The NBA holds their big All Star Weekend every year halfway through the season. Its such a fantastic event where fans get together to enjoy some of the best entertainment basketball has to offer, But it also gives the players the chance to have fun and experience playing with others they may not be so familiar with, or if you're in Giannis Antetokounmpo's shoes, getting to play alongside your idols, As the main event showcases the battle of the East and West, the three point shootout and dunk contest lets some of the best talent shine. But the All Star Weekend doesn't only recognise the cream of the crop but enables the up in coming athletes to develop and gain some exposure in the rising stars match. What would this event be without the celebrity game? Combining laughter, exhibition, athleticism and revealing hidden talents. With coaches like the likes of Drake, Kevin Hart and DJ Khaled you're sure to be in for a cracker.
So my question is why doesn't the NBL have something like this? There has been previous all star matches in the past putting together the best players from the season. But the last time that happened was at the end of the 2012-13 season. With the great crowd turnouts and interest in both Australia and New Zealand, not to mention the depth in players, it wouldn't be such a bad idea. It would be an enjoyable way to promote the NBL and also interesting to see players from all teams playing together. Just as the NBL is about to expand to China, this calls for more competitions and games.
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Buzzer-beater from Kevin Dillard gets the win against a Bullets side who led for the whole match16/1/2017 The New Zealand Breakers win their second match in a row in nail biting fashion, led by their new import point guard Kevin Dillard and their kia kaha attitude till the finish. It was an unexpected win, with the Breakers falling short throughout the match which would soon turn out to be heartbreak for Brisbane who have also had their fair share of injuries. With only 1 second left on the clock, Dillard shot a turn-around fade-away jumper which got the whole bench off their feet, scrambling onto the court to celebrate. It came off a turnover in the last 20 seconds. You felt for the Brisbane outfit who, despite the loss of veteran Adam Gibson, came out firing and really put the Breakers to the test, leading in every quarter. Club legends - Leroy Loggins, Carl Bruton, Sam Mackinnon and coach Brian Kerle were at the game for this heritage round and would've been proud of what the bullets had done in those first three quarters. Dillard was the standout for the night top scoring all players with 28 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. "Games like that, it just shows you that you can win tough games on the road and that's big and hopefully this is something we can build on," Dillard said in a post match interview. "We showed a lot of fight and a lot of resilience but we fought to the last minute, the last second." Andrej Lemanis the coach of the Bullets was disappointed in the loss from his team who couldn't finish the match in the dying minutes. "We just have to learn and get smarter down the stretch," he said."You want to talk about a lot of the good stuff, because so much good stuff happened, but it's hard to do that because you're so heart broken by the loss." The Brisbane Bullets now face the top of the ladder Adelaide 36ers on Thursday night and the New Zealand Breakers stay on the road , going to the Win Entertainment Centre to play the Illawarra Hawks. It was a hard fight back from the Illawarra Hawks as Nick Kay had quite a performance. Brisbane were off to a flying start leading by 14 points before the Hawks took a late strike to get their 12th win of the season and solidify their place in second.
The Brisbane Bullets then faced a tough blow with the unfortunate loss of former Boomers guard Adam Gibson picking up an injury in the fourth quarter. Kay's 16 points, 6 rebounds, five assists and five steals made him a standout, and his fellow teammate, American Rotnei Clarke finished the match with a team high of 20. The Brisbane Bullets with this loss, became equal with the New Zealand Breakers, having played 21 games each, 9 of those wins and the other 12 losses. But because of points differential the Bullets go down to 8th place. Even though it wasn't a great ending for the bullets, there were still some positives to take from the match. With Gibson scoring 17 points and highest scorer for the team Daniel Kickert finishing with 20. Gibson sustained a calf injury which would most likely send him to the side-lines. “It’s likely to be season-ending. He’ll have scans tomorrow but he said he heard a pop,” Head coach Andre Lemanis said. “We’ve had an unfortunate run with injuries and we’re struggling, and I’m really proud of my team and the way they’re playing and showing so much character through this adversity.” Hawks coach Rob Beveridge didn’t feel his side got out of jail. “Sometimes you’ve gotta make your own luck and I love the fight we had in us,” Beveridge said. “We worked our butts off and chipped away and it’s one of the greatest comebacks this group’s had. We control our own destiny in terms of making the playoffs and we don’t want to rely on other teams winning or losing.” We're wishing Gibson all the best with his injury and hope it's not too serious. Last week any hopes of getting to the playoffs and adding another title to the clubs already 4 was low. But the entertaining win from the Breakers against the Sydney Kings last night showed that anything is possible, and that when the combinations are right, you'll find your mojo. The Breakers dominated for most of the game, and it was the imports Paul Carter, Kevin Dillard and Akil Mitchell who didn't hold back, giving the Vector Arena crowd something to cheer about. Though you could sense throughout the match that the Kings weren't going anywhere, showing why they are hot contenders. Jason Cadee notched up 18 points, with his fellow teammates Josh Powell finishing with 15 and Greg Whittington with 12. In just his second game for the club Dillard was on fire. With his two behind the back parces that got fans off their chairs and his great shooting and assists he's exactly what the Breakers needed. He didn't care that he was trying to put his contact in at one stage but instead created an amazing spectacle. Other star import Carter, made consecutive threes showing his class, and in the first half scored 13 points which would then eventuate in an extra 10 points to make him the highest scorer in the match.
