960.

Lloyd’s best season came in 1954-55 season where he averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game for the Nats, who defeated the then Fort Wayne Pistons in seven games to capture the championship. Lloyd and teammate Jim Tucker became the first African-American teammates to play on an NBA team that won a title.

“They can’t take it away from you. You can slice that pie anyway you want. There is only one team to win the championship in 1954-55,” Lloyd said of the Nats accomplishment in 2014. “It’s just nice to know that whole year that you did a lot of things right.”

When Lloyd retired, he went on to become a scout, which he was for five seasons and eventually a head coach with the Pistons. He coached the last 70 games of the 1971-72 season and the first seven games of the 1972-73 season going 22-55 in that span.

Back in 1965 according to then sportswriter Jerry Green of the Detroit News, Pistons’ General Manager Don Wattrick wanted to hire Lloyd as the team’s head coach, which would have made him the first African-American head coach in the history of North American pro sports. The team instead named two-time champion with the New York Knicks and Hall of Famer Dave DeBusschere as their player-coach.

In the years that followed, Lloyd received many honors and awards for his trail blazing career. In 1993, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Ten years later, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor.

Lloyd was also selected to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Silver and Golden Anniversary Teams.

On Dec. 1, 2007, a newly constructed basketball court at T.C. Williams High School, which was the subject of the 2000 film “Remember the Titans,” A Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films production starring Denzel Washington, Nicole Ari Parker and Donald Faison in Lloyd’s home town of Alexandria, VA was named in his honor.

Lloyd attended Parker-Gray High School as Alexandria’s schools were segregated during that time. T.C. Williams, as shown in the aforementioned film desegregated 20 years later.

Five years ago, Lloyd and Syracuse, NY area writer Sean Krist wrote Lloyd’s biography “Moonfixer: The Basketball Journey of Earl Lloyd.”

Earlier this year, Lloyd and fellow Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning were among eight Virginians honored in the Library of Virginia’s “Strong Men & Women in Virginia History.”

Most player that averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in their career would not even come close to even be in the discussion of one day being in the Hall of Fame. In the case of Earl Lloyd, he was a basketball player that was more than just the numbers he put up. He was a basketball player that did not allow his dream to go by the wayside because others thought he did not belong. He had a dream and he worked hard to achieve it and respected it enough to his life on the line to make it a reality.

He brought segregation to the fore front and was a proud example of what change looked like.

Lloyd passed on this amazing knowledge and wisdom to future generations’ right up to his death last week.

“When opportunity comes, snatch it,” Lloyd said to a group of young basketball players once. “At the end of the day, you will be judged on the kind of person that you are.”

Information, statistics and quotations are courtesy of en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Lloyd; www.espn.go.com Feb. 27, 2015 article “NBA Pioneer Earl Lloyd Dies at 86;” 2/28/15 3 a.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime” with Rick Kamla, Steve Smith and Grant Hill; Sporting News “Official NBA Guide 2006-07.”

J-Speaks: Former Knicks Forwards Passes Away

Back in the 1990s, the New York Knicks were a tough minded, hard noised, gritty, competitive defensive team that from 1991-92 to 1994-95 won over 50 games. While Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley and John Starks were the headliners on those teams, it was a power forward who went from being undrafted to an integral part of those Knicks teams and had a solid career with a couple of other teams that was the heart and soul of those teams. He added a postseason award to his career resume, played in the mid-season classic and along the way earned the respect and appreciation from Knicks fans. Yesterday, that proud former Knick and native of Queens passed on way too soon.

Former Knick forward Anthony Mason, who also played for the then New Jersey Nets, Denver Nuggets, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks passed away yesterday in Manhattan from congestive heart failure. He had suffered a massive heart attack earlier in the month of February. He was 48 years old. He averaged 10.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in his 13-year NBA career.

He is survived by his two sons Anthony Mason, Jr. who played for St. John’s University before playing for the likes of Sioux Falls Skyforce and Cholet Basket and Antoine, who plays basketball for the Auburn University Tigers after transferring from Niagara University, where he graduated concluding second in the country with 25.6 scoring average per contest.

“We would like to thank everyone for their heartfelt thoughts and strong prayers. Anthony felt each and every one. He fought like a warrior to the very end. Please keep your prayers and thoughts with us through this very hard time-it is a great loss for us,” The Mason family said in a statement. “We ask for privacy during this time.”

Before their contest last night versus their Atlantic Division rival the Toronto Raptors, which they won 103-98, they held a moment of silence for Mason.

Mason was born on Dec. 14, 1966 in Miami, FL and raised in Queens, NY. His basketball journey took him from aforementioned Queens, NY to Tennessee State University, where he was the school's first All-Ohio Valley Conference selection. In the 1987-88 season, Mason attempted a school record 247 free throws.  

He was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in the third round, 53^rd overall, but was cut.

For nearly a year, Mason played for the Efes Pilsen in Turkey, Marinos de Oriente in Venezuela and other teams in the CBA and USBL.

After brief stints with the Nets and Nuggets, Mason signed with the Knicks in the summer of 1991.

