Bad News For Golden State Fans

After losing Stephen Curry in Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round Series between the Golden State Warriors, the defending champions, and the Houston Rockets in a repeat of last year's Western Conference Championships, the Warrior fans were concerned. Curry would go on to miss the next two games, one at home in the Oracle Arena in Oakland California, and one on the road in the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The Warriors managed to win their home game, but lost on the road after a controversial ending in which the league has announced that the Rockets' winning shot by James Harden should not have counted due to a variety of missed calls in the final minutes of the game. However, last year's MVP would return to Game 4 against the Rockets, but it wouldn't be for long. At the end of the second quarter in which the game was tied at 56, Curry slipped and sprained his right knee. He did not return at all to play in the second half of the game. Fortunately for the Warriors, they did end up winning 121-94, and they will have a chance to close out the series on Wednesday at home in the Oracle Arena. However, Curry's injury could be devastating if he is unable to return. Even if the Warriors advance, they will still have to face one of two talented teams, either the Portland Trail Blazers led by Damian Lillard, or the Los Angeles Clippers led by Chris Paul who always seem to have heated match ups with the Warriors. Curry will have an MRI tommorrow to see if he can still play.

Thunder Take Care Of Business In Dallas

After losing game two in shocking fashion, people began to gossip about whether or not the Thunder had it in them to beat the Dallas Mavericks, let alone compete for an NBA Championship. People began saying that the Mavs were getting into the Thunder stars' heads after the whole incident with Russell Westbrook and Cameron Payne's pre-game dance routine. Everyone also began to talk about how defensive players like Salah Mejri and Wesley Matthews were getting into Durant's head and how he just might not be as great as everyone thought he was before his injury when he won his first MVP. By Game 3 of the First Round Series between the Mavericks and the Thunder, the Oklahoma City Stars were pretty much pissed by all the talk, and were just ready to dominate in the next game, knowing that they pretty much needed at least one win in Dallas to advance to the next round. Durant, especially, was determined to make a mark on this game after all the talk surrounding his poor play in Game 2. The Thunder were on a mission, a mission that they certainly accomplished.
Game 3 started electric, as the home fans from Dallas were absolutely ecstatic from their team's win on the road in Game 2. They all were ready to see another strong performance from their team, and actually had real hopes of advancing to the next round. Unfortunately for them, their team was up against a team with two of the top five players in the league, and more importantly, a team that was fired up, and ready to get payback for their devastating defeat in Game 2. The Thunder opened up strong, winning the first quarter 27-21. More importantly, however, for the Thunder, Durant was making his shots, and role players such as Dion Waiters and Enes Kanter were playing incredibly, providing a much needed spark off the bench. The second quarter did not go much better for the home fans, as the Thunder once again outscored the home team Mavericks, this time by four, taking a ten-point 58-48 lead going into the half. As if the first half was not bad enough for the Mavericks, the Thunder outscored the Mavs by nine points in the third taking a 19-point lead into the final quarter. In the last quarter, the home fans hoped for an incredible comeback from their team. However, that did not happen. The Thunder played even better than they did in the previous quarters, outscoring the Mavs by ten points and winning the game 131-102. Most notable was Durant's performance in this game which was much better than his Game 2 mishap. He scored 34 points on 11-25 shooting, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists giving the Thunder back home-court advantage.
Game 4 was a bit more competitive, but not much. For the fifth straight quarter in Dallas, the Thunder outscored the home team Mavericks, this time by 15 points 33-18 with some nice play by practically all of Oklahoma City's starters. In the second quarter, Dallas fought back and finally won a quarter at home 30-24, but they still went into the half trailing by nine. The third quarter was much more competitive, but the Thunder still won outscoring the Mavericks 31-32 to take a 89-79 lead into the final twelve minutes to play. In the fourth quarter, the Mavs fought hard, but they were heavily out-manned and the Thunder once again won the quarter by one point 30-29 winning the game overall 119-108. The Thunder now have a 3-1 series lead and can close tomorrow at home to advance to the Western Conference semi-finals against the San Antonio Spurs who advanced earlier today after sweeping the Memphis Grizzlies.

Poor Shooting By Durant Costs Thunder Game 2

On Monday, April 20, 2016, the Oklahoma City Thunder met the Dallas Mavericks in the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for Game 2 of the first round of their Western Conference Playoff Series. In their previous meeting, the Thunder basically demolished the worn out Mavericks who are struggling mightily with health concerns, beating them 108-70. This game however, had a very different result, and it was mainly due to a horrible shooting performance by Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant. Durant, who made 47 percent of his shots in Game 1, played absolutely terribly missing 26 shots going 7-33. This was arguably the worst playoff performance in Durant's entire career. Credit should be given to the tough defense of the Mavs, but there were times when Durant just missed on wide open shots that he barely ever misses. Nonetheless, Durant's poor shooting cost the Thunder a 84-85 loss in Game 2 of their best-of-seven series against the Mavs, and the Thunder will need to win at least once on the road in order to advance to the Western Conference Semi-finals against either the Memphis Grizzlies or, more likely, the San Antonio Spurs.
The game started off very differently than Game 1 for the Thunder. Dallas was actually making their shots, especially their three-point attempts, and Durant playing horribly, missing three-pointers, midrange jumpers, even layups, and turning the ball over multiple times. By the end of the period, Dallas had shocked the Thunder up 24-20, but many fans weren't very concerned because it was still early in the game and Durant would most likely heat up later.
The second quarter was a little better for the home fans, as the Thunder outscored the Mavs 23-21, and Durant hit his first three, but they were still trailing by two at halftime, and Durant still hadn't had much of an effect on the game as most thought he would.
In the third quarter, the Thunder were able to grab a three-point lead, but they were still concerned. The Mavs just wouldn't seem to go away, and despite the fact that Durant had made a few shots, he was still throwing up bricks and just didn't seem to get in the rythym many know he is capable of.
In the final quarter, the Mavs came fighting back. The teams traded baskets back-and-forth for the first three and a half minutes of the game, and by the 8:37 mark, the Thunder were up one, but Dallas guard Devin Harris was headed to the free throw line to shoot two and potentially give Dallas back the lead. He drained them both, and after a few empty possessions from both teams, Dion Waiters came back with an and-one jumper to give OKC a two-point 71-69 lead with 7:43 remaining. After a steal by Enes Kanter, OKC increased their lead to four after a made basket by Durant, and the crowd went wild. However, the Mavs were not to go away yet. They fought back hard, and with just 4:18 remaining, feisty guard Raymond Felton drained a shot to give the Dallas Mavericks a 79-78 lead. They continued to battle, and with 17 seconds left, Wesley Matthews of the Mavericks made a layup to give the Mavs a 4 point lead. Durant came in with the next play and drained a three with 9 seconds left, but it was still Mavs ball. Felton missed to free throws on the ensuing possession, but Steven Adams buzzer-beater to win was just a little to late giving the Mavs a win.

OKC Routs the Dallas Mavericks

On Saturday, April 16, 2016, the Oklahoma City absolutely obliterated the injury-ridden Dallas Mavericks. Dallas is currently without Chandler Parsons, and many players on their team are not at 100 percent, including backup guards Deron Williams and JJ Barea. This proved to be very costly for the Mavericks who just did not have the manpower to win against this incredible Thunder team who, in my opinion, have to of the top-five players in the entire league in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. The Thunder ended up winning by 38 points 108-70 with incredible play from both Westbrook and Durant. The next game will be tomorrow, and the Thunder should not underestimate the Mavs to win.

73-9!

They did it! After a year of questions, doubts from many, and a few bad losses, the Golden State Warriors, last year's NBA Champions, broke the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls record for wins in a season after beating the Memphis Grizzlies at home in the final game of the 2015-2016 NBA regular season. These Warriors have just been a massive force to be reckoned with, finishing with the best record ever recorded in an NBA season with an outstanding 73 wins and only 9 losses, beating the previous record-holding Bulls who were led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen who led their team to a, at the time, seemingly unbeatable 72-10 record.

This amazing team opened up the year 24-0, and ever since then, people questioned whether or not they would be able to do it. Winning 73 games can take a lot out of a team, and could potentially hurt them in the playoffs, but they will be remembered as one of the best teams ever, and their season will go down in the record books as the best season ever recorded for any NBA team.

The Warriors started off their run with a whole bunch of momentum. After Stephen Curry won MVP last year after an incredible season, his Warriors went on to win the NBA Finals against LeBron James in Cleveland's return to the Finals. This gave them, as well as their fans, a whole bunch of motivation and excitement to do well next season, and they certainly did not disappoint, opening with 24 straight wins. Their first loss came as a shocker against a very surprising team, the Milwaukee Bucks. Granted, the game was in Milwaukee, but it seems a little strange that the first loss of the season came against a team that would not even make the playoffs. Most likely, the loss was due to fatigue from the Warriors players, which will also be a major factor in these playoffs as many of the other teams rested their stars unlike the Golden State Warriors who have been focused on obtaining the record. The Warriors would then go on to win their next five straight games, but once again, they lost. This time, however, it wasn't to a team that was horrible, however, they didn't lose to a particularly great team either. In their 31st game of the season, the Warriors lost for the second time in Dallas against the Mavericks. The next seven games would prove very difficult to the tired Warriors, as each team they faced provided them with at least some sort of a challenge, and Golden State would have a much harder time than they had previously in the season, but game-after-game, they managed to pull through. But, once again, they would meet trouble against an unlikely foe who was eager to knock off the defending champs from the top of the power rankings and bring them one more loss to 11 which would prevent them from even tying the Bulls. This time, the loss came against the Denver Nuggets, who at the time, were 14-24. The next night, they returned home for one game against the Lakers before once again going on the road. They ended up winning this game without much trouble, but it was apparent that the Warriors were getting even more tired, but they continued to push on. The next Saturday, the Warriors traveled all the way to Detroit, Michigan to take on the Pistons, and were stunned once again for their fourth loss of the season. They were more than halfway to the record with 37-4, but they were absolutely exhausted, and people began to doubt whether or not these Warriors would be able to persevere and finish what they started. After losing two games in such a short amount of time, the Warriors knew they needed to start getting serious. Not only to break the Bulls incredible record, but also in hopes to stay number one in the western conference as the San Antonio Spurs were right on their tail. This gave the Warriors a new sense of determination, and they won their next eleven straight, including impressive wins over both the aforementioned Spurs as well as the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was inevitable, however, that the Warriors would have to lose once again, and this time it came across a formidable opponent in the Portland Trail Blazers. This loss was the worst one the Warriors had to face this season, getting blown out by 32 points. The Warriors then went on to win their next seven games, before dropping a very surprising game to the Los Angeles Lakers. This was a tough blow because that game was one almost everyone thought the Warriors would win, and sports experts dropped the likeliness of the Warriors breaking the record by a decent amount. Once again, the Warriors went on a seven game win streak before being stopped once again. This time, against the San Antonio Spurs, in a match that showed complete Spurs dominance. Golden State then won their next six, lost against Boston, won against Portland, and then lost their 9th game in overtime against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home. This loss dropped the Warriors chances a lot as they would have to go 4-0 with two match ups against the very same Spurs who beat them previously in a match up that didn't really even seem close. Luckily for them, Coach Gregg Poppovich of the Spurs decided to rest his starters, even at home, and the Warriors were able to beat them, and cap off the record with a win against the Grizzlies at home last night. It will be interesting to see if this run will hurt them in the playoffs as the players are most likely exhausted, but this team will forever be known as the team who broke Michael Jordan's 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls record for most wins in an 82 game NBA season.

