It's a Good Friday Indeed

  As this business week in sports comes to a close and we head into an Easter weekend that will be packed with reactions, what's news today that turns this Good Friday for some players and fans into an even better one?

Cinderella Steps into the Pumpkin

  Tonight is surely the Sweet 16 matchup that NCAA Tournament fans have been anticipating all week. The first 15 seed in history to advance to the Sweet 16 round, Florida Gulf Coast University, will take on the historic powerhouse basketball program in number 3 Florida. The media coverage of the FGCU Eagles this week has been impossible to avoid. The Eagles are led by Bernard Thompson, who has scored 23 points in each of the 2 games the Eagles have played in the tournament thus far, and backcourt running mate Sherwood Brown who finished with 24 points and 9 rebounds in the Eagles win over Georgetown. Florida Gulf Coast is definitely this year's tournament Cinderella story and are coming into this game seemingly very confident. The question for some though, is are they too confident? A few Eagles players have made some interesting and slightly bold comments to the media during the course of this week in regards to their feeling of being a better team than Florida and them being the ones the world is talking about not the Gators. The Florida Gators are the winners of 2 NCAA tournaments since 2000 and head coach Billy Donovan has been coaching at Florida longer than Florida Gulf Coast has even been an institution. The best team does not always win but I would have to think that when things get this deep in, experience trumps hype and momentum. I'm smart enough to not completely count Florida Gulf Coast out this time though as they are most successful when America goes that route. Will the clock strike 12 on the Eagles with the Gators capturing the glass slipper or will the night be young and allow Florida Gulf Coast to dance to another song? Tune into TBS to see the latest Battle of Florida tonight at 9:57 pm.

Just got paid, It's Friday Night

  A few big time contracts were signed today in the MLB and NFL. Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander agreed to a new $180 million deal over 7 years. Verlander was the 2011 AL MVP and is who many call the best pitcher in the Major league. If Verlander can finish in the top five in the Cy Young voting in 2019, he can vest a $22 million option for 2020 bringing the worth of the contract to a grand total of $202 million. Even without the additional $22 million Verlander's contract still makes him the richest pitcher in Major League history.
  Buster Posey, catcher for the San Francisco Giants, agreed to a $167 million deal over 9 years making him the highest paid catcher in Giants history. The contract also includes several bonuses including $100,000 for World Series MVP, $100,000 for NL MVP, $75,000 for NL championship series MVP, $25,000 for All-Star Selection, $50,000 for All-Star Game election, $50,000 for a Gold Glove, and $50,000 for a Silver Slugger. Posey was the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year, 2012 NL MVP, and winner of the 2012 Batting Title. With that being said, many of those bonuses seem to be extremely attainable.
  Finally, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo agreed to a 6-year extension with Dallas worth $108 million including $55 million dollars guaranteed. Earning an additional $25 million signing bonus,  Romo is now the highest paid player in the league passing Joe Flacco's $52 million guaranteed. Romo's new deal has been one of many different opinions in the past few hours as Romo has only won 1 playoff game in the last 7 years. Long time Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNab tweeted after the news of the deal broke:

"Tony Romo 6 yr 55 million dollar extension. Wow really, with one playoff win. You got to be kidding me"

  Romo seems to have marvel performances balanced by major slip ups in big games that produce questions of if he is worthy of a deal of this stature. With any hope, this new money will give him a boost in pursuit to improve his playoff winning percentage and consistency of his performances.

Sources: Bleacher Report, NCAA, MLB, ESPN, USA Today

Still Feeling the Heat Wave

  First and foremost I want to start off my applauding the Chicago Bulls. Last night they snapped the Miami Heat's 27-game winning streak in a 101-97 victory. Regardless of if Heat fans agree with the Bulls physical play, officiating calls (or lack thereof), etc., they still pulled of a win with a significantly undermanned roster and they deserve credit. At this point, I'm almost not even sure which team is more resilient between the Celtics and the Bulls. Just when we may think it's ok to count them out they show up time and time again. This isn't the first time the Bulls have dominated the Heat without key players either. Last season on March 14th, the Bulls defeated Miami 106-102 in Chicago without Derrick Rose who was out nursing a sore groin. To many spectators surprise though, John Lucas III was very present in Rose's absence finishing with 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting including 3-of-5 from 3-point land. With all that being said, I am not interested in spending time recapping the Heat's streak and throwing out different stats that reflect it's impressiveness. Any real fan of the game, regardless of who you call "your team", will acknowledge the sustained excellence and credit Miami for what they did for the NBA over this run. I did, however, notice a few things that transpired as a result of the Heat Streak coming to an end which I find most interesting this morning.
  For starters, Miami took up nearly 50 minutes of the hour long SportsCenter that aired after the game. The team got almost the same amount of coverage after they won the title last year! Was I the only one that began thinking: "Ok this is STILL the regular season. Everyone knows that right?". The way the media covered this you would have thought the Bulls defeated Miami to win the 2013 NBA World Championship. I'm aware that due to the extreme popularity of the Heat, the media interprets such an occasion as extremely newsworthy but I just found it suffocating after awhile. I almost began to perceive it as if Miami was never expected to lose and the streak was snapped by the worst team in the league. Then I ask myself: why is Miami getting an 80/20% coverage elevation over Chicago when they are the ones that won the game? Again, I understand that the Heat were the ones on the streak not the Bulls but it just became more apparent to me that obviously even when Miami loses they still win.
  Will the effect of the media coverage stemming from the streak ending bother Miami's psyche at all? I wouldn't be too worried about it. This Heat team has faced overwhelming media scrutiny from day 1, literally. Aside from the celebration rally, in the first year of the Big 3 era the Heat lost 5 games straight which was a buffet for the media and Heat haters alike. That small stretch is almost nonexistent compared to the attention and criticism they got after losing the 2011 NBA Finals.This team is built to withstand this. Miami will square-off against two named threats to them in the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks on Sunday and Tuesday respectively. I'm sure the streak ending is bittersweet; like a disappointing sigh of relief. But I also believe that it will propel them to perform well against the Spurs and Knicks to prove that they have stumbled but not fallen and can still continue to get better against elite teams.
  Although this 27 consecutive wins record will very likely remained untouched for decades to come, I do feel in order for it to be fully capitalized upon and solidified the Heat have to win the title again this year. They have done so many great things this season that it is almost hard for me to say that as if to say the other accomplishments don't matter. Nonetheless, at the end of the day we applauded the Heat for their consistency during the streak but when it comes down to it that what these superstars get paid to do! They are supposed to show up and play hard every night. Winning the title back-to-back would put a different and more memorable stamp on the streak. They did not break the '71-'72 Lakers record like some would have hoped but they would have an amazing document to record at the end of this season if it is sealed with a ring. The odds are in Miami's favor being that 2 out of the 3 teams in NBA history that held winning streaks of 20 games or more went on to win the NBA title.
 I have no problem with some people being happy the streak is over or the media spending time covering it. I just ask that it be treated with respect. If every team could do it, it would have been done before.

Women Wednesday: Finding Your Inner-Analyst

  From nearly the moment I became vocal about my love for sports, especially on social networks, I received mixed feedback. There were some guys that were receptive from the beginning and never showed signs of being a skeptic just because I wore 5 and a half inch heels to school almost everyday. Others were resistant to or dismissed my opinion just because I wasn't a tom boy or a boy period. There have even been times that I can recall having a perfectly valid point, backed with facts, and was still told I was wrong and had my view fall upon deaf ears because of a preconceived notion that I didn't know what I was talking about. Nonetheless I was taught about the game of basketball by the most important man in my life (my dad), and I wasn't going to let the discouragement of some overshadow that passion. So this week I want to give my ladies who either really want to know more about sports, have been discouraged from sharing their opinion about sports, or reluctant to inquire about sports a few tips on how I went about doing so.

