Source: http://www.celticsblog.com/2010/11/25/1835622/still-no-need-to-rush-rondo-back
Robert Kubica Landon Cassill Boston Celtics kendrick Perkins Tony Raines New York Knicks
2010年11月30日火曜日
Facebook, recruiting and the NCAA
You have to feel for the NCAA. Every time a new communications technology comes along -- e-mail, text messaging, Skype, Chat Roulette (OK, maybe not Chat Roulette) -- the NCAA has to adapt its recruiting rules to follow suit. Given the sloth with which large and profitable companies adapt to new technology, it's no surprise the NCAA is always stuck behind the curve. I'm behind the curve, and I'm on the Internet 16 hours a day. Still, excuses aside, the bottom line is this: In recent years, the NCAA's attempts to regulate text communications between coaches and recruits have made little, if any, sense. Text-messaging is illegal; e-mail is unlimited. Direct Twitter messages are seen as e-mail, but if recruits use Twitter's text-messaging-based feature on their phones, direct messages are prohibited like texts. The rules are all jumbled and confusing, when the bottom line -- especially in 2010, and especially for young users of social media applications on smartphones -- text is text is text.
Which brings us to Facebook. The Mark Zuckerberg-run social media giant is yet another in the NCAA's umbrella of semi-regulated communications platforms; Facebook messages have thus far been treated like e-mails by the NCAA's recruiting rules. According to Bylaw Blog's always insightful John Infante, that's about to change.
On Nov. 15, Facebook announced plans to launch a new "modern messaging system" that will seek to combine e-mail, chat, public messaging, and social sharing under one intuitive umbrella. I'm not sure I'd ever use this service, because I kind of hate Facebook at this point (oh, to long for the halcyon days of 2003, when everyone you met was a potential Facebook friend!), but it's not hard to see how it would be a game-changer. From Infante:
Even if it was a fiction, that fiction was still hanging on. Until Facebook created a system that might turn a text message into an email. Or turn an email into an instant message. Or where an email might trigger a “push notification,” a potential intrusion into a prospect’s life that the rules don’t even consider. All in a system that might change the nature of a message not just based on a preference selected by a user, but even by whether the user is logged into a website or not. [...]
When Facebook rolls these changes out to their users, there won’t be time to see how coaches and recruits use these new tools. With any marketing at all, we can expect to see a large number of prospects switch to @facebook.com email addresses right off the bat. That means coaches could find themselves in a position where a prospect is offering a means of getting touch that carries no guarantee that any message is allowed under the rules.
So what's the solution? Change the rules. But don't just tweak them, the way they've been tweaked for texting and Twitter and e-mail and Facebook in the past. Instead, the NCAA needs to change the way we think about getting in touch with recruits altogether:
To fix the rules, we must first acknowledge a couple of things. We must acknowledge that trying to differentiate between different forms of text communication is no longer possible. We must acknowledge that these are the tools�prospects want coaches to use to get in touch with them. And we must acknowledge that these tools put prospects in control of who contacts them through confirming friends, blocking users, and other privacy controls.
As it gets more difficult to regulate recruiting based on the medium used or the frequency of contact, the only option left is the time contact occurs. That could mean one of two things. It could mean that after a certain date (say August 1 prior to a prospect’s junior year in high school), there are no limits to how a coach can get in touch with a prospect. Or it could mean that during certain periods (like during a contact period), all recruiting contact is permitted with all prospects, and contact is prohibited outside of those periods.
Neither option is perfect -- when it comes to regulating recruiting contact, there's no such thing as a perfect option -- but both are much more in line with the realities of modern communication.
In 2010, no one (save for tech-blog writer-nerds) is more savvy with Facebook, Twitter, text-messaging, and email than your average high school junior. For example: Over Thanksgiving weekend, I thought I was introducing Foursquare to my buddies' younger siblings; I was promptly told that Foursquare is "stupid." Yes, this anecdotal evidence is irrefutable.
The point is, the kids are all right. They know how to manage their incoming stream of text-based coaching communications no matter the format. They understand that the inbox can be a wonderfully insulated place.�It's easy to respond to the messages that matter and easy to ignore the ones that don't. And if you're willing to grant that e-mail use should be unlimited, and that cost is the main reason for regulating text-based communication -- insane cell-phone bills were one of the main reasons the NCAA banned SMS messaging last year -- then you should follow suit with Twitter, Facebook, and the like. (As for phone calls? Many would argue that phone call restrictions are dumb, too. Coaches don't land recruits with extra dials. But the cost issue is still there, and it makes sense.)