Warriors Reach Coveted 72 Wins!

After defeating the San Antonio Spurs yesterday, April 10, 2016, in the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, the Golden State Warriors have tied the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls team led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen by winning 72 games in an 82-game regular season. This game was important for both teams, as the Warriors could reach 72 wins, but if the Spurs won, and then won another game at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder, they could make history by winning all of their home games. However, Gregg Popovich and the Spurs elected to rest Tim Duncan this game, and the Warriors ended up defeating the Spurs 92-86 in their own building for the first time this year.
The first half was pretty back-and-forth with the Spurs outscoring the Warriors by five in the first quarter 19-14, and the Warriors coming right back by outscoring the Spurs by five 21-16 in the second to make the game tied at 35 all by the time the halftime buzzer sounded. The first quarter definitely went the way of the Spurs, as it was slow-paced and low-scoring, and vice-versa, the game went well in the second for the Warriors as the pace picked up, and the Warriors were able to score higher. This is something both coaches were sure to note, heading into the third, as the tempo would definitely be a deciding factor in the game.
The third quarter was pretty competitive, but because it was high-scoring, it favored the Warriors who took a one-point 62-61 lead going into the fourth. In the final quarter, the Warriors outplayed the Spurs, who were, just to remind everyone, without the heart and soul of their defense in Tim Duncan. Golden State kept the tempo up and outscored the Spurs 30-25 in the final period to win 92-86.
The Golden State Warriors have one more game this season, and if they win they can make history. It will be at home, and against a team that does not have a lot of their key players due to health in the Memphis Grizzlies.

Golden State Squeaks By Memphis For 71 Wins

Last night, Saturday, April 10, 2016, the Golden State Warriors traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to take on the Memphis Grizzlies in their 80th game of the season. This is win number 71 for the Warriors, meaning if they win at least one of their two remaining games, one against the San Antonio Spurs, the other against this same Memphis Grizzlies team, they will at least tie the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls Record of 72 wins in an 82-game regular season, and they will make history if they win both. This game, however, was much closer than many anticipated. After beating the Spurs in a show of dominance earlier, many thought this game would be a cake-walk for the Warriors. However, fatigue took a toll on the defending NBA Champions, as has been noticeable as this season has begun to draw to a close, and this win was an extremely close game. The Warriors only ended up winning by one point, achieving their 71st victory with a very slim 100-99 win.
The first quarter went as many expected, with Curry and Thompson playing well with help from role players such as Festus Ezeli, Harrison Barnes, and one of the leaders of this team in Draymond Green. The Warriors outscored the home team Memphis Grizzlies by three points to take a 31-28 lead.
The second quarter was a little more competitive, as the Grizzlies tied the Warriors in points in the quarter with each team achieving 22 points. However, neither team really seemed to be getting things going.
The third quarter was the quarter that shocked the nation. The Grizzlies, who have been riddled with injuries this season, including injuries to their two best players in Marc Gasol and Mike Conley, managed to outscore the Warriors by 11 points 28-17 to take an eight point 78-70 lead with just twelve minutes remaining.
The last quarter was really exciting for everyone, as the Warriors fought really hard to take the lead, but, for the first ten minutes, were unable to. The Grizzlies, to the delight of their fans, kept hanging on, holding on to the lead 1:39 mark when Barnes drilled a three to take a one point lead for the Warriors. The Grizzlies took it right back with a few free-throws by Matt Barnes, but Draymond Green came right back with a two-point tip-in after an offensive rebound with just 1:00 left to play. In the remaining time, neither team scored, thus the Warriors won.

Warriors Take Care of Business at Home

This past Thursday, April 7, 2016, the Warriors took care of business at home in the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, to keep their hopes alive of beating Michael Jordan's 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls' team record of total wins in an 82-game regular season. This was the 79th game of their season, and they will need to win three more games in order to break the record. This one was the game everyone believed would most likely be the game to decide whether or not they would break the record, as it was against the second best team in the west and the second best team in the entire league in the San Antonio Spurs. They will have to play the Spurs one more time before the end of the regular season, but Gregg Popovich is known for resting his star players before the playoffs, especially since three of his stars are getting older, and rest is becoming especially crucial for success. This game however, saw all of the Spurs key players play, although Tim Duncan did play limited minutes.
The game started off pretty decent for the Warriors. Thompson started off the game strong with a three-point jumper, and Harrison Barnes carried a load for the Warriors during the first part of the quarter, as Stephen Curry did not score for a while. However, soon, the defending MVP picked up the space and scored a couple baskets by the end of the quarter. By the time the first twelve minutes of the game had elapsed, the score was 20-15 in favor of the Warriors. While this is somewhat good for the Warriors, as they had a lead, Steve Kerr was also somewhat concerned as he knew that a low scoring game would favor the defensive-minded Spurs.
The second quarter was much more high scoring, as the Warriors outscored the Spurs 32-25. This was due to continued high play by both Barnes and Thompson, as well as some nice buckets from Brandon Rush. However, the Warriors were still a little concerned due to the fact that Stephen Curry still hadn't scored much, despite leading the league in points per game this season.
The third quarter gave many Golden State Fans a sigh of relief as Curry absolutely exploded in this quarter, with some much needed help from Andrew Bogut, Draymond Green, and Festus Ezeli. The Warriors showed absolute dominance in this period outscoring San Antonio by six more points 35-29 to take an 87-69 eighteen point lead into the final period of play.
The fourth quarter was not very competitive, but the Spurs finally outscored the Warriors 32-25. This was not enough to give them the win, which is all Gregg Popovich cared about, as the Golden State Warriors did come out victorious with a 112-101 win, but wins are not really the focus for Popovich anymore until the playoffs. The Spurs are focused heavily on rest, and competing for another NBA Championship. It will be interesting, however, to see if the Warriors will be able to come out with the same result when they travel to San Antonio later this season.

Warriors Drop Home Game In OT

On Tuesday, April 5, 2016, the Golden State Warriors blew a 17-point lead against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and lost in overtime, on their own home court in Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. As I have talked about many times on this blog since the start of the NBA season, the Warriors have been trying to chase 73 wins in order to beat the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls' historic record of 72-10, in which they were led by who many believe to be the greatest basketball player of all time in Michael Jordan, and his partner in crime Scottie Pippen. The Warriors have been chasing this record all season long, and their lack of energy as well as their fatigue is starting to show heavily. They just lost a home game for the very first time on Friday against the Boston Celtics, and this loss will be very detrimental to their chances of reaching the coveted 73-win mark. The Warriors must win-out the rest of their season which includes two games against both the Memphis Grizzlies, and their biggest competition in the San Antonio Spurs.
The game started out very well for the Warriors, taking a fifteen point 25-10 lead over the Timberwolves in the opening seven minutes of the game, following the tip-off. The Wolves were able to cut the lead to nine by the end of the quarter, but they still went into the second with a bad deficit of 19-28.
The second quarter did not seem to go especially well for either team, but both teams did manage to score pretty well. The problem was, neither team was able to outscore the other in the quarter, with both teams seemingly on fire, thus the lead still remained nine points by the time the halftime buzzer sounded, and the teams headed to the locker rooms knowing the game was 55-46 in favor of the Warriors.
The third quarter was very reminiscent of the second, as both teams scored similar points, but this time, the Timberwolves were able to outscore the Golden State Warriors, but only by one point 32-31. Thus the score going into the final period of twelve minutes was the Golden State Warriors with 86 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves with only 78.
In the final quarter, the effects of the long season for Golden State's stars really started to show. They just weren't able to play with the energy they usually show, and the Minnesota Timberwolves were able to crawl back into the game. With just 19 seconds left, Andrew Wiggins of the Wolves scored a basket to tie the game, and the Warriors, even with 19 seconds, were unable to even put up a shot.
In overtime, the Wolves just showed complete dominance in a shocking fashion to all those watching. They outscored the Warriors 18-11 in the extra period, and won the game, handing the Warriors their dreaded 9th loss meaning the next one would destroy all hopes of them breaking the record.
The big story for why the Warriors lost this game was lack of energy and poor shooting by the Splash Brothers. Curry went 4-14 on three point attempts and Thompson went 4-11. They will need to do much better if they hope to contend for the record. They have an upcoming game later tonight at home against the Spurs, and they will need to bring their A-game if they have any hopes of winning.

Warriors Lose First Home Game Against...The Celtics!?

