Born in Nigeria...Lives in Canada .Blogging about my Life and the things that affect me.

Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basketball. Show all posts

Sunday, August 12, 2012

London 2012 basketball: U.S. beats Spain for gold in thrilling game

Team U.S.A. with their gold medals after defeating Spain in the mens basketball final at the  London 2012 Olympics

LONDON—Kevin Durant scored 30 points, LeBron James added 19 and the U.S. men's basketball team defended its Olympic title, holding off stubborn Spain 107-100 on Sunday for the gold medal — just as the Americans did in 2008.
Kobe Bryant added 17 for the U.S., which only led by one point after three quarters and was ahead just 97-91 when James drove the lane for a thunderous dunk and followed a miss by Spain with a three-pointer.
In the final minute, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski, in his final international game, took out his top stars who came to London determined to keep American basketball on top. When the final horn sounded, Krzyzewski locked James in a tight embrace as Bruce Springsteen's “Born In The USA” rocked the arena.
Pau Gasol scored 24 and Juan-Carlos Navarro had 21 for Spain, which had to settle for silver in the second straight Olympics.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

The New York Times profiles Nigeria’s brave basketball Olympics team


Bruised and Beaten, but Nigerians Are Unbowed
By Greg Bishop

LONDON — The buzzer sounded the end of the fairy tale, and the Nigerian team limped off the court in slow motion, unwilling, unable to let go. As they filed into the tunnel, the crowd stood in unison and cheered the team they call D’Tigers.

Tony Skinn, the Nigerian point guard who went to George Mason University, wound up in a hospital, having surgery for a torn quadriceps Monday.

D’Tigers lost against on Monday, this time to France, standing ovation notwithstanding. To their list of firsts — first Olympics appearance, first Olympics victory — they had added something less historic: their first Olympic exit.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Lithuanian who gave Nazi salute against Nigeria fined



Nigeria’s basketball team D’Tigers lost the match against Lithuania but there is something to cheer up their fans outside the court. In another type of court it was full points for the pride of the country.
A Lithuanian man who gave a Nazi salute during the match between both countries has become the first person to be convicted of a racially aggravated offence at the Games and fined £2,500. He was told that his behaviour and that of other Lithuanian fans was “despicable”.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Team USA Basketball Vs. Nigeria: Preview.



The Team USA Men's Basketball team look to continue their unbeaten run in the 2012 Olympics this afternoon when they face Nigeria at 5:15pm eastern time on NBC Sports Network. The US are overwhelming 42 point favorites in the game.

The Nigerians are the 21st ranked team in the world according to FIBA while the US is #1, but that doesn't even fully illustrate the gap between the two. The US has complied 852 points in the FIBA ranking system while Nigeria has just 67.6. The Americans are coming off a game against Tunisia in which they won by 47, yet failed to cover the spread. In fact, Tunisia even took the lead on 3 separate occasions.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Nigerian basketball team win first Olympic game



The Nigerian basketball team this morning won their first game at the 2012 London Olympics, making the basketball team the first in Nigerian sporting history to win a match at the Olympics. They beat Tunisia 60-56 and need just one more win to get through to the next round. With this win, D’Tigers has become the first basketball team in Nigeria’s sporting history to win a match at the Olympics. 

The team needs just one more win to get through to the next round. Go team Nigeria!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Jeremy Lin joins Houston Rockets after New York Knicks decline to match contract offer


According to the New York Times, the New York Knicks have finally decided to let Jeremy Lin sign with the Houston Rockets.
Just a month ago the Knicks fought tooth and nail to win an arbitration case that granted the team “Early Bird” rights for Jeremy Lin, which would allow them to go over the cap and match other team’s offers for him. It would also allow them to use Mid-Level Exception to add further pieces to the roster.
Now the Knicks decide to not match the three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet. Lin was initially expected to sign a four-year deal worth close to $30 million, however Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey decided to tweak the offer-sheet so he had a better chance of getting Lin. The final year of the new deal at $14.9 million is designed to cost the Knicks at least $35 million or more in luxury-tax payments had they matched the deal.
It appears that James Dolan’s Knicks have decided to let him go for purely financial reasons, which is a little surprising considering that they are the second most valuable franchise in the league. This is the same franchise that had the highest operating income in the league.
If it weren’t for Jeremy Lin’s improbable breakout last season, the Knicks would be an afterthought and no one would be talking about them. He saved their season last season and became one of the most popular players in the league.
Now they go into next season with an inferior point guard in Raymond Felton, who like Lin, had success under Mike D’Antoni. He was terrible last season in Portland and was severely out of shape.  Backing him up are two over the hill point guards in Jason Kidd, who obviously didn’t take the Felton trade that well, and Pablo Prigioni, a 35 year old rookie from Argentina.
Keep in mind that this is also the same franchise that paid millions in luxury tax penalties after shelling out a combined $90 million to both Eddy Curry and Jerome James. Why they chose to decline this time is certainly perplexing, especially for someone like Lin that actually helps generate revenue and value to the franchise, but then again, it is the New York Knicks.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Toronto Raptors trade James Johnson to Sacramento Kings


According to multiple reports, the Toronto Raptors have agreed to send James Johnson to the Sacramento Kings for a 2014 second round pick. The 25 year old forward was acquired from the Chicago Bulls during the 2011 NBA trade deadline for the 28thoverall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, which ended up being Norris Cole.
Moving Johnson, who is set to earn $2.8 million next season, for a second round pick would open up more cap flexibility. The Raptors have been looking to move Calderon in an effort to create cap room, presumably to acquire a game changing small forward like Andre Iguodala.
Johnson started the season on a high note, making several high light reel defensive plays, but earned a two-game suspension after clashing with head coach Dwane Casey. That led to his demotion and he wasn’t able to play his way back into the starting line-up.
At 25 years old, Johnson doesn’t have a lot of potential left and has yet to carve out a role for himself in the NBA. He still brings a unique skill set that intrigued Bryan Colangelo during the 2009 NBA draft, but had trouble putting it all together on the court on a consistent basis.
In 40 starts last season, Johnson averaged 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals in 27 minutes per game.