No Stephen Curry? No Problem: GSW Wins Against Atlanta Hawks

I'm almost tempted to think that the Golden State Warriors purposely did not let Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala play in their game against the Atlanta Hawks. It also did not help that Steve Kerr used to work with Greg Popovich who is known to rest players even in great regular season matchups that fans want to see. Except that the two were really injured. But it did not matter on Monday night, they won against another winning team still.


And who else can better will the team to victory than Draymond Green, who leads the NBA this season in triple doubles, and whose ferocious rebounding, dribbling skills and passing ability has contributed greatly to the flow of the Warrior's offense. That they won against a 33-28 team without two of their top players is a testament of the Warrior's depth and discipline, the cohesiveness of their team. It only speaks of the unity and mutual respect in the locker room, no matter what the rumors would say.

WILL STEPHEN CURRY CHANGE THE GAME OF BASKETBALL?

When coaches tell defenders to guard certain players wherever they go, they do not mean it literally: except when THAT player is Stephen Curry. In a night where they were fighting tooth and nail for a win against the Thunder, a fierce rival in the loaded Western Conference, score tied at 118 and 38 feet from the basket, Curry drained his 12th three in the ballgame.

If it were somebody else, people would of course say that it was a lucky heave, but not with Curry. How many times have we seen this guy do just that? And that begs the question: Will his miracle shots, done with ruthless intent and repetition, lead the way for basketball to be played and defended from half court? Maybe, but more probably not.

Stephen Curry has broken records for the most consecutive games with made threes, and the most threes made in a single season. And he has not done it by having his teammates set him up for a shot, but with his superb dribbling skills, his passing abilities that always keep opponents guessing, and a shot release that is the quickest in the league.

Stephen Curry is good, but will not likely set a trend in the way basketball is played, at least not in the immediate future.He is too unique a player, most scorers will likely get fired or traded or get an earful from coaches should they imitate Stephen Curry's game.

Let us marvel at this man's game.Let us witness (sorry Lebron). Great players before him have indeed changed the game.But perhaps, not Stephen Curry.He is too good, too unique, that he has become more of an anomaly than a trendsetter.

Nick Kyrgios Against Stan Wawrinka at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Semis

Nick Kyrgios has the demeanour that is not so common among tennis players, but that is not the whole reason why the 20-year old Australian is making waves. He has the game to back things up.  His latest victim is world number 8 Toma's Berdych at the quarterfinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.This sets him up for a match up with tournament favourite and world number 4 Stan Wawrinka.

Wawrinka is a popular bet by the crowd to play with Novak Djokovich in the final. Nick Kyrgios though, has some very different idea. He has the plan and the ability to spoil the party. Now that Novak Djokovich is out with some sort of eye infection,a Wawrinka-Djokovic  match will not happen in Dubai this year.

Nick Kyrgios will most likely provide a strong challenge to Wawrinka's chances when they meet today at 5 PM in their semifinals match.

2016 Golden State Warriors: Are They The Better than the 72-10 Chicago Bulls?

The Golden State Warriors are on pace to break Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls 72-10 record. At 46-4, and with the way they are beating teams, it is a valid argument to say that this is the best NBA team ever.  This could sound like an insult to those who have witnessed the domination of that Bulls team, especially to those who were already born in that era, and even much more for those who have played in that era. It wouldn’t be a surprise if  the likes of Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’neil would take little jabs at this team. Of course, every hall of famer would like to think of his age as the golden years of basketball. In the end only time will settle the argument on whether the 2015 Golden State Warriors is better than the Bulls’ 72-10 team, but at this point in time, it is so tempting to speculate.

 
For one, we haven’t seen a player like Stephen Curry. He is courting with history, breaking records with his 3-point shooting. Yes, there are other good shooters as well. One might argue that Reggie Miller or Ray Allen were better, but they were not as good in ball handling, passing, and defense. There are of course players who are much better in those individual categories, but combined? Nobody.
 
Fans are almost expecting Stephen Curry to make the shot each time, but believe it or not he is still human and will have a slump. While Jordan had Pippen, Stephen Curry has Klay Thompson, who is of course a very, very good shooter defender and finisher at the rim. Thompson is the type of player that would still have made it to the All Star Team even if he played somewhere else.

Aside from the Michael Jordan-led Bulls, no NBA team since the ‘90s has won the ring without a very dominant  big man. Talk about the championship teams of Shaquille O’Neil, Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan. The Golden State Warriors actually has a dominant big man in Draymond Green. His name may not be as big as those  three big men mentioned, but that is only because he is young and still playing. Gradually, Green is changing the way the forward position is played. He can bring down the ball after a rebound-----allowing Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to take their positions. He is a good passer, very active in the paint and can shoot the three.

And of course, there is the bench. They have a very reliable bench that gives coach Steve Kerr so much luxury that no team, except maybe for the San Antonio Spurs, now enjoy.  With their bench, the Golden State Warriors is able to keep their pace while keeping their leaders rested. When you have the likes of Leandro Barbosa, fondly known as the Brazilian Blur at the bench, you can bet they are not going to slow down that much.

The coaching staff is also another crucial thing. Maybe Steve Kerr would hate to admit it, but he had a good amount of working experience with two of the best basketball coaches ever------Phil Jackson and Greg Popovich. Look at the way the Golden State Warriors are playing, they are so well coached, the flow of players in both offense and defense would tell you that they know where their teammates are and what they will be trying to do.

