The NBA: Where Sportsmanship Doesn't Happen

AP Photo/ Chris O'Meara

Editorial.

Sportsmanship.

It’s something every athlete learns at an early age. Every competitor is told to be gracious in victory or defeat.

Sure it isn’t a perfect world, and sometimes you don’t display as much sportsmanship as you should. As a college lacrosse player, I understand the frustrations of losing and how things can get in the heat of the battle. It’s still important, though, when the final whistle blows, to be a class act.

LeBron James must have missed those lessons.

James told reporters, "It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them."

"I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. That doesn't make sense to me. I'm a competitor. That's what I do. It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand."

Sorry. I don’t think it’s a good excuse.

Our last lacrosse game we lost in the first round of the conference playoffs. The opposing crowd was singing Steam’s “Goodbye”. I was looking at a 5 hour bus ride from the game in Vermont back to my school in Boston. I was upset we lost, and I was exhausted because I left it all on the field. But all that aside, I sucked it up and shook hands with the other team.

I hate losing as much as the next guy. It’s not fun. Yet it’s not an excuse for displaying poor sportsmanship.

It definitely isn’t an excuse when it’s the second time you’ve done it.

Last year, after the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in game seven of the Eastern Conference Finals, James also walked off the court without a single handshake or word with his opponents.

As humans we are supposed to learn from our mistakes. In school, we go to history class so we can learn what happened and how to prevent it from happening again. LeBron James should have learned from last year that you should respect your opponents and respect the game by offering congratulations on a hard-fought battle.

As the face of the NBA he is a role model to a large number of kids, like it or not. They look up to him. By storming off the court he showed that it’s OK to be a poor sport.

Also, it isn’t like Cleveland lost the series or the game because of poor officiating. The Cavaliers lost because the Magic played better team basketball.

Although the series was physical, there were no brawls that would’ve had either team seething at each other, causing such dislike where no one could meet at half-court after the game and acknowledge good competition.

No, LeBron was just upset and pouted.

How would he feel if, say, he had won but Dwight Howard neglected to give him his due props?

Some people say that a real man can admit defeat. It is what separates men from boys.

James will certainly be in the Eastern Finals again sometime in his career. And he may lose. Hopefully, by then, he will be mature enough to be gracious in defeat.

Who Will Shaq Be Rooting For in the NBA Finals?

AP Photo/ Paul Beaty

After 82 regular season games and three playoff rounds, the 2009 NBA Finals matchup is set. The Los Angeles Lakers will face off against the Orlando Magic. This series brings a ton of questions to the table.

Will the Lakers avenge their loss in the Finals to the Celtics last season?

Will Orlando win its first championship in franchise history?

Can Kobe finally win a championship without Shaq?

Will Jameer Nelson, originally thought to be out with injury for the entire season, make a Willis Reed-like return to the court?

Disneyland or Disneyworld?

All of these questions could provide their own corresponding blog post. However, another question begs consideration; who will Shaquille O’Neal be rooting for?

Shaq has played for both teams in the past and has been a fixture in the NBA Finals. In his 17 year career he made the playoffs 15 times, reached the finals six times, and won four titles. In his four wins he was named NBA Finals MVP three times.
Being so familiar with both clubs as well as the finals, it’s only natural to wonder what his thoughts are on the current situation. He has reasons, in favor of and against, both teams.

Orlando was Shaq’s first team. They made him the number one overall draft pick in 1992. It’s where people first became familiar with the big man who revolutionized the center position. His combination of size, strength, and athleticism made him one of the best post players in the history of the game. He went to his first NBA Finals with the Magic, even though they were swept by the Houston Rockets. Shaq’s home is in Orlando, and there has been talk about him wanting to buy the team when he retires.

However, Shaq has lashed out against the current Magic organization this year.
After a game against his former team, Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy—who coached Shaq in his first season with the Miami Heat— accused Shaq of flopping on a play against Dwight Howard. Shaq didn’t take too kindly to Van Gundy’s criticism and called him a “master of panic”. Now that SVG has helped the Magic get into the finals, if Orlando won, the “master of panic” would be a champion and Shaq might have to eat his words.

There is also the matter of Orlando’s new “Superman”, Dwight Howard.

Shaq has always been linked to the Man of Steel, proof being his Superman tattoo as well as Superman paraphernalia that adorned his house that was featured on MTV’s Cribs. Now, however, Howard has also been given the Superman moniker. Howard even donned the cape not once, but twice in dunk competitions. The Superman theme music is played at Amway Arena when Howard scores. Shaq has taken offense to this. He was quoted, “He's a good player, but everything he's done, I've invented. So I'm not impressed.”

