Mario Chalmers Hits Another Half-Court Shot

Although the Dallas Mavericks won game five of the 2011 NBA Finals, Heat reserve Mario Chalmers had another solid performance which included another spectacular half-court shot to end the first quarter:



The above shot was eerily similar to the shot that he hit back in game three:

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Ron Artest Redeems Kobe Bryant in the Most Important Game of his Career

In the milieu of professional sports, winning has been, and always will be, the best elixir for washing away the sins of an athlete.

And for the better part of six years, Los Angeles Lakers small forward Ron Artest has been thirsting for a sip from that cup since he was the center of an altercation among fans and players during a game between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers.

The infamous brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, Michigan cost Artest the remainder of the 2004-05 NBA season, which totaled 73 games and the playoffs, and became the signature moment in the career of the eccentric and enigmatic Queens native.

So when the Lakers allowed Trevor Ariza, a key contributor in the team’s 2009 championship run, to depart via free agency, many pundits questioned the decision to acquire Artest to fill the void; particularly after Los Angeles finished almost ten victories short of their win total in the 2008-09 season.

The 2010 NBA Finals raised additional questions when, in Games 4 and 5, Artest averaged 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, while shooting a dismal 31.6% from the field, in losses that pushed the Lakers to the brink of falling to the Boston Celtics in the Finals for the second time in three years.

However, in performances that belied his virtual non-existence in the previous two games as well as his volatile past, Artest played the two best games of his career to lift Los Angeles to its 16th NBA Championship and help Kobe Bryant enhance his legacy in the process.

In a defensive performance for the ages, the Lakers held Boston to only 67 points in Game 6 to force a deciding Game 7 at the STAPLES Center.

Kobe Bryant scored a game-high 26 points and Pau Gasol finished one assist shy of a triple-double (17 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists), but it was Queensbridge’s own Ron Artest who was the difference maker on both ends of the floor.

Artest scored 15 points and snared 6 rebounds while holding Celtics captain Paul Pierce to only 13 points, on 6 for 14 shooting, in a game that certainly reminded his hometown why he earned the nickname ‘Tru Warier’ in his youth. But Artest would save his best for last in the final game of the season.

With Los Angeles struggling on offense in the first half, it was Artest, not Kobe Bryant, who carried the team, scoring 12 points, all in the second quarter, to keep the Lakers within striking distance of Boston, who controlled play for the first 24 minutes.

The second half saw Artest score 8 points but none bigger than a three-point shot with one minute left to give Los Angeles a six-point cushion on their way to holding on to the slimmest of margins for their second consecutive NBA Title.

More importantly, in the most committed effort to defense and rebounding that has ever been displayed by the Lakers, Artest led the charge once again by limiting Paul Pierce, Boston’s best and most versatile offensive weapon, to only 7 second half points.

‘Ron-Ron’ would finish the game with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals while exhibiting championship poise and tenacity on defense whose true value can’t be measured with words alone.

After the game, Kobe Bryant, who shot a horrific 6 for 24 from the field and was admittedly “out of gas”, sang the praises of the man he has dubbed “The Spaniard”; and deservedly so because Pau Gasol came up huge with 19 points and 18 rebounds.

But it was Ron Artest who scored 35% of Los Angeles’ points in the first half, it was Artest who held Paul Pierce to 33% shooting for the game, and it was the ‘Tru Warier’ who hit the three-point shot that gave the Lakers the separation they needed to secure the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

On a final note, it was Artest who saved Kobe Bryant from having to answer a multitude of questions about a sub-par performance, for his standards, in the most significant game of his career and from having the growth of Bryant’s legacy stunted by the team that dealt him the most embarrassing loss of his NBA tenure.

At the same time, Artest established a legacy of his own, for his stellar play on the court this time, and is now a media darling after thanking everybody in his hood and his psychiatrist in a post-game interview.

Bottom line, by being an integral factor in a championship-clinching game, Artest has finally taken a sip of the elixir that is a morality cleansing for professional athletes.

And the 2004 brawl in Detroit will merely be a footnote in Artest’s rise from selfish thug to selfless champion.

Click here to read the rest of this article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a pleothra of videos.

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Kendrick Perkins Out For NBA Finals Game 7 With Knee Injury

Kendrick Perkins meets with the media after learning he will miss Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Perkins suffered a torn MCL and torn PCL early in Game 6 against the Lakers.

You can view the injury in the below video:

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Top 5 New York Ties to the NBA Finals

As the city of New York aches with anticipation at the prospect of LeBron James signing with the New York Knicks this summer, there are several reasons why New Yorkers should be tuning in to the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Upon closer examination, no pun intended, of the pageantry and hype surrounding this year’s Finals match-up, it should become evident that a rich cast of New York alumni have their respective hands on the renewal of, arguably, the best rivalry in professional sports history.

And the list of New York natives and former Knicks players is an illustrious one indeed. So if New York City has been looking for a single reason to take their eyes off the reality television drama that has become the life of LeBron James, here are five for their consideration.

5. Boston Celtics head coach Glenn ‘Doc’ Rivers

Prior to head coaching stints with the Orlando Magic and the Boston Celtics, ‘Doc’ Rivers was an All-Star point guard for the Atlanta Hawks.

After seven quality seasons in Atlanta (1983-1991), playing alongside Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, and one forgettable one with the Los Angeles Clippers (1991-1992), Rivers was shipped in a deal, that included Bo Kimble and Charles Smith, to New York for Mark Jackson prior to the 1992-93 season.

Although a member of the Knicks for only two seasons, Rivers would be part of the teams that went to the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals in consecutive years.

4. Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson

Phil Jackson’s ties to New York are also rooted in his playing days with the Knicks. Like Rivers, ‘The Zen Master’ was a second round draft pick but, unlike Boston’s head man, Jackson was selected by New York, where he would go on to play 13 seasons.

In addition, Jackson, as a top reserve and fan favorite, was a member of the Knicks’ first championship team in 1970 and its last championship squad in 1973.

And speaking of free agents, whether he leads the Los Angeles Lakers to their second straight NBA Championship or not, Jackson will hit the open market this summer as he is in the final year of his contract with the Lakers; a fact that the Knick front office should not overlook while finalizing their agenda for the next few months.

3. NBA on ABC broadcast team (Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy & Mark Jackson)

All three men responsible for telling the story of each game of the NBA Finals have strong ties to the New York area.

Play-by-play commentator Mike Breen was born and raised in New York City and graduated from Fordham University in 1983.

Breen, a 14-year NBA broadcasting veteran, is also the main voice for New York Knicks games on the MSG Network.

Breen’s color commentating broadcast partner, Jeff Van Gundy, served as a Knick assistant coach for six seasons before becoming the head coach in March of 1996.

During Van Gundy’s five-year tenure, the Knicks would make the playoffs every season and an NBA Finals appearance in 1999.

Van Gundy, a graduate of Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, would resign as Knicks head coach nineteen games into the 2001-02 season and, in the nine seasons since, New York would make the playoffs only once. In light of this, there is something to be said about getting out when the getting is good.

The third member of the aforementioned broadcasting triumvirate is Mark Jackson, who has the most ties to New York of them all.

Jackson was born and raised in Queens, New York and gained a reputation as one of the nation’s elite point guards while attending Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn.

Jackson’s New York basketball legend only grew when he blossomed into a star at St. John’s University, which resulted in him being selected with the 18th pick in the 1987 NBA Draft by none other than the New York Knicks.

After averaging 13.6 points and 10.6 assists per game in his first season, Jackson was named the 1988 Rookie of the Year; and, along with Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing, Jackson would help the Knicks become perennial playoff contenders for the next four seasons.

However, Jackson’s run in New York would come to an unceremonious end when he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers prior to the commencement of the 1991-92 season.

But even though Jackson would also play for the Indiana Pacers, the Denver Nuggets, the Toronto Raptors, the Utah Jazz and the Houston Rockets before retiring in 2004, he will always be a New Yorker at heart.

2. Los Angeles Lakers forwards Lamar Odom & Ron Artest

The games of the versatile Lamar Odom and the defensive-minded Ron Artest were shaped on the tough playgrounds of Queens, New York, with Artest being born and raised in the Queensbridge Projects, the largest housing project in the United States, and Odom being brought up in South Jamaica, Queens.

From their humble and poor beginnings, Artest and Odom, like hundreds of NBA players before them, would use basketball as an escape and, in their early years, would be teamed on the same Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team after becoming stand-outs in high school; Odom with Christ The King Regional High School and Redemption Christian Academy and Artest with La Salle Academy.

After gaining fame playing in some of New York City’s high-profile summer basketball tournaments at Nike Pro City, Hoops in the Sun in the Bronx, and Dyckman Park in Washington Heights, Artest would follow in Mark Jackson’s footsteps by becoming a stand-out at St. John’s; where he helped the Red Storm get to the Elite Eight in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.

Both Artest and Odom were first round draft picks in the 1999 NBA Draft and have taken circuitous routes to get to Los Angeles, while along the way establishing themselves as two of the most enigmatic players in the league.

And there is no doubt that the Queens natives must put their best feet forward in order for the Lakers to triumph in the Finals.

1. Boston Celtics reserve point guard Nate Robinson

After living in obscurity on Boston’s bench after being dealt by the Knicks at the trade deadline, Nate Robinson has reminded the basketball world why he was such a fan favorite in New York.

Robinson’s ‘13 points in 13 minutes’ performance in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic inspired the Celtics to victory in a game they needed to win to close out the series to avoid a Game 7 in Orlando and the potential of blowing a 3-0 series lead.

For an encore, Robinson scored 12 points in 17 minutes off the bench in a pivotal Game 4 of the NBA Finals, and played crucial minutes in the fourth quarter, to help lift the Celtics to victory yet again to even the series with the Lakers.

And, at the rate he’s going, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Robinson place his unique imprint on another one of the upcoming games in the Finals; which goes to show that a liability for one team can easily become an asset for another.

What can also be said is that New York is definitely in the house at the 2010 NBA Finals.

Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and videos recapping Game 4 of the 2010 NBA Finals.

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OTB's 2010 NBA Finals Game Two Live Blog

Hey everybody, it's time for another classic Outside the Boxscore live blog as we do the 2010 NBA Finals Game Two.

The live blog will start tomorrow at 8pm est/5pm pst. Be forewarned, if your adverse to fun, you should stay away from this live blog. If you like random YouTube videos, clever commentary or just like to laugh, you found the right place.

So join us will you, we won't tell on you if you don't tell on us.

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OTB's 2010 NBA Finals Game One Live Blog

Hey everybody, AKA BC here. With the NBA Finals getting underway tonight, in association with our partner site, That NBA Lottery Pick, we present to you our 2010 NBA Finals Live Blog for Game 1 of the series.

We will do our best to keep you entertained to the fullest extent but be forwarned, there will be numerous Mad Men/Alison Brie/Anna Kendrick/and Sunglasses Jack references.

So come join us at 9pm est/6pm pst and be a part of the fun.

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