ALL BALL NERVE CENTER — When seemingly the entire Bulls roster was out injured or sick during the postseason, Nate Robinson stepped up and, even playing hurt, helped carry the Bulls. How did he do it? Well, now we for certain know he has some otherworldly skills…
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(via Deadspin)
ALL BALL NERVE CENTER – With 7:30 to play in regulation during Game 4 of the Bulls/Nets series, Brooklyn was sitting on a 93-86 lead. The Bulls were having trouble scoring, and the Nets seemed to have the game in hand.
Then, after an inbound pass, Bulls point guard Nate Robinson decided to defend Nets point guard C.J. Watson full-court. Nets forward Gerald Wallace saw this happening and decided to set a pick for Watson, so Watson could get a little breathing room. And then this happened:
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Ouch! But after getting de-cleated, Nate hopped back up and went off: He scored 25 points in the rest of regulation and overtime, and basically carried the Bulls to the amazing win in triple-overtime.
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As Nate said after the game, “I tease coach a lot. It seems every shot I take, he is mad. But I always feel like I’m on fire.”
Maybe that’s because he always is.
by Zettler Clay IV
Score one for the little man’s attempt to democratize the jump ball playing field.
Last night, Nate Robinson, he of 5-foot-9, encountered a jump ball scenario with Rudy Gay, he who is about a foot taller and can really jump. So what’s a man to do with such a disadvantage?
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Was this thought of on the fly or premeditated? Does it matter? Either way, it’s something I’ve never seen before. The refs were more prepared (though not less amused, I imagine), immediately ruling his play illegal on the grounds that two people must actually jump for the ball in tip offs.
Too bad this guy wasn’t the lead official.
by Zettler Clay
OK, so he didn’t yawn. But with the nonchalance he displayed while launching a 60-foot shot into a 18-inch cylinder, it would have only seemed appropriate:
UPDATED (11:41 p.m.)
As a counterpoint, here is the proper energy and effort one is supposed to shoot a buzzer-beating half-court heave. Nate Robinson demonstrates later against the Thunder:
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by Zettler Clay
On Thursday night, Nate Robinson watched another scintillating night of NBA Finals basketball — a game he was playing in a year ago — and decided to take a stroll on the town in New York. At the end of that stroll, he realized he had a bathroom run to make.
Seeing there was no restroom in sight, he spots a Barnes and Noble in a fit of urgency and lets loose. And the boys in blue were there to greet him.
OK, this story isn’t completely true. Only the part about being in New York. And the bathroom run. And the Barnes and Noble. And the boys in blue.
The 5-foot-9 Robinson, who has also played for the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, was arrested shortly before 2 a.m. after cops said he was seen urinating outside a Barnes & Noble store on Main Street.
He was taken police headquarters, where he was issued a ticket charging him with a public urination violation. Robinson was released on $100 bail and is due in City Court on June 22. The violation normally carries a $50 fine. Police said he gave Seattle address.
I guess being hard on Nate for this might expose some hypocrisy because well, this isn’t an uncommon scenario. If you attended a two to four-year institution, it was unusual not to see this at least twice a week.
Needless to say, this shouldn’t affect his career on the hardwood. If anything, he just burnished his populist appeal.
by Micah Hart
For the complete Bragging Rights rules and to vote for other matchups, click here. With 70% of the vote, the Washington Huskies defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 5-4 play-in game, and for their trouble they get the Kevin Durant-led Texas Longhorns. Let’s take a look:
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Texas Longhorns
Starters (all stats per 48 minutes):
LaMarcus Aldridge, Trail Blazers: 26.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 blocks, 1.3 steals
D.J. Augustin, Bobcats: 20.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 8.4 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.9 steals
Kevin Durant, Thunder: 34.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 blocks, 1.4 steals
T.J. Ford, Pacers: 14.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 0.5 blocks, 2.0 steals
Maurice Evans, Wizards: 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.3 blocks, 1.0 steals
Missed the cut: Damion James, Nets; Daniel Gibson, Cavaliers; Royal Ivey, Thunder; Dexter Pittman, Heat; Avery Bradley, Celtics
Team synopsis: A real title contender, with both Durant and Aldridge providing matchup problems for just about any potential opponent. Augustin is also having a breakout season in Charlotte. Ford is somewhat redundant with Augustin on the floor, but his track record is a little better than rookie Damion James. I could see an argument for James over Ford, but he hasn’t really played enough yet to cement a place over Ford or even Daniel Gibson. (more…)
by Micah Hart
For the complete Bragging Rights rules and to vote for other matchups, click here. In this matchup, Ohio State’s Mike Conley and Evan Turner face Brandon Roy and the U-Dub Huskies. Who ya got?
