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U.S. Open Feels Like Good vs. Bad Guys Amidst PGA, LIV Schism

6/16/2022

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Picture: Phil Mickelson at press conference before U.S. OpenScreenshot
by Julian Spivey
The 2022 U.S. Open, golf’s third major tournament of the year, begins today at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. and it seems as if the biggest story of the weekend might not be the on course play itself but what’s going on in the world of golf at large.

The sport of golf is undergoing a massive schism with some of its biggest names leaving the PGA Tour for the off-shoot league LIV Golf, which offers fewer rounds, tournaments and a lot more money, but is primarily funded by a Saudi Arabian wealth fund controlled by the country’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – the guy who played a major role in the death of The Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.  

There’s a multitude of controversies surrounding LIV Golf – some of it to do with players taking what is essentially blood money from a murderous group of bad dudes with terrible rights violations against its own people and some of it to do with the fact that the PGA Tour has been the bloodline of major golf for almost a century.

It truly feels for the first time in my life watching golf that there’s a group of good guys vs. bad guys. The good guys are the ones sticking with tradition and not leaving for greedy blood money. The bad guys are obviously the golfers who’ve opted to join LIV Golf. The hardest part of it for a longtime golf fan like me is some of the now bad guys are guys I’ve spent decades rooting and cheering for – like six-time major winner Phil Mickelson. Mickelson is probably one of the most irritating defectors from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf because he’s one of the only ones doing so who’s openly spoken of the horrible things the Saudis have done, but he’s still OK taking their money.

The LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour aspect of this year’s U.S. Open is one that definitely is playing out in the media, but I’m anticipating how the crowds at The Country Club are going to react – if the ushers and folks presiding over the tournament will even let them react to those players who have chosen LIV Golf. I suspect the crowds will be cordial because the tournament will probably require them to be so, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if the average fan doesn’t care as much whether these players choose to earn their living, as long as they’re continued to be allowed in the major tournaments.

A potentially more interesting aspect this weekend might be how golfers react to each other. Rory McIlroy, steadfast in his loyalty to the PGA Tour, has been taking shots at LIV Golf all week long. In a moment earlier this week during a practice round Jordan Spieth, also sticking with the PGA Tour, reportedly completely blew off fellow competitor Kevin Na, who was one of the first defectors to LIV Golf to resign his PGA Tour status.

There are 15 LIV Golf golfers competing in the U.S. Open this weekend – 13 of whom competed in the LIV Golf Invitational last weekend and Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, who have pledged to make their LIV Golf debuts in a couple of weeks when the series has its first United States event. Among the LIVers in the major tourney this weekend are two former U.S. Open champs DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson. As well as major winners like Reed, Mickelson, Sergio Garcia and Louis Oosthuizen.

I frankly hope all 15 of these golfers miss the cut (something they don’t have to worry about in their new series), though it might be better for TV ratings and dramatic storylines if one of them is neck-and-neck with say McIlroy, Spieth, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, etc. come Sunday.
​
I know who I’ll be rooting for this weekend … any and every one of the good guys. 

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NHL Stanley Cup Final Could Be All-Time Classic: Which Team Has the Advantage?

6/15/2022

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by Eric Fulton
Picture: Avalanche vs. Lightning
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The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs has reached it final series and it features two teams that will either end a championship drought or officially call themselves a dynasty. Both the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning have been the top teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) in recent years. The Avalanche have been an excellent regular season team the past couple of years, but have ran into tough luck in the playoffs getting eliminated in the second round the last two seasons.  For the Lightning, after being swept out of the playoffs as the number one overall seed in the first round in 2019, they have been on a mission to establish themselves as the next great dynasty in the NHL.

While Colorado and Tampa Bay have never met in the Stanley Cup Final, they do pose some similarities that could have the potential to make this year’s Stanley Cup Final an all-time classic. The Avalanche are playing in their first Stanley Cup Final since 2001 and are looking to win their third Stanley Cup since moving to Denver from Quebec, Canada in 1995. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is looking at NHL immortality as they look to become the first team to win at least three straight Stanley Cups since the early 1980s New York Islanders, who won four straight titles. Let’s break down the matchup and see which team has the better forwards, defensemen, goalie and coaching.

Forwards: Colorado has a strong forward core led by captain Gabriel Landeskog and superstar Nathan McKinnon. Both players are participating in their first Stanley Cup Final. The Avalanche do have a player with Stanley Cup Final experience in Andre Burakovsky, who won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018. The duo of Landeskog (8 goals and 17 points in the 2022 playoffs) and McKinnon (11 goals and 18 points in the playoffs) will be key in leading the Avalanche to win. Outside of Burakovsky, another player who could be a wild card at forward for Colorado is Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen only has five goals in the playoffs but can dish out excellent passes as he has 12 assists in the playoffs.

Tampa Bay will counter with Steven Stamkos, who has 15 points (9 goals, 6 assists) in the 2022 playoffs. Also, former Hart Trophy (regular season MVP) winner Nikita Kucherov can be dangerous anytime he can touch the puck (7 goals + 16 assists = 23 points). The X factor for the Lightning is left winger Ondrej Palat, who scored two game-winning goals in the Lightning’s win over the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.  

Advantage: I love both teams forward core. It is very tough to call. While Tampa Bay’s experience in these championship format is important, Colorado’s forwards can give Tampa Bay problems. Also, the Lightning could be without Brayden Point, another key forward for Tampa Bay. I will give the slight edge to the Avalanche.

Defensemen: Colorado has a mostly young defensive core led by Cale Makar, a former first round pick in 2017. He leads the team in scoring by a defensemen in the postseason (5 goals + 17 assists = 22 points).  At just 23 years of age, Makar is just getting started with a career with potential Norris Trophy (Best Defenseman) awards in sight.  Devon Toews is another key for the Avs’ D. He took on the Lightning in the 2020 Eastern Conference Final as a member of the New York Islanders.

The Lightning have two excellent defensemen in Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. Another key defenseman to keep an eye out is Mikhail Sergachev, a young defenseman acquired by Tampa Bay in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens in 2017. All he has done is help the Lightning have one of the best defensive cores in the NHL.

Advantage: I have to take experience over mostly youth in this category. Makar and Toews are really good, but Tampa Bay’s experience is key.

Goaltending: The Avalanche have had to play multiple goalies during this playoff round. Even though they have played less games than the Lightning, they have had to use two goaltenders, Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francousz. They have been really good, but neither have Stanley Cup Final experience.

On the other hand, some would consider Tampa Bay’s goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy the best goaltender on Earth and they might be right. Last year’s Conn Smthe Winner (MVP in the Stanley Cup Playoffs) has a chance to join some elite company as a starting goaltender to win three straight Stanley Cups. He would join New York Islander legend Billy Smith as the only goaltenders to win all their series for at least three years in a row.

Advantage: This one is not close. While Colorado is lucky two of their playoff series wins were sweeps, I do not see them match up very well against Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay has a clear advantage in the goalie department.

Coaching: Jared Bednar is in his sixth season as head coach of the Colorado Avalanche. The rise of the Avalanche and Bednar could not have been scripted any better. In Bednar’s first season, the Avalanche were the worst team in the NHL. But through major trades, the Avalanche were back in the playoffs two years later and now on the cusp of capturing hockey’s top prize.

Jon Cooper’s tenure as coach of the Lightning is currently the longest running in the NHL. Cooper has been head coach for Tampa Bay since 2013. He led the Lightning to a Stanley Cup Final in 2015, which they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. More playoff failures would continue until 2020 when the Lightning hoisted the Stanley Cup for the second time ever and then repeat the feat in 2021. Cooper’s legacy in Tampa Bay is already sealed but it could be an even bigger legacy if Tampa Bay wins their third straight Stanley Cup.

Advantage: Jared Bednar and Jon Cooper are easily the two best coaches in the NHL today.  While I do think Bednar is a great coach and the right fit for the Avalanche, what Jon Cooper has done with the Lightning is truly special. I would give the slight edge to Cooper and the Lightning.

Prediction: As said earlier, I think this final series has the makings of an all-time classic. Colorado is looking to end a drought while Tampa Bay is seeking NHL history by trying to win a third straight title. I like Colorado especially at home where they play the first two games. However, watching a three-peat in the NHL today would be amazing for the Lightning and the sport of hockey.

Lightning will win in six games.

Game one of the NHL Stanley Cup Final starts tonight (June 15) in Denver on ABC at 7 p.m. (CST).  
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Denny Hamlin's 'Fence Guys Hard' Comment Can't Be Tolerated in Dangerous Sport

6/6/2022

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Picture: Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin racing side-by-sideScreenshot
by Julian Spivey
The NASCAR Cup Series held its inaugural race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in Madison, Ill., just outside of St. Louis, on Sunday, June 5 and it was certainly an exciting afternoon on track.

Joey Logano would go on to win the track’s first Cup Series race after a hard fought battle with Kyle Busch in the waning laps of the event, but perhaps the biggest story of the race was the on-track actions between Ross Chastain and Denny Hamlin and then later Chastain and Chase Elliott in the first half of the race and the reactions from the drivers postrace.

On Lap 64, Chastain after a hard multiple lap battle with Hamlin drove his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet hard into Turn 1 of the track behind Hamlin’s No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and contacted Hamlin’s bumper sending the No. 11 into the wall.

This might have been overdriving by Chastain or it might have been Chastain losing patience with Hamlin holding him up. It was hard to tell, but the replay didn’t look great on Chastain’s part.

Hamlin would show his displeasure with Chastain soon after by driving him down the track all the way to the track’s apron near the grass.

On Lap 101, Chastain tried to force his car into a three-wide position shortly after a restart and contacted the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Elliott spinning out the No. 9.

This incident felt like a racing deal to me, but it was less than halfway through the race and Chastain likely didn’t need to be that aggressive at that point.

On the subsequent restart Elliott showed his displeasure with Chastain by bumping the side of Chastain’s No. 1 and sending it up the track. Hamlin right behind this incident would do the exact same thing. Then Hamlin would essentially block Chastain for quite a while making it hard for Chastain, who had to meet minimum speed to remain in the race, to make that minimum speed (he would meet the speed though and wound up finishing the race in sixth position).

I felt like Elliott’s response and Hamlin’s initial response to Chastain’s aggressive driving was fine. The drivers police themselves and that’s the way it should be. If either had even spun out or wrecked Chastain I would’ve felt it the kind of payback you frequently see in NASCAR. It’s been part of the series as long as I’ve been a fan and almost certainly decades before.

I felt like Hamlin’s constant trolling of Chastain throughout the race after his initial move to run him down toward the apron was childish and unnecessary, but after nearly two decades of watching Hamlin compete it wasn’t surprising.

After the race Chastain was contrite and manned up about his poor driving during the race. He told Fox Sports’ pit reporter Jamie Little: “It was just terrible driving. At this level, I’m supposed to be better than that. I cannot believe I just made so many mistakes back-to-back. I just absolutely drove over my head today. It’s unacceptable.”

The admission of fault did little to appease Hamlin who’s promised retribution in the future. Payback is one thing. Payback is almost to be expected by Chastain and the entire field and sport. But in a postrace interview with Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass Hamlin said: “You gotta fence these guys hard to get their attention. It’s going to have to be meaningful.”

That “fence these guys hard” answer is completely out of line and it’s something NASCAR needs to focus on and proactive about with Hamlin.

I’ve always been a fan of the self-policing Hamlin speaks of and the “boys have at it” mentality of NASCAR racing, but in the past it’s mostly been something the drivers have handled well and as safely as possible. Saying you’ve got to “fence these guys hard” is pretty damn close to saying, “if he gets hurt I don’t care.”

We have to keep in mind that auto racing is a dangerous sport, and the governing body doesn’t need its drivers going around saying they’re going to put other drivers in potential harm’s way and “fence these guys hard” is potentially doing just that. Hamlin should know better than this as he’s one of the drivers who’s been hurt the most by over-aggressive driving by his competitors. Hamlin broke a vertebra in his back in a 2014 Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. and had to be airlifted to a local hospital after he and Logano essentially got into a pissing contest racing for the win at the end of the race. So, Hamlin knows firsthand the dangers of the sport. This makes his postrace comments at Gateway on Sunday even more infuriating.

If Hamlin wants to spin out Chastain at the Sonoma Raceway road course this upcoming weekend or at a short track in the future I think that’s fine. I think Chastain would probably admit it’s comeuppance for how he raced Hamlin this past weekend. I don’t think NASCAR should or would step in at that point either.

But I do believe NASCAR needs to speak to Hamlin and let him know his actions toward Chastain will be watched closely and if he does something severe like “fencing him hard” he should be punished severely, probably more severely than any driver has ever been punished for intentionally wrecking another competitor. The sport can’t take safety lightly and drivers threatening to “fence guys hard” should not be tolerated.

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NBA Finals Preview: Warriors Good on Paper, But ESPN's BPI Has Celtics as Big Favorites

6/2/2022

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by Julian Spivey
Picture: Image from Golden State Warriors/Boston Celtics matchup in regular season
Screenshot
 
ESPN’s Basketball Power Index would have you believe the NBA Finals, beginning tonight (June 2) on ABC at 8 p.m., are going to be such a cake walk for the Boston Celtics that there’s truly no reason to even tune in (unless you’re a Celtics fan, of course). ESPN’s BPI gives the Celtics an 86 percent chance to win the NBA Finals, which seems ludicrous to me. I think the series is basically a toss-up with the seasoned Warriors veterans mixed in with some great young role players and the Celtics team that’s never had a single player play in a Finals game before matching up. Exactly where do the advantages lay with each team. Let’s try to figure that out.

Point Guard: Stephen Curry (Warriors) vs. Marcus Smart (Celtics)

So, here’s the key matchup of the NBA Finals in my opinion. You have the Warriors best player and shooter Steph Curry matching up against the current NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Smart. Best shooter in league history versus Defensive Player of the Year is tantalizing. I think Smart is going to hound Curry like we’ve never seen Curry hounded before and it’s going to be huge for the Celtics chances to win the title. Curry won the newly created Western Conference Finals MVP award scoring 24 points per game and 42 percent from three-point land against the Dallas Mavericks. I kind of doubt his numbers will be that good against Smart, who keep in mind injured Curry the last time they played toward the end of the regular season causing Curry to miss most of the final month of the season. But Curry will have some games where he likely goes full Curry too. If Smart can keep those Curry games to three or less the Celtics likely win this thing.

Advantage: Warriors – listen I know the praise I just heaped upon Marcus Smart, but I’ll have to see him actually do it before I can go against the greatest shooter I’ve ever seen play the game.

Shooting Guard: Klay Thompson (Warriors) vs. Jaylen Brown (Celtics)

The two-guard matchup between Klay Thompson and Jaylen Brown is probably the most equal positional matchup of the series. Both players are arguably their respective team’s second best player and scoring option – though the Warriors do have moments when Jordan Poole or Andrew Wiggins can be that instead of Thompson. The Celtics don’t really have that luxury. Thompson was so-so for most of the Western Conference Finals against Dallas until he went off for 32 points and eight 3-pointers in the clinching game five of the series. Brown has averaged 23 points per game this postseason, second on the team to Jayson Tatum’s 27 per game. At least half of the Celtics nightly offense comes from Brown and Tatum. Brown has had a better all-around postseason than Thompson, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Brown is the better of the two in the Finals, but I just can’t write off Thompson, especially if he plays more like game five of the WCF than the first four games of that series in the Finals. I hate pushes when doing position-by-position comparisons, but I feel I have no other choice here.

Advantage: Push

Small Forward: Andrew Wiggins (Warriors) vs. Jayson Tatum (Celtics)

Andrew Wiggins has been HUGE for the Golden State Warriors this postseason and his defense on Jayson Tatum in the Finals could be one of the major deciding factors on which team wins the championship, but if you’re ranking the best players in the Finals based on both regular season and postseason performance Tatum is the best player in this series and despite Wiggins great output for G.S. in the playoffs this one isn’t close.

Advantage: Celtics

Power Forward: Draymond Green (Warriors) vs. Al Horford (Celtics)

Al Horford is going to score more points in the NBA Finals than Draymond Green. I’d be confident in that. Horford has averaged 12 points per game this postseason. Green has averaged 8.7. Horford’s likely going to out rebound Green too. But as Green goes so do the Warriors and it’s hard to measure his intangibles and intensity on the court. Green also leads the Warriors roster in assists per game, as his part in the team’s amazing passing skills is crucial to their offensive flow. One thing that also can’t be measured is how badly will Horford want to win a title after playing in the most postseason games in NBA history of any players to previously have never reached the championship round. I think this matchup will be pretty close this series, but Green is more important to the overall play of the Warriors than I believe Horford to be for Boston.

Advantage: Warriors

Center: Kevon Looney (Warriors) vs. Robert Williams III (Celtics)

I have to be straight with you – I didn’t get to catch all that many Celtics games this season, so I don’t know a whole lot about their big man Robert Williams III. He’s been injured for part of the playoffs and has only started half of Boston’s games on their run to the Finals. He’s put up almost eight points per game, 5.5 boards per game and two blocks per game. Those numbers would’ve had him likely able to steal a push out of this matchup with Kevon Looney before I saw the way Looney absolutely dominated the boards and paint for the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals against the Mavericks. Looney was basically putting up a double-double in every game of the WCF and if he can bring that intensity and output to the Finals he’ll clearly have the advantage in this matchup.

Advantage: Warriors

Bench: Jordan Poole, Otto Porter, Gary Payton II, Andre Iguodala, Nemanja Bjelica, Jonathan Kuminga + more (Warriors) vs. Grant Williams, Derrick White, Daniel Theis, Payton Pritchard (Celtics)

The Warriors have the deepest bench in the entire league and it’s only getting deeper as it seems Otto Porter, Gary Payton II and Andre Iguodala are all returning from injury just in time for the Finals. I don’t know how much Iguodala will actually play, but Porter and Payton have been massive parts of the Warriors bench success all season. Jordan Poole is clearly the best player coming off the bench in this series for either team and at points in the playoffs – mostly in the earlier rounds he was the best player in a Warriors jersey for multiple games. He’s been the Dubs third leading scorer this postseason with 18.4 points per game. While the Warriors can run 12 different guys on the court the Celtics seem content playing about an 8-man rotation, so three guys coming off the bench. The Celtics best bench player this postseason, but especially in the Eastern Conference Finals has been Derrick White, who averaged over 14 points per game and shot 35 percent from behind the arc in the final four games of the ECF. The depth of the Warriors bench might provide huge dividends in the Finals as it’ll allow the starting five to rest, whereas Tatum and Brown are going to have to play almost every minute of every game. At least the Celtics have youth on their side.

Advantage: Warriors
 
Coach: Steve Kerr (Warriors) vs. Ime Udoka (Celtics)

Steve Kerr has now coached the Warriors to six of the last eight NBA Finals and already has three rings to his coaching resume. This is the very first season as the main guy on the sideline for Ime Udoka. There’s truly not much of a comparison here. It’ll ultimately be up to what the athletes do on the court, but how could I possibly go with Udoka over Kerr here?

Advantage: Warriors
 
Prediction: Warriors over Celtics in 7

So, ESPN’s BPI basically has the Celtics as a championship lock. My position-by-position breakdowns have the Warriors with an advantage at every single position with the exception of small forward and shooting guard (and I even gave G.S. a push there). So, why do I have the Celtics pushing this championship series to a game 7?

There are three key reasons:

1. I can’t completely get ESPN’s BPI out of my head. I don’t exactly understand why it has the Warriors as such massive underdogs, but there are numbers and formulas that go into deciding these things and ultimately I can’t completely disregard them just based on the Warriors experience and how things look to me on paper. There has to be something to this massive disparity. 

2. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are that good. The duo is averaging 60 points per game over the postseason. There’s not a whole lot needed from the rest of the team when your stars are carrying that much of a load. I need to see how the Warriors defense plays against these two before I have complete confidence in the Dubs. 
 
3. Marcus Smart on Steph Curry could be what this series comes down to and not only do I worry about Smart’s Defensive Player of the Year skills on Curry, I also somewhat worry about him getting into Curry’s head and just being an all-around nuisance. 
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NBA's 75 Greatest Players (Our List)

5/26/2022

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by Eric Fulton & Julian Spivey
The NBA celebrated its 75th anniversary this season by unveiling its list of the 75 greatest players in league history (except the list featured 76 players due to a tie in the voting - ties are dumb!). Honestly it was a pretty good list the league compiled, but Eric and I thought we could improve on it ever so slightly and we definitely wanted it to be a ranked list instead of listed alphabetically like the league's was. We want you to know that George Gervin was better than Carmelo Anthony and so on. So, we hope you enjoy our additions, don't hate our omissions and respect the fact that when we celebrate 75 years of the NBA we aren't going to throw an extra player at you! - JS

Picture: Dennis Rodman
75. Dennis Rodman 
Dennis Rodman may not be remembered for his scoring during a 14-year career, but he was known for being one of the greatest rebounders and defenders in NBA history. Rodman won the rebound title seven times, NBA defensive player of the year twice, an eight-time all-defensive player. His defensive and rebound contributions played a key role in two dynasties, the late 1980s Pistons and late 1990s Bulls. EF

74. Dwight Howard 
Dwight Howard may prove to be the last of the dominant “traditional” centers in NBA history – in that he was mostly an in-the-paint scorer without an outside shot. I think the style of the league changed immensely around the midpoint of his career, which has led to him being a bit of a journeyman in the second half of his career. That first half, though, was both Hall of Fame and NBA75 worthy. Arguably the greatest player in Orlando Magic franchise history, Howard was a five-time All-NBA First Team member with Orlando from 2008-2012 and won three consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards with the team.  JS
Picture: Dwight Howard

Picture: Dikembe Mutombo
73. Dikembe Mutombo
Dikembe Mutombo was one of the most feared defenders in the history of basketball. Known for his finger wave after every block, Mutombo played 18 seasons with six different teams. He was an eight time all-star, a three time block champion, a four time defensive player of the year, and a six time all-NBA defensive player. EF

72. Dave Bing
Dave Bing was one of the first great Detroit Pistons and the city of Detroit loved him so much he ended up serving as Mayor of Detroit, literally, from 2009-2013. Bing was a seven-time NBA All-Star, mostly with the Pistons, but also the Washington Bullets. He was the NBA’s leading scorer in 1968 and a All-NBA First Team member in ’68 and 1971. Bing was one of the first truly explosive point guards in the league who was not only a terrific playmaker but also his team’s top scoring option. JS
Picture: Dave Bing

Picture: Bob Lanier
71. Bob Lanier
Maybe it’s because he was overshadowed by the game’s many great centers of his era, but it was curious Bob Lanier didn’t make the NBA’s cut of the 75 greatest players in league history. We’re going to correct that omission here. Lanier was such a great player that two franchises retired his No. 16 jersey – the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks. Lanier averaged a double-double for his career with 20.1 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game and made eight All-Star teams (seven with Detroit). JS

70. Alex English
Alex English was a pure scorer averaging over 21 points per game throughout his NBA career, in which he spent majority of his career with the Denver Nuggets. In six of his sixteen seasons, English played every single game in the regular season (82). He won the scoring championship in the 1982-1983 season, along with being a three-time All-NBA selection and an eight-time NBA all-star. EF
Photo: Alex English

Picture: Robert Parish
69. Robert Parish
Known as “The Chief,” Parish played over 1600 games in his 21 year career. He was one of the major parts of the Boston Celtics dynasty of the 1980s, winning three of his four titles in Boston. A nine time NBA all-star and two time all-NBA performer, Parish was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. EF

68. Dave Cowens
Dave Cowens was the second great big man in Boston Celtics history and potentially the biggest key to the second wave of Celtics championships in the ‘70s, winning two titles in 1974 and 1976. Cowens was the league MVP in 1973 (though somehow didn’t make the NBA All-First Team that year). Cowens was an eight-time All-Star and averaged a double-double for his career with 17.6 points per game and 13.6 rebounds per game. JS
Picture: Dave Cowens

Picture: Paul Arizin
67. Paul Arizin
Paul Arizin was one of the early NBA’s greatest scorers, retiring with the third most points in league history when he called it quits in 1962 after 10 seasons with the Philadelphia Warriors. He made the All-Star team every season he played and was a three-time All-NBA First Team selection. Arizin led the league in scoring in 1952 and 1957 and led his Warriors to a championship in 1956. JS

66. Klay Thompson
In just eight NBA seasons, Klay Thompson has built quite an impressive resume. Though he missed two full seasons due to injury, Thompson has still helped the Golden State Warriors become the modern dynasty in the NBA. His prolific three point shooting has landed him on five NBA All-Star teams, two time all-NBA and he's a three-time NBA champion. EF
Picture: Klay Thompson

Picture: Bernard King
65. Bernard King
A small forward out of Tennessee, Bernard King played big in his 14 year career. Though he missed two full seasons due to injury, King was still a four time NBA All-Star, four time All-NBA selection, and scoring champion for the 1984-1985 season when he was a member of the New York Knicks. EF

64. Chris Bosh
Recently the Associated Press chose its All-NBA team by decade and Dirk Nowitzki was chosen as the big man for the 2010s team, which I thought was a bit iffy considering his best decade was the one before. A friend asked who I’d replace Nowitzki with and my answer is Chris Bosh. Bosh, who was unfortunately omitted from the NBA’s 75 list, won two NBA titles with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, was an 11-consecutive time All-Star and has had his No. 1 jersey retired by the Heat. JS
Picture: Chris Bosh

Picture: Earl Monroe
63. Earl Monroe 
Earl “The Pearl” Monroe was a key member of the Baltimore Bullets in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s and the New York Knicks throughout the ‘70s. The 1968 NBA Rookie of the Year made the NBA’s First-Team in 1969 with the Bullets before teaming with Walt “Clyde” Frazier to form potentially the NBA’s scariest backcourt of the ‘70s, including the 1973 NBA title. Monroe averaged 18.8 points per game for his career and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990. JS

62. Anthony Davis
After leading Kentucky to a National Championship, Anthony Davis has continued his big presence in the NBA. In 11 years, Davis achieved a ton of accomplishments every player dreams about. With eight NBA all-star appearances, three time blocks champion, four time All-NBA, an NBA all-star game MVP and Finals champion, Davis is a certain future Hall of Famer with a chance to add to an already impressive resume. EF
Picture: Anthony Davis

Picture: Damian Lillard
61. Damian Lillard 
Damian Lillard has spent his entire 10 year career with the Portland Trail Blazers averaging over 25 points per game. Lillard won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2013 and has also made six all-star appearances to go along with six All-NBA selections.  He is widely considered as one of the best clutch game performers in the game today. EF

60. Nate Archibald 
Nate Archibald’s nickname was “Tiny,” but his play was anything but with the 6 foot, 1 inch point guard leading the league in both scoring and assists in 1973 with the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. The six-time NBA All-Star would move to the Boston Celtics in 1978, where he would help the Celtics win the 1981 NBA title with Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. Archibald averaged 18.8 point per game and 7.4 assists per game for his career and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. JS
Picture: Tiny Archibald

Picture: Pete Maravich
59. Pete Maravich 
Even though he only played 10 seasons in the NBA, “Pistol Pete” Maravich was one of the great players in the NBA during the 1970s. Maravich averaged 24 points per game during his NBA career in which he was a five time all-star, four time all-NBA, and a scoring champion for the 1976-1977 season with the New Orleans Jazz. He was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987, months before his tragic death in 1988. JS

58. Dolph Schayes
Dolph Schayes was one of the NBA’s first dominant big men playing with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1948-1964. Schayes was a 14-time consecutive All-Star and helped lead the Nats to the 1955 NBA title. He was a six-time All-NBA First Team member and finished his career averaging 18.5 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game. JS
Picture: Dolph Schayes

Picture: Lenny Wilkens
57. Lenny Wilkens
Lenny Wilkens was such a great basketball mind that he spent a good portion of his career as a player-coach for both the Seattle SuperSonics and Portland Trail Blazers. Wilkens begin his career as an All-Star point guard for the St. Louis Hawks before leaving for Seattle, where his No. 19 jersey would eventually be retired. Wilkens averaged 16.5 points per game and 6.7 assists per game for his career and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989. He would go on to become the winningest coach in NBA history before being surpassed by Don Nelson and Gregg Popovich. JS

56. Bob McAdoo
Bob McAdoo was maybe the most curious omission from the NBA’s 75th anniversary list unveiled this season. It likely had something to do with the amount of great big men of his era and the fact that he played for the Buffalo Braves during his best years, but his numbers – 22.1 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game – along with being the league’s MVP in 1975 really should’ve had him on the league’s list. Oh well, the three-time NBA scoring leader and five-time All-Star is well on our list. JS
Picture: Bob McAdoo

Picture: Hal Greer
55. Hal Greer
Hal Greer was one of the NBA’s most dominant guards of the 1960s with the Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers making the All-Star team 10 consecutive years from 1961-1970 and a seven straight-time member of the NBA All-Second team. Greer averaged 19.2 point per game for his career and was a member of the 1967 Philadelphia 76ers championship team with Wilt Chamberlain and Billy Cunningham. Greer was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. JS

54. Willis Reed
Playing his entire 10 year career in New York, Willis Reed was the heart and soul of the two Knicks NBA Championship teams of the 1970s. Reed averaged a double-double in his career (18.7 points per game and 12.9 rebounds per game). Reed won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1965. He was also a seven time NBA All-Star, won NBA and NBA All-Star MVPs in the 1969-1970 season, a five time all-NBA, and a two time NBA Finals MVP. Reed was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. EF
Picture: Willis Reed

Picture: Walt Frazier
53. Walt Frazier
A part of the two Knicks championships in the 1970s, Walt “Clyde” Frazier played 10 of his 13 NBA season in New York.  Frazier averaged nearly 19 points per game in his career. He was a seven time NBA All-Star, a six time all-defensive member, won the 1975 NBA All-Star MVP, and was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. EF

52. Nate Thurmond
Unlike today’s small ball oriented league, there was no shortage of dominant big men in the NBA in the ‘60s and ‘70s and this list thus far has proven that. Nate Thurmond was yet another dominant big man of that era manning the paint for the San Francisco/Golden State Warriors from 1963-1974 making seven All-Star teams and being named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team twice and Second Team three times. One of the greatest rebounders in NBA history Thurmond finished his career with the same amount of rebounds per game (15.0) as he did points per game. JS
Picture: Nate Thurmond

Picture: Kevin McHale
51. Kevin McHale
One of the key pieces in the Celtics three championships in the 1980s, Kevin McHale played his entire 13 year career in Boston. His presence on the offensive and defensive side in the front court helped the Celtics advanced to eight NBA Finals in the 1980s. McHale averaged 18 points per game to go along with seven rebounds per game in his career. He was a seven time NBA All-Star and made the NBA All-Defensive team six times. EF

50. Kawhi Leonard
I’ve rarely, if ever, seen one player have such a positive impact on a franchise as Kawhi Leonard did in the one season he played for the Toronto Raptors (the 2018-19 season). Leonard was the missing piece the Raptors needed to win their first title going from a team eliminated in the first or second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs annually to winning it all. Of course, this was after Leonard was the key figure of the last of the great San Antonio Spurs championship teams of this century. Leonard was both the NBA Finals MVP for the Spurs in 2014 and the Raptors in 2019. As dominant, if not more so, on the defensive side of the ball as the offensive Leonard is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner and a three-time NBA All-First Team member. JS
Picture: Kawhi Leonard

Picture: Paul Pierce
49. Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce was the heart and soul of the Boston Celtics throughout the 2000s.  He played 15 of 19 seasons in Boston. Though it took a while, he would eventually help the Celtics, alongside Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett win the NBA title in 2008. Pierce took NBA Finals MVP honors that season.  He made 10 NBA All-Star appearances, named to four All-NBA teams, and was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. EF

48. Carmelo Anthony
After leading Syracuse to a National Championship in 2003, Carmelo Anthony burst to the NBA scene with the Denver Nuggets and made an immediate impact. Anthony was named to the 2003-2004 NBA All-Rookie Team. He has also been a 10-time NBA All-Star and a six-time All-NBA selection. He won the 2012-2013 NBA scoring champion while playing for the New York Knicks. EF
Picture: Carmelo Anthony

Picture: Russell Westbrook
47. Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook has been one of the most entertaining and interesting players in the NBA today. In the 2016-2017 season, Westbrook joined Oscar Robertson as the only players to average a triple double in an entire season. He averaged about 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists that season and won MVP for his efforts. Westbrook has become an NBA All-star and All-NBA selection nine times each. He has also won NBA All-Star game MVP honors twice. He also has won the league scoring champion twice. EF

46. Clyde Drexler
Known as “Clyde the Glide”, Drexler was one of the great players in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was a 10 time NBA All-Star and a five time all NBA performer. Drexler led the Portland Trail Blazers to two NBA Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992 and would win a championship with the Houston Rockets in 1995. He averaged 20 points in his 16 NBA seasons. EF
Picture: Clyde Drexler

Picture: George Mikan
45. George Mikan
George Mikan was the most dominant big man of his era playing in the NBA from 1947-1954 and again in 1956. In that short career Mikan led the Minneapolis Lakers to five championships (this was after winning two with the Chicago American Gears in the National Basketball League before that). Mikan averaged 23.1 point per game in the NBA, including three seasons as the league’s scoring champion. His unique jersey number of 99 is retired by the Lakers. JS

44. George Gervin
George Gervin was one of the smoothest players and scorers in the history of the NBA and truly pioneered a unique shot of his own with the finger roll. His nickname of “The Iceman” is also one of the all-time great nicknames in the history of sport. Gervin began his career in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with the Virginia Squires and later San Antonio Spurs, whom he’d move to the NBA with in 1976. Gervin would go on to become a nine-time NBA All-Star, four-time scoring champion and five-time All-NBA First team member, averaging 25.1 points per game for his career when numbers between the ABA and NBA are combined. JS
Picture: George Gervin

Picture: James Harden
43. James Harden
Known as “The Beard” for his all-time great facial hair, James Harden didn’t start his career as a starter. As part of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the early 2010s with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Harden was the third important guy, but played a significant role as a sixth man. For his efforts, Harden was awarded the sixth man of the year in 2012. When he was traded to the Houston Rockets, his stardom took off like a rocket. Harden became a three time scoring champion, MVP in 2017-2018, a seven time all-NBA and 10 time NBA All-Star. Harden is averaging about 25 points per game in his career.  EF

42. Gary Payton
Gary Payton was one of the most tenacious players in NBA history. So adept at defense he was nicknamed “The Glove” and was named NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1996 (the last guard to win the award until Marcus Smart did this season for the Boston Celtics). Payton was a nine-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA First team member, nine-time All-NBA Defensive First Team member and a bench player on the 2006 Miami Heat championship squad. Payton was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. JS
Picture: Gary Payton

Picture: Dominique Wilkins
41. Dominique Wilkins
Known as the “Human Highlight Film,” Dominique Wilkins was a tremendous small forward. Wilkins played 12 of his 16 years with the Atlanta Hawks achieving seven all-NBA selections, nine NBA All-Star selections, and an NBA all-rookie selection for the 1982-1983 season. Wilkins also won the scoring championship for the 1985-1986 season. He averaged nearly 25 points per game in his Hall of Fame career. EF

40. Jason Kidd
Drafted second overall by the Dallas Mavericks in 1994, Jason Kidd became one of the greatest assist players in NBA history. While he only averaged about 13 points per game in 19 seasons, it was his nearly nine assists per game that was the difference in helping his teams win games. The winner of the 1995 NBA Rookie of the Year, Kidd was a 10 time NBA All-Star, nine time all-defensive selection, and a six time All-NBA selection. Kidd led the New Jersey Nets to two straight NBA Finals appearances in 2002 & 2003. Though he didn’t win a championship with the Nets, he did win an NBA title during his second stint with the Mavericks in 2011. EF
Picture: Jason Kidd

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39. Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen’s journey to the NBA began at then NAIA school, the University of Central Arkansas. He started out as team manager at 5’9, but grew nine inches one summer and became a star once he got on the court. His tremendous play in college would lead him to being selected fifth overall by the Seattle Supersonics in the 1987 NBA draft. He was then traded to the Chicago Bulls and would be one the key pieces to the Bulls dynasty in the 1990s winning six titles during that time. Pippen was one of the best defensive players during his era as he was selected to 10 NBA All-Defensive teams. A 17 year veteran, Pippen was also a seven time NBA All-Star, seven time All-NBA selection, a 1994 NBA All-Star MVP and an Olympic Gold Medal. EF

38. Elvin Hayes
Yet another dominant big man of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, Elvin Hayes was among the most dominant of his time. Hayes was the league’s scoring champion in 1969 and rebounding leader in 1970 and 1974. Hayes was a 12-time NBA All-Star with the San Diego/Houston Rockets and Baltimore/Washington Bullets (teams moved a lot back then!). Hayes was a three-time member of both the All-NBA First and Second teams in his career and his no. 11 has been retired by the now-named Washington Wizards. He was an integral member of the franchise’s 1978 championship team. Hayes averaged 21 point per game and 12.5 rebounds per game for his career. JS
Picture: Elvin Hayes

Picture: Reggie Miller
37. Reggie Miller
Reggie Miller was one of the deadliest sharp-shooters in NBA history and his depth of shooting made him was of the scariest players of his era because it was the 3-point wild, wild west the league is today when he played. The five-time All-Star retired as the league’s all-time three-point shooter with 2,560 3-pointers made (since surpassed by Ray Allen and then Stephen Curry). Miller’s no. 31 is retired by the Indiana Pacers, whom he spent his entire 18-year career with and is widely considered the greatest player in that franchise’s history. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012. JS

36. Steve Nash
Steve Nash had a great 18 year NBA career. Although he never won a title, Nash was the leader of a high flying Phoenix Suns team in the mid-2000s. He won back to back MVPs in 2006 and 2007 in which he led the NBA in assists both years. In addition to his two MVPs, Nash was an eight time NBA All-Star and seven time All-NBA selection. EF
Picture: Steve Nash

Picture: Patrick Ewing
35. Patrick Ewing
Prior to the NBA, Patrick Ewing was a dominant force in the center position for Georgetown University, leading the Hoyas to the NCAA National Championship in 1984 to go along with three Final Four appearances.  The New York drafted Ewing as the first overall selection in the 1985 NBA draft hoping that he would lead them to championship success. Although the Knicks did not win a title in Ewing’s 15 seasons, New York came very close in 1994 when they lost to the Houston Rockets in seven games of the NBA Finals. Ewing had stellar career while playing for Knicks. He was NBA Rookie of the Year in 1986, an 11 time NBA All Star, a seven time all-NBA performer, and a three all defensive NBA member. Ewing did shine playing in a city with the brightest of lights. EF

34. Chris Paul
One of the league’s most intense players of the current era Chris Paul has led every franchise he’s ever played for the New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Phoenix Suns to the postseason and is having his most success late in his career as the “Point God” of the Suns. The 12-time All-Star has made four All-NBA First teams and seven All-Defensive NBA First teams. He’s led the league in assists five times and steals six times. Paul has averaged 18.1 points per game and 9.5 assists per game for his career thus far. JS
Picture: Chris Paul

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33. Ray Allen
Ray Allen was one the greatest three point shooters in NBA history. In his 19 year NBA career, Allen shot exactly 40 percent from three point range. The fifth overall pick in the 1996 draft made three all-star appearances with the Milwaukee Bucks and made four more all-star appearances as a member of the Seattle Supersonics. In 2008, Allen teamed up with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to help the Boston Celtics win their first NBA championship in over 20 years. Allen made three more appearances as a member of the Celtics. He would finish his career with the Miami Heat winning a second title in 2013. EF

32. Rick Barry
A lot of folks may remember Rick Barry most for his “granny style” free throw shooting form, but that’s a disservice to the memory of one of the game’s all-time greatest scorers. Barry began his career in 1965 with the San Francisco Warriors before leaving for the ABA in the later part of the decade. After dominating the ABA, Barry would return to the Warriors in 1972 and dominate the NBA for a bit and leading the Warriors to the 1975 NBA title. The eight-time All-Star was named to the NBA All-First team five times, twice before his exodus to the ABA and three times upon his return. His no. 24 is retired by the Warriors. JS
Picture: Rick Barry

Picture: Bob Cousy
31. Bob Cousy
Bob Cousy was probably the greatest point guard of his era in the NBA and helped form the Boston Celtics dynasty to end all dynasties in the late 1950s. Cousy won six championships with the Celtics, including the last five straight seasons of his career (not counting the cup of tea with the Cincy Royals six years after his retirement). Cousy was the NBA’s MVP in 1957, the first of hits titles with Boston, and was named to 13 All-Star teams and a 10-time consecutive All-NBA First team member. One of the greatest passers in league history he led the league in assists eight times. JS

30. Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson, known as “The Answer,” was a fantastic guard in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Iverson was drafted first overall to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1996 NBA Draft out of Georgetown.  He won Rookie of the Year in 1997, and led the 76ers to the 2001 NBA Finals. Iverson was an 11 time NBA All-Star, a two time All-Star game MVP, three time steals champion, four time scoring champion, and seven time All-NBA selection.  He averaged nearly 27 points per game in his 16 seasons in the NBA. EF
Picture: Allen Iverson

Picture: Bob Pettit
29. Bob Pettit
Bob Pettit was one of the NBA’s most dominant players of the 1950s and early 1960s with the Milwaukee and later St. Louis Hawks. Pettit won two MVP awards in 1956 and 1959 and led the Hawks to the 1958 NBA title. The 11-time All-Star and 10-time All-NBA First team member was one of the game’s most dominant scorers and rebounders of his time averaging 26.4 points per game and 16.2 rebounds per game. Pettit’s no. 9 is retired by the Hawks franchise and he's likely the greatest player that franchise has ever had. JS

28. Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas was drafted second overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1981 NBA draft and would play his entire career in Detroit. Before he arrived in Detroit, the Pistons were one of the worst teams in the NBA. Once he put on the Piston uniform, Thomas would lead the team to the top of the NBA summit. He was the leader of a team full of renegades. The Pistons won back to back titles in 1989 and 1990. Thomas won NBA Finals MVP in 1990. The 6’1 guard from Indiana was a 12 time all-star, two time all-star game MVP, all rookie in the 1981-1982 season, and five time all-NBA selection. EF
Picture: Isiah Thomas

Picture: Giannis Antetokounmpo
27. Giannis Antetokounmpo 
Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2013 NBA draft. The Bucks at the time won only 15 games in the 2013-2014 season, but they would build a team around the “Greek Freak.” As the Bucks became a better team, so did Antetokounmpo. Beginning with the 2016-2017 season, he would make his first of six straight NBA All-Star appearances. He won NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2017. Giannis would win back to back NBA MVPs in 2018 and 2019.  He also became a five time all-NBA selection, four time all-defensive team, the 2019-2020 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and all-star game MVP. The biggest achievement of Giannis’ career was leading Milwaukee to their first NBA championship in 50 years when he and the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals. He won NBA Finals MVP for his efforts. Giannis has done so much in his young NBA career so far and it continues to blossom before our very eyes. EF 

26. John Stockton
John Stockton was the NBA’s quintessential point guard – a focus on the passing game and defensive standout who leads the league all-time in both assists and steals by a wide margin. The 10-time All-Star was an All-NBA First Team member in back-to-back years in 1994 and 1995 and a second-time member on six occasions. He led the league in assists nine consecutive seasons from 1988-1996. His No. 12 is retired by the Utah Jazz for whom he played his entire career with. JS
Picture: John Stockton

Picture: John Havlicek
25. John Havlicek
John Havlicek played his entire 16 year NBA career with the Boston Celtics and achieved major success individually and collectively. Drafted ninth overall by the Celtics in 1962, Havlicek made the all-rookie team for the 1962-1963 season.  He made 13 consecutive NBA All-Star teams from 1965 until his retirement in 1978. Havlicek also became an eight time champion with eight All-NBA selection. He won the NBA Finals MVP in 1974 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1984. EF

24. Moses Malone
Moses Malone may be the most underrated player in NBA history. After all, he won the league’s MVP three times in a five year span from 1979-1983 and I’m willing to bet many folks reading this don’t remember or realize that. Malone was one of the great scorers and rebounders of his era averaging 20.6 points per game and 12.2 rebounds per game for his career. Malone was a 12-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA First Team member and a one-time All-NBA Defensive First Team member. Two NBA franchises have retired his number – No. 24 with the Houston Rockets and No. 2 with the Philadelphia 76ers. JS
Picture: Moses Malone

Picture: David Robinson
23. David Robinson
Nicknamed “The Admiral” for his time in the United States Naval Academy, David Robinson was the leader of the San Antonio Spurs in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was drafted first overall in 1987, but didn’t make his debut until 1989 because of his two year service to the Navy. Robinson won the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1989. He would be known for his defensive presence as he won the rebounding title for the 1990-1991 season. The following year, he won defensive player of the year and blocking champion.  Robinson was named to eight All-NBA defensive selections to go along with 10 NBA All-Star and All-NBA selections, respectively. Robinson won two titles in San Antonio. EF

22. Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley has likely become the greatest NBA (and maybe even sports in general) in-studio commentator in sports broadcasting history but he was quite the superstar on the court before that. The 1993 NBA MVP for the Phoenix Suns was a force to be reckoned with on the boards, especially impressive given his 6’6’’ frame that made him smaller than most of the players who was robbing rebounds from. The tenacious forward was an 11-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA First Team selection and averaged 22.1 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game for his career. JS
Picture: Charles Barkley

Picture: Dwyane Wade
21. Dwyane Wade
The Miami Heat selected Dwyane Wade fifth overall in a star studded 2003 NBA Draft. Wade would become the greatest player in Miami’s history. In 2006, Wade led the Heat to their first NBA title where he was named NBA Finals MVP. He would join forces with LeBron James and Chris Bosh to win two more titles in 2012 and 2013. Wade also became a 13 time NBA All Star, an eight time All-NBA selection, and scoring champion in 2009 and won an NBA All-Star MVP award in 2010. He averaged 22 points per game in his brilliant career. EF

20. Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett began his NBA career in 1995 straight out of high school. He played 14 of his 22 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves. “KG” led the Timberwolves to their only Western Conference Finals appearance in 2004. For his efforts that season, Garnett was named NBA MVP. In pursuit of a championship, Garnett joined the Boston Celtics in 2007 to team with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Celtics won the NBA title in 2008 thanks in part to Garnett, who won NBA Defensive Player of the Year during the championship season. He averaged a double-double in his career (18.0 points & 10 rebounds per season).  Garnett was a 15x NBA All-Star, 12x NBA All-Defensive, nine time All-NBA selection, and four time rebounding champion. Garnett was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. EF
Picture: Kevin Garnett

Picture: Karl Malone
19. Karl Malone
Nicknamed “The Mailman” not because he was a mail carrier, but he was power forward in dunking a basketball with authority. The 6’9 forward from Louisiana played 18 of his 19 seasons with the Utah Jazz and together with John Stockton, formed a dynamic duo that was lead Utah to many regular season wins. Malone was a two time NBA MVP and led the Jazz to consecutive NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998. He would make a third NBA Finals appearance in 2004 in his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although he never won an NBA championship, Malone still had a fantastic career. He averaged 25 points per game while making 14 NBA All-Star teams and 14x All-NBA selections. At the end of his career, Malone finished second in all-time scoring trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. EF

18. Elgin Baylor
Elgin Baylor is another legend who might be given the “most underrated of all-time” label. The 11-time All-Star was a force for the Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers from his Rookie of the Year winning season in 1958-59 through 1972. Baylor was a 10-time All-NBA First Team selection, one of only 10 players selected to that honor a double digit amount of times. His No. 22 is retired by the Lakers franchise. JS
Picture: Elgin Baylor

Picture: Julius Erving
17. Julius Erving
Julius “Dr. J” Erving was one of the smoothest and most stylish players in league history with much of that likely developing in the more stylish American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1971-1976 where he won two titles and led that league in scoring three times. His NBA career began in the 1976-77 season with the Philadelphia 76ers where he’d quickly lead that franchise to being one of the best in the Eastern Conference. Erving would win the NBA Most Valuable Player with the 76ers in 1981 and a title in 1983. The 11-time NBA All-Star was voted to five All-NBA First Team selections and had his No. 6 retired by the 76ers and his No. 32 retired by the Brooklyn Nets franchise for his time with that team in the ABA. He finished his career averaging 24.2 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game. JS

16. Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki was one of the greatest scorers of his era in the NBA and helped fundamentally change the game for big men in the league by extending the court with his deadly jumper. He is the greatest European-born player in NBA history. The 2007 league MVP was a 14-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA first teamer and led the Mavericks to their first (and thus far only) championship in 2011. Nowitzki averaged 20.7 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game for his career, played entirely with Dallas. The Mavericks have retired his No. 41 jersey. JS
Picture: Dirk Nowitzki

Picture: Jerry West
15. Jerry West
A sharp shooting guard from West Virginia, Jerry West played his entire 14 year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was an all-star in every season he played. He was also selected to 12 All-NBA teams and a five time NBA All-Defensive selection. Offensively, he thrived as one of the top scorers in that era, averaging 27 points per game in his career. West won the scoring title in the 1969-1970 season. He won NBA Finals MVP in 1969, even though the Lakers lost the series to the Boston Celtics in seven games.  West and the Lakers would win the NBA title in 1972. After his playing days, Jerry West became one of top executives in the NBA with several teams, including his beloved Lakers. EF

14. Stephen Curry
Few if any players throughout the history of the NBA have changed the game as much as Steph Curry. Curry’s proficiency behind the arc took the NBA from a two-point focused game to that of a three-point focused game (some would say for the worse). He is the greatest three-point shooter (and likely just shooter) in the game’s history and has led the Golden State Warriors to three NBA titles already in his career. The two-time MVP has averaged 24.3 points per game for his career and 6.5 assists per game. Curry has been named to eight All-Star teams, four All-NBA First Teams and has led the league in scoring on two occasions. JS
Picture: Stephen Curry

Picture: Hakeem Olajuwon
13. Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon was the best big man in a game full of Hall of Fame big men of his era, late ‘80s through the mid-‘90s. Leading the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA titles in the mid-‘90s, the 7-footer was the NBA’s MVP in 1994, a 12-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA First Team selection, five-time All-NBA Defensive First Team selection and the Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back years of 1993 and 1994. Olajuwon’s No. 34 is retired by the Rockets franchise. JS 

12. Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant made a name for himself right at the beginning of his NBA career at 19. In 2007-2008, he won NBA Rookie of the Year and was an all-rookie selection. When the Seattle Supersonics moved to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder, the accolades would not stop. While in Oklahoma City, Durant became NBA MVP for the 2013-2014 season, a four time scoring champion, a seven time NBA All-Star, and made his first trip to the NBA Finals in 2012. In 2016, Durant signed with the Golden State Warriors and joined forces with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. While with the Warriors, Durant would win two NBA titles and was named NBA Finals MVP both times.  In 2019, he signed with the Brooklyn Nets. Though he did not play in the 2019-2020 season while recovering from an injury, the next two years would still be solid for Durant. He still has some miles left in his career. EF​
Picture: Kevin Durant

Picture: Shaquille O'Neal
11. Shaquille O'Neal
Shaq made an immediate impact when he was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft. The Magic were a young franchise in the NBA and Shaq took them to new heights. By his third year, Orlando made it to the NBA Finals. In four season with the Magic, O’Neal was Rookie of the Year and scoring champion. In 1996, Shaq made a huge move by signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.  In his eight seasons in Los Angeles, O’Neal blossomed into a tremendous superstar. He would win MVP in 2000, another scoring title, and three straight NBA championships. In 2005, he would join a young Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat and would win his fourth championship. Shaq would play for three move teams (Suns, Cavaliers, and Celtics) before retiring in 2011. In 19 seasons, Shaq was a 15x NBA All Star, 14x All-NBA, three time All-Defensive selection, and three time All-Star MVP. He averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds per game in his career and was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. EF

10. Oscar Robertson
Oscar Robertson was the player who could do it all – score with the best of them, pass with the best of them and rebound with the best of them. Until Russell Westbrook managed to do so in the 2016-17 season, Robertson had been the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season. His career averages were 25.7 points per game, 9.5 assists per game and 7.5 rebound per game. Robertson was the NBA’s MVP in 1964, a 12-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA First Team selection and led the league in assists on six occasions. His No. 14 is retired by the Sacramento Kings (whom were once the Cincinnati Royals he played most of his career with) and his No. 1 by the Milwaukee Bucks, whom he helped lead to their first NBA championship in 1971. JS
Picture: Oscar Robertson

Picture: Kobe Bryant
9. Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant was drafted 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers that same day and would be a Laker his entire 20 year career. Kobe was and All-Rookie selection for the 96-97 season. Once Shaquille O’Neal joined the Lakers, the duo would help return Los Angeles to its championship glory. The Lakers would win three straight NBA titles from 2000-2002 and make another Finals appearance in 2004.  When Shaq left Los Angeles, the Lakers struggled for a bit. However, thanks to Kobe, the Lakers would return to the NBA Finals in 2008. They would lose to the Celtics that season, but the Lakers won the next two seasons in 2009 and 2010 with Kobe leading the charge. Bryant would have some memorable individual games in his resume. In 2006 against the Toronto Raptors, he would score 81 points, the most points scored by individual in a NBA game since Wilt Chamberlain’s famous 100 point game in 1962. In his final NBA game in 2016, Kobe would treat fans to one more unforgettable game by scoring 60 against the Utah Jazz. Bryant averaged 25 points per game in his career. He was an 18x NBA All-Star, two time scoring champ, 15x All-NBA, 12x All-Defensive selection, four time all-star MVP, regular season MVP in 2007-2008, and two time NBA Finals MVP. Kobe died in 2020 in a helicopter accident. Later that year, he was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame. EF

8. Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan is the definition of ultimate team leader and team player in the NBA’s modern era leading the San Antonio Spurs to championships over a 15-year span with his first coming in 1999 and last in 2014. He’d win three titles in between those two. Duncan was a two-time league MVP, 15-time All-Star, 10-time All-NBA First Team selection and eight-time All-NBA Defensive First Team selection. Duncan was a quiet personality, but his play did all of the talking on the court. The Spurs have retired his No. 21 jersey and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020. JS
Picture: Tim Duncan

Picture: Larry Bird
7. Larry Bird 
Hailing from little known French Lick, Ind., Larry Bird was a tremendous basketball player that blossomed in the late 1970s. Bird was the sixth overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. The Celtics at that time were going through some rough times. They only won 29 games prior to Bird’s arrival. By the end of the 1979-1980 season, the Celtics won 61 games and Bird became the NBA Rookie of the Year. Bird would help the Celtics win three NBA titles in the 1981, 1984, and 1986. He won three straight NBA MVPs from 1984-1986.  In the three times he won a title, Bird was named NBA Finals MVP twice.  Bird was also a 12x NBA All-Star, 10x All-NBA, and three time all-defensive player. Injuries forced Bird to retire at the end of the 1991-1992 season. But his time with the Celtics spoke major volumes. He brought the Celtics back to championship glory. EF​

6. Wilt Chamberlain
The single-most dominant scorer in NBA history, Wilt Chamberlain is the only player in NBA history to top 100 points in a single game. Only six players in league history have scored 60 or more points on multiple occasions and Chamberlain did it an almost unbelievable 32 times (the next closest is Kobe Bryant with six). Chamberlain was a seven-time scoring champ for the league and a whopping 11-time rebounding champion (he has the most career rebounds in league history). Chamberlain was a 4-time league MVP, 13-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA First Team selection. His no. 13 is not only retired by three different franchises (Warriors, 76ers and Lakers), but also the Harlem Globetrotters with whom he spent a short time with. JS
Picture: Wilt Chamberlain

Picture: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
5. Magic Johnson
Earvin “Magic” Johnson was a magician on the basketball court. He helped Michigan State win the NCAA title 1979 beating Larry Bird and Indiana State. Shortly after, Magic was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers.  In his rookie season, Magic helped the Lakers win the NBA title. In game six vs. the Philadelphia 76ers, he played center in place of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and scored 42 points. He was named NBA Finals MVP for that incredible performance. The winning would not stop for Magic and the Lakers as they won five NBA Championships during the 1980s. Two of those five came against Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics.  In addition to the five championships, Magic became a 12x All-Star, two time All-Star MVP, two time steals champion, four time assist champion, three time NBA Finals MVP, and 10x All-NBA. Simply put, Magic has his hands all over the basketball whether it was scoring, rebounding, assisting and stealing. In 1991, Johnson retired due to his HIV illness. He did not play in a NBA game for four seasons. He would come back in the 1995-1996 to play his last 32 games. He averaged nearly 15 points per game during that final season.  Magic was inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. EF

4. Bill Russell
Bill Russell was likely the greatest leader and teammate in NBA history – he is the sports all-time greatest champion winning a record 11 championships with the Boston Celtics from 1957-1969. Russell was the league’s MVP on five occasions, a 12-time All-Star and a 3-time All-NBA First Team selection (his biggest rival Wilt Chamberlain is the reason for that number being as low as it is). Russell led the NBA in rebounding on four occasions in his career and is second to only Chamberlain in career boards. Russell’s no. 6 is one of many hanging in the rafters for the Celtics organization. JS
Picture: Bill Russell

Picture: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 
When you have a single shot or move that comes to mind when you think of a player you know that player was one of the all-time greats. You can’t think of the sky hook without conjuring an image in your mind of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer (for now – LeBron James is fast approaching) and averaged 24.6 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game for his career. Abdul-Jabbar’s 6 MVPs are an NBA record, he’d also add two NBA Finals MVP to that list. Abdul-Jabbar won six championships in his career – five with the Los Angeles Lakers in the ‘80s and his first with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971. Abdul-Jabbar was a 19-time All-Star, named to 10 All-NBA First Teams (in an era that featured more Hall of Fame big men than any other I believe), a six-time All-NBA Defensive First Team selection. Both the Bucks and Lakers franchises have retired his no. 33. JS

2. LeBron James
Bill Russell was likely the greatest leader and teammate in NBA history – he is the sports all-time greatest champion winning a record 11 championships with the Boston Celtics from 1957-1969. Russell was the league’s MVP on five occasions, a 12-time All-Star and a 3-time All-NBA First Team selection (his biggest rival Wilt Chamberlain is the reason for that number being as low as it is). Russell led the NBA in rebounding on four occasions in his career and is second to only Chamberlain in career boards. Russell’s no. 6 is one of many hanging in the rafters for the Celtics organization. JS
Picture: LeBron James

Picture: Michael Jordan
1. Michael Jordan
The greatest basketball player of all-time is Michael Jordan.  For 15 seasons, Jordan did it all.  He won NBA Rookie of the Year for the 1984-1985 season.  A serious foot injury would force him to miss most of the following season, but beginning with the 1986-1987 season, Jordan would win his first of seven straight scoring titles. He would win 10 scoring titles averaging 30 points per game in all but one season.  Not only could Jordan could score, he can play defense as well. Jordan was a three time steals champion and a nine time all-defensive selection. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the 1987-1988 season. In the 1990s, Jordan would elevate his game to the next level.  He won all six of his NBA championships in the 1990s as well as six NBA Finals MVPs. Even though he retired a couple of times, Jordan was still a top of his game. He became a 14x NBA All-Star, 11x All-NBA selection, and three time NBA All-Star MVP.  He finished in the top three in all-time scoring when he retired for good in 2003. Jordan was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009. EF
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NBA Flagrant Reviews Out of Control, Green Ejection All-Time Bad Call

5/2/2022

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Picture: Draymond Green fouls Brandon Clarke resulting in Flagrant-2 and ejection Screenshot
by Julian Spivey
For much of the first round of the NBA Playoffs I found myself annoyed with the number of times the officials would go over to the replay system to try to determine whether a foul was a common foul or a flagrant foul.

There are two reasons why it’s so annoying to me: the first is the time it takes to review the play. Basketball doesn’t quite have the pace of play issue many other sports do (in fact, it’s probably the best sport when it comes to pace of play), but we still don’t need unnecessary stoppages. But the biggest annoyance is most of these fouls just shouldn’t be flagrant fouls. I understand wanting to keep the athletes of the sport safe, but what constitutes a flagrant foul has seemingly gotten out of hand in the NBA and nothing showed this to me personally than the utterly ridiculous flagrant-2 foul assessed to Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green on a foul on Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke during game one of the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday, May 1.

Late in the second quarter of Sunday’s game, Clarke went up for a shot at then hoop and was hit on the head by Green and then grabbed by his jersey and brought toward the floor by Green. The grabbing of the jersey may have been unintended based on my viewing of the replay. But one thing that was incredibly clear to me based on watching the replay multiple times is that Green had no intention of hurting Clarke as he even made a successful attempt to hold Clarke up from hitting the hardwood harder than he wound up doing.

The play was an obvious foul by Green. There’s zero doubt about that. But I didn’t even think it should result in a flagrant-1 call. It’s the kind of thing that would’ve been a common foul when I grew up watching the NBA in the ‘90s and early ‘00s and it was the kind of thing that would’ve made players in the eras before that laugh their asses off if an official attempted to eject them from a game for.

Despite my view that Green’s foul should’ve been a common foul resulting in Clarke shooting two free throws I wasn’t surprised the officials wanted to review it for a flagrant because as I said at the beginning it’s what they seem to do these days any time there’s even the slightest contact deemed more than common. But I never in a million years thought flagrant-2, which comes with an automatic ejection, was even in the conversation. So, I was incredulous when Green was awarded the flagrant-2 and ejected. It’s the worst flagrant-2 call I’ve ever seen in NBA history and that’s something that just can’t happen in the postseason when these games mean so much to the teams playing. Luckily for the Warriors it didn’t end up having a huge impact on their game one outcome as they wound up narrowly beating the Grizzlies 117-116 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

The decision to call a flagrant-2 foul and eject Green from the game on Sunday was one that was confusing to many both currently in the game and legends of the game. Portland Trail Blazers All-Star guard Damian Lillard tweeted: “We gotta have better context with these rules man.” Los Angeles Lakers legend and Hall of Famer James Worthy tweeted: “Man, things have changed. Back in the day, the foul that [Draymond Green] committed would have been two free throws ONLY.”

The flagrant-2 foul rule is stated in the NBA rulebook as: “If contact committed against a player, with or without the ball, is interpreted to be unnecessary and excessive.”

That leaves too much of for interpretation for me, and evidently for Lillard and others too. I think a flagrant-2 should have to have some sort of ill-intent behind it – which is also something that would be up for interpretation, but in this scenario would’ve allowed the officials to see, “Hey, Green is obviously trying to hold Clarke up from hitting the deck, so surely there’s no ill-intent.”

The biggest issue with the seemingly constant checking for flagrant fouls that’s going on in the NBA for me is the pussification of the game. Is there no such thing as a “hard foul” anymore? When athletes are getting tossed from games for the kind of stuff that would’ve been “play on, boys” in the days of Kevin McHale, Bill Laimbeer and Kurt Rambis than I’m afraid we’re losing something in today’s game. Again, the league has a responsibility to keep players as safe as possible, but who was hurt on Sunday? Maybe Clarke’s jersey? The league needs to get a grip. 

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UFC Hoping to Get Smith/Rock on Undercard

4/1/2022

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Picture: Will Smith smacks Chris Rock
by Julian Spivey
Hoping to cash in on the moment everybody has been talking about since the Academy Awards aired on Sunday, March 27 UFC President Dana White has reached out to recent Best Actor Oscar-winner Will Smith and superstar comedian Chris Rock about a undercard fight during the Fourth of July weekend UFC 276 event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card for that event has yet to be announced.
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As everybody knows Smith walked onto the stage at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles during the Oscars ceremony on Sunday night and open-hand slapped Rock in the face after the former “Saturday Night Live” comedian cracked a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head. The “King Richard” star then returned to his front-row seat at the ceremony where he began to yellow obscenities at Rock about keeping his wife’s name out of his mouth. Rock kept the ceremony going by announcing the nominees and winner of the Best Documentary Feature category despite looking stunned throughout the experience.

UFC President Dana White is no stranger to controversy and is all about making money but has never really stooped to the celebrity fighting stuff that you’ll frequently see in other fighting sports like boxing.

“This matchup was simply too good to pass up,” White said in a press release. “It’s all the country is talking about and if we can get these two giants of Hollywood into the octagon I think it would be huge for our pay-per-view numbers. If Smith and Rock sign on the dotted line we’re going to be breaking records with this event.”

According to Rock’s representatives, the comedian is considering the offer because he’s already going to be in town doing a show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace the next day. Smith’s representatives were quoted as saying, “he’ll have to ask Jada first.” 

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Braves Move on from Face of Franchise, Might Actually Improve Offense

3/15/2022

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by Julian Spivey
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The Atlanta Braves made the decision to move on from the face of their franchise Freddie Freeman on Monday, March 14 when they acquired All-Star and Gold Glove-winning first baseman Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics for four prospects, including two of their highest ranked minor leaguers in their system. Freeman is a free agent whom the Braves decided they weren’t going to be able to sign to a deal. I almost wrote “decided they weren’t going to be able to afford,” but that’s just not true.

Freeman has only been with the Braves franchise for his career, which has included the last 11 seasons in the big leagues. He was a five-time All-Star with the franchise, the 2020 National League Most Valuable Player and played a major role in the team winning its first World Series title in more than a quarter-century in 2021.

There had been a bit of a strain between Freeman and the organization going all the way back to last Spring Training when it was expected the team would re-up with Freeman well before his free agency even came around this offseason. When the team didn’t re-sign him quickly after the season before the lockout that lasted more than three months it was a bigger sign a reunion between him, and the Braves might not happen to the chagrin of much of the team’s fan-base.

The biggest hang-up in a potential deal between the Braves and Freeman seemed to be a sixth-year, which would’ve had Freeman in a Braves uniform at the age of 38.

Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who had been hugely popular among the Braves fan-base during his tenure with the team – something that may well change now, told The Athletic writer David O’Brien that the “team had to be put together and he decided last night (Sunday, March 13) to move forward [from Freeman]” to do so.

It’s never easy for a team to lose the face of its franchise, which Freeman has been for a decade since the retirement of life-long Brave Chipper Jones after the 2012 season. Braves fans have essentially been on “Freeman Watch” ever since the season ended – and especially since the end of the lockout last week and free agency ramped back up – and I know Monday was incredibly emotional for them. However, there are two things I hope we don’t see from the Braves fan-base: 1) don’t blame Freddie Freeman for not re-signing with the team. This is the organization’s fault. They had the means to sign him and if they were going to, they should’ve locked him up well before the end of the 2021 season. Please don’t boo one of the team’s all-time great players when he returns in another uniform to Truist Park in Atlanta. 2) don’t be hard on Matt Olson. It’s not Olson’s fault that Freeman is no longer with the Braves, and he shouldn’t be compared to Freeman.

The fact that the Braves could make such an acquisition in Olson in replacing Freeman is an amazing move by Anthopoulos and the team. If you’re going to lose an All-Star the best way to replace them is by gaining another All-Star. And, honestly, Olson might be a scarier fit in the Braves lineup than Freeman. Last year Olson’s power numbers were better than Freeman’s. Olson hit eight more home runs than Freeman and drove in 28 more runs and that was with an arguably lesser lineup of hitters around him. Olson’s batting average was 29 points lower than Freeman’s. Olson has averaged 35 home runs over the last three full MLB seasons (ignoring the 60-game shortened season of 2020). Freeman averaged 26. More importantly Olson will be 28-years old when the 2022 season begins next month, where as Freeman is 32. The Braves have Olson locked up for the next two seasons but hope him being from a suburb of Atlanta will sway him into signing on long-term.

As of the writing of this article on late Monday, March 14 Freeman hasn’t signed a deal with any franchise.
Picture: Screenshot of MLB Network Stat comparison for Matt Olson and Freddie Freeman
Screenshot
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Did You Know These Celebrities Are NASCAR Owners?