The NCAA's attempt to regulate various types of communication is like so many of the organization's policies. It comes from a good place, but it's also severely outdated. In this case, it's also pointless. Let the youngsters use their shiny computer boxes to message with, and ignore, desperate college hoops coaches as they please. Compared to the pre-cell phone, pre-caller ID, pre-everything days of yore, being a high school hoops recruit has in some ways never been easier. And there's no turning back now.
Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/18966/facebook-recruiting-and-the-ncaa
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MSU's Derrick Nix: 'I felt stupid'
This summer, as Michigan State coach Tom Izzo weighed a potentially career-defining move to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Spartans fans held a vigil outside the Breslin Center. Few players were in attendance, but at least one was there. That player was Derrick Nix. Nix gave an impassioned speech to the assembled fans and media. With a tear in his eye, Nix thanked the green masses, telling them that he was "emotional about all this" because he "[didn't] want Coach Izzo to leave." It takes a big man to cry; it takes an even bigger one to cry in public. Nix's emotional moment cemented the relationship Izzo seems to have with his players, and it provided a backdrop for the disappointment they -- and fans -- would face if Izzo left.
It was strange, then, to see how Nix's season 2010-11 season would begin. Citing "personal reasons," the 6-foot-8 center didn't travel to Maui with his team; Izzo told the media he suspected Nix's sparse playing time in the team's first two games this season caused Nix to approach Izzo about leaving the team. Either way, it didn't bode well for Nix's future under Izzo, a coach he clearly seemed to love just a few months ago.
Good news for Spartans fans, then: Nix rejoined his team this weekend and played in Michigan State's win against Tennessee Tech on Sunday. And, for now, the situation appears to have been resolved. From the Lansing State Journal:
Derrick Nix sat in East Lansing on Tuesday night, watching the rest of the Michigan State men's basketball team lose to Connecticut in Maui. Then the result of his actions finally hit him.
"I felt stupid," Nix said. "Like, 'Dang, I should be there.' " ... "All I can say is I let my team down in a big way," Nix said.
"He's got some issues and we're going to try to get him a little bit of time, but he has to prove and earn that dedication to this program and these players," Izzo said. "It's not the coaches; he let down the players."
Whether Nix will become a major contributor this season is still up in the air. But Spartans fans warmly welcomed him Sunday, and he seems to have realized the perils involved with confronting your coach about playing time in such a manner.
Meanwhile, the Spartans need all the size they can get: Izzo has used sophomore Garrick Sherman and freshman Adreian Payne alongside Delvon Roe in MSU's early games, but neither was a good complement to�Roe, and for point-forward Draymond Green to be successful, he can't be the biggest player on the floor. With Nix playing up to potential, the Spartans could have one of the deeper frontcourts in the country. We'll see.
Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/18955/msus-derrick-nix-i-felt-stupid
Jeff Gordon Rudolf Krause Joe Nemechek Washington Scott Alan Wimmer Hermann Lang Los Angeles Clippers
Officially Official: Buick GL8 is an executive express for China
Filed under: Minivan/Van, China, Buick, Luxury
Buick GL8 - Click above for high-res image gallery
Buick has released an all-new version of its popular GL8 in China. Developed by Shanghai GM, the executive people-mover wears a freshly redesigned exterior with sculpted body lines and a new front fascia. Inside, GM has thrown the luxury book at the van with tricks like blue ambient lighting, a 10-speaker sound system and two-tone leather seats. An attractive seven-inch touch dominates the dash, though it looks like Buick has managed to hold on to the excessive amount of buttons on the center stack that have become the brand's trademark as of late. Rear passengers, meanwhile, get the benefit of a 10.2-inch HD display for movies and the like.
Under the hood, GM has fitted a 3.0-liter V6 as the GX8 flagship mill, though a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is also available for the fuel-conscious buyers of the People's Republic. A six-speed automatic gearbox takes care of cog-swapping duties. Hit the jump for the full press release after checking out the gallery below.
[Source: General Motors]
Continue reading Officially Official: Buick GL8 is an executive express for China
Officially Official: Buick GL8 is an executive express for China originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Monday Bullets
- Michael Jordan talking to LeBron James, in a mashup of internet videos.
- A movement, among Cleveland fans, to laugh at LeBron James when he comes to town on Thursday. And a Cavaliers' season ticket holder (about five minutes into the podcast) says that James' return to Cleveland will be no big deal, as it has always been a football town. He adds that his tickets to Thursday's game are not getting any bids as he tries to sell them online.
- Garbage Time All-Stars imagining what Tim Duncan thinks as his Spurs ascend to the head of the NBA pack: "Keep speaking of my age, insects. I am the mountain. I am the tides."
