Results tagged “Howard” from Robert Littal Presents The Infamous BlackSportsOnline

No one was surprised when Sammy Sosa's name was linked to steroids. Hardly anyone doubts the accuracy of the 2003 drug test that Sosa failed. Sosa was just another big name in the dozens that have been dropped sporadically over the past several years. It seems that every month, the league will expose another big name player as a certified steroid abuser. Many big name stars today are just waiting for the other shoe to drop (I'm looking at you Pujols, Pudge, Griffey Jr...)

Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and David Wright are a few of the remaining players untainted by steroids in baseball. A couple years ago, it was fun for fans to guess which players were possibly on steroids. Players with big heads, pimples, and bad attitudes all became prime suspects.

The conversation via Third Quarter Collapse, after the jump.

Before you read my final thoughts about Kobe Bryant to truly understand what I think we have to go back in time. To see the true evolution of Kobe through my eyes via snippets of my most famous Kobe Bryant articles.

"This is a make or miss league"

Jeff Van Gundy

Such an obvious and simple statement, yet one of the realest things ever spoken by a NBA commentator. Sometimes the games are so over analyzed and dissected that the obvious is missed. If Courtney Lee makes a lay up (albeit a difficult one) at the end of game 2 are the Lakers still in control of this series? Analysts, to justify their salaries, always come up with reasons beyond the obvious such as weak side defense and pick and roll offense. But it really just comes down to MAKING shots.

In game 1 of the NBA finals the Magic group of Rafer Alston, Michael Pietrus, Courtney Lee and Jameer Nelson shot a combined 13-41. All we heard was how the Lakers had stepped up their defensive intensity. Oh these are the Lakers that can't be beat when they play defense like that. I went back through the game and saw that group of players along with JJ Reddick missed 21 open shots. Yeah, maybe a late close out by a defender but in general good clean looks at the basket. The Lakers basically stated their game plan was to leave Alston open. So their stated defensive plan to leave the 4th best shooter on the team open is brilliant?

Opportunity is like a female that both you and your friend have been wanted to get with for a very long time. Luckily for you this time she knocks on your door first, but you are sleeping or cutting the grass in the backyard and don't hear the door. Unfortunately opportunity is impatient and quickly moves on to your friend who is more than happy to take care of her.

Right now the Orlando Magic are watching opportunity play some "Bed Gammon" with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dwight Howard didn't have his best game last night, but he had the best commercial. Check out the Vitaminwater spot that Superman produced and directed himself.

Check me out breaking down the NBA Finals and why I believe the Lakers will win. You will also get guest appearances from Ron Jeremy and The Rock.

I will be twittering live each game of the NBA Finals: http://www.twitter.com/BlkSportsOnline

For the written version of the pick just keep reading & if you don't mind hype up the story by clicking the BallHype Arrow:

Unless you've slipped into a slight coma for the past week or so, you know all about the crushing upset the Orlando Magic pulled over the Cleveland Cavaliers, or, as most sports announcers would rather call them, the LeBron James'. You've probably also seen the Los Angeles Lakers, or, as Jerry West would like to call them, the LeBron James', pull out their respective Conference Finals' win over the Denver "Knucklehead" Nuggets.

Disappointments aside, forget about whom you'd rather see, take a moment and celebrate the NBA in all its glory. The Magic has proven that you don't need a bandwagon full of supporters to throw it down on your way to the Promised Land, and Kobe has proven that even a habitual complainer and a borderline scientologist (sorry, his press conferences remind me of Tom Cruise's interview with Matt Lauer) can prevail--to a point--without the Big Nickname mumblin' and stumblin' under the basket.

What we're going to witness, hopefully, is a full seven-game series of pure, unadulterated, highly entertaining basketball, with the winner being able to achieve the feat with gamesmanship, grace, and only three flagrant fouls per game.

For all the gambling types out there, this one may be too close to call.

I must admit I might be the greatest Tweeter of all time (http://www.twitter.com/BlkSportsOnline). Lord knows I am better than Diddy and Soulja Boy. I have had some legendary twitter conversations for the Cheating Commandments to Mike Brown offensive sets, so if you aren't following me you definitely should start because you are missing out.

Last night I was getting my Tweet on during the Magic vs. Cavs game (I normally twitter during every major sporting event in real time). I was doing what I do when I made a crack about Dwight Howard. To put this into context I joke about everyone while I am twittering. No one is immune to my wrath especially when I am on a roll. I mix in humor with real analysis about what is going on during the events. It is what makes people want to follow me. With that being said here is what I said verbatim last night:

"Dwight Howard knocked up the 1st chick he played "Bed Gammon" with & she just happened to be a Magic Cheerleader. "Pimp Focus" not strong"

Sike.

Only if I'm bleeding from the top of my head would I seriously say something like that. Dwight Howard is better than Andrew Bynum, and if I ever change that statement, you'll know that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong in either Dwight Howard's career or my mental state.

But when I watch Andrew Bynum play, I see him doing some of the things that I want to see from Dwight Howard. No, not pouting or getting shoved out of the way. I'm talking about post moves. For the first six to eight minutes of every Lakers game, Andrew Bynum is one of the top three centers in the league.

The Lakers throw the ball into Bynum, he sets up and he goes to work. Hookshots, drop steps, up-and-unders; he's a "Dream Shake" away from being Hakeem Olajuwon. He follows shots, he rebounds, he changes the shots of opponents...and then after the first eight minutes are up, he's done for the night. If Lakers' games were only one quarter long, the Lakers would have lost about two games all season and Bynum would have been in MVP contention.

Was Dwight Howard wrong for calling out his coach after the Orlando Magic's Game 5 loss to Boston? We can debate that forever and in truth, he probably was. After all, it's not like he did anything to step up to stop the bleeding during that fourth quarter collapse. Plus, calling out people is the press isn't for everyone, because he's not Phil Jackson.