Tip #1: Listen
  My dad began to teach my sister and I how to play basketball when I was 7 years old. He probably took us to our first NBA game when I was about 6 years old. Not only did we go to Miami Heat games, but he also took us to Miami Sol games (Miami's former WNBA team). From the time I was old enough to actually be aware of my surroundings while at a game I listened. I listened to the sounds of the game, the announcers, the fans, the players, and anything I could take in. You don't need to be at a game to be able to use this skill though ladies. As I got older, I began to watch more games at home on my own. I would say 65-70% of what I know today about basketball I learned from just watching games. If you really have the desire to learn more about basketball, or ANY sport, just turn on the game and listen! I can almost guarantee you if you watch and pay attention to 5 games of that sport you desire to learn more about you will learn at least 5 new things about the game, team, or player(s), by the end. When you are truly interested, hearing something new and intriguing simply becomes harder to forget.

Tip #2: Don't bite off too much
  It is always exciting to learn new stats, tricks, and rules about something you've always wanted to know about. However, it is not a good idea to make statements that are too bold that you can't back up. If you are trying to get your opinion to be more valued, it isn't a good look to tweet something like: "Mario Chalmers is the best point guard in the league" just because he had a 26 point night and you're a Miami Heat fan. If someone wants to debate you about an opinion you have and they bring in information you haven't heard about before, it is best to just let them know that you haven't heard that before or haven't done enough in-depth research so you cannot speak on that. Proceed to restate your original view and leave it at that. There isn't much that is more annoying to men, and women that love sports, than seeing another woman look like she's just trying to have a sports opinion for attention and on top of that making incorrect statements. When in doubt: count on Google. If you think the Heat played the Celtics in the NBA Finals two years ago when they lost but you aren't sure, Google it before you tweet it just to be safe. (If you read last week's Women Wednesday post you would know that that is impossible by the way)

Tip #3: Ask Questions
  Ladies, one great reason I decided to begin Women Wednesday's was so that you all would have simply explained background knowledge to engage in conversation with your man, best friend, dad, cousin, brother, etc. and further build upon what you'd learned. For example, I broke down the different basketball positions in the first two weeks. With that information, you all could then go watch a game with your boyfriend or male figure and have him to physically show you where each player is and then watch them execute the general tasks I'd described that they were responsible for. If you keep hearing a term in a sports game that you are having trouble drawing conclusions as to what it means ask questions. Don't be afraid to look silly. A man will appreciate a woman interested in and willing to learn about sports far more than one that pretends to already know it all and is incorrect. There are certain things you just cannot simply learn by listening and watching. I myself still ask my male friends questions about sports that I don't have as firm of a grasp on as I do professional basketball.

Tip #4: Stay True
  There is nothing wrong with a woman wanting to expand her sports knowledge and don't let any ignorant person profess the contrary. Still, it is most important to stay true to you. Learning more about sports doesn't mean you have to be an NFL coach or the next Lisa Salters. Don't try to be something you aren't. An interest in sports and a passion for it are two different things. You do not have to have passion for sports to show interest in learning and broaden your understanding of it.You don't have to engage in Twitter and Facebook debates to prove you know something. Always remain you.

As the Sports World Turns

Tiger Back on Top

  After an Arnold Palmer Invitational that included dangerous delaying weather in Orlando on Sunday and a few days of under performing by his standards, Tiger Woods finished the invitational 13 under par making him the winner. More importantly, this latest victory has relocated Tiger to a ranking he hadn't known since 2010: the number 1 golfer in the world. Woods has been playing exceptionally well this year racking up 3 wins in 2013 already. "It feels good right now," Woods says. I would imagine so. Woods took a major falloff in 2011, after his Mistress media scandal, ranking as low as number 58 in the world. But with the way he's been pulling out the hat tricks lately, I think it's safe to say: He's back!

USA vs Mexico Rivalry

  The US and Mexico's FIFA teams have a well-documented rivalry dating back to 1934 when the US won a World Cup Qualifier over Mexico 4-2. After that win, the US was completely dominated by Mexico from friendly matches to World Cup Qualifiers and all things in between. It wasn't until the 90's that Team USA began to turn things around, including the most recent 1-0 US victory in friendly match in Azteca last August. Tuesday the two teams face off again in Azteca in a World Cup Qualifier. Mexico has only lost 1 of 75 World Cup Qualifiers they've played at home and only 6 of the 75 were draws. Their winning percentage at home 91%. Team USA has only won 1 time in Mexico so this match is highly anticipated even more so because of each team's respective play as of late. Team USA just beat Costa Rica in Denver on Friday 1-0 in a now controversial World Cup Qualifying match due to the harsh weather conditions of a fierce blizzard. Mexico on the other hand, let a 2-0 lead escape them and had to settle for a draw on Friday against Honduras. Fans can only hope that momentum the US has built up carries over into this match as this rivalry is more than just business; its personal. Team USA's coach Jurgen Klinsmann says "We have respect, alot of respect for Mexico but we don't have any fear." Catch the action tonight at 9:30 pm on ESPN.

NBA Monday News

  Last night Washington Wizards guard John Wall dropped a career high 47 points along with 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in a 107-94 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Wall had 26 points after the first half alone. The Grizzlies are fighting to stay in that 5th seed spot and trying to possibly steal the 4th from the Nuggets or Clippers but have loss three straight road games. Wall's 47 points is the third highest point total by a player this season and it is apparent that this team is definitely different with him on the floor. He has only played in 37 games this season in which the Wizards are 21-16. Without Wall though, Washington is a mere 5-28. It is very likely that this can be a lower seeded playoff team next year if they keep the pieces they have, or possibly add better ones, and have a healthy John Wall.
  The Los Angeles Lakers lost last night to the Golden State Warriors 109-103. The Lakers were down 23 points at the half but in the second half Kobe Bryant kicked it into overdrive finishing the game with 36 points and 8 rebounds. Steph Curry led all Warriors scorers with 25 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds as he and Kobe both gave this game a go on questionable ankles. With Lakers center Pau Gasol just being re-implemented into the lineup and Kobe returning after his ankle injury, the Lakers seem to have hit a small bump in the road of rhythm they had going. LA is a below .500 team when Bryant, Nash, Gasol, and Howard play in the same game this season at just 6-13. Fans can temporarily take solace in the fact that despite the loss, the Lakers still hold on to the 8th seed in the West.
  The Denver Nuggets streak was snapped last night in a 110-86 blowout victory by the 25-46 New Orleans Hornets. Just when I thought they could survive without Ty Lawson, the Nuggets just didn't show up last night. As a team Denver shot just under 39%. Hornets forward Ryan Anderson had an impressive night finishing with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Rookie guard Brian Roberts also finished with a career high 18 assists. Just that fast, Denver falls back down to the 4th seed in the West. Hopefully they can get Lawson back soon and clean up their act before they fall too far out of the rhythm they'd generated.

No Catfishing the Pros

  Today Manti Te'o will have his Pro Day at Notre Dame. He has vowed to improve his unimpressive 40-yard dash time of 4.82 at the NFL Combine last month. If Te'o wants to be a higher tier first round pick doing so is one of his best shots. Many analysts felt his Combine performance just added insult to injury to his draft stock. Te'o definitely has the potential to improve and I'm sure he's been working hard at it this month. I would hope so because there is no "catfishing" the pro scouts; they're looking for the Real McCoy. Check @RealRundown for updates later today.

Sources: ESPN, LA Times NBA

Untimely Falls

  Most NBA teams are in the middle of the their playoffs pushes but some untimely falls have put a few teams fighting for positions in a vulnerable position.