- The Pacers, it's worth noting, have one of the NBA's best defenses. Once they start having the lucky bounces needed to win close games, their record could quickly get even better. Jared Wade of 8 Points 9 Seconds on beating the Lakers: "They smacked the champs in the mouth. Shot-making and execution are different things. They didn’t do a lot of the former this evening. But they did a lot of the latter. And while shot-making is fairly erratic and any given night can play out oddly on that front, execution breeds consistency. Once it becomes habitual, so does winning. Looks like Indiana might be forming a habit."
- Splendid: Word clouds showing the players who have played the most, all-time, for your team. LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas are titans of Cavalier history.
- Referee stats show home teams should be happy to see Eli Roe show up. He was high in the rankings last year, too.
- The Kings may be trying to acquire a point guard, but Zach Harper says that's because there are good point guards to be had, not because Tyreke Evans has failed at the one.
- Erik Spoelstra, as quoted by the Heat Index's Tom Haberstroh: "Sometimes it will get testy. And that’s good. Especially when people have a pure heart and mind about getting better, that just shows that the sides want to make it right. I’m going to demand. I’m going to push and prod. And a lot of times, players don’t know what is needed for a team to break through. The guys have been good about it. They understand they need to be coached, they need to be pushed, and that this is a process. We do need to do this together. But we need to get better."
- Erik Spoelstra's challenge -- blending the insights and opinions of a dozen or more people, not to mention the front office and all those with opinions Spoelstra values ... it's hard to know how much of that his helpful and how much of it is just distractions and noise. Kanye West, for one, accepts a ton of input and seems to do pretty well with it.
- The Bulls' defense is already much better than last season. And they have this crossover.
- Look how Roy Hibbert got a crunch time dunk against a good NBA defense.
- DeJuan Blair is starting for the Spurs, but then sits after a few minutes and never returns. What's that about? Tim Varner of 48 Minutes of Hell says the problem is that Blair is poorly suited to play alongside Tim Duncan: "Tim Duncan’s natural position is center. Everyone on earth knows this, with the possible exception of Tim Duncan. The Spurs know this. This is why DeJuan Blair spent his summer trying to develop a jump shot. And from what we gathered from the Spurs coaching staff, Blair put in the time and worked hard. He’s not lazy. He gets after it. But it just hasn’t come together for Blair, which is obvious to all those who’ve watched the Spurs this season. Because of his height and girth, Blair is a poor defensive match up against long bigs such as Pau Gasol and shooting fours such as Rashard Lewis. And without a jumpshot, he doesn’t work well alongside Duncan, who, as we noted, plays best at center. Again, the adjusted plus/minus numbers bear this out."
- Bob Cousy is the patron saint of pizazz, but tells SLAM's Alan Paul it's not really him: "The first time I dribbled behind my back, it won a big [Holy Cross] game against Loyola, and it caused a huge sensation. I honestly had never done it before, but the situation called for it and I just responded to the moment. Because I was the only one doing that stuff, it got a lot of attention, which turned to exaggeration. Ninety percent of my game was bread and butter. I am a very conservative person by nature."
- Russell Westbrook as Plastic Man. I swear his arm gets longer as the dunk progresses.
- LeBron James vs. the Wizards, in a series of wacky and telling images portraying bad blood that has been running on and off for a while.
- Yes, Carmelo Anthony shuffled his feet oddly before making the game-winner against the Bulls on Friday night. But, as the ball left his hand before he picked up his pivot foot, he did not travel.
- An open letter from Kris Humphries to LaMarcus Aldridge. Hilarious, and poignant.
- Tom Liston of Raptors Republic digs deep into the theory that Andrea Bargnani's game was cramped by playing alongside Chris Bosh: "While Bargnani’s scoring average is up, his effectiveness is not. Bosh created space for Bargnani by drawing double teams. Couple this argument with lower blocks, higher turnovers, less rebounds etc and we will conclude (so far) Bargnani was not 'held back' with Bosh in the lineup."
- Tom Sunnergren of Philadunkia walks between Doug Collins and the Sixer fans who would blame him for everything: "People, as a general rule, don’t like things that remind them of their mortality. The fact that we’re all slowly dying is a downer and people hate downers (I guess Percocet is an exception). This is, in part, why it’s so painful to watch the decline of a veteran athlete as his body breaks down and betrays him: It doesn’t take a huge imaginative leap to understand the same thing is happening to us. There are worse betrayals though. That’s just the physical, white collar folks can convince themselves, a man is much more than that. What offers no quarter for rationalization though is a much more complete, much more ghastly, and only slightly less inevitable sort of fall; a mental one. The point where the accumulation of rich experience and the wisdom it affords ceases to offset the natural loss of neurons that come invariably with age and you just get … well, you get dumber. And that, I’m starting to sense, is the sort of fall people think Doug Collins has taken."