On Friday, April 1, 2016, the Golden State Warriors' 54 game home-win streak was ended by an unusual team, the Boston Celtics. The Warriors, who are still fighting for the record for most wins in an 82-game regular season, looked way too tired this game. They just didn't seem to play with the intensity needed to break the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls' historic record. Sure they only lost by three points due to a bad second quarter in which the Celtics outscored them by four points, but they still should not have had much difficulty with a team of this caliber. It will be interesting to see how fighting for the record will affect the Warriors, and if they will have enough in them to get the record, as well as compete in the playoffs.

Stephen Curry vs. Damian Lillard

On Sunday, April 3, 2016, two top-tier point guards in Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers went head-to-head and put on a show for all watching in the Oracle Arena. The Warriors were looking to win their second straight against the Trail Blazers since losing to them earlier in the season. Lillard had a great game with 38 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists, but he was somehow topped by Curry who put up 39 points, snagged 6 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists. The Warriors ended up winning 136-111 in a show of dominance, but it was entertaining to watch two of the top point guards in the league go at it.

KD and Russ Put On A Show In Indiana

Over Spring Break, my family decided that for our vacation we were going to go to Indianapolis, Indiana. For the rest of my family, the major attractions were a museum and a whole lot of shopping. However, neither of those really make me really excited. For me, the most exciting thing to do in Indiana was go to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse to watch the Indiana Pacers play against my personal favorite team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The game was scheduled to tip off at 7:00 PM Eastern Time so my mom dropped my dad and I off at 6:30 so we could walk to the arena and have enough time to buy food and find our seats before they introduced the starting lineups. Our seats weren't the best, but they were good enough so that we could still see the players' faces and had a good view of all the action. My first impression of the arena during the introduction of the starting lineups was that the home crowd was nowhere near as enthusiastic as the Thunder's fans back in OKC. Last year, my family went to Oklahoma City when the Thunder hosted the Atlanta Hawks, and I was able to watch it. The arena in OKC, the Chesapeake Energy Arena, is known for having one of the loudest and most excited fans in the entire league, so it was very exciting. Compared to the Chesapeake Energy Arena crowd, the Bankers Life Fieldhouse was extremely quiet. The only time they ever really showed any volume was during the final minutes when the game was somewhat close. The Fieldhouse did however impress me when the mascot of the Pacers, Boomer, who, in my opinion, was probably the best part about the Pacers, basically descended from the ceiling on a huge Pacers Banner. After the starters were introduced, and I swear there was just about as much cheering for the Oklahoma City players as there was for the home team, the game began.

The first quarter started off slow for the Thunder, to my disappointment and the home fans' amusement, with Kevin Durant turning the ball over on the opening possession and the Pacers starting the game on an 8-0 run due to nice ball movement and three-point shooting. On the next possession OKC finally scored off a nice jumper from Russell Westbrook. Following Westbrook's basket was another score from the Pacers and after Westbrook missed a layup, the Pacers got the ball to their star Paul George who buried another three prompting Thunder head coach Billy Donovan to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Thunder stopped their sloppiness and got back into the game, and by the end of the first period, they trailed the Pacers by only one point 27-28.

The second quarter went much better for the Thunder who outscored the home team by 11 points to take a 64-54 lead into the halftime break. Surprisingly, this was in big part due to the Thunder's bench, who haven't always provided much help to the Thunder this season. During a rut, the only people on the team who really did anything was KD and Russell Westbrook and as good as the dynamic duo are, they won't be able to beat their rivals in the west such as the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors by themselves. They will need good numbers from their bench players, especially Enes Kanter, Dion Waiters, and recent addition to the team Randy Foye.
The first half of the third quarter was very entertaining for my father and I to watch. Kevin Durant and Paul George kept going at each other and seeing who could score over the other. Both of these players are incredibly talented so watching them trying to top each other was really fun to watch. However, midway through the quarter, head coach Billy Donovan sat Kevin Durant. Personally, I don't really agree with his coaching style. Lately, he has been sitting either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook during most of the game. He says he is doing this because he wants at least one of them to be on the court at all time, but this also prevents them from playing together throughout most of the game. This is a bad thing because they bring out the best in each other and it gives the Thunder multiple scoring options which can help spread the floor and take at least a little pressure off of either KD or Russ. Due to this decision, the Thunder, without multiple scoring options, were outscored 24-33 in the third quarter, and their ten point lead was cut to just one point going into the final quarter on their opponents floor 88-87.
The final quarter was much more exciting than the rest of the game because the home fans finally got into it and the arena got loud. With their team actually having a chance to win and break their losing streak, the home crowd put a lot of pressure on the Thunder to maintain their lead. I was getting a little nervous this whole time because many times with the teams I watch, if they get a big lead and them let the opponent crawl back into the game, they usually end up losing. I got even more anxious two minutes into the quarter when Monta Ellis buried a three to give the Pacers their first lead in a long time 94-92. The Pacers increased their lead to four with a bucket by Lavoy Allen, but the Thunder fought back and regained the lead after a nice three-point jumper by KD. After taking back the lead, the Thunder went on a run and gained some breathing room. With just 3:57 left in the final period, the Thunder held a ten point 110-100 lead. At this point many fans decided to leave, but that only motivated the Pacers, and especially Paul George, to fight harder. George went on his own run ending with a four-point play, that I disagree with because I didn't really see any contact, and with exactly 1:00 left to play, the Pacers were only down by four points 108-112. With 35 seconds left, Kevin Durant made a potentially crucial error by turning the ball over and then fouling George Hill who would have a chance to cut the lead to just two points. This would leave enough time for the Pacers to get one defensive stop, even if the Thunder wasted all the shot clock, and still have five seconds which is more than enough time to take the ball down the court and either tie the game to send it into overtime with a two or win the game with a three. Fortunately for myself and all the other Thunder fans in the field house, Hill missed his first free throw so even if the Pacers got the ball back, they couldn't win it in one shot unless a foul was called on a three. With 14 seconds left, Durant missed a shot that would have sealed the game and the Pacers rebounded the ball and called a timeout. In what should've been their final play of the game, Paul George missed the potential game tying three with five seconds left and KD rebounded the ball and was fouled with just two seconds left. Durant stepped up to the line and knocked down two clutch free throws to put the Thunder up five and practically seal the game. The Pacers then had a nice inbounds play where they got a dunk and wasted practically no time off the clock. With one second left, Durant was fouled once again and made one of two free throws to put the Thunder up 115-111. His second free throw clanged off the rim and the time expired as the buzzer sounded.
This was a great game to watch because for the most part, everyone who I came to see played well. Paul George finished the night with an incredible 45 points. Russell Westbrook also had another triple double with 14 points, 14 assists, and 11 rebounds. Kevin Durant almost had a triple double, which would have been incredible to see both KD and Russ put up triple doubles in a game I attended, with 33 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists, but I know it was smart of him to not go for the triple double because the Thunder needed him to score to win the game. Overall, it was an incredible game to be at and I really hope the Thunder go far this season.

Jesperson Beats Buzzer With Halfcourt Miracle

The 11-seeded Northern Iowa Panthers were going into their first round match up against the 6-seeded Texas Longhorns with a lot of people believing they could, and would, pull off the upset. That just happened to be the trend for this Panthers team this season. They didn't get a high seed because they didn't play particularly well against opponents they should have, in all honesty, defeated with no difficulty whatsoever. However, they did manage an 11-seed after winning their conference tournament and pulling off major upsets earlier in the season against high-seeded teams such as the UNC Tar Heels and the ISU Cyclones. This team definitely had the talent and capability to win on the big stage. They also had a ton of motivation to win as the other two teams from their state, the Iowa Hawkeyes and the aforementioned Iowa State Cyclones, had won their first round match ups before UNI had even played. The Panthers would be led by seniors Matt Bohannon, Wes Washpun, and Paul Jesperson.
The game started out as a shocker for the Texas Longhorns, not necessarily myself because I've seen multiple occasions in which the Panthers have done this, as UNI outscored them by 8 points to take a 44-36 lead going into the halftime break. The Longhorns knew they would need to make adjustments and that this Panther team would not be an easy opponent to defeat.
Texas started off the second half well, going on a 10-3 run to cut UNI's lead to just one point in under three and a half minutes. The Panthers were shocked even more as the Longhorns continued the offensive pressure, taking a five point 55-50 lead with just 11:43 remaining. Throughout the rest of the half, the two teams battled back-and-forth over control of the game, with neither team really able to pull ahead. With just 11 seconds left, Wes Washpun was sent to the free throw line to shoot two with a chance to put the Panthers up by 3. Unfortunately, he missed the second free throw and the Longhorns grabbed the rebound, and with barely any time left Isaiah Taylor buried a jumper to practically send the game into overtime, where the Longhorns would most likely have all the momentum. However, Paul Jesperson was not about to let his season be decided in overtime. With barely any time left, chucked the ball from half-court in a desperation heave, and as the buzzer sounded, the ball banked in. This was yet another upset by the Panthers, who had now given the state of Iowa a record of 3-0 with probably the best shot so far this tournament by Jesperson.