Another Blow for Boston

  Kevin Garnett has been in and out for a little over a week for the Celtics and according NBA reports today, he has discovered that there is inflammation in his left ankle and he will be taking about two more weeks off to recover. The Celtics have gone a disappointing 1-4 in their last 5 games and KG has been out 3 of those 5. The effect of his absence surely makes the Celtics vulnerable to drop from the 7th seed to the 8th with Milwaukee on their heels just two games behind in the loss column. Celtics guard Courtney Lee, who has definitely become an asset to this team, has also fallen due to an ankle injury but is hopeful to return Tuesday night to take on the New York Knicks per the Celtics website. One thing a Doc Rivers Celtics team is always going to be though is resilient so I expect them to turn things around soon, especially when they get Lee back, and sustain their playoff position.

Silent Streakers Starter Sitting

  Ty Lawson, starting point guard for the silent killing Denver Nuggets, will miss his third straight game tonight due to an injured right heel as his team takes on the New Orleans Hornets. The Nuggets are trying to extend their winning streak to 16 games. Denver is quietly climbing the standings ladder in the West, now at the 3rd seed just one game in the win column over the Los Angeles Clippers. The great thing about this team is that they don't necessarily have one main "star" so although Lawson is out, the rest of the team can still carry the load and panic isn't widespread given his absence. Nonetheless, if I'm a Denver fan I would definitely want Ty back as soon as possible to help better clinch that 3rd seed spot only increasing their odds at a successful playoff series. This Denver team has only lost three times at home this entire season.

Flash takes 5

 Miami Heat superstar guard Dwyane Wade has missed his second consecutive game due to a sore right knee. Hours ago, he confirmed that he had an MRI on the bruised knee but expects to return on Wednesday to take on the Chicago Bulls. Wade had surgery on his left knee in July so although there is comfort in knowing that he hasn't re-aggravated a previous injury, it is disappointing for fans to see Wade down after he was playing so well during this streak and clearly had gotten his health back since the season's start. Mike Miller has been starting in Wade's place and the way Miami's bench has been producing, fans can definitely keep calm.
  Miami doesn't have to worry about losing their playoff seeding being that the 2nd team in the East is a whole 12.5 games behind but they don't want to begin to lose and jeopardize overall homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. The San Antonio Spurs are only 3 games behind them in the loss column. Just moments ago, Miami won their 27th straight game over the Orlando Magic.

Sources: NBA, ESPN

Featured Player of the Week: A Serial Killer

  Marshall Henderson, Ole Miss guard, is known to march to the beat of his own drum. The problem is, no other team can quite figure out how to join his band. When facing Ole Miss, teams almost end up being asked not what they will do to Henderson but what Henderson will do to them. Earlier this week after the Rebels upset the Wisconsin Badgers 57-46, Henderson told the media his coach always tells him to go out and be a "serial killer". Whether that was appropriate or not to say for the setting is left to your own discretion. Nonetheless all NCAA teams and fans are becoming aware of Marshall Mania, if they didn't already know. Henderson's eccentric and taunting nature has great potential to "affect the psyche of the other team. How can you avoid it?", says Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy.
  Henderson averages 20 points per game for the Rebels and even got recognition from LeBron James as he tweeted during the Rebels and Badgers game on Friday:

"Man that dude Henderson from Ole Miss got the greenest light in basketball history!! Hahaha."

LeBron of course was referring to the fact that Henderson had missed 12 of his first 13 shots but was allowed to continue shooting it seemed whenever he got close enough to the basket. Despite his poor shooting to start, the Rebels pulled off the win and are looking to advance to the Sweet 16 as they take on number 13 La Salle in a game that has just tipped off on TruTV. Tune in and see what all the Marshall Mania Madness is about for yourself as he is truly a polarizing and unique player.

Sources: Yahoo Sports, USA Today

Is There Any Place Like Home?

  On Wednesday night, LeBron James returned to Cleveland for the fourth time since he left the Cavaliers in the summer of 2010. Miami overcame a 27-point streak threatening deficit to beat the Cavaliers 98-95. LeBron recorded his 4th triple-double of the season with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists. The intensity of the resounding boos had significantly decreased compared to his returns to the Quicken Loans Arena in the two prior seasons. With all the hype of that night being around the Heat streak, did a bigger question fly under the radar? In the 4th quarter of Wednesday's game, a Cleveland fan ran onto the court and pleaded to LeBron to come back and told James that he missed him. Being that many of those same boos from 2 years ago are slowly turning into cheers, is it possible that James will return to Cleveland and retire as a Cavalier?

  LeBron will be a free agent after the 2013-2014 season and has the option to indeed return home. When James exercised his right as a free agent to join the Miami Heat 3 years ago, he was chasing an NBA title; "not 1, not 2, not 3..". Now having one under his belt and making a hard push at accumulating another at the end of this postseason, he has gained intangible skills and experience that can't be taken from him no matter what jersey he wears.  Kyrie Irving is a very dynamic and up and coming guard in this league so to say that those two can't be great together in this last stretch of the James' career would surely be a mistake. The people of Cleveland were definitely hurt by the loss of LeBron and responded by burning jerseys, turning down posters and billboards, and seemingly never-ending slander. Nonetheless I'm sure the majority of them would gladly welcome him back. Still hosting and funding many charity and community events in Akron, LeBron still loves his hometown. Who realistically wouldn't want to finish it all in the city that all of his dreams were conceived? As great of a storybook ending it would be, depending on the angle one is reading from, LeBron will not be going back to Cleveland on account of three non-financial reasons:  his sanity, his comfort level, and his legacy. 

  The hate and scrutiny LeBron James faced in the 2010-2011 season by the entire nation is extremely well-documented and calling it overwhelming is almost an understatement. I don't think LeBron would want to re-live that just for the sake of being home and completing a Cinderella story. There is no doubt in my mind that the same disdain would be reborn if he did leave the Heat to return to the Cavaliers, although likely to a lesser degree. Not to mention the damage it would do to his reputation. 

  People also seem to look over the state of and personnel involved in an organization as it relates to the player's overall happiness. There is no doubt that the Miami Heat organization is first-class and do things the right way. Has everyone forgotten about the letter Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wrote and released about LeBron after receiving the news of James' "decision". Among other things including bashing James' personal character, Gilbert guaranteed the Cavaliers would win an NBA championship title before LeBron captured one. I wonder how that worked out for him. As a player, if I'm weighing my comfort level of being apart of an organization headed by the legendary and classy Pat Riley and Mickey Arison versus someone who publicly burned a bridge with me after all the good years I gave their franchise in Dan Gilbert, I don't see that as much to think about. It also can't be too difficult playing alongside one of his best friends in Dwyane Wade. 

  Finally, although he publicly apologized for it, there was some truth in LeBron's "not 1, not 2, not 3" statement. This man is trying to be a front-runner in the debate of the NBA's all-time best players. Ultimately LeBron has the highest odds, when weighing just Cleveland versus Miami, to build upon his legacy for now and years to come if he elects to stay in Miami. Not only does the squad have greats in Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Ray Allen, but also consistent role players and growing talent in Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, and Norris Cole. That doesn't even account for the great talent a team this successful can attract. 

  We will all have to wait until next summer to find out, but I haven't seen or generated any reasons why LeBron wouldn't stay right where he is: his new home. 