Akil got rebound after rebound, then dunking his way to probably the best match we've seen from him in the black and blue singlet, and what a great way to start the heritage round. I'm sure every player to put on that singlet will be proud of the performance made. Everyone played an important part in the win, with veterans Kirk Penny and Mika Vukona starting the game with 4 points each to start the match big. Even youngster Shea Ili was blocking shots despite his height. It was a deserved win and the Sydney Kings never gave up, with Kevin Lisch doing his best to sink some points in, but in the fourth quarter it became too big of a stretch. It was also fitting that the last goal was made by Paul Carter who played exceptionally. The final score was 92-74. NZ Breakers 92 (Paul Carter 23, Kevin Dillard 19, Kirk Penney 15, Akil Mitchell 12) Sydney Kings 74 (Jason Cadee 18, Josh Powell 15, Greg Whittington 12). 1Q: 24-21, HT: 43-36, 3Q: 60-61 LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Courtney Lee of the New York Knicks go head to head in the season opener. It was a big night for Cleveland, not only was the city still celebrating their first championship in 52 years but there was a spirit of excitement that ran through as just next door Game 1 of the World Series was on with the Cleveland Indians taking on the Chicago Cubs, winning to take the series to 1-0. The hype was at an all time high, and to begin the match the Cavaliers received their championship rings. It was very emotional and above pictured are: Kyrie Irving and LeBron James hugging after getting their rings.
Pregame James addressed the crowd saying it's "Cleveland against the World" which probably got them off their seats and boosted them with confidence, not that they needed any, seeing their team win against a team who many predicted were the best basketball team in history- Golden State Warriors. The man they could the "King" made his 43rd regular season triple double, as he scored 19 points with 14 assists and 11 rebounds. James had claimed earlier to reporters on Tuesday that speaking out to the crowd was not planned but he just did it spontaneously. "I've never had to prepare for anything like that," James said. "I just kind of go off the cuff, go off my heart." It wasn't all bad for the Knicks as they showed huge promise during the game which saw Derrick Rose come up with 17 points and his teammate Carmelo Anthony finishing with 19 points. It was a carry on from last season with Kyrie Irving playing exceptional. Throughout he kept his defenders off and gave the crowd a thrilling spectacle which affected the way the Knicks played especially in the third quarter when the lead became convincingly too hard to catch up. Irving came off the court with a game high of 29 points. "I think it definitely helps to get the monkey off the back for the city and for the Browns and for the Indians," Coach Tyronn Lue said. "Now we can hold our head up as champions." There also seemed to be another theme around the Cavs Tuesday, and it's that they won't be content simply with one title. "If one championship is enough for you, then you shouldn't be here," Lue added. That might've been the memo from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert because he said essentially the same thing during the team's ring ceremony. "There's only one thing left to do," Gilbert said. "Repeat." Adelaide 36ers new guy Terrance Ferguson is still only a teenager but he's where other people much older than him wish they were.
