The Pendleton Panther

The mother of Phoenix Suns Amar’e Stoudemire was arrested on Saturday for failure to have an ignition interlock device on her vehicle according to different sources.  Carrie Stoudemire was stopped when her Lincoln Navigator was straddling two lanes on the highway while going sixty mph.  Officers found her eyes to be watery and glossy when they pulled her over.  Carrie claimed she was on her way to an alcohol class and had no idea that she needed to have an ignition interlock device on any motor vehicle she owned.  With many previous run ins with the law from charges with DUI’s to prostitution, the ignition interlock device I believe was in her best interest.  The device requires her to blow into it to read her BAC.  If too high, the car will not start.  When Stoudemire refused to partake in a field sobriety test, she was handcuffed and put in the back of the police car.  She was later released with charges of speeding, operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock device, and failure to stay in one lane.

Being in Orlando for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, was a certainly a blast. I am a huge Celtics fan, and was lucky enough to get tickets to the game in Orlando on sunday. The Celtics came out looking strong. Paul Pierce opened the game up with a three-pointer and the Celtics went rolling from there. At one point in the first half the Celtics were leading the game 29-14. Watching the Magic warm up was certainly a shock, they were not even taking the game seriously. They were clowning around, and

Celtics "Dancers"

more focused on making the fans laugh than they were on the game. Meanwhile, they Celtics were extremely focused and it showed early in the game. However, when the lead was cut to nine by the half, thoughts of a late game comeback had aroused. The Celtics came out strong for the third quarter, but in the fourth quarter they did not score in 5:30 and the Magic were able to get back in the game. With just 2 minutes left in the game the Celtics were up only by 5. But surprisingly, and only surprisingly because of the year they had this year, they were able to hold it out and get the win. It was certainly sweet walking out of that stadium with a vicotry, and watching 25,000 Magic fans leave utterly disgusted.

This year the playoffs has been maybe the most exciting potentially, the reason many people were so amped up was because of the chance of Kobe vs. Lebron.  The Cavs cruised through the first round without any real difficulties, the lakers do the same.  Then the Cavaliers faced the Celtics, this might be the most challenging match until the finals.  The Cavs went up two to one and one of those games Lebron James scored 21 points in the first quarter which was more than the next game unfortunately.  The Cavs won that game, to make it two to one and then the Celtics fought back and demolished the Cavaliers by ten to tie the series up.   The next game was set in Cleveland, the crowd and all fans watching and hoping that Lebron James can do the impossible, be the best that he is.  Unfortunately he did not play as well as expected he only scored 15 points, some people in Cleveland say that he did it on purpose so when he gets traded (due to the fact that his contract is up),  it will be easier for him to exit Cleveland without any major issues, I however disagree with this conspiracy.  Lebron is going to win the next game and bring it back to Cleveland!

The Memphis Grizzlies have sent 7′ 3″ center Hasheem Thabeet to the NBA Developmental League. Thabeet, the #2 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft out of the University of Connecticut, is the highest draft pick ever to be sent to the D-League. Even though the Grizzlies said that it would be a long-term project with Thabeet, he lost his minutes to second-year center Hamed Haddadi of Iran. Thabeet will play for the Dakota Wizards. Thabeet, who is 23 years old, had been averaging just 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game for the Grizzlies. Thabeet replaces Martell Webster, who was picked sixth overall in 2005 and sent to the D-League in 2006, as the highest draft pick ever to be sent to the D-League. However, Thabeet is still young and could still become a good NBA player in the future.

Kobe Bryant

After 5 games with Kobe out of the team due to an injury on his left ankle, Los Angeles Lakers are glad to have their #24 back on the court. It is the first time in his 13 seasons in the Californian franchise that Bryant couldn’t play a game due to an injury. The team was able to handle this loss, but his return couldn’t have been better. Yesterday in the FedEx Forum, home of the Memphis Grizzlies, he made the last 6 points of his team, finishing with a three-pointer with less than 5 seconds left that left the scoreboard reading 98-99 after the buzzer. Lakers were losing 98-96 and Memphis had two free throws to close the match, but Mayo couldn’t handle the pressure and missed both. It was then that Kobe came out with his magic and gave Phil Jackson’s team their seventh win in the last ten games.