- People who used to play for the Pistons, and are playing well now.
Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/22227/monday-bullets-194
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1921 Farman A6B Super Sport Using Magneto and Battery Ignition
Press Release: This one-off, custom bodied Farman Super Sport is one of approximately four surviving Farman automobiles out of 120 produced. This unusual Super Sport Torpedo has a history of prestigious ownership. Once owned by the Maharajah of Idar, the Maharajah of Karauli and the Maharajah of Bharatpur, the car spent many years in the possession of India’s royal class. With its open styling and superior mechanics, this Farman was a favorite for hunting expeditions, including the tiger hunts. The car was later transported out of India and became part of the ...Source: http://www.distrocars.com/1921-farman-a6b-super-sport
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Video: A closer look at the Nissan iV Design Concept
Filed under: Concept Cars, Technology, Videos, Nissan, Design/Style, Electric
Nissan iV Design Concept - Click above to watch video after the jump
For us, one of the most interesting parts of the LA Auto Show is the Design Challenge, in which automakers are invited to rack their brains, sharpen their pencils and crank out a concept that best matches a set of predetermined parameters. This year, manufacturers were challenged to come up with a concept that was stylish, engaging to drive, and easy on the environment, all wrapped in a 1,000-lb. package. Automakers from Honda to Maybach rolled out their ideas of what said vehicle should look like, and while the judges crowned both Cadillac and Smart as this year's winners, we were intrigued by the Nissan iV.
Fortunately, Nissan has been kind enough to give us a closer look at the vehicle. The spec sheet for the iV reads like a who's who of concept fantasy, with building materials sourced from fast-growing ivy and spider silk, plus a propulsion and steering system that makes use of clever electromagnets. While a bio-battery stores energy for your commute, the iV also makes use of a supercapacitor to recover energy that would otherwise be lost during braking. Hit the jump to take a look at a video of the concept.
[Source: Nissan]
Continue reading Video: A closer look at the Nissan iV Design Concept
Video: A closer look at the Nissan iV Design Concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Nov 2010 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/28/video-a-closer-look-at-the-1-000-lb-nissan-iv-design-concept/
Travis Kvapil Old Spice Office Depot Chevrolet Nicola Larini Jamie McMurray J.R Smith David Ragan
2010年11月29日月曜日
Brandon Roy, Trail Blazers Stumped as Struggles Continue
Filed under: Nets, Trail Blazers
NEWARK, N.J. -- Before their game with the New Jersey Nets on Sunday, Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan said his team -- hobbled by numerous injuries and stymied by nagging inconsistency -- would need to heal itself."There's nobody coming back that's going to rescue us," McMillan said. It may take an emotional rescue as well. After a dispiriting 98-96 loss to the Nets, the Blazers held a players-only "talk."
The Blazers didn't need 40 minutes as the Heat did on Saturday, but the Blazers find themselves at .500 and they don't like it.
"We talked," Wes Matthews Jr. said. "We talked about what we need to do. We don't feel we're an 8-8 team. That's the gist of it.
"The thing with the NBA is you have a whole bunch of games to play in a short span of time so you have to (forget) this one and move on to the next one."
This loss, however, won't be easy to forget for the simple reason that it has looked like many of the other Trail Blazers' losses this season: play well for three quarters, get stagnant in the fourth, watch a lead -- or a game within reach -- slip away.
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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/11/29/brandon-roy-trail-blazers-stumped-as-struggles-continue/
Ray allen Mark Martin Orlando Magic Milwaukee Bucks Toronto Raptors Rajon Rondo
One-Off Lancia Stratos
Most new cars we feature are the creations from the world’s multibillion dollar automakers and are not very close to the heart. This New Stratos on the other hand is the realized dream of one man who poured his heart, soul, and a ton of his own money into the project. The labour of love involving automotive parts supplier, Michael Stoschek, has taken 24 years to materialize, all starting out from a friendship forged at a Lancia Stratos event held in Alta Badia back in 1986.
Michael, a self-confessed uber fan of the original Stratos, decided to create his own new version of the classic Italian Rally superstar. The outcome of all the hard work and passion, we have to say, is utterly amazing. To prove the passion this part-time racer has for the original, he has even bought the trademark rights for the Stratos name from Lancia ? which we can assure you didn?t come cheap.
The resemblance to the original is uncanny, yet everything has been updated and made better, without losing any of the nostalgia and old school appeal. The overall ?wedge? shape is still the same and the powerplant is still from Ferrari ? albeit louder and more powerful. The New Stratos shares a large amount of its underpinnings with the Ferrari F430 Scuderia ? which is a brilliant car. If that?s any indication of how this car will ride, handle, sound, and perform, we are in for an absolute treat of automotive euphoria.