There's more to the tall, skinny, innocent, young looking fella that has just joined the Adelaide 36ers line-up. He may look smaller than your typical basketball player but don't let his appearance faze you. He has reached new heights in his very short career and he sure has a story to tell. Ferguson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma United States but moved to Texas at the age of eleven. He grew up, with his Mum raising him and his two siblings on her own. He was quite a talent and at the age of nine he was in the car with his Mum, and as they drove past houses one really caught his eye. A huge mansion that he one day dreamed of buying. "Mom, one day, I promise you, you’re going to be living inside of a house like that.”It was the first mansion I’d ever seen in my life. Huge, sprawling, bigger than any house I knew existed. I was nine years old, sitting in the car with my mom, and those words came tumbling out of my mouth. I didn’t know where they came from, or how I’d keep my promise. I couldn’t see into the future. But I could see the pain on my mom’s face, the pain that comes from raising three children on her own, the pain of working two jobs, of getting laid off time and time again. She didn’t like to show it, and she tried to hide it, but it was there. And I was tired of it." He wanted to make sure that his Family was taken care of and that his Mum would never have to work again. From one kids goal to the bright lights of professional sport, by the age of 18 Ferguson was well on his way to becoming if not the youngest but one of the youngest to ever play in the National Basketball League. Though it wasn't Ferguson's initial plan to make it into the NBL, he, like most kids in America and around the World dreamt of going through College and making the best basketball competition in the World. The NBA. He's actually supposed to be playing for the University of Arizona right now but declined for an opportunity he says you can't pass up. He loved Basketball growing up but he did not know if he could actually make the big time. This was until his sophomore year which is the equivalent to a year 10 or 11 in New Zealand, that he realised his true potential. He began seeing newspaper articles that were about him telling of the prospects and what he could achieve. His hard work ethic began to show and those articles gave him motivation to show those people who believed in him that they're right. Some of his post professional career achievements ranged from winning gold at the under 16, 17 and 19 Fiba Championships as well as becoming McDonalds All American in his senior year. From their he knew that getting into a top school would be the natural way to go, but that was until the Nike Hoops Summit that he attended, that was where the Adelaide 36ers came in and approached him. The 36ers were very interested in Ferguson and told him how they could develop him. Already seeing his quality playing style. What really caught the attention of Ferguson was just that, and also the chance to focus on solely Basketball. "In terms of development, players from overseas are further along than players here. Just look at the last NBA Draft. In college, you have time limits on your workouts, you have class, you have so many other things taking up your time. Overseas, you’re on your own, playing in a grown man’s league. You’re working out twice a day, just focusing on basketball. I’ve played against a lot of guys from overseas, and I’ve heard about how many hours they put in. If I get that many hours, with my talent, my athleticism, my game, my mindset, I can be one of the best players in the nation. I can be a top draft pick." It was a pretty hard decision to make, Ferguson was originally intending to turn down the offer of going to Adelaide but thought about it, and with the help of Family and Friends, including Denver Nuggets point guard Emmanuel Mudiay, who told him of his own experience in China, he didn't hesitate to take up the chance - the chance to play with experienced athletes and learn off them, knowing what its like to play pro. In a special story on The Player's Tribune Ferguson spoke out in detail and said that his Family means everything. When he moved to Texas at 11 years old, he was living in a rough neighbourhood, and his brother and sister didn't want him to be surrounded by bad influences and insisted that their Mother take him to a better school. He ended up being put into a home schooling program while his siblings went to a regular school. He believes that this truly shows how his Family were always looking out for him no matter what. "So I gathered everyone together, and we talked. It was a long night. We discussed everything, the good and bad, pros and cons of both decisions. Moving half a world away from everything you know isn’t something you take lightly. Looking back, though, I don’t know how it took us so long to decide. I mean, think about it, I’m going to be a professional basketball player! I get to take care of my family! My mom doesn’t have to work anymore! That’s every kid’s dream. I’m smiling right now as I write this!" Ferguson was exceptionally excited about his challenge ahead and although he won't get to live the College lifestyle, he doesn't care because right now he's in the National Basketball League, he says that that's all he wants, is to be with his Family and keep the promise to his Mum. Terrance Ferguson is for sure a player to look out for and oh how your life can change from humble beginnings- a kid with a dream and now a teenager living his dream with nothing in his way. What an inspiration. The Adelaide 36ers are currently fourth on the ladder after winning 3 of their first 5 games. Shontelle Matano Credits go out to The Players Tribune and Stuff.co.nz/sport for information. |
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