Woodbury Tip-In at OT Buzzer Sends Hawks to Second Round

After watching their in-state rivals, the Iowa State Cyclones, win in their first-round match up against the Iona Gaels, the seven-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes were desperate for a win in their match on Friday, March 18, against the ten-seeded Temple Owls. The Hawkeyes would play the 2 of 3 games of teams from Iowa, with the University of Northern Iowa Panthers playing later that day. The Hawkeyes would be led by four seniors in Jarrod Uthoff, Mike Gesell, Adam Woodbury, and Anthony Clemmons, as well as junior Peter Jok, Iowa's sharpshooter.
Throughout the first five minutes of the game, it was a pretty back-and-forth match up with both teams gaining leads as well as losing them. After that, however, the Iowa Hawkeyes began to show why they were the favorites in this match up, increasing their lead all the way to ten points 23-13 after two made free-throws by Jarrod Uthoff with 12:39 left in the half. However, the Temple Owls were not about to give up that quickly, battling back throughout the next seven minutes. With just 5:06 left, the Owls took back the lead and gained the advantage 33-32. Both teams battled hard for the next five minutes until halftime and by the time the first period had reached its conclusion, the Iowa Hawkeyes held a very slim lead 38-37.
The second half would prove to be very exciting. It did not seem that way at first, however, as the Hawks had a quick start and jumped to a ten-point 51-41 lead with 13:32 remaining. Once again, though, the Temple Owls proved their toughness and grittiness battling back to bring the game within two points with only 11 seconds remaining. The Hawkeyes had the ball, but they would soon crumble under the pressure and fail to put away the game, albeit some questionable calls late in regulation. With just 8 seconds left to play, Peter Jok was fouled. If he made both free-throws, it would make it a two-possession game meaning the Owls would need a quick basket, a foul, some lucky missed free-throws, and another shot for any hopes of staying alive. However, Jok missed the second of his two free throws making it a one-possession three point game with the Owls having the ball and eight seconds to drive the ball down and make a three. However, they missed, but, unfortunately to all Hawkeye fans, in a very questionable call, Anthony Clemmons was called for a foul as Quenton DeCosey put up a three, and he was able to make all three free-throws to tie the game. The Hawks were unable to score in the final two seconds, thus the game went to overtime.
In overtime, the Hawks got to a quick lead with two made free throws from Woodbury, and one from Uthoff. The Owls cut that lead back to one with a jumper from Josh Brown, then Devin Coleman got a quick steal from Gesell and passed it DeCosey who got an and-one after being fouled by Woodbury to put Temple up by 2. After empty possessions from both teams, Jok made his own and-one to put the Hawkeyes up 1 after being fouled by Coleman. After a turnover and a foul, Anthony Clemmons went to the line for the Hawkeyes with a chance to put them up three, but he missed his second one, and after Jaylen Bond rebounded the ball for the Owls, he got it to Brown who made a jumper to tie the game with 54 seconds left to play.
The last minute of the game was pretty hectic. First with 30 seconds left to play, Mike Gesell missed a three-point attempt with a chance to give the Hawks a lead and a tiny bit of breathing room, and it was rebounded by Daniel Dingle, who drew a foul from Jarrod Uthoff to put the Temple Owls in the bonus. He had a chance for a one-and-one but missed it giving the ball back to Iowa with 22 seconds left and most likely the last shot of the game. In a crazy play, Gesell scrambled and threw up the ball with very little time left and right as the buzzer sounded, Woodbury rebounded the ball and tipped it in to give Iowa a buzzer-beating overtime win in the first round to put Iowa teams at a record of 2-0 in the first round with UNI still to play later in the day.

ISU Shows Dominance Over Iona in First Round

On Thursday, March 17, 2016, the four-seeded Iowa State Cyclones met the thirteen-seeded Iona Gaels. ISU would be the first of three Iowa teams competing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with both Iowa and UNI playing the following day, Friday, March 18, 2016. The Cyclones would be led by seniors Georges Niang, Jameel McKay, and Abdel Nader as well as two juniors.
The game started off decent for the Gaels, taking the first five points off a layup from Jordan Washington and then a three Isaiah Williams, but that would basically be all the went well for Iona. The Iowa State Cyclones responded with two quick threes to take the lead, and they would never give it back. Following the three from Iowa State, Iona Gaels player A.J. English missed a three of his own and the Cyclones rebounded the ball and got it to Niang who hit yet another three for the Cyclones to increase their lead to 4 points 9-5. Throughout the rest of the period, Iowa State continued to increase their lead as the Gaels could just not overcome the ever-increasing deficit. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, the Cyclones held a 12-point 45-33 lead.
The second half didn't go much better for the Iona Gaels as they were just never able to gain enough momentum to really cut at Iowa State's lead. It seemed as though every time the Gaels would get something going, the Cyclones would respond with a basket to destroy their confidence. Overall, the Iowa State Cyclones managed to outscore the Gaels 49-48 in the second half to come away with a 94-81 lead in a nice show of dominance. This was a great start for the teams coming from the state of Iowa.

Spartans Win Big Ten Tournament

After a tough battle against the Purdue Boilermakers earlier today, the Michigan State Spartans emerged victorious winning the championship match of the Big Ten Tournament. After finishing the Big Ten Regular season 10-1 after a rough stunt, the Michigan State Spartans were streaking, and were looking like the team everyone thought they were at the beginning of the season, a team that could make it all the way to the NCAA Championship game and win it all. They started their Big Ten Tournament run on Friday after a double bye gave them rest to prepare against the Ohio State Buckeyes, who had beaten Penn State the previous day. For the Buckeyes, it was a chance to upset the arguably best Big Ten Basketball team this year, and a chance at getting revenge against the Spartans who had defeated them in the last regular season Big Ten game. The Spartans, however, showed no trouble in displaying their dominance against the NIT-destined Buckeyes, handily beating them 81-54. Their next match up saw Tom Izzo's Spartans up against the Maryland Terrapins whom they had previously beaten at home in their only match this year. Michigan State had a much harder time in this one, but ultimately the Spartans pulled through to win 64-61 and send them to the Big Ten Championship game against the team that handed them their only loss in the final 11 games of their regular season. The Spartans really needed this win as it would give them confidence heading into the NCAA Tournament and a chance at a potential Number One seed. The Spartans knew they needed to send a message to the selection committee so they played hard and ended up winning 66-62 after a great performance by Denzel Valentine.

OKC Drops Game Two Against the Spurs in San Antonio

After beating the San Antonio Spurs by six points at home 112-106 to kick off the NBA season, the Thunder, after over half a season, traveled to San Antonio, Texas to take on the Spurs on Saturday, March 12, 2016. These two teams are two of the three best teams in the conference, along with the Golden State Warriors, and could potentially meet each other some time in the playoffs. In my opinion, it matches the team with two of the most talented players in the league, the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, against the best defensive and most experienced team in the league in the San Antonio Spurs. It also matches my favorite team, the Thunder, against my dad's favorite team, the Spurs. The Spurs, coming into this game had a 40 game home-win streak, and they hoped to continue it against a struggling Thunder team who had not been able to close out a game in the fourth quarter since the All-Star Break.
In the first quarter, the teams stayed pretty close, with LaMarcus Aldridge playing well for the Spurs, and a variety of players getting it done for the Thunder. Neither Durant nor Westbrook were able to show complete dominance in the first period, however, they did both score a few points to get themselves started. Ultimately, at the end of the first twelve minutes, the home team San Antonio Spurs led the Thunder by three points 25-22.
The second quarter displayed Westbrook and Durant's capabilities as they put on a show, along with Enes Kanter, Randy Foye, and Serge Ibaka, outscoring the Spurs by seven in the quarter to take a 49-45 lead. This is something the Thunder need to do if they want a chance at the NBA Finals. They must play Durant and Westbrook together as much as possible to spread the floor, and they need their role players like Foye, Kanter, Ibaka, Anthony Morrow, and Dion Waiters to score so that the offensive load isn't completely on the shoulders of the Thunder's Dynamic Duo.
The third quarter saw the Thunder doing almost the exact opposite of what I explained they needed to do in the paragraph above. Although Steven Adams and Serge Ibaka did help a little in carrying the offensive load, the majority of it was on Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. In this quarter the Thunder only managed 19 points and were outscored by the Spurs by two allowing them to cut their lead to 68-66. This was because the Thunder did not have a lot of scoring options as Billy Donovan chose to sit Durant while Westbrook was playing and when Durant subbed back in, Donovan chose to sub him in for Westbrook. This prevented the Thunder from spreading the floor much and allowed the defensive-minded Spurs to focus on either Westbrook and Durant and cause the Thunder to depend on its role-players for scoring.
In the final quarter, the Thunder had a very sloppy performance similar to many of the recent games since the All-Star break. They were unable to keep a fourth quarter lead and turned the ball over many times. Ultimately, it led to the San Antonio Spurs taking game two of the series by outscoring the Thunder 27-17 in the final period to win the game 93-85 in a disappointing ending for Thunder fans. However, OKC will have a chance at redemption later this month on March 26, as they host the Spurs once again for game three.

Illinois Stuns Iowa in Second Round of Big Ten Tournament

Typical typical Iowa. After kicking off the season with a decent start, and looking like a team that could be a potential one seed that could go all the way, the Iowa Hawkeyes crumbled when a chance at the Big Ten Title came their way. Iowa started off the season great, winning a decent amount of games over non-conference opponents before the start of the Big Ten season. When conference play did begin, however, Iowa kicked it off with a bang, winning their conference opener at home against the then-ranked Number One Michigan State Spartans, albeit without star-player Denzel Valentine, but still a great win at home to knock off a Big Ten Juggernaut. The Hawkeyes, then went on to open their Big Ten season 7-0 including another game against the Spartans in East Lansing with the return of Valentine as well as two hard-fought games against the Purdue Boilermakers. The Hawks then lost a close one at Maryland before getting back on their feet, but after a loss against the Hoosiers four games later, the Hawks began to crumble. After a quick 7-0 start in Big Ten play, the Hawkeyes finished 5-6 to end the season with a conference record of 12-6, enough to get them a bye in the first round of the Big Ten title, but not a potentially crucial double bye. Thus, in the second round of the playoffs the Hawks met, and were upset, by the Illinois Fighting Illini in typical Iowa fashion.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have not been known to do particularly well in the Big Ten tournament, losing many games in which they were the favorites to win, and this year was no exception. After gaining a bye in the first round, the Hawks met the Illini in the second round. The Illini started the game off quick, opening with an 11-4 lead. For the next few minutes, the Hawks attempted to catch the Illini, but were unable to come up with needed defensive stops, or find any reliable scoring other than Peter Jok and Jarrod Uthoff, as is often the case for the Hawkeyes, thus after a TV timeout was called with 7:30 left in the first half, the Hawkeyes trailed 24-13. After playing resumed, the Hawks finally began to go on a run and with 3:24 left in the half, Iowa took a 29-28 lead off a jumper by Jok. The teams battled back-and-forth for the remainder of the first period, but after a three-pointer by Illini Jalen Coleman-Lands, the Iowa Hawkeyes had a 35-37 deficit after a shocking first half.
The first half of the second period did not go well at all for the Hawkeyes as the Fighting Illini were able to increase their lead to 11 with 10:49 left to go before the final buzzer sounded. However, the Hawks were not to be put away that easily. With a 16-5 run, the Hawkeyes stunned the Illini by tying the game with 1:40 left after a three-point play by Nicholas Baer. The Illini responded with a jumper by Malcolm Hill with a 1:15 left coming out of a timeout, and after either incredible defense, or just plain horrible offense, the Illini won the game after neither team scored in the time remaining.
The biggest problem for the Hawkeyes in this match up was probably the lack of the distribution of offense. Other than Jok and Uthoff, only Nicholas Baer managed to score more than three points in an awful offensive performance for the rest of the team. After Jok fouled out, the Hawks were just plain unable to find a scoring option, and ended up being upset by the Illini.