Hit the jump to continue reading.
One-Off Lancia Stratos originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 26 November 2010 13:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/lancia/2010-one-off-lancia-stratos-ar100740.html
Chicago Bulls Martin Truex Jr Bass Pro Shops Tracker Chevrolet Dave Blaney Kurt Kuhnke Nate Robinson Sacramento Kings
2010年11月28日日曜日
Nowitzki cool with facing Heat
There will be a lot of nights this season in which the Miami Heat will think the team has the three best players on the floor. On Saturday, none of the three were anywhere near as valuable as Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki.
Nowitzki's 22-point effort was matched or bettered by Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh, but no member of that trio came close to Nowitzki's best number plus-28.
The Mavericks outscored the Heat 95-67 in the 34 minutes and 48 seconds that Nowitzki was on the floor. It was the second straight game in which Nowitzki made such an impact. In a win over Charlotte on Wednesday, Nowitzki was plus-27. The difference is that in that game, three other Dallas starters posted similar plus-minus totals. In Saturday's win, Nowitzki was significantly better than any of his teammates.
Meanwhile the Heat are having major issues against good teams on the road. They're now 0-4 this season when playing a road team that currently has a winning record. The Celtics, Hornets, Magic and Mavericks have now all had their way with the Heat at home.
• It's no coincidence that Golden State Warriors forward Dorell Wright had a big game Saturday night. With David Lee back, Wright was in his comfort zone. He made a team-record nine 3-pointers in the win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on the way to a 30-point effort. It was the third time this season that Wright made at least half-a-dozen 3-pointers in a game this season. No other NBA player has that many such games.
As for Lee's impact, consider this: When the Warriors power forward plays, Wright shoots nearly 13 percent better than when he doesn't. And the difference in shooting from beyond the 3-point line is gargantuan. He's three times more effective from deep in games in which Lee plays.
• In a losing effort in that game, Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love had his fourth 20-point/20-rebound game this season. Thanks to Basketball-Reference.com Play Index, we can tell you that it's the most by a player this quickly into a year (17 games) since Kevin Willis had five in 1991-92. Love is the first player with back-to-back 20/20 games since Dwight Howard in 2008.
• Speaking of Howard, the other star in the state of Florida had a nice night, sinking the winning shot in the final seconds of an Orlando Magic win. Howard didn't go 20/20, but did finish with his sixth straight game of 20 or more points and 10 or more rebounds, the second-best such streak of his career.
Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/22201/nowitzki-cool-with-facing-heat
Masami Kuwashima Luis Scola Kurt Busch Jason Kidd Oscar Larrauri Derek Fisher Mohawk Northeast Chevrolet
Jimmie Johnson Wins Fifth Straight NASCAR Title, Carl Edwards Wins Race
Filed under: Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Sprint Cup, NASCAR
The Jimmie Johnson dynasty in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series stretched to half a decade at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday as the most dominant driver the sport has ever seen won his fifth straight championship with a second-place finish in the Ford 400 season finale.
As Carl Edwards motored to his second straight victory in as many weeks, leading 190 laps, Johnson fought back from early pit problems, settled into his regular routine and came on at the end to seal the title.
For Edwards, the two consecutive victories came after a 70-race winless streak.
"This is unreal," Edwards said in victory lane. "It's a great way to finish the season. I think the way we're going, if we can start like that, our Aflac team will have a shot at them next year.
"To finish like this is unreal. It's just these guys not giving up. We don't give up. We've had just an unbelievable run toward the end of this season. It's just a great way to end the season."
The championship battle was a nail-biting contest whose complexion changed time and time again throughout the 267-lap event.
Holly Cain: NASCAR's Greatest Champion?
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Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon Part of Hendrick Crew Chief Swap
Filed under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Crew Chiefs, Sprint Cup, Hendrick Motorsports, NASCAR
Hendrick Motorsports may have won its fifth-straight championship just last Sunday, but it took only a matter of days for the organization to make some of its biggest changes in years."This will improve us as an organization, across the board," team owner Rick Hendrick (right) said Tuesday.
Save for champion Jimmie Johnson, each of the three other drivers in the Hendrick stable will have new crew chiefs for the 2011 season.
Steve Letarte, the crew chief on Jeff Gordon's No. 24 since the end of the 2005 season, will now oversee Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 team. Meanwhile, Gordon will now have Alan Gustafson managing his team in Daytona.
Gustafson leaves the No. 5 team and driver Mark Martin, who will now have Lance McGrew in his ear for the 2011 season. McGrew has spent part of 2009 and all of 2010 as Earnhardt Jr.'s crew chief.