  

Women Wednesdays: The NBA Playoffs

  The NBA playoffs are just a little over a month away now. This week I'm going to break down how to monitor the playoff status and chances of your favorite team. Major things can change in the matter of a week, or a quick as one game.
  The NBA has 30 teams in total with 15 in each conference. The top 8 teams from each conference, the West and East, are allowed into the playoffs. The top teams are determined by each team's record for the regular season. The term seed refers to the numeric order of the teams that have made it to the playoffs. For example, at this point the Miami Heat are the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference meaning they have the best record in their conference. The opponents are paired according to seeds, with the best first facing the worst from top to bottom. The 1st seed vs the 8th seed, the 2nd seed vs the 7th seed, the 3rd seed vs the 6th seed, and the 4th seed the 5th seed. The closer the match-ups come to the middle the less predictable a winner will be. Additionally, the higher seeded team always gets homecourt advantage.
  The games are broken up into 7-game series meaning each team plays its opponent for a maximum of 7 games. The first to win 4 games is the winner of the series and moves on to the next round. The team with homecourt advantage will have 4 of the 7 games played in their building.  A sweep is a term used to describe a team being beaten 4 games to 0 in a series. There are 4 rounds in the playoffs: the first round, second round or semifinals, third round or conference finals, and the fourth round which is the NBA finals. In each of the first 3 rounds teams only play against teams of their own conference. So it would be impossible to see the Heat and Lakers play in the playoffs unless they both made it to the NBA finals. If that was the case, that would mean that both teams were the last ones standing after their 3rd round conference championship. It takes 16 wins in the playoffs (postseason) to win a NBA World Championship.
  As there are only about less than 20 games left for each team in the regular season, some teams have a great chance to still get themselves into the playoffs or move up a seed or two. For example, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz are going back and forth to hold down the 8th seed in the West. Both teams have similar records so each game left is essential. In the event that both teams end up with the same record, the Jazz have beaten the Lakers more times this season than the Lakers have beaten them so the Jazz would get the 8th seed spot over the Lakers. Keep up with your favorite team's status by going to NBA.com and checking the Standings tab "By conference". Pay most attention to the wins and losses columns to find out if your team is getting closer to the top or closer to the bottom.

Note: The NBA team with the best overall record of all 30 teams gets overall homecourt advantage which includes the each round of the playoffs and ultimately the NBA finals, assuming they make it to that point.

As The Sports World Turns

   Wanted: Streakers on the Loose

  Last night the NBA's two streaking teams, The Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets, extended their streaks in absolute thrillers. The Nuggets indeed went on to tie their franchise record of 12-consecutive wins but it was no easy feat. With about 14 seconds left in the game and the Bulls down 102-105, Bulls guard Nate Robinson buries a three making it a tie game. Ty Lawson would go on to miss the attempt at a game-winning jumper sending it into overtime. Both teams exchanged amazing buckets down the stretch of the extra 5 minutes but the game ultimately came down to an overturned Bulls basket that was ruled offensive interference because of the tip-in by Joakim Noah while the ball was already in the cylinder. With that, Denver escaped from Chicago with their 12th straight win in a 119-118 victory. Nate Robinson finished with 34 points along with 7 assists and Denver's Wilson Chandler finished with 35 points and 9 rebounds off the bench. 

  Before last night Miami had loss 10 consecutive regular season games in Boston. Being down by 17 points at one time in the game, the Heat's largest deficit during the streak, the Heat overcame that pandemonium and pulled out a 105-103 win over the Boston Celtics. That victory extends the streak to 23 wins making this run the 2nd longest winning streak in NBA history. The Celtics did play without their star center-forward Kevin Garnett who was out due to illness and a thigh strain. Nonetheless, I did not count them out because of the absence of Garnett and rightfully so. Jeff Green, who got the start to help fill in for Garnett, was on fire from start to finish finishing the game with 43 points. 21 of those points he'd accumulated before the 5:00 mark of the 2nd quarter. It took a defensive lock down and an 18-foot jumper from LeBron with 10.5 seconds to go to put Miami up 2 and ultimately win the game. Prior to last night, the Celtics had won 161 consecutive games when being up by at least 13 with 8 minutes to go in the game and that became the streak that was snapped last night. Miami improves to 11-1 on the back end of back-to-back games this season which is a league best. The squad goes for 24 Wednesday night against LeBron's old team, the Cleveland Cavilers. 

NFL New Rule?

  An NFL committee will be voting on 6 potential new rules, or modifications of existing rules today and Wednesday. One rule on the table would penalize running backs for using the crown of their helmets to make contact with other players in an attempt break through tackles. Roger Goodell is a big advocate for this rule, which makes it even more likely to pass, as he attempts to make the game safer now and for years to come. If the rule is implemented, the penalty will be a loss of 15 yards. Running backs around the league as well as fans aren't too happy about this rule. But there is still hope as it takes 24 of the 32 total votes to ratify these new rules. 

The Big Dance

  As of Sunday, all the tickets were punched and those invited to the NCAA tournament were surely thrilled. Kentucky, last year's NCAA Tournament winners, were among this year's snubs not making it to the Big Dance. Big East champions, the Louisville Cardinals (29-5) are this year's number 1 overall seed. Other number 1 seeds include the Kansas Jayhawks, the Indiana Hoosiers, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Many believe that Duke is the best number 2 seed out there among a list including the Miami Hurricanes, the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the Georgetown Hoyas. Tonight the tournament officially kicks off so get your brackets ready. Are YOU ready for the madness?!

Welker Was Wanted

  When Patriots owner Robert Kraft was asked if he'd spoken to Tom Brady's as it relates to Brady's feelings on the loss of Wes Welker he reportedly said "I don't answer to Tom Brady". Monday Kraft was on record saying that "Everyone in our organization wanted Wes Welker back. Anyone who doubts that, or thinks we weren't serious, just doesn't get it". The Patriots reportedly offered Welker more money ($8 million) in the first year of a contract versus the $6 million that he will be getting from Denver. Still seems to me that the Patriots could have done much more to keep a tandem like Welker and Brady's alive but at least we have some statement from the Patriots side. 

NBA Double Homicide 

  It seems to be a common theme that each week when I do this wrap-up, someone is pronounced dead on a NBA court (not literally of course). Last night in the 2nd quarter, LeBron James threw down a monster dunk on Jason Terry, one of the Celtics that that made comments about the Heat last week. LeBron was later called for a questionable technical foul after the slam for taunting although he actually said nothing, but I'm sure it was worth it. Once again Wikipedia showed its humor and pronounced Jason Terry dead at 9:01 pm on March 18th with the cause of death being LeBron James. De'Andre Jordan, responsible for the shame inflicted upon Brandon Knight last week, tweeted after James' dunk saying: 

"hmmm touche sir...touche. lol"

  Both dunks are definitely front runners for the Dunk of the Year but for now we will just enjoy the moment. If you happened to miss the dunk, or want to watch it for the 15th time, check it out below.

Sources: NBC Sports, ESPN, Fox Sports

Featured Player of the Week: The Silent Killers

  This week I won't just explore one player alone but an entire NBA team. A team that has actually been overlooked for the last 2 years but surely deserves our attention right now. After losing their franchise player and superstar in a mid-season trade 2 years ago it seems that fans and the media stopped giving them attention even though they have statistically been better than that his new team. Him being Carmelo Anthony and them, my featured player team of the week, being the Denver Nuggets.
  With all the coverage the Miami Heat's now 21-game winning streak commands, many people don't know that Denver is on its own 11-game winning streak. Led by an amazing coach and courageous man in George Karl, the Nuggets are 45-22 making them the 5th seed in the Western Conference being only one game in the loss column behind the 4th seeded Memphis Grizzles. The Nuggets are led by point guard Ty Lawson who averages 16.8 points and 7.0 assists per game. Lawson was also named Western Conference Player of the Week two weeks ago.
  The highlight of the this week of exceptional play for Denver was the return of said former franchise All-Star Carmelo Anthony, now with the New York Knicks, to Denver to play his former team in their building for the first time since the trade. Would he hear the same boos and feel the same disdain that Dwight Howard did in his return to Orlando last week? Sure he would, though to a significantly lesser degree. Carmelo had been nursing a right knee injury in games prior to Wednesday night's against the Nuggets and it surely impaired his performance finishing with only 9 points on 3-of-12 shooting in 21 and a half minutes. He finally decided the pain, in his knee of course, was too intense to push forward and went back to the locker room during the 3rd quarter for the remainder of the game. When noticing Carmelo had left the game, Denver fans went on to chant "Where is Melo? Where is Melo?". I'm sure they all felt they got what they paid for that night with a 117-94 Nuggets victory.
  The Nuggets are tied for the NBA's best home record at 30-3 with none other than their streaking partners, the Miami Heat. They have defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzles, Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers during this streak and are red hot as they prepare to take on the Chicago Bulls on Monday night. One thing is for sure: no Western Conference team should want to see the Nuggets in the playoffs, especially in the first round, as they are a dangerous team that can definitely pull off an upset, if you can even call it that with the way they are rolling. Will they defeat Chicago on Monday and reach 12 consecutive wins and to tie a record for the longest winning streak in franchise history? Check in with me @RealRundown and find out!

