Fear In The Beard

Countless times during the playoffs we have seen shirts in Oklahoma City that say "Fear the Beard". These shirts of course are in reference to the afro that sits on the face of Thunder guard James Harden. After his performance in three of the first four Finals games, I think they need to change that to "Fear In The Beard". 

Harden has looked like a timid Freshman that is playing with the Varsity team for the first time. He has zero confidence in his shot, he is driving to the basket with no plan on what to do when he gets there, and hasn't show much energy or emotion in these games. His role is to come off the bench and provide an immediate spark. This is a guy who has averaged 16.2 points per game in the NBA Playoffs. During the finals, he has scored 5,21, 9, and 8. In games where the Thunder have loss by 6 points or less, a regular contribution from him would have the Thunder ahead 3-1 in the series.

Watching him during these Finals has confused me beyond belief. This is a guy who has played supremely confident throughout his short career. He's going to be a free agent after this year, and people were talking about him getting a massive contract. If I were the GM of a team, his Finals performance thus far would give me pause. There is an old cliche that big time players step up in big time games. He has been the complete opposite of that. 

In game 4, he had a couple of opportunites in the fourth quarter to make plays to either tie or give the Thunder the lead. There was a play with the Thunder down by three, he drove to the basket and pretty much handed the ball to the Heat. Then, he made a steal with the Heat leading by one. He pushed the ball up the floor, got to the rim, and completely blew the layup. Could a foul have been called? Yes, but as an NBA player, you have to finish that regardless of the contact. Especially as the Sixth Man of the Year, and a player that has scored with more contact than that in the past. Finally, he got a pass kicked to him, wide open behind the three-point line, and wanted to do anything but shoot the ball. When he released the shot, the only question was how bad would he miss it. It was really sad to see. 

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have done all that they could to keep the Thunder in games. What was expected to be the Thunder's big advantage in the series, has let them down. Anyone who knows basketball, expected Harden and the others to perform well enough to push OKC past Miami. Yet, he has been outplayed, and badly by guys like Shane Battier, Mario Chalmers, and even Norris "Big Daddy Kane" Cole. Thus the Heat sit on the verge of winning the ring.

So, for all the talk of bad officiating(it has been very questionable), David Stern wanting the Heat to win, and any other conspiracy theory you can conjure up. Please remember that these games have all come down to the waning seconds. Had James Harden played anywhere close to the level he had during the regular season, and early in the Playoffs, the Thunder would be a game away from hoisting the trophy. 

I don't want to declare the series over, because I picked OKC to win, and I'm not ready for the NBA season to end. Yet, if Harden can't pull some magic out of his beard for Game 5, we will be watching the end of the 2011-12 season, and wondering what's next for OKC. Hopefully, we'll see "Fear the Beard" Harden, and not "Fear In The Beard" Harden tomorrow and see what that will do for the Thunder. 

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message 

Father's Day Salute

Title: Father's Day Salute

One of the strongest bonds between a Father and Son is sports. From the Father teaching the son how to play a sport, to just spending time to watching games together, sports are a big dynamic in this relationship. With Father's Day approaching, I decided to reach out to a few friends of mine who played high school sports in the Lansing area and give them the opportunity to salute their Father. Here are their words:

Mark Watts, Everett Basketball, Class of 84: "If I have one word to describe my father it would be INCREDIBLE. He taught me to pray, to respect women and others and to be HUMBLE. This is from a five-time Golden Glove champion and Boxing Legend who ALWAYS praised the Lord. He raised 4 children and stayed married to his Wife (our mother) 50 years till the Lord called him home. I'd ALWAYS tell my father "Dad I wanna be JUST like you when I grow up and he'd say, NO, be BETTER than ME!" He's my SUPERHERO!!!!! and DAD, I could NEVER be better than you for you are Truly THE GREATEST!!! Love u 4ever, your son Marky.

Nathan Duncan-Waverly Basketball, Class of 2004: My dad influenced me through sports early on in the driveway, watching the NBA's best in the 90's and taking me to my first Michigan State Men's Basketball game. Being a coaches kid was a big influence as well, as my brothers and I would go to practices when he was an assistant at Everett. He always allowed and made us work on our games. He made me pay attention to how players got themselves open, played defense, and even talked on the court which made my love for the game stronger.