Although Shaq does like Howard, he has always been protective of his legacy as one of, if not the best, big man ever to play. How would he feel if Howard, the man who “copied” his Superman identity, won Orlando’s first Finals game, let alone championship, something the “Big Cactus” never could do himself?

L.A. is the place where Shaq won his first and the majority of his championships. However, after they lost to the Pistons in 2004, Shaq demanded a trade. Friction between Shaq and star teammate Kobe Bryant existed prior to the loss, each trying to be the alpha male, the top dog, but losing to the Pistons in the championship was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The relationship between Shaq and Kobe grew personal. The two traded barbs about their interactions with females on the road. Shaq was shown doing a freestyle rap about Kobe, including the line, “Kobe couldn’t do it without me.” Shaq would also refuse to acknowledge Kobe during interviews.

However, this season, it looked like the feud is over. The two shared All-Star MVP honors and laughed and embraced each other on the court. Shaq has praised Kobe in the media and on his twitter page.

Still, again looking to Shaq’s perception of his legacy, Shaq has won a championship without Kobe (although one could argue that he, in fact, played second fiddle to Dwayne Wade). If Kobe to win without Shaq, how would Shaq really take it?
Shaq has had his ups and downs with both teams. This matter look like it will be settled due to timeliness.

Hours after the Magic beat Cleveland to advance to the finals, Shaq’s twitter featured a reply to a user that said, “I'm a go wit the lake show” (sic).

Shaq has made up with Kobe this year while conversely, his feud with Van Gundy happened just recently, in March. When one feud ends, another begins, and it looks like Van Gundy and Orlando get the short end of the deal this time around, at least in Shaq’s world.

Golden Ticket

Photo credits. AP Photo/ Jack Dempsey

The Denver Nuggets are the hottest team in the NBA playoffs right now. They aren’t the flavor of the month though; this squad has everything it takes to be a legitimate championship contender.

Denver is a great all-around team and it all starts with head coach George Karl.

A former NBA player himself, Karl is the 12th-winningest coach in NBA history. In 21 seasons, only three times has he not been in the playoffs (he was fired before the season’s completion twice in the 1980’s). Prior to this year’s playoff success, he took the Milwaukee Bucks to an Eastern Conference Finals, and took the Seattle SuperSonics to the Western Conference Finals twice, once advancing to the NBA Finals. Karl is a proven winner who gets the most out of his players.

A huge reason for the Nuggets’ recent success was the acquisition of Chauncey Billups. His impact on the Nuggets has been like Kevin Garnett’s on the Boston Celtics last year, absolutely changing the franchise for the better. Denver had lost in the first round of the playoffs the past five seasons and hadn’t reached the second round since the 1993-1994 season.

Conversely, Billups has been to the conference finals with the Detroit Pistons the past six consecutive seasons (now seven with Denver’s series win over Dallas), been to the NBA Finals twice, won the championship once, and was named the 2004 NBA Finals MVP.

Nicknamed Mr. Big Shot, Billups is one of the best clutch players in the NBA, and his veteran leadership has turned around the atmosphere in Denver.

In order to get Billups, the Nuggets had to trade the extremely talented, but controversial and malcontent superstar Allen Iverson. Iverson’s departure combined with what Billups has brought to the table has made the team chemistry skyrocket and players are finally realizing their potential.

Carmelo Anthony is one who has benefitted from the trade. He is one of the top offensive players in the NBA, but this season he’s finally developed into a team leader. His experience with the 2008 U.S. Olympic basketball team coupled with Billups’ arrival has matured Anthony.



One huge advantage, literally and figuratively, is how good the Nuggets frontcourt rotation is. Denver has three very good bigs, who all have a rare combination of being aggressive and physical as well as athletic.

Nene and Kenyon Martin are both extremely physical players, on offense and defense, that wear down the opposing post players. Martin has had a resurgence in his career as of late, realizing how effective he is as a role player whose strengths are defense and rebounding.

Chris Anderson is the third part of Denver’s frontcourt triumvirate. Another player who has seemed to mature as the season has gone on, “Birdman” is an incredible leaper with extremely long arms. He uses both to get up on offense and make exciting dunks, as well as alter shots on defense.

Continuing with the theme of maturity, sixth man J.R. Smith has put aside his selfish play and poor attitude (that has also led to him being suspended twice) to become instant offense off the bench and a regular and consistent contributor to the surging Nuggets.

