Love it

I just came across this photo and I thought it was funny. I'm not one of the many Kobe haters, but I get a kick out of the reputation he has developed as someone who shoots first and asks questions later.

I guess that's the mentality you need to have if you are going to be the all time leading scorer in the history of the game. Kobe is currently at the number 5 spot. He's on track to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the number four spot by the end of the season.

138 Points!

I recently saw that a division 3 college player scored 138 points in a game this week. At first I thought that was an amazing accomplishment but the more I think about it and the more information I get about the event, the less impressed I am. While I'm happy he was able to break a record set back in the 50's, I have some major concerns about the accomplishment. Here are a couple of my thoughts on the subject.

I hope his teammates were excited about breaking the record because last time I checked, there are 5 players on a team. When I saw the box scores, only two other starters on his team scored for a combined total of 7 points. Can you say black hole?

What kind of teams have an ending score of 179 to 104? Does either team know what defense is? This game makes the NBA all star game sound like a defensive clinic.Who was guarding this kid? You would think they would know who to focus on after the first few minutes. I would take it personal if someone scored 20 points on me let alone 138. At what point does your pride kick in an you do something about it?

I heard his coach instructed his players to foul the other team so they could stop the clock and get the ball back to their ball hog star scorer quickly. The dude took 108 shots including 71 three pointers. Who could not score 138 points under those circumstances?

I don't want to sound like Debbie Downer and rain on this guy's parade, but I can't be the only one who feels this way. I'm not the kind of person who thinks every player should get a trophy. I believe in competition, but I think this was a selfish display by both the player and his coach.

So what's next for Jack Taylor? How is he going to top this? I suggest he try to dish out at least 3 assists next game.

DeAndre's Dunk

I've seen guys get up higher on dunks, but I don't ever recall seeing a player touch the net with their feet before.

Karl Malone

One of my favorite players of all time is Karl Malone. There are several reasons for this. I'll admit the first reason was because I grew up watching Jazz games. Aside from my home town bias, I have always been impressed with the Mailman for the following reasons.

His work ethic. Few players exerted more effort on the court than Malone. He is known for fighting for rebounds, sprinting down the lane and finishing strong with power dunks. As a result of his physical play, no other NBA player has shot or made more free throws.

His work ethic also carried this over into his off season training. Some athletes occasionally show up at the beginning of the season unprepared and out of shape, but Malone always showed up ready. He kept himself in great shape which is one reason he lasted 19 seasons in the NBA. I was a little sad when he decided to retire because I knew if any player had a chance at breaking Kareem's all time scoring record, it could have been Karl since he kept himself in such great condition. He is the second all time leading career scorer in the NBA. He also earned two MVP trophies during his career.

Karl wasn't afraid to speak his mind, however; this was also one thing that occasionally made me uncomfortable. Sometimes I would cringe when he'd make certain statements, but I still have to respect the guy for speaking up and saying what he believed.

Some have criticized him for never winning a championship ring despite two years to the finals with losses to Michael Jordan and the Bulls, but he still solidified himself as one of the greatest power forwards to play the game. Karl Malone will always be one of my favorite players.

The Countdown

Just 13 days until the 2012-2013 NBA regular season starts. I'm excited to watch a full season of NBA basketball this year. I'm glad the lockout issue was resolved last year so we can start the season on time this year.

I don't get too excited for the pre-season games and apparantly neither do the Lakers who are off to a 0-4 start. I'm sure that will change when the regular season starts. Can't wait to start watching my NBA top 10 highlights at the end of each day.

Lucky Shots

Many players have been accused of being lucky when it comes to making a shot, but I think the more a person  practices, the luckier they get.

Domimique Wilkins

When I was young, my favorite players were Dr. J., Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, and Dominique Wilkins. These players all had great athletic ability and were great dunkers.

I think Dominique Wilkins was a pioneer when it came to dunking. He would pull off dunk contest caliber dunks in close games.  He was also the originator of the windmill dunk. Lots of guys can cradle the ball and wiggle it around before they dunk it, but Dominique started the full blown windmill. Nobody could come near the range of motion he pulled off with his windmills.

There have been many players with great leaping ability, but Wilkins also had great dunking power. He wasn't content with just flushing the ball through the rim but looked more like he was trying to rip the rim off with his power dunks.

 I was a little surprised when he was not named to the top 50 greatest all time players since he was one of the top 10 all time career scorers in the NBA at the time.  The Human Highlight Film may have been known more for his scoring skills and dunking than he was for defense, but he still made some big contributions to the game.