Eventually becoming one of his players for 2 or 3 years as a member of the Lansing Warriors, was probably the biggest influence through the game of basketball for me. I went home with my head coach after every practice and every game; so he constantly stayed in my ear. Whether it was things I did wrong and needed to improve on, he was continuosly telling me to work harder. He also pointed out things I was doing right and should keep doing. That was probably the best influence I as a player could have because I continously got coached even after practices and games. I couldn't see it then but looking back on it, it was great, appreciated and needed.

In regards to influencing me as a Young man through basketball, he taught me about accountability, hard work, paying attention to detail, being passionate about what I do. He taught me that hard work pays off, to never give up and have fun while doing it all. He has influenced me to pursue coaching down the road. I love my dad for teaching me and showing me all these values through the game we both love! Because my dad exposed me to the game in the way that he did, I am who I am today!

Paul Van Dyke, Everett Basketball, Class of 99 : Growing up my dad wanted me and my brother to play different sports to encourage teamwork, toughness, and discipline. I always remember my dad being there after each game telling me good job no matter if i played terrible or if i did a great job. My dads encouragement in sports has been a essential foundation to my adult life.

Jimmy Wilson, Jr. Everett Basketball Class of 2000: My Dad was my biggest influence when it came to sports. His favorite sport was basketball, so naturally, that became mine. We spent countless hours shooting around, playing horse, and one on one. We even took something simple as throwing paper towel in the trash and turned that into a shooting contest. No matter how tired he was after work, he'd come to the backyard with me while I shot around. As a youngster I just thought it was part of him being Dad, but now having worked at GM like he did, and knowing the toll that can take physically, I have a true appreciation for it.

He also is the main reason you're reading my thoughts on sports right now. When he worked nights, he would ask me about who won the games while he was at work. I would run it down play by play, until he fell asleep on me. When we watched games together, I would be giving my thoughts, he would give his, and it would turn into a "Pardon The Interruption" type debate. When the debate was done he would say, "you should be a commentator or sports writer". He planted a seed that is continuing to grow, and I truly love, thank, and appreciate him for it.

Those are just the thoughts of a few. There are many Father's in the Lansing Area past and present, that should be saluted for coaching, supporting, and influencing their children through sports. I would name you one by one, but I don't want to forget any. Just know that it was truly appreciated, and never to be forgotten. Thank you for all that you have done. Happy Father's Day!!!

Michael Jordan: The Pump-Fake King

There are a couple of things that I swore I wouldn't do when I decided to write about sports. The first one was to not play the hits. That is the thing I hate most about ESPN. They get one topic, beat it to death, resurrect it, and beat it to death again. I refuse to do that. The other one was to not be hypocritical in my opinions and feelings a player or team. This is something that has gone on far too long, and especially in one instance. The discussions regarding Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

For years I've heard people who don't like Kobe have talked about how he emulates MJ. The way he carried himself, the way he played it all was him copying Mike. They also talked about how big of a jerk Kobe is. How he talks down his teammates, how he is snarly to the media, how he is just a mean guy. Michael Jeffrey Jordan wrote the book on being that guy. Yet, you rarely, if ever hear about that. 

As much as people don't like Kobe, he has costs himself millions in endorsements by staying true to that attitude. Personally, that gains him a huge measure of respect. I'd rather a person who is a jerk be that guy 100% of the time, than act one way for the media in order to gain. Again, something that Michael Jeffrey Jordan wrote the book on. It has been painful to watch when Kobe has tried to deviate from that attitude. I don't even think he believes it when he tries to act like something other than a jerk. Yet, he gets villified and killed in the media for doing so.

MJ is a guy who is notorious for talking down his teammates. In the book "Jordan Rules", author Sam Smith chronicled the 1991 season of the Chicago Bulls. He told many stories of how Jordan was with his teammates. How he punched, and verbally abused the grown men that played with him. You never hear about that though. Let that happen with Kobe, the firing squad comes out in mass.