Tracy McGrady has been traded to the New York Knicks. In a three-team deal, the Knicks acquired McGrady from the Houston Rockets and Sergio Rodriguez from the Sacramento Kings. Houston gets Kevin Martin and Hilton Armstrong from Sacramento, and Jordan Hill and Jared Jeffries from New York. Sacramento gets Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey from Houston and Larry Hughes from New York. Houston also has the right to swap first-round picks with New York in 2011, and the Rockets also get New York’s 2012 first-round pick. The 2011 pick is top-1 protected and the 2012 pick is top-5 protected. This deal helps the Knicks because it puts them $30 million below the salary cap on July 1. Then they can pursue star free agents such as Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Arenas (left) and Crittenton (right)

The Washington Wizards have suffered from a major loss.  Their all-star point guard had been indefinitely suspended for bringing a gun into the Wizard’s locker room after an altercation with a teammate.  Apparently, Javaris Crittenton and Arenas got into a fight after a poker game, and both brought fire arms into the locker room as a pointless way of imitation.  Crittenton was also suspended from the remainder of the 09′-10′ season.  Neither player will be paid while they serve their suspension time.  Arenas will not be being paid his $147,200 per game and Crittenton will not receive his $13,435 per game.

This is just the beginning of Gilbert’s problems though.  He pleaded guilty to felony gun charges on January 15th and has not been sentenced yet.  The punishment in Washington, D.C. has a minimum of one year in jail, so he will be lucky if he only spends that amount of time behind bars.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis

Glen “Big Baby” Davis has been fined 25,000$ by the NBA for getting caught on camera saying a certain three word phrase.  The phrase that rhymed with “duck pie stick” was shouted into the stands at fans during a recent game.  When your nickname is “Big Baby” your prone to be made fun of, especially by the opposing fans.  Doc Rivers, the Coach of the Boston Celtics came out with a statement saying, “Glen Davis needs to grow up.”  In my opinion though, if he wasnt grown up, he wouldn’t have the 25,000$ in his bank account to pay the fine.

This is just another example of how athletes cannot get away with anything.  The camera is always on them at all times, and they are never cut a break.  Athletes need to watch what they say or else those fines will add up.  Unless of course, your name is Charles Barkley.

New Jersey Nets during a timeout.

The New Jersey Nets are arguably the worst team in NBA history, starting their season with the worst record in NBA history.  The New Jersey Nets have an embarrassing record of 0 wins and 18 losses.  This beat the previous worst start to a season of 17  losses, which was held by the Miami Heat.  Only 7 NBA teams have ever lost 18 games or more in a row.  The current record for the most consecutive losses by an NBA team is 23, which is held by the 1997- 1998 Denver Nuggets and the 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies.  “This is one of those growing pain times,” Vandeweghe said before tip-off. “When you basically start over, start a rebuild, you’re going to go through some tough times. Nobody expects 17 in a row.” The next chance the Nets have to end this horrible losing streak will be on friday against the Charlotte Bobcats, who are being coached by a Nets previous coach Larry Brown, who left the Nets going into the 1983 season.

Allen Iverson

Reports out of Philadelphia are that Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers are close to a reunion after several years apart. Iverson this past week announced that he would be retiring from professional basketball. However, fans all over the country knew this four-time scoring champion had a lot left in the tank and wasn’t ready to give up the game he loves, just yet. The Sixers have offered Iverson a one-year; “non-guaranteed” contract for the rest of the season. The Sixers are a mere 5 and 13 but bringing in Iverson should add points to the scoreboard and put people in the stands. Iverson has been a part of four teams in his career but it all began for him when the Philadelphia Sixers took him with the number one pick in the 1996 draft. Being from Philadelphia myself, the town celebrated Iverson and loved him when he was there and I am sure that the fans will welcome him back with open arms. The Sixers are clearly struggling and Iverson could be the boost on and off the court that the team needs. Iverson has always been my favorite player and it would be a thrill to get to see him play in Philadelphia again.