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Source: http://motorsports.fanhouse.com/2010/11/23/earnhardt-gordon-part-of-major-hendrick-crew-chief-swap/
Andrew Bynum Baron Davis Golden State Warriors Jacques Laffite Jason Leffler Dallas Mavericks Jonathan Edward Wood
Heat are bad against good teams
With their loss to the Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat drop to 8-7 overall and have lost three straight games for the first time this season. More troublesome for the Heat is the fact that they are a measly 1-6 against teams that are currently above .500. Miami is scoring more than 12 fewer points per game and shooting over 8 percent less this season against teams that now have winning records. Miami's only win against such a team was last month at home against Orlando.
LeBron James led the Heat with 25 points for his 11th straight 20-point game. He also played at least 40 minutes for the seventh time this season, which is a bad omen for Miami, which is 0-7 in those games.
Dwyane Wade needs to find his shooting touch. He was just 6-of-21 from the field in this game, including 1-of-4 on 3s. Wade is 7-of-34 (20.6 percent) from the field in his past two games and an atrocious 1-of-19 (5.3 percent) on 3s in his past six contests.
Orlando won this game by finishing well in the first and fourth quarters. The Magic ended the opening quarter on a 12-2 tear to take an eight-point lead after 12 minutes. Orlando also finished the game on a 17-7 run, turning a one-point deficit into a relatively comfortable nine-point win.
Part of the reason for the Magic's late push was that Orlando held Miami without a single offensive rebound in the fourth quarter. The Heat entered the game last in the NBA in offensive rebounding at 21.9 percent but grabbed an impressive 38.2 percent of the available offensive boards in the first three quarters.
Elsewhere in the NBA...
• With a 99-95 win in Charlotte, the New York Knicks have now won five straight for the first time since a six-game win streak in January 2006. New York has also won four straight road games, its longest road win streak since a five-game run during the 2000-01 season.
• Shaquille O'Neal had 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to an 89-83 win over the New Jersey Nets. O'Neal sets a season high for points and ties his season high for rebounds. At age 38, he is the oldest Celtic to have a 25-10 game since 40-year-old Robert Parish in 1994.
• Dirk Nowitzki scored 34 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks over the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he is now averaging 33.8 PPG against the Thunder since their relocation. LeBron James (31.5) is the only other player averaging more than 30 points per game since then versus Oklahoma City.
• Although the Minnesota Timberwolves fell to the San Antonio Spurs in overtime, Kevin Love had 32 points and 22 rebounds, just five games after posting the NBA's first 30-30 game since 1982. Love is the third player in the past 25 seasons with multiple 30-point, 20-rebound games in his team's first 16 contests, joining Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley.
Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/22092/heat-are-bad-against-good-teams
Jonathan Edward Wood Carmelo Anthony Tracy McGrady Scott Speed Yao Ming Robert Kubica Landon Cassill
Heat Take Longer Than Expected to Outlast Sixers
MIAMI -- The Miami Heat faced the Philadelphia 76ers for the second time this season on Friday night and it was under similar circumstances as they were looking to bounce back after a tough loss to an elite East team. Given the circumstances of their underwhelming start to the season, the Heat played without much urgency through three quarters but their talent was simply too much for the hapless Sixers in a 99-90 win.Sixers coach Doug Collins anticipated that the game would bring the best of out of the Heat, who were seeking to end their three-game losing streak before going on the road to face the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.
"We're going to get the rampaging Miami Heat tonight," said Collins before the game "They're going to come out with all kinds of energy, we know that. They're not happy the way they played the last couple of games."
Though the Heat struggled for most of the game to put away the Sixers at home, the team did just enough right things in the fourth quarter to keep Philadelphia at bay. The Sixers mostly played catch-up but were able to stay in the game by not affording the Heat easy buckets in the paint and in transition. As a result, the Sixers were able keep their deficit to single digits throughout the game.
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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/11/27/heat-take-longer-than-expected-to-outlast-sixers/
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2010年11月27日土曜日
Grizzlies' Hamed Haddadi, Girlfriend Arrested for Assault
Filed under: Grizzlies, NBA Police Blotter
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Police say Hamed Haddadi of the Memphis Grizzlies and his girlfriend have been charged with assault following an altercation between the two.Memphis police were called Thursday morning to a downtown apartment building and found Haddadi, a backup center from Iran, and his girlfriend with bruises and scratches.
The arrest report says a verbal disagreement turned physical, and both Haddadi and Goolnaz "Asal" Karbalaeinematmoeeney were taken to the Regional Medical Center for treatment.
Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said in a statement that the team is aware of the incident and withheld comment while they gathered facts.
Haddadi has played in only four of the Grizzlies' first 15 games.