MJ is a guy that spent twenty years saying that he never spoke against Isaiah Thomas being on the 92 Dream Team. It was one of the most openly known secrets in basketball, but he would never cop to it until this year. He finally acknowledged on the NBATV documentary that one of the stipulations of him playing was Isaiah not being on the team. We all know that Isaiah isn't a saint at all. That isn't the point though. The problem is, why go 20 years acting like you had nothing to do with it, then admit it now? That's a sucker move to me.

For the final piece of my argument, here is MJ's Hall of Fame speech: 

The entire speech was a cluster of "that awkward moment when". From talking down his old high school coach, and having the guy who was kept on the Varsity team there to clown him. To saying "I wouldn't want to be you guys" to his kids. It was the real MJ personified. Yet, people just smiled, nodded, and accepted it because it was MJ. This article by Adrian Wojnarowski sums the night up perfectly. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-jordanhall091209

I'm sure this blog won't be received well by most. Jordan has proven to be the Teflon Don when it comes to off the court criticism. I understand and accept that. I also refuse to not voice my opinion on how I think he is off the court. Personally, off the court attitudes really shouldn't matter, yet its what people seem to bring up more often than not when comparing Kobe to MJ. 

So, next time you find yourself saying, "I don't like Kobe because he's an arrogant jerk", please remember your hero MJ, and how he is off the court. Kudos to Kobe for being that guy all the time, and not pump-faking the masses like MJ did. Stay on the floor my people, and stop being hypocritical.

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message. 

Game 1 Thoughts

Going into Game 1 of the NBA Finals, I predicted that the Oklahoma City Thunder would win in 6 games. That seemed to be the prevailing theme as I looked at Twitter and Facebook. Last night did nothing to sway me from that idea. In the spirit of not overreacting to one game, I'll keep my prediction the same, but won't be shocked if this one goes a little shorter. Here are a few of my thoughts from Game 1:

Cleveland South: Watching the Miami Heat play, I can't help but think LeBron has to be experiencing deja vu. Watching him play right now, is similar to watching him when he was in Cleveland. The guys around him will do pretty good, get some good looks in the first half. Come the fourth quarter, they are standing around waiting on him to do something, and it backfires. He definitely has a couple of great pieces around him, but with Chris Bosh being less than 100%, and Dwyane Wade playing like he knows he has a pass win or lose, LeBron seems to be a one man wolfpack. It is to the point that he'll have to score 45 for the Heat to be in the game. He honestly can't do much more, and I hope that after this series people are honest about that, and don't try to throw another Heat failure all on LeBron's back. 

Robert Horry Back: Is that Chris Bosh or Robert Horry coming off the bench for the Heat? It is a well-known fact that Bosh is a jump shooter. He has made a career of knocking down pick and pop shots from mid-range. However, after going 3-4 from the three point line against the Celtics in Game 7, he seems to think he's Big Shot Bob. The Heat are already devoid of consistent shooters for LeBron to kick it to when he drives, and kicking to Bosh in the mid-range was a great thing. With him venturing further and further out, he is making himself a non-factor. Spolestra needs to remind Chris Bosh, that he's Chris Bosh, and not Robert Horry, so he can get back to his sweet spots and knock down shots if the Heat want a chance in this series. 

Pass Me Not: Bottom line, Dwyane Wade has been less than spectacular during this Playoff run. In a previous blog, I gave him credit for the few big games he's had, but other than that, he's looked bad. I'm sure when the season is over we'll hear about a nagging injury that is slowing him down. However, his pass has to expire. The Heat last won a championship in 2006. Wade has been flying clear of criticism due to that. That has to stop. In order for the Heat to win, they need monster games from LeBron and Wade. Wade isn't holding up his end. Here's hoping that fans and media members begin to be honest in our assessment of Wade's play. 

Too Many Weapons: Any objective basketball fan knows that the Oklahoma City Thunder are the more complete team of the two in the Finals. They have a starting five with guys that can all contribute in some way. There isn't much of a drop off when they go to their bench either. People are asking what the Heat can do to combat that during the rest of this series. There isn't much they can do, unless David Stern gives them a special pardon to change the roster around the Big 3.

