by Nick Brower | Mar 23, 2018 | SPORTS
The Charlotte Hornets beat the brakes off of Memphis last night, and that might be putting it nicely. The final was 140-79 as it became just sixth 60+ point victory in the league’s existence and the first since 1998. One night after Dwight Howard went for 30 and 30 the Hornets were making history again. This time Kemba Walker led the charge. He dropped 46 points in a ridiculous 28 minutes before sitting out the entire fourth quarter. Yup, you read that right. Kemba Walker scored 46 points in an NBA game in less time than it takes me to write some of these articles. How does that make you feel about your efficiency at work? 28 minutes is the now the fastest any player has reached 45 since the shot clock was added to the game in 1954-55. Kemba and the Hornets balled out but I think this says more about Memphis. This is an exclamation point on a terrible season for Memphis who has recently competed well in the Western playoffs. In their defense, they were without their two stars Marc Gasol and Mike Conley but that defense is almost as bad as the Grizzlies played last night. The loss brings them into a tie with Phoenix for the worst record in the NBA. Memphis has now lost 22 of their last 23 and has only won once since the All Star break. Grizzlies fans, it’s time to turn your attention to the draft lottery. You might as well lose ’em all at this point.
by Nick Brower | Mar 23, 2018 | SPORTS
Kansas State delivered another upset last night by defeating Kentucky. The game was competitive throughout and the emotions did not stop with the final whistle. Kentucky took its second L of the night after the game when they exited the court quickly without shaking hands with Kansas State. When asked about it after the game, Kansas State felt disrespected. Amaad Wainright told reporters, “On that situation, it’s all about respect. That’s what it should have been — all about respect”. Levi Stockard III added “That’s not the sportsmanship you like to see, but that’s them. They just walked off the court. I don’t know what it was. I don’t know”. While Kansas State obviously felt it was intentional, Coach Calipari insisted it wasn’t. “They were turned and celebrating, so I walked off. There was no disrespect for anything” he explained. “My team’s not like that. There’s no disrespect in any way. They beat us. They deserved to win the game.” Whether it was intentional or not, it was wrong. You lost, grow up. And when you lose, you still have to show respect to your opponent. This was bush league by Kentucky. But honestly, with a team full of freshmen, I’m not really surprised. Calipari has always been loved for his ability to thrive with so many one and done’s but this year he bit off more than he could chew. All season long Kentucky underperformed simply because of their youth. Their players are ballers and I’m sure most of them will be headed to the league. But I bet Calipari is hoping that at least a few stay behind to help him out because a team of all freshmen just isn’t a good look.
by Nick Brower | Mar 23, 2018 | SPORTS
The NCAA tourney has been full of drama from the start and last night’s Sweet 16 action did not disappoint. Four of the spots in the Elite Eight have been filled and all of the games were exciting. Two regions played last night to decide its Elite Eight squads. Let’s start with the West Florida State knocked off Gonzaga 75-60 in another crazy upset. The Seminoles were in control most of the night thanks to a great defensive effort and balanced scoring. Terrance Mann was the only Seminole in double digits (23) but five players scored 7 a piece. Florida State will continue their unlikely run as a 9 seed against Michigan. The Wolverines rolled #7 Texas A&M 99-72 in an emphatic offense statement game. They played like a team with something to prove. They’re for real, even after barely surviving their second round game with Houston. The offense was in overdrive, making it easy to believe that Michigan has won 12 straight now.
Meanwhile, in the West region Loyola-Chicago has been fitted for their glass slipper and is officially this year’s Cinderella. The 11 seed moved on after Marques Towns landed the final blow in a slugfest with Nevada. The two teams battled all night and it was only fitting that the game was decided by a corner three with just seconds left on the clock. Kansas State also pulled off the upset over Kentucky to set up an insane 9-11 matchup in the Elite Eight. Kentucky struggled to take care of the ball (15 turnovers) and had a terrible shooting night (16 0f 42 FGs) and Kansas State did just enough to move on in the battle of the Wildcats. Of course both teams will tell you they knew they could get here if they played their game, but we all know that’s bullshit. Neither of these teams were supposed to be anywhere near the Elite Eight with teams like Virginia, Tennessee, and Cincinnati in their region. But that’s the beauty of this tournament. Every year teams win games that everyone thinks they have no business winning. And its a recipe for sports paradise.
The Madness will continue tonight as we fill out the other half of the Elite Eight. We have a pair of #1 v. #5 matchups with both Kansas v. Clemson and Villanova v. West Virginia both tipping off after 7:00 pm eastern. The late games will be #2 Duke against #11 Syracuse and #2 Purdue taking one #3 Texas Tech. Whatever you have planned for your Friday night, just make sure there’s a tv or two around cause you won’t want to miss tonight’s action.
by Nick Brower | Mar 22, 2018 | SPORTS
The New York Giants continued their busy offseason today and agreed to terms to ship Jason Pierre-Paul to the Bucs. JPP and a Giants’ fourth-rounder will head to Tampa in return for a third-round and fourth-round pick. All three picks involved are for this year’s draft. Pierre-Paul has never been the same pass rusher since the July 4th accident that nearly blew off his entire hand. For the Giants, this move fits the mold of the offseason. GM Dave Gettleman has come in and really revamped this roster and put himself in a good position to continue that through the draft. However, the big question is still what the Giants will do with that second overall pick. Will they draft JPP’s replacement in Bradley Chubb? Or will they take the best playmaker of the year in Saquon Barkley? They could also go with a quarterback or trade back and continue to stockpile picks. I don’t think there is a wrong answer here with so much fluidity in the Giants’ position. If they are in love with a QB then it would be great to get him in there for a few years with Eli. Barkley is all but a lock, his athletic ability is going to translate big time to the pro level. Chubb is an absolute beast and you can never have enough front 7 talent in today’s league. This draft is deep and having a lot of picks certainly wouldn’t be a bad option either. Let’s just hope Gettleman’s plan works, because Giants’ fans aren’t going to be patient. They want this team competing for division titles again and they want it quick.
by Nick Brower | Mar 22, 2018 | SPORTS
The artist formerly known as Superman is back making highlights. Dwight Howard has been relatively quiet in the last few seasons while bouncing around with a few teams. But last night we got a glimpse of the raw talent this man has. Howard poured in 32 points and snatched 30 rebounds in a win over the Brooklyn Nets. Howard becomes the second player to accomplish these feat since 2010 (Kevin Love) and only the second in the last 36 seasons. Howard joins Love on a star-studded list that includes Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabar and Wilt Chamberlin (who did it 124 times!). 30 and 30 is just a ridiculous night and it just goes to show how dominate Dwight Howard can be when he is on. Just a few seasons ago he was on top of the league as one of the premier defenders and dunkers/finishers in the game. Today’s NBA just isn’t built for a big man like Howard who has very little offensive game outside of the paint. That is one hell of a list to join though and I’m sure Howard will remember this night for a long time. Howard actually told reporters that it was a halftime message that gave him the energy to dominate in the second half. “Got a text at halftime from somebody, and it kind of got me motivated and gave me some extra energy.” said Howard. Whoever it was should start sending texts like that more often. Congrats on the huge night Superman.
