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| courtesy of www.nba.com |
Can These Bulls Bring Back the Glory of My Youth?
By Cody Phillips
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| Derrick Rose |
When I was growing up in Morgantown, WV, my favorite love was basketball. Yes, I played baseball, football, soccer, and really any other sport I could possibly attempt; but without a doubt my first love was basketball. Much of that can be attributed directly to the greatest present I was ever given as a child...a basketball hoop. This wasn’t any basketball hoop nor was it located in an area which basketball hoops are normally found. The original backboard was made out of plywood and 2x4’s from the local hardware store. The rim was an orange “breakaway” which later changed to a camouflaged look when I found some old spray paint and wanted to show my creative side. It had to be changed several times over the years due to the wear and tear that my thunderous jams caused! The hoop was located in the unfinished basement of my parent’s house. Just cement slab, studs, plumbing pipes, drains, and me and my hoop. I’d play for hours upon hours downstairs. The pounding of the ball resounded throughout the upstairs of my house, surely driving my parents and sisters crazy! I guess the trade off was knowing that their lil boy was safe and sound and not out terrorizing the neighborhood or getting into trouble!
As you can imagine, my hoop was a major hit with friends. With it being inside, we could play year round. Rain, snow, sleet, hail...nothing could stop me from hundreds of shots a day! My father originally set the height at about 5 (Johnny Bench) feet and over the years it gradually moved up to about 7 (Mickey Mantle) feet before I could no longer shoot because the ceiling was simply too close to the rim. As I sit here writing this now, I’d give anything to be 10 (Walt Frazier) years old again backing a ghost defender into the post then quickly drop stepping and finishing with a powerful reverse flush, ala Shawn Kemp. If the bolts drilled into the rafters would hold me, I’d give it a shot.
Who did I dream of being while I was schooling ghost defenders downstairs? Everyone you could imagine. From local high school kids, to college standouts, to Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, and literally thousands of others. (I can name them all and tell you their jersey number) But I, as millions of others around the world, wanted to BE LIKE MIKE!
Michael Jordan was superhuman to me. When other kids were busy following Batman, Superman, Captain America...I was watching Michael Jordan. As a child, what MJ did on a basketball court was every bit as amazing to me as what Batman did in Gotham City. I had as many pairs of “Air Jordan’s” as my parents budget would allow. I had every VHS that had his name on it (“Come Fly With Me” was my favorite). I watched every single piece of footage I could find on him. I wanted to be Michael Jordan and I was damn close in that basement! Turns out, I was pretty good on a 10 foot rim through my high school years, but 5’11” white boys seem to commonly fade away after graduation. (John Stockton & Steve Nash are two great exceptions to that last comment)
Fast forward to 2011 and we have a new set of Chicago Bulls that have caught my eye. Led by 3rd year superstar point guard, Derrick Rose, the upstart Bulls are my pick for this years NBA Title. It’s a long shot given the road will most likely go through the veteran laden Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, or Los Angeles Lakers, but I like what I see. They appear to be a tough, hard-nosed defensive ball club that plays as a TEAM! It appears everyone on the roster knows their role and that is a very important key to having success in the playoffs. On Jordan’s best teams, role players such as John Paxson, Steve Kerr, Craig Hodges, Will Perdue, Bill Cartwright, and Cliff Livingston, all played vital roles during their playoff runs.
I have to admit, I’m not an NBA fan anymore. Not really sure why, but over the years I’ve grown more and more distant from the game I once loved. I still watch the highlights on Sportscenter and enjoy watching Kobe, Lebron, D-Wade, ‘Melo, as well as countless others, but when Jordan finally retired, a piece of me left with him. For the first time in a decade, Derrick Rose has peeked my interest once again in the NBA. He’ll never be Jordan, nor will anyone else, but if I were a betting man, I’d say he’ll do a helluva job leading this Bulls team through the 2011 Playoffs as MJ once did. Can these Bulls bring back the glory of my youth? I say...YES!
The Thunder Rolls
By Eric Brookes
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| Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook |
Ever hear of the word MOMENTUM? Also referred to a lot as Uncle Mo in the sports world. Or maybe Dick Vitale is the only individual that refers to it as Uncle Mo? I digress...I like the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the 2011 NBA Championship because of this very thing. Momentum is key in any sport and never more important than when heading into the playoffs. (Just look at this years Super Bowl Champion, Green Bay Packers as a prime example) The Thunder have been an impressive team to watch for the first two games of the playoffs. They also finished the year in a very strong fashion, going 10-3 over that stretch. Many analysts and critics are saying they are still too young to get through the grueling NBA Playoffs and my answer to them is to flatly admit, "Yes they are young, but when did that become such a negative?" Three of their starters are under the age of 23 (Kirk Gibson) and one is 26 (Rod Woodson)...point made. I just don’t think it matters.
The dynamic duo of Kevin Durant (FUTURE HALL OF FAMER) and Russell Westbrook is second to none in the NBA. Not only are they extremely talented and filled with youthful exuberance and swagger, but they play the game well beyond their years. Durant is a 6’9” Pterodactyl that in his first three seasons has won the NBA Rookie of the Year and became the youngest player ever to win the NBA scoring title. In my opinion he is the best scorer in the league. Westbrook, a 2011 All Star, is a 6’3” Gazelle with the ball in his hands...he’s a great penetrator as well as being a strong on ball defender. Together, these two pose serious matchup problems for any team they’ll go up against in these playoffs. Also, let's not forget that this team gained invaluable playoff experience last year. So now let’s say, "Young but Experienced." Flash back to 2010...It took the eventual champion Lakers six tough games to finish off the Thunder in last year’s first round.
My point is that although this team is young, they are uber gifted. I've always felt that a great formula for winning playoff basketball is to play solid defense and have the ability to shoot the ball well from the free throw line. This Thunder team plays super aggressive and tough on the defensive side of the ball while shooting nearly 83% (Ted Hendricks) from the charity stripe. The road to the NBA Finals is a long one and being young might not be a bad thing. Fresh legs in late May might just be enough to allow this team to capture their first NBA Title…And The Thunder Rolls!
I know very little about the NBA as it exists today, but there was a time during the Jordan (23) era, when it was as exciting for us adults as it was for youngsters like the co-authors of this blog. If the Bulls were playing in the playoffs, & they usually were, time stood still; and all eyes focused on the contest at hand.
ReplyDeleteYou see, I shared my son Cody's passions! What he enjoyed, I enjoyed. I encouraged him toward sports. Any type of sport teaches valuable life lessons. I am the guy who built the basement backboard, hung the breakaway rims, bought the "Air Jordan's," and then watched and enjoyed the thousands of wonderful hours of mini NBA played via our "Basement Thunder Dome."
The Jordan era was a time of innocence for father, son, and yes... even "MJ" himself. This bygone era was definitely a watershed moment in the history of NBA basketball. It was a meaningful time for all who were caught up in any of the Bull's championship seasons or championship teams!!!