Abdul-Jabbar has been fighting cancer since last December

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is seen by most people as the best basketball player of all time. He was a six time MVP of the NBA and he still is the all time leading scorer in the history of the NBA. Kareem was truly untouchable in his NBA career, he was the greatest. However, his life took a turn for the worst in December in 2008 when he was told by doctors at UCLA that he had a rare form of Leukemia. At the time no one was sure what would happen to the all time leading scorer of the NBA, but today we do know. Doctors have told him that he can live out the rest of his life and he won’t have to make any drastic changes to his lifestyle. Abdul-Jabbar is taking an oral medication to help his symptoms of the cancer, but he is doing fine and is fighting the cancer as best as he can. Even thought that the doctors said that he could live a normal life there is still a small chance that the cancer could spread to other parts of the body. Which could cause him to be in a worse situation than he is now. But as of right now he is doing fine and he will still continue to help big men in the NBA with the skills as long as he can.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4640518

Rondo has agreed to a 55 million dollar contract with the Boston Celtics

In 2006 Rajon Rondo left the University of Kentucky after his sophomore year of school. Almost everyone that was a Kentucky basketball fan said that Rondo was not ready for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Critics said that Rondo was not strong enough; he didn’t have a good enough jump shot and he couldn’t go to his left. In 2006 Rondo was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the first round at number 21.  The day after the draft he was traded to the Boston Celtics.  Being drafted that high in the NBA draft silenced the critics for only a few months, however they came back saying that they were right about Rondo and said he would never make it. After one year, Rondo worked his way into some playing time and in 2008 he earned the starting point guard job at Boston Celtics.  Then the funniest thing happened; all of the critics that said that Rondo would never make it started to praise him saying that they always knew he would make it. After Rondo averaged 11.9 points, 8.2 assists, and 5.2 rebounds a game in 2008 he as of yesterday signed a 5 year extension on his contract. Rondo is garneted 55 million dollars over the next 5 years. One NBA championship ring, a starting point guard job, and a 55 million dollar contract has silenced his critics for good!

The Spanish basketball team won last weekend the only title they were missing. After a World Championship and a  silver medal in the Olimpics (where they put the NBA stars into serious trouble), and a second place in the previous European Championship, the “golden generation” ended fantastically the most successful four-year period in their history. The Spanish team dominated the game from the beginning, with Pau Gasol as a leader, and even though the Serbians put their two biggest pivots to defend him, he only needed 20 minutes to score 18 points and 11 rebounds. When Gasol was well defended, the rest of the team would cover his back. Before half-time, the difference was of 24 points for Spain, and the extremely young Serbian team – 4 of their 5 starters are 22 years old or less – couldn’t do anything to come back. Pau Gasol, maximum scorer, maximum number of rebounds, and MVP of the tournament, said after the game: “This is the medal we all wanted. It has been a very tough championship, but our team deserves everything. This is just amazing”.

When the majority of the world sees Michael Jordan (MJ) on TV he is making a big shot in the playoffs or holding another MVP trophy. Rarely did we see MJ like we saw him on September 11 2009… He was crying like a little baby. Of course, a lot of people would be crying too if you were thought to be the greatest basketball player of all time and your career was coming to an end. However MJ didn’t let his fans down. He thanked them all for there support and thanked every coach he ever had. On the other hand, some people thought that his speech was cocky and arrogant. People think that it was wrong to invite the player that made the varsity team instead of him to his hall of fame induction and make fun of him on how he never made it and he did. Or stabbing his teammates and North Carolina in the back by having a North Carolina State coach standing on the stage with him while he was giving his speech. However, MJ has the right to do all that he does as he is considered the greatest basketball player of all time. Regardless if he would shoot over you, dunk on top of you or talk trash, he still is the greatest player. “I don’t look at being inducted into the hall of fame as the end of my career, but as a continuation of something I started a long time ago. Who knows maybe you’ll look up and see me playing at fifty. O don’t laugh because limits are like fears the are often just an illusion.” Michael Jordan Class of 2009

We all know and remember Michael Jordan for his career on the basketball court which includes many Championships, MVP seasons, scoring titles, defensive player of the year awards and much more. Today, Jordan was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was a great day for the Greatest basketball player to ever step foot on a basketball court. Some people might forget though that he also was a good baseball player. Terry Francona, who is now the manager for the Boston Red Sox, managed Jordan in the minor leagues and said that Michael could have made it to the major leagues if he had stuck with baseball. Jordan made it to double-A before hanging up his cleats. Then Michael Jordan put his sneakers back on and returned to the NBA where he finished up his incredible career.  Congratulations to Michael Jordan for making the NBA Hall of Fame.