Will The Warriors Make History

The defending champion Golden State Warriors are on to something incredible this season. After defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals last year and ruining LeBron James's homecoming return back to the Cavs after spending four years with the Miami Heat and winning two rings, everybody thought the Warriors were unstoppable. It turns out, everyone underestimated them. In a way that doesn't make sense to really anybody, the Warriors have gotten even better than they were last year, and last year's MVP Stephen Curry definitely can make a case for being both the MVP and Most Improved Player after he shattered his three-point record for most made threes in an NBA season. However, the biggest question on everybody's minds since practically the beginning of the season: will this team win 73 games this season to make history as one of the best teams ever in NBA history?
Currently holding the record are the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls team, led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who won an astounding 72 wins in one NBA season, and ultimately went on to beat the Seattle SuperSonics, now the Oklahoma City Thunder, to win the NBA Finals. That year, the Chicago Bulls made incredible history becoming the first team ever to even win 70 games in an 82-game season. Nobody ever thought an accomplishment such as this could be surpassed at the time, but the Golden State Warriors have an actually very good chance at completing this very feat.
The Warriors are currently 53-5, more than halfway to the record, after an incredible win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. If they can finish the season 20-4, they can do something they, and many others, will remember for the rest of their lives. While they still will have some tough competition, their remaining schedule shows that achieving this goal is actually very possible. Most of the remaining teams they play do not pose a huge threat to them, as those teams have struggled this season, but there are three teams that could crush the Golden State Warriors' hopes if they play at their best: the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Warriors' greatest threat, the San Antonio Spurs.
Their next big match up comes on Thursday against the Thunder. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are sure to remember their loss in OKC so they will probably play very hard in order to get their revenge. Next on Saturday, March 19, the Warriors will have to face their most-feared opponent in the San Antonio Spurs, who they will have to play three times before the end of the regular season. This first match up will be interesting as the Spurs, who have the second best record in all the NBA, behind the Warriors, have never lost in NBA game at home this regular season, so the Warriors will have a difficult time beating them. The other two match ups come at basically the end of the regular season, so Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will likely rest his key players which may make it easier for the Warriors who will probably look to make history rather than resting. Their last tough match up will be against the Los Angeles Clippers, who always seem to play hard against the Warriors, however, the Clippers will be without Blake Griffin who is out with a hand injury and still has to pay a suspension for an altercation earlier in the season.
The Warriors still have a tough road ahead, but it looks very likely that they could make history this year.

Hawkeyes In A Slump

On Sunday, February 28, 2016, the Hawkeyes lost yet another game to a team they probably should have beaten. This is Iowa's third straight loss, and it really hurt any hopes they had for the Big Ten Title. This past Wednesday, the Hawks dropped a tough won against the Wisconsin Badgers at home. The Badgers, to be fair, were a formidable opponent who had won eight of their last ten games, including wins over both the Indiana Hoosiers and the Maryland Terrapins, who are two of the teams Iowa is competing most heavily against for the Big Ten Title. However, the Hawks did lose a game against Penn State that they really should have won and earlier, dropped a game against the Hoosiers in Indiana in which the Hawks led for a while in the second half after overcoming a 7-point halftime deficit. The Hawks will have a chance for revenge on Tuesday, March 1, in a must-win rematch against the Indiana Hoosiers. One of the most frustrating things about the current slump the Hawkeyes are in is that most of the players, and even head coach Fran McCaffery, do not even seem to be upset about their current state. They just seem to act like there was nothing they could do and aren't really trying to do anything to pump themselves up or change their game plan.
This game against the Ohio State Buckeyes was particularly frustrating for Hawkeye fans, as the Hawks just didn't seem to play with any intensity or desperation, especially on the defensive end. The game started off similar to many games for the Iowa Hawkeyes, as Jarrod Uthoff started out hot early, making a lot of his jumpers. The biggest problem with Uthoff is that once the defense starts focusing on him in the second half, he almost disappears, and doesn't really call for the ball much in the clutch when he needs to take over in order for the Hawkeyes to pull out a win. This was just another case of that, as after Uthoff started the game strong, he failed to do much later in the game, especially when the Hawkeyes needed him most. Throughout the remainder of the first half, the game went back-and-forth for the most part, but the home team Ohio State Buckeyes eventually took the lead with a bunch of made free-throws after the Hawks were called for many fouls.
The second half started slow with neither team able to score on their first couple possessions until Peter Jok, Iowa's sharpshooter, nailed a three-point jumper to cut the Buckeye's lead from 35-30 to just three points 35-33. After a couple of empty possessions for both teams, Iowa tied the game back up at 35 all with two free throws from senior point guard Mike Gesell. The Buckeyes responded with a 4-0 run off of a quick bucket from Daniel Giddens and two free throws from Keita Bates-Diop after Jok was called for another foul. The teams battled back-and-forth for a while with each team losing the lead and then taking it back, with Iowa ultimately gaining a five-point edge over the home team after two made free throws from Dom Uhl with 9:37 to play with the score 51-46 in favor of the Iowa Hawkeyes. For the next six and a half minutes, the Ohio State Buckeyes tried to take back the lead, but every time they would get close the Hawks would once again pull away, until at the 2:56 mark, Marc Loving drained a three to bring the Buckeyes within one point 61-62. After a missed layup by Gesell, the Buckeyes took a lead off the jumper from Kam Williams and never gave it back winning 68-64.

Curry's Three-Point Bomb Beats OKC

On Saturday, February 27, 2016, the defending champion Golden State Warriors, who currently have the best record throughout all the NBA, and also the best record ever through 58 games in NBA history, traveled to the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to take on one of the best duos in the NBA in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder, who currently have the third best record all throughout the entire league. The Warriors, who could clinch a playoff berth with a difficult hard-fought win, were coming into the game on a four-game winning streak after taking down the Orlando Magic on the road, and they were chasing history as they have an actual chance at beating the record for total wins in an 82 game season. All they need is 73 wins and they are more than halfway there needing, now, only 20 more wins out of their 24 remaining games. The Thunder, on the other hand, came into the game following a loss at New Orleans against the Pelicans, and really wanted a win over one of their biggest conference rivals this year.
The game started out perfectly for the home team Oklahoma City Thunder, as pretty much everything that could possibly go their way was, in fact, going their way. Steven Adams won the tip off against Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut and Serge Ibaka gained possession of the ball. Within 15 seconds, Russell Westbrook, the point guard for Oklahoma City, was able to drive hard past defending NBA MVP Stephen Curry for a nice layup allowing all the fans in OKC to take a seat. In Chesapeake Energy Arena, the fans have a tradition that they must remain standing until the Thunder score a basket, regardless of how long that might take. After Westbrook's layup, Draymond Green of the Warriors missed a shot and Kevin Durant rebounded the ball, and after a nice assist from his teammate, Steven Adams, Durant nailed a 25-foot three point jumper to increase the Thunder's lead to five points. Once again, the Warriors were unable to respond as one half of the Splash Brothers Klay Thompson was unable to respond to Durant's three with a 25-foot jumper of his own. The Thunder rebounded the ball and this time, Durant pump-faked on a three, drove the ball down the lane, and after drawing all the defenders to the paint surrounding him, he kicked the ball out to Andre Roberson for another Thunder three causing all the fans in Chesapeake Energy Arena to explode in a ball of completely and utterly ecstatic excitement. The Warriors were able to bounce back a little after a short 5-0 run of their own capped by Steph Curry's first of twelve threes of the night to cut the Thunder's lead down to a score of 8-5. Throughout the rest of the quarter the teams battled back-and-forth, but the Thunder showed dominance through Kevin Durant to end the quarter with a 30-20 lead against the struggling Warriors who were unable to score a lot without Stephen Curry.
The second quarter went a little better for the Warriors as the Thunder did not blow them out. However, the Thunder did still manage to outscore them in the quarter by 1 27-26 to take a 57-46 lead going into the halftime break.
In the third quarter, the Warriors had a better time, outscoring the Thunder by five points, but they did get quite a scare midway through the quarter. During a play, Stephen Curry rolled his ankle, and Westbrook accidentally stepped on it and Curry was unable to get up. As the Thunder rebounded the ball and took it to the other end, Curry screamed at his teammates to commit a foul so he could sub out of the game and get his ankle re-taped. Luckily for the Warriors, Curry was able to come back in and play at full form later in the game.
In the final, quarter, the Thunder played horribly. They were unable to stop Curry and his three point bombs, and without Durant, they were unable to score. They also did not think very well. With 11 seconds left, the Thunder were up by 2 points and had possession of the ball. They got the ball into Durant who got trapped, and they should have called timeout. However, Durant made an awful mistake of trying to throw the ball to waste time. Iguodala stole the ball and was fouled with no time left on the clock. He made both free throws and sent the game into overtime.
In overtime, Durant fouled out right away and the Thunder no longer had a scoring threat. Curry made a 37-foot three pointer with practically no time left on the clock sealing the win for the Warriors 121-118 in a heartbreaking loss for the Thunder.