Sources: NBA

"And The Heat Goes Onnn!"

  After last night's 107-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, The Miami Heat have now won 21 straight games, the 3rd best winning streak in NBA history. I won't bore you with the numbers that the Big 3 have been putting up because it goes without saying that they are phenomenal. Not only have Wade, James, and Bosh been productive but Miami's bench has consistently been reliable for them over this outstanding stretch. I'm more concerned with the residual effects and questions that stem from a streak like this though. What does this say to rivals? What are rivals saying about it? When will it end? When should it end?
  Once Miami hit about the 12 game mark, analysts began to try to predict when this could end. Indiana and Milwaukee were both teams that were thought to be possible teams to snap the streak up to this point and the Heat defeated both teams convincingly (beating each team by atleast 12 points). Monday night Miami will face their conference rivals: the Boston Celtics. The last time the clubs met marked the first game Boston would be without their starting point guard Rajon Rondo for the remainder of the season due to an ACL injury. The Celtics didn't fold though and are now 15-6 without Rondo. Boston is a sure threat to snapping the Heat's streak. Assuming the Heat win tomorrow night in Toronto and the streak builds to 22 games, this will be the second team the Celtics have faced in the last 5 years on a 22-game winning streak. What was the result last time? The Celtics snapped the 2007-08 Houston Rockets team's winning streak in an 94-74 blowout win. Miami enters the Celtics' building on March 18th. exactly 5 years to the day that the Celtics beat that Rockets team. Yesterday Boston Celtics players Paul Pierce and Jason Terry were asked by the media how they felt about the Miami Heat's streak and they replied respectively:

"I really don't even care. I hope they lose every game the rest of the season. I just worry about what this team does."

"Not really impressed with it or anything they do."

  Wow. Pretty salty and unprofessional statements in my opinion. I'm all for competition and rivalry but I think those comments did more fueling to the Heat's "fire", if you will, and conveyed more of a jealous undertone than hype up an anticipated showdown. But we will surely see what happens on Monday night. Unfortunately for Miami, that game will be on the back end of a back-to-back road game trip.
  When will the run end? I believe the Heat will prevail against the Celtics. They are simply a better and different team since their last meeting on January 27th which was a double OT win for Boston. For future games however, whether the streak is still intact or not, as a fan I would hope that if Miami is to ever get down into a deep hole late in the game, they will give it a rest. With only 18 games left until the playoffs and the injury bug very busy around the league lately I'm much less concerned about the glitz and glam that come with a record breaking winning streak and more considered with the physical health and durability of each player on the roster during the time that matters: the postseason. This team was assembled to win championships and that's what fans want to see. I can do without watching LeBron and Dwyane making Herculean efforts and doing Olympic gymnast moves in an attempt to erase a 10-point deficit with a minute and a half left to go in a game. It's just too big of a risk. If that kind of situation doesn't occur, I would say the sky is the limit for this run. The only other credible and viable threats left for Miami to face are the Bulls and the Spurs (not including Boston).A loss is possible though, however unlikely it may be, because streaks often end when they're least expected to. Surely every team from this point forward will put on their A-game when facing Miami, more than ever before.
   The NBA's longest winning streak in history is 33 games held by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers. Gail Goodrich, guard on that '72 Lakers team, said himself "This is the most serious challenge we've had to our streak. Miami will make a very, very, very serious run at our record." It's good to know everyone isn't on the negative side. Miami's streak the longest streak in NBA history by a defending championship team. So much for that sophomore slump right?
   What do you all think of the comments and how Miami should physically handled themselves from this point forward? Let me know: @RealRundown, @iDreamofJaylee , e-mail me or comment below.

Sources: Bleacher Report, Boston Celtics, ESPN

Someone Else Always Has it Worse..

  Chicago Bulls franchise player and starting point guard Derrick Rose has been the center of much confusion lately. The Bulls have reported that doctors have cleared Rose to return to play, after suffering from a torn ACL last season, yet he has not made a return to the court. Some think he should sit out the remainder of the season if he does not feel ready and others feel that if he's physically capable he should get back out there and try to help his team remain in playoff contention. I'm sure this all has to be frustrating for him because he is undoubtedly a passionate competitor. When Rose should return will be a discussion for another post but his reason for being the news this morning is much more important than any complaints and speculation of his basketball status.
  On Monday, 6-month old Jonylah Watkins was shot 5 times and killed on the Southside of Chicago in the front seat of her father's car. Her father, who allegedly had known gang affiliations, told police the killer began firing as he was changing his daughter. After hearing of the story, Derrick Rose reportedly contacted the Watkins family and offered to pay for Jonylah's funeral. This just shows not only how compassionate Rose is as a person but also how the NBA Cares campaign is not just for show. This is a true act of kindness and sympathy by Rose, who himself recently became a father, as he also tweeted this just days before the shooting:

"What's the most important thing in life? To me, it's FAMILY...If you take away the fame & fortune they're the ones that will always be there"

  Hats off and much respect to Derrick for stepping out for his community in this way. The violence in Chicago is surely getting out of hand. The funeral will take place on Tuesday at 11:00 am.

Top Picture: Rose and Jonylah Watkins in the corner
Bottom Picture: Rose and his son

Sources: VIBE, Altanta Blackstar

NFL Midweek Rundown

  NFL Free Agency kicked off this week on Tuesday and many teams have already made strong moves.  Additionally though, one team's non-move seemed to shock all NFL fans equally. What major things have happened this week in the NFL world?

Welker and New England aren't getting back together

  Initially I, as well as many other NFL fans and analysts, thought that now former Patriots receiver Wes Welker was holding firm to his free agency right but would ultimately end up re-singing with the New England Patriots because of the success that Welker and Tom Brady have had in years prior. Prior to Welker's major move, reports were surfacing that Welker's camp and the Patriots organization were nowhere near reaching an agreement on a new contract for Welker. Yesterday, Welker proved many of our initial predictions to be false when he reached an agreement to sign a 2 year deal with the Denver Broncos for $12 million with an additional $150,000 in incentives for each year he catches more than 90 passes.  Among the other stats I've previously mentioned about Wes, the following just add to the list and lay out the caliber of player the Broncos are receiving.