As the Celtics entered game 4 in Orlando they found themselves in an unfamiliar position, down 2 games to 1 and on the road. The Celtics needed a road win in order to tie the series up and have a legitimate chance to win the series. The Celtics have proven in the first round of the playoffs that they can rise to the occasion and overcome adversity, winning again and again in overtime over the Chicago Bulls. In game 4, the Celtics were down 1 point to the Magic with 11.4 seconds left, head coach Doc Rivers drew up a play to get his star Paul Pierce open for the game winning shot. Unfortunately the Celtics had to adapt as the Magic double teamed Paul Pierce, leaving center Glen “Big Baby” Davis wide open. Glen Davis rose to the occasion and knocked down the shot as the time ran out, giving the Celtics a tied series and a chance to go up 3-2 in the series at home. The Celtics seem to be that Cinderella story in the playoffs this year; hopefully they can continue playing with heart and win the series.

It was announced that Lebron James will receive the award for MVP in the NBA before his next home playoff game. This is truly outstanding and in some ways unbelievable. Lebron James is the second youngest player to win the award, behind Wes Unseld who won it in 1969. Lebron James at 24 years old has a very bright future in front of him in the NBA and possibly could be the league’s next Micheal Jordan. Averaging 28 points a game, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and almost 2 steals a game shows that Lebron is an all around player. He showcases his talent on the big stage, always works hard to improve things in his game, and tries to get his teammates involved during the game. With a record of 66-16, the best record for the Cleveland Cavaliers by far, Lebron has shown why he is the most valuable player in this league and why he will most likely have many more to come in the future.

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The first round of the NBA playoffs has come to an end. There were some really good games. The Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics series was the best series so far. With 7 overtimes being played. Every game someone would have to come up big to keep the game going. Ben Gordon was probably the best player in the series, he had three games where he scored over 30 points. So he put the bulls on their back and carried his team. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant had good first round games, Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Pistons. I think that the Orlando Magic will beat the Boston Celtics in five games and The Cavaliers will win their series in six games. The Lakers and Rockets could have a long series and so will the Nuggets and Mavericks. This will be a good year to watch the NBA Playoffs. I hope the Magic win it all.

With the first round in the books, the NBA is now one step closer to crowning the 2009 Finals Champion. At this point in time, it is pretty clear to me who will keep advancing and who will slip up. Celtics- the defending champions narrowly escaped their Chicago opponent, and now have their sights set on the Magic. While they struggled in the first round, I believe they will get it together and win this series in six games. The Hawks, on the other hand, will not have time to get it together as they face a red hot Lebron in Cleveland. Lebron will not even let them have a chance at an upset and will win this series in 5 games. Now the West, however, is a little bit harder to predict. With Denver already up 1-0 on the Mavs, they have the upper hand, but Dallas is playing too good to let this one get away from them and will win this in a hard fought 7 game series. The Rockets are having a good time, making it to the second round for the first time in 12 years. Unfortunately, this is as far as they are advancing as the Lakers will take this series in five or six games.

This could definitely play a huge fact in the series between the Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers, Dwight Howard will be suspended for game 6 for elbowing the head of 76ers center Samuel Dalembert . Howard is one of the top players in the league. His presence will be missed on both sides of the ball offensively and defensively. This series could be going into game 7 now that his all star presence won’t be there in a crucial game for the 76ers because it is a win or go home game for them. There were a lot of hard decisions that NBA front office had to make with Dwight Howards call and Rajon Rondo’s call in the Boston-Chicago series. We will just have to wait and find out if the Magic can get the job done without their all star in the lineup and close the series.

Was it fair enough to lose Kevin Garnett in the playoffs?  Boston Celtics look even more unlikely to defend their championship this year after losing key reserve Leon Powe for the remainder of the playoffs with a torn ACL. Everything has gone wrong lately for the Celtics with injuries to key players, let’s see if the other superstars on the team can get it done, but this year it will be really hard to defend their title missing those key pieces. In my opinion, I don’t think they can win this year without those guys, if they do other guys are going to have to play better than expected, and it will be really hard to defeat the Cavaliers especially with Lebron James playing amazing right now. I guess we’re just going to have to wait and see what they can do without two key players that they need.