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Ohio State Buckeyes
Starters (all stats per 48 minutes):
Mike Conley, Grizzlies: 18.8 points,4.2 rebounds 8.9 assists 0.3 blocks 2.4 steals
Daequan Cook, Thunder: 18.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.0 blocks, 1.1 steals
Evan Turner, Sixers: 14.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.4 blocks, 1.2 steals
Kosta Koufos, Nuggets: 15.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 3.0 blocks, 1.2 steals
Byron Mullens, Thunder: 12.9 points, 16.3 rebounds, 0.0 assists, 2.6 blocks, 0.9 steals
Missed the cut: Greg Oden, Trail Blazers (injured); Michael Redd, Bucks (injured)
Team synopsis: A very young Ohio State team is proof of the work coach Thad Matta has done in Columbus. This team would certainly be better if Oden or Redd were available, but neither has appeared in a game this season so they remain ineligible (though Redd says he’ll return soon). Conley is blossoming into a competent starting point guard, but Turner, a rookie, is still raw. Neither Koufos nor Mullens has made an impact on the league yet, although both have nice statistical rates for the limited minutes they have played. (more…)
by Micah Hart
First it was Shaq and the double-stuffs. Now Nate Robinson has taken a side gig at a local Chipotle:
Oh, Chipotle. How I enjoy your burritos, yet curse your lack of free chips.
You’ve got some stones on you, Chipotle. Every single other burrito chain gives you free chips and salsa, but not you! Free chips are beneath you. Fine.
If you continue to insist on making me pay for chips, I will continue to insist on eating at Willy’s (a local Atlanta chain that positively flows with gratis chips and salsa).
Viva la resistance!
H/T PBT
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by Micah Hart
Via The Basketball Jones comes this hilarious compilation of Nate Robinson‘s tweets set to music by Kath, a Canadien songstress and sportsfan who posts songs about sports at the website (surprise!) www.songsaboutsports.com. Take it away, Kath:
I always thought there was a soulfulness to Nate’s tweets, and now I know I am not alone.
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by Micah Hart
I don’t know what set off this phenomenon of NBA players (amongst others) doing their best trick shots and capturing them on film, but I am just happy to be alive during this era. Our latest entrants come from L.A., with a little guerrilla-style footage shot by Clippers big men Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Roll it!
A few thoughts:
– I can’t believe how much Griffin and I look alike in tank tops.
– Their reaction after shot #3 is insane priceless.
– Players have so much fun doing these things, it dawns on me — we’ve got to figure out a way to get a trick-shot competition in All-Star Weekend.
We’ve seen H-O-R-S-E the last two years, and that is a start, but the biggest issue with a trick shot competition is the amount of attempts it might take to get the shot right. As we’ve seen in dunk contests the last few years (cough, Nate Robinson, cough), a bunch of misses sucks too much of the air out of the competition.
How could we work around this? Here’s my suggestion:
1. Each participant is given a video camera and 24 hours (say from the start of the Rookie-Sophomore game to the start of All-Star Saturday night) to execute their best trick shot, using the entire host city as their playground to get it done. We’ve seen from guys like Dude Perfect and The Legendary Shots that incorporating various buildings and obstacles can really raise the stakes.
2. The participants submit their entries at the start of All-Star Saturday night, which will be shown either throughout the night during breaks in the regular competitions, or all in one block. Entries will be judged on creativity, difficulty, and perhaps even production value (almost like a short film competition).
3. Fans vote on a winner.
Pretty simple, right?
What do you think? Any suggestions on how to make a trick-shot competition happen? Let us know in the comments.
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Catch up on every single game-winning buzzer beater during the season and see how it rates on the Horry Scale.