• Welker has an NFL record 5 seasons with a minimum of 100 receptions. In all 5 of those seasons he has also caught at least 111 passes (Those 90 passes don't seem too unattainable now do they?)
• Recorded 389 first-down receptions since 2007 which is only 3rd on the list behind Reggie Wayne and Roddy White. 
• 1 out of 4 players to be selected to participate in the ProBowl each of the last 5 seasons (along with Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, and Joe Thomas)

  It was an unconfirmed but pretty credible assumption that Tom Brady had taken less money in his recent re-signing contract with the Patriots so that the organization would have money available to re-sign with his favorite receiver, Wes Welker. Reports say that in light of the news of losing Welker Brady is "beyond enraged". The Patriots were not willing to pay Welker $12  million over 2 years but shortly after Welker reached his agreement with Denver, the Patriots agreed to sign former Rams receiver Danny Amendola for $31 million over 5 years which includes $10 million guaranteed. Many New England fans are shocked and confused by this move, as am I. Amendola is 5 years youbger than Welker but his durable is a pretty big question. Peyton Manning stepped in and basically handled the Welker deal himself being very vocal about his wanting to have him as a receiver, according to league sources. I expect the Broncos to make it much deeper into the playoffs this year with the greatness of Peyton Manning and the skill of Wes Welker.

Who's left in Baltimore?

  The Ravens have now let an alarming number of players from their Championship team this past season go. The latest to be released yesterday was safety Bernard Pollard. With the loss of receiver Anquan Boldin, linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, linebacker Paul Kruger, and possibly free-agent safety Ed Reed, Ravens fans are wondering what the Ravens organization is doing or at least going to do. Unfortunately, the Ravens are clearly one of the losers in this scouting season thus far but are a victim of their own great success. They just don't have the money to keep all the productive players they had on their roster.

Miami making moves

  Though they are usually known to make some questionable offseason moves, the Miami Dolphins are coming out as a big win during this scouting season. The club acquired former Steelers receiver Mike Wallace with a $60 million deal over 5 years with $30 million being guaranteed. Wallace had 8 touchdowns and 1,193 receiving yards in 2011 with Pittsburgh. Miami also picked up former Ravens linebacker Danelle Ellerbe for a deal of $35 million over 5 years. Though Miami has loss running back Reggie Bush to the Detriot Lions on a 4 year $16 million deal, the Dolphins look to be in good shape to regroup and have a more successful season this upcoming year.

Ray Lewis has a new job

  Yesterday ESPN hired former linebacker and 2-time SuperBowl champion Ray Lewis as an NFL analyst. Lewis will appear on Sunday and Monday night shows, SportsCenter on occasion, and on some Sunday pregame spots. ESPN reportedly spent the past few months considering Ray Lewis as an employee but also looking into his involvement with a double-murder in 2000. Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in relation to the murder but that didn't stop the speculation and dark cloud that hung over him for years as a result of the association with the incident. ESPN reports that they did discuss the case with Ray but felt that Lewis' debt was paid and the situation was already properly dealt with by law enforcement. Lewis made his debut on ESPN as an analyst yesterday appearing on the 10:00 am episode of SportsCenter and other shows throughout the day. I am excited to see Ray open this new chapter and add this accolade to his resume. Congratulations Ray!

Sources: ESPN, USA Today, Rant Sports

Women Wednesdays: The Box Score

  Now that you ladies know have learned the frontcourt and backcourt positions in basketball and their respective responsibilities, I thought it would be appropriate to teach you all an easy and general way to assess if the players are fulfilling their assignment and are having productive games. By reading the box score, a chart showing the statistics of each player in the game, you can conclude how well the players on your team, or any given team, are doing without even watching the game. Though a box score contains a lot of information, for the sake of quick assessing I'm going to focus on five main categories: points, minutes, assists, rebounds, and field goals made-attempted.
  It is obvious what you will find in the points (PTS) column. However, every player is not expected to have 20 points per game.

• At any given time in the game if the point guard, shooting guard, or small forward has 20 points they have likely had a decent night (depends on the player's normally activity).
• Note: Today's basketball deviates from the traditional set up so some teams may look for those any given 20 from the shooting guard, small forward, and power forward.
• In some cases 20 may be relatively low (for players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant), and in other cases 20 points might be a high scoring night.

  Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers definitely can knock down shots but he isn't heavily relied on to score only averaging 8.3 points per game. However, when you look at the box score and see he had 26 points, with 5 out of 6 of the shots being 3-pointers in Miami's win over the Pacers on Sunday, you can conclude that he had not just a decent but a great game. Chalmers did all of that in 33 minutes which is pretty efficient. Minutes (MIN) compared to the number of points scored for the given player is also a column to look at to see how efficient they are being. If an All-Star player like Dwyane Wade has 20 points and played all 48 minutes of the game, you can conclude that he had just a decent shooting night, though he may have been active in other areas.
  The next column to look in is the assist (AST) column.

• An assist is credited to the player who passes his teammate the ball before a made basket (Only one player can be granted an assist per made basket).
• The column that a great traditional point guard will excel in (Rajon Rondo averaged 11.1 assists this season)
• The shooting guard and small forward can also have a high number of assist in a productive night as well depending on the style of play and skills of that player. 

  After all it is the point guard's job to facilitate so you can expect a large number of assists meaning that he was getting his teammates the ball at the right time and place. If Rondo had a 14 points,12 assists game, you can conclude that he had a good night.
  The rebounds (REB) column is where the frontcourt players are excepted to excel more, the center and power forward in particular.

• Last night Lakers center Dwight Howard scored 39 points along with 16 rebounds in a win against the Magic. 
• 39 points would be outstanding for a player at any position but the 16 rebounds especially means that Dwight stopped a potential minimum of 32 points LA didn't give the Magic a second chance to score and a minimum potential 32 points the Lakers scored from getting the ball back.

 The final column to look at is the field goals made-attempted (FGM-A).

• This column, for jump shooters especially, is probably the best and most objective way to come to a conclusion on the game a player had without watching the game.
• Tells how many shots he made (FGM) compared to the number of shots he attempted overall (FGA). 
• The benchmark to measure shot efficiency is about 50% (Shooting 50% and above, the player had a good shooting game).

 Mario Chalmers had 26 points in 33 minutes on 7/9 shooting (the 7/9 is his FGM-A). That means he made about 78% of his shots which is excellent. It's easy to think your favorite player had a good game  because they finished with 22 points but this column can expose him. He may have attempted significantly more shots than he made which isn't good. This is not to say that under 50% means he had a bad game but he just wasn't very efficient with his shots.

  If a player records a double-double, or even better triple-double, you can easily summarize what you've gathered from the box score.

• Double-Double: a player has scored double digits (10 or more) in two of these categories: points,  assists, rebounds, blocks, or steals. Most commonly seen as points and rebounds or points and assists. (Most likely averaged by frontcourt players)
• Triple-double: a player has scored double digits in three of those same categories. Most commonly seen as points, rebounds, and assists.

For some players, like LeBron James, a double-double is pretty much a normal night. Either way though, if a player records a double-double or triple-double in a game, it is safe to say he had a productive game. 

Sources: ESPN

As the Sports World Turns

  With the March Madness of the NCAA Tournament set to kick off in a little over a week, the NBA Playoffs only almost a month away, NFL Free Agency and official signings beginning tomorrow, and most other sports at the start or in the middle of a thickening plot, these last few days have been very eventful in the World of Sports. Need a quick rundown to digest it all? My pleasure!

Anquan Boldin TRADED

  A few hours ago, breaking news was released that now former Baltimore Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin will be traded to the 49ers for a 6th round draft pick. During this weekend, reports had arisen of Boldin not budging on the Ravens offer to accept a $2 million paycut. Boldin signed a 4-year contract with the organization and was due to make $6 million this year versus the $4 million they were asking him to accept. Even Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco went public in saying he agrees that Boldin should stand his ground in the dispute.  

 All of the speculation ceased earlier today when sources told ESPN that Boldin will be traded to the 49ers. This deal has come as a shock to many Ravens and NFL fans because Boldin had a very productive post-season for the Ravens during their championship run. Boldin had 22 receptions (including 4 Red Zone TD's) and ran for 380 yards in the 2012-2013 postseason. The trade will become official once Boldin passes a physical which he will take once he returns from Africa, where he is currently doing charity work. The 49ers were already a favorite among many to get back to the Superbowl next year and win it. Did they just get that much better?