While Denver’s offense can keep pace with the best of them, what makes them a complete team is their effort on the defensive end of the court.

While Nene, Martin, and Anderson are all good post defenders Denver also has good perimeter defenders as well. Dahntay Jones, once considered another Duke alum that could not be a contributor on the professional level, has become a starter for the Nuggets because of his exceptional perimeter defense. And although he is seldom used, Renaldo Balkman is an energetic defender who can come off the bench to help Jones. Backup point guard Anthony Carter has also been effective off the bench.

The Nuggets have everything a championship team needs: a good coach, a star offensive player, a player that thrives in clutch situations, a versatile and deep frontcourt, good defenders, and excellent contributions from the bench, not to mention they are playing their best basketball at the most important time of the year.

Denver is the perfect storm right now, and they have a real shot at winning their first championship in franchise history.

Time for Take Off

No Yao. No T-Mac. Rafer Alston was traded long ago. And as good as Ron Artest has been with the Rockets, he’s been ejected from two of the three games in the Rocket’s series with the Lakers, both Houston losses. So who would have thought that the Rockets, in a game minus Yao, McGrady, Alston, and where Artest scored 8 points on 4-19 shooting, would beat the Lakers by double digits, 99-87, a margin that was nowhere near indicative of the dominance Houston displayed.

Three unsung heroes to the Rockets’ season, three role players, made a huge difference in today’s game. Aaron Brooks, Shane Battier, and Luis Scola usually fly under the radar set by all those mentioned above, but without them, they showed how valuable they are.

Brooks performed well enough in the regular season that Houston’s front office felt comfortable enough trading Alston, handing Brooks the starting point guard position, and still being a title contender. Battier, drafted five spots behind Kwame Brown in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft, developed into one of the top perimeter defenders in the game, has a high basketball IQ, and is one of the hardest workers in the league. Scola, an Argentinian import, has been a great compliment to Yao Ming in the post. These three shined today, showcasing their abilities without their more famous teammates.



Battier got the Rockets off to a fast start, scoring 12 points in the first quarter, including three 3-pointers. He finished with 23 points, nearly 16 points above his season average and 13 above his career average. Battier’s NBA All-Defensive second team skills were on display as he was part of a tandem that held Kobe Bryant to 15 points on 7-17 shooting.

Scola manned the paint efficiently even without the 7’6” Ming. He pulled down 14 rebounds—12 defensive—five more than his season average. Scola completed the double-double, also putting in 12 points. Even though forward Chuck Hayes played good, hard defense against Lakers center Pau Gasol, Gasol got to the hoop much easier in the fourth quarter when Scola sat. The Rockets tough defense, spearheaded by Battier on the perimeter and Scola’s presence in the paint, forced the Lakers into earning every shot they took and kept them out of the key for easy layups and dunks.

Brooks was the star of the show. He used his impressive speed on offense to keep the Lakers’ defense off balance, and even snuck behind a sleeping defense to tip in an alley-oop to end the third quarter. Brooks put up a career-high 34 points, well above his 8.8 career total and 11.2 season total. Equally amazing as Brooks’ tip-in was his range, dropping a number of 3-pointers from well beyond the arc. The way he was playing, it seemed like he couldn't miss.



The performances from these three role players keyed a complete team effort. The defense worked the Lakers into taking difficult shots and keeping them away from the basket. On offense, Houston had impeccable ball movement, rotating the point of attack instead of forcing it through one person, and continually made the extra pass, finding the open man behind a lagging Lakers defense. Along with great ball movement was great off-ball movement, with players making great cuts and moving into open space for easy shots. The Rockets also hustled more, beating the Lakers to the floor for every loose ball.

The Rockets performance was impressive, especially considering who they were missing. While it is just one game, and they still need to win two more to win the series, this win was huge. The momentum shifted in the Rockets’ favor. They kept themselves in the series, rather than losing and going back to Los Angeles down 3-1. With a great team effort, and key role players stepping up to fill the shoes of their teammates, the Rockets look to be in good shape, at least to continue to compete at a high level.

It is said that the playoffs are where stars are born. It’s the league’s biggest stage, and performing well can make you a household name (how many people knew who Chauncey Billups was before 2004?). Scola, Battier, and Brooks have had their breakout game. If they continue to play like they did today, expect them to create their own legacies.




Photo credits:
Aaron Brooks: AP Photo/ Don Ryan
Shane Battier: AP Photo/ Chris Carlson
Luis Scola: AP Photo/ Eric Gay

Game highlights. Video from YouTube.