Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport, Part 2

Six days ago, we witnessed one of the most memorable and historic nights in "The Association".  In Oakland, two historic moments occurred: 1) the Golden State Warriors soundly defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 125-104 to become the first team in NBA history to record 73 wins, besting the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' 72-10 record; and 2) Stephen Curry became the first player in NBA history to make at least 400 three pointers in a single season (402).  Down the coast in Los Angeles, five-time champ Kobe Bryant brought his illustrious 20-year career to an end by being the first player in NBA history to play 20 years for the same team as well as the first to score more than 50 points (60) in his final game on the way to overcoming a ten-point deficit to beat the Utah Jazz, 101-96.  After those two big games and reading Part 1 of this two-part series, O.G. Buddy of the Blog Country sent me an email that said, "Kobe went out to 60 and steph hit 73 w and 402 threes...Is that not enough to pull you back to basketball lol?"  I responded, "Still not kinging it over football, but it works for now LOL!"  As much as I loved seeing such a momentous occasion happen, Bryant and Curry are bookends of sorts as the former signifies remnants of a golden era while simultaneously ushering in a certain attitude in a newer one while the latter embodies certain fundamental elements while epitomizing how the game of basketball has transformed.  So what exactly do all of my convoluted observations mean?  Well, in the second and final part of "Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport", I shift focus from my personal connections to my observations of the game itself...

Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport, Part 1

So early last week, Big Little Brother Scribbler sent me a text saying that he was on his way to Houston for the announcement of Allen Iverson's possible induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame along with four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal.  When he mentioned those names, it reminded me of two things: 1) being happy when the Sixers took Game 1, but being disappointed when the Lakers swept the rest of the series; and 2) when basketball was still competing with football as my favorite sport.  Although Michael Jordan had retired for the second time in 1998, Dominique Wilkins (my favorite player of all time) retired a year later and Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing were on the downside of their careers, the new breed that included Iverson, O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett were keeping the party going.  However, somewhere along the way, I stopped watching as many regular season games because 82 games just became too much to follow and I simply focused my energy on the playoffs--treating what was once my favorite sport with the same attentiveness that I give the MLB.  So what made me trade in what seemed to be an undying love for basketball for just a casual and sometimes strong like?  Well, in the first of what has become a two-part series, "Love & Basketball? The Fallen Romance With My Ex-Favorite Sport," I will discuss the more personal reasons why I am no longer as smitten with hoops as I was in the 80s, 90s and early 00s...

Scribbler's Late AF Post of the Week: In Heavy Rotation, March 2016

Before finalizing the "In Heavy Rotation" post for this month, I had two other artists in mind and only four in total.  Upon the passing of music icon David Bowie, whose artistry I have always had a profound respect for, I wanted to do a review of his posthumous album released earlier this year, Blackstar.  Another person whose name has been popping up consistently on my Facebook timeline is West Coast hip hop artist Locksmith, but it's been more for his series of freestyles that have been flooding the Internet.  Nevertheless, I was interested in giving his 2015 studio release, Lofty Goals, a shot.  However, with the recent resurfacing of Tweet and the rise of newcomer BJ the Chicago Kid, it seems like R&B is beginning to have a resurgence of sorts.  Thus, I wanted to make this month's edition a somewhat-impromptu tribute to R&B/soul music in all of its different representations while implementing a new facet of "In Heavy Rotation" with my "Throwback Pick of the Month".  The beauty of this month's post is that although it's music under the umbrella of a particular genre, these artists embody the age-old adage, "No two snowflakes are alike."  Also, three out of five of these picks came highly recommended from social media and beyond, so I wanted to show love to my friends and fellow music lovers to let y'all know that I respect your musical palates tremendously.  Go time...

The American President: Donald Trump & The Societal Exposé, Part 4

YouTuber Tashya Tummings had perhaps one of the most interesting quotes of the year on the sneak: "The more public you are, the less talent you have."  If that's the case, then Republican presidential candidate and famed businessman Donald Trump is the most talentless hack in the 2016 presidential election.  Even with the candidates remaining on the GOP side, Senator Ted Cruz or Governor John Kasich aren't the "sexy picks" because they aren't as entertaining as Trump.  Sure, they could write tangible policy in their sleep with their hands tied behind their backs, but because Trump and Cruz have been too busy taking shots at each other's wives and giving news outlets even more fodder, nobody cares.  With the help of the media, Trump has effectively turned the GOP debates and town halls into nothing more than reality television for politics without having any teeth to his bombastic claims of making America "great again".  With that said, Trump isn't a lone ranger when it comes to giving the people what they want.  The difficulty in filling an arena with people interested in watching a science experiment versus the ease in packing those same stands with football, basketball or boxing fans immediately comes to mind.  It's not to devalue the greatness of sports or entertainment because, obviously, I have made a living from writing and discussing those things ad nauseam.  Nevertheless, when Americans turn on their televisions, log into their social media accounts and turn on their radios and media players, they often want a show, not a lecture.  Hence, in the fourth and final installment to "The American President: Donald Trump & The Societal Exposé", I will manifest the last reason why he is merely a byproduct of a society that routinely values style over substance...

Scribbler's 2-for-1 Special: NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships

Although no team has received more attention in my 36 years of life than that team who wears burgundy and gold and plays in Landover, I used to be a bigger fan of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball during the 80s and 90s than the NFL.  Heck, I was even more willing to watch regular season games in college basketball than the NBA because between the energy of the crowds, the brewing rivalries between schools and the hunger and raw talent of the players, college hoops have always been a little more exciting.  Although the Georgetown Hoyas, the Maryland Terrapins and the Michigan Wolverines have always been my top three teams, respectively, there have always been "prisoner of the moment" teams on my list like the 1989-90 UNLV Running Rebels with Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, George Ackles and Greg Anthony; or even the 1990-91 Duke Blue Devils with Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill--who amazed me just being able to play ball with that hideously obstructive face mask after suffering a broken nose in a loss to Virginia.  So when March Madness would roll around, it was pretty much "don't even look at me and think we're going to have a meaningful conversation" time.  So in honor of the upcoming title game next Monday, I've decided to do a "Rave & Favorite Five" of the the most memorable and/or most personal championship games in my lifetime.  Oh, and it happens to be the "11th Hour Post of the Week", too, so you're welcome once again...