Streakers brought to a halt

  Last week the Chicago Blackhawks were the most talked about NHL team. The Blackhawks had gone 24 straight games, 30 including last season, scoring at least 1 point. LeBron James, whose team was on its own streak even tweeted on Thursday:

"Hey Chicago Blackhawks, u guys are AWESOME!! #streaking"

  Unfortunately on Friday night, the Blackhawks' streak was snapped by the Colorado Avalanche. Nonetheless, the streak was a great thing for the NHL, who had just ended a lockout before the start of this season, its fans, and the market in Chicago. Since the streak's end though, the team has lost 2 games straight. Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane says that the team just needs to "regroup and get back to the mentality of not wanting to lose."

NBA Conference Players of the Week announced

  Earlier today, the NBA announced that Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade are this week's Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week respectively. It seems that the Lakers are finally starting to "get it" and figure out how to work together to get wins. With yesterday's 90-81 victory over the Bulls, LA is now 2 games over .500 for the first time this season and they currently hold the 8th spot in the West. Bryant averaged 33 points, 8.8 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1 steal over this past week. He put up 2 back-to-back 40+ point games in the midst of all of that in wins against the Raptors and Hornets. At 34 years old, he is playing at a higher level than any other player at his age in NBA history and it is just spectacular to watch. Wade, whose Miami Heat are currently on a franchise and NBA season high 18-game winning streak, has averaged 25.3 points, 5.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 steals (league-leading), all on 60.6% shooting. Though his greatness during this amazing Heat streak has been greatly overlooked due to the performances of LeBron James, Wade is definitely healthy again which is just an added problem for the NBA's 29 other teams. After last night's convincing 105-91 statement win over the Pacers, Miami has not only attained the best record in the NBA (46-14) but also have officially beaten every team in the league this season. Congratulations to both players!

Tiger wins again

 Tiger Woods is surely back and he strikes again! On Sunday in Doral, Florida, Woods won the WGC-Cadillac Championship, recording his 76th PGA Tour title. With Woods finishing at 19-under 269, he won at two strokes ahead of Steve Stricker. Woods, who is currently the number 2 ranked golfer in the world after Roy McIlroy, captures this win at his first World Golf Champions event since 2009. Way to go Tiger!

The everchanging AP Poll and March Madness

  This coming weekend, NCAA Basketball fans and players are anxiously anticipating Selection Sunday, the day that all of the teams that will be in the NCAA tournament are seeded and announced. Over this past weekend, some schools clinched their spot in the tournament including Florida Golf Coast University, only in their second year of eligibility. According to today's update of the AP poll, Gonzaga remains number 1 while Duke climbs back up the ladder to number 2 and Indiana falls to number 3 due to their lost last week to (at the time) number 14 Ohio State . Last night, Indiana beat (at the time) number 7 Michigan in a 72-71 thriller. 

Death at a Funeral

  Ladies and Gentlemen: last night we almost certainly found our NBA dunk of the year, at least thus far. Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan viciously, to say the least, dunked over Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Knight. The video of the dunk as well as Knight's name went completely viral long after the actually action was done. Knight was posterized in the worst way. At one point his Wikipedia page was updated to say that he'd died on March 10th in a game against the Clippers. The cause of death? It was plainly listed as "DeAndre Jordan". To add insult to injury, the Clippers blew the Pistons out of the gym with a 129-97 victory, though I would argue that the Pistons were likely playing with only 4 players on the court after Knight's demise. If you missed the dunk, check it out below! At about :20 seconds, you can catch Jordan's reaction to the assault. 

Sources: Bleacher Report, New York Times, Bloomberg, LA times, NBA, Sports Illustrated 

The Injury Bug Strikes

  This week, a number of NBA franchises have gotten disappointing news of injuries suffered by some of their star players . During this crucial period to improve and/or remain solid right before the playoffs, which teams effected by injury this week are most vulnerable?

  New York Knicks lose two Marquee players

  Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony sustained an injury on Monday night during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Anthony plainly tripped over his own feet, upon attempting to get a few fastbreak points, and landed awkwardly hurting his right knee. As a result, Anthony has missed 3 straight games so far including tonight's game versus the Utah Jazz.

  Hours ago, news broke that Knicks center Amar'e Stoudemire has suffered an injury to his right knee and will undergo surgery this coming week that will put him out for at least 6 weeks. Stoudemire has spent a good portion of his career with the Knicks out due to injury so this would appear to be another disappointing blow to the team. The Knicks have been in a back-and-forth battle with the Pacers for the second seed spot in the East. However, many feel that Anthony and Stoudemire playing together simply does more harm than good for the Knicks and the team is more properous without Stoudemire. I am inclined to agree. We will see just how detrimental the loss of Stoudemire pans out to be. As for Anthony, he is now listed as day-to-day. 

Pacers star still on hold

  After making a fairly brief return, Pacers former team leader Danny Granger is listed to be out as he receives treatment to his sore left knee. Granger, who averaged 18.7PPG and 5.0RPG for the squad last season, was expected to be just an added threat upon his return. The Pacers seem to be doing just fine without him though, currently holding on to the 2nd seed in the East. Granger's health should improve by the start of the playoffs but whether he'll be much of a factor, having missed the majority of the games this season, is something we will all have to find out in April. 

Spurs potential MVP fallen

  San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker sprained his ankle last week and is expected to be out for another 3 weeks. Parker was having an MVP caliber season and some felt he was neck and neck with LeBron James for to earn the award . The Spurs are 2-1 without Parker but the one loss was a 20 point blowout by Portland on Friday night. It is too early to tell if the Spurs will sink or swim without their All-Star point guard but I have faith in Pop and the principles he coaches his team by, Parker or no Parker. San Antonio still holds the top spot in the West by a game and a half.

Utah's Big down but not out

  Utah Jazz center Al Jefferson  averaging 17.7PPG and 9.3RPG, was listed day-to-day this week due to a sprained ankle. After missing 3 straight games, he made his return on Friday night against the Bulls and put up 23 points in a 88-89 loss. Jefferson appears to have recovered from his ankle injury. With the Jazz just barely hanging on to the 8th seed and a very tough schedule ahead for the rest of the season, fans can only hope that this is the case. The Lakers are right on their heels. 

Sources: ESPN NBA

Featured Player of the Week: SHE Got Game

  Often times, male athletes get the crux of the media's attention when excelling in their respective sports, even when there are many female athletes that are deserving of the same recognition. I don't play sports but I have surely encountered my fair shares of doubters and unconvinced looks upon disclosing my love and knowledge of sports, by men and even women. Understanding the constant fight women partake in to even the playing field, this week I will personally highlight a young lady that is shattering records and consistently dominant in her field.

  Meet, or allow me to reintroduce to some of you, Brittney Griner.

  Griner, now a senior at Baylor University, plays center for the reigning NCAA Women's Basketball Champions. Griner led her team to an unbelievable season last year on the road to their National Championship, averaging 23.4PPG, 9.2RPG, and 5.2BPG, and ending with a 40-0 record . Griner has been named the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year all four of her years at Baylor, Big 12's Player of the Year for the last 3 years, the 2012 AP Player of the Year, and a 2012 U.S Olympic team finalist; to name a few. 

  Currently, Baylor is the nation's number 1 ranked women's college basketball team with a 29-1 record. Monday night, the team held their annual Senior Night in which Griner played a game for the record books. Scoring 22 in the first half alone, she finished with 50 points on 21-of-28 shooting from the field in Baylor's 90-68 win over Kansas State. That performance broke a Big 12 women's record for the most points in a game. But she wasn't finished. Griner also moved up to 2nd on the list for most career points scored in Women's Division I history after Monday night's victory. She is only 270 points back from the top spot. 