Having this in mind, it is very, very tempting to predict that the Bulls’ 72-10 record will fall down and this Warriors is the best team ever.

On Tuesday, February 9, its Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets.

Why I Want the Miami Heat to Break the Record

The Miami Heat is very well on the way to break one of the most treasured records in  NBA history----the 33 game winning streak by the ’71-’72 Los Angeles Lakers. They are  knocking on the doors of history, and knocking hard.

 As of today, they are just six games shy from breaking that record, and they look very capable of doing that. All the investments that the management and the players have done over the last couple of years seems to be coming into fruition. LeBron James seems sure of himself, exhibiting that quiet confidence that was never his greatest strength when he was in Cleveland. Dwayne Wade, well, he always plays hard, we all know that but more importantly, he is relatively free from any serious injury this late in the regular season except for that knee that ‘bothers’ him a bit. Chris Bosh seems to say the right things in front of the media these days, sparing the team from unnecessary distractions. Of course, it is impossible to forget their role players----Ray Allen has been doing great, Mario Chalmers has been a steady hand at the backcourt, Shane Battier and all the rest of the guys seem to complement each other pretty well.

This is definitely not the same team who celebrated like they won a championship when not regular season game has been played. There is so much maturity, so much confidence. There is so much controlled swagger that it is easy to love this team for what they are now. It also helps that their late game heroics and defensive intensity is as good as any other in the league, making them win games with flair and drama that are not as often seen right after Michael Jordan retired.

When they celebrated after James and Bosh signed for Miami in the preseason,  those who love old school basketball felt offended at the way they disrespected the other teams. They looked really arrogant, probably thinking a championship is a birthright, and perhaps, at that time they did. However, that does not seem to be the case now. They no longer look like a bunch of talented but out-of-focus egos. They are showing the world that they are willing to pay the price, whatever it is, to win the championship. They stayed together at times when public perception was mostly against them, and that is enough to earn teams some respect.

Most importantly though, witnessing records being  broken is not the most uninspiring thing to watch.

Why A Pacquiao vs Marquez IV Would Still Sell

The boxing world is rife with news about a possible rematch (yet again)  between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez. This will be their fourth time in a rivalry spanning eight years and counting. In his Yahoo!Sports column, Kevin Iole reported that Bob Arum is working for the fight to happen as early as December 8 of this year.

The two fighters first fought in 2004 that ended in a draw. In  2008, Pacquiao won by split decision in a very close fight were Marquez has all the right to argue  against the decision. In 2011, they  met again in another thrilling match that Pacquiao won by majority decision. 

The result of their first three fights on paper  and the immense popularity of Pacman would suggest that they two fighters simply are not on the same league. The actual fights, however, would suggest otherwise.  Juan Manuel Marquez was never the candidate for No.1 pound for pound  king, as the debate was focused largely between Pacquiao and Mayweather. However, Marquez has proven time and time again that he can match Pacquiao in every department except in the judges’ score cards.

This makes the fourth fight even more interesting. Boxing fans would hope that a late 2012 bout would hopefully  bring forward a final, undebatable, decisive result that is not settled by the judges. Marquez fans would pay just to watch the Mexican warrior knock Pacquiao out cold, as a punishment for making them feel cheated in their previous fights. Or it could go Pacquiao’s way. The Filipino’s fans are more than willing to spend dollars just to see Marquez finally getting it and shutting his mouth.

A December fight would sell, because fans don’t like judges deciding who wins bouts. Deep in the heart of many fans, the record is not 2 wins and 1 draw in favor of Pacquiao. For them, they have three incredibly entertaining fights that are too close to be decided, and they want to see the ultimate result. Perhaps, now, you are asking, what if the fight will again be very close? Well, we wouldn’t mind seeing Pacquiao Marquez 5.

Lance Armstrong: Stripped of Title, Not of Reputation

In a report from The Telegraph of the UK, Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from competition for life. This is after Armstrong, who has long been the face of cycling, decided not to defend himself against charges made by USADA that he has used performance enhancing drugs. While Armstrong maintained his innocence, he said that he is just too tired of all the allegations and it has put much strain in his life.

To rivals who   were never able to defeat Lance Armstrong in the most prestigious cycling competitions, this may be a vindication, a good reason to forgive themselves  for their failures. In the eyes of USADA, this may just be a part of their long battle to clean the sport, make it more safe and fair to everyone.

However, sports is not just about competition and blind faith to the powers that be. It is also a testament to the human spirit, of what it aims to achieve, what roadblocks it overcomes, how it seeks to touch and inspire other people’s lives.

While they maybe  millions who are seriously into cycling and following the sport closely to include technicalities, there are still more casual fans, who never really care about cycling but started to take notice because of one man.

Lance Armstrong has been that man. More than winning  seven Tour de France titles, ordinary people has started looking up to Armstrong as they strive to find metaphors to keep them going in their daily lives. To them, Armstrong is not just another cyclist, but an icon of endurance, discipline, lofty aspirations and the will to triumph over adversity.

Armstrong has battled cancer and set up a foundation that gives hope to people in the fight against the disease. More than an athlete, to many people, he is labeled as a source of inspiration. That is much harder to strip from the man than seven Tour de France titles.