Under then head coach Pat Riley, Mason blossomed into a solid contributor alongside Ewing, Oakley and Charles Smith in his five-year career (1991-96) with the Knicks.

Mason helped the Knicks to their third consecutive Atlantic Division title in the 1993-9 season, where they went 57-25. They reached the NBA Finals for the first time since 1973, but fell to Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon and the Houston Rockets in seven games. Mason averaged 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 73 games that season.

The next season, he won the Sixth Man of the Year Award averaging 9.9 points, 8.4 boards and 3.1 assists per game.

His final season with the Knicks would be his best as he averaged 14.6 points, 9.3 boards and 4.4 assists per contest.

“My heart is heavy after learning we lost Anthony Mason last night. We were teammates on the Knicks for five great seasons,” Ewing, now the Associate Head Coach of the Hornets said in a statement yesterday. “Mase came to play every night and was always ready to go to battle with me every time we stepped on the court together. I will remember him for his strength, determination and perseverance. My thoughts are with his family. May he rest in peace?”

It was also during this time in Mason’s career that he developed the competitive grit and hard noise play that became a hallmark of the Knicks during those seasons back in the early 1990s. No one understood that better than the Knicks arch rival the Chicago Bulls and their then head coach who led them to two separate three-peat championship runs Phil Jackson.

“As a competitor, there was none fiercer than Anthony Mason,” the current Knicks president said on Saturday. “Standing on the opposite end of the playing field, coaching in those great Chicago/New York battles, No. 14 in the Orange and Blue always stood out. On behalf of the entire Knickerbocker community, our condolences go out to Lahis family. Rest in peace, Mase.”

In the summer of 1996, Mason was traded to the Hornets along with center Brad Lohaus for All-Star forward Larry Johnson. Mason spent four seasons in Charlotte and his first season was the best of his career where he averaged 16.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists in leading the Hornets to a franchise best 54 regular season wins. He also garnered four triple-doubles that season, which were the first of his career.

In the summer of 2000, Mason was on the move again as he, All-Star guard Eddie Jones, swingman Ricky Davis and sharp shooter Dale Ellis were sent to the Miami Heat for forwards Jamal Mashburn, P.J. Brown, Tim James, Rodney Buford and Otis Thorpe.

It was thought that Mason would fill the same role in Miami alongside Hall of Fame center Alonzo Mourning as he did with Ewing and Oakley with the Knicks.

The unfortunate kidney ailment that forced Mourning to sit out most of that season made Mason the primary option at the offensive end for Miami. He finished second on the team in scoring at 16.1 and rebounding at 9.6 per contest and was selected to his first and only All-Star team that season.  

Mason helped the Heat garner 50 wins that season, but he disappeared in the playoffs with averages of just 5.3 points and 3.0 rebounds as the Heat were swept by the Hornets 3-0.

“Anthony Mason was a very young man with a great family and friends… an All-Star with the Heat, and I also had the privilege of coaching him for four years in New York, where he helped take us to the brink of a championship…Our prayers and sympathies are with his family. May God bless his Soul?”

Along with being known for his grit, toughness and amazing ball handling ability, Mason was known for his unique haircuts, which he got for over 30 years at Cutty’s Salon in Jamaica Queens, NY.

In fact, Mason’s haircuts were mentioned in The Beastie Boys song “B-Boys Makin’ With The Freak Freak” from their 1994 album “Ill Communications.” “I got my hair cut correct like Anthony Mason,” was how the lyric went.

The barber who gave Mason those unique haircuts for over 30 years was Freddy Avila, who became a very close friend to not just him, but the entire family.

Whenever he came to Cutty’s it became an event. So much so that people would look through the window to see Mason.

Another frequent visitor to the barbershop was Mason’s longtime friend Matthew Benson, who used to play basketball with the ‘6’7” forward on local courts growing up.

“Usually stars don’t like being in the hood. Their scared of security, but he’s our security,” said Benson.

When Mason passed on Saturday morning, Avila was there with his family.

When asked how he would remember Mason, Avila said, “For his love for me. I love him and he loved me back.”

He was a fan favorite of many Knick fans. He took the hard road to get to “The Association.” His toughness, grit and ability to handle the ball made him a great value on all the teams he played on. He was a great example of if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. Anthony Mason made it and represented the Knicks and the city of New York very well. His passing is a great loss, especially at a very young age. He is one Knick that will never be forgotten.

“For five seasons, Anthony Mason proudly donned a Knicks uniform like no other of his era. His New York City roots, his passion for the City game, his desire to win and his tenacity for defense made him a fan-favorite across the five boroughs, and beyond for every Knickerbocker. All of us at the New York Knicks will remember Mase and cherish his legacy.

Information, statistics and quotations are courtesy of en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Mason_ (basketball); NBATV news crawl headlines section on 2/28/15 6 p.m.; 3/1/15 5:30 p.m. edition of NBATV’s “Gametime” with Matt Winer, Rick Fox and Mike Fratello; NBA Gametime App headline "Former All-Star Anthony Mason dead at 48," on 2/28/15 10:27 PM ET; Team By Team New York Knickerbockers section of Sporting News Official NBA Guide 2006-07.