  With the NCAA tournament approaching, Baylor is favored by many to make it back to the NCAA Final Four and likely capture another title. There is little doubt among most that Brittney Griner will be the number 1 overall pick in this year's WNBA draft. There have even been some who have compared and questioned if Griner could play on and against men's teams. Noted ESPN analyst and columnist Jemele Hill tweeted this during Griner's game on Monday night:

" Britney Griner still has more post moves than Dwight Howard #Fact"

 I'm pretty confident in assuming Griner will stick to dominating women on the court, but nonetheless this woman's outstanding talent is one to be recognized, respected, and remembered.

Missed Brittney's record breaking game on Monday night? Catch brief highlights below.

Sources: Bleacher Report, ESPN, Baylor

NBA Midweek Rundown

  With the playoffs approaching in a little over a month, the pressure is rising for lower seeded teams to either grab or clinch a playoff spot. For higher seeds, the challenge arises to maintain the standing they are at, if not to improve it, to have as much homecourt advantage as possible. It seems to me though that every year around this time of the season a little drama pops up not just on the court, but off of it. What's this week's storyline?

Quiet on The Set: Dwight Howard Drama Take 17

Earlier this week Dwight told KCAL-TV, a Los Angeles CBS affiliate station, when discussing his years with the Orlando Magic:

"My team in Orlando was a team full of people who nobody wanted, and I was the leader and led that team with a smile on my face."

Clearly, that comment did not go over too well with his former Orlando teammates. Orlando Magic point guard Jameer Nelson said via Orlando Sentinel:

"I would be less of a man to comment on certain thing that people comment on about me and my teammates. We had a great run as a group, as core guys, and he was part of it (reaching the 2009 NBA Finals) and for him to say things about anybody in a negative manner, that's up to him."

"That's his opinion. If that's how he feels, that's how he feels."

Former Magic teammate JJ Redick, now a Milwakuee Buck, told ESPNLosAngeles:

"I'm not surprised by it. I would be more surprised when Dwight starts taking responsibility  That would be the most negative thing I can say, but that's the truth."

"You can't take all the credit and not accept any of the blame."

Just when we thought the trade would end the Orlando drama for Howard, the saga continues.

LeBron and Savannah set a wedding date

  News broke on New Years Eve night of 2011 that Lebron James had proposed to his longtime girlfriend and mother of his 2 sons, Savannah Brinson. Recent reports say that the couple have set a date supported by the "Save The Weekend" invites that have leaked online asking guests to clear their calendars between September 13-15 for the wedding and other activities related to the nuptial weekend. The wedding is reportedly expected to be an exotic wedding in San Diego, California. Good for them!

Who has the best Harlem Shake?

  Last Thursday The Miami Heat released a video on YouTube on the team doing a wild dance while wearing costumes representing parodies of themselves to a song called the Harlem Shake by Bauuer, Bauuer. The video quickly went viral igniting a chain effect of millions of people around the nation creating their own Harlem Shake videos. Perhaps the one most directed to the Heat is the version of the Harlem Shake video that the Minnesota Timberwolves released on Tuesday after they were defeated by Miami 97-81 on Monday night. You can be the judge, but to me this video says somebody's still hanging on to the loss. Could this possibly be because of the flagrant foul controversy that took place in the 4th quarter? 

Check out Lebron and Savannah's invitations along with The Timberwolves Harlem Shake video below:

Sources: Necole Bitchie, NBC Sports, USA Today Sports

NFL Midweek Rundown

As the weeks go by in this NFL off-season, front offices are getting more and more busy making deals for contracts, hiring coaches, and trading. What's been the buzz over the past few days?

Joe Flacco becomes highest paid athlete in NFL History

  On Monday, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco signed a new deal with the team for $120.6 million over 6 years, $52 million of which is guaranteed money. In addition, Flacco will receive a $29 million signing bonus. Flacco tells reporters that the new deal wasn't necessarily about the money but more so about him feeling that he was "respected around here [The Ravens organization]". He went on to explain that he feels he is an asset to the team. It is clear that Flacco feels he has earned this contract that not only makes him the highest paid quarterback in the NFL but also the highest paid athlete in NFL History. This past postseason was undoubtedly extremely well-played and impressive by Flacco. He threw 11 touchdown passes with no interceptions while beating Peyton Manning and Tom Brady en route to his first SuperBowl championship and MVP title. However the question remains: Does Flacco deserve to be the highest paid quarterback in this league? Flacco will be receiving more money than what many would call more talented and proven quarterbacks in this league like Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning. Experts do strongly believe though, that Flacco's contract will be reconstructed by 2016.

NFL in Los Angeles?

  The Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) has a plan, unanimously voted in favor of by the Los Angeles city council, they've proposed to the NFL to build a downtown football stadium in hopes of bringing an NFL team back to LA. The league,however, thinks that  the plan won't work because of cost, among other reasons. Off the record, the NFL believes that AEG's plan will cost at least $1.8 billion and in turn is practically unworkable due to their belief that based on the plan it would be either too hard for the AEG to bring in revenue and pay off the debt on the stadium or too hard for the team. AEG's plan calls for the stadium to replace a convention center and be located right across the street from The Staples Center. 

  Los Angeles has a history, though in spurts, of NFL teams in the city. The Cleveland Rams became the first NFL franchise to be located in LA in 1946. In 1980 the Rams moved to Anaheim then shortly after made their ultimate departure from California in 1996 to St. Louis. The Oakland Raiders relocated to LA in 1982 only to move back to Oakland after the 1994 season. AEG is staying hopeful and in contact with the NFL committee that holds the power to relocate a team to Los Angeles. AEG's President Tim Leiweke says they are willing to make changes to the plan.

Darrelle Revis voted off the island?

  New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is recognized by many as one of the games best at his position and surely an asset to any team he plays for, when healthy. Revis would be coming back this season from an ACL injury, playing only 2 games in the 2012-2013 season. The Jets were pretty direct in stating that Revis would be shopped around during this upcoming scouting season. 

  Rumors surfaced about Revis possibly joining to the current NFC champion San Franscico 49ers team. Revis is on record saying he feels he would be an add to this team and 49ers tight end Vernon Davis has made statements of acceptance when asked how he would feel if Revis became a new addition to his team. However recent more rumors say that the 49ers have ".001 on a scale of 1-10" interest in Revis, per a high-ranking team source. A few ESPN and NFL insiders are saying Revis is currently very tough to trade. Though much of this is speculation and guestimation at this point, we will know more in the weeks and months to come as free agency and the NFL draft gets closer.

Wes Welker pumps the Patriots brakes

  New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker says he does not plan to re-sign with the organization before he tests the free agency market. The dynamic tandem him and his quarterback Tom Brady have built is a very dangerous and talented one to face on the field. Welker is Brady's favorite receiver to throw to and Brady has made it clear that he wants to continue to work with Welker. Still Welker fully intend to act on his right to test the market and see what other suitors are wiling to pay for him. He is prepared to part ways with New England for the right offer. 

  If Welker did move on from the Patriots and the organization also releases receiver Brandon Lloyd, which many believe they will, their depth chart for receivers becomes practically non-existent as it will basically be complied of two 2012 street free agents and one 2012 7th round draft pick. However, most analysts feel that Welker will wind up back in New England.

  What's your take? Does Joe Flacco deserve his contract? Would you want another NFL team in LA? What team is the best fit for Darrelle Revis? Will Wes Welker really leave the Patriots organization? Comment below or Tweet me @RealRundown !

Sources: ESPN, SportsCenter, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports