While many NBA players have different interpretations of high fashion and the latest trends, some are sticking with basic suits, while still mixing it up a bit. Perhaps the most important facet of today’s suit is an ability to break up the pieces and wear them with other items in your wardrobe. Let’s take a look at several different styles, including trends that can become part of any closet. Keep up with the conversation using #NBAStyle.
THE EXPERTLY TAILORED SUIT
Derrick Rose, Amar’e Stoudemire and Zach Randolph are in favor of finely tailored, slim cuts.
ALL BALL NERVE CENTER – Stadium Journey is a web site that is dedicated to making “every trip to the ballpark, stadium, or arena the very best it can be.” This is a noble goal, with results that can be incredibly useful to fans interested in attending NBA games in various arenas.
Stadium Journey recently released their 2012-13 NBA Arena rankings, listing the arenas in terms of the overall fan experience while attending a game. Their criteria includes “food and beverage in the arena, overall atmosphere, the neighborhood, the fans, access (which includes parking, traffic, restrooms, and concourses), return on investment, and an “extras” category for any unique or bonus points.”
You can check out the full rankings at the link, but their top five goes like this:
AT&T Center in San Antonio
Staples Center (for a Lakers game)
Amway Center in Orlando
Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Toyota Center in Houston
I have attended games in 25 of the 29 current NBA arenas, but as a media member I don’t get to have the fan experience. (Although if Stadium Journey would like details about the various arena freight elevators, utility closets and media facilities, I’d be glad to chime in.)
But for those of you who’ve been to games in various arenas, please chime in? Where’s your favorite place to experience an NBA game?
ALL BALL NERVE CENTER – Lakers F Metta World Peace has long expressed interest in things other than basketball, from pursuing a career in the music industry to raising money and awareness for mental health charities. Last night during the Clippers/Grizzlies game, MWP watched along with everyone else and showed that he may have a career as an analyst down the road, by keeping up a terrific running commentary on his Twitter feed. Check the coverage…
Billups shot that from queensbridge— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) May 01, 2013
would they stop all this flopping? you fans love this flopping and it is killing me slowly— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) May 01, 2013
While many NBA players have brought their unique style to the podium during the 2013 playoffs, some trends have popped up multiple times throughout the first week.
DENIM: This postseason, players have embraced the utilitarian fabric to make bold statements. In the gallery below, Blake Griffin and Raymond Felton wear tailored denim button down shirts, while James Harden has an edgier take with a distressed shirt and plaid vest. Brandon Jennings looks summer-ready with a faded chambray shirt and white ankle pants, while LeBron James mixes it up by pairing a crisp denim button down with a black tie under a shawl collar sweater.
PINK: The color has range. Brandon Jennings spruces up a classic tan blazer with a warm pink button down, and Deron Williams wears the same shade under his gray jacket. For bolder variations, Caron Butler’s pink shirt pops under a gray suit and muted blue tie, while Matt Barnes pairs mauve pants with a black jacket and tie.
Let us know who wore these trends best, and if you could imagine them in your closet, tell us about it on Twitter using the hashtag #NBAStyle… -
What’s the tell-tale sign of the Clippers’ success? Dunks, dunks and more dunks! Last night in Philadelphia, Chris PaulBlake Griffin and Co. put on quite the aerial show in a rout of the Sixers:
When the Clippers are going, we see rim assaults unlike any other in the league (though LeBron and Dwyane Wade may object). After losing 8 of 11, the Clippers have their (healthy) stud point guard back and look ready to remind the league about the merits of Lob City.
But umm, Blake, what’s up with that layup at the 1:55 mark?
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During a dead ball period in the Clippers-Heat game tonight, the ball landed in the hands of a Miami fan. LeBron James asked, well demanded, for the ball back. Then this happened:
Two weeks ago, ‘Bron made waves around the web with his takedown of a euphoric fan, who hit a half-court hook shot to win $75,000.
Either that or they have faith in Shane Battier’s considerable leaping ability:
With Chris Bosh sitting with the flu against the Clippers, the Heat decided to anoint the former Blue Devil to out-leap one of the best dunkers in the league in DeAndre Jordan.
Got to pick and choose your battles, right?
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I was saving and saving, collecting the best calls of the NBA season’s first full month from the league’s most, err, interesting announcers. They were going to be jam-packed into one blog highlighting the best of the best and posted at the end of November.
Then it happened.
The Clippers’ TV announcers happened.
These guys, Ralph Lawler and Mike Smith, just did work on this night. Strange diatribes, crazy logic and just plain screaming — they had it all working for them on November 28. They just blew away a month’s worth of team announcers’ great calls, and certainly deserve their own moment in the sun. So, here’s the Clips announcers’ greatest hits and a breakdown of what it all meant to a fan lucky enough to have listened to a true ‘Perfect Game’ called during the Clippers contest.
A Wedgie? Clippers Announcers: “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s our first wedgie of the season. There’s got to be a website that keeps track of that … NBA.com/wedgie?” Me: I can assure you, that is not a real web page on this site … yet.
Shah-vedd, you say? Clippers Announcers: “The ‘V’ is not silent. Name a word with a silent ‘V.’” Me: Huh? This exchange came at the expense of Wolves guard Alexey Shved. They didn’t drop the ‘V’ after all, though, opting to go with the definitely incorrect Shah-vedd pronunciation. Hey, it could have been worse, Alexey … you could have been “Shed.”
Landing on a hundred Clippers Announcers: “First to 100 wins, it’s the [Lawler's] law.” Me: Nonsense right there. Just plain nonsense. Love it.
Scream and shout Clippers Announcers: “Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan … SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM dunk.” Me: Perfect.
Jamal Crawford is kind of good at disrupting a defender’s sense of equilibrium. There was this beauty on Wednesday night against Rudy Gay:
With altered — some may say higher — stakes against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, J-Crossover decided to give Metta World Peace a piece of the action:
As much as the NBA showcases larger-than-life athletic monsters on a given night, the line of demarcation between the showy and substance rests in the strategy.
Rick Mahorn demonstrated such a while ago.
Fast forward to Sunday night, when the Clippers visited the Nuggets in a matchup of two of the most exciting — if not up-and-coming — franchises in the league. Blake Griffin’s renowned power game has been duly noted by Al Harrington, who makes the proper adjustment.
Ouch. Insert another bullet point to the “defending Blake Griffin” scouting manual.
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Stadium Journey recently released 
Catch up on every single game-winning buzzer beater during the season and see how it rates on the Horry Scale.