He's only 23?: When the commentators mentioned Kevin Durant's age during the game, my lady looked up from her homework and asked that question. When I told her yeah, she shook her head, said "that's not fair", and went back to her homework. This is coming from a casual fan that has seen Durant play a few times. I can only imagine what the NBA coaches, players, and front offices are saying. Barring any significant injuries, I believe Durant can lead the league in scoring for the next 5-7 years easily. His offensive game is beyond superlatives, and he isn't close to his prime yet. It is a joy to watch him play, and I hope that he is spared any major injury so we can enjoy his game for years to come.

Be Careful Russ: Russell Westbrook is one of the better point guards in the NBA. He had a great stat line last night with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists. However, there were moments where he reverted to I have to get a shot for myself mode. I don't mind his drives to the basket. A lot of those were good, and timely plays. My problem is when he takes a jumpshot, and Kevin Durant doesn't touch the ball on that trip down the floor. That had me yelling at the TV for him to get the ball to Durant. You have the best scorer in the world on your team, he can't go multiple trips in a row without at least a touch. This dynamic works for the Thunder, but it is something that could get them in trouble down the line. Freezing your big gun when he's hot is a dangerous thing. Good aggressiveness in the flow of the offense is good, but once you start forcing, it becomes a problem. Here's hoping Westbrook continues to produce well, but not at the expense of his team.

That is all I have for Game 1. I'm looking forward to seeing if the Heat can make adjustments in Game 2. In a game where James Harden only scored 5, and barely played in the second half, they still lost by 11. Harden won't play that bad, or that few minutes the rest of the series, that among other reasons lead me to believe the Heat are in big trouble. I hope you enjoyed the read, and please make sure to follow me on twitter @jimmylwilsonjr.

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message 

Sit Back and Enjoy: NBA Finals Preview/Thoughts

We are hours away from Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat. It has been stated over and over, but this is the Finals matchup most people expected coming into the season. That doesn't make the anticipation for the series any less. I could spend my time giving a typical preview, instead I want to ask that we all enjoy what we are about to see. There are so many points of intrigue that will go a long way to make this a special series.

This Finals has arguably the two best players in the world participating in them. I can honestly say it has been a good number of years since that statement could be made. Both LeBron James and Kevin Durant have played at an extremely high level during the regular season and playoffs.

LeBron has been a monster in these Playoffs. I would say that he has been the only consistent player on the Heat during this run. Dwyane Wade had a couple of big games, but the driving force and steadying influence for the Heat has been the reigning NBA MVP. His performances in Game 6 and 7 against Boston were excellent. He looked like a guy on a mission. However, he will be judged on what he does in this series. Last year in the Finals against Dallas, he came up very short. Win or lose for the Heat, he has to play at or even better than the level he has in the Playoffs so far. All eyes will be on him, and looking to see how he performs on the grandest stage of them all.

Kevin Durant has won three consecutive scoring championships. Watching him with the basketball in his hands is a thing of beauty. He is the best closer in this series. Should the game come down to a final possession for the Thunder, I believe they will be in better shape than the Heat. This is part of the reason that I picked Dallas to beat Miami last year. I felt that they had the best finisher in the series in Dirk. OKC has the best one in this series. On top of that, for those who are looking for someone to root for to take down LeBron, KD is your guy. He seems like a geniunely good dude, and is easy to cheer for. This is his first time on this stage, but I feel he has the demeanor and game to represent well.

This series also could be the beginning of a dynasty for one of these two teams. OKC is a very young team, and while Serge Ibaka and James Harden will be free agents after this season, they are still set-up to rule the West for years to come. They have a great front office, and will be able to make moves to assure that.

Meanwhile, the Heat, still have the Big 3. While I don't trust the supporting cast as far as I can throw them, they have done enough to get them to this point. I believe with a few tweaks to the roster, the Heat we be in this position a few more times in the coming years.

So, I implore you to enjoy what we are about to see. Don't let your hate for the Heat, or should I say LeBron, blind you to the fact that this will be an excellent series. There will be close, hotly contested games throughout and in the end your new NBA Champions will be the Oklahoma City Thunder in 6 games. Please enjoy it because series with this much star power don't come along very often. From the aforementioned Bron and KD, to DWade and Russell Westbrook, this should be epic. Have fun watching, because I sure know that I will.

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message.