Tag Archives: LeBron James

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Live by the 3, Die by the 3

Basketball, , , ,

b-ballWith 4:39 to play last night, Klay Thompson answered a LeBron James trey with a driving layup.

It knotted the game at 89.

It knotted the points for the Series at 699-699.

As the Louisville Cardinal radio announcer of my youth Ed Kallay would say, “That’s about as close as you can get it.”

At which juncture, the compelling Best of 7 that had gained in intensity, by the day, on the court and off, redlined the Stress Meter past 11.

James missed a 22 footer.

Steph Curry missed a trey.

LeBron misfired on a deuce.

Thompson couldn’t net a two from 15 feet.

Andre Igoudala blocked a James shot at the rim. Then couldn’t find the hole from beyond the arc.

With each possession, the tension became more smothering, sucking the breath out of those who paid $50 large for their courtside seats, those in the bleachers, those in the Square in Cleveland, and folks gathered to watch together on big screens everywhere.

The shut down D continued. So too, the resulting offensive woes. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Live by the 3, Die by the 3 →

Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Hurricane Steph Strikes Again

Basketball, , , , , ,

b-ballFirst, a tip for all my fellow, similarly addled hoopaholics, who, like me, hit the hay early, but still want to savor these incredible late night playoff games from the Left Coast.

Use your DVR. Watch the tilts in the a.m. with your morning joe. (As opposed to “Morning Joe,” which cable “news” show is giving the terminology a bad name.)

Buuuuuuut, remember, don’t be a doofus like me. Set the recording for long enough, so that you can watch the whole game, even when it goes to OT.

So, I saw the boffo highlights as soon as I awakened. Knew that the Warriors beat Portland in overtime. Knew that Steph Curry, after a slow slow start, went for 23 points in the last 9+ minutes of the battle, including 17 in the extra 5.

I made my coffee. Fixed my usual repast of natural crunchy PB on Ambrosia apple, and turned on my recording to the 4th Q.

What a game, even though both Curry and Rip City’s scintillating PG Damion Lillard, both of whom were otherwise transcendent at crunch time, missed shots at the end of regulation that would have ended it.

Then, five seconds into OT, the recording stopped. Because, yeah, truth be told, like a dumb schmuck, I only set the recording time for 2 1/2 hours.

Fortunately, there are enough highlight reels on the dub dub dub, so I have a sense of the whole Curry flurry that felled the T-Blazers . . . but still . . . it was like pulling up short. Fortunately my temporary case of b-ball blue balls has abated.

I shan’t make the same mistake again. Continue reading Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Hurricane Steph Strikes Again →

Tuesday Catch Up: Cards Crash, Cavs Conquer, FIFA Flailing & Other Effluvia

Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, , , , ,

lobsterhat.JPGOkay, for what it’s worth, I’m back on the beat. Spent a long weekend in Boston/ Maine, with some old pals, swapping tales and hurling insults. During which interlude, I did my best to deplete the crustacean population during what I’m told is a bumper season for lobsters.

Lobster Roll at Fenway. (Where I witnessed arguably the most fundamentally unsound major league baseball game ever contested. Matched in college by U of L’s lapses against Fullerton.) Lobster Omelet at Inn By The Sea. Lobster Pizza at Saltwater Grill. Lobster Chowder at Union Oyster House. And, thus obsessed, felt compelled to purchase not one, but two, lobster adorned baseball caps to commemorate the indulgence. One of which, the “Mother of All Lobster Caps,”  I am wearing in the photo.

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University of Louisville baseball fans feel they “wuz robbed,” after losing last night’s extra inning affair. Cal State Fullerton, feisty, unrelenting, advanced to the CWS on a controversial 11th inning homer by David Olmedo-Barrera.

Robbed? Maybe so. Maybe not. Continue reading Tuesday Catch Up: Cards Crash, Cavs Conquer, FIFA Flailing & Other Effluvia →

Brooms ‘r’ Us: Cavs, GState Sweeping Along

Basketball, , , ,

b-ballWasn’t it just a bit more than a week ago, when I, who would portend some hoops expertise, declared that the Warriors would have to best their arch rival Clippers in the Western Finals to make it to the Championship Round?

Yes, it was.

We all know how that’s workin’ for me. And Steve Ballmer’s LA LAs. Not well.

So, it is with a minimal but palpable modicum of trepidation that I declare there shall be a Warriors vs. Cavaliers, Left Coast vs. Midwest, King LeBron vs. Prince Stephen, Injury Depleted vs. Relatively Healthy, Ratings Worthy NBA Final betwixt and between The Team on the Lake vs. The Team from the Bay.

Golden State vs. Cleveland.

It oughta be interesting. Continue reading Brooms ‘r’ Us: Cavs, GState Sweeping Along →

Monday Morning Breakaway: Soccer, Cycling and, Of Course, College Basketball & LeBron

Announcing, Baseball, Basketball, Cycling, Golf, Soccer, , , ,

cardsNow that the silly ol’ World Cup foolishness is over, you know the fütbol tournament without Jim Nantz calling play by play, the one to which only 800 million people watched the final. Now that it’s out of our minds for another four years, we can get back to what really matters.

Which is what 12 year old future superduperubersuperstar baller is dazzling the recruiting gurus at the Sebastian Telfair Humpty Dumpty Jamboree? And which 47 middle schools are still on his narrowed list for possible attendance?

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I was going to talk about various topics in a different order, but, trying to serve my public, I’ll get to what you want to read about most, first.

College hoops. Continue reading Monday Morning Breakaway: Soccer, Cycling and, Of Course, College Basketball & LeBron →