Maryland Fends Off Michigan

On Sunday, February 21, 2016, the Maryland Terrapins were in desperate need of a win at home in the Xfinity Center in College Park, Maryland against the Michigan Wolverines. They had just seen their biggest competitor for the Big Ten Title in the Indiana Hoosiers take care of business in a hard-fought battle against the Purdue Boilermakers. They knew that if they wanted to stay in the race, a win would be incredibly crucial, especially after losing two straight games against the Wisconsin Badgers and on the road against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who are one of the worst Big Ten Teams this year. They also wanted this win badly because it was this very same Michigan Wolverines team who had handed them their first Big Ten loss at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan earlier this year.
The game started off with a turnover by the home team Terrapins and a three by Michigan Wolverine Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman. Both teams would have a lot of trouble taking care of the ball. The Michigan Wolverines would, by the end of the night, turn the ball over to the home team a total of sixteen times. However, the Maryland Terrapins would have an even harder time taking care of the rock, forking it over to the Wolverines 18 times by the time the final buzzer sounded. Maryland ended up responding on the next possession as Diamond Stone, who had been suspended and was unable to play against the Minnesota Golden Gophers due to a flagrant foul he committed against the Wisconsin Badgers, hit a jumper to bring the game to a score of 3-2 in favor of the Wolverines. The game went pretty back-and-forth after that until there was only 13:14 left in the first half. Prior to that point, the game was tied 12-12. However, when the clock did strike 13:14, Jared Nickens of the Terrapins buried a three to start a 14-0 run for the home team to take a 26-12 lead against their opposition. Throughout the rest of the half, Michigan fought hard and clawed away at the Terrapins' lead, but they still went into the halftime break with a five point deficit. By the time the first 20 minutes of the game had expired, the home team held a 41-36 lead against the Wolverines.
Michigan started the second half on an 11-6 run to tie the game at 47-47 to the dismay of all the fans watching in the Xfinity Center. For a few minutes the game went back-and-forth, but eventually, the Terrapins gathered a decent 8-point lead to give them a little breathing room against the Wolves but it would not last long. Michigan came fighting back and eventually tied the game, once again, with 6:34 left before the final buzzer. After a free throw and a layup, the Wolverines took back the lead by 3. The Terrapins, again, regained the lead, but the Michigan Wolverines would not go away. With only 9 seconds remaining, Duncan Robinson buried a three point jumper to bring the Wolves within just two points, but it would be Maryland ball. The Wolverines tried fouling right away, but they ended up fouling a good free-throw shooter in Melo Trimble who made both shots at the charity stripe to put the game away.

Indiana Fights Off Purdue At Home

On Saturday, February 20, 2016, the Number 22 Ranked Indiana Hoosiers hosted the Number 17 Ranked Purdue Boilermakers in Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana. This was a very big match up as Indiana was in desperate need for a win to keep their lead heading into the final stretch of the Big Ten Title over the Maryland Terrapins and the Iowa Hawkeyes. With two seven-footers on the Boilermakers with A.J. Hammons and Isaac Haas, the home team knew that they would have a difficult time, especially in the paint. However, the Hoosiers knew they had a good home court advantage as they had won every single home game (15 games) coming into this one.
The first half, specifically the first two minutes, started off well for the Boilermakers, opening the game with two quick baskets. However, right before the clock hit 18 minutes left in the half, Indiana's best player, Yogi Ferrell, did what he's done many games this season to get the game started for the Hoosiers, bury a three to make the home crowd explode with excitement. The next two minutes of the game were a little less exciting for anyone as both teams were unable to make any of their shot attempts to keep the score stagnant. After, Indiana Hoosier Troy Williams was fouled by A.J. Hammons, however, the game flow started to pick up. After Williams made both of his shots at the charity stripe, the next two minutes were full of action until a T.V. timeout was called to give everyone a break. Following Williams' free throws, P.J. Thompson of the Boilermakers buried a three to stun the crowd, but they weren't silenced for long as Yogi Ferrell hit another jumper to bring the game to 9-7 in favor of Purdue. The Boilermakers responded with a layup by Isaac Haas, but Troy Williams responded with another three for the home team. The game was pretty back-and-forth after that for a few minutes until Juwan Morgan hit yet another three for the Hoosiers, giving them their first lead of the night. For the rest of the half, the Hoosiers absolutely dominated with intense defensive pressure along the perimeter and great three point shooting. They went into the halftime break with a 35-28 lead.
The second half started the same way it ended for the Purdue Boilermakers as right away, they turned the ball over. Turnovers were a crucial part in the game as the Hoosiers scored 20 points off of turnovers compared to the Boilermakers' 3 measly points. Purdue turned the ball over a total of 13 times to the only 4 turnovers committed by the Hoosiers. Through most of the half, the Hoosiers maintained a nice and comfortable lead. The Boilermakers were unable to continuously make baskets and whenever they did, they were unable to get a stop on the other end to try and cut away at the home team's lead. However, with 51 seconds left, A.J. Hammons made a layup to cut the lead to just five points. Just two seconds later, P.J. Thompson stole the ball from Yogi Ferrell and Dakota Mathias drained a three point jumper to cut the lead to just two points with 39 seconds left. With 7 seconds left, however, Ferrell made a layup to put the Hoosiers up 4 and end all the hopes for the Boilermakers in an exciting finish.

Cavs Best Thunder In OKC

On Sunday, February 21, 2016, the defending Eastern Conference Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers, traveled to the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Cavs came in with the third best record in the league only behind the defending Champion Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder, on the other hand, came into the game with the fourth best record in the league. This game was hyped by many due to the fact that it would pit arguably two of the best current players in the league against each other with both small forwards being absolute juggernauts in LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Both teams also had other stars on their teams with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love for the Cavs and Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka for the Thunder.
The game started off pretty evenly with the Thunder and Cavs battling back-and-forth throughout the whole first quarter. By the time the buzzer sounded after the first 12 minutes of play, the home team led the game 28-27 against the Cavs. However, the second quarter was drastically different, and also very disappointing and underwhelming for the home fans. The Cavaliers, led by Kevin Love, outscored the Thunder the 35-25 to take a 62-53 lead into the second half.
In the third quarter, the Cavs kept up their momentum outscoring the Thunder by 13 points to increase their lead even further to 22 points. The fans hoped for a huge final period from their team to pull off an incredible comeback, but the Thunder was unable to pull off the miracle, and ended up losing the game 92-115, the biggest loss of the season for them.
The two major stories in this game were the rebounding battle and the distribution of work. The Thunder, who are usually a great rebounding team, got out-rebounded by 10 by the Cavs in a lack of hustle. Also, while the Cavs distributed the points evenly throughout the roster, only the big three of the Thunder were able to score above double-digits. Their supporting players will need to work much harder if the Thunder have any hopes of winning an NBA Championship.

NBA All-Star Game

This Sunday, the 2016 All-Star Game took place. The All-Star Game pits the fan favorites of the NBA as well as the best overall players in the NBA against each other with players from the Eastern and Western Conference trying to show which conference overall reigns supreme. Overall in the series, the East has shown dominance winning 37 out of the 65 All-Star Games that have been played. However, the West has been the better conference since the start of the 21st Century winning 11 out of the 17 games that have been played.
This year, the All-Star Game was held in Toronto, and it was going to be a historic game as it would be future Hall-of-Famer Kobe Bryant's last All-Star Game of his career as he will be retiring following the conclusion of this season.
The game started off with an interesting tip-off between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James due to the fact that there were no power forwards or centers voted in as starters for both teams. Throughout the first quarter, the players basically played no defense whatsoever as all the players just tried putting on a show for the fans with incredible dunks and alley-oops or three pointers that were out of the range of most NBA players. At the end of the first period, the East led the game 43-40.
The second quarter showed much of the same, as the defensive efforts of both teams were at a minimal. The teams went back and forth with scoring as the West put up 52 points in the quarter compared to the East's 47. Going into the half, the score was an absurd 92-90 in favor of the Western Conference.
As usual, the defense started to pick up a little during the second half, but not nearly as much as it could have. Going into the fourth and final quarter, the West held a 145-136 lead against the Eastern Conference.
In the final quarter, the West asserted its dominance once again finishing the game with a 51-point quarter and holding the East to "only" 37 points. At the end of the game, for the second year in a row, Russell Westbrook won MVP with 31 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals.

Saturday All-Star Events In Toronto

This past weekend, the NBA held its All-Star Weekend in Toronto halfway through the 2015-2016 NBA season. The All-Star Weekend has three days worth of events featuring the best players all throughout the league. On Friday, the All-Star Celebrity game is played pitting a mixture of celebrities, former NBA Stars, and WNBA Stars against each other. After that, the NBA Rising Stars Challenge takes place in which first and second-year players that have made a name for themselves show off their skills and potential. On Sunday, the All-Star game is played where the best players all throughout the league participate in a fun exhibition game. However, the day that many people throughout the world most look forward to is Saturday. On Saturday, the competitions take place for players to show off their individual specialties. The three competitions of the day are the Skills Challenge, the Three Point Competition, and the Dunk Contest.

The first event of the night was the NBA Skills Challenge, in which players would compete in a race that involved dribbling, passing, making layups and/or dunks, and culminating with a three point basket. This skills competition had a little bit of a twist this year though. Usually, the only players who would compete in this challenge were guards, however this year, the guards of the NBA would be competing against the centers and power forwards of the NBA. There were eight participants in the challenge with four guards and four big men. The competition was set up in a bracket formation where a player would have to defeat two of their fellow athletes to advance to the finals. For the guards, the competitors were Jordan Clarkson, CJ McCollum, Isaiah Thomas, and Emmanuel Mudiay. For the big men, the players were Draymond Green, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis, and DeMarcus Cousins. In the first round, McCollum beat Clarkson to advance to the semifinals, Thomas defeated Mudiay, Towns bested Green, and DeMarcus Cousins eliminated Anthony Davis. The semifinal round saw Towns defeat Cousins and Thomas taking down McCollum to set up the big man vs. the guard showdown to see if the taller players in the league were just as technically sound as the little guys. In the final round, Towns and Thomas were neck and neck with Towns actually reaching the final obstacle sooner. In the final seconds, the two were engaged in a three-point shootout for the win with Towns eventually putting in the basket and pulling off the major upset.

The second contest of the night was the Three Point Competition where some of the best three point shooters throughout the league could see who was really the best shot. Eight participants compete in the first round and take twenty-five shots with each being worth one point, and nine of the shots being money-ball shots being worth two for a possible total of 34 points. The top three highest scores advance to the second round where the best score wins the championship. In the first round, Klay Thompson, Devin Booker, and Stephen Curry advanced after putting up unbelievable first round scores. In the championship round, Thompson bested his "Splash-Brother" with 27 points, the exact same score that Curry received when he beat out Thompson the previous year.

The final competition of the night was the Dunk Contest. This year's dunk contest was one of, if not the best dunk contests ever according to many of the people watching. The participants for the Dunk Contest were Will Barton, of the Denver Nuggets, Andre Drummond, from the Detroit Pistons, Aaron Gordon, of the Orlando Magic, and the Defending Champion from the Minnesota Timberwolves Zach LaVine. The first round was typical for the Dunk Contest, with each participant pulling off entertaining dunks, but none that really made the crowd explode. However, by the end of the round, it was clear that two of the participants had really come prepared with amazing dunks for the final round: Aaron Gordon and, of course, Zach LaVine. In the final round, the two participants pulled off incredible dunks, and for the first time in the history of the contest, the two combined to get six straight scores of 50 in a row. To get these scores, the two both did similar dunks, however, each dunk became more impressive than the last with LaVine making free throw line dunks and Gordon continuously jumping over his mascot for his dunks. Ultimately, LaVine capped off the contest by making a between-the-legs free-throw line dunk for the win, ending one of the best dunk contests ever.

Back-And-Forth Big Ten Race

Throughout the past few weeks, three teams have been playing a game of tug-of-war for the Big Ten Championship: the Maryland Terrapins, the Indiana Hoosiers, and the Iowa Hawkeyes. These three teams have had remarkable seasons thus far, and each team has incredible players, that could potentially lead them to an outright Big Ten Championship.
Currently, the Iowa Hawkeyes have the lead in the Big Ten with a conference record of 11-2. They are one game ahead of both the Maryland Terrapins and the Indiana Hoosiers who both only have a conference record of 10-3. However, both Maryland and Indiana have beaten the Iowa Hawkeyes on their own floors so they both hold the tiebreaker over the Hawkeyes. Luckily for Maryland, they only had to play the Hawkeyes once this year, and it was a home game, so if Iowa and Maryland finish at the top by the end of the season, the Terrapins will automatically win the Championship due to the tiebreaker. However, the Hoosiers in Indiana are not so lucky. On March 1, the Hoosiers will have to travel to Carver-Hawkeye Arena where Iowa will have their chance to even the series. Each of the three teams who have a decent shot at the Big Ten Title have five remaining games with a varying range of difficulty regarding the opponents they will face.
Indiana has arguably the hardest path to win the Big Ten Championship. They start off with a fairly easy home game against Nebraska that will most likely be a confidence booster game for them. Next, they host the Purdue Boilermakers, who definitely have a shot at handing them another loss. After that, they head over to face a pretty bad Illinois team who sit at the bottom half of the conference. This schedule does not seem too difficult yet, but they play the two best teams in the Big Ten to finish off their season. On March 1, as stated above, the Hoosiers will have to travel to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes, and then, just five days later, they will play their final regular season game against the Maryland Terrapins.
Maryland's path to Big Ten Championship is considerably less difficult than that of Indiana's, however, the Hawkeyes schedule is about the same range of difficulty. In order to win, they will need the Hawks to stumble somewhere during their five remaining games. After a loss to Wisconsin, the Terrapins will look to rebound against a bad Golden Gophers team in Minnesota. Next, they will have to face the Michigan Wolverines, who defeated them earlier this year in Ann Arbor. Then, they travel to face Purdue on the road. After that, they play an easy game at home against Wisconsin, and then they finally finish their season in Indiana against the Hoosiers.
The Hawkeyes, as I mentioned before, have a similar strength of remaining schedule as the Terrapins. First, they travel to Penn State to take on the Nittany Lions. Then they will host a Wisconsinteam that has bested both of their two foes in the Big Ten Race. This will be a must-win game for the Hawkeyes who cannot afford a misstep to close out the season. Following that game, they will travel to face a Buckeye team that has the same conference record as the Boilermakers. Finally, they will finish off their season at home against Indiana, and then on the road against Michigan.

Troublesome Week For Top Ten

This past week has been a struggle for a few of the top ten ranked teams in the NCAA Men's Basketball League. Number 8 Texas A&M has lost twice since the last rankings were posted as did Number 2 North Carolina. Yesterday also marks the second time Oklahoma lost while they were ranked Number One, and they will likely be replaced by the time the next rankings are released.

Iowa Knocks Off Illinois

On Sunday, February 7, 2016, the Iowa Hawkeyes traveled to Illinois to take on the Fighting Illini. The Hawkeyes, who were ranked 5th in the AP Top 25 poll and 7th in the USA Today Coaches' poll ended up winning the game 77-65.
Outstanding performers include Peter Jok who scored 23 points for the Hawkeyes, Jarrod Uthoff who had 18 points, and Adam Woodbury who added 10 points and 14 boards.
This win puts Iowa in first place in the Big Ten race after Indiana failed to finish the job against Penn State.

The Oklahoma City Thunder

While there are many great sports all throughout the world, my favorite has always been the amazing sport known as basketball. Ever since I was a kid, basketball has always been a major part of my life. Whether it be watching basketball at a Hawkeye game, playing basketball with my friends, or even just playing a basketball video game, basketball has just always been something I enjoyed. Because of this, it is natural that one of my favorite things to watch on television is the NBA. While I also enjoy watching NFL games on TV, or other sports, basketball has always been the sport I was most excited to watch, and one of my absolute favorite teams to watch in the NBA has to be the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Growing up, my dad was always a huge San Antonio Spurs fan. He remembered the good old days back when David Robinson was still in his prime and when Tim Duncan had just entered the league out of Wake Forest. Because of this, my dad had basically programmed me to like the Spurs. For a while they were the only team in the NBA I cared about. However, as time passed and as the Spurs got older, I began to start watching some of the younger, and in my opinion, more exciting teams throughout the league. One of those teams happened to be the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The first time I really started watch the Oklahoma City Thunder was during the 2010-2011 NBA Playoffs. As I usually do, I tried watching every playoff game that I could, but I understood that some were much more exciting than others. Because of this, I did not watch much of the Thunder's first round in the playoffs where they defeated the Denver Nuggets four games to one in the best-of-seven series. However, I did pay attention in their next series against the Memphis Grizzlies who had just upset, to the dismay of my father and I, the San Antonio Spurs. Back then I was only 11 years old, so I was really upset that the team that I thought was my favorite lost, so naturally, I rooted heavily for the Oklahoma City Thunder, wanting them to absolutely demolish the Grizzlies.

In the first game, the Grizzlies upset the Thunder at Oklahoma City, and I became very doubtful that this team would beat the team that took down the Spurs, but I still tried to remain optimistic. In the second game, the Thunder struck back with a win, and a little glimmer of hope began to awaken inside of me. I started to really appreciate this team that I had never payed an attention to in the past. They had a great roster with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant along with Serge Ibaka and James Harden. Little did I know that all four of these players would absolutely explode to become amazing basketball players in the years to come. They were also very exciting to watch, with Russell Westbrook's explosiveness and Kevin Durant's unbelievable shooting range. Serge Ibaka was also very exciting because he was a hustle player who could always come up with a huge block when he was needed and James Harden could always provide a much-needed spark coming off the bench. As the series between the Grizzlies and the Thunder progressed, the teams went back-and-forth with each game more exciting than the next. One of the games even went to a triple-overtime with the Thunder eventually winning after a monstrous 40-point performance by Westbrook. Eventually, the series came down to game seven, which would be played at Oklahoma City. After a triple-double by Russell Westbrook and an incredible 39-point barrage by Kevin Durant, the Thunder came up with the W and advanced for the first time since their move to Oklahoma City to the NBA Western Conference Championships. Unfortunately, they lost to a very talented Dallas Mavericks team who went on to defeat the Miami Heat for the NBA Finals Championship.

When the next season began, the Thunder became the team I had the highest priority for in terms of who I wanted to watch. As the season went on, I began to realize that although my dad had raised me to be a San Antonio Spurs fan, the Thunder were my knew favorite team. That season, the Thunder went all the way to the Finals after beating my dad's favorite and my former favorite team, the Spurs to play against the Miami Heat. Unfortunately, they lost in the Finals after five games, but I knew the team still had more potential and the years to come would be great.

I was very upset, however, during the off-season to learn that James  Harden had chosen not to re-sign with the Thunder and instead sign with the Houston Rockets. I understood his decision, though, because former head coach Scott Brooks refused to play him in the starting five, wishing him to stay as a sixth man coming off the bench. Harden, believing he had much more potential instead chose to move to Houston where he would play as the star player and always have the ball in his hands during the last seconds of the game.
This transaction proved to be very crucial in Oklahoma City's next season. The Thunder did have a great run that season, finishing the regular season as the top seed in the Western Conference. However, the eighth-seeded team that they went up against happened to be the team that now had their former third-best player, James Harden. The Thunder ultimately went on to win that series 4-2, but it came at a cost. During the second game of the series, Russell Westbrook, who had never missed an NBA game in his entire career, was injured during a play for a loose ball, and was declared out for the rest of the season after a knee surgery. Without James Harden, and now without Westbrook, Kevin Durant was unable to carry his team past the second round where they lost against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Over the next few seasons, the Thunder began to grow as a team and adjust without Harden. Durant was able to win MVP for the first time the following season, and the season after that, Russell Westbrook became tremendously better getting a whole lot of triple-doubles. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are one of the many reasons I like the Oklahoma City Thunder. I think they have a great roster with, in my opinion, two of the most talented players in the NBA, and I think if they can develop a good bench, they can once again be a top contender for the NBA Finals. I also just really enjoy the traditions at OKC such as the fact that at every home game in the Chesapeake Energy Arena, all the fans remain on their feet until a Thunder player has scored a basket. The team colors are also a reason I like the Thunder as I think Blue, Orange, and White go really well together. The Thunder are just, in my opinion, an incredibly excellent and exciting team, and I will continue to root for them for a long time.

2016 East All-Stars

In my previous blog, I wrote about the Western All-Stars roster. For the East, they look to continue their win streak after an impressive win last year.
The Eastern Conference starters include LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Paul George of the Indiana Pacers, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat, and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors.
Lebron James is arguably the best athlete of this generation. He has an incredible basketball IQ and he can defend any position. After a tough loss in last year's NBA Finals, the Cavs looked to rebuild and restart after firing head coach David Blatt due to a blowout loss against the same team who beat them in the Finals, the Warriors. James will look for a little bit of revenge as he will be going head-to-head against three of the Warriors during the All-Star game, with one, Stephen Curry, being a starter.
Paul George has been having a great season so far. After a gruesome injury during the off-season before last year's season, George returned to the Pacers near the end of the season, but it was too late for the Pacers. This season, he looks to turn things around for his team, and will get to have a little fun in this All-Star game.
Carmelo Anthony's team is not doing as great as he would have hoped, but they are definitely improving. However, he has not really been the Knick that many around the world are talking about. A rookie on his team by the name of Kristaps Porzingis is the one making headlines. However, Anthony was still the Knick to be voted in by the fans to the All-Star game, so he has no reason to be concerned.
Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat will be looking just to have fun in this game. He will be reunited with former teammate LeBron James, and the two will be sure to put on a show for the many fans that will attend the game.
Kyle Lowry is definitely a fan favorite. He will be playing in his own arena, and due to a last-second voting surge, he will be playing as a starter.
Other players for the Eastern Conference All-Stars include Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan, Paul Millsap, Andre Drummond, Chris Bosh, John Wall, and Isaiah Thomas. The team will be coached by newly named Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue.

2016 West All-Stars

Every year, the NBA hosts an All-Star Weekend during the middle of the season full of exciting events to entertain fans, and to give NBA players a break from a long 82 game season. One of the highlights of the weekend is the All-Star game. In the All-Star game, all of the best players (or fan favorites) participate in a game that usually isn't competitive until the final quarter to basically show off what they can do. The starters of each team are voted in by fans throughout the globe. The remaining players are voted in by coaches who are not allowed to vote for their own players.
For the West, the conference is absolutely stacked and they are usually the favorites to win, however, the East does have a lot of talent, and has won recently.
The five players in the West who were voted in as starters include, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, and Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kobe Bryant was the player who overwhelmingly received the most amount of votes. Earlier in the season, Kobe announced that this would be the last year he would suit up and play in an NBA basketball game and he would finally be retiring after his long and arguably great career. Although his team isn't as great as they used to be, the fans wanted to see Bryant play in one final All-Star game before he retired.
Stephen Curry is arguably the best player in the league right now. After winning NBA MVP last year, and taking his team all the way to the NBA Finals for a Championship, Curry seems to only be getting better. He has an off-the-charts player efficiency rating in the fourth quarter, and his team is looking to make history with the best single-season record ever in the NBA. Currently, Michael Jordan's '95-'96 Bulls team holds the record with an amazing 72-10 season. However, the Warriors are right where they need to be to make history, currently holding a 44-4 record after beating the Knicks in New York.
Kawhi Leonard is also having a remarkable season. Leonard looks to be the future of the San Antonio Spurs after Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker retire. He is an incredible defensive player, and he's grown remarkably since he came into the league.
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are coming to this game wanting to make a statement. After last year's injury plagued season where the Thunder were unable to make the playoffs, the dynamic duo looks to turn things around and get another shot at the finals this season.
The players that were voted in by the coaches include Draymond Green, James Harden, Chris Paul, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Demarcus Cousins, and LaMarcus Aldridge. The team will be coached by Spurs head coach Gregg Poppovich.

The Badgers Knock Off The Hoosiers

On Tuesday, January 26, the 19th ranked Indiana Hoosiers traveled to the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Badgers. The Hoosiers came in to the game tied for first place in the Big Ten alongside the Iowa Hawkeyes. With a win, the Hoosiers could take back the lead of the Big Ten forcing Iowa to have to beat the Terrapins in Maryland to keep up. The Hoosiers were also on a 12-game win streak, having not lost since a December 2 defeat at Duke. One of those wins also happened to come at home against the Wisconsin Badgers.
The Badgers, on the other hand, were having a somewhat difficult season. After making it all the way to the NCAA Championship last year, the Badgers came up just shy against the Duke team that handed them their first loss earlier in that season during the Big Ten/ACC challenge. After losing that game, the Badgers lost many of their star players to the NBA including star forward Frank Kaminsky. Wisconsin tried repeating their success at the start of this season, but did not have much luck. They came into their game against Indiana on a 2-game win streak after defeating the struggling Michigan State Spartans and winning at Penn State, but they only had an overall record of 12-8, and were sitting at the bottom half of the Big Ten Standings. Regardless, both teams were looking to improve their win streaks in what they knew would be a competitive battle.
The game tipped off at 6:00 Central Time, and the Kohl Center was packed. Wisconsin won the tip-off and the game was under way. The first minute of play was pretty hectic starting with Bronson Koenig of the Badgers getting blocked by Thomas Bryant on a layup, followed by a missed three, a defensive rebound, and ending with a three-point basket by Hoosier Troy Williams. The rest of the half was pretty much a back-and-forth game, with each team taking the lead and the other going on a run to take it back. By the end of the first half, Wisconsin only held a one-point lead over the Hoosiers 35-34.
The second half was pretty much the same as the first, as both teams kept the game close unable to pull away and take a big lead. With 47 seconds left, after Nigel Hayes put in two big free throws, the game was tied with both teams scoring 69 points. On the next possession, the Hoosiers got exactly what their coach drew up. They were able to waste a majority of the shot clock and ended their possession with a nice layup from Yogi Ferrell. With only 27 seconds left on the clock, the home team Wisconsin Badgers knew that if they wanted, they would have the last shot of the game. They had the opportunity to take a three for the win, or if they so chose, they could make a two-point basket to tie the game and send it into overtime. However, they knew that a basket here would be absolutely necessary. With ten seconds left on the clock, the Indiana Hoosiers did exactly what they should not have done, they fouled a Badger and sent him to the line to tie the game. Even worse, they fouled a good free-throw shooter in Nigel Hayes. Hayes put in two big free throws, and the crowd went wild. The Hoosiers still had a whole bunch of time to win the game, however. Unfortunately for Indiana fans, Yogi Ferrell missed his jumper with four seconds left, and the game went to overtime.
During overtime, the home team grabbed the lead and never let it go. The Hoosiers stayed close, but they were unable to seal the deal against the Badgers and suffered their first loss to a Big Ten team 79-82.

David Blatt Fired?

Earlier this week, it was reported that the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, David Blatt, was fired. The Cavaliers made it all the way to the NBA Finals where they lost to the Golden State Warriors. Many attribute the loss in the series due to both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love out due to injury. However, they were both healthy when the Warriors traveled to Cleveland first time for a grudge match between these two bitter rivals. The Cavs ended up being routed in their own arena by 34 points. This is probably the main reason Blatt was fired. Although his former team was first in the Eastern Conference, Blatt's firing was inevitable. Many throughout the league were shocked by his firing, however, including star player Lebron James. This is one of many firings that will probably occur throughout the season, and one of many controversial things that will happen. This season seems full of surprises.

The Thrill Of Carver-Hawkeye Arena

With my family being huge Hawkeye fans, Carver-Hawkeye Arena has been almost a second home to me. Every year since I was born, my grandfather has bought season tickets to every Iowa Hawkeye Men's Basketball Season. Because of this, I've been going to Hawkeye games for as long as I can remember. Whenever there is a home game, I'm one of the first people my grandpa offers the ticket to. As long as I am free and I want to go to the game, the ticket is mine.
Earlier today, Sunday, January 1, 2016, I attended the Hawkeye game against the 22nd ranked team, the Purdue Boilermakers. Earlier in the season, when the unranked Hawkeyes, who are currently ranked 9th in the AP Top 25 Poll, traveled to West Lafayette to take on the then-ranked 14th Boilermakers in their own arena. In that game, the Hawkeyes rallied back from a 17-point first-half deficit to pull off a huge upset to the dismay of the home team fans. This game, today, the Boilermakers would be the ones attempting the upset.
The game was set to tip-off at 12:00 Central Time, and Carver-Hawkeye Arena was packed. Earlier in the week the team announced that all the tickets for this game was sold out, so a big crowd was to be expected. The Hawkeyes opened up the game with a 10-4 run and the arena was rocking. It got to the point where even the announcer couldn't be heard. After a foul was called on Jarrod Uthoff, the fans began to settle down, and Purdue came storming back to take a 13-10 lead. After that, both teams battled back and forth with Purdue taking a seven-point lead with 5:30 left in the half. The fans seemed all degraded with their team being unable to score and practically every three-pointer Purdue took falling, but there was still so much time left in the game. After a timeout, the Hawkeyes responded with a 9-4 run, and had the final shot of the half down just two points. In the final play of the half, however, the Hawkeyes were unable to score, although it appeared to many in the stands that multiple fouls should have been called. Never-the-less, the Hawkeyes went into the half down 35-33.
The second half was much different from the first half, however, and the Hawkeyes had complete control. They opened up the half on an 8-0 run to take the lead, and after that, they never looked back. The Hawkeyes completely dominated, and ended up winning the game 83-71. It was a great game to watch, with many ups and downs. This has been a great start for the Hawkeyes Big Ten Season, and going to games at Carver-Hawkeye Arena are really exciting. With this team's success along with the football team's amazing season, it has been a great year to be a Hawkeye.