But I do believe that this is a step in the right direction in the evolution of Dwight Howard. It wasn't that long ago that he planned on converting all of his teammates.

Dwight Howard has always been accused of being too nice. He's always joking, smiling, and laughing; enjoying himself. What's wrong with this guy? He's out there, having fun playing basketball, when he needs to get serious about this kid's game that he's paid millions to play. He should have never let Nate Robinson jump over him to win the slam dunk contest. He should have put his boot heel on Robinson's throat to assure that he won this exhibition that will do as much for his career as it did for Harold Miner's. The kid's just got no killer instinct, no competitive drive. He's just having too much fun.

Memo to Dwight Howard:

I like Dwight Howard I think he is the new "Shaq Twitterezzy" (you can follow me and Shaq on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/BlkSportsOnline), but sometimes you should just keep some things to yourself.

I like Beyonce as much as anyone else (I am hypnotized by the "Diva" Video), but I can tell you from personal experience that females don't look to kindly on men dancing to "Single Ladies".

Ask anyone about a deadbeat dad and you will get a mixture of responses. Some, tinged with the hurt, bitterness and resentment of a mother, daughter or son left forlorn and abandoned from a immature and heartless "man" concerned more about his own self-interests than raising his child while others share a story of an upstanding man attempting a life of shared custody only to be bombarded with accusations of being a deadbeat simply because he has no desire to be in a romantic relationship with his child's mother. Both scenarios are all too common and although the single parent household epidemic knows no color boundaries, it has hit no racial group harder than the Black family.

These days, the two parent household is a rarity. With a 50% divorce rate, there's a 1 in 2 chance that a romantic relationship ending in marriage will not eventually wind up in divorce court. Studies have concluded that children that are a by-product of a fatherless home often fare worse in life than those in a two parent home and are subject to greater bouts of depression, violent behavior, emotional stress and earlier experimentation with drugs, alcohol and sex due to poverty (Ketteringham: Associated Content 2007)

READ MORE ON THE AFFECTS OF SINGLE PARENT HOUSEHOLDS ON CHILDREN

So when Litall text me about Chris Bosh, affectionately nicknamed CB4 Chris Bosh, face of the Toronto Raptors' Chris Bosh, being sued by his former live-in girlfriend, 28 year old Allison Mathis, for child support, I was initially confused.

Is there anything that Dwight Howard can't do? I am just chilling on a boring Sunday listening to my cousin's very loud husband trying to explain to me how Ray Lewis really wants to come to the Saint Louis Rams not the Dallas Cowboys when out the blue "Superman" flicks this 75 foot shot and hits nothing but net.

Just the fact that he doesn't even seem like he is trying is what makes it even more amazing. Maybe he isn't human? Maybe he is an alien.

Why couldn't Charles Barkley do that in the T-Mobile commercial against DWade?

Why is my cousin's husband telling me that Tracy McGrady is going to be on the Clippers next year?

Anyway enjoy this BlackSportsOnline exclusive.

The 2009 McDonalds All American teams tomorrow, Feb. 18 at 6:30 p.m. ET on:

The blog is chalk full of updates and news surrounding the McDonald's All American Games and relevant basketball topics and will be the place for fans to visit when we announce the team tomorrow.

Dwight Howard is on the Advisory Council for the site and considering last night he put up 45 Points, 19 Boards and 8 Blocks he should be great inspiration to all of these young men and women in High School that hard work and a positive attitude can really make a difference in your lives.

So be sure to check it out and see who will be the future stars of College Basketball and the NBA.

There are several people outside the Denver (or New Orleans) area that have probably never heard of the name Chris Andersen. If you haven't, you probably don't watch much basketball.

Andersen, also known as 'The Birdman (a self-imposed nickname),' is among the league leaders in blocks per game at 2.0 (currently ranks 4th), and does so in 18.8 minutes per game. Pretty amazing! Imagine what he would do in 36 minutes...

So, when Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post asked about his defensive prowess, Birdman was neither too shy or...well, too bright...

More after the jump...

Besides being personally invited to the inauguration by President Barack Obama himself, what does All-Star Dunk Champion, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic have going for himself that other All-Star team members don't? How about the most votes by any player in All-Star game history! Of the 66 starters and reserves, Howard shattered All-Star ballot records by being the first player to reach the 3 million vote mark in All-Star game's 58 year history! Howard had a whopping 3,150,181 votes, followed by Lebron at 2,940,823 votes, Kobe at 2,805,397 votes, D-Wade at 2,741,413 votes and Tim Duncan at 2,578,168 votes to round out the top five most voted players.

People weighed in around the world to cast their vote for their favorite player(s) for the Eastern Conference vs Western Conference showdown aka NBA All-Star Game taking place Sunday, February 15th in Phoenix.

In case the words "Superman Dunk" don't mean anything to you, you might want to check out these highlights from last year's dunk contest. You might just learn something!

Dwight Howard 2008 NBA All-Star Dunk Contest - "Superman Dunk"

You see that vertical? SUPERMAN! Dan-dan-da-duhhhh, dun-dun-da-da-duhhhhh, dan-dan-da-duh-duh-duh-da-duhh!!!! (*playing Superman theme music)

Rudy Fernandez has won the 4th dunker spot in the 2009 Sprite Slam Dunk contest. With 251,868 votes, Portland's Fernandez edged Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook (147,279) and Milwaukee's Joe Alexander (114,963).

Rudy thanks the fans and shows off some dunks in this new video:

Now that the rookie representative has been chosen, the three other dunkers in this year's contest have released intro videos explaining why they think they will be this year's Sprite Slam Dunk champion. Take a look below:

Sometimes a picture is worth a 1000 words.