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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/11/25/grizzlies-hamed-haddadi-girlfriend-arrested-for-assault/
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Kevin Harvick Comes Full Circle From Dramatic Cup Debut
Filed under: Kevin Harvick, Chase for the Sprint Cup, Richard Childress Racing, NASCAR
HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Sitting on stage just to the left of his two championship rivals for a final NASCAR championship contenders press conference, Kevin Harvick leaned back in his chair and smiled, listening to Sprint Cup series points leader Denny Hamlin and second place Jimmie Johnson trade barbs and confidently explain how they planned to rise to the occasion in Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.At times they looked awkward and uncomfortable with the situation -- each arguing the other was under greater pressure -- while Harvick, a 46-point third place underdog, couldn't have appeared more settled, looking every bit his nickname, "Happy" Harvick.
Pressure? That was 10 years ago.
"It seems like it has worked backwards for me with coming in and taking over Dale's (Earnhardt) car,'' said Harvick, 35, who was picked by Richard Childress to drive the late seven-time champion's car in the days after Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash in the 2001 Daytona 500.
"You started with the biggest press conference you'll ever be a part of in your whole life. You start with the weight of the world on your shoulders. As it's gone through the years, it's actually gotten easier. It's almost like you've gotten prepared for these situations before you even got started.
"There is no pressure this week. It's so easy, we're having fun, we're relaxed. We realize we have a small deficit to overcome and we've done it throughout the year beating both cars. So we're having fun with it.''
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2010年11月26日金曜日
Phil Jackson: Miami Heat Could Make Coaching Change
Filed under: Heat, Lakers, NBA Rumors, NBA Coaches
Never one to keep his mouth shut for long -- and always one to unleash Jedi mind games -- Phil Jackson, the coach with rings for all of his fingers and one of his toes, was up to no good Tuesday, stating that the Miami Heat are under pressure."I think eventually, if things don't turn around, I think eventually the weight's going to fall there where [without] the success they were hoping for, there will be a real drive for the players to have some kind of change," Jackson said on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000 in Chicago.
Jackson said if things get worse, he could see Heat president Pat Riley taking over for current Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
"There's a chance for that, I would say. It would take a lot more losses like the ones we've seen. The scenario that sits kind of behind the scene, is that eventually these guys that were recruited -- Bosh and James -- by Pat Riley and Micky Arison, the owner, are going to come in and say, 'We feel you (Riley) can do a better job coaching the team. We came here on the hopes that this would work,' and whatever, I don't know," Jackson said. "That's kind of my take on it, is that eventually if things don't straighten out here soon, it could be the (Stan) Van Gundy thing all over again."
Update: Erik Spoelstra, Stan Van Gundy React to Jackson's Comments
Also: Dwyane Wade Admits Winning Is 'Tougher Than I Thought'
Also: Dwyane Wade Admits Winning Is 'Tougher Than I Thought'
Expectations were sky high for the Heat prior to the season after forming the Miami Thrice of LeBron James and Chris Bosh to go along with Dwyane Wade. So far, the team stands at 8-6, struggling to find a comfort zone with each other.
"That record, I think, says a lot about coming together with some real talented guys, and not having a base," Jackson said on the show. "And then some things happened to them, Wade getting hurt. They're still kind of searching out how they're going to find a role and work their roles together."
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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/11/24/phil-jackson-miami-heat-could-make-coaching-change/
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Lamborghini prepares Gallardo Bicolore special edition
Remember the Lamborghini Gallardo SE unveiled back in 2005? It was a special edition Gallardo limited to only 250 units and characterized by a two-tone body paint. Now that Gallardo is also coming to an end, Lamborghini is preparing a few special editions for its customers out there. First will be a Gallardo Bicolore special edition set to be launched in early 2011, most likely at the Detroit Auto Show. Deliveries will begin in February 2011.
Like with the SE version, the Bicolore edition will be offered with a duotone color scheme, an even more sportier interior and some power increase. It is expect the color list to include: gray, white, yellow, orange and green, all combined with a black roof. The only difference is that this special edition will be based on the Gallardo LP560-4 edition. There are rumors saying that Lamborghini is also preparing a Tricolore edition, but there are no details on it just yet.
Lamborghini prepares Gallardo Bicolore special edition originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 25 November 2010 15:00 EST.
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Walker, Oriakhi lead UConn domination
LAHAINA, Hawaii -- After a tournament filled with drama and close finishes, the championship game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational was a bit of a letdown.
Not that anyone from Connecticut was complaining.
UConn ran roughshod over ninth-ranked Kentucky on Wednesday, winning in convincing fashion 84-67 to claim a tournament title that seemed highly unlikely at the start of the week for a team picked to finish 10th in the Big East.