2/19/2022

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by Julian Spivey
It occurred to me recently with the 2022 NASCAR season beginning this weekend that there has been an influx in celebrities joining NASCAR as team owners lately. This is something that I’m not sure many novice followers of the sport really knew about so I wanted to profile some of the big names owning teams within the sport. 
Picture: Joe Gibbs
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Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs isn’t new to NASCAR. He’s been around so long and so successful that he’s actually already been inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame making him the only person on this list to appear in two professional sports hall of fames, as he’s also enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Gibbs led the NFL’s Washington football franchise to three Super Bowl titles during the ‘80s and early ‘90s and is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. Gibbs created his NASCAR team Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992, one year before his first retirement from the NFL, and hired future Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett as his first driver. Jarrett would reward Gibbs with the 1993 Daytona 500. Gibbs has won five NASCAR Cup Series championships with three different drivers (Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch) and likely isn’t done winning titles as a NASCAR owner. He currently fields four cars in the Cup Series driven by Busch, Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. 
Picture: Brad Daugherty
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Brad Daugherty
Brad Daugherty is another celebrity team owner that has been involved with NASCAR for a while now as co-owner of JTG Daugherty Racing, which fields the No. 47 Chevrolet driven by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The team began racing in the 2008 Cup Season and has been active ever since with one win as a team coming in 2014 with A.J. Allmendinger at Watkins Glen Raceway. Daugherty may not be as big of a household celebrity name as the other celebs on this list, but he was college basketball star at the University of North Carolina and the No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick in 1986 for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Daugherty was a five-time All-Star for the Cavs and his jersey No. 43, which he selected as a lifetime fan of Richard Petty, is retired by the organization. 
Picture: Michael Jordan
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Michael Jordan
Speaking of All-Star NBA players from the University of North Carolina, Michael Jordan entered the NASCAR Cup owner fray in 2021 after being a life-long fan of the sport, which calls North Carolina its center and home, when he joined NASCAR Cup superstar Denny Hamlin to form 23XI racing. The 23 in the team, of course, comes from Jordan’s retired Chicago Bulls jersey number. The XI being the roman numeral of 11, Hamlin’s career-long car number. The team enlisted Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr., the Cup Series only African-American driver, as its driver for its inaugural season and he rewarded the team with its first win (and the first of Wallace’s Cup career) late in the 2021 season at Talladega Superspeedway. 23XI racing has added veteran and former champion Kurt Busch as a second car for the 2022 season in the No. 45 Toyota. No. 45 was the second jersey number Jordan wore in the NBA when he returned from his first retirement in 1995. 
Picture: Pitbull with Daniel Suarez and Justin Marks
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Pitbull
Pitbull, the Miami-born Latin hip-hop star known as “Mr. Worldwide,” signed on as a co-owner of the Trackhouse Racing Team with former NASCAR driver Justin Marks before its inaugural season in 2021. The hitmaker with known for No. 1 songs like “Give Me Everything” and “Timber” co-owns the No. 99 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Suarez, the Cup Series’ only active Hispanic driver. In late 2021 Trackhouse Racing Team bought assets from the folding Chip Ganassi Racing Cup team and have added the No. 1 car driven by Ross Chastain for the 2022 season. 
Picture: Floyd Mayweather Jr.
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Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one of the greatest boxers of all-time and known for his perfect 50-0 career record. The 44-year old is also known for his love of making money, which has earned him the nickname “Money” Mayweather and has become the name of his NASCAR Cup Series team The Money Team, which is making its debut in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 20 with driver Kaz Grala who’s making his second career Daytona 500 start after a 28th place finish for Kaulig Racing in last year’s event. The Money Team has been rumored for multiple years now, but never got things together until formally announcing a run for this year’s Daytona 500 title just 15 days before qualifying for the event. TMT Racing plans a part-time schedule in 2022 with hopes of becoming a full-time Cup Series team for the 2023 season.  
Picture: Emmitt Smith
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Emmitt Smith
There are many athletic legends and even a globally popular hip-hop superstar owning rides in the NASCAR Cup Series, but there are also big names giving love to teams in the Xfinity Series, which is kind of a minor league feeder series to the Cup Series. This season NFL Hall of Famer and the league’s all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith is partnering with Jesse Iwuji Motorsports for a full season run in the No. 34 with Iwuji, a Navy man currently serving in the Navy Reserve, behind the wheel. The team initially wanted to run the No. 22 in recognition of Smith’s Dallas Cowboys jersey number, but the number was owned by another team. But with Iwuji being the only full-time African-American driver in the Xfinity Series the team decided the No. 34, which was the number driven by Wendell Scott when he became the first African-American driver to win a NASCAR race in 1963, was a fitting option. 
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Predicting the 16-Driver NASCAR Playoff Field

2/17/2022

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by Julian Spivey
The NASCAR Cup Series 16-driver playoff field is always nearly impossible to predict in its entirety because of the “win-and-you’re-in” qualification that can lead to surprises. For instance, I didn’t predict Michael McDowell in the playoffs last season (who honestly did?) but he was the first to clinch a spot by winning the 2021 Daytona 500. This season is particularly hard to predict because of the new car introduced into the series that all teams are having to get used to on the fly and there’s no telling which drivers and teams will adapt the quickest. 
Picture: Kyle Larson
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1. Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson absolutely curb-stomped the competition in 2021 in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports on his way to winning 10 races and the Cup Series title. It was the best season for any NASCAR driver in more than a decade. With the new cars this season I don’t know if that success or even half of it will transfer to 2022, but I do know Larson has had wide success driving multiple different kinds of cars and if anybody can adapt to a new car quickly it could likely be him. We might be looking at the first repeat champion of the sport in more than a decade. 

2. Chase Elliott 
Chase Elliott surprisingly struggled in defense of his 2020 Cup Series title last season. Yes, he won multiple races, but both came at road courses where he honestly might be able to win some of those blindfolded (he’s on pace to become the greatest road racer in NASCAR history). He’s averaged three wins a year over the last four seasons, so I’d probably expect him to be around that number again in 2022. 

3. Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin has been to the Championship 4 in the last three seasons, but thus far has not won a championship in his career. I don’t really know what that says about him, but I do know he’s averaged five wins a year over the last three seasons. He should be a threat to win another handful or so races in 2022. 

4. Martin Truex Jr. 
Martin Truex Jr. has averaged almost five victories per year over the last six NASCAR seasons and has been Mr. Consistent. He’s appeared in the Championship 4 in four of the last five seasons with a championship in 2017 and three runner-ups, including last year when he won four races. I don’t see any reason why Truex would be taking a step back at this point. 
Picture: Ryan Blaney
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5. Ryan Blaney
I had been waiting for Ryan Blaney to really bust through in the Cup Series. He had one a race in each of the four previous seasons before 2021 but had never had more than one win in a season until scoring three last year. I think he’s going to be a threat for at least that many wins in 2022 and could be a championship caliber threat. 

6. Joey Logano 
Last season was a bit of a struggle for Joey Logano, certainly more than he’s used to. His only win came in the inaugural dirt track race at Bristol Motor Speedway, which was a bit surprising in itself. He’s now the veteran at Penske Racing and primed for a big year. 

7. Kyle Busch 
Kyle Busch found Victory Lane twice in 2021 after having gone most of the 2020 season without winning until the end of the year. He still appeared to be scuffling more than one is used to seeing from Busch, but he was always vocal the lack of practice time affected him greatly. Now that NASCAR is back to weekly practices, I think we’ll see a bit of the old Busch again. 

8. Alex Bowman
Hendrick Motorsports has been so dominant lately that all four of its drivers feel like automatic locks to make the playoffs. Alex Bowman had a career year in 2021 with four wins but struggled in the playoffs and failed to make it out of the first round. I think he can make it two rounds further in 2022. 
Picture: William Byron
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9. William Byron
There were times in 2021 when William Byron was the most consistent driver in the Cup Series. He posted 12 top-5s and 20 top-10s during the season. His one win came early in the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the third race of the year. His consistency will get him to the playoffs, but he’ll need to find his way to Victory Lane more often to be a real title threat. 

10. Kevin Harvick
It was quite shocking when Kevin Harvick went winless last season, especially after having led the Cup Series with nine wins the year before. He still pointed his way into the playoffs last season. Keeping Harvick out of the playoffs seems impossible and I’m sure he’ll find his way back to Victory Lane soon. 

11. Tyler Reddick
I bet Tyler Reddick gets his first career Cup Series win this season in his third full-time season. The two-time Xfinity Series champion seems to be getting better the more he runs in his Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and pointed his way into the playoff field last season. 

12. Christopher Bell 
Christopher Bell won his first career Cup Series race in his sophomore season last year and he surprised people by doing it at the Daytona road course (which, unfortunately, won’t be on the schedule this season). Bell is bound to get more comfortable at the Cup level and I think he’ll have multiple wins this season. 
Picture: Austin Cindric
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13. Austin Cindric 
Austin Cindric is a rookie in the NASCAR Cup Series this year as he takes over the No. 2 Roger Penske Ford left behind by Brad Keselowski, who moved over to co-own Roush Racing. It’s always risky to predict a rookie into the playoff field, but the Cup Series has six road course races these days and five of those come before the playoffs and Cindric is a road racing ace. I think he’s going to win at least one road race this season and clinch a playoff spot. 

14. Kurt Busch 
Kurt Busch is the definition of consistency. He has won exactly one race in each of the last six seasons. So, why not win one this season? The only issue might be warming up to a new team as he moves over from the defunct Ganassi Racing to a second car added to the 23XI Racing team. I don’t think it’ll be a hard transition for him and his addition to the team will most likely make the whole organization better. 

15. Darrell Wallace Jr. 
This the one of the 16 drivers I’m predicting to make the field that I’m the least confident about. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. got his first Cup Series win late last season at Talladega Superspeedway in a rain-shortened event, but he looked prime to win that race even if it went to the finish. He’s become quite the superspeedway driver and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him win one of those four races this season in his second year with 23XI Racing. 

16. Brad Keselowski
This is going to be the hardest season Brad Keselowski has had since his rookie year in the Cup Series. It’s not going to be easy for him and he may not win a race. Roush Racing had been behind the field for quite a while now when it comes to performance – and that might change this year with the new car, but it might also continue. If the team struggles to keep up with the field Keselowski will have to focus on pointing his way into the playoff field, but I think he can and will do that. 
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