The NBA playoffs started this past weekend. Everyone’s predictions about the NBA’s final matchup will be between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers. This would be the dream matchup but I think this matchup will not happen. The Lakers are definitely the best team in the west but they are not a lock. The Denver Nuggets could make an upset in the West. The best two teams in the East I think are the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic. These two teams will be playing in the Eastern Conference Finals. I think that the Orlando Magic will come out on top. The Matchup will be the L.A. Lakers and the Orlando Magic and the Lakers will win in 6 games. These playoffs will have a lot of really good games. The NBA playoffs is where amazing happens and everyday amazing things will happen every day. The NBA playoffs are awesome.

DAYUMM!!!

Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls put on an amazing performance against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2009 NBA playoffs. Rose made an outrageous first game performance with 36 points and 11 assists as a rookie. This tied Kareem Abdul Jabbar for the record of points made during a player’s first career playoff game. It seems to show that Derrick Rose doesn’t need previous experience in the playoffs to perform, as he showed the whole country on Saturday against the defending NBA champions the Boston Celtics. Many people’s hopes are high, and the city of Chicago is hoping that Rose is their next Micheal Jordan for the next decade.  Rose came out of his first year of college with the Memphis Tigers and went straight to the top of the NBA draft. He hasn’t let anyone down yet so far, but I believe that he still has much more to show the fans. On Wednesday night the Bulls play the Celtics again, which marks the anniversary of the 1986 playoff game when Micheal Jordan scored 63 against Boston in the playoffs. If Saturday’s game is a glimpse of whats to come with Rose, then we can expect big things from him in the second game of the playoffs on Wednesday night.

The NBA playoffs have begun. Some of the best superstars have led their teams to the final part of a long season. This is were they separate the truth from the false, the veterans from the rookies and the amazing from the jokes. This is where a true ball player rises to the occassion and makes history. The Chicago Bulls have a young lineup with rookie Baller Rose. He joined and tied Kareem Abdul Jabar for most points scored by a rookie in their first post season game. Rose led the bulls to win game one against defending champs the star studded Boston Celtics. It was a great overtime win. Today was a different story leaning the other way with the Celtics taking the win by only 3 points 118 -115 a scoring, intense game. The Bulls are the Underdogs in this series but they are playing with confidence and passion and that’s why they have been so successful. I believe they have a great chance and if they beat the Celtics they may go all the way and have a little tastes of their own glory.

Game two tonight of the NBA playoffs between the Boston Celtics vs the Chicago Bulls. The Boston Celtics lost the first game to the Bulls. The Celtics won tonight and evened out the series at one a piece. It was a dog fight throughout the whole game and a very intense atmosphere in the arena. Ray Allen has been very key for the Celtics throughout the year, as well as last year in the playoffs. Tonight he came up very clutch with all his jump shots and big time shots in the late quarters. But without Kevin Garnet it will be a tough long road for the Celtics to beat the bulls, then have to beat the cavaliers keep winning, and finally the Lakers if all goes well for a repeat of the NBA championship like last year. So, hopefully my hometown Celtics can pull off some big games coming up going on the road. The key for the Celtics to win is players off the bench need to make an impact offensively and defensively.

Ray Allen hit the game winning three-pointer with two seconds remaining to lift the Boston Celtics to a 118-115 win over the Chicago Bulls in game 2 of the NBA Playoffs. Allen had 30 points to help the Celtics tie up the seven-game series at one game a piece. Ben Gordon scored a game-high 42 points including 14 in the fourth quarter as the Bulls nearly stole another game in Boston. Playing without injured star Kevin Garnett, the Celtics had many young players step up. Glen Davis scored a career high 26 points while Rajon Rondo contributed with a triple-double, 19 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds. Rookie Derrick Rose who was the star of game 1 for Chicago followed up his 36 point performance with a 10 point outing in game 2. The series shifts to Chicago for games 3 and 4 before returning to Boston for game 5.

KPRC Local 2, in Houston, Texas, has just reported that Houston Rockets forward, Carl Landry, was shot early Tuesday morning. The accident occurred when the 25 year-old was getting out of his car in the early hours of Tuesday morning for some fast food. Landry, a product of the Purdue Boilermakers, is in his second year with the Rockets and is averaging almost ten points per game. Officials have yet to say how this injury will affect the rest of Landry’s season, but, since he has been treated and already released from the hospital we will hopefully see him when Houston make their way through to the play-offs to try to win the title. I have lived in Houston, Texas, and everyday in the papers you read of some incident just like this happening all over the city. This is a wake up call for everyone that we need to protect our citizens.

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