Once again it was Kemba Walker and Alex Oriakhi leading the charge for the Huskies. Walker had another big night with 29 points and six assists and Oriakhi was a beast on the front line, scoring 18 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking three shots.
Connecticut shot a scintillating 58 percent from both the field and the 3-point line. On the other hand, Kentucky received 24 points from sensational freshman Terrence Jones, but shot just 37 percent from the field as a team. UConn scored 42 points in the paint to Kentucky's 24 and outscored the Wildcats 16-5 on the break.
Quite simply, it was a domination -- and one that hardly a soul saw coming.
The win, in the eyes of the team, was clearly a validation of the UConn program and head coach Jim Calhoun, both of whom have come under increasing scrutiny lately.
"We wanted to show the world we're still UConn and that Coach Calhoun can still coach a team," said Walker, the tournament's MVP after scoring 90 points in three games.
"The catalyst all three nights was these two guys," Calhoun said, pointing to Walker and Oriakhi. "I couldn't be prouder of the effort they put out.
"This isn't our season," he continued, "but it lets people know that we're still Connecticut. I respect the tradition -- the Kentuckys, the Indianas ... we are a part of that, though. That's why I'm still coaching."
As for Kentucky coach John Calipari, he noticed a stark difference between the two teams Wednesday night.
"That was a shellacking," Calipari said. "We were outplayed. We were outcoached. We were outhustled. We got really selfish in the first half. We took a lot of bad shots. I've got to do a better job of getting these guys to play together. We played against each other. They played for each other."
The game itself was tight until Jones picked up his second foul with 8:59 to go in the first half. Calipari, much to the chagrin of many UK fans, decided to sit Jones for the rest of the half and UConn went on a game-changing run -- at one point 21-2 -- and went into the half with a 50-29 lead.
Calipari defended the decision after the game: "I knew if he got a third foul, we had no chance. I just didn't think we'd be this selfish. We just took one bad shot after another."
Jones hit a couple of quick 3s at the start of the second half, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Huskies, who were relentless in pushing the ball up the floor and crashing the boards.
Highly touted freshman Brandon Knight struggled mightily in two of the three games Kentucky played here. In the title game, he shot 3-of-15 from the field, was 0-of-8 from beyond the arc and had five turnovers in the loss.
Calipari was clearly discouraged, but he wasn't giving up. His team is young and he knows it's going to take some time.
"We've had 22 days of practice and I have a brand-new team. We have holes. I need to do a better job of coaching [Knight]. These guys are 18 years old. They need to be coached. They reverted back to eight months ago. You know what was eight months ago? An AAU tournament."
After the game, the Connecticut players were understandably ecstatic. In a span of three days, a team counted out by most in the preseason beat the Missouri Valley favorite and a pair of teams ranked in the top 10.
And if there was one player that became the face of this remarkable UConn run, it was undoubtedly Walker.
A player many doubted could ever become a true star, Walker simply tore through this tournament. His 90 points were just three short of the tourney record. For the season, he's averaging 30.2 ppg, shooting 53 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3. He's averaging 4.2 apg, 2.1 spg and has been to the free throw line an amazing 44 times (converting 89 percent of those attempts).
It seems almost silly to talk about national player of the year honors this early, but if you can call someone a front-runner for the award in the first month, then Walker is the frontrunner.
Except, Calhoun observed, a funny thing has happened on the way to stardom. The man making all the headlines hasn't let it get to his head.
"The play toward the end of the first half when he could of had a 3 and instead threw down to a teammate for a layup," Calhoun said. "That's Kemba Walker."
A tournament championship and the MVP award weren't the only things that Walker won this week. He also earned a huge amount of respect from a group of skeptical NBA scouts. After the game, several of them said Walker will skyrocket up their draft boards.
"I was really surprised by how well Kemba played," one NBA scout told ESPN.com. "I've watched him closely for the past three years. I didn't think he could be this good. I came in thinking he's a late first-rounder, a decent backup. I've changed my mind. I'm not sure he's going to be a star [in the NBA], but I just love how he played here and how hard he's worked on his game. If he keeps this up all season, he's a top-10 pick."
Oriakhi should feel the same bump as well. Scouts raved about his toughness, energy and newfound confidence around the basket. Walker and Oriakhi were joined on the all-tournament team by Jones, Michigan State's Kalin Lucas and Chaminade's Steven Bennett.
Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/18768/walker-oriakhi-lead-uconn-domination
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Docking Perfection 2
Docking Perfection 2 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 25 November 2010 11:00 EST.
Source: http://www.topspeed.com/car-games/car-games/docking-perfection